Eli
There was a time when I thought my new stepbrother, Nathan Bailey, and I could be friends. Best friends, even. But then I walked past his room and hear his friends make fun of me. Instead of defending me, he laughs with them. And his clueless act when I give him the cold shoulder? That just seals the deal. I hate Nathan Bailey.
The only thing that can be worse than being forced to drive to our family’s annual Christmas retreat with him is being caught in a snowstorm and trapped in a different cabin. Alone.
Nathan
When my dad married Eli Madison’s mom, I was excited about the possibility of having a brother. We seemed to be on our way to a great friendship when Eli suddenly stopped speaking to me. He’s been a cute, angry kitten for years now, and I don’t know why. It would help if he talked to me, but when he isn’t ignoring me, his words drip with disdain. What I do know is that Eli Madison hates me.
The only good thing about being trapped in this cabin with him is that he can finally tell me what I did wrong all those years ago… and maybe I can figure out why cute is the first word that comes to mind when I think of him. My stepbrother.
Snowed in With You is a standalone MM Christmas story featuring grumpy-only-to-you/sunshine stepbrothers, a bi-awakening, only one fireplace, and a couple of Corio Heights cameos.
Emilie Martin –
This was a fun return to Corio Heights! To sum up the plot: Eli and Nathan are stepbrothers, except Eli hates Nathan and Nathan doesn’t know why. Of course they are forced to drive up to the cabin the family rents for Christmas, and of course they get stranded in a snowstorm. The tension between the two is perfect, and their banter is impeccable.
Eli’s reason for hating Nathan is valid, but he’s missing a huge part of the story, and once they finally talk about it, the shift from resentment to something else is sweet. But it’s not a cure-all, and I love that the author didn’t make everything perfect between them instantly. Nathan’s bi-awakening was handled nicely, with just the right amount of angst, and the chemistry between Eli and Nathan is the perfect blend of soft and swoony.
This is a sweet addition to any holiday TBR.
[I received an advanced copy of this book. All reviews and ratings are my own.]
Shannan –
You can expect:
-m/m romance
-stepbrothers
-friends to enemies to lovers
-sexual awakening
-grumpy/sunshine
-forced proximity
-snowed in
I was completely invested in Eli and Nathan. It was a matter of a miscommunication but I did enjoy that it wasn’t drawn out and they were able to explain the issue. It gives you all the warm fuzzy feels. I love a good enemies to lovers especially a good stepbrothers to lovers read and this one hits all the right buttons!
Megan –
Eli & Nathan
I knew this book was going to be great, and I was not disappointed! ❤️ I’ve loved all the characters that Rye graces us with, and these two were a great addition to the cast. I am a huge fan of any story that starts with some kind of enemies to lovers, and adding in the stepbrothers aspect is just icing on the cake. Part of their story reminded me a bit of the story of Colin & Penelope from Bridgerton (book, not show) because of the heard and essentially misunderstood insults from one about the other. While Eli’s pertained primarily to his sexuality, it was still an insult to him by Nathan at that time. I’m glad that Eli was forced to listen to Nathan once they’re snowed-in together. Their relationship takes way off from there after that and the story just gets more hilarious while increasing the sweetness between the men as they make up for lost time.
Snowed in With You was a fantastic holiday read full of fun from Rye Cox. The MCs were so funny and were perfect guys to add to Rye’s cast of characters. I can’t get enough of her stories, and this book was such a great adventure, it’ll be added to my list of rereads for the holidays.
I received an authorized copy of this book and am volunteering my honest review.
Audiobook Update:
Narrated by Zachary Zaba
Knowing ahead of time that the audiobook was to be performed by Zachary Zaba made my e-book read through easy to imagine the characters before experiencing the audiobook performance. I’ve listened to enough audiobooks from Zachary that his voice is very recognizable and memorable.
I had so much fun listening to this story that even though I had read the e-book prior to my listen I was still distracted from doing anything else. 😂 I just had to listen to all the hilarity that ensues between Eli & Nathan.
I received an authorized copy of this audiobook and am volunteering my honest review.
Alix (verified owner) –
Eli and Nathan are stepbrothers, but soon after the family started living together, Eli overheard something from Nathan and his friends that was homophobic. Ever since then, Eli has been very snarky and prickly to Nathan, despite Nathan trying to be friendly with him. However, things come to a head when they are both forced to ride together – just the two of them – to a holiday family event and they get snowed in. I love how all this time together gives them a chance to clear up misunderstandings and truly get to know one another. Their chemistry is hot and their banter is fun/funny! I loved the cozy, holiday background and how they not only discover who the other is, but Eli figures out what he wants to do with his life. Their family is an involved one and I love how supportive they end up being. This is a cute holiday romance with feels and spice – just perfect when the weather is bad outside.
What to Expect:
*MM holiday romance
*one-sided enemies to lovers
*stepbrothers
*forced proximity
*snowed in
*black cat/golden retriever
*queer awakening
*lots of feels
*low angst
*supportive family
*great chemistry
*snarky banter
*first kiss/first times
*holiday baking
*miscommunication
*cameos from Coreo Heights series