Review - - Date Night in December

Date Night in December

by Jaqueline Snowe

Publisher: Forever

Release Date: October 14, 2025

Reviewed by PJ

He has one month to make a Christmas miracle happen.
 
Laney Reynolds knows there’s only one place that can help her heal a broken heart: Cherrywood Creek. The small town where she grew up, with its holiday festivals and snow-covered streets, is exactly where she needs to be this December. It feels good to leave the bustling city, where her husband was too busy climbing the corporate ladder to notice the growing distance between them. But she’s got his attention now . . .

          Connor received his wake-up call loud and clear when Laney left, and there’s no way he’s giving up on his marriage. If that means dropping everything and trading high-rises for gingerbread houses to sweep his wife off her feet in her hometown, then so be it. This time, he’s listening; but it’ll take more than hot chocolate dates and even hotter nights to win Laney back. Can he prove that being a CEO is nowhere near as important as being her husband?

PJ's Thoughts:

Two years ago the lovely PR ladies at Forever sent me a copy of Snowed in for Christmas, a forced proximity, grumpy-sunshine, holiday romance that introduced me to the writing of Jaqueline Snowe (click for review). I was thoroughly charmed and an annual reading tradition was born. Last year, it was Snowe's Christmas Sweater Weather, with over-the-top Christmas shenanigans, single dad heroes, heroines you'd like to be besties with, and steamy, heartfelt romance that helped me usher in my holiday reading (click for review). But it's this year's Date Night in December that is my favorite so far.  

Is there anything more heartrending than a marriage ending, especially when the couple is still very much in love? That's the case with Laney and Connor but Christmas is the season of miracles and Connor, who has finally realized he may have lost the one person he loves more than anything else, isn't going down without a fight. 

These two. I couldn't have been more invested in their story, more emotionally engaged with them and their second chance. No one person was totally at fault here, though it may seem that way in the beginning. I appreciated the layers of both lead characters, the way they each grew over the course of the book, and how they finally voiced their thoughts, fears, hopes, and opinions. How they each began to own their individual contributions to the unraveling of their marriage. Laney, especially. And how hard they worked (I'm looking at you, Connor) to start over and build a new future together...the right way. I could feel their emotions every step of the journey. I cried with them, laughed with them, cheered for them. 

Snowe surrounded Laney and Connor with a well-developed supporting cast of characters who added conflict, humor, and support while never overshadowing the lead couple. Then there's the small town of Cherrywood, a character in itself, wrapped up in colorful decorations, ice skating rinks, scavenger hunts, community dinners, cookies galore, and can't miss holiday festivals. I want to visit. I want to hang out with Connor, Laney, Petra, Matt, Laney's parents, and the rest of the warm, welcoming people who call Cherrywood home. 

If you're looking for a second-chance, heartwarming, marriage-in-crisis romance with steam, humor, substantial character growth, emotional depth, unexpected twists, and hard-won happy endings, kick off your 2025 holiday reading with Date Night in December by Jaqueline Snow. It's a heart-tugging, second-chance, hot chocolate - with sprinkles - warm hug of a book. 

Review - - Christmas Sweater Weather

Christmas Sweater Weather

by Jaqueline Snowe

Publisher: Forever

Release Date: October 8, 2024

Reviewed by PJ

 

Charlotte Calhoun has avoided Hayden Porter, her older brother’s sexy-as-sin best friend, ever since that mortifying night when he flat-out rejected her. Fine. Except this Christmas season, they’re thrown together at a snowy ski resort for her brother’s bachelor party, complete with mistletoe, cozy fireplaces, and adjoining rooms. She can tell herself to get over Hayden, but holiday cheer is turning to holiday lust every time he is within ten feet of her. 

Between being a full-time single father and his high-pressure college coaching job, a romantic relationship is off the table for Hayden. But he’s fought his attraction to Charlotte for as long as he can. A one-night stand is starting to sound like a good idea—as long as her brother never finds out. But with two long weeks until the wedding, hiding their growing feelings is going to take a Christmas miracle.

PJ's Thoughts:

If you enjoy over-the-top Christmas shenanigans, single dad heroes, heroines you'd like to be besties with, and steamy, heartfelt romance, you'll want to add Christmas Sweater Weather to your holiday reading list. It made me laugh, made me cry (happy tears!), and left me eager for the next Jaqueline Snowe novel. 

So many feelings in this book. It's fun, saucy, and funny but that's just the surface. There's an emotional depth to these characters too, especially Hayden and Charlotte, that adds layers to both the characters and their journey to a happy ending. Snowe takes her time with them, allowing their relationship to grow at an organic, relatable pace, especially considering the awkwardness between them as the story opens. Chemistry is never a problem but there are other issues to be addressed. I appreciate the time given for them to grow, both individually and as a couple, and the methods implemented to help them do so. I like the communication between them and how they handle issues when it lapses. And I love the supportive and caring family that surrounds them, both biological and chosen.  

I enthusiastically recommend adding Christmas Sweater Weather to your holiday reading list. It's a charming heart-tugger that kept me happily reading from start to finish. If you enjoy this one, I suggest you also check out Snowe's 2023 holiday novel, Snowed in for Christmas. Click the title to read my review. 

Review - - Snowed in for Christmas

Snowed in for Christmas

by Jaqueline Snowe

Publisher: Forever

Release Date: October 3, 2023

Reviewed by PJ

 

Sorority mom Becca Fairfield is used to guys not taking her seriously. She’s too blond, too quirky, or Just. Too. Much. So she’s ditched dating to focus on her job and a house filled with drama and plenty of tea. Now with the holidays and a major blizzard on her doorstep, Becca has everything she needs to survive the next two weeks on her own. Hot cocoa, plenty of books . . . and the memory of a steamy kiss with a certain sexy, grumposaurus next-door neighbor to keep her warm.

Only Becca’s seriously underestimated this Snowpocalypse. So when the power goes out and Harrison Cooper—football coach, master crank, and the guy who acted mega-awkward after said steamy kiss—offers her shelter, it only makes sense to accept. They’ll just be Blizzard Buddies. Hang out, stay safe, and maybe indulge in a little R-rated cuddling. Becca knows that Harrison isn’t the dating kind, and what happens during the storm lasts only as long as the storm. But are they keeping warm . . . or playing with fire?

PJ's Thoughts:

In the mood for a snowed-in, forced-proximity, sweet and steamy, grumpy-sunshine, holiday romance? Have I got the book for you!

I loved this story. It's funny, awkward, emotional, sexy. It gave me so many feels on so many levels. Becca is a quirky, out-of-the-box character who is humiliatingly aware that some people find her annoying and "too much." Shoot, Harrison (who ghosted her two years ago after one date) admits he did so because he thought she was high maintenance. Also, because his head wasn't in a good place at the time but still...he ghosted her! Kudos to the author for not glossing over that. I loved how Becca held him accountable for it, how they brought it into the open, how they communicated, that Harrison owned up to his behavior and sincerely apologized. There were many behaviors (between the main couple) that I was happy to applaud in this story. 

This book has all the ingredients for a light, fun, steamy rom-com - and there's plenty of that - but Snowe takes it deeper and I am here for it. I love Harrison's growth, the fact that he becomes open to it, in both his personal and work life, and that it's initiated by the time he spends with Becca. I appreciate the time taken to show the toxic results of actions by certain members of his family and the changes that occur when he finally stands his ground. Becca is a character I admired and happily cheered on. She readily admits she's not everyone's cup of tea but I found her endearing, admirable, and bubbling over with life, love, and the right priorities firmly in place. These two match like the last two pieces of a puzzle. They just needed a "snowpocalypse" to force them to look below the surface of who they thought the other was and discover the endearing complexities that make them the perfect fit for each other. 

I had not heard of Jaqueline Snowe before reading Snowed In for Christmas (twice) but you can bet I'll be checking out her back list immediately. I love her writing voice and am excited to read more of her work. This one has my enthusiastic recommendation.