Rating: 4.5 stars
Buy Link:
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Length: Novel


After five years together, four of them married, Snow and Christopher Manos seem to have achieved a measure of domestic bliss. Yes, Christopher’s nephew, Simon, at 13 is turning into something of an angst-laden teen and their dog may have fathered pups with the neighborhood poodle. But despite the darker nature of Christopher’s work, at least at home, they live something of a normal life. But when Christopher takes Simon away for a long weekend, they’re attacked and kidnapped by a menacing stranger. Atticus Spiro seems determined to destroy everything Christopher cares about, except he makes the mistake of underestimating Snow.

Snow knows that Simon and Christopher’s lives depend on him. He mobilizes every resource at his disposal, threatening friendships and upheaving the world he’s come to adore, all to save the only family he has. Everyone must play their part and Snow is keenly aware that even if he can save Christopher and Simon, their new enemy may still find a way to win.

Snow Storm is the fifth in the Haven Hart series and, while I thought it might be the last entry, there were quite a few plot avenues left open, so other novels may be coming. On the whole, the Haven Hart series has been fairly strong and save for a few issues, Snow Storm follows this trend. I will say the books need to be read in order. There are too many characters and plot threads involved in Snow Storm to consider it a standalone.

Snow Storm starts off five years after Snow and Christopher Manos came together. Their life can’t be described as ordinary thanks to the reality of Christopher’s work, but there’s an air of familial normalcy about their relationship. The author hammers this point home during the first few chapters, to the point the foreshadowing becomes nearly laughable. Thankfully, this doesn’t last long and the plot kicks forward and we get some decent action and the introduction of a new enemy. I appreciated how King balanced the character relationships across multiple scenes and scenarios. It would have been easy to sacrifice the character building for action scenes or vice versa, but King managed to juggle them both in an enjoyable way. Additionally, the book has just a bit of humor, enough to keep things from seeming too bleak.

I will say my biggest annoyance with the book is its tendency to telegraph the obvious. We see it happen in the first few chapters and then it pops up again when Atticus Spiro constantly underestimates Snow. We’re told so often how stupid he thinks Snow is and it becomes rather excessive. Aside from this, the plot plays out as expected, but this doesn’t make it boring. Instead, it has moments of rising threat that resolve believably within the scope of the wider story and there are no magic fixes for some of the characters by the end of the book. Atticus Spiro is something of a caricature baddy and never comes off as menacing as he should. Everything about his story line felt a bit underwhelming, but his actions create the moments of tension that propel Snow Storm forward.

Snow Storm was an enjoyable installment in the Haven Hart series. We get some overkill here and there that I found annoying and the bad guy could have been more meaningful, but the relationships between Snow, Christopher, and their extended family made the book engaging for this long time fan of the series.