A widowed sheriff of two small girls, a lonely artist desperate to reach her dying mother, and the Wyoming blizzard that traps them together. Artist Abigail Carson crashes off the deserted highway during a Wyoming blizzard while driving to reach her dying mother. Carbon County Sheriff Jackson Reynolds rescues her, leaving her Jeep in the snowdrift as the storm becomes a whiteout. They’re trapped at his ranch for the week leading up to Christmas, along with his two young daughters, a protective mother-in-law, and a bitter memory of his dead wife.
Tensions rise as Abby’s attraction grows for the tough sheriff. She must crack through his emotional wall before the storm breaks or lose her only chance for real love. But if the storm doesn't stop soon enough, Abby may lose her opportunity to ask her mother's forgiveness for running away almost ten years before. Snowdrift is a story about love, faith, and forgiveness.
Debra Erfert lives in the southwest desert city of Yuma, Arizona with her husband, a retired police lieutenant, where the average summer temperatures are well above 100 degrees--truly hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk. After raising two Eagle Scout sons, she now spends her time writing and shooing her polydactyl cat away from her keyboard. She's an award-winning artist who discovered she could use words to create pictures instead of just oils.
January 21st The Royals of Monterra: IT TAKES A SLEUTH, a mystery NOVELLA was released by Kindle Worlds. Her romantic mystery, CHANGES OF THE HEART is available for pre-order until February 2nd, 2016. She has a full-length novel, the first book in a trilogy WINDOW OF TIME, released in January 2016. RELATIVE EVIL, a romantic suspense, was published by Xchyler Publishing. Her short story, THE MEASURE OF LOVE, came out the winter of 2014 in Michael Young’s ADVENT ANTHOLOGY III. She also had a short story included in the VALUE STORIES FOR A YOUNG WOMAN anthology, published by Walnut Springs Press. Her short story, SCARED STIFF, was published in TOTALLY CLICHÉ.
This was an interesting romance, but with elements that didn't come together very well, I think. The strongest elements were the setting and Abby's relationship with Jack's kids. Indeed, she fit very well into both and you could see her falling in love with the wild Wyoming country and with those little girls.
Less obvious was the relationship with Jack. Frankly, I'm not sure why that didn't click very well with me. Yeah, it's fast (a week or so), but it's time they spend in near-constant proximity and in circumstances that lend to (emotional) intimacy. And they have all the right discussions and they have a good balance of conflict and resolution. So yeah, I just didn't feel it and I don't know why.
Part of it may be the surrounding events. I had a hard time seeing some of them as anything that might actually happen. That starts right up front with Abby trying to dig her jeep out of a snowdrift in a freezing blizzard using a disposable plastic cup. Basic survival instinct should have kicked in well before she flailed around in the snow, and being from Arizona doesn't excuse not noticing your limbs freezing to no purpose. And that's only the first weird event. Don't even get me started about the whole small-town rapist storyline and the machinations Erfert had to pull to put Abby in (further) jeopardy. There was at least one flat-out TSTL moment and several contrivances that just don't survive even cursory analysis.
So I was often impatient with events in a storyline that didn't stand against scrutiny. Still, there were some great moments and seeing Abby's delight in her surroundings (and people) was a decent-enough payoff to keep me interested to the end.
A note about Chaste: This is very chaste and distinctly faith-based while it's at it. A good thing, really, I think.
A note about LDS: The faith is pretty broad and nothing explicit denotes denomination, but there are a couple clues (I counted three) that indicate an LDS, or Mormon, background. There are explicit prayers (and answers, subtle but real, to those prayers) and faith is important to Abby in a very present way even if she's explicit about not having joined the church her father belonged to (even as she abides by its tenets and talks openly of her faith). I'd be interested in how the faith holds up for someone not LDS. I suspect it'll resonate just fine, but I could miss something off-putting because LDS is my norm.
OH Debra I loved this book! There were some wonderful cliché moments. Intense, and scary moments. Love, joy, peace, and I loved it! What a sweet story of finding love in a snowdrift of all places. I love that she held her morals even in the situation she found herself. The promise of seeing loved ones after passing. Just a beautiful story and book. Well done Debra.
This book is FANTASTIC! Unique circumstances bring these two together and the path is rocky, with Abigail falling into multiple mishaps, but your heart will be entwined with theirs as your root for their love to grow. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS ONE! IT'S A MUST-READ!
Snowdrift starts when Abigail Carson from Arizona drives into a Snowdrift on her way to see her mother, who is very ill. She is lucky she is found by Sheriff Jackson Reynolds as she attempts to dig her way out of the snow with a plastic drink cup. She is in the middle of a blizzard and has only a light-weight hoodie and not gloves or boots and is close to suffering hypothermia by the time he gets her to his home, which is much closer than town.
The sparks fly as Abby finds she is in the Sheriff's home with his mother-in-law, Grace and his two small daughters. The blizzard rages for several days as Abby comes to care for the gruff single father and his two young daughters. She challenges him to face his grief from the death of his wife the year before and to help him find his faith and bring faith back into the family at the Christmas season. This is a loving Christian romance with danger from the elements and a threat from a man in town holding a grudge against the Jackson.
The two little girls are fun, full of questions full of humor and add the loving family life to the story that leads to a happy ending for Abby and Jack with his two little girls.
I borrowed Snowdrift, by Debra Efert, author from Kindle Unlimited Lending Library program.
Abby is a twenty-something from Arizona going to Casper Wyoming to make ammends with her estranged mother whom she hasn't seen since she was 18 and left. Her mother claimed her father left them but really she kidnapped her daughter and left him. Unfortunatly Abby gets stranded in a snow drift after sliding off the road in a storm. Jack is the local Sheriffand he finds her freezing and trying to dig herself out with a Slurpy cup. He arrests her for some reason and takes her home to his house. When she is passed out from hypothermia. She is stuck on his home for almost a week. They get to know each other and start having romantic feelings. He is a widow with two young daughters and a mother in law. She helps him past his grief and guilt. She has high moral standards but not specific religion is mentioned. There is a bit of action at the end that helps encourage them to admit they are in love.
Jack is strong, handsome, loved by all, with just enough flaws to make him human. Abby is beautiful, smart, kind, and innocent.
Some parts of the plot could have been fleshed out a bit more, his grieving for his wife and her kidnapping, but overall it was very well written.
They both have quite the back stories and the mystery was well crafted.
This book is a clean Christian romance with no sex or bad language. It does have pushing, punching, shooting, a hostage situation, talk of date rape and pedophiles.
My opinion: This book is so different from the ones I have been reading from Debra Erfert. I love her fantasy/mystery books but this one surprised my very much. I LOVED IT! I loved the storyline, the way she writes and describes the scenes. You almost feel you are the characters or you wish you was there. This book has so much in it. The chemistry flows of the pages between the main characters. They have a lot to deal with but without that there was no story. Debra Erfert has written a book that catches you from the first chapter and almost makes you forget where you are. It is so good that you just have to read through it to know what happens next. When Abby and Jack meets it is because she is caught in a snowstorm with her broken down car. Jack has lost his wife and has a very difficult time to go on from that. Abby has issues when it comes to trust in others especially when it comes to love. But they are stuck and maybe they can help each other. The twists and turns the story has makes it exciting and intriguing. Abby is the one that gets hurts but hopefully Jack is there for her... You have to read the story to get the answer :) Up until now this is my favorite story from Debra Erfert. A must read!
I received an ARC for this book and voluntarily read and reviewed it. This was a good love story. I enjoyed reading about Abby and Jackson. Each character came into the story heartbroken in some way and together, they healed one another. It was a painful process in some ways, but it was needed and made each person better for it. Erfert’s style of writing is descriptive enough to allow the reader to fall into the story and imagine themselves in the snowy mountains of Wyoming, but the descriptive nature does not bog down the story. There was a couple twists that took me by surprise, but in a good way, they made the story more interesting and it was hard to put down. I’ll be honest, Abby annoyed me a little bit at first, simply because it’s pretty rude to snoop around the person’s house who saved your life. And how many times do you really need your life saved in one book? My only other gripe was that there was no mention of Abby’s life before, except for one instance. What about her job, her house / apartment, etc? But Snowdrift was overall a great story. I would recommend it to readers who love romance and I look forward to reading more of Erfert’s work.
Snowdrift by author Debra Erfert is a wonderful faith based romance. The main characters, Abby Carson and Jackson Reynolds tug at your heart due to the painful issues in their past. Abby is from Arizona and traveling to Casper, Wyoming to see her dying mother. She is totally unprepared for the weather and has an accident during a blizzard. Sherriff Jackson Reynolds discovers Abby trying to dig her jeep out of a snowbank. Abby does not realize she has almost put herself at risk of death due to exposure in the freezing weather. Sherriff Reynolds is a bit impatient with her lack of understanding about her circumstances and arrests her so he can take her to safety. As the story progresses we learn why Abby is so upset over the delay to see her mother. We also read of the still raw grief Jackson is carrying since the death of his wife. I enjoyed Snowdrift very much and the focus of the story is not just about two people who discover a need for companionship, but it is so much more. Abby has principals she lives by and has unshakable faith. Jackson has to learn to leave the past he can not change and go forward with his life. A very good read!
When Abby lost control of her Jeep and skidded into a snowdrift, she desperately tried to dig her way out. How could she reach her dying mother in time to ask her forgiveness? Little did she know that a snowdrift could change her life forever.
When Sheriff Jack Reynold lost his wife, his high school sweetheart, a year ago, he removed all traces of her from his life and the lives of their two small daughters. If he could forget about Katie, he would get over the pain of losing her, right?
Grace and Harry worry about their granddaughters, Beth and Kathy. When their father is at work during the day, they have a nanny to take care of them, but what happens when Jack is called out on an emergency in the middle of the night? Wouldn't the girls be better off living with their grandparents?
When a blizzard forces these characters to spend a week together in one large ranch house, how will they all interact? And was this God's way of leading a woman from the low desert to where she needed to be in Wyoming?
Curious yet? Then maybe you need to read Debra Erfert's Snowdrift!
This is the first book I have read by Debra Erfert and I loved it! Abby and Jack just pull at your heart strings, they are both dealing with heartbreak in their own way and when they are brought together by a snow storm they finally get to heal. There are plenty of happy, sad and heart melting moments along with some scary moments also to keep you turning the page, You can not help but connect to all the characters especially Beth, Kathy and Grace and this story definitely make me want to find a lovely little town where everyone knows everyone and there is a hunky Sheriff!
Definitely looking forward to reading more books by Debra Erfert.
I was given a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
I was not sure if I would like this book only because I do not read Romance Novels. After reading the description of the book I decided to give it a try. The people on the book looked like high school boyfriend and girlfriend and then I realized that since I am 66 years old everyone looks young to me.
I like the development of the story, high school grudge, characters.
I loved the sleigh ride and the description of how they prepared to go to town.
I was bothered about when Abby went into the attic and snooped around I believe it was on the second or third day there. I do like what she told Jack about the pictures.
There are other things in the book that you may like or not and I will let you discover it.
After reading books which somehow always seem to feature a psychotic, sociopathic, and/or demon possessed murderer or a violent sex offender, I thought I needed a nice change of pace with a gentle romance story. Well, it was a good try. But I did really like this story. The characters were engaging, the reflection of Montana life was interesting, and the humor was deft and skillfully inserted. I spent a few happy hours following the story of Abby and Jack, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a well written romantic story centered on characters overcoming deep emotional losses and grief to find happiness with each other.
This is a clean, sweet Christmas romance with a strong religious element.
There's some really lovely moments between Jack & Abby, and Jack's children that make this a very enjoyable read, but at the same time some of the elements seem forced. It made me feel as if it needed a little more polishing.
It took a while for me to warm to the characters because there were a lot of behaviours early on that didn't seem to make sense or weren't really explained, and others that were over explained and the effect was grating. The end too felt a little contrived in places, but it was happy as all good Christmas romances should be.
4 stars I purchased a copy of Snowdrift by Debra Erfert in april 2017 and this review was given freely. While traveling in a Wyoming blizzard to visit her dying mother, Abby drifts off the side of the road and is rescued by single dad and Sheriff Jackson Reynolds who then takes her to his ranch to wait out the storm. This fast paced second chance at love novel features two cute little girls, a solicitous caring man, a danger prone heroine, a vindictive sex offender, Faith in God and forgiveness.
I thought Abby was foolish, rushing headlong into things before thinking, and that’s what kept getting her into these crazy situations that Jack had to rescue her from. But, I guess it wouldn’t have been much of a story without those situations! I loved the scene in the blizzard where Jack prayed...it was a good reminder that God does hear and answer our prayers, but sometimes we have to get up and do something before He’ll guide us in the right direction. It was also a good reminder that there are angels (heavenly and earthly) all around us to help us when we are lost.
Abby seems to be Accident prone but likeable. Jack is also a great guy and the best hero who rescues Abby from freezing to death in a blizzard. They slowly fall in love but there are a few roadblocks. There are some very emotional scenes in this story. The story does talk about death of family members during a holiday so it can make you feel very emotional. Otherwise a great story.
I enjoyed both the story and the characters. Brought together by a blizzard Abby and Jack have both a good deal of chemistry and some personal issues. You'll love Jack's two daughters and the clean romance between Jack and Abby. There are a number of suspense filled events and the story keeps you enthralled to the very end.
This was a very sweet and touching story. Both characters had issues that they needed to work on, and they handled them in realistic and relatable ways. Their challenges were used to bring them together and make them stronger. It was sweet and clean, PG, if not G.
A nice, wholesome book of two people falling in love. But boy can Abby get herself into situations. It was nice to hear people saying that they were praying to God instead of a "higher power". Higher power? That reminds me of the metal power lines not a God.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, all the times Abby finds herself in some sort of trouble and in need of rescuing. I laughed often and then I cried several times too, lovely story. Thank you for writing this, wish it had been longer, is the another one perhaps a follow up on Jack and Abby, I sure hope so........
This was a fantastic story with wonderful characters. It was a very sweet, clean romance. I loved all of the characters including the little girls. It also had a little suspense.
It was good story and I liked the characters. It was worth my time reading this book. I would recommend this to a friend. Only issue I have is at times there was a little too much going on. This would be a good rainy day read
This storyline keeps your interest as the situation s rapidly change from one exciting adventure to the next. All are interwoven into the romance developing between the 2 main characters
I loved this book. I believe this was one of the best romance books I've read so far. The most exciting and suspenseful part of the book was toward the end...you'll have to read it to find out for yourselves. Five stars all the way, at least it was for me.
This was a great book. It kept me engaged and wanting to know what would happen next. The struggles that the characters met were real and relatable. The ending seemed abrupt to me, but was still good. Overall a great clean romance.
So long-winded I thought it would never end. Talk about brutal. I had to quickly skim thru the chapters just so I could end my misery. I should've chucked it early on but for whatever reason I trudged on.
This story has two characters living with guilt. Because of each other they realize that they can overcome their guilty feelings. Well written with love for family and danger from old enemy make this a very interesting book.
From the beginning I was captured and shared a emotional connection with a new family. I know I was in the world with them for awhile. Thank you for letting me come along for the ride.