ARC Review: Steady as the Snow Falls by Lindy Zart

Hired by a stranger to write his life story, Beth Lambert arrives at a seemingly abandoned house in the hills near her hometown. She knows the rumors, she knows it is dangerous and unwise. But she needs the money. And she needs to prove that it isn’t a mistake to think she can make a career out of a dream.

Inside the house of emptiness and coldness, she finds a man with curt words and haunted eyes. He is eccentric, odd. Brutish, even. He scares her, and he intrigues her. When she learns who he is, she wants to run. But there is the money, and there is the dream, and eventually, there is simply Harrison Caldwell. The haunted man with the black, ugly truth.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This book fell in my lap when I was in the mood for a light (okay, a heavy!) emotional need and by the blurb of this books, this definitely fell in that category. So I settled down to read at 10 PM, figuring I could read a few pages and then continue the next morning!

(Like THAT plan has ever worked out!) and then I went headlong into this pretty amazing romance!

He was lovely, like the sharpest blade, the agilest panther. The most destructive tornado. Lovely and deadly.

 Beth Lambert has made a lot of changes in her life recently and one of them is finally getting the courage to fulfill her aspirations for writing and shaking off her ex who just doesn’t seem to get the clue that they are done!

When she gets the opportunity to write the biography of a mysterious man who lives in the house near the hills in her hometown, she jumps at the chance, even though she knows squat about the man she needs to write about.

Harrison Caldwell is a man on time limit – a man who doesn’t know when he is going to die, the question though is not how, but how painful would it be? Harrison has a past – a very public past but what is in the past is a test for Beth – and her preconceived notions!

“Don’t biographies usually get written when someone’s life is about over? When they’re old and gray and think it’s time to get the good stuff down before it’s too late? You can’t be over thirty-five.”

“Age has no bearing on death.”

Beth is a strong female protagonist – she has doubts, for who doesn’t, yet she has that innate instinct of knowing that she made the right decision – and that made me admire her all the more, for not many do listen to their instincts!

Harrison is a man who wants to be recognized as one. Even though, we don’t really get his POV – I am okay with that (well, not really, because his would have DEFINITELY made me cry!) – you feel everything he did, even it is from Beth’s POV – that’s how cutting his pain actually is!

Loved, not just the secondary characters, but also how author made sure you could understand how their thoughts and prejudiced could hurt another human being.

“What do you want me to write about then?”

Harrison lifted his eyes to hers, and they were laced with emotion, dark and light and raw.

“Me. I want you to write about me. I am not what’s destroying me. I am me.”

 Let me get this off the bat – this is an angsty read – it has to be for the subject is no sneezing matter, but despite that, this book ends up to be quite an engrossing read. This is the first time I have read this kind of a plot twist – and while I was reticent, I still found it difficult to put down the book.

But even with the ultra serious matter, this book’s main focus is the romance between Beth and Harrison, so while the “matter” (sheesh, it’s hard not to give spoilers away!!) – it still felt as if it was part of the background and that is definitely NOT a bad thing – for the acceptance without prejudice is one of the main morals of this romance.

And the author pretty much leaves the ending open to interpretation – I didn’t have to like it, but I understood it and definitely admired the author for it!

Harrison was the only book she wanted to read, and write, and then reread.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ .5

Lindy Zart is the USA Today bestselling author of Roomies. She has been writing since she was a child. Luckily for readers, her writing has improved since then. She lives in Wisconsin with her family. Lindy loves hearing from people who enjoy her work. She also has a completely healthy obsession with the following: coffee, wine, bloody marys, peanut butter, and pizza.

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