The Snow-Kissed Bride

by Linda Goodnight

A secluded cabin nestled in the Rockies is the perfect place for Melody Crawford to hide from the world. With her two faithful dogs, she fearlessly puts her life on the line to rescue missing people...but the rest of her life is a mystery. Ex-army ranger John North needs Melody's help--she knows the unforgiving mountains better than anyone. Melody sees John as an outsider, but this enigmatically beautiful woman calls to the man inside him. She needs to trust him, and, come what may, he'll break down her barriers--kiss by snowy kiss....

Genres: Romance, Harlequin, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance

192 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

NY Times and USA Bestseller, Linda Goodnight writes novels of faith and family that point to hope through Christ. Her emotional stories have won the RITA , the Carol, the Reviewer’s Choice, and numerous other industry awards. Her two great passions are faith in Jesus and her large extended family. (And pie. she loves pie.)
Readers may connect with Linda through her website at www.lindagoodnight.com or on Facebook.

Reviews

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars ~ John is an ex-army ranger and after his discharge, he decided to return to his home town in the Colorado Rockies and take on the new emergency management director post. His first search and rescue is for a 10 year old boy who got separated from his father while hiking. Melody has been a recluse up in the mountains for years; it's just her and her dogs and that's exactly how she likes it. Known as the "dog woman", she volunteers herself and her dogs for SAR. The middle of the night call for the lost boy, puts her and her dog, Chilli, into immediate action. John isn't sure what to make of Melody, she's aloof and no-nonsense all the way, bristling if he should get too close; yet he can't help his instant attraction and then his admiration for her skills. He's not at all surprised that once she's found the boy, she quietly retreats out of sight. John quickly learns that all the maps for the region are 10, sometimes 20, years out of date which only hinders their rescue work. He seeks out Melody's expertise of the mountains, and though she turns him down at first, she later accepts when he offers to pay her. Melody would normally steer clear of any contact with the ruggedly gorgeous ex-military man, but her best friend, Ace, needs expensive surgery on his hind legs. The more time they spend together, the stronger their attraction, and John finds himself having protective feelings for her even though she tries her hardest to keep him at arms length. When he learns the circumstances that made her retreat away from humans, he longs to teach her to trust and love again.

Harlequin's "Heart to Heart" themed love stories all promise an emotional punch, and this one from Ms. Goodnight definitely fulfills that promise. Melody's traumatic event has her in total shut off, in her mind she refers to the black day as the day she died; the only emotion she dare risk is shown to her dogs. (Her father, ex-military, in a PTSD fugue shot her entire family including her, and then killed himself). John is a stand up guy and just the man to reach Melody and bring her back to life. While this is an emotional story, Ms. Goodnight brings some lighter laughter filled moments to balance out the drama.

[Lore López · Rating 3 out of 5]

La verdad este libro me sorprendió bastante cuando lo comencé a leer ya que pensaba que sería una historia de amor superficial pero tiene un trasfondo bueno; aunque el capítulo final la caga se disfruta la lectura.

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Continuing my reading through RITA nominees (RITA = Romance Writers of America annual awards for best romances). This book is a finalist in the Contemporary Series Romance category.

And it's a good book. The heroine volunteers for search-and-rescue with her dogs in the Colorado mountains, and also trains rescue dogs. She has a tragic past and likes dogs a lot better than she likes people. The hero has just taken over as the new emergency management department. (Yes, the whole department.) This is basically a "good guy wears down resistance of skittish heroine" story, with some mountain adventure and search-and-rescue heroism thrown in. I thought the conflict was a little too intense for a small book like this one--it felt too easily resolved, given how traumatic the heroine's issues were, but the book just didn't have room for more. I liked the dogs, and the adventure parts, and even the hero's wearing down the heroine's resistance. It's a good read. I just think it would have been better if Goodnight had had room to do more with it. The story felt too big for the size book it was.

[Jenna Hackworth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very sweet story about a woman devastatingly hurt in the past and how one man was able to push past her defenses and show her that she's worthy of love and able to love.

It was definitely fluffy and light, but I enjoyed it.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The story was believable and not cheesy at all. Melody and John had character and depth. Great book.

[Aia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great story. I'm skeptical about reading books like this but this one didn't disappoint me at all. Kudos!

[Xondra Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good contemporary romance set in the mountains around a rescue station.

[Harlequin Books]

Miniseries: Heart to Heart