"Like a Winter Snow" by Lindsay Harrel

[reviewsbyerin]

 


Joy Beckman is wracked with guilt over the holiday season. She has given up her life to take care of her parents, specifically her mother who suffers with Alzheimer's, but an accident put her mom into a rehab facility, and now Joy is going to be gone over Christmas to attend her best friend's wedding in England. Though she's happy to see Sophia, whom we met in The Secrets of Paper and Ink, again, Joy is really struggling. 

What is her life apart from caretaking? And if she can't even do caretaking well, what can she do? 

This doesn't seem like a good time to explore Cornwall, but Joy tries to enjoy the experience and connect with Sophia's new friends. When she meets handsome and single Oliver Lincoln things begin heating up. Is it stupidity to think of enjoying a short romance when she's headed back to the States after the wedding? How much can they really get to know one another in the span of a few days?

Like a Winter Snow is a pretty heavy Christmas story. I felt sad for Joy and all the guilt she was carrying. It was so good to see Sophia, William, Ginny, and Steven again. If you enjoyed The Secrets of Paper and Ink, I think you'd also like this followup, although it works as a standalone. Find out how far Christmas magic can go in this little novella.