Title: Snowman
Series: N/A
Author: Isabelle Rowan
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Novel (276 pages)
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (May 4th 2015)
Heat Level: Low
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts
Blurb: We all find ways to run away. Some do it in seclusion, others in the arms of lovers.
Since the death of his long-time partner, Caleb Maguire lives a quiet life in Australia’s Victorian high country with only his dog and horses for company. Each day is the same. There are no surprises—good or bad—until a major snowstorm hits his mountain and Caleb is called out to rescue a stranded tourist. The late night snow brings with it a lost soul who forces Caleb to reassess his solitary life.
Paul Turner is a barista in the trendy Melbourne suburb of Carlton. He lives life totally in the moment, but a life of no commitments is about to change for this city boy. Three days is all it takes for Paul to fall hard for Caleb, and Paul returns to the city with a promise he’ll be back after turning his life around… but only when all the roads are clear.
ISBN: 978-1-63476-028-7
Product Link: https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6344
Reviewer: Prime
Review: This is the first book I’ve read by Isabelle Rowan and I have to say I was completely sold. The plot was uncomplicated but dense in detail and the writing style made it so easy to read, understand and enjoy the characters.
As an Australian, I love reading books that take advantage of all Aussie’s little eccentricities in a book. Even Australian authors are guilty of almost Americanizing our own culture and removing our slang in stories. I know, it’s often to make it simpler to read, but sometimes in the back of my head it’s almost like I start thinking “that’s not a knife” (Crocodile Dundee reference).
Enough about that, though. There’s football (AFL), bushfire, snow, horses, farming… it’s about as Aussie as you can get.
The story is about Caleb and Paul, who Caleb affectionately dubs “Snowman”. The setting is the quintessential Australian bush – somewhere in Victoria, not far from Melbourne. We follow the characters from their first meeting in winter, near a ski resort in a terrible storm (I know, snow isn’t the first thing you think about for Australia since half the country hardly ever gets the stuff).
The unlikely friendship that emerges between Paul and Caleb is totally adorable and is always constantly teetering on the brink of being a romantic relationship.
It isn’t all roses, though. Caleb has his past demons which is the driving force of this book. I absolutely loved this about the plot, though I think I have some concerns for Caleb’s psychological and mental state. Paul is a complete sweetheart and I wanted to hug him while he went through the pain as he put in all the work to maintain some sort of communication with Caleb.
Rather than seeing so many different obstacles we have a man emotionally crippled with grief and two men who seem to be brought together by injury and freak weather conditions.
I adored this book. The Aussie in me loved reading of something so close to home. However, much more than that, the characters may have had their fair share of flaws, but they were super relatable and… I just needed to know how their story ended!
* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *