Midnight in the Snow: Lose Yourself in an Alpine Love Story to Thaw the Coldest Heart Paperback – 14 Oct. 2021

This isn't the usual genre I read (I'm a psychological thriller girl) but the cover was so pretty, I fancied giving it a go for the festive period - and I'm glad I did! It was a really nice surprise to find myself totally invested and rooting for the characters, despite the fact that (like all romance novels) it was very predictable.The story is set mostly in the world of competitive snowboarding in Austria and Switzerland, which I found interesting. There is a lot of jargon but it just showed that the book had been very well researched. The setting is wintery but not particularly Christmassy, however that didn't detract from my enjoyment at all having purchased the book to read over Christmas.The plot is predictable as I mentioned but at the same time does have some surprises and still kept me invested. It wasn't as 'chic lit' as I thought it was going to be - it's actually quite thought-provoking in its exploration of how the media influences the way we see celebrities, and just how damaging that can be.What really made the book for me though was the characters, especially Kit Foley. The chemistry between the characters felt so real it leapt off the page; the love story is far sexier than anything E L James wrote for Fifty Shades, even though there's about 0.1% of the sex that that series had! I was actually sad to finish the book and leave the characters.My only criticism would be that the middle section felt quite long and lacked a bit of pace (it's a hefty book), however I still read the whole thing in a week which is faster than usual. I'd definitely recommend it if you're looking for something light but addictive to read over winter.

I hesitated between four and five stars for this novel, which I certainly enjoyed. There are some beautiful passages of description! I shall always remember the author's description of a Hawaiian style funeral ceremony in the sea, following the suicide of Cory Allbright, a former surfing champion who had suffered a devastating accident. Clover Phillips, the main character, had spent months, with her small team - Matty and Johnny - living in close proximity to the Allbright family and shares their strong belief that Cory's former friend and rival, Kit Foley, had caused the accident deliberately in order to rob Cory of the championship. After finishing her award winning documentary, she decides to everyone's surprise to do a documentary about Kit Foley and find out the other side of the story. The scene switches to Austria and Switzerland, as Kit has changed sports and is now determined to become a snowboarding champion despite being seen as a pariah by his community. Clover expects to prove that he was entirely responsible for Cory's accident and subsequent suicide. Kit is antagonistic and reticent in the extreme but is forced by his sponsor to tolerate the presence of Clover and her team in the same villa. As the story unfolds, Clover begins to find out what motivates Kit and the reasons. Her attitude towards him becomes more nuanced. There are also some surprising revelations. I went skiing for several years when I was younger and have been to both Zell am See and Kaprun. Once again I really appreciated the author's description of the surroundings. Just occasionally I was irritated by the characters' casual way of speaking but that is because I am an older reader. The characters were well drawn and the novel held my interest from start to finish.

Every book I read by Karen Swan is a surprise. She digs deeply into her characters’ secrets and emotions and reveals unexpected events. Midnight in the Snow is not a feel-good Christmas story. It takes us into the intense competitive worlds of championship snowboarding and surfing. I thought my complete lack of knowledge of these topics would cause problems, but the training and skills are clearly explained without spoiling the pace of the story.Clover is a talented interviewer, putting her subjects at their ease to produce compelling documentaries. She has previously made a film about Cory, a surfer who was badly injured as a result of the actions of his rival, Kit Foley. Her friendship with Cory’s wife means that she is determined to show Kit’s real character in her next documentary, but Kit is an enigma, at first refusing to speak to her and later showing a mixture of rage and kindness. There is no doubt that they detest each other but the tension is complicated by a burgeoning mutual attraction.The plot becomes thrilling when Clover and Kit get into danger and as the media turn against Kit, Clover realises that her motivation is to find the truth and justice for Cory and Kit. I found it difficult to put this book down, admiring Clover’s bravery and wondering how there could possibly be a happy ending to this tumultuous story.

I had difficulty putting this book down and really felt like I have spent the last few days with her documentary team in the Alps. I am impressed by the research that was done on both surfing and snowboarding to make this story and its characters believable. For others like me who may not know much about the world of high level competitive sports, I learned a lot. It was a compelling story told with a lot of human insight into what shapes and motivates these pro athletes. Another great tale from this author.

Once I read it I couldn't stop. The book made me feel the pain and heaviness of the main character, for what he's been through. I cried at the end when everything is lifted.

Le titre et la couverture évoquaient un conte de Noël. En réalité c'est beaucoup plus et beaucoup mieux. Des héros qui sortent de l'ordinaire et une très bonne intrigue.

I love how she takes you right to the places that she writes about!

Why only three stars. I’ve read other books by Karen Swan and generally enjoyed them. This was a bit contrived, but literally from page one, the F word appeared on almost every page. I see the author has three small children, so I do hope they haven’t read the book. I’m no prude, but a Christmas story liberally sprinkled with bad language just doesn’t even deserve the three stars. Feel free to disagree. .