Snowed in with the Scoundrel: A Steamy, Ex-Childhood Friends to Lovers Historical RomCom by Kat Sterling

Tracy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone

Release Date: December 18, 2023

When budding photographer Imogen “Genie” Radford is very publicly jilted by her fiancé, she decides to take refuge in her family’s cabin, far from the prying eyes of Seattle society. She expects peace and solitude, with time to lick her wounds from both the jilting and a poor showing at a recent photography exhibition, but what she finds is a very naked man in her bed! It only takes a minute to realize that she knows this man – he is her childhood best friend and first love, Tommy Solberg, the son of her family’s former cook and the man she has not seen since the night five years ago when he broke her heart. With recognition comes anger and suspicion, she wants him gone, but under it all she still feels something for him, all the more reason for him to go. However, the weather isn’t cooperating, and no matter how angry she is, she can’t send him out in a storm that would surely kill him.

Tommy can’t believe that this is happening, he needs to get to Seattle as soon as possible, everything he has done since the night he broke her heart has led to this moment and his future depends on it. He isn’t sure how he is going to be able to stay in the same cabin with the only woman he hasn’t been able to forget and a woman he can never have. At first, they avoid each other, and things are awkward, but eventually, they figure it out and soon it’s like they never parted and the need to get back to Seattle doesn’t seem as urgent any longer. But once they cross the line between friends and lovers, he knows that he will have to walk away because just like years ago, he knows he isn’t good enough for her, no matter how much he wishes it wasn’t true. It isn’t until he walks away that he realizes he has made a huge mistake and hopes it isn’t too late to fix it.

This was a lovely story of childhood friends, second chances, and supporting the dreams of one you love. This story is filled with laughter, photography, books, steamy love scenes, lots of snow, second chances, and finally the promise of a happily ever after. The story is a relatively short novella, but Ms. Sterling executes the book perfectly by beautifully filling in the backstory between Genie and Tommy, so the reader completely understands how they met and what drove them apart, as well as what they have each been doing since they last saw each other. I loved this story and devoured the book, reading it in one sitting, and hated reaching the end because I didn’t want it to be over! This was a standalone title by a new to me author and I am hooked and can’t wait to check out her backlist!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*