Winter Break Away

by Hayleigh Sol

All she wants for the holidays every year is to wake up in January when they’re over. This year, she’ll be spending winter break in Switzerland.

Where a chiseled Alpine guide just might be the one to melt the ice around her grinchy heart…if she’ll let him.


December is my time to get away, get the hell outta town, escape the endless reminders of the holidays and what they used to mean to me.

Being a travel writer, chasing one extreme adventure to the next, provides plenty of opportunities to do just that. Until my new assignment—one that could catapult my career to the next level—sends me to the one place I’ve avoided my entire adult life. Switzerland.

Nothing against the land of chocolate and cheese. In fact, maybe this trip won’t be so bad…especially when the guide for my ice climbing and heliskiing tour group turns out to be a steely-eyed, ruggedly appealing mountain man. Er, mountaineer.

Too bad he’d rather offer me safety lectures than, well, something a thousand times more satisfying for us both. Getting him to chill out and me to rein in my reckless side is gonna take a Holiday Miracle.


**Note: Winter Break Away is Book 2 in the series, A Season’s Detour. It can be read as a standalone, but you might love these 6 ladies so much, you'll want to know each of their stories...and make them your best friends too.
Sexy times heat rating: 2-3/5.
Profanity: A light dusting.

A Season’s Detour
Book 1: Summer Flame
Book 2: Fall for You
Book 3: In the Off Season
Book 4: Spring Training
Book 5: Winter Break Away
Book 6: Spring Breaking (March 2023)

250 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 22, 2022

About the author

Amazon bestselling author, Hayleigh Sol, believes love conquers all...

Eh, not so much.

In fact, I’ve always been a reluctant lover of romantic-comedies. The overly sappy ones just make my eyes roll; seriously, it’s like a reflex.

So, when I wrote my first book, what else would spill onto the page but a romantic-comedy with a lovably sassy female protagonist who was reluctant to give up her happy single life in exchange for a relationship?

I still write strong (even if they might not know it yet), independent heroines who don’t need a romantic relationship to be complete, and the sexy, sweet book boyfriends they find impossible to resist.

When I’m not writing or reading (my first true love), I’m hanging out with my own irresistible—I definitely tried to resist, let me tell you—book boyfriend turned hubby, who’s a big fan of “sweetie couch time”.

I know, cue the eye roll, right?

Reviews

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first book I’ve read by Hayleigh and it definitely won’t be my last. I thought Winter Break Away was a fun story with strong character development. There was a lot of laugh out loud moments and witty banter. The tension between Rafe and Holly was also great. Winter Break Away was an enjoyable read.

[Zoe Tasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Winter Break Away by Hayleigh Sol is book 5 of the series, A Season's Detour. Despite not having read any other books from the series, I found this novel to be an easy and delightful standalone read.
Due to a personal tragedy, Holly, a travel journalist, dreads Christmas and would rather spend the winter holidays alone. However, a magazine offers her a wonderful opportunity to write an article about ice climbing in Switzerland and they need it as soon as possible. Needless to say, Holly accepts.
Once there, Holly meets Rafe, the group's well-built Alpine guide. He and his family own the tour company. Rafe is very serious about rules and regulations and keeping the people he guides safe. Though their mutual attraction is instantaneous, Holly, daredevil and extreme adventurist extraordinaire, finds his constant safety lectures irksome. He considers her incautious and accident bound.
The descriptions of Switzerland are breathtaking and the perfect choice for the setting. The secondary characters, like Holly's friends and Rafe's sister, are well-written and made me curious to read more about Holly's gal pals. I enjoyed the flirty banter between the two main characters and I'm a sucker for the clever internal dialogue that the author includes. If you're in the mood for a sweet holiday romance, this book will not disappoint.

[S.A. Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holly, (yes, that is the name of the Grinch - coincidence?), takes on a special holiday mission as an adventure reporter in the snowy Swiss Alps. This is one of those: she ain't looking for love until it hits her scenarios, and it hits Holly at one of the worst times. That is because the protagonist in Hayleigh Sol's latest chapter in the "Season's Detour" collection has quite a tragic backstory.
You will fall in love with Holly right away, and it is in part because of the author's hilarious internal female dialogue. There are just so many smiles and laughable moments with Holly's awkward yet charming personality, and her past makes it really easy to root for her.
This chapter in the series might be one of the more well-researched. The author paints the picture of Switzerland in great detail, with colloquial language and locations that feel super authentic. It helps immerse you in the story.
Only now am I getting to understand how cool it is to follow each friend in the series as they find love in their own way. Whenever one of the previous characters is mentioned it makes me smile. I am going to just straight up ask right now - please write a book where they all meet up for a reunion and have some hilarious adventure! : )
As always - this is highly recommended for romantic-comedy lovers.

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holly is a travel writer with a blog, articles, and a new book to finish. Holly is into extreme adventures, the more daring the better and one way to prove she is still alive. After her parents and younger brother died when she was still in high school, she has avoided Christmas like the plague. Her parents were all about Christmas and she had not celebrated without them. Her boss is sending her to Switzerland where her parents met and fell in love. That is the last place she wants to go. Rafe, one of the guides, is a real mountain man and big on safety. She hates all the talk of safety but can’t seem to get him off her mind. I really liked the resort she stayed in, the Swiss Alps, and the quaint little town. It does not take her long to realize Switzerland is not all bad. The excursions out of town and the extreme sports were interesting to read about and I could picture each danger they faced. Great love story with wonderful characters from those she met and those at home who supported her.

[Jessica Kemery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Characters needs more steam

A fun story of two people on a mountain adventure and the love story between them. Our main character, Holly is dealing with some issues with her parents, and that plays a big part in this story.

I loved the line, "I was one seductive phrase away from giving the man every last one of my passwords." I felt the tension between Rafe and Holly was great, and built up nicely in the story. The pacing is good, but sometimes scenes did drag on slightly too long.

The romance scenes are mostly closed door, no explicit detail here. there is good witty banter and heavily implied scenes that cut away at the last minute.

I loved how this book was well researched, and the scenes were believable and entraining. By the end of this story, you're practically swooning for the happily ever after, and the author delivers. I gave this a five stars for a good story but I would have liked a little bit more steam.

[Jilla Lavalle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holly is an extreme adventure travel writer. Since her parents died when she was 16, she has avoided celebrating Christmas (their favorite holiday), relationships (because she doesn’t want to lose anymore people that she loves), and Switzerland (the country where her parents met and fell in love). However, an opportunity to get the cover story in a prestigious travel magazine has her traveling to the Swiss Alps at Christmastime where she tries hard not to fall for her ruggedly handsome ice climbing instructor, Rafe. He is not a fan of her cavalier lifestyle, nor does he think that it is a good idea to get romantically involved with tourists.
Author Hayleigh Sol did her research for this book and paid attention to the details. The characters are well developed.
This book is book 5 of a series, but it loses nothing by reading it standalone. Of course, now I will go read the rest of the series.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Melting Holly's Heart in the Coldest of Places

This was a cute and cozy romantic read that takes readers to Switzerland and Holly's latest adventure assignment. Although not pleased at first to be going to a place she's tried to avoid, eventually it becomes clear to her that this trip was much needed. A time for her to reflect on her past experiences and a new beginning for love. First impressions aren't always what they seem and the same can be said for when she meets Rafe. A dreamy accent and handsome guide would have me definitely taking notes. I have read other books in this series and like those, this book can be read independently and out of order. The author does well with giving just enough details for each of the friends so you're not lost while focusing on the main characters. So far, I've enjoyed reading each girls story and getting to know the friend group better. I will definitely read more from this author.

[Robin Perrtree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holly and Rafe both like outside activities and adventure but in many ways they are complete opposites. Holly is an adventure travel writer always looking for borderline dangerous activities to write about. Rafe is one of her guides for ice climbing but his role in the business (and life) is keeping everyone safe. Set in beautiful mountainous Switzerland this book was full of emotion as the characters had adventures and opened up to each other (and themselves). I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Stephanie Stoffella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of Hayleigh Sol’s Season’s Detour series, Winter Break Away follows Holly, a professional vacationer! What a gig! She travels the world looking for the next great adventure and focuses on extreme sports. When her travels lead to Switzerland, she tries her hand at ice wall climbing. That’s not the only new adventure she’ll encounter. Her instructor Rafe is uncharted territory too! Will it turn into something more than a fling?

Closed door romance, fade to black, fast paced read, thoroughly enjoyed!

[Jacqueline Johnston Cotton]

This book was definitely an adventure in the land of chocolate and cheese! It's a mixture of adventure and sweet romance. There were a lot of laugh out loud moments and wonderful witty, flirty banter which was a happy surprise. l loved the strong characters and very creative story line. This book was so enjoyable, entertaining and fun to read. I received an advance review copy and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Bethany Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading off-piste

This is only the 2nd book of the series I have read so I'm clearly not going in order but I am already falling for Hayleigh's wonderful stories. I love the independent women characters and their fearlessness of the world. Her character building is amazing and her love stories have just enough realness to be believable while still sweeping you off your feet. I am really enjoying the stories of these girl friends and can't wait to read the rest of the books.