Christmas could hardly be Christmas without a Karen Swan book! Actually, her Christmas stories are usually winter-themed, rather than over-the-top festive, but Christmas always gets a mention! I love that Karen sets each of her books in a different location too. It's like going on holiday without leaving your chair!

In this story, award-winning director Clover Phillips is enjoying the accolades from her last documentary when she encounters Kit Foley, a surfer and snowboarder as famous for controversy as he is for winning championships. Involved in an accident that had devastating consequences for a bitter rival, Kit has never told his side of the story. Determined to change that, Clover heads to the Austrian Alps with the intention of making Kit the subject of her next documentary. It's hard to get the truth out of someone who hates you, and goes out of their way to avoid you, but is Kit really the heartless monster that everyone believes he is?

A good indicator of how much I love a book is that as soon as I get to the end, I want to start over from the beginning again! I adore flawed characters, and both Clover and Kit are very flawed. Both are obsessed with their careers and neither will let any kind of distraction get in the way. I read this book during the summer Olympics, which worked really well, because I had an insight into how focused athletes have to be if they want to reach the very top.

Midnight in the Snow is an unusual story because (knowing what he has done in the past) it is hard to see how Kit can redeem himself. Everyone hates him, yet he still pushes himself into competing. There are hints of a man on the edge of a breakdown, indicating that perhaps he does care about what people think. As Clover catches glimpses of the man behind his façade, she realises that she'll have to risk alienating him for ever if the truth is to come out.

Midnight in the Snow was my favourite read this year and I'm looking forward to the treat of reading it again over Christmas! It's the perfect winter read, particularly if you like stories with high stakes, enemies-to-lovers tropes, and something a little bit different from those other Christmas books. Also, gorgeous cover!
Thank you to Karen Swan and Pan for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

Midnight In The Snow told from Clover Phillips perspective, currently following the life of Kit Foley. Kit was involved in an accident, which ended with a devastating outcome, after covering one side of the event, for which Clover received an award she's now endeavoring to get Kits side. Although he's never spoken of what happened, can Clover get him to share his side??...

Overall good read, a slow burner to start, then when I got to the end I wanted the story to continue...

My Thanks to Netgalley and publishers MacMillan for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review. Having read the terrific “Together by Christmas” last year, by the same writer, I was convinced that I had found a new favourite author. I subsequently read several of Karen Swan’s other novels and found them almost as enjoyable, which is why I requested this one. Oh dear ! What a disappointment. It has taken me eighteen days to read, which has to be a personal record. I had to force myself to keep returning to it.

Unfortunately I felt that the subject matter wasn’t worth the time spent reading it. I don’t do chick-lit and this is definitely what this book is. It was obvious from the beginning how the story was going to turn out. It was just a matter of how the tale was going to be woven to get there. I don’t appreciate cold either, so perhaps I wasn’t the right person to be reading this novel. Apart from the surfing background at the beginning, when I found the paddle out very beautiful, the setting was one dimensional. Just ice, snow, chair lifts and luxury accommodation. All the characters were superficial and unlikeable. I couldn’t bond with any of them which is essential to make you want to keep turning the pages. Their world of championship snowboarding was not one I could bring myself to care about either. Even the name of the heroin grated. Who would name their child Clover !

Reading the acknowledgements, I did appreciate the inspiration for this story. But much as I dislike negatively criticising an author’s hard work, not being able to do half as well myself, I’m afraid that the book wasn’t for me. But I haven’t given up on this author.

“Sometimes we confuse winners with heroes. They are not. They make mistakes, like anyone else.”

Film director, Clover Phillips, is on a roll after winning multiple awards for her recent documentary when she meets Kit Foley, a surfer and snowboarder as well know for controversy as he is for winning championships.

Involved in an accident that had devastating consequences for a bitter rival, Kit has never spoken about what really happened that day. Determined to find out the truth, Clover heads to the snowy Austrian Alps, sharing a winter wonderland with a man who can’t stand her. As she delves deeper, Clover finds herself both drawn to Kit, and even more convinced he’s hiding something.

The book is set in the Austrian Alps and I absolutely adored this setting, the descriptions of the snowy mountains had me completely engrossed, making me feel like I was right there too.

It’s clear to see the amount of research the author has done prior to writing, I loved learning more about the surfer and snowboarding worlds. Although it’s pretty obvious where the storyline is going, this didn’t take away my enjoyment from the book and there was a nice twist thrown in towards the end which I didn’t see coming.

I was expecting this to be a fun, easy winter read and whilst I would have liked to see more romance in the book as there wasn’t actually a lot considering it’s a romance, I was pleasantly surprised by how much deeper the storyline actually went. The characters are all well developed and some of the stronger themes are all explored in a beautiful way.

The book has an underlying message that there are always two sides to every story, as humans I feel like we are often too quick to judge on matters we don’t always have all the facts for. It’s easy to soak up what the media may print about an individual so I thought the book was an excellent reminder that there’s sometimes more to a ‘scandal’ that meets the eye.

I do think the book could have been a bit shorter, it took me a while to get in to as there was quite a lot of unnecessary dialogue at the beginning of the book. If your a fan of slow burners then you’ll enjoy this one!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for letting me read this ARC.

❄️ R e v i e w ❄️

Midnight in the Snow by @swannywrites

Karen Swan has done it again! Another unputdownable book. How does she keep doing it?
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This book is set in the Austrian Alps and the descriptions are so good, you find yourself shivering with the cold.
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Clover is on a roll after winning awards for her documentary about the surfer, Cory, whose life has hit a downward curve after a devastating surfing accident involving Kit Foley.
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Determined to find out what really happened between Cory and Kit and putting everything she has on the line, Clover makes Kit her next documentary project. But Kit is a hard nut to crack. As Clover delves deeper into Kit’s new life as a snowboarder, she discovers there is more to him than the bad press he has been given.
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Kit is a nasty character. You can’t help but dislike him to begin with as he gives Clover the runaround. He isn’t willing to divulge what really happened on the waves.
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This book has an underlying moral. You should always listen to both sides of the story before making judgements. Even the kindest person will twist a story in their favour.
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The ending of this book was beautiful. I didn’t want it to end. I think this might be my favourite Karen Swan book so far.
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This book will be out on the 14th October and I highly recommend you buy it.
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Thanks to @netgalley & @panmacmillan for the review copy and for making a Karen Swan fan very happy!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

Director Clover sets out to uncover the truth about what happened when a surfing accident had unforgettable consequences for one surfer.

Kit, whose known for being surrounded by controversy as well as winning championships, was the other surfer and it’s his side of what happened that Clover wants to find out as he’s been held accountable for that accident.

But, will she get the truth from him as he’s never given his side of the story and why he decided to leave surfing and try his hand at snowboarding…..

Hidden secrets are revealed in the beautiful Austrian Alps.

Love Karen’s books.

I’m a big fan of Karen Swan, and let me tell you this did not disappoint. Immediately I was immersed into the competitive world of surfing and then snowboarding. The story was so detailed, there were so many interesting twists and turns and it was just utterly enthralling. Cleo and Kit’s characters were so complex and had me guessing to the end to find out what was behind everything they had been through. I couldn’t put it down and have been thinking of them all since I finished the book, always a sign of a good story! Couldn’t recommend this enough- buy it buy it buy it!

This was a new author for me, and I found the story a bit slow., and it was also very descriptive in places, nevertheless I persevered and enjoyed the book.

Really good typical Karen Swan read. I loved Kit and kind of knew where this book was going but it did not spoil my enjoyment of this book at all.

To put it mildly I LOVE a Karen Swan Christmas book. I started this book not knowing if for once I was going to struggle with this story! How wrong can you be. It was fantastic! I loved it and couldn’t put it down. Eagerly awaiting the outcome.
Clover is a director and has won an award for a documentary she has made on the surfer Cory Albright.
A tragic accident has brought Clover and her team into the life of Mia and Cory and this leads her into making up a follow up.
Kit Foley is an ex surfer who had taken up snowboarding to escape his past. Clover becomes part of his world and feels there is more secrets in Kits past and answers to her questions about Cory.
What will become of Kit and Clover and can they move on from the explosive love/hate relationship?
Will Clover ever get the answers she’s looking for?
Thank you Pan MacMillan and Netgalley for an early copy of Karen Swans amazing new book.

This book was not what I expected - but in a really good way. I was expecting a more frivolous Christmas love story, with lots of frolicking and fun. While there were lovely moments just like that in the story, it actually was much deeper. The characters were complex and big ideas (guilt, grief, love, hate, truth, responsibility) are all explored in a beautiful way! I couldn't put this one down, needing to know what had happened to these characters before we met them, and how their story would end. Some parts were a bit predictable but I still found myself invested and rooting for a happy ending!

A lovely read.

Thanks to Netgalley and PanMacmillan for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this latest story by Katie Swan. The characters were well presented and very real. The storyline was exciting, sad, emotional , very satisfying and with a beautiful conclusion. What more could you ask of a book and its author.

A very different story of romance and relationships but also tragedy. Set in “surf” land and also “ski” land. Two very different sports which dominated this story. Well thought out and we’ll written - I enjoyed it.

Oh, well Karen has done it again! I LOVED this one!
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Clover is a film director, and she's just won awards telling the story of surfer, Cory Allbright. He suffered critical injuries during a competition at the hands of Kit Foley.
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For her next job, she's decided to tell the other side of the story (or at least get closure on WHY he did what he did for the Allbright family). But everyone close to Kit is telling her that he's not the person she thinks he is. So who is Kit Foley? And is he really everything she thinks he is?
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What I particular love about Karen's winter books is that, yes, there is a nod to Christmas, but they don't feel like a Christmas read (even where Christmas is in the title!) They simply feel set in the Winter and Christmas is an inevitable part of that.
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In Midnight in the Snow, we're transported to the Austrian Alps. As I've come to expect from Karen, I could see it, feel it, hear it and smell it as I read.
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As always, there's a likeable strong female lead that you find yourself rooting for (actually two in this one, if we consider Matty alongside Clover).
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Whilst the ending became predictable as we went through (which doesn't bother and is absolutely not a criticism) the journey there wasn't. I honestly couldn't see how we were going to get from A to B, but it's a journey I was strapped to my snowboard for and ready to embrace!
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I LOVED the ending. It's like the ending to a Hollywood Film!
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Thank you Karen, for continually writing books that keep me guessing and that I fall in love with.

MIDNIGHT IN THE SNOW by KAREN SWAN
With thanks to #NetGalley and #PanMacmillan for an ARC of #MidnightInTheSnow by #KarenSwan.

Clover is a film director, riding high on her recent success with her documentary about Cory, a surfer who had a life changing accident.
Looking for her next project, Clover goes to shadow Kit, who is now a snowboarder after giving up his career as a surfer, following his involvment in Cory’s accident.
Things get off to a frosty start between Clover and Kit, but as they are forced together, can the truth be uncovered and will Clover and Kit find a way to get along and maybe even like eachother.

This book is set mainly in the beautiful Austrian Alps and firmly in the world of snowboarding.

The story is a slow burner, but full of intrigue, twists and turns that will keep the reader gripped.

Midnight In The Snow, is a compelling read. If you love Karen Swan’s previous books, this will not let you down.
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This book was definitely not quite what I expected, I was ready for some fun and frivolous Christmas escapism but this book was far deeper and more nuanced than that, dealing with the repercussions of a tragic accident that left everyone involved reeling and damaged for years. It takes patience, understanding and perhaps a little Christmas magic to unravel the events of the past and find some peace and joy.

Despite this not being what I anticipated, I really enjoyed the story, the slow burn romance and the careful revealing of the past and how it affected different characters.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Another good read from Karen Swain. The book had, however, a rather slow start and was a little over descriptive in places setting the scene mainly in a sporty snowy world. I must confess I didn't enjoy this book as much as some of Karen's other books and blew hot and cold over some of the characters, particularly Clover the main female character, but a good escape read.

A great story of Love, Hate betrayal, friendship all set amid the worlds of Surfing & Snowboarding !
Clover & her team did a in depth story about Surfer Cory Allbright after he suffered a horrific accident at one of the Major tournaments , then after his death Clover & her team decided to do the same about his Nemesis Kit Foley . It's a story full of twists & turns which make for an excellent read .#FB, #Instagram,#NetGalley, #Goodreads,#<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/c566f42be23a0e25d120e78a3454e2d427c4beee" width="80" height="80" alt="50 Book Reviews" title="50 Book Reviews"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/ef856e6ce35e6d2d729539aa1808a5fb4326a415" width="80" height="80" alt="Reviews Published" title="Reviews Published"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/aa60c7e77cc330186f26ea1f647542df8af8326a" width="80" height="80" alt="Professional Reader" title="Professional Reader"/>.

I've read a few of Karen Swan's books and really enjoyed them but for some reason I just couldn't get into this one at all.. I found it hard going and really slow, it does pick up around the last 20% of the book.

I didn't really gel with any of the characters but the descriptions of the places were written well.

Although I didn't like this one it wouldn't put me off reading any more from the author.

You know the type of book where you never want it to end...this is it!

Well, from the cover I expected a Christmas story, but what I got was even better.

Don't be put off by the first two chapters being slightly slow - you need to know the backstory - but from then on...get ready to be drawn in!

Award winning film/documentary director Clover Phillip's, along with her two friends (PA and camera man) follow Kit Foley - a surfer turned snowboarder - to make the next hit documentary. The only issue is, Kit is a bitter rival to friends of Clover. This provides icy hostility set in the snowy backdrops of the Alps.

Can Clover or Kit thaw out to work together for the documentary?

There are so many twists and turns in this book and it is great escapism.

I have never read any of Karen's books before, but this was superb story telling. I will definitely be reading more of her books now.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I couldnt put it down. I really became connected to the characters and can't recommend this book enough! Ideal for some escapism on an Autumnal or Winters day with a hot chocolate.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the author #KarenSwan for my ARC #MidnightInTheSnow in exchange for an honest review.