Christmas in the Snow by Karen Swan
‘In London, the snow is falling and Christmas is just around the corner – but Allegra Fisher barely has time to notice. She’s pitching for the biggest deal of her career and can’t afford to fail. And when she meets attractive stranger, Sam Kemp, on the plane to the meeting, she can’t afford to lose her focus either. She learned to shut off her emotions long ago and only her sister and best friend Isobel knows why. But when Allegra finds herself up against Sam for the bid, their passion quickly turns sour.
In Zermatt in the Swiss Alps, a long-lost mountain hut is discovered in the snow after sixty years and the last person expecting to become involved is Allegra – she hasn’t even heard of the woman they found inside. But it soon becomes clear the two women are linked and, as she and Iz travel out to make sense of the mystery, hearts thaw and dark secrets are uncovered, long buried by the snow.’
Normally any time off work means more time for reading for me. Christmas is the exception; there is just too much to do beforehand and then the TV and Quality Street beckon invitingly and my brain turns to a happy mush for a few days that not even books can penetrate!
I have, however, managed to fit in one good Christmas read this year. Christmas in the Snow is about the third Karen Swan book I have read and I continue to enjoy her work. Christmas in the Snow has the standard features of her stories; a central character who is scarred by the past, a very hot love interest with unclear motivations, stunning foreign locations, lifestyles of the incredibly wealthy and a satisfying conclusion. All perfect for a holiday read!
It did feel a little long in places and now a couple of days later I feel that more could have been done with the mysterious death that brings the characters to Zematt, but overall I really enjoyed the read and particularly liked the relationship between Allegra and her sister Isobel. Plus the ending really is heartwarming!