A Barb the Zany Old Lady Audiobook Review: Snowed In by Teodora Kostova and Dan Rider (Narrator)

Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5

Be careful what you wish for…

Nate has been in love with Quinn, his brother’s best friend, for as long as he can remember. But when he finally gets the chance to show Quinn how he feels, his heart gets broken in the most unexpected way.

Second chances come when you least expect them…

Quinn doesn’t believe in miracles, especially not Christmas ones. When he decides to win Nate back he knows it won’t be easy. The last thing he expects is a health scare, a road trip and a vicious snow storm to work in his favor.

In the end, a cabin in the woods turns out to be not only the shelter they desperately need, but also Quinn’s very own Christmas miracle.

Sometimes, to forgive, you need to get snowed in…

Like many of my friends who reviewed this story, I found it difficult to get past Quinn’s character.  The young man, who supposedly loved his best friend’s brother, finally declared his love, had sex with him, and then promptly disappeared the next morning, leaving behind a brief note saying that he was sorry, but he had to go.  Nice job, Quinn, you jerk. 

So, Quinn hit the top of my {fill in the blank} list within the first half hour of the audiobook. And pretty much remained there throughout the story. Yes, when he finally showed up again two years later, he eventually got around to telling Nate why he left. And yes, it was a good reason, but no, it was not enough of a reason to have snuck off and cut off all contact with the man he “loves” for two whole years.  Just no.  Sorry.  That ruined the story for me.

Granted, I know people do stupid things, so I expect them to have consequences and to own up to those consequences. But not Quinn. Clueless Quinn comes back into Nate’s life without prior notice and then has the big ones to be jealous when Nate comes out of the bathroom with a one-night stand in tow. 

Honestly, if I wasn’t so put off by his behavior, including later behavior of confessing his undying love etc. I may have enjoyed the story. The premise of two guys on their way home for Christmas but getting stuck in a cabin together and finding the flame of their love was never truly put out is sweet for a holiday story.  But I couldn’t justify Quinn’s behaviors with his words.  There was no balance there. Compounding the problems I had with the story, the narrator felt way too young for the characters portrayed in the book. Don’t get me wrong. He was good, very good, actually, but his voice sounded like he was a young teen, so I think he’d be better for YA work. 

So, no recommendation on this one, unless you don’t mind that one MC is a jerk. 

Cover art is nice but pretty standard with a back view of a naked man holding a Santa hat to cover his cheeks. And based on the description of the characters and the voice given to them, I can’t see either of them being as muscular as the man on the cover.

Sales Links

Audible, AudibleUK,  Amazon

Audiobook Details:

Listening Length: 3 hours and 7 minutes

Audible Audio, 4 pages

Published November 14th 2016 by Teodora Kostova (first published November 30th 2015)
ASINB01MFH4G4B
Edition LanguageEnglish