Snowbound with a Stranger

by Rebecca Rogers Maher

Dannie Marino is hiking with colleagues when a sudden blizzard separates her from her group. She's rescued by Lee, a dangerously sexy stranger who leads her to a remote cabin to weather the storm.

When the night inevitably ends in an intense erotic encounter, Dannie is both shocked and liberated by her response. But being intimate means letting herself be vulnerable, which isn't her style. Lee tries to reach out to her, but she avoids any emotional entanglement by pushing him away.

Snowed in and unable to hide from each other, Dannie and Lee must both face up to their most closely guarded emotions. When the storm abates, will they be able to stop running from the past and live fully in the future?

24,000 words

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Novella, Short Stories, Adult

73 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Rebecca Rogers Maher writes gritty, realistic stories that push the boundaries of contemporary romance. Publishers Weekly describes her writing as “gripping and touching,” Library Journal calls it “gut-wrenching,” and USA TODAY declares it “very well-done romance…so satisfying.”

Reviews

[KristenReviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid 4 stars

For a novella this book has it all. Wonderful characterization, a satisfying and develped plot, steamy love scenes, and a beautiful romance between two likable characters. I only wish the author would have given the reader an epilogue. Something to give the reader more insight into their future relationship.

Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

[♡ Sassy ~ Amy ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 really.

Dannie goes on a saturday hike with a group of people led Dr. she works with, only to get lost after a pee way off in the woods. The group abandoned the hike due to the snow. It starts to blizzard & she is rescued by another man, Lee, from the group. He takes her to the cabin they were originally headed to. Then the steamy romance starts & each one has a past they need to heal.

It was a good short novella. Quarter length of a true novel, I'm guessing. It was good, but I guess all these books I have been reading lately have intensely damaged people making couples, that I just didn't love it. Everything else about it was good.

[Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an absolutely amazing story. One of the best books I've read in a very long time. It was short but packed an emotional punch.
Emotional and steamy. I loved it and look forward to reading more from RRM.

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one provided by netgalley, was a rather pleasant little novella, a variation on the snowstorm trope, and I quite enjoyed it. It flowed nicely, and both the hero and the heroine were nice characters.

It was heavy on the emotional side, but in a way that wasn't over-the-top or cheesy, and the quickie nature of a novella was finished off nicely by not necessarily giving the hero and heroine a HEA, but hinting at it. I also have to say I really liked that the hero and heroine weren't 25 year-olds, but late 30s/early 40s, and yet didn't fall into the usual divorcee with kids-in-tow, or divorcee who is unable to have kids story lines. Why is that the promise of kids has to feature so prominently in contemporary romances when the heroine is over 30? I honestly think it ruins the vibe most of the time, and I'm so glad that this one didn't do that.

I wasn't sure about the sex-with-a-stranger thing though. It felt too quick for me. OK, so they really fancied the pants off each other, but couldn't we have made them get to know each other a bit first, and have a bit more sensuality before sexuality? Just a thought.

Anyway, 3 stars, I enjoyed it. On sale now.

[H · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a beautiful wintry tale; I was surprised by its depth given its length (a scant 73 pages). Recommended for those in a snowy book mood to complement the holiday-themed books of the past few months!

[D.C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Snowbound with a Stranger by Rebecca Rogers Maher was a refreshing read that caught my attention from page one. Synopsis: Dannie Marino is hiking with colleagues when a sudden blizzard separates her from her group. She's rescued by Lee, a dangerously sexy stranger who leads her to a remote cabin to weather the storm.

When the night inevitably ends in an intense erotic encounter, Dannie is both shocked and liberated by her response. But being intimate means letting herself be vulnerable, which isn't her style. Lee tries to reach out to her, but she avoids any emotional entanglement by pushing him away.

Snowed in and unable to hide from each other, Dannie and Lee must both face up to their most closely guarded emotions. When the storm abates, will they be able to stop running from the past and live fully in the future?

Review: I found the story very easy to read through, entirely believable and filled with just the right amount of comedy and drama that had me turning the page again and again. While it’s a fast read, there is nothing about this book that makes you want to put it down. The lines are smooth, the scenes hot, and the chemistry between these two smoking!

Ms. Maher has done a phenomenal job at capturing the minds of both characters and enthralling me right on down to the last sentence. Would recommend this book for anyone looking to cuddle—and come up with their own snowed-in fantasies—on a nice weekend getaway. I give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review written for www.books-n-kisses.com

This is a very quick read with only about 75 pages and I really enjoyed it. Both characters of Dannie and Lee have issues from their past but when they are stuck in a small cabin for three days those issues become secondary to the current of passion that is running between them. A lot happens to these two while they are stranded. It is a really well written story that the reader gets to enjoy. It is not all about passion and love there are real emotions these two have and I would have liked a bit of a longer book to delve deeper into their stories. We read that Dannie is feeling burnt out in her job but the story only skims the top of why she is feeling this way and Lee has had some major heartbreak and has secluded himself from feeling for the last few years and that also could have been discussed. Also these characters have an instant connection but we never read why and *possible spoiler* Lee feels this connection just looking at her picture before he even meets Dannie. That being said this book is a really good story and would be great to have ready for when you need a quick read.

[Stella · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 frozen stars!

The premise already says so much about this book...and as you might guess it is INDEED about two ppl 'trapped' in a cabin at the top of a snowy mountain.
What I found really interesting about this story though is that the MC's are older than the usual twenty-something that most stories depict. They have different insecurities and despite the hero sounding a bit too stalkerish to me. I find him really cute. Story is really entertaining and totally worth the few bucks it costs. Recommend it.

[Dabney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hard to pick two stars. Almost a three, but not quite.

[Wminbc · Rating 4 out of 5]

My review is up...
http://www.nocturnereads.com/2012/05/...

[Niki · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick romance novel that was okay. It seemed like their story was a little off to make sense. They ended up stranded in the mountains and stayed at a friends cabin. The was their relationship worked and their personalities just didn't seem to blend for me so was a little to unbelievable.

[Tori Aguazul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little too spicy for my taste, but I think the story was actually really good. I liked how the characters seemed like real people. (Late 30’s early 40’s). Solid 3.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

~* 4.5 Stars *~
A Chilly Delight on a Summer Day
It was a great idea, the winter hike in the mountains with co-workers and acquaintences. Not that nurse Dannie Marino went to be social. She went for the silence, for the peaceful mindlessness that comes from focusing on staying alive. Her work is chaotic and draining and being on the mountain relaxes her.

Or it always had, until she arrives at the hike's starting point and comes face to face with a man she doesn't recognize, one who has come to help lead the group. There's nothing about him that relaxes Dannie, and that zing of attraction is enough to send her scurrying in the other direction.

Unfortunately for Dannie, being one with nature results in the inevitable need to answer its call, and she slips away from the group. When she's finished, she realizes that the other hikers have moved on, apparently without noticing her absence, and the falling snow has obscured the trail.

As weather conditions worsen, Dannie starts to worry that she won't be found before she succumbs to the cold. Just as her concern turns to serious fear, a form materializes out of the wind-whipped snow.

Lee Russo knows how much worse the storm will get, and he knows the only way to save both of them is to get to the cabin they'd been hiking towards all day. Once there, they'll be able to weather the blizzard that's starting to really rage. And with the chemistry Lee and Dannie generate, neither will have to worry about the freezing temperatures outside.

~*~

I have to admit, the setup for this novella is hardly unique. I've read similar stories of varying length many, many times. None of them prepared me for this one, though, and none of them set themselves apart nearly as well.

More than a traditional romance novella that strains my willing suspension of disbelief because of how quick the main characters first get horizontal, then declare undying love, this novella by Maher is more an emotional journey of healing and relief for both Lee and Dannie. It was beautiful, really, how these two layered, wounded characters slowly faced their own emotional damage, the chemistry between them serving as a buffer - a safe zone of sorts that allows them to open up enough to start addressing their issues.

I loved that both Lee and Dannie were older, in the late thirties/early forties range. Their emotional baggage was realistic, as was the way they approached the physical attraction between them. The story had moments of humor generated by two world-weary characters with enough self-awareness to take a sardonic view of things. It all felt very authentic, even given the unlikeliness of the romance-novel setup.

Maher dealt with the emotional elements of the relationship with aplomb. This isn't a novella that force feeds readers an unlikely Happily Ever After. Given the brief time Lee and Dannie spend together and the places they are in their lives, that would have been a huge stretch, but there is definitely an air of hope for both of them. And that hope buoys them as individuals even as it points toward the relationship potential between them.

At approximately seventy-three pages, it's definitely not a long story, so I couldn't help but feel impressed that the tale had such depth of emotion and complexity of conflict. It was as sublimely satisfying as a book twice it's length. I wouldn't jump to recommend it for fans of the undying love romances, but for readers who appreciate their fictional romance fantasy flavored with realism and hope, this short tale is a truly wonderful read.

Disclosure: An ARC of this novella was provided to me by Carina Press via NetGalley. This rating, review, and all included thoughts and comments are my own.
~*~*~*~
Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.

[Anncleire · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Snowbound with a stranger” è una romance del gruppo che ho richiesto da Netgally, devo ammettere che ero in serie crisi di astinenza, anche se questa mi è piaciuta meno delle altre.

Dannie Marino è una infermiera che ha deciso di partecipare ad una gita in montagna con un gruppo di colleghi. Quando una tempesta di neve si abbatte la montagna lei resta indietro e si perde fino a che un amico del suo capo, Lee non arriva a salvarla e a condurla in un rifugio dove restano bloccati per un paio di giorni. Entrambi bloccati in un tumulto interiore di emozioni che vengono dal passato si lasciano andare, ma sono pronti a vivere una relazione?

Il libro non particolarmente lungo, è intenso e ricco di emozioni anche se l’ho trovato estremamente inverosimile. I due protagonisti bloccati da soli in questa montagna, si danno alla pazza gioia salvo poi superare anni di risentimento, dolore e rimorsi nell’arco di una mattinata. Qui al contrario di altri casi gli stereotipi in cui possiamo inserire Dannie e Lee sono stretti e incapaci di dare respiro ad una storia che si regge di base sull’avvenimento centrale della tempesta e sull’incontro passionale dei due.
Dannie è un’infermiera che non trova più stimolo nel suo lavoro, sommersa dal carico emotivo che incontra ogni giorno con i suoi pazienti che continuano a chiederle più di quello che può dare. Un matrimonio fallito alle spalle non sa cosa fare e cerca di trovare risposte in questa passeggiata sulla montagna, quando in fondo le risposte dovrebbe cercarle dentro di se. Con Lee si lascia andare salvo poi sentirsi sommersa dai sensi di colpa. Ma soprattutto vuole dimostrare di essere capace di sapersela cavare da sola, non si sente una donna impotente che ha bisogno di un uomo per vivere felice, ma naturalmente Lee è impossibile da non ammirare e poi d’altronde, come si dice, ci sa fare.
Lee non è così calmo e sicuro di sé come appare a Dannie e seppure sia super handsome e particolarmente charmant ha nel suo arsenale parecchie ferite riportate in periodi poco felici della sua vita. Sia con la moglie morta di cancro circa dieci anni prima, sia con il suo ex lavoro, che ha mandato in frantumi la sua forza di volontà dopo l’11 settembre, che ha vissuto appieno.
Ma ciò che conta è mettersi in gioco, uscire dal frigorifero in cui si congelano i propri sentimenti e provare davvero a vivere, anche con la consapevolezza che fa un male cane.

Il particolare da non dimenticare? Un paio di calzini…

In uscita a maggio “Snowbound with a stranger” più che un romanzo è una storia breve, sia per effettiva lunghezza, sia per l’arco temporale che copre e inevitabilmente il lettore finisce intrappolato in questo lungo weekend passionale, intenso non solo a livello fisico, ma anche a livello emotivo, in cui sia Dennie che Lee devono fare i conti con chi sono e con cosa vogliono.
Buona lettura guys!


Ringrazio Netgalley e Carina Press per avermi concesso il piacere di leggere questo libro in anteprima in cambio di una mia opinione.

[Christi Snow · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Review:
I admit it. I'm a sucker for snowstorm stories. There's just something so romantic about being trapped with nothing to do but keep each other warm. ;o) This one was a pretty good one. I just had a slight issue with Dannie's character which did affect my enjoyment of the story a bit.

This book starts with a group of co-workers from the hospital hiking up the side of the mountain heading to their leader's cabin. It's a monthly thing for them to go hiking and Dannie looks forward to it every month as a way to clear the stress from her mind from being a nurse. This month, there is a new addition to their little group, Lee. He obviously has lots of hiking experience as well as being the group leader's friend. Dannie feels an immediate draw to him which she ignores...she does not go on these outings for the people...in fact, she tries to stay away from any interpersonal connections during these outings. She gives everything she has to her patients and that doesn't reserve anything for anyone else.

Lee has his own personal issues. He was a NYC cop until 9/11. Shortly after that, he lost his wife to cancer and has since devoted his life to helping oncology patients and families. Unlike Dannie, he hasn't let this close him off to a relationship. In fact he came out on this hike to meet Dannie. When she goes missing, he's the one to go after and locate her in the snowstorm. At that point, their only choice is to head on up to the cabin and where they get snowed in for 3 days.

Overall, these are two characters with some interesting emotional issues esp. coming from their medical backgrounds. I loved the sexual tension between them. Even though they are absolutely strangers, it was written really believably. What I didn't enjoy was Dannie's complete and almost bi-polar reversal of her attitude in a couple of scenes. Her attitude was whiplashing back and forth there for a while and the extremes were just too extreme for me to find them believable. Regardless of this, I found this book to be a fun read and I definitely enjoyed it.

It's a short book and makes for a hot little read and would be perfect for some cold winter's night entertainment.

[Julie Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Snowbound with a Stranger by Rebecca Rogers Maher
ISBN: 9781426893803
Danie, a nurse, divorced, 38 was on her way up the mountain with several other regulars and one she had never seen. She needed the time to clear her head of all the deaths, sickness and sadness that went with her job.
She let the last in line know she was going to find some underbrush to go pee and rejoin them. When she returned to the trail the footprints in the snow had vanished. She was there alone, a fork in the path, hours later she figured she had taken the wrong path.
Hours later the newcomer had found her and walkie talkied to the others who were at the hotel that they were heading to the cabin, an hour hike away in the blizzard conditions.
Lee is an social working dealing with oncology patients and has watched many die. He loves the cabin and spends time there often to get away from the misery and pain.
They pass the time by playing scrabble and talking to one another. Each has thoughts of sex as they will be there for several days and each finds the other attractive.
Sexual hot steamy sex makes this a perfect read, any time of the year.
Love the scenery and facts about hiking as I like these things also.
Cabin is to die for. I could live there forever!
Awesome read!

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was somewhat interest what was going to happen when I started to read this. I could tell it was about two people trapped in a snowstorm by the name of the book along with cover.

What did not expect was up and down my emotion did with this book. I was going are they going to get together or break up. They both had their attraction to each other but did not seem not to want to have each other or at least Dannie did not want to admit that she could love someone.

Lee had gotten to save Dannie during the storm. Though her first thoughts were it was bear was coming to get her. She soon found out it was Lee. He seem to be prepared with a walkies talkie and she was a little befuddled about that. Before they had up to the cabin, Lee get talks to Stevens. If you really want to know what happens I suggest you read the book. It a great book to read. Just be prepared to have your emotions go for a ride or a roller coaster ride of up and down with them.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since I can't give 1/2 a star I'm going to start off right away saying this book was a definite 3.5 stars for me. It was good... at times awesome... but at some parts I found it a little lacking, rushed maybe?

I loved how intense Lee was, how his gaze was enough to set Dannie on fire, and how she saw his imperfections beautiful. I loved their chemistry, how she admits no man has ever made her feel this way, and how Lee hasn't felt this way in a long time... if ever. It was beautiful when he tells Dannie about his wife... beautiful because he wasn't afraid to show his emotion or love for his wife... and beautiful how she felt so strongly for him that she wanted to absorb his pain.

I'm not sure where this trilogy is going... if it will continue to follow Lee and Dannie (which I hope it does) but one this is for certain.... I'll be keeping my eye out for the next book ;)

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used to find that shorter books were harder for me to read as I didn't have time to really get into the characters. But Snowbound With a Stranger changed that for me! I love the relationship of Dannie and Lee from the beginning, smoldering looks that Dannie turned away from. I also felt a lot of emotion towards Dannie when the conversations turned to her career as a nurse.


When Lee rescues Dannie and they find themselves the inhabitants of a cabin, kept warm by cozy fires, with a few unexpected events, it is fun to watch their relationship change and grow. Both characters have some learning to do and it is through that growth they can see where life is headed for them. This is really a light fun read, although it's warm out reading it during a storm really brought out the warm fuzzies!

[Ellen (more books, please) · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know, I really liked this. It is short, hot and succinct. But I realllllllllyyyyy got tired of the word "cock."

I am not asking for euphemisms or coyness, but geez, it seemed like in the sex scene after they had their "emotional come to Jesus meeting" it was every other word, so much so it took me out of the story.

Then there was the "emotional come to Jesus meeting," it didn't really play out in a way that made much sense.

SPOILER:

There is a whole scene spurred by the fact that he took some batteries out of a walky-talky and didn't tell her about the fact he had a radio. Then all of a sudden, he is talking about this dead wife. I have no idea how those two issues were related.

But I did enjoy it.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't expecting much from this book. Just a quick interlude between more meaningful reads. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I credit the author with having the ability to take a relatively short story and make you feel connected and part of it from the beginning. She gives depth to the characters without bogging you down with too much history. And the way they get together should feel rushed (because, hello, it happens FAST), but somehow it works with them. I wanted to get to continue to read about their story and what happens when they get off the mountain, but I guess I can leave than to my imagination. 3.5/5 stars.

*Note: I received an e-copy of this book through NetGalley for review purposes.

[Cleffairy Cleffairy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed at:Library of Lights
Review date: 11 June 2012
Review link:http://mykindaland.com/?p=691


Despite of the cold looking cover, this book is a pretty heartwarming read. I love how the story flow and love the fact that the story is kinda short and sweet. This will be a perfect read if you’re looking for something short and a tad emotional to read during your coffee break or lunch break.

This book is a fairly easy read. I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars. I received an ARC of this book from Carina Press via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review for this book and I was not compensated in any ways for writing this review.

[Kari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who wouldn't want to be stranded in the a cabin with a sexy guy? For Dannie, it is both exciting and scary at them same time. Both Lee and Dannie find out that ssometimes, it's easier to talk about your issues with a stranger, but is it enough? This novella is one that I think would have worked better as a longer story. I enjoyed it, but I really wanted to know more about Dannie and Lee. While I liked them together, I wasn't totally convinced in the end that they had worked out their issues. But, I did get the sense that a HEA was possible. I just wanted more. This is a nice novella when you are looking for a quick escape.

[Karla Mae (Reads and Thoughts) · Rating 2 out of 5]

God! This was another shocker for me. I never really thought that this book would damage my childish mind! HAH! It's just full of those things!

I requested this on netgalley feeling curious about its cover and what's within it, but I never really expected it to be full of steamy and adult scenes. It was a very short story which comprises of only 79 pages, but I never really expected what's within it. Though the story is good, I never really quite enjoyed this since its more adult and on the romance part. So yes, its good but really not for the younger minds. I know I'm already 18 and I should get used to those stuffs but God! I'm still at shock. haha.

:P

[Jill Sorenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one but found it rough around the edges. The circumstances leading to the snowed-in situation are farfetched. The romance is sexy and mature and surprisingly reflective in some sections. In others the heroine comes off as very immature, running from her feelings and calling the hero an asshole for no reason. She also calls him "dude." That and some of the strong language (lots of cock and fucking but no pussy/cunt?) felt jarring. The sex is hot, hot, hot, but the first encounter features one of my pet peeves. And then there's a weird decision the hero makes near the end. Are these two reasonable adults or a couple of reality-averse teenagers? I'm conflicted. 3.5

[Roberta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Maher winner.

Dannie is a woman out for a weekend hike with a group and finds herself separated during a snowstorm. Lee is the man who comes to her rescue. Lee has been going to the mountains for a long time and knows that one the group's leaders has a cabin where the two of them take shelter, at least from the snow.

Both Dannie and Lee have personal issues and dont' want to let anyone in but after a night of hot sex and being stuck in a cabin for days their guards start to crumble.

two broken people who learn to fix each other and start to love again.

[Simara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was good. Considering how short it, the romance was well developed. The title is perfect because it sums up almost the whole story. If you're in the mood for a short, sexy romance, then this is the book for you.

Narrator: Zoe Hunter should go to narrator school. This book (specially the love scenes) were read like an instruction manual. Not good. A narrator like Susan Bennett would have made that snow melt in an instant!

[Elaine]

Oooh, a book in one of my favorite guilty-pleasure genres! "stranded/snowbound/cabin fever"

[M.J. Fredrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not wild about the heroine.

[The Romantic Scientist · Rating 2 out of 5]

A quick, if slightly flawed, read. My full review is here: http://scienceofromance.blogspot.com/...