Despite not choosing to read this book during the festive period, I still assumed it would be a romantic, easy read which I would have curled up with in the lead up to Christmas – if it wasn’t the height of summer. Romantic as it was, I found that, for most of the book, the only link to Christmas that this novel possessed, was the fact that it was set in the snowy, Alaskan village of Banff.
Only a few chapters in and I could pretty much see where the plot was heading, although there were a few signature character twists towards the end where it got a bit more exciting. In fact, Karen Swann’s latest novel is inescapably similar to her other book, ‘Christmas Lights,’ with Anders Jemtegard playing a very similar role to Jonas Scholberg in this novel.
At the beginning, however, it did take a little determination to plough through the barrage of misery and misfortune Swann had heaped together in the first half, making it harder to read. But a little farther in, the pace picked up and the book became more and more enjoyable. Due to the mature themes that this book explores, such as domestic abuse, post-natal depression and, of course romance, this book can be enjoyed by any adult or young adult as a romantic escape.
While it was slow to start with, it definitely did get better and you can always count on Swann to leave you feeling refreshed and happy when the plot neatly wraps itself up.
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