This topical Rec League came from Rebecca. Thanks, Rebecca!
It’s winter here in Minnesota, so I’m looking for snowed in forced proximity romances? I see there was a Rec League in 2017 but there have been a whole lot more books published since then!
Amanda: Here was our previous Rec League!
Elyse: Wrapped Up in You by Talia Hibbert
That one is Kobo only, I think
Shana: Tara suggested Snow Falls by Gerri Hill ( A | K ) to me last year when I was snowed in and it definitely fits the theme, the heroine gets stuck by an avalanche.
Tara: I have a couple that are f/f Christmas books. The first is The Christmas Catch by Clare Lydon ( A | BN ), which is sort of like that, except they’re on the move? Think Planes, Trains and Automobiles in the UK, except one of the leads is stuck and trying to get home with her childhood crush. I finished it a couple of weeks ago and loved it very much.
The second is Christmas Inn Maine by Chelsea M. Cameron ( A | BN | K ), which is a snowed-in Christmas romance with someone who’s snowed in with their office rival after a holiday rental falls through. Zero stress, very sweet.
Lara: Bold Fortune by M.M. Crane felt fresh although the tropes are familiar. They aren’t snowed in per se, but they are forced to spend a month in a small cabin in rural Alaska in the depths of winter.
What recent snowed-in romances would you recommend? Let us know below!
This is one of my favorite tropes! Here are some recent reads that feature it:
BOLD FORTUNE by M.M. Crane (aka, Megan Crane/Caitlin Crews): m/f set in Alaska. Blizzard, tiny cabin, only one bed. Need I say more?
COWBOY, KISS ME AT CHRISTMAS by Genevieve Turner: fun m/f romance with romance-reading heroine whose favorite tropes include cowboys and being snowbound in a tiny cabin with only one bed. She’s driving to see friends when an unexpected snowstorm drives her off the road and a local rancher rescues her. Guess what happens next?
LONG WINTER by Rachel Ember: m/m with one MC snowed in with his friend’s older brother—a guy he’s had a crush on since he was in his teens. (Oddly enough, even though the two books are completely different, both LONG WINTER and COWBOY, KISS ME AT CHRISTMAS feature the MCs caring for a newborn calf that has to stay inside with them during the blizzard.)
FINDING HIM by Rachel Van Dyken: m/f with a heroine who goes to a secluded mountain house to write a book about her late fiancé. Due to a mix-up with the booking, the house’s owner also arrives. Then a snowstorm rolls in. This is one of my comfort re-read favorites, but it does help if you’ve read the first book (STEALING HER) first.
WHITEOUT by Adriana Anders should fit. F/M, romantic suspense set in Antarctica. Definitely forced proximity and lots of cold.
Whiteout and Uncharted by Adriana Anders are a linked pair of romantic suspense novels, set in the wilds of Alaska. She’s very readable, gives good plot and has created an excellent cast of characters to root for. Recommended.
Jackie Lau’s A second chance road trip for Christmas is a novella where the main couple have to stop their road trip due to a snowstorm and stay in an only one bed hotel room. It’s probably too low stakes and Christmasy for this request, but it’s what came to mind. Also everyone in Ontario be safe travelling tomorrow with the big storm
Loving the Mountain Man! (snowed in in a cozy cabin in the mountains) I reread it every year when winter starts. Love this category–thank you for the recommendations!
Noelle Adams has a couple of snowed in novellas. I adored Stranded in the Woods. The two were childhood friends that had grown apart due to a conflict between their families, and they reconnected in his cabin during a snowstorm. Noelle Adams also wrote Stranded in the Snow, which was okay but I didn’t connect with it as much.
Penny Reid’s new DRAMA KING is so, so delightful. F/M with a terrific male MC.
There always seems to be a lot of contemporary romances with this trope, but for something different I’d suggest Snowspelled by Stephanie Burgis. It’s the first book in her Harwood Spells regency fantasy series.
It revolves around a snowed in house party, elves (not the North Pole variety), second chance romance and a unique alternate magical reality where women are the politicians and men the magicians. I really loved it and now have talked myself into buying the second in series.
SNOW-KISSED by Laura Florand is a really beautiful and devastating second-chance-at-love story.
CHRISTMAS GONE PERFECTLY WRONG by Cecelia Grant is one of my favorites. Also one of the funniest. It’s a grumpy vs sunshine novella. And it’s free on Amazon: “With one more errand to go—the purchase of a hunting falcon for his soon-to-be-married sister—Andrew Blackshear has Christmas completely under control. He has no time to dawdle, no time for nonsense, and certainly no time to drive the falconer’s vexing, impulsive, lush-lipped, midnight-haired daughter to a house party before heading home.”
@ JB Hunt I second your recommendation of Laura Florand’s SNOW-KISSED. It packs a considerable punch. The couple are grappling with grief though, so if you are not up to that it might not fit the bill. I think it’s among Florand’s best books, and I say that as one of her greatest fans. Beautiful writing. Steamy, with the physical relationship between the main characters being pivotal.
Oh oh! I can contribute to a rec league instead of just increasing my TBR!
I just read SNOWED IN WITH BENEFITS by Misha Horne. M/M, spanking and some hurt/comfort. One MC is a famous pop star, incredible hot mess, doesn’t know how not to be a jackass (but never actually hurts anyone, is just a smart arse). Other MC is an award winning musician whose parents are also famous musicians, with all the accompanying baggage. No dark moment, just two people slowly becoming open about their needs and starting to trust each other.
And NOW I can start increasing my TBR pile!
It’s a little bit of a curve ball, but you might look at Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik. There is snow for sure, and wow is there ice. It’s a bit more of a Persephone / Hades or Beauty and the Beast vibe than forced proximity, but I think it might fit the bill for you nonetheless!
There’s also a snowed in forced proximity scene in SO THIS IS CHRISTMAS (Jenny Holiday). MURDER MOST ACTUAL (Alexis Hall) also fits the bill (already-married / forced proximity). And if you’ll accept fog, AN UNSEEN ATTRACTION (KJ Charles) and one episode in THE AUSTEN PLAYBOOK (Lucy Parker).
Romance and Rescues at the Cat Cafe is a sweet romance about two people who work at a cat cafe, who are rivals. They go on a mission to rescue two doesn’t cats abandoned in a remote home when their owner died, and get snowed in there. So snowed in and covered in cats!