Snow Angel

One of my favorite themes is a cabin romance where the h/h are stranded alone together. Rosamund Hunter is a recent widow traveling with her overbearing older brother Dennis. They have an argument and Rosamund demands to be let down from the carriage and walks away in a huff just before a major snowstorm hits the area. Rosamund is a great character; independent, witty and impulsive with a wonderful ability to laugh at herself.

Justin Halliday, the Earl of Wetherby, is traveling in his carriage and comes upon her while she is struggling through the blizzard. He offers her a ride and shelter from the storm. So they are snowbound alone together and wildly attracted to each other. Hmmm, what to do... OK, you know the answer to that!

Rosamund show more has no intension of ever marrying again. She was married to a much older man and loved him deeply. But when she meets Justin she is curious about passion with a young man. Justin makes it clear right from the beginning that he is about to become engaged and that he intends to be faithful to his betrothed. So they agree to a brief glorious affair. When the snows melt Rosamund returns to her brother's house to help prepare for the visit of the man who is supposed to propose to her niece Annabelle as arranged by both of their families. Of course, it turns out that man is Justin.

She has not been able to forget Justin since their affair and when she sees him again she realizes she's in love with him. Justin is a rather flawed character but I did like him. He is determined to propose to Annabelle if that is her wish. He is still very attracted to Rosamund and even though he realizes he's in love with her, he doggedly continues to court Annabelle, and this really bothered me. He was just too passive in allowing his family to decide his future and never gave the least thought to fighting for Rosamond even when it became obvious that Annabelle was not happy. And yet, he can't keep away from Rosamund and they are caught snuggling together by Joshua, a longtime admirer of Annabelle's.

All the characters were three-dimensional and well-drawn. I especially loved Joshua who nearly 'steals the show' from Justin. Josh acts boldly to grab his own HEA with Annabelle giving Justin finally the opportunity to go after what he wanted all along. The love scenes where pretty warm and sensuous for a trad regency. This was a very short book (about 225 pages) but very deep and emotional and even though I disliked the hero's passive way to the HEA, I enjoyed it thoroughly. (Grade: B+) show less

The Snow Angel by Mary Balogh is a historical romance that was written in 1991 and recently republished. When widowed Rosamund Hunter quarrels with her brother and leaves the carriage during a snowstorm, she is picked up by the Earl of Wetherby although she only learns to know him as Justin Halliday.

Stranded at a hunting lodge, they have a few days where they are alone. They find themselves well matched and fall in love, but the Earl has family obligations and is expected to announce his engagement in a month. Little do Justin and Rosamund know that his upcoming engagement will bring the two back into each others lives.

Although the outcome of the story was very obvious, I enjoyed this light romance.

Rosamund and Justin are caught in a snowstorm and forced to take refuge. She's a recent widow who's never known passion and he planned to have his mistress with him for a last fling before his betrothal but she caught a cold, so they decide to share an interlude. Later, they find themselves at the same house party to celebrate Justin's betrothal to Rosamund's niece.
This is another of Ms. Balogh's earlier works, so not quite as polished but still a romantic story. The main characters are believable and engaging. The secondary characters add to the story. The tension builds nicely in whether or not these two will get their HEA. All in all, it's a pretty good read.

Snow Angel by Mary Balogh - A-Another excellent Balogh story. Widowed Rosamund Hunter has an argument with her brother and stalks off in a snowstorm. (He was going to turn around after a little while and pick her up but his carriage lost a wheel). She is rescued by Justin Halliday, Earl of Wetherby who is on his way to a friend's hunting box alone, his mistress having been struck down by the flu. They share an instant attraction and a 3 day idyll. Once the snowstorm breaks they each go back to their lives. Justin's was having a last fling - he was about to become betrothed (a long-standing family arrangement) and he believed in marital fidelity so there'd be none of that after the formal announcement. Imagine his surprise when Rosa show more turns out to be related to his fiancee-to-be. It is a delightfully angsty book. Both Rosa and Justin resolve to do the right thing but they suffer while they try. In fact, the characters were such that they would actually have done the right thing and stayed apart except that serendipity intervenes (as it does in romance novels) and it was particularly that, that I enjoyed - they were not selfish but were committed to their families and obligations previously made, despite their feelings for each other. show less

The charm of this novel is the idea of second chances - but of course there is going to be conflict - previous obligations. Still, love conquers all even if it is a little contrived.