Sophia Rose Reviews: While It Was Snowing by Julia London

 

While It Was Snowing by Julia London

Contemporary Romance, Holiday

Publisher:  Berkley

Published:  10.28.25

Pages:  328

Rating: 4 stars

Format: trade paperback

Source:  BerkleySellers:  Amazon

ADD TO: GoodReads 

GoodReads Synopsis:

Under the mistletoe, a single mom and a professional athlete realize they have more in common than the lake house they unexpectedly have to share for the holidays, in this heartwarming romance from New York Times bestselling author Julia London.

All Amy Casey wants for Christmas is to paint. She needs five new paintings for the holiday show at her local art gallery, but between her two teenage sons, her needy ex-husband, and her overbearing parents, she hardly has any time for herself. Luckily, her best friend has the perfect a vacant family lake house in North Texas, all hers for two weeks of distraction-free painting. Or so she thought.

Turns out professional golfer Harrison Neely also rented the lake house so he can spend the holidays rehabbing the injury that has put his career—and life—on hold. Despite the booking snafu, both Amy and Harrison (along with Amy's old blind dog and the army of child-sized nutcrackers residing in the living room) agree to share the festive lodging.

When an impending snowstorm has the two cozying up by the fire, sparks fly in more ways than one, and they open up to each other, unwrapping secrets and stories they’ve never shared before. But Harrison is expected back on the tournament circuit after the holidays, and Amy's family needs her. As their departure date looms and her family and his manager press them for answers, they’ll have to decide if this December to remember has been a fun holiday fling, or if they’ve found a Christmas miracle at true love.

 

Sophia Rose's Review:

A getaway to a lake cabin for two-weeks before Christmas.  Two weeks of peace, quiet, and alone-time, is that too much to ask?  Her family and his agent seem to think so when this double-booked pair find themselves willing to share a large home and get their own bit of holiday cheer going.  Julia London is an author I’ve only experienced once for one of her historicals, but I was excited to pick up her holiday romcom featuring a middle-aged couple during the holidays.

 

White It Was Snowing has a tender, yet sultry holiday story that is part romance and part fiction.  Amy is a divorced single-mom suffering menopause has been invited to participate in a local art contest and this stirs up her dreams from before becoming a wife and mother when she wanted to be an artist.  Her friend’s family lake house provides the chance to get away and work on art for the contest, but also a chance to get away from the demands of teenage sons, her brother crashed out on her couch, and even her parents dropping in whenever. 

And, Harrison is a pro-golfer hitting the limits of his career age-wise and taking some time to think about his future as he recovers from a knee injury and tries to dodge his persistent agent. 

These two were working through their personal situations even while this mistake in double-booking them for the lake house gives them a chance to explore a new side of themselves with a holiday tryst with only a nearly blind senior dog for company.

 

Then surprise, when Amy won’t respond to texts and phone calls, her family including her ex, who has changed his mind, descend upon Amy and Harrison en masse.  Amy’s mom, Barb, even brings along her senior posse of friends.  Personal space has evaporated, but astonishingly love is deepening for this pair who pragmatically know they have to go their separate ways at the end of the two weeks.  Or, will a bit of Christmas magic and a quirky ‘can’t-read-the-room’ family and a blind dog be just what they need?

 

While It Was Snowing was a nice layered Christmas tale with a splendid blend of light and weighty tones, holiday spirit, and fireside snuggles with the snow outside ambience romance.  The family were irksome, but also just hopeless enough to work in a holiday story of taking time for self and self-discovery in the new stage of mid-life, finding balance, and making room for romance and dreams.  Definitely recommend for holiday romance fans.

 

Author Bio:

Julia London is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of more than sixty fiction novels. She is the author of popular historical romances set in Scotland and England, and several contemporary romances, most notably, You Lucky Dog and It Started with a Dog. She is also the author of women's fiction titles, including Nice Work, Nora November and the Pine River series.

Julia is the recipient of the RT Bookclub Award for Best Historical Romance and a six-time finalist for the prestigious RITA award for excellence in romantic fiction.

She lives in Austin with a massive pile of unread books, a dog, and people in and out of her house all day long.

Website:  https://www.julialondon.com/index.php

Sophia’s Bio:

Sophia is a quiet though curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing, piano-playing, and gardening. Road trips and campouts, museums and monuments, restaurants and theaters are her jam. Encouraged and supported by an incredible man and loving family. A Northern Californian transplant to the Great Lakes Region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, Baseball, Cats, Scooby Doo, and Chocolate.

As a lifelong reader, it was inevitable that Sophia would discover book blogs and the joy of blog reviewing. Sophia is a prolific reader and audiobook listener which allows her to experience so many wonderful books, authors, and narrators. Few genres are outside her reading tastes, but her true love is fiction particularly history, mystery, sci-fi, and romance. Though, sorry, no horror or she will run like Shaggy and Scooby.

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/sophia.rose.7587

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sophiarose1816

GoodReads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13418187.Sophia_Rose