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The Sound of Snow

The Sound of Snow

List Price: $6.50
Your Price: $5.85
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: I treasured every word.
Review: Katherine Kingsley has done it again. THE SOUND OF SNOW is a true gem. Filled with the delightful secondary characters that readers have come to expect in a Kingsley novel, this book is a sheer delight. Guy is possibly one of the best heros I've read in years and you won't want to miss THE SOUND OF SNOW. I treasured every word. --Jennifer MacBride, The BookNook & CompuServe Romance Reviews

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Touchy, Lovely and Encouraging...
Review: READ AMAZON SYNOPSIS, In addition to that:

Jo and Guy's romance didn't actually begin till the middle of the book, I thought I would get bored and skipped pages till I get to this part but I was mistaken, I enjoyed the slow-flowing development of their relationship. Slow but not lacking. Slow yet definitely detailed. "TIME" made them more convincing to me. Contrary to what others think, that style, considering the plot, made me appreciate their love for each other all the more. Guy and Jo... now there is really love between them! The circumstances they were both in made them stronger together. Their situation led them both to trust and rely on each other. They compensated each others weaknesses. It became a special forming BOND, so strong in fact, that "that" heart rending twist towards the end truly pulled me in. Very dramatic, yes. But not OVERLY in my opinion. Aside from the main characters, I enjoyed ALL secondary characters. From Miles all the way to the servants of Wakefield. They are indeed an added spices to the story. All were wonderfully implemented. Heck, I even felt sorry for Lydia instead of hating her. She is the villain yet a victim of jealousy as well. Sad! This is where I appreciated Ms. Kingsley's talent for words. I think she doesn't want her readers to feel HATE in the end of the book. She wanted us to understand & forgive the villain. To feel sad for her instead...despite the misgivings. I have many favorite scenes in this book, to mention a few... The servants interactions and love for Jo was a smiler. Miles transformation was one of my favorite, very heart warming. Guy's reaching out to his son is also a teary moment. But most of all, I love the religious part of this book, the power of FAITH & Trust in God. Accepting His will even if not understanding it. It encourages readers to keep in touch with their spirituality. Oh, I must mention that this religious belief is not overly mentioned. It's sporadically inserted and in my opinion, placed at the right moment. I am not very fond of paranormal incidents. However, in this book, the supernatural appearances seems touchy and significant. Perhaps it is just the way it's written. Ms. Kingsley words touched my heart, my soul. I do believe in "ANGELS". I think they do watch over us, guide us & enlightened us if needed. They come in many forms & in many ways. One just need to look closely and believe! One must listen beyond the silence and look beyond the mountains... Also, In my opinion, the ending was beautifully writtened. I was touched (once again) reading that one scene in the chapel with brother Michael (read to know what I mean). I agree that people need inner peace to feel complete happiness.

Overall, this book begins with betrayal, misconceptions, deceits & hatred. But the finale is full of LOVE, understanding and forgiveness --- not only for one special person but for everyone around us. May they be a King or Servant. May they be your Spouse or a Stranger. This book will also make you appreciate Love & Life as God's gift to us.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: what a good book
Review: The book held my interest so that I didn't want to put it down. It had a good plot and I cared about the characters. A really nice book.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: VERY ENJOYABLE!!
Review: The romance and intrigue in the story are well done. The characters are wonderful. An overall very enjoyable read.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Really, really excellent love story
Review: The Sound of Snow is the first book I have read by Katherine Kingsley. It was a very intriguing story with sound likable characters. I usually savor the better books - not wanting a great story to end. However, I read it in record time and now eagerly look forward to reading more of Kingsley's books.

Guy de Salis, Marquess of Greaves, the hero, appears in the beginning of the book as an authoritative man with few emotions. He is dictatorial, curt and hurting behind a facade he has constructed to conceal the many disillusionments he has experienced in his life. Guy has not given much of his attention to his five-year-old son, Miles, and it seems as if he doesn't care much for him. But fortunately, that is not the case. Regrettably, Guy and his deceased wife, Lydia, had not had a good marriage in the least. Lydia had used Miles as an emotional crutch and a weapon against Guy. Now that she is gone, he knows he really loves his son but just doesn't know how to reach out to him. Since his mother's death a year previously, Guy had unknowingly given his son's care over to a woman who abuses him emotionally, physically and mentally. Miles has withdrawn into a shell and doesn't speak or respond to another.

Joanna di Capponi had fled England at the age of twenty-one after a scandal erupted when a gentleman tried to trap her into marriage. She emphatically refused to accept a forced marriage to a man who had been found with her partially dressed in her bed. He had come to her room while she was sleeping and intended to compromise her and marry her. When her aunt and uncle insisted Joanna marry the man and she refused, they disowned her. Joanna had no choice but to move to her grandmother's small estate in Italy. Now, six years later, she was returning to England. Her dear cousin, Lydia, had written her over the years telling her about her awful marriage to Guy de Salis. She asked that Joanna come rescue her son Miles from his father if anything should happen to her. Now Lydia was dead and Joanna was in England at Wakefield, the country home of the Marquess of Greaves.

Guy responds to Joanna's visit with little graciousness. Soon Joanna finds herself very confused and hurt as Guy informs her of the many awful stories about Joanna that Lydia has relayed to him. Although Guy realizes he is hurting Joanna, he believes he must let her know that Lydia was not the faithful, loving cousin Joanna believed her to be. In turn, Joanna now questions if Lydia had told her the truth about her husband's supposed awful behavior. Although offended at Joanna's silent accusations and verbal questioning of his care of Miles, Guy finally decides to allow her to stay with his son in the position of governess.

Joanna is a woman with a pure heart who knows how to love selflessly and give joy to those around her - not only Miles but the household staff as well. After working with Miles for a couple of months, Joanna gradually begins to see Miles evolve, once again, into a little boy. The many instances of her progress with Miles are truly touching. This is not normal romance writing as we read of the varied methods she adopts to help Miles reenter the world - from his reaction to her Christmas present, a dog, his first spoken words in over a year, his expressive drawings, and his ultimate progression as a well rounded child and totally charming addition to this book. I found The Sound of Snow extremely moving as Miles and his father establish a very close relationship. Both Guy and Miles realize Joanna is the one that has wrought such a miracle within the household as well as in the lives of Miles and Guy.

Guy soon finds himself attracted to Joanna as he learns more about the inner beauty she projects so effortlessly. There is the typical tragedy at the turning point of the book where Joanna almost dies and Guy remains by her bed an entire week attempting to will her to live. Gradually they both uncover the extent of the many lies Lydia has told about the other and are able to develop a true friendship and respect for each other. It was refreshing to read a book about a couple wherein the relationship naturally evolved into love without the usual, required physical relationship. But don't despair - there are some sensual scenes and they rate about a 3.75 out of 5.0 (see More About Me for rating guidelines). As Guy and Joanna relish their relationship, you gradually feel this dark cloud descending and you know something is about to happen. There are still too many pages left for just a HEA ending. When the shocking event did occur, it totally took my by surprise and was one that almost brought tears. In most situations - I would have probably cried but I was reading this in front of my husband and held the tears back.

The Sound of Snow is a rich story of love that has some very uncommon story lines for romance writing. I highly recommend it. It is rather a tame book and I relished that. There seem to be bad guys always lurking around the corner in most romance writing today. Although there is a villain in this story, it is minor. This book is about a love relationship and that relationship is given quality time to evolve.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Really, really excellent love story
Review: The Sound of Snow is the first book I have read by Katherine Kingsley. It was a very intriguing story with sound likable characters. I usually savor the better books - not wanting a great story to end. However, I read it in record time and now eagerly look forward to reading more of Kingsley's books.

Guy de Salis, Marquess of Greaves, the hero, appears in the beginning of the book as an authoritative man with few emotions. He is dictatorial, curt and hurting behind a facade he has constructed to conceal the many disillusionments he has experienced in his life. Guy has not given much of his attention to his five-year-old son, Miles, and it seems as if he doesn't care much for him. But fortunately, that is not the case. Regrettably, Guy and his deceased wife, Lydia, had not had a good marriage in the least. Lydia had used Miles as an emotional crutch and a weapon against Guy. Now that she is gone, he knows he really loves his son but just doesn't know how to reach out to him. Since his mother's death a year previously, Guy had unknowingly given his son's care over to a woman who abuses him emotionally, physically and mentally. Miles has withdrawn into a shell and doesn't speak or respond to another.

Joanna di Capponi had fled England at the age of twenty-one after a scandal erupted when a gentleman tried to trap her into marriage. She emphatically refused to accept a forced marriage to a man who had been found with her partially dressed in her bed. He had come to her room while she was sleeping and intended to compromise her and marry her. When her aunt and uncle insisted Joanna marry the man and she refused, they disowned her. Joanna had no choice but to move to her grandmother's small estate in Italy. Now, six years later, she was returning to England. Her dear cousin, Lydia, had written her over the years telling her about her awful marriage to Guy de Salis. She asked that Joanna come rescue her son Miles from his father if anything should happen to her. Now Lydia was dead and Joanna was in England at Wakefield, the country home of the Marquess of Greaves.

Guy responds to Joanna's visit with little graciousness. Soon Joanna finds herself very confused and hurt as Guy informs her of the many awful stories about Joanna that Lydia has relayed to him. Although Guy realizes he is hurting Joanna, he believes he must let her know that Lydia was not the faithful, loving cousin Joanna believed her to be. In turn, Joanna now questions if Lydia had told her the truth about her husband's supposed awful behavior. Although offended at Joanna's silent accusations and verbal questioning of his care of Miles, Guy finally decides to allow her to stay with his son in the position of governess.

Joanna is a woman with a pure heart who knows how to love selflessly and give joy to those around her - not only Miles but the household staff as well. After working with Miles for a couple of months, Joanna gradually begins to see Miles evolve, once again, into a little boy. The many instances of her progress with Miles are truly touching. This is not normal romance writing as we read of the varied methods she adopts to help Miles reenter the world - from his reaction to her Christmas present, a dog, his first spoken words in over a year, his expressive drawings, and his ultimate progression as a well rounded child and totally charming addition to this book. I found The Sound of Snow extremely moving as Miles and his father establish a very close relationship. Both Guy and Miles realize Joanna is the one that has wrought such a miracle within the household as well as in the lives of Miles and Guy.

Guy soon finds himself attracted to Joanna as he learns more about the inner beauty she projects so effortlessly. There is the typical tragedy at the turning point of the book where Joanna almost dies and Guy remains by her bed an entire week attempting to will her to live. Gradually they both uncover the extent of the many lies Lydia has told about the other and are able to develop a true friendship and respect for each other. It was refreshing to read a book about a couple wherein the relationship naturally evolved into love without the usual, required physical relationship. But don't despair - there are some sensual scenes and they rate about a 3.75 out of 5.0 (see More About Me for rating guidelines). As Guy and Joanna relish their relationship, you gradually feel this dark cloud descending and you know something is about to happen. There are still too many pages left for just a HEA ending. When the shocking event did occur, it totally took my by surprise and was one that almost brought tears. In most situations - I would have probably cried but I was reading this in front of my husband and held the tears back.

The Sound of Snow is a rich story of love that has some very uncommon story lines for romance writing. I highly recommend it. It is rather a tame book and I relished that. There seem to be bad guys always lurking around the corner in most romance writing today. Although there is a villain in this story, it is minor. This book is about a love relationship and that relationship is given quality time to evolve.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Enjoyable
Review: There were a lot of things I really liked about this book. One thing I've noticed about this author, however, is that she does not give very good attention to detail. Getting details right is essential to the credibility of a historical novel. For example, the child Miles has a dog, a Golden Retriever. This is supposed to be Regency England; Golden Retrievers were not established as a breed until the mid nineteenth century. Criticizing things like this may seem nit picky, but it's these things that ruin the experience by pulling me out of the story, and keep it from being a keeper.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I LOVED THIS BOOK!
Review: This is one of the better books that I've read recently. I started reading one night and couldn't stop until I had read the whole book. The characters were so well written. Joanna and Guy are two people deserve the happiness they get from each other. This book made me cry at one point, even if you know that everything has to work out in the end.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the best!
Review: This is simply one of the best romance novels I've read. The characters, the plot, the story's ending, the writing style -- all excellent. I will certainly watch out for more novels from Ms. Kingsley.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Katherine's Very Best!
Review: This is the best Katherine Kingsley I've ever read. I didn't want it to end. Beautiful job, Lady K!
Diana Rubino, author of I LOVE YOU BECAUSE, ...


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