RITA Reader Challenge Review

RITA Reader Challenge: Resolution by Linda Winstead Jones in The Heart of Winter

A-

Title: The Heart of Winter: Resolution
Author: Linda Winstead Jones
Publication Info: Harlequin 2011
ISBN: 978-0373837588
Genre: Contemporary Romance

This review was written by Phyllis Laatsch. This novella was nominated in the “Best Romance Novella” category. The Heart of Winter

The summary: When law secretary Nell Rose is snowbound with a handsome stranger, keeping her New Year's Resolution becomes nearly impossible. Why swear off men when a romantic weekend with a reclusive writer seems to be the ideal way to ring in the new year?

And here is Phyllis' review: 

A legal secretary gets stuck in a ditch in a snowstorm on New Year's Eve, just as she's making resolutions to avoid men, go back to school, etc. She trudges up to an isolated house and is let in by a famous author, who can't figure out if she's the stalker who's been sending him crazy letters.

The sparks between the hero and heroine were amazing. They really got each other, though they didn't want the same things out of life in the beginning. They acted on the attraction awfully quickly, especially since the heroine had just sworn off men. And yet, two single people really attracted and stuck in a snowstorm together for a few days… Well, it makes sense.

Then someone's breaking into the house, but is it the stalker or someone else?

When the author gets a phone call telling him the heroine's the stalker, he believes it and drags her out, straight into danger. Then she won't forgive him easily for it, not just because they both almost died, but because she thought they were at the beginning of something good and he wouldn't even tell her what some random stranger on the phone had said about her.

My main quibble was (SPOILERS) that until almost the end we didn't even know that the guy the heroine worked for had been killed and she had seen the killer without knowing it. That part of the suspense could have been amped up.

I give it an A- and a hearty recommendation to win the RITA.


 This book is available from Goodreads | Amazon | BN | Sony | Kobo HQN | All Romance eBooks.

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  2. cleo says:

    Great review.  I’m sure I’ve read at least one other car-stuck-in-a-snowy-ditch holiday novella, but I can’t find it now.  This one sounds better than the one I’m thinking of – I’ll have to try it.

  3. Paula Graves says:

    I also read this novella and really liked it.  I thought both the hero and heroine had interesting voices, and the conflicts, even the one spoilered above, were at least based in some understandable motivations due to their circumstances and past histories.

    Plus, they were just charming together.

  4. Becca says:

    I like that the collection with this story in it is reasonably priced (less than the mmpb price, that is) – it’ll be a great antidote to Delicious by Sherry Thomas (don’t get me wrong, it’s a fabulous book, but the writing is almost too rich for me – sometimes I need something simpler, more brain candy)

  5. A romantic one would be. I should be checking this in the bookstore. I might get some tips on how to handle a relationship well.

  6. Fianna506 says:

    I got this book to read Shayne’s story, but was sadly disappointed. I am but after reading this little gem, it was worth getting through the first story. The characters are hot together and Julian sounds like my type of man. I liked the third story too. But the first had no character development at all.

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