Snowblind

By: Eli Easton

Narrated by: John Solo

Snow, steam, and secrets.

The latest snowstorm carries something unexpected to the doorstep of Hutch's secluded Alaskan cabin: a stranger named Jude, the most beautiful man Hutch has ever seen. Jude says he's in the area for a ski trip and that he fled a domineering lover, thinking he could make it into town. But Hutch is a suspicious SOB and treats his unwanted guest warily. The problem is Jude isn't just gorgeous, he's funny and smart and flirtatious.

Two gay men snowed in for three days - things happen. Really good things. By the time the storm clears, Hutch finds himself a little too attached to Jude Devereaux, San Francisco-based male model. But is Jude what he claims to be? Or is he entangled in the secrets Hutch moved to Alaska to escape?

©2017 Eli Easton (P)2017 Dreamspinner Press

Not the usual Dreamspun Desires title & I loved it

I received a free copy of this audiobook to listen to and review for Wicked Reads.

I adore Dreamspinner Press’ Dreamspun Desires line. It’s not for everybody and I have to be in the right mood for the sugary sweet, happily ever after romances because they always deliver the perfect ending, even if it’s quite often over the top. Buuuuuut, every so often, they sneak in a romance that is a bit grittier than the usual lineup. No doubt about it, it’s still a romance, but they have a definite edge of danger to them that give them a different feel. Snowblind is one that falls into that second category. Eli Easton infuses quite a bit of action and suspense into the storyline, keeping me on the edge of my seat as I waited for the next twist, the next shoe to drop, and the next double cross, all while wondering just how Hutch was going to get out of the mess that landed in his lap, and still get his guy… all while not dying.

Interesting side note before I begin, the blurb on Dreamspinner’s website differs from the one on Audible, with the former being the better of the two and the one I read when I signed up to review it (but had forgotten about when I started listening to the audiobook). Perhaps if I had refreshed my memory, I wouldn’t have been as surprised by the violent turn the story took? Nah, it still would have been unexpected because, again, the Dreamspun Desires line is more focused on romance than suspense, and as I’ve not read any of Easton’s writing before, I had no expectations. With that said, I’ll certainly be checking more of the author’s work out because Easton does a great job of building Hutch’s suspicions and then lulling him (and me) into a false sense of calm, all before dropping the hammer on him. And what a hammer it was! I did not see that coming, at all. But Easton doesn’t stop with a simple betrayal. Nope, the author then proceeds to turn Hutch’s life upside down and inside out when the people he was hiding from come banging on his door, demanding he take part in one final mission. Of course, Hutch hasn’t evaded them for years out of pure luck. The man is smart and knows a set-up when he sees it. It’s just that there’s no way he can turn his back on Jude. It doesn’t matter that they’ve only known each other a matter of days or that he knows he can’t trust Jude, Hutch isn’t made that way – he cannot turn his back on someone who means something to him, no matter how new those feelings are. Once Hutch makes it to the target’s location, we quickly learn that what went down at the cabin was just a warm up for Hutch because the man is lethal. But because Hutch in action is dangerous, deadly, and can make life and death decisions in a second, it makes for a stark contrast to the man we meet in the Epilogue. And that makes the ending of the book even better.

I love listening to John Solo narrate the Dreamspun Desires audiobooks (well, the majority of the ones I’ve listened to). Solo has such a smooth, storyteller voice that it adds a level of believability to the toothache-inducing romances. However, in the case of Snowblind, Solo infuses a lot of extra testosterone to the characters’ voices, enhancing the suspense and action vibe the author has penned. Even when Hutch allowed Jude to distract him with a bit of romance, he never loses the edge to his voice that communicates his constant state of wariness. There is no mistaking that Hutch is in danger, even when we’re not yet aware of what that danger is. I thoroughly enjoyed Snowblind and was sucked into the story fully as Solo brought Easton’s words to life.

Wow! Unexpected and Suspenseful

This book was not what I expected. It was so much more. It had so many suspenseful and jaw dropping scenes.

Left Field

this story is not your typical eli easton story..I was assuming it would be her normal tale but as I progressed I quickly realized it wasn't. it took a Totally different turn then her norm. I was. good change and the performance was spot on! I recommend this book!

A worthwhile HEA with a bit of crime drama

I only give 5 stars for stories that really blow me away. So yes, "only" 4, but this was good. I was looking for a fulfilling HEA, and I got what I wanted. I wasn't actually expecting the gunfire, but there's not so much of it that the romance part got lost.

I really liked the whole "secluded Alaskan cabin" setting, but we didn't stay there overly long. It wasn't like a "No Exit" (Huis clos) kind of snowed in... and it was really a fair bit of "smoke and mirrors" in some ways as it turns out. Clever. No, I definitely didn't see any of that coming.

A good story, with a good ending. Definitely explicit with what I must consider slightly above-average staying power in the virility department, but believable.

Snowblind

Any additional comments?

Well, let me tell you this story went a completely different direction than I ever expected. At first, I found the story to be a little slow, but not to worry, that doesn't last very long before you're wondering what the heck is going on! Secretive man Hutch lives in the middle of nowhere and is suspicious when a man turns up on his property disoriented and half frozen. Against his better judgment, he brings the man in and takes care of him. Jude is the most beautiful man Hutch has ever seen, and it's easy for him to understand why he's a successful model, even though he's having trouble believing Jude's story. Eventually, he lets down his guard, and he and Jude find a way to pass the time while snowed in. Only, maybe Hutch has a right to be suspicious of the perfect Jude.

I don't want to give anything away about what happens in this book, and if you read the blurb, let me tell you the author is giving nothing away! I was a little distracted at first because I thought this story seemed similar to another I read about a couple snowed in together. Let me tell you, that is the only similarity between those two books. As this is the first book I've read by this author, and add in the beginning of this story, I totally was expected an instalove, happily ever, sappy, sweet romance. Whew, there may have been a HEA, but let me tell you nothing came easy in this story. Seriously, you're going to have to read/listen this book (and that's no hardship) to understand this review!

Hutch's secretiveness hides a man of immense skills, grief and talents. Jude's beautiful exterior hides a man of hidden depths, fears and skills. Together the men will find a beautiful love and an even more beautiful future that we get to see. Honestly, this is such a well-written written story, that it doesn't take long to pull you into it, and then you finding yourself rushing through to see what's going to happen next. It's one of those situations that I didn't want the story to end but I couldn't wait to get to the end because I had to know what happened. This is a must read!!

The narrator of this story was John Solo and I thought he did a terrific job for a story that was more than expected. This was not a simple story and was very action packed, and the narrator did a good job of narrating through all that happens in this. His pacing, tone, and voices were well done and allowed me to focus on the story and the action that was taking place. There were no weird pauses, or long pauses that would make me check to make sure everything was still running. The narrator brought these characters and story to life and was able to hold his own on an exceptional story.


Overall: 5

Performance: 5

Story: 5

Not what I was expecting but awesome!!!

HOLY COW! This was not what I was expecting. At. All!

As a big fan of the author, I can say that this totally surprised me as being something she wrote. Not that she doesn’t have some great writing chops, but most of what I’ve seen from her is far less heavy on the action and adventure and more focused on the feelings and humor.

Without giving away major plot spoilers, let me tell you that there are twists followed by turns and all kinds of misdirections in this story. Even knowing that and trying to figure out where they are – it was still chock full of surprises!

As an entertaining book – I give this top of the class marks. It was totally gripping and had me engaged from the very first encounter. I was honestly surprised by the depth of this – given the fact that it’s a Dreamspun desire book. While I can’t quantitatively say this for sure, it felt like it way hotter and more numerous and more “explicit” physical scenes in it than the others I’ve read (which is 25 of the 29 published). I kind of “expect” this series to be on the “lighter” side when it comes to chemistry, but Eli pulled no punches with this one!

Eli’s writing, as always, is smooth, her characters well-developed and multi-faceted, the HEA was very satisfying and the action – wow – that was just non-stop!

If I have any complaints, it’d be that the relationship seemed to take a back seat to the very complex (yet very exciting) action. I was grateful for the HEA and really feel good about these guys making it in the long run – but we see very little of them when things are “normal” and I kinda wanted a few more warm fuzzies than I got. (spoiler) I missed a very sappy “I Love You” scene , though it is more or less mentioned and definitely implied by the epilogue. (end spoiler)

All in all – take a look at this, you won’t be disappointed – whether you’re a fan of the author or not – because it feels a bit different from what she’s written before, but she still holds true enough to satisfy her fans.

4.5 of 5 stars

Audio

John Solo is probably a good go-to for this series – Dreamspun Desires. He’s got a good narrating voice, a few accents he can use, a sense for the “melodrama” and can span several “themes”. I thought his particular reading style suited this story in particular because it was so full of melodrama. I ADORED his “Hutch” and thought his Jude was okay, too. I didn’t care for his accents in this story – his Hispanic accent could use some work. ☹ But he does try to give everyone a unique voice and it’s always very clear who is speaking. He handles the romance and action equally well and is very easy to listen to.

3.5 of 5 stars

Overall 4 of 5 stars