Let It Snow by Heidi Cullinan (Minnesota Snow #1)
M/M Romance (Holiday)
November 26, 2013
Samhain

Reviewed by Helyce

Frankie Blackburn, while using his GPS, still managed to get himself lost in northern Minnesota-having gone in the opposite direction of where he’d wanted to go. When he finally arrives in the small town of Logan, he stops at a diner to get directions, a map and a snack only to learn that he has unwittingly driven into a massive snow storm. He decides to brave it, gets back in his car and heads to the highway. He’s not on the road long before disaster strikes and he finds himself spinning and coming to a stop down the side of the highway. Unhurt, he gets himself bundled up and starts making his way to the last mailbox he saw down the road.

Marcus Gardner was in the diner with his friends Paul and Arthur when Frankie arrived to get directions. Once a lawyer in the city, Marcus returned to his hometown to help care for his mother who has alzheimer’s, but mostly to lick his wounds after a long term relationship he was in ended when he found out his partner, Steve, had been cheating on him almost from the start. When Marcus sees Frankie, he reminds him so much of Steve, that it riles him up a bit. He’s relieved when Frankie leaves.

When Marcus, Arthur and Paul arrive home, however, they are surprised to find Frankie sleeping on the couch in their cabin.

I read somewhere that Heidi Cullinan wrote this story because when she looked for a good “snowed in” book she couldn’t find one. Well, I’m so glad she did. Building on the Goldilocks and the Three Bears fairy tale, she brings us an adorable, warm, heartfelt story. In additional to that, she explores several memes that bring a realistic feel to this tale and make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

I love a “twink” style character and Frankie fit the bill. He’s a stylist and he’s good at it. We learn a lot about him, from his childhood on through college and his decision to drop out of college his senior year to go into cosmetology school, because he’d been doing his friends hair out of his dorm room and realized that he was not only good at it, he loved it. This struck a chord for me-Frankie trying to fit into a mold set forth by his trying to make his family happy-only to find what really and truly made him happy and being brave enough to follow through. I didn’t find him super flamboyant, but up against Marcus who is a lumberjack, he certainly had a bit of an effeminate quality. Don’t let that fool you, however; when Frankie has had enough of Marcus’s gruff demeanor he seeks him out:

“I’m not going to spend days and days like this, having you snipe at me and ignore me all day and then lie next to me at night like if you move too close to me you’ll get cooties or something. God, if you were homophobic, I’d get it, but obviously-”. He stopped, as if something was dawning on him, and then his pretty features turned up into a sneer. “Shit. You’re one of them, aren’t you? Think effeminate guys are the reason you get so much hell? If I weren’t so swishy, maybe your life would be easier?”

Surprisingly, this little confrontation by Frankie is what causes Marcus to open up and the seeds of romance for these two are planted and start to grow. They hash out their misunderstandings and agree to enjoy each other for the duration of the storm at which time they will go their separate ways.

I’m a sucker for stories that fall in a small town. I love that small town feel where everyone has grown up together, looks out for each other and shows kindness to others. Here we see Frankie taken in by virtual strangers who jumps at the chance to provide his own brand of payback in a special way. I loved how Ms. Cullinan explored this when Frankie, who is never without his shears, agrees to give Marcus’s mom a makeover only to find himself with a line of elderly ladies wanting their turn. He glides into this unexpected role effortlessly and without question working long hours to put a smile on each woman’s face and give the patients a little bit of self esteem back.

Both Marcus and Frankie, while totally opposite in many ways, were really in similar places at this time in their lives. Both were merely existing, doing what they felt they should be doing, but not living special or with a personal purpose. The few days these two have together make huge impressions on them, though they really do not act on what they feel. I liked the path these two had to go down in order to realize they belonged together.

Arthur and Paul, Marcus’s friends and roommates, have large though secondary roles. Their relationship is odd and I have to admit made a me a bit uncomfortable as it tended toward the BDSM scene. I probably wouldn’t have minded it as much if they had their privacy, but the cabin in this story is a one room with loft style cabin so all the shenanigans with Arthur and Paul “upstairs” are witnessed by Frankie and Paul sharing the pull out sofa bed in the living room. While this provides an opening to a discussion between Frankie and Marcus, I could have done without voyeurism by proxy here. I also wasn’t convinced that all parties were okay with what was happening.

I’ve enjoyed everything that I’ve read by this author so far and this books delivers, pushing all the right buttons for me. Realistic and emotional, I look forward to seeing what she has planned for the rest of the cast.

Rating: B

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