| Title | : | Snowbound |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1602825815 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781602825819 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 288 |
| Publication | : | First published December 1, 2011 |
An ultimatum that forever changes the lives of police officer Sam Lucas and Dr. Kate Myles.
When heavy snowfall isolates the small English village of Birchenlow, a violent robbery shatters the community. Taken as a hostage and stranded with the increasingly desperate criminals, Sam is seriously injured during an ill-fated escape attempt. Already struggling to save the lives of the villagers caught up in the raid, Kate volunteers to walk straight into the lion’s den. Cut off from help, with only each other to rely on, Sam and Kate must find a way to fight the odds and stay alive if the growing attraction between them is to survive.
Snowbound Reviews
-
Before I start rambling, I would like to thank the reviewers of Cari Hunter's books for their amazing / compelling reviews. After reading their reviews, get ready to make some major withdrawals from your book fund..and the rest will be a memorable love affair with CH's writing.
I'm panicking just a tiny bit as I'm running out of supply, just Tumbledown left unread and the next book will be coming out end of next year. Maybe Ms.Hunter wouldn't mind sharing her grocery / to do / list or update her blog more often to keep the momentum going and keep the fans entertained..
Back to Snowbound, from the prologue ... It had my heart engaged with the sense of admiration and panic. To do what Sam did under such circumstances was unimaginable. Her bravery as she planned and took her next course of actions to escape / survive had my foot tapping and my heart pumping just a lil faster. Ms.Hunter's trademark of pushing her leads' limits and not babying them started here so get ready to feel the pain.
Doctor Kate, was the perfect companion to any hostage victims and be prepared to be taken hostage by her personality, caring attitude and her principles.
The hostage situation wasn't dramatized too much, some ingenious plot twists, great /supporting secondary characters, one major not dragged drama llama situation and peaceful page time for the hs to bond after their first set of hurdles.
"All the shine of a thousand spotlights
All the stars we steal from the nightsky
Will never be enough"
Yes, that's how I felt towards Cari Hunter's work. -
It seems I am reading Car Hunter in reverse. I started with her latest Alias, was intrigued and went on the The Dark Peak series. That got me addicted and now I’ve tackled her debut novel Snowbound.
It was an impressive read in the hurt/comfort romance genre (and boy, do our heroines get kicked around some!). I saw some similarities with the Dark peak series and this one. For starters, both are set in the same area of Britain’s Peak District. Sam Lucas is a cop (so is Sanne Jensen) and Kate Myles is a doctor (as is Meg Fielding). Both couples get into a bad situation with violent thugs and both couples suffer severe bodily harm.
I thought that Hunter did a superb job - this being her first – but I can see she’s grown into an even better writer now. The medical part is more prominent due to the fact that Sam gets taken hostage whilst on the job early on in the story and so there’s not a lot of policing to do for her. All medical scenes are super realistic and it’s obvious the writer has great knowledge here (being a paramedic herself). Bring a strong stomach though.
The romance is very slow burn. Sam and Kate go through a terrible ordeal together and it forms a strong bond that slowly turns into something more. But then you always have that ex-that-was-bad-news-for-you popping up, trying to put a spanner in the works. Luckily the romantic angst was kept to a minimum (just enough to create some tension for the plot) as there was plenty of other trauma to deal with.
f/f triggers for physical abuse
Themes: another page turner, Egads! But do they have some harsh winters up there, graphic crime scenes, lots of hot cuppas, bad hospital food, I saw that little plot twist in the second part coming, I loved the story but think as a couple Sanne and Meg have more soul.
5 stars -
The last Cari Hunter I had yet to read, and as always an impressive, evocative read! I love the thrilling action and suspense, and the British banter and humour that always permeates these reads.
Seeing Officer Sam and Dr Kate connect during such dramatic circumstances really kept me reading and on the edge of my seat, waiting to see what would happen next to them physically, but also emotionally.
I did find myself frustrated with the tiresome ex-girlfriend drama that came about, but seeing as this was Cari Hunter's debut book, I feel like it makes sense that there are certain tropes that pop up, while she was finding her storytelling voice.
Her other books romantic connections are definitely stronger than in this one, which was a tiny bit disappointing. But again I put that down to debut issues, plus the fact that her subsequent books have only got better and The Dark Peak's Meg and Sanne are always going to be my favourite lesfic couple EVER, so it's unfair to even try and compare!.
I would have loved more time spent on this couple. I felt the ending was a bit rushed and skipped over important early stages of romance for them. But it's still great. Everyone who loves women loving women drama should read Cari Hunter's back catalog. -
Cari Hunter's debut novel though not perfect is really impressive.
Snowbound delivers as a crime thriller where Sam Lucas, a cop, is taken hostage in a robbery gone wrong and Dr. Kate Myles is the doctor sent into the scene to tend to the wounds of the perpetrator and Sam.
There's a lot working against them: The perpetrators, their health, and the brutal snow storm outside.
The first half of the book I felt the author nailed it. So many books, especially in lesfic, that stars a cop or some kind of crime fighter are ridiculously over the top. Not so here. Sam is a really well done not superhero character that finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Kate is just as well fleshed out. And despite the grim circumstances, I loved their chemistry and the characters as they worked through their situation.
And the dialogue, supporting cast, and light humor sprinkled into the drama all around were really excellent.
Cari Hunter's career as a paramedic in real life completely lends authenticity to the narrative and elevated it to a pleasing height. The story felt realistic and, because of that, I found myself in awe of the execution because it's really challenging to write this well.
The last half of the book is about Sam and Kate working through the fallout of their predicament and becoming closer. And this is where the book fell down a little for me. The writing quality was still really high but some extra relationship drama that cropped up and some boogeyman stuff wasn't my favorite. I especially thought one character got off waaay too easily and that bugged me. In a way, the story didn't need these...but, I also got it. It maintained tension all the way through and gave some extra gotchas as a thriller.
Any faults I have for this book are my own quirks. In one way, I was amused because this book was written in 2011. At least one of the story choices was probably fresh then but it's been so overused by now that it was a little exasperating to see it.
But, would I recommend this book? Hell, yes. Especially if you're looking for a well-written crime thriller with an f/f romance thrown in. -
Oh I liked this one! Hunter’s debut novel has the first responder, medical and action themes with romance. I mean, why has no one told me about this book?! I’m surprised at how well the romance came through given the circumstances they were in. The main characters bond through a traumatic event but (I’m not sure how) the connection did not seem forced or the romance a leap. Would definitely recommend.
-
An absolutely enthralling and thrilling story!
Kate offers her help, even though she is very scared. She'll do everything in her power to keep them safe. It's a race against time and exhaustion. The danger to be killed is hanging over their heads and Kate must do something. Both are fighting to stay alive. The brutal conditions brings them closer together and Kate never expected to lose her heart in the process. The tension keeps building from the start and all the action kept me on the edge of my seat. The descriptions of the medical side and challenges of treatment is spot on and without overloading. A gripping book of riveting action, kidnapping, abuse and an amazing love story. I highly recommend this book. -
Police officer Sam Lucas is held hostage after an armed robbery goes wrong. Seriously injured, her captors ask for medical assistance. Dr. Kate Myles volunteers to help and both women will have to work together in order to survive. Their experience will change their lives forever and will make their bond strong with the possibility of developing into something deeper.
I’ve read this book years ago and now decided to listen to the audiobook. My first thought after listening is how impressive this book is considering that this is Cari Hunter’s debut. Even though I appreciate Ms. Hunter‘s growth as an author through the years, ‘Snowbound’ is by no means a minor work. All the distinctive elements of her style are present here: the British feel through the use of language, the permanent gloominess of the weather and the northern English habits; Ms. Hunter’s sense of humour and wit; and the well-conceived plot. Her obvious talent is already at display in her debut novel.
For me personally, it is a bonus that this is not a gruesome work like, for example, Ms. Hunter’s ‘Dark Peak’ series. ‘Snowbound’ isn’t free from violence but it keeps a balance between the spine-chilling moments and a heartwarming romance. So, if you are a romance fan and don’t mind a bit of violence and suspense, this book is worth it as the love story has more page space compared to other books by Hunter. As usual, all the characters are well-written, distinctive and multilayered, even the villains. Thanks to the author’s experience as a paramedic, the medical scenes are credible and realistic. So, if you are new to the author and want to read her novels chronologically you won’t be disappointed, and if you have read most of her recent work, ‘Snowbound’ won’t let you down either. Ms. Hunter’s high-quality consistency is rare in lesfic.
This was the first audiobook I’ve listened to by this narrator. I’m a bit on the fence regarding Ms. Parkin’s performance. On one hand, she is very good with the different accents and generally giving a British feel to the narration. On the other hand, I cannot explain why but the tone of the narration didn’t work for me, it seemed too overdramatised in the modulation of her voice which took me a long time to get used to. I have to say that this is my personal experience perhaps due to the fact that I’m too used to listening to other narrators, so just take it with an extra grain of salt. In any case, because of the quality of the writing and the appeal of the story, this audiobook is worth your while. Unfortunately, it’s not available on Audible Escape or Scribd but at more than 9 hours length, it’s good value for money.
Overall, a very good lesbian debut audiobook. 5 stars for the story, 4 stars for the narration. Average, 4.5 stars.
See all my reviews at
www.lezreviewbooks.com -
Can't believe I've never read a Cari Hunter book before now. Stunning read.. cant wait to read another one!
5 stars.. -
I read ebook years ago & rated it 5 stars back then. Add 0.5 stars for the audio book's narration for a total of 5.5 stars total. I've re-read it before but decided to try the audio book this time around. I think I enjoyed it more with the excellent narration. Hearing it read with an English accent really adds to the book. I'm not knowledgable enough to know if it is accurate for the area.
-
AH! I feel like Hunter's books are written specifically for me, hahah! They're always everything I want, and she writes the best characters. I'm so sad I only have one of her books left to read D:
-
Maybe it was somewhat good timing to read this, as my entire country seems to be in a blustery, bone-chilling, unending deep-freeze. The snowy bits of the story were positively relatable. Minus the hypothermia. None of my bits have frozen off, thankfully.
I give this book high marks for good writing, as this author is quite talented, and I will continue to read her work. However something about the pacing of this story threw me off. The beginning was intense, raw, disturbing, and the amount of horrible abuse the women suffered was nauseating. Then the middle hospital part seemed to drag on, which required some skimming. A lot of medical stuff happens, and doctor Kate becomes more nursemaid Kate with no actual doctoring in sight.
A bit of interesting drama with an ex happens, but it's short lived. Though it is enough to make me angry that not once did Sam stand up for herself and utter the oh-so-eloquent words Then lo and behold more brutal stuff.... . Can't these ladies catch a break?
And then the end, where the MCs get together, the moment you know we all want, the spark, the love, the hook up, especially after all they experienced together, feels very rushed and we get hardly any details. We get an earful about bullet wound infections, but only the smallest of sexy times? *sniff* There is no set timeline but they seem to move in together very fast.
I guess the flow between the extreme and the mundane was hard to adjust to, making me feel dissatisfied by the end. More balance, due to the heaviness of a lot of the subject matter, would've been welcome. -
Loved these characters. Extreme conditions throw these characters together, and as events unfold love grows. Read in a day, started the story and I just had to keep reading to see what would happen next.
August 2016- Just re-read as an audible book! Loved the narrators accent and she did a great job keeping her accents for each of the characters! Still a great story! -
Last book from the author for my reading marathon on her work. Funny that this is her first novel. Save the first for the last. For first novel, this is actually great. This one kinda remind me of Desolation Point series. I still remember the traumatic feeling of reading that one lol but this time I get used to our author hurting her characters sooo it's umm normal lol.
Like I said it's good, for the first one. The incident did bother me a bit like can't the police do better than that? but it's fine because in the middle of the chaos, two strangers met and spark instant chemistry and I noticed this one is romantic. haha. Most of the books from this author wasn't really focusing on romance so when I suddenly encounter one, I got too aware of it.
So now that I am done with all Cari Hunter's books, I am looking forward to her next masterpiece. -
This is awesome. I loved how the story between Kate and Sam developed. The part in the cabin was pretty rough, and although violent scenes are not my kind of thing, this one moved the story forward and was necessary for the plot, so that it was ok. The slow development of the love story between Sam and Kate felt nice, and their characters just like those around them are lovely. Definitely a wonderful story of two women. 5 out of 5 stars.
-
A gripping story from the first page. Taken hostage when a burglary goes wrong, Sam is severely injured while the kidnapper plummets into a violent rage. I wouldn't have thought this would be a good setting for a romance but Cari Hunter manages to make it work. The tension is maintained throughout the novel.
-
Fast paced with some well-done dramatic scenes, strong and likable main characters, nice love story... Great read. I look forward to more great stories from this author.
-
This is a romance/ action novel set in the Dark Peaks, part of the beautiful Peak District National Park in central England. The setting makes for a wonderful backdrop, and unlike so many novels set in the UK, paints a pretty accurate picture of life here (read: it's not like you'd believe from Hollywood movies....). I felt a real sense of excitement reading about walks I'd been on, and hills I struggled up.
We meet our MC Sam, a uniformed police officer, in dire straits. She's a hostage and she's been shot. The first half of the book deals with this situation, and with the attempts by the other MC, hospital doctor Kate, to save her. I found the story initially really gripping. The scenes involving medical stuff were graphic enough for my fingers and toes to curl up into a defensive position. I take that as a good sign of story telling.
The story is gripping enough. The romance is perfectly fine, and both Kate and Sam are people I'd happily walk up Kinder Scout with before repairing to a nice pub with a refreshing glass of (warm) ale. But there was something about this book that really bothered me. The story introduces plenty of traumatic stuff that people just sort of get over without much trouble. . If you are after an ACTION story with ROMANCE and don't mind if you get hit with clangers that people can get over with a couple of cups of tea and a bit of TLC then I think this is a fab book. For me it is one of the things that causes hangups, and my mind gets stuck in these things like a needle in a scratched record, and even as I keep reading, I cannot get past those points.
This book has lots of really positive and fab reviews, so mine is likely to be based on personal hangups, and unless you share those, you can safely ignore my view. -
This F/F romantic suspense is structured quite differently than a traditional romantic suspense, but I liked that about it (**with one exception, see end of review**). Police officer Sam Lucas is kidnapped and badly injured while responding to a jewelry store robbery in a heavy snowfall. Dr. Kate Myles agrees to be sent into the ensuing hostage situation to provide medical care for one of the hostage-takers and Sam. The two women connect emotionally in the dangerous situation. They eventually find they have to save themselves if they're going to survive. They are both amazing women, and the time they spend as hostages is extraordinarily well-written, chilling, and had me completely on edge.
What makes this book different is that the hostage arc is just the first part of the story. Once Sam and Kate are free, their tale shifts to the hospital, where Sam requires significant medical care and Kate finds she can't bear to leave Sam's side. There's clearly some trauma bonding going on, but there's also a real connection... which is somewhat confusing for Kate, a loner who has never really considered she might be attracted to women. (A strong argument could be made that she's demiromantic and/or demisexual, though I don't know what the author's intent was.) Meanwhile, Hunter is dropping increasingly creepy hints that being freed from captivity wasn't the end of the danger for these two AND Sam's ex is sniffing around.
I hadn't previously read a romantic suspense where the first part is so explosive, followed by a quieter period of internal struggle, then more explosions very late in the book. I'm not at all sure how it would fit into a three act structure, but I really liked it.
** What I did NOT like about the structure: the prologue is a later scene in the book, then the first chapter backs up in time to show us how the character got there. Totally fine, we see this in fiction and movies all the time. Except that when storytellers use this structure, readers/audiences expect that "oh no!" prologue scene to show up again about 75-80% of the way into the story. Here, it shows up much, much earlier because of how this story is laid out. That screwed with my expectations, and not in a good way. It should have been omitted! There would have been nothing wrong with starting this book at Chapter 1.
This was Hunter's first published novel, and my first read by her. I will definitely be reading more of her books. -
4,5 stars
I liked the premise, the characters and the execution was good as well, but it lacked some sort of quality that would earn it a five stars rating. When I'll figure out what exactly it was, I'll inform you. -
This book begins with a gentle introduction to our mc's. After that, a thriller is born and you just can't put the book away. A good portion off the book is set in one location: the barn where the MC's are kept hostage. This setting could easily be a quick bore, but Hunter keeps your eyes on the page and keeps you wanting to know what's next.
This book was on sale and because I liked other books by Cari Hunter I bought it immediately.
Boy am I happy I did, awesome book!
-
August 2012 - Read this for a third time (First time because it sounded interesting, second because it was a Book of the Month Club selection, third because I was doing a review show on it). It stands up to multiple readings. Why are you reading reviews ... just pick this one up.
*****
Definitely recommended.
I really enjoyed this book - it is so not a standard lesfic.
The book is seperated into two major parts - After a quick introduction of the two main characters, Hunter starts off with a pretty big adrenaline rush and keeps the tension high for the first half of the book. The second half deals with the aftermath and gives the two women a chance to develop a relationship. The pace is definitely not as fast as the first half, but by the time the dust settles, you can't help but be invested in the characters and drawn in to read more about them.
I've always like mystery/suspense when the Brits do it - they seem to insert a fantastic bit of realism and grittiness that just doesn't seem to be as common in US suspense books. They also talk funny. (kidding - but discussing rowdy sheep stealing their butties made me laugh).
The story is set in a small town and the countryside outside Manchester during an unprecidented snow storm. Sam, a police officer, and her partner respond to a silent alarm at a jewelry store and basically all hell breaks loose. Sam is kidnapped and held hostage by the desperate thieves. During negotiations, Kate, a local doctor, is sent to the barn where they are holed up to tend to the wounded. As I said, its pretty much of a nailbiter - and pretty gritty.
The end ... well, I enjoyed the first half so much, I gave up my little bit of disbelief and cheered Sam and Kate on. -
Too much violence for my liking,. Couldn't feel a real relationship between the characters.
-
This novel has a great dramatic and vivid opening, and the novel's first-half hostage scene, with its grim detail of the hostages' injuries and treatment, was what made this book stand out for me. It has very convincing scenes where the heroines are suffering and their lives are in danger - gripping, sickening and fantastic stuff.
The second half of the novel is a more standard romance, but by this time I had been fully drawn into the relationship between the characters and I think I would have been a very unhappy reader if it had been anything different.
I loved the setting of the Peak District - I used to live on the other side of the Peak District so I have soft spot for the place and for being out in the hills in general.
A tiny, momentarily distracting negative for me, as a Brit, was the spelling out of some of the Britishisms, for example, the National Health Service instead of the more familiar NHS.
However, I found Snowbound a cracking good read, and I loved it. -
I really enjoyed this medical thriller. Impressive debut novel by Cari Hunter. The first half of the book/audiobook is captivating and makes for a compelling read. The second half does not disappoint but does drag a bit as relationships are developed and the reality of recovery post traumatic injury are examined. The developing relationship between Sam and Kate was a pleasure to watch.
The book lost a star only because
Fun ride and the audiobook was entertaining, accents, bacon butty's and all. -
Police Officer Sam Lucas and Dr. Kate Myles, both likable and capable main characters. Once I started this read, it was difficult to put down. I wanted to know what would happen next and I could not know what would happen next if I stopped reading. In addition to wanting to know what would happen next, I just enjoyed how Sam and Kate supported and looked out for each other. Being a tea drinker, I understand and agree with the medicinal capabilities.
-
Snowbound
It is a really enjoyable and engaging read that I simply could not put down! Definitely a novel I can recommend. -
3.3 star rating
The hostage scenario i think was well done, it was also nice imagining the medical ministrations in the story.
The romance was slow burn but it somehow lacked the longings and sensuality. For me that is why i am not giving this more stars
