A lighthearted romance
Don't expect any heavy drama here, but it is a fun read. A young vet learns that sometimes you don't have to be self sufficient. Sometimes you can rely on those who care about you

Kathleen Giles Seidel is one of my favorite authors but when I got to the first sex scene (it definitely wasn't romantic) I was taken aback. It was very jarring.

The secondary plot was a bit depressing. Not that it wasn't realistic. But it does make you question " in sickness and health". When is being too self-abnegating too much? For me, when the person doesn't take responsibility for their actions.

The book does include some wonderful self-growth for the main characters, as they come to terms with their own self-sabotage and move pass it.

The book is very readable, but definitely not one of my favorites.

I received an advance copy of The Last Snowfall by Kathleen Gilles Seidel in exchange for an honest review. I didn’t particularly care for this book. I struggled to read it. In particular I felt that a lot of the story was not included. There were numerous references to an incident involving the sister but no details were given. Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to preview this book.

An unusual love story. I don't usually dislike some of the characters in a tale unless it is a mystery and they are the ones that end up getting bumped off. I was grateful for the ending wrapping up some of the reasons for the behaviors. The past was revealed on the main characters along the way. Two dogs played starring roles, especially one that had me in tears. I look forward to reading more by Kathleen Gilles Seidel.

I used to love Kathleen Gilles Seidel's books. I don't love this one. Don't get me wrong, she can still write beautifully but here there are pages of nothing. So much tell and very little show. The story creeps along at a sluggish snail pace as we get told, told, told what is happening in excruciating detail. And none of it really moves the story forward. In one scene, the power goes off due to a bad winter storm and we get pages of the steps involved in how the heroine turned the generator on. It was mind numbing. It was like reading nicely written stereo instructions. I decided to DNF at the 25% mark.

I don’t know quite where to begin with this review, so I’m going to jump right in. The good, the bad, and the ugly. But there is no ugly. There’s definitely good and bad, though.

When I reviewed the first book in this series, The Fourth Summer, I found this author’s writing to be a bit stilted. I’m happy to report I didn’t have that issue with this story. I felt the narrative flowed smoothly. There are quite a few inconsistencies in the tale, but you all know I’m a stickler for continuity. There’s no one major issue or plot whole, but just little blips here and there that will most likely be cleaned up before publication (I read an ARC that was received 3 months prior to its release).

The progression of the relationship between Nate and Lacey is really quite sweet. The both jump in with both feet pretty quickly, then climb back out almost just as fast. After that, things slow way down. But it’s necessary to their particular story for that to happen. Lacey starts to learn to trust Nate and they get to know one another as friends, which is so important for them both. They drove me crazy by turns. Sometimes Nate was overbearing and not listening to what was really being said to him, not just by Lacey but also by his childhood friend Pete. I found Lacey to often be a bit too guarded and even cold. Yet, over all, I never doubted the two should be together and would make a wonderful couple.

It’s not often there is a character in a book with not only my name, but the spelling of my name. Nate has a childhood friend, Pete, who married another of their childhood friends, Cheri. Yay! But, turns out I didn’t like Cheri…at all. From the moment she is introduced physically (we hear about her quite a bit before actually meeting her) I can’t stand her and don’t trust her. Let me tell you, that was a genius move by the author. I’m not going to spoil things, but by the end of the book I figure the author knows someone like Cheri and isn’t just throwing random thoughts out there. I was also struggling with Pete for a bit of this story, and once I met Cheri and got to find things out later on about Cheri, I realized that Pete wasn’t quite as bad as I thought either.

I know, I know…much of that last paragraph is vague and confusing. I just hate giving spoilers!

For much of this story, Nate is content to go along with the slow and steady game plan with Lacey. While I felt their connection, there wasn’t a lot of butterflies or major warm-fuzzies. Then there is a scene after the gala that just punches me in the gut. Nate lays his heart out there in just two sentences and it kills me. All. The. Feels.

There isn’t much crossover with this book and the previous book. It seems like each of the snowboarders will be getting his own, very individual and different, story. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad, but I know I’m looking forward to Ben’s story. And meeting the REAL Colleen.

The Last Snowfall by Kathleen Gilles-Seidel
Standing Tall #2

Mixed feelings on this one. I love this author’s books read LONG ago and keep hoping to connect with her newer books in the same way but this series so far has felt less deep and more difficult for me to connect with. In some ways this book, though romance, feels more like a New Adult romance and that is not my favorite genre because the issues the characters and couple tend to face are not ones I can relate to as easily.

In this book Nate Forrest has returned to the town he grew up in to meet a friend then later head off to another friend’s wedding. A snowstorm lands him on the doorstep of veterinarian Lacey Berryville and the ride out part of the storm together. Nate decides to return to town after the wedding to see if the connection he felt for Lacey might prove to be more and meets a rather cool Lacey when he goes to say hi. For some reason Nate wants to revitalize his old hometown even though he doesn’t really feel ties to the town and has spent more years away from than in it. There is some push-pull between Lacey and Nate and some work problems Lacey has to deal with and both have backstories from childhood that impact their relationship development but all in all it is rather predictable and really slow growing before they manage to figure out how to end up together for the long haul...maybe.

I had trouble connecting to Lacey...for some reason she didn’t seem as warm and open as a woman I would imagine Nate falling for. I liked Nate and warmed up to him more though at times he seemed a bit immature. I wasn’t sure what purpose Pete and his wife played in the story. All in all it was an okay read but it did not warm my heart like “Don’t Forget To Smile” that this author wrote decades ago. There is one more book in this series and I will give it try when it comes out.

Did I like this book? Yes
Would I like to read more by this author? Definitely
Was it my favorite book by this author? Probably not
What was my favorite book by this author? Don’t Forget to Smile

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington – Lyrical Shine for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars

Sadly, this was a DNF for me. I feel like this was a case of "it's me, not you". I loved the premise, and was excited to see a book set in West Virginia, which is something a little different. I also really liked the pairing of the retired snowboarder with a family legacy and the vet with a somewhat painful past. I think there was just too much narrative for me, and not enough interaction between the characters. Yes, I am going to say it - too much telling, not enough showing. I also didn't feel the heat between the hero and heroine, which is pretty important for me, when I am reading a romance.

I've never made it a secret that I think Kathleen Gilles Seidel has one of the premier writing voices of the last several decades. Her latest offering, the second in the Stand Tall series, is further proof that I'm right about that. The story of the veterinarian and the has-been snow boarder in a little West Virginia town is compelling on its own, but it's Ms. Seidel's ability to build characters that keeps me listening.

This was the first book I've read from this author and I really enjoyed it. The story was different from anything I've read recently and really captured my attention. It was so well written and the characters were fantastic.

Snowboarder Nate and veterinarian Lacey-what a pair! Oh, and Tank and Hex, the dogs! This is a light, fun read about two people who are at opposite ends of several spectrums. They meet in West Virginia during a snow storm and well, things aren't cold by the end. You know more or less what's going to happen but Seidel has a nice touch and makes the getting there worth your time. Thanks to net galley for the ARC.

At twenty-nine, Nate Forrest’s snowboarding career is over; the next injury will likely leave him paralyzed. While visiting his childhood friend Pete in Forrest, West Virginia, both men are caught up in a late spring blizzard and take shelter with Dr. Lacey Berryman.

Lacey came to West Virginia on a federal loan forgiveness program which reduces her student debt if she serves in an area with a shortage of veterinarians, and she’ll be leaving in six months for more lucrative suburban pastures. Just as Nate reconnects with the town of Forrest, Lacey starts trying to disentangle in preparation for moving on.

The most distinctive feature of Seidel novels are their - I hate to say ‘ordinariness’, because that may give you the wrong impression, but their daily-life-ness, which is all the more striking because she tends to write about celebrities or extraordinary circumstances. She showcases that the wealthy are, after all, regular people with regular problems. Nate is looking for a second career, a way to ‘adult’, and has a mixed relationship to his celebrity - he hates the thought of spending the rest of his life as the guy who ‘used to’ be a snowboarder. His daily compulsion for physical activity is realistic for a professional athlete. It’s truthful and complex. Lacey loves the feeling of having settled down and the range of veterinary practice she can do in a town that services both pets and farm animals, but she also is ruthlessly realistic and practical about money.Even the supporting characters are many-sided. Nate’s friend Pete is married, but definitely attracted to Lacey. Pete’s wife Chloe is friendly to Lacey but clearly has an edge, and there is more going on in that marriage than first meets the eye. The owner of the small town’s paper drove Nate’s family out of town with petty hostility towards Nate’s sister (never adequately explained), but he also drove off an opioid pill mill doctor, sparing Forrest the ravages of the drug crisis. The gentle, low-key nature of the story means that the climax (which I won’t spoil) feels high-stakes in a way it might not in a story with more suspense or drama.

Also, if you’ve ever owned a husky (or even if you haven’t), you’re going to love Lacey’s joyously disloyal, boneheadedly exuberant dog Tank.I know this makes me a confusing reader, but while I like and celebrate the story for its gentle tone, I couldn't help wanting, at least at some point, a little more intensity, especially in Lacey and Nate’s relationship. There is chemistry there, but it’s muted. Lacey and Nate both admire each other in physical ways that build tension, but the sex scenes themselves are written so discreetly that I found myself flipping backwards because I hadn’t noticed that the characters had, well, finished. The climax of the book is terrific, but it is more oriented on Lacey and the town (and Tank) than on Lacey and Nate.

On the whole, however, Seidel continues to be a reliably enjoyable author for me. She develops contemporary people and settings so effectively that it’s like reading a well-researched historical set in parts of the present day. This is a comfortable, cozy book that will leave you wanting a snowboarder (and a husky) of your own.

Buy it at: Amazon/Apple Books/Barnes & Noble/Kobo

Visit our Amazon Storefront

Very glad to see Mrs. Seidel writing again. About half of this is better than the previous (first) in her new series. The first half is great with some scenes that are fantastic. The second half is merely very good in my opinion and still better than most other writers. She has a high bar to clear for herself from all her previous stellar writing.

Set in small town America the story is framed around "local hero who left comes back to visit and meets attractive veterinarian" but as with nearly all of Mrs. Seidel's novels it is more than that. Her characters are never two dimensional. They exist in their place and culture, interact with it and take it into account. None are islands who ignore their family, friends and neighbors.

I love animals, so anytime there's a vet involved I devour the book. An easy read and very enjoyable.

I have been reading this genre relentlessly over the past month or so, I've been in the mood for some romance and steam!

Unfortunately The Last Snowfall really didn't engage me, it felt as though something was missing and I just couldn't connect with the main characters at all, to a point where I started just skim reading the pages because I felt as though nothing was really happening.

I love a good slow burn romance but unfortunately there just didn't seem to be chemistry between the two leads for me and I just struggled to see their attraction as believable. I mean the first sexual encounter was so abrupt with no build up it took me by surprise, and not in a good way 👎

That being said however, Kathleen is a wonderful writer and is great at world building, I loved the descriptions of the little town they were in and loved all the details of surviving in the snow.

For me the issue with this book was just that I couldn't personally connect with the lead characters, so whilst this book wasn't entirely for me I would still recommend it to anyone who enjoys this genre as Kathleen writing style is great and easy to read.

“The Last Snowfall” was a cute read but didn't engage me enough to continue to the end. I liked the overall flow the author was able create with the writing and the lead/secondary characters seem likable but I found myself skimming a few pages to get to a 'good’ part. Furthermore, I will definitely consider picking this back up again in the future.

I have been a fan of Kathleen's books for years. This is one of my favorites. It made me wish to visit the town and meet all the great characters. I can't wait for the next story to come out!

“The Last Snowfall”, by Kathleen Gilles Seidel, is an engrossing story, beautifully written, with great, compelling characters (human and canine) and a gorgeous setting, in West Virginia.
Nate is the most unexpected anti-wounded hero, downplaying his injuries like he were made of rubber, completely self-deprecating and a paradoxically low-profile personality, yet very caring and kind, too.
His “crackling energy” and adventurous streak are fascinating, yet he’s so much “more than the fantasy celebrity”.
Lacey is a strong female character, the Queen of Matter-of-Fact, whose life with no roots makes her cherish Forrest’s hospitality.
Coming from very different backgrounds, Nate and Lacey are realistic, palpable characters and their interaction is a pleasure to read. There’s a fabulous cast of characters, a small town atmosphere and two dogs - Tank and Hex – brilliantly written.

This is Lacey and Nate book, Nate is a ex professional snowboarder and Lacey is a veterinarian in a small town. For some reason this book didn't catch my attention?! I'm not sure why but it just felt a little boring for me?! It was an ok read and it had some steam to it but just wasn't one of my favorite?! Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for sharing this book with me!

THE LAST SNOWFALL by Kathleen Gilles Seidel is a sweet small town romance. I loved Nate, a snowboarder just leaving the professional ranks. Lacey is a veterinarian, working in Nate's small hometown. Nate and Lacey have a short fling. Nate really wants their relationship to grow and Lacey is afraid. Nate never gives up and is always there to help. This is a quick read with more to come!