seeking snow falls banner

Book Review: Seeking Snow Falls, by Jenn D. Young

I have had a copy of Jenn D. Young‘s Seeking Snow Falls since 2021. So, my memory of where exactly I got it is vague. However, the book was featured over at Sadie’s Spotlight. So, there is a good chance I received a copy as part of the tour material. seeking snow falls cover

It was supposed to be a fun getaway with my best friend, until I ran out of gas in the middle of nowhere Montana.

There I was, freezing to death, when three men came to my rescue and thawed the icicles around my heart.

There’s one little problem: they aren’t human.

When my own haunted past comes calling, they stand by my side and protect me.

But can I overcome my own demons and accept I have mates? Or will my own fears cripple me?

my review

I wanted very badly to like this book. I went into it with high hopes. They all crumbled pretty quickly, however. I don’t hate insta-lust/love on principle. Sometimes, it is done well, sometimes not. It would have been fine here if the book had enough other development to accompany it. But the lust/love is instant, and there is very little further development in the book, which made the insta-lust/love just one more underdevelopment. It’s the one more that is at issue here and is with most of my complaints.

Most of what I turned out not to like about this book I disliked because of the cluster it is part of, rather than a problem by itself. Here are some examples. Laney is constantly crying. I mean constantly! Everything makes her cry—happy, sad, scared, panicking, sympathy, empathy, acceptance, rejection, everything! I am not exaggerating when I say I think a count of crying-related words (tears, sobbing, crying, etc.) would average out to one per page—AT LEAST—if I were able to count them. I don’t mind crying, but by 55%, I was literally rolling my eyes and exclaiming out loud, “Oh My God, again!? ”

To go with the crying, there is a pretty thin line between an author writing a female character with some trauma and room for growth and flat-out infantilizing that character. This book went with infantilization. All of the descriptors of Laney are childlike. Visualize this character for me. There’s the crying. She curls up on the men’s chests with her fist curled under her chin. She sits up and sleepily rubs her eyes. She never laughs; she giggles. When they get in vehicles, the men always buckle her seat belt for her. They often put their chin on top of her head (because she is so much smaller) and kiss her forehead. She is constantly falling asleep or waking up. They put her to bed repeatedly and often even get her ready for bed (like one would a child at nap time). What does the character in your head look like, a 29-year-old woman or a child?

On a side note, female characters constantly being put to bed is also a pet peeve for me. Because it so often simply serves the purpose of putting the toy on the shelf when the men-folk are busy. It shows precisely how much of an object a female character is. Not in this scene? Put the toy away. From the reader’s perspective, she literally has no consciousness when not in the presence of the men.

And all of this childlikeness doesn’t even address her lack of adult decision-making abilities. She has panic attacks at the drop of a hat. She almost freezes to death in her car while parked in front of a heated building. How many people would freeze to death before breaking a window to crawl into the heat? A person can apologize and pay for the damages later. Or be rescued by the police, who show up when the alarm goes off. Either way, survival is literally 6 feet away, and she never even considers it because she does not have adult mental facilities.

Which makes the explicit sex scenes feel jarring. I’m not making any moral or prudish objection, not even to the child-likeness of the character juxtaposed with sex. It’s just that the sexplicit sex felt out of place when handed a child-like heroine. It felt like a plotting disconnect.

The book also needs more editing to catch all the wrong words. The mistakes aren’t even all homophones. Most are simply close but not quite right words—widely used when wildly is what is meant, for example.

The book is pretty formulaic. There is nothing new here. But people (myself included) read so many such books because we enjoy the formula. This means what I so disliked here was the content itself, and most of that is personal preference (or peeves) rather than outright quality seeking snow falls photoissues. Plus, it ends on a cliffhanger, which wouldn’t be an issue except that it is very clearly labeled as a standalone.

I did appreciate that Laney is a plus-sized character and that there was a pre-existing sexual relationship within the trio of mates that persisted even once Laney is introduced to the dynamic. And the cover is pretty. So, I think my last word is that this is probably great for the right reader. I’m just not that reader. I’m really not the right reader.


Other Reviews:

cosmic kiss banner

Book Review: Cosmic Kiss, by Clio Evans

I received this copy of Clio EvansCosmic Kiss in one of my book subscription boxes. Unfortunately, I can’t remember which one (I’ll edit this if I remember).

cosmic kiss cover

“Prepare to be scandalized by the hottest shooting star in the universe…”

Stella is a rising star in her intergalactic troupe. Focused on her blooming career, she never expected to be blindsided by one handsome alien, let alone two.

Prince Zin and Chancellor Toras are determined to win their dazzling human over, even if they have to put their differences aside. The two sexy space hunks will do anything for Stella. Worship her, seduce her, charm her— and protect her from the mysterious poison spreading through the troupe.

A fateful encounter leads to an unforgettable cosmic kiss that puts this trio in the spotlight of love. Will Stella, Zin, and Toras follow their hearts and shoot for the stars?

my review

This is porn with plot…sweet porn with plot. I’m not judging. I knew what I was picking up in that regard. But I want to make sure everyone else does, too. Cosmic Kiss is a really sweet, low-stakes, low-angst read. And if that’s your jam, I absolutely recommend this to you. As much as I liked Stella, Zin, and Toras as characters, sweet isn’t really jam, unfortunately. I sort of find it similar to eating egg whites; perfectly fine, maybe even good for you, but where is all the flavor? But that is a matter of personal preference, not quality. Clio Evans writes fun monster romances. I have no doubt I will read more of them. I think I just prefer her darker books.

cosmic kiss photo


Other Reviews:

Mea Lupus Series covers

Book Review: Mea Lupus Series, by Kahaula

I purchased copies of Kahaula’s Smuggler’s Contubernium, Smuggler’s Run, and Smuggler’s Pack.

Mea Lupus Series covers

I’ve worked hard for everything I’ve built in my life. Thriving was my victory against all those who wanted to see me as ash on the solar winds. Now, I’m one of the most feared and respected smugglers in the known galaxy.

The Ferryman.

I’ve lived successfully in the shadows for years because of two rules: transport nothing living, and I’ll kill you if you betray me. I always knew this life would be a short one, but I thought that maybe I’d have a chance. Only a few people know the Ferryman is a woman—much less what I or my ship look like.

But all good things come to an end. I just won’t let it be mine.

Seems the Imperial Union got tired of their regular police force constantly failing to catch me. The Mea Lupus, the wolf shifters created by the gods Menrva & Caesar, have stepped in and are coming for me. They’ve sent their best bloodhound pack. If that wasn’t bad enough this pack is a Contubernium—how am I supposed to evade EIGHT elite wolves?!

I have one advantage: me. They seem to be intrigued by the simple transport captain they think I am. It doesn’t matter that they’re just doing their jobs. It doesn’t matter that they’re decent and kind. I’ll manipulate, lie, and use them because losing my freedom would mean the end of me. I’ll do whatever I have to do to be free once and for all. Even set myself up for a nice long retirement while I’m at it.

Easy, right? Yeah, I don’t believe me either.

my review

I really liked the first book ( Smuggler’s Contubernium) a lot, then liked each subsequent book in the series after that less and less (Smuggler’s Run and then Smuggler’s Pack). I liked all the characters individually. I liked that there was a pre-existing m/m couple in the grouping, and no one even considered that the new relationship with Kara needed to alter that. I liked that the men showed emotion. They cried and mourned and feared. I liked that Kara was in charge. It takes a little while for the men to come around to the realization, but there is actually a little fem-domness to the book. I liked that the men wanted (desperately) to be fathers and have a family. I thought the book dealt with some interesting issues in intelligent ways. The world is interesting, and the writing is very good—the editing is utter crap, but the writing is good.

But as the series progressed, I thought it became exceedingly predictable. Which I think is largely because it’s actually a very simplistic plot. The first book set the rest up for SO MUCH, and then the author seemed to plateau at the bare minimum. Kara was so ultra-powerful that she faced no true challenge. Every accolade, power, or position available seemed to be rightfully hers, and the relationship with the men was reduced to nuanceless worship.

I absolutely hate when an author sets up a villain, spends time building up how villainous a villain is, and then the reader meets said villain and discovers that they are actually just misunderstood or have been duped but aren’t really a villain at all. This series did this not once, but twice…three times, if you count that the heroine is initially set up as the dangerous, dastardly Ferryman but is actually moral and upstanding. If I’m being generous, I could call these situations red herrings. But they felt a hell of a lot more like inconsistencies or plot drift to me.

If you don’t like pregnancy and baby tropes, avoid this series. (If you like them, snap it up.) This book is a surprise baby trope times ten. And honestly, I didn’t hate that getting pregnant was the direction the story went. It made sense, in context (even if I normally hate all the baby tropes). What bothered me was that once Kara met her men, and especially once she got pregnant, a lot of her dynamism as a character was put on a back burner in favor of babies, babies, babies, babies, babies…And for all that, the children remain in the background, never being characters of their own.

Then I found the ending a little too deus ex machina, rushed and anti-climactic. All in all, I really liked book one. I didn’t hate the second and third books. But I feel kind of meh about them. I am definitely going to try more of Kahaula’s books, though.

Mea Lupus Series photos

Other Reviews: