Sleigh Bells in the Snow by Sarah Morgan Book Review

Hello Booknerds!

Before Christmas I was scouring for some good holiday reads to get me in the spirit. I was on Twitter when the O’Neil Brothers series popped up through someone’s status. Being on the hunt for a new read, I clicked through and found out about this cute holiday-inspired series by Sarah Morgan. I quickly purchased the first novel and lovely Amazon had it on my step two days later. *sigh*

I hope you won’t hold it against me, but I’ve just gotten a chance to sit down and share my thoughts on this story. If you’re short on time, visit my Need to Know section below! Enjoy 🙂

Once upon a time Kayla loved Christmas
Now she’s more dedicated to her job than decking the halls, and can’t wait for the ‘most wonderful time of the year’ to be over.
Until she arrives at the enchanting Snow Crystal ski resort, determined to win gorgeous owner Jackson as a marketing client.
But wooing Jackson professionally quickly turns personal as they spend flirty festive nights in this glittering winter wonderland.
With snowflakes swirling and sleigh bells ringing…could Jackson be the one to make Kayla fall back under the Christmas spell?

Sleigh Bells in the Snow by Sarah Morgan follows Kayla Green, a Marketing/Public Relations expert whose quickly climbing the ranks at her company. Her latest assignment: Snow Crystal Resort & Spa. Just in time for Christmas, this newest assignment is just what workaholic Kayla needs! No more pretending to smile at the office or having to deal with all the Christmas festivity. Kayla can escape into her work. Then Snow Crystal client, Jackson O’Neil, suggests Kayla spend the week at the resort to get the right feel of the place before putting a media plan together. Kayla can’t wait to hop on the plane to escape the holidays. Time alone in a deserted upscale cabin is just what she wants! But Kayla soon learns to be careful what she wishes for as she begins to realize she hasn’t really escaped Christmas at all. Add in the large attraction for Jackson and dealing with his somewhat intimidating family and Kayla is full of distractions and wishing she was back locked away in her NYC office. But then she starts warming up to the O’Neil family, Snow Crystal and even Jackson. Now maybe she doesn’t want to escape Christmas at all?

Sleigh Bells was an adorable read and perfect for getting me into the holiday spirit. Morgan did a great job of creating her characters and bringing her readers into the Snow Crystal world. By the end of the book, I was wishfully thinking of staying at the resort (every girl needs some R&R and wintertime fun, am I right?!). I fell in love with the O’Neil family and their various personalities. I cannot wait to explore more of this family in Morgan’s later books.

The two main character, Kayla and Jackson, were written well. Kayla had a larger growth arc to complete versus Jackson, but readers are able to see both evolutions and progressions within the novel. Kayla was easy to connect with once you realized her Christmas-hating reasons and started seeing her non-workaholic side. Sometimes, I did want to shake her though. She seemed so caught up in the past, but I can see how that had become a habit–and those can be hard to break. Jackson was a more likable character for me in the beginning, but he also had his flaws. He seemed to butt heads with his family all the time, specifically his grandfather, Walter. However, seeing how his character’s interactions with his family progressed and changed throughout the novel was one of my favorite things about this story. Overall both Kayla and Jackson were great characters: believable, funny and full of mutual attraction 😉

Morgan does a wonderful job of weaving romance and the power of Christmastime within this novel. Not only did this novel provide a fun and sizzling time, it also shed light on family dynamics and personal healing and growth. I loved watching the characters reach their own personal growth as well as watching them come together. I read this book so fast I couldn’t put it down!  There were so many cute moments between Kayla and Jackson that I just wanted an O’Neil brother for myself. Man when they’re determined, their determined! In the end, the novel had me smiling and feeling warm & fuzzy! It was a great book to put me in the Christmas spirit (although you wouldn’t have to read it just during that time ;)). I’m looking forward to reconnecting with the O’Neil family (as Morgan has written some superb secondary characters!) and seeing what everyone’s up to!

One of my favorite quotes from the novel is actually during a scene between Walter and Jackson:

There was no crash of cymbals to highlight the dramatic shift in their new relationship. No fireworks to welcome a new phase. Just words. But words so deeply felt they changed everything. (p.325)

• Sleigh Bells follows Marketing hot-shot Kayla Green and her recent client, Jackson O’Neil of Snow Crystal Resort & Spa. Anti-Christmas Kayla is trying to escape the holiday festivities when she agrees to visit Snow Crystal for a week before preparing a media plan while Jackson is just trying to save the family resort while avoiding some of his family as much as possible.
• Sparks fly instantly between Kayla and Jackson, but the real challenge lies with Snow Crystal and the O’Neil family that runs it.
• Morgan creates wonderful secondary characters and even better main characters! Overall both Kayla and Jackson were great characters: believable, funny and full of mutual attraction 😉
• Morgan does a wonderful job of weaving romance and the power of Christmastime within this novel. Not only did this novel provide a fun and sizzling time, it also shed light on family dynamics and personal healing and growth.
• 5 Stars!! I read this book so fast I couldn’t put it down! The novel had me smiling and feeling warm & fuzzy! It was a great book to put me in the Christmas spirit and I’m looking forward to reconnecting with the O’Neil family in the rest of Morgan’s series.

Genre: Romance
Publisher: Harlequin HQN
Published: October 2013
Page: 384 
Price: $7.99 (Paperback)
Place: Amazon, B & N, IndieBound, GoodReads

Thank you for stopping by! I hope you found a great new read!
What are your thoughts on Sleigh Bells in the Snow? Are you craving an O’Neil brother too? Let me know I’d love to discuss! Just drop a line below 🙂

Happy Reading!