Reviews

Dust of Snow by Indra Vaughn

bitchie's review

3.0

I would have liked this a lot more if there hadn't been so much going on. The boss thing that went nowhere, the nutty ex, nightmares, bad self-esteem, suddenly gay mom, sister's homophobic violent ex, just a lot going on for a sweet holiday romance. Plus, I thought Ashley was just too perfect, even if we didn't really learn anything about him, other than that he had nightmares and headaches (something else that never really went anywhere and could have been left out of the story)

Also, I REALLY expected SOMETHING to come from Gregory's stomach issues, what with the way he always had heartburn and was always crunching on antacids.

lalauren04's review against another edition

4.0

I’ve been trying to clear out my kindle a bit lately, so I’ve been trying to read through some of the stuff that’s been sitting on there completely unread for years! I’m ashamed to say that this was one of them, and yesterday I decided to give it a go. I was completely thrilled to find that I actually enjoyed it immensely and loved it pretty much from the get-go. This was a lovely story, and although for a few pages I was worried this would end up going in a direction I wasn’t sure I liked (I don’t like love triangles and I didn’t like that Carl was a bit flirty when it hurt Ashley’s feelings), but all in all I enjoyed this one!!

liza5326's review against another edition

4.0

If it wasn't for bingo, I never would have found this little gem! I'm so glad I did. I thought it was going to be a little fluffy, but it had a lot more depth to it. Gregory was a sweet, but insecure man who doesn't know what to do when he starts getting gifts at his desk. He's convinced it's a joke. You would think that finding out who the gift-giver is would be the end of the story, but it's only the beginning. The cast of characters are great and Gregory and Ashley are wonderful together. This was my first book by Indra Vaughn, but it won't be my last!

scrow1022's review against another edition

4.0

Wow, got surprised by this. But really liked the book, the characters. How the knowledge of David's abuse unfolds over the course of the book, as it might in real life, as Greg gets distance and as other people react to what they learn. A new author to consider.

zelda75's review against another edition

4.0

3.5 stars

suze_1624's review against another edition

4.0

I found this a pleasing read, not great angst, no great ups and downs of emotions, just a gradually build up to a quite engrossing story. It certainly hooked me into pretty much reading straight through.
Greg ia a PA to an enigmatic Frenchman. He gradually came into his own through the book as the influence of his verbally abusive ex gradually wanes. Though I did find his switching from meek/mild persona to uber macho a bit confusing.
Ashley, as the new marketing guy, has his eyes on Greg and he seems a bit hesitant to push forward, probably due to confusion over said enigmatic Frenchman! I did think he would be more agressive in his wooing!
I did anticipate more angsty moments from Frank and David but they didn't appear.
So overall, a nice wintery read, perfect for a night in front of the fire I think!

pam_h's review against another edition

2.0

I enjoyed the secret santa plot in the first half (3 stars), and then the book didn't end for some reason! The second half was the kind of family drama/ex-boyfriend drama that I don't enjoy, and the relationship development got a little silly. It tried for something serious but turned "magic dicks fix everything" pretty quickly

kaje_harper's review

4.0

This is a sweet, fun holiday story about a guy who has decided he's meant to be alone. After breaking up with his boyfriend a year ago, Greg figures relationships are not for him. He's settling in to get through the holidays with his cat, his job and a weekly dinner with his mother. But then Secret Santa gifts begin appearing at work, sweet and thoughtful and sometimes uncomfortable.

He wonders who's behind them, how they seem to both know him well and yet at times send the wrong gift for his comfort. His sexy older boss Carl is oddly more friendly toward him, his co-workers are caught up in holiday spirit, especially Ashley the new sales manager. Greg bounces between hope, irritation, and loneliness.

There's a bit of a mystery here, about who the Secret Santa is, and just what the people in Greg's life want to tell him. A couple of threads feel a bit dangled still at the end.

Spoiler

Carl. I don't get the level of flirtiness that appears, and how he seems to just turn it off again. It felt a bit like an artificial red herring. And honestly, I was kind of pulling for him to be Greg's SS - he's an interesting character. Maybe I missed something.

But the story as a whole was fun, especially for a history-of-nasty-ex-lover book, which can be a very OTT trope. There was a lot going on with all the people in Greg's life, but I kind of liked having a less simple plot line.

This book managed to avoid excess melodrama that I was afraid was coming, and delivers an interesting read with some varied secondary characters and a feel-good holiday romance.

steiner's review

1.0

This felt like a novella that never ended. I didn't feel the chemistry but cute cat on the cover

kiksid89's review

5.0

This is one of the sweetest mm stories I've ever read. It does not contain much "smut". What it really does contain is an exploration of the thoughts and feelings after a break up. And the healing.
I liked it very much and I now regret that I hadn't read it sooner!