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Midnight on the Snowbound Express: Snowed in with a killer. Trapped with your ex. Only one of them gets a second chance:
Bestselling mystery novelist Evan Vale thought he was boarding the Snowbound Express for research—a few quiet days of brass and tartan, mulled wine and mountains, and a glamorous holiday train to spark his next book.
He didn’t expect to find his ex on board.
U.S. Marshal Rafael Montoya is supposed to be on a simple post-Christmas escort forensic accountant Dr. Mira Kade to testify against a powerful crime syndicate. One witness. One deputy. One “milk run” to the next city.
Until the lights go out, the train shudders… and Rafael’s partner is found dead in a locked compartment.
Now the luxury train is stuck in a blizzard-choked mountain pass, the communications are down, and there’s a killer somewhere between the observation dome and the sleeper cars. The only person on board who understands how locked-room mysteries work?
Evan—the man Rafael walked away from in the name of “keeping him safe.”
As snow piles higher outside and tension thickens in the narrow corridors, Evan and Rafael are forced back into each other’s orbit. One works in facts and evidence. The other lives in twists and red herrings. Between them
A velvet-smooth illusionist with rosin-dusted hands
A nervous sommelier guarding a case of rare, possibly lethal bitters
An influencer couple chasing “Blackout Vibes” content
A quiet courier with memorable green cufflinks
Staff who know every hatch, key, and shortcut on the train
When another act of sabotage derails the auxiliary snowplow and strands them overnight in a high pass, survival becomes a team effort. Rafael has to keep his witness alive and his heart steady. Evan has to stop thinking “If this were a novel…” and start trusting his instincts for real.
Cozy-glam holiday magic collides with knife-edge suspense as they turn the Snowbound Express into a rolling crime
Mulled wine and poisoned toddies
Snow-frosted windows and shadowed vents
Velvet lounges, curtained berths, and an observation dome that might hide more than stars
Somewhere between the confessional car heart-to-heart, shared-berth warmth, and adrenaline-soaked kisses snatched behind pantry doors, Evan and Rafael start to remember why they fell in love in the first place—and what tore them apart.
Rafael still can’t promise a life without danger. Evan never wanted that anyway. What he wants is honesty when Rafael is scared, a place in the loop instead of outside the door… and the chance to write a future where they both make it off the train alive.
By dawn, the killer will be unmasked. The Snowbound Express will move again. And on a cold mountain platform, a marshal and a novelist will decide whether this Christmas disaster is the end of their story—or the moment they finally choose each other for good.
Midnight on the Snowbound Express is a standalone Christmas gay romance from Lila Bloom
Second chances & old wounds finally healed
Forced proximity on a snow-stalled luxury train
A twisty, satisfying locked-room whodunnit
Cozy holiday vibes (mulled wine, tartan, evergreen, and snow-globe views)
Slow-burn, emotionally
He didn’t expect to find his ex on board.
U.S. Marshal Rafael Montoya is supposed to be on a simple post-Christmas escort forensic accountant Dr. Mira Kade to testify against a powerful crime syndicate. One witness. One deputy. One “milk run” to the next city.
Until the lights go out, the train shudders… and Rafael’s partner is found dead in a locked compartment.
Now the luxury train is stuck in a blizzard-choked mountain pass, the communications are down, and there’s a killer somewhere between the observation dome and the sleeper cars. The only person on board who understands how locked-room mysteries work?
Evan—the man Rafael walked away from in the name of “keeping him safe.”
As snow piles higher outside and tension thickens in the narrow corridors, Evan and Rafael are forced back into each other’s orbit. One works in facts and evidence. The other lives in twists and red herrings. Between them
A velvet-smooth illusionist with rosin-dusted hands
A nervous sommelier guarding a case of rare, possibly lethal bitters
An influencer couple chasing “Blackout Vibes” content
A quiet courier with memorable green cufflinks
Staff who know every hatch, key, and shortcut on the train
When another act of sabotage derails the auxiliary snowplow and strands them overnight in a high pass, survival becomes a team effort. Rafael has to keep his witness alive and his heart steady. Evan has to stop thinking “If this were a novel…” and start trusting his instincts for real.
Cozy-glam holiday magic collides with knife-edge suspense as they turn the Snowbound Express into a rolling crime
Mulled wine and poisoned toddies
Snow-frosted windows and shadowed vents
Velvet lounges, curtained berths, and an observation dome that might hide more than stars
Somewhere between the confessional car heart-to-heart, shared-berth warmth, and adrenaline-soaked kisses snatched behind pantry doors, Evan and Rafael start to remember why they fell in love in the first place—and what tore them apart.
Rafael still can’t promise a life without danger. Evan never wanted that anyway. What he wants is honesty when Rafael is scared, a place in the loop instead of outside the door… and the chance to write a future where they both make it off the train alive.
By dawn, the killer will be unmasked. The Snowbound Express will move again. And on a cold mountain platform, a marshal and a novelist will decide whether this Christmas disaster is the end of their story—or the moment they finally choose each other for good.
Midnight on the Snowbound Express is a standalone Christmas gay romance from Lila Bloom
Second chances & old wounds finally healed
Forced proximity on a snow-stalled luxury train
A twisty, satisfying locked-room whodunnit
Cozy holiday vibes (mulled wine, tartan, evergreen, and snow-globe views)
Slow-burn, emotionally
238 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 25, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
December 13, 2025
Perfect for the holidays, I really enjoyed this lgbt locked in murder mystery aboard a train. Fast paced, believable characters and a nice romance. 5 ⭐!
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review