Review - - Snow Kissed

Snow Kissed

by RaeAnne Thayne

Publisher: Canary Street Press

Release Date: October 7, 2025

Reviewed by PJ

 

'Tis the season for a little white lie…

Christmas has always been single mom Holly Goodwin Moore’s favorite time of year. The twinkly lights on the tree, the cookies in the oven, the snow on the ground. But she’s just not feeling it this year. The wedding in her ex’s family is almost here, her daughter, Lydia, is bursting at the seams to be a flower girl…and Holly couldn’t be dreading it more. She told a little white lie about having a new boyfriend as her plus-one, hoping to save face. She needs a date for the wedding…and she needs it now.

Ryan Caldwell wants to be free this holiday season. So even he isn’t sure how he landed in Shelter Springs, looking after his niece, Audrey, with his estranged father down the road. But when he meets Holly, she makes him want to belong for the very first time. So they make a deal: he’ll be her date if she’ll help him give Audrey a true Christmas to remember while her mom is away.

PJ's Thoughts:

I always look forward to RaeAnne Thayne's holiday novels. Filled with family, community, holiday hope, and endearing romance, this year's addition, Snow Kissed, wrapped me in a warm holiday hug that kept me eagerly turning pages from start to finish. 

Thayne takes readers back to Shelter Springs (site of her last two holiday novels) with this newest story. I enjoyed catching up with some characters from the past books but readers new to Thayne's Shelter Springs books will have no difficulty jumping in with Snow Kissed. Regardless if you're a new or returning reader, the citizens of Shelter Springs will pull you into their warm and welcoming town with open arms. The same as they do with Ryan Caldwell. 

There were times in this book when I felt like I was in the middle of a snow globe. That's how lovely and inviting this small, snow-covered town is during the Christmas holidays. It's hard to avoid the holiday happiness that exudes from every corner, as Ryan discovers when he arrives to take care of his niece while his sister (her mother) is in rehab. Then he meets Holly and her heart-stealing, special-needs daughter, Lydia. Between them, and his niece, Audrey, there's a good chance that Christmas spirit that's been missing from his life for years just might be waiting around the corner. Not to mention a package-deal love to last a lifetime. 

I loved Holly and Ryan together and how each of them slowly opened their hearts to love, forgiveness, and acceptance. Their romance made my heart so happy but this book isn't only about finding romantic love after heartbreak. It's also about mending broken family ties, forgiving the past, and learning to look to the future with hope, something at which RaeAnne Thayne excels. I appreciated that she didn't take any easy fixes but, instead, allowed the relationships in question to move forward realistically and organically. I especially liked how the relationship between Holly, her ex-husband, and his new wife evolved. 

If you're looking for a feel-good romance with heart, humor, and emotional depth, all wrapped up in snow-blanketed holiday joy, pick up a copy of Snow Kissed. It's sure to put you in the mood to browse Christmas markets, sip hot chocolate, and toast happy, holiday beginnings.