Midnight in the Snow by Karen Swan

Synopsis
Award-winning director Clover Phillips is riding high when she encounters Kit Foley; a surfer and snowboarder as well-known for controversy as he is for winning championships.

Involved in an accident that had devastating consequences for a bitter rival, Kit has never spoken about what really happened that day. Determined to find out the truth, Clover heads to the snowy wilderness of the Austrian Alps, sharing a romantic winter wonderland with a man who can’t stand her.

But as she delves deeper, Clover finds herself both drawn to Kit, and even more convinced he’s hiding something. Is Kit Foley really as cold as he seems?

Review
I’m not someone who reads a lot of festive books but every year the one book I do read is by Karen Swan. Her books are brillantly plotted and with great characters, and this years book did not disappoint. Midnight in the Snow is set in the Austrian Alps and centres aroung the snow boarding world. Clover Philips has won awards for her documentary ‘Pipe Dreams’ about the accident that ended the career of surfer Cory Allbright. The surfer blamed for the accident is Kit Foley, who is trying to reinvent himself and his career, this time as a snow boarder, and is Clover’s next project. Clover needs to try to hide her loathing towards Kit to try and get to the truth of what happened with Cory. Her only obstical is that Kit hates her more than she hates him. As the snow boarding competition heats up, can Clover really find out the truth, and thaw Kit’s icy heart.

I love Karen Swan’s Christmas books with their glamourous locations and complicated characters who you ultimately warm to as the book progresses. Like in her previous books the lead female character is strong, independent and with an interesting back story. Clover is an awarding winning documentary maker, focusing on those who have been wronged to give them a voice. She is incredibly driven, her work meaning evrything to her at the expense of her social life, but life in the Alps offers her, and her team, a good dose of Apres Ski. What I liked about Clover was that her integrity was important to her, and she tried to be keep her feelings in check, but we are all fallible and have an achillies heel and for Clover it is Kit Foley. Clover sees Kit as her complete opposite, a man responsible for the death of her friend Corey Allbright. His cool demeanour seems to fit his new challenge of becoming the World Series Snow Board Champion, he gives nothing away and won’t talk about the accident. Like Clover he is driven in his quest for success, wanting to win and be the best. Kit is complex and I was never sure if I liked or loathed him, but like Clover it was fascinating to watch his character development and learn why he is the way he is.

What I love about Karen Swan’s Christmas books is that they aren’t fluffy romances, but have an uderlying moral to them. In Midnight in the Snow the message is very much about not judging a book by it’s cover, or judge someone before you walk in their shoes. This does not just apply to Clover’s judgement of Kit, but also her own back story. Her colleagues, and friends, Johnny and Marty, presume she comes from money as she has a much sought after flat and lives a good life, but there is a lot more to that story which you can learn in the book. Karen Swan is masterful story teller, taking the reader on a journey with her relatable characters, exciting plot lines and descriptive prose. I found there were some real adrenaline pumping moments in this book, between the characters and the descriptions of the snow boarding and the risks that the boarders take; I had my heart in my mouth at several times.

I loved reading Midnight in the Snow, it had everything I expected from Karen Swan and more. Yes, of course there is the romance but there is also intrigue, excitement and shocking moments. This really took me on a rollercoaster of emotions as the story played out, and I felt I lived the book with the characters. Love, loss and redemption in the snowy Alps, make for the perfect festive read and reminded me why I always read Karen Swan’s Christmas books.

I would like thank Pan Macmillan for sending me a copy of this book in return for my honest review.