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.
Pam Daake –
This was a fantastic read/listen! There are a couple of tropes in this one but I have to say enemies to lovers works the best for me. I love that they were able figure their stuff out. I loved the families reactions!!
Katalin Czinkóczki-Fekete –
So… stepbrothers, grumpy/sunshine, even though Eli is only grumpy towards Nathan, forced proximity, a fireplace…
I could list more, but why? The book speaks for itself.
When I read the description, I genuinely thought the older brother would be the grumpy one — and then it turns out he’s actually that typically sweet guy who would never hurt anyone.
I loved the “grumpy but only with you” dynamic and the basically one-sided enemies-to-lovers vibe. The character development was amazing, the pacing, the way the story flowed — no unnecessary drama, just Eli’s usual overthinking and the frustration that comes with it.
I especially want to highlight how well Nathan reacted to his bi-awakening — he didn’t even flinch — and how he didn’t dwell on the whole stepbrothers topic for long.
And the moments where the boys communicated without words? Especially when they told their parents they were together? Absolute chef’s kiss.
I received an ARC copy of the book, and this is my honest opinion.
Dani –
3.75 ⭐
Eli has hated his stepbrother Nathan ever since he overheard his friends making fun of him and Nathan did nothing to defend him. The fact that Nathan acts clueless about the entire thing just grinds Eli’s gears even more!
Worst of all, Nathan is his ride to their family’s Christmas retreat—a fate worse than death in Eli’s eyes. & if being forced to spend time with him wasn’t bad enough, thanks to a little detour along the way, he and Nathan are stuck weathering out a snowstorm in Nathan’s uncle’s empty cabin.
The crappy situation has tensions rising between them, and things finally come to a breaking point. When the truth outs, Nathan claims that it was all a misunderstanding, and Eli’s feelings for his stepbrother become even more confusing. Especially when he and Nathan start acting not so brotherly.
Snowed In With You was so cute! I’m not usually a fan of the miscommunication trope, but I was so glad when Nathan and Eli finally cleared the air between them. I loved all the snarky banter and sizzling chemistry between them prior to them realizing their feelings for one another, and how Nathan didn’t even flinch when things started heating up between the two of them.
Overall, this was super cozy and fun, and all around a good time!
𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗧𝗢 𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗧:
– holiday romance
– stepbrothers
– bi awakening
– one sided enemies to lovers
– grumpy, but only with you + sunshine
– forced proximity + snowed in together