Snow-Kissed by Laura Florand
Released: September 1, 2013
Contemporary Novella
Self Published

Reviewed by Mandi

I really enjoy marriage in trouble themed romance books. It is a different dynamic than boy meets girl and fall in love. These books usually have older characters and always seem more…mature. And the pain – oh the pain. I love to torture myself with a very painful book and hope to be rewarded with warmth at the end. Laura Florand does a nice job with this.

Kai and Kurt were once happily married but three consecutive miscarriages put Kai over the edge. It wasn’t just the loss of three babies, but the sever post-partum depression she started to endure. She starts to lash out at Kurt, refusing any help he tries to give her. She feels unworthy to be loved and eventually walks out of the marriage. With no contact from him for a year (maybe even a year and a half) she winds up at her mother in-law’s cabin one winter day. At this point, her and Kurt are still legally married but he did sell the house and quietly put half of the proceeds into her bank account. Kurt shows up at the cabin, as he expects his mother to also come for a meeting. Kai creates food segments for her mother inlaw’s magazine. But the snow starts to fall and Kurt’s mother doesn’t show up. What unfolds is a day of Kurt and Kai coming to terms with the why’s and the how’s and the what’s next.

What really shines in this book is the way Laura Florand gets us really into the characters heads. Especially into Kai’s. We can feel her pain and her anxiety. Florand really goes deep and it’s very raw in some places. Kai feels like she failed everyone and that too much time has passed to try to mend anything. Her anxiety over being alone with Kurt is so palpable. That feeling that it is just too much emotion for Kai to deal with really comes across.

I also think there is a fine line in this book placing all the blame at Kai’s feet. And I’m not saying that is the case. But a lot of it falls on Kai, and I think this author does a nice job with how she delicately works Kurt’s feelings and his past into the story.

On top of all the pain is hope and a calm that eventually settles. And in between the intense pain and the eventual calm are some super sexy sex scenes.

Laura Florand picks up her readers and gently places them into the extremely turbulent, painful lives of these two characters effortlessly. I feel like I’ve been with these two a lot longer than 130 pages.

Rating: B+

Also recommended – The Chocolate series

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