Snowed In With You: A Sycamore Mountain small town firefighter holiday novella

by LM Fox

While you're happy for all of your friends,
you can't help but dread the longest wedding day in history.

After living through the devastation of your parents' divorce,
you have no plans to follow in their footsteps.

Until you see her.

The connection is instant.

The very last thing you need in your life.

But there's no fighting this.

The following morning, she's gone,

but her memory lingers,
leaving you hungry for more.

You manage to see her again,
but she's no longer the carefree, wild spirit you remember.

Something is off.
What's she hiding?

It was supposed to be one evening of no strings fun.

No names, no complications.

Just. One. Night.



Or is it?



This is a full length standalone, small town firefighter, holiday romance with an element of suspense.

While it can be read alone, it is connected to the Sycamore Mountain series.

328 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication December 11, 2025

Reviews

[MissPetiteBrunetteBookBlog · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.7 Stars)
Charlene lives and works in Candy Cane Key. When her friend asks her to go to her wedding she is both happy but nervous. She is hiding from her past but how long can you truly hide before it catches up to you? Dave aka Smoke isn’t thrilled of the idea of going to a wedding but it’s his friend’s so he reluctantly attends & that’s where he meets Char. When he goes to visit Char in Candy Cane later, can he get her to her face her past and find there can be a future with happiness? This is an emotional, slowly building story about past trauma and finding your way of healing. Told in first person and dual POV.

[Torey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Smoke and Char are amazing 😍. this is such a well written story. I love that we get to see some characters from past stories, too. the true representation and support for depression was fantastic.

[Kirsty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I READ THIS IN ONE SITTING AND I HAVE ZERO REGRETS—ONLY VIBES, FEELS, AND FIREFIGHTER-INDUCED FERALITY.

Snowed In With You by LM Fox completely consumed me. Like, I picked it up “just for a chapter” and suddenly hours disappeared, my responsibilities vanished, and I was emotionally attached to Dave “Smoke” and Charlene like they were my own chaotic small-town friends. This book had me in a CHOKEHOLD.

First of all—THEIR FIRST MEETING???
Instant connection.
Instant spark.
Instant “oh noooo this is everything I shouldn’t want but I want it SO BAD” energy.

Dave is over here trying desperately not to believe in love, not to get attached, not to repeat the mess he saw growing up… and then Charlene walks in like a wildfire in lipstick and he’s DONE. Absolutely leveled.

And Charlene??
This carefree, wild, fun, no-strings night goddess—who disappears the next morning like Cinderella only hotter and more mysterious. I LOVE HER.

But then the next time they meet?
Ohhhh my heart.
She’s not the same sparkly wild thing he remembers. She’s carrying something heavy, hiding something big, and the shift in her energy hit me straight in the chest. I was SO invested, I was practically interrogating the book like “GIRL WHAT HAPPENED??”

And Dave… the way he immediately senses something’s wrong and wants to protect her—without pushing, without demanding, just quietly showing up—I MELTED. FULL PUDDLE. No one talk to me.

The chemistry??
INSANE.
Ridiculous.
Ridiculously insane. Like smoke-and-flame, firefighter-coded, “we shouldn’t but we absolutely will” vibes that had me clutching the pages.

Then LM Fox throws in
❄️ small town charm
❄️ holiday magic
❄️ suspense that had me sweating
❄️ forced proximity
❄️ a firefighter hero named SMOKE (COME ON)

And I was GONE.

Dave “Smoke” is everything—broody, loyal, protective, low-key soft, and completely wrecked by Charlene from the second he meets her. And Charlene is strong, complicated, hurting, hopeful, and impossible not to root for.

This wasn’t just a romance.
It was chemistry, tension, emotion, mystery, and “oh no I’m falling in love” panic all wrapped in snow and small-town holiday lights.

I devoured it.
In one sitting.
With my whole heart in my throat.

[Reading In the Red Room · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5….Char is a beauty shop owner with secrets on top of her secrets. She has been through a lot and she has the emotional scars to prove it. When she goes to her best friends wedding, she meets a man she can’t stop thinking about. Dave is a firefighter with a few emotional walls of his own. This is a sweet emotional story about love, surviving what life throws at you and everything in between. These characters are well written with strong personalities and told a heck of a story. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by this author.

[Lorey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this beautiful story! Layla does it again. Her stories pull you in from the start, and Char and Dave's story is no different. Their HEA does not come easily. Their story has sizzling chemistry, angst, newly found lasting friendships, laugh-out-loud banter, trust issues, heartbreaking pasts, new beginnings, and all the swooniness you've come to love in Layla's stories. Grab a copy and then find your favorite nook to read this emotionally charged and heartfelt romance. All the stars!

[Megan Fernsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this! Char and Dave's chemistry is so wonderful. He is so respectful of her even though he doesn't know her full story.
Honestly I loved the characters surrounding the main story almost as much as the main couple. The representation of depression is done remarkably well too.
I love all the healing that happens in this book. Healing your own self and letting others in to help you heal as well.

[Ashley Stanford Cone · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a sweet story with characters you grow to like, if not love. This was my first LM Fox story and I would happily read more in the future. Really enjoyed seeing both Char and Smoke fall in love and the steps they took throughout the story to get past their fears.

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to be an ARC reader!

[Kayla T · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed seeing the characters in this book. The dual POV between Char and Dave helped with the story and seeing the different perspectives that the characters had. The invite to the wedding and all the things that happened from there was great. This is a page turner where you’re not going to want to put it down.

I’m so ready to read the other firefighter books by this author!

[Laura Moncrief · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ellie & Char’s relationship = friendship goals. So glad Char had Liz, Frank and Margaret when she was growing up in Candy Cane Key! Love Dave and Char together!! I can’t wait to go back and read the previous books in this series as well as looking forward to other new books in the series.

[Heidi Leroue · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet and spicy romantic suspense perfect for a snowy winter day spent cuddling up with a cat and a cup of hot chocolate reading. Enjoy!