Review – Snowbound with the CEO by Shannon Stacey

Publisher: Carina Press
Publish Date: Out Now
How I got this book: NetGalley

Adrian Blackstone built a million-dollar business with hard work and determination—and by remaining professional at all times. Denying his longtime attraction to his beautiful executive assistant hasn’t been easy but it’s necessary. She’s indispensable, and he can’t stand the thought of losing her if things didn’t work out.

For more than a year, Rachel Carter has been quietly dreaming of all the ways she’ll never seduce her sexy, buttoned-up boss. She’s worked too hard to get where she is to cross that line, no matter how badly she’d like to act on her fantasies. But then a wicked snowstorm leaves them stranded in a romantic winter wonderland…

What begins as a single kiss and a few bad Santa jokes turns into a weekend full of breathless passion and hopes for something more. But with Monday comes a return to their complicated reality—and Adrian must prove that promises made are promises kept, especially at Christmastime.
*Blurb from Goodreads*

I adore all things Shannon Stacey, and her holiday novellas have become a favorite of mine at the end of each year.

Rachel is working at her dream job, she loves the day to day responsibilities, she loves the work, and she has been crushing on her boss big time for as long as she has worked for him. But crossing that line in the sand is something that she only dreams of doing, until they are snowed in at one of Adrian’s romantic resorts, and their time together leads from one thing to another.

Adrian has built his business from the ground up. Risking it all for a quick tumble with his executive assistant isn’t worth it, especially because he couldn’t do his job without Rachel. But being snowed in together is playing havoc with their libidos, and their work weekend takes an unexpected journey between the sheets. But being back at work the following week brings more mixed emotions than Rachel or Adrian know how to deal with, and might be enough to kill their fragile relationship.

This was a very short novella, only about 40 pages or so, and while I felt like Stacey told a wonderful story, I also wish we would have gotten the chance to see more. I, for one, like reading novellas. I love having a quick and easy read that I know will leave me with a huge smile on my face by the end. Stacey accomplished this to perfect. Of course, the only downside is that when I find myself falling hard for the characters in certain novellas, 40 pages just isn’t enough. 🙂

One aspect I thought was handled really well in this story was the complications of going back to work together. Both Rachel and Adrian were unsure how to act Monday morning, and they both got their signals crossed, their feelings hurt, and the miscommunication skyrocketed. But, I was able to feel their discomfort with not knowing how to act around one another. Adrian was worried about crossing some line at work with being the boss. He didn’t want to pressure Rachel, make her feel uncomfortable, especially since he valued her position so highly. On the other hand, Rachel was confused that Adrian wanted to be business as usual when he dove straight into work. She was worried about speaking up and ruining her position. It was a tightrope, and they both fell spectacularly.

I thoroughly enjoyed both Adrian and Rachel. They came across as such vivid characters in my mind. I’m not too sure why I was able to so easily relate to them both (maybe it was all the years I worked as an executive admin??), but either way I connected with them both so early in the story. I wanted – desperately – for them to get their HEA, for them to put aside their work concerns and be honest about their budding relationship. I loved the way they were able to so easily admit their feelings and move past their communication issues, address them, and find a way to balance their work and person lives.

I thought the epilogue was such a special treat. Many times, in novellas, we don’t get a chance to glimpse anything in the far future. I love that Stacey gave us a chance to see just how wonderful things are for Rachel and Adrian, on both a professional and personal scale, a year into the future. It was an extra special treat, and I so enjoyed it.

All in all I thought Stacey created another fabulous holiday short. While I was jonesing for more from these characters, I love the fact that they were able to fall so epically and build back up in such a short amount of time. The quick love was easy for me to believe in because of their work schedule, so I had no complaints about the romance.
I give Snowbound with the CEO a B+

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