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Winning Wonderland: A Romance Novel
Alice is in a winter wonderland. But what starts as a Christmas romance contest becomes a fight for survival when wonderland turns deadly.
Alice loves beaches and palm trees but gambles on winter in the mountains of Montana. Her hope is to find true love and an instant family. Ski resort owner and single father Owen must make a choice that will decide the fate of his family. But his young children make their own choice, a potentially fatal one.
When dangerous conditions sweep over the resort, Owen leads a search and rescue party on snowmobiles. The clock is ticking. Told to stay put, Alice instead strikes out alone and on foot to help in the search. But she walks into the beginnings of a blizzard that soon swallows her up.
As they search separately through the storm, Alice and Owen each blame themselves for the potential tragedy. But to survive, they will have to find each other in whiteout conditions. Because the blizzard isn’t the only threat the wilderness has up its sleeve. There is far deadlier to come.
If you like heartwarming romance and gripping twists, you’ll love this page-turning tale set against majestic mountains and impossible odds.
Alice loves beaches and palm trees but gambles on winter in the mountains of Montana. Her hope is to find true love and an instant family. Ski resort owner and single father Owen must make a choice that will decide the fate of his family. But his young children make their own choice, a potentially fatal one.
When dangerous conditions sweep over the resort, Owen leads a search and rescue party on snowmobiles. The clock is ticking. Told to stay put, Alice instead strikes out alone and on foot to help in the search. But she walks into the beginnings of a blizzard that soon swallows her up.
As they search separately through the storm, Alice and Owen each blame themselves for the potential tragedy. But to survive, they will have to find each other in whiteout conditions. Because the blizzard isn’t the only threat the wilderness has up its sleeve. There is far deadlier to come.
If you like heartwarming romance and gripping twists, you’ll love this page-turning tale set against majestic mountains and impossible odds.
192 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 13, 2020
5 people are currently reading
420 people want to read
About the author
A.L. Nelson
11 books31 followersA.L. grew up with her parents and two brothers in a tiny mill house. Her mother worked from home, raising the children while her father worked as a long-distance truck driver. It didn't take long to figure out that education was the only way out of a life of poverty.
Her most valuable degree proved to be geography. That is the field that pays the bills. She has traveled a great many of the states in the U.S. She lives in sunny Florida with her family, including a dog afflicted with an incurable case of the zoomies.
It is her dream to be able to share her stories with others. Writing gives her the opportunity to help others. She happily donates her profits to charity.
Her most valuable degree proved to be geography. That is the field that pays the bills. She has traveled a great many of the states in the U.S. She lives in sunny Florida with her family, including a dog afflicted with an incurable case of the zoomies.
It is her dream to be able to share her stories with others. Writing gives her the opportunity to help others. She happily donates her profits to charity.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 6, 2021
**This ARC was kindly provided by the author & publisher in exchange for an honest review**
Sadly, this one didn't work for me. It's a shame, too, because the premise sounded intriguing. But I appear to be the minority here, so I guess that says something. Also, the author apparently donates some of the proceeds from her books to charity, which is a wonderful, positive gesture that the world needs more of these days. Cheers to that!
Here are a few things you may want to know before launching into this book:
1) This novel has absolutely nothing to do with the holidays, despite the blurb. Unless you count the fact that it takes place at a ski resort in Montana. If you went into this, like me, expecting a holiday story, you will be disappointed. Look, I love my Christmas books--every year, it's one of those special things that marks the beginning of the season and really gets me into the holiday spirit. I have a running list in GR that I add onto throughout the year, and it's a simple, nerdy thing that I enjoy. #don'tjudgeme. So, while I don't mind that this wasn't a holiday story, I just wish I had known that going in.
2) This book has absolutely nothing to do with Alice in Wonderland. It's not a retelling of or even a metaphor (as the blurb would lead you to believe) for the classic tale. The MC's name is Alice, and that's where the similarities end.
3) Going by the blurb, you are to believe that this is a mountain survival story with "search and rescue party on snowmobiles," etc. You would be wrong. The vast majority of this book is Alice farting around the resort participating in some amateur scavenger hut and interacting with her two, very boring and obnoxious girlfriends. The "adventure" part is only like the last fourth of the novel.
With that out of the way, this was just a slow, laborious read for me. The dialogue is stiff and unnatural, and goes on for BLOCKS and BLOCKS of text. Nobody talks that way! It was hard on my eyes (and my patience). Characters often stated the obvious and it seldom added anything to the story.
The competition turned out to be a little creepy. A grown man raising three kids (adopted) and successful ski resort owner works so much and is sooo busy that he can't meet and marry a nice girl. But, see, what he really wants is insta-mom for his kids. And not just any insta-mom. No, he wants only the best. He wants the fucking Fraulein Maria, Mary Poppins, Mrs. Doubtfire fucking trifecta. This woman of his dreams must be perfect. She must be beautiful, simply ADORE kids, like everything they like, give up her life to move to his ski resort, and also fall in love with him and be a perfect fucking wife, as well. You know what, buddy? Wish in one hand and poop in the other—see which fills up first.
Lastly, I have to mention Alice. She's not a real person. She's an ideal, a Mary Sue. She works multiple jobs, put herself through college, donates some of her money to her nephew's college fund, absolutely LOVES kids, never curses, is just "too skinny," and has the most stunning blue eyes EVER. I'll just say I had a hard time connecting with her as a MC and leave it at that.
I'm not saying that some people wouldn't like this book and find it cute and entertaining! It actually has a Hallmark movie quality to it, and I don't mean that in a bad way. But, for me, it was just an especially painful Hallmark movie.
Sadly, this one didn't work for me. It's a shame, too, because the premise sounded intriguing. But I appear to be the minority here, so I guess that says something. Also, the author apparently donates some of the proceeds from her books to charity, which is a wonderful, positive gesture that the world needs more of these days. Cheers to that!
Here are a few things you may want to know before launching into this book:
1) This novel has absolutely nothing to do with the holidays, despite the blurb. Unless you count the fact that it takes place at a ski resort in Montana. If you went into this, like me, expecting a holiday story, you will be disappointed. Look, I love my Christmas books--every year, it's one of those special things that marks the beginning of the season and really gets me into the holiday spirit. I have a running list in GR that I add onto throughout the year, and it's a simple, nerdy thing that I enjoy. #don'tjudgeme. So, while I don't mind that this wasn't a holiday story, I just wish I had known that going in.
2) This book has absolutely nothing to do with Alice in Wonderland. It's not a retelling of or even a metaphor (as the blurb would lead you to believe) for the classic tale. The MC's name is Alice, and that's where the similarities end.
3) Going by the blurb, you are to believe that this is a mountain survival story with "search and rescue party on snowmobiles," etc. You would be wrong. The vast majority of this book is Alice farting around the resort participating in some amateur scavenger hut and interacting with her two, very boring and obnoxious girlfriends. The "adventure" part is only like the last fourth of the novel.
With that out of the way, this was just a slow, laborious read for me. The dialogue is stiff and unnatural, and goes on for BLOCKS and BLOCKS of text. Nobody talks that way! It was hard on my eyes (and my patience). Characters often stated the obvious and it seldom added anything to the story.
The competition turned out to be a little creepy. A grown man raising three kids (adopted) and successful ski resort owner works so much and is sooo busy that he can't meet and marry a nice girl. But, see, what he really wants is insta-mom for his kids. And not just any insta-mom. No, he wants only the best. He wants the fucking Fraulein Maria, Mary Poppins, Mrs. Doubtfire fucking trifecta. This woman of his dreams must be perfect. She must be beautiful, simply ADORE kids, like everything they like, give up her life to move to his ski resort, and also fall in love with him and be a perfect fucking wife, as well. You know what, buddy? Wish in one hand and poop in the other—see which fills up first.
Lastly, I have to mention Alice. She's not a real person. She's an ideal, a Mary Sue. She works multiple jobs, put herself through college, donates some of her money to her nephew's college fund, absolutely LOVES kids, never curses, is just "too skinny," and has the most stunning blue eyes EVER. I'll just say I had a hard time connecting with her as a MC and leave it at that.
I'm not saying that some people wouldn't like this book and find it cute and entertaining! It actually has a Hallmark movie quality to it, and I don't mean that in a bad way. But, for me, it was just an especially painful Hallmark movie.
December 4, 2020
Great read!
Just the type of book I enjoy reading, romance and adventure. Will definitely recommend to friends & family. Have enjoyed all A.L. Nelson has written. Now we need a follow-up book for Alice & Owen!
Just the type of book I enjoy reading, romance and adventure. Will definitely recommend to friends & family. Have enjoyed all A.L. Nelson has written. Now we need a follow-up book for Alice & Owen!
December 15, 2020
A great adventure
A wonderful novel with characters that leap into your heart. The twists and turns keeps you guessing. Couldn't put it down. Highly recommend.
A wonderful novel with characters that leap into your heart. The twists and turns keeps you guessing. Couldn't put it down. Highly recommend.
May 9, 2022
Loved it! A sweet romance with outdoor dangers. I look forward to reading more from this author. Highly recommend!!!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews