Reviewed by Ro
TITLE: Snowed In With You
AUTHOR: Rye Cox
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 51K words
RELEASE DATE: December 4, 2025
BLURB:
Eli
There was a time when I thought my new stepbrother, Nathan Bailey, and I could be friends. Best friends, even. But then I walked past his room and hear his friends make fun of me. Instead of defending me, he laughs with them. And his clueless act when I give him the cold shoulder? That just seals the deal. I hate Nathan Bailey.
The only thing that can be worse than being forced to drive to our family’s annual Christmas retreat with him is being caught in a snowstorm and trapped in a different cabin. Alone.
Nathan
When my dad married Eli Madison’s mom, I was excited about the possibility of having a brother. We seemed to be on our way to a great friendship when Eli suddenly stopped speaking to me. He’s been a cute, angry kitten for years now, and I don’t know why. It would help if he talked to me, but when he isn’t ignoring me, his words drip with disdain. What I do know is that Eli Madison hates me.
The only good thing about being trapped in this cabin with him is that he can finally tell me what I did wrong all those years ago… and maybe I can figure out why cute is the first word that comes to mind when I think of him. My stepbrother.
Snowed in With You is a standalone MM Christmas story featuring grumpy-only-to-you/sunshine stepbrothers, a bi-awakening, only one fireplace, and a couple of Corio Heights cameos.
REVIEW:
Ahh, to be young and misunderstood. Well, not exactly. Eli’s mom and Nathan’s dad have gotten married and blended their families. As an only child, Nathan was excited to have siblings, especially a stepbrother in Eli. He thought they could be friends, besties maybe. His mom died, and both he and his dad have struggled since. “It doesn’t help that we’re not as close as we used to be, when Mom was still alive. Dad’s grief had sent him running, both mentally and physically.” Nathan’s dad isn’t a bad person, just was grieving so hard. But now he’s happily remarried, and Nathan can have a new family. Except the stepbrother he’s always wanted started to hate him as soon as they moved in. Eli was also excited to have a stepbrother, but then he overheard something (this is where it’s really not a misunderstanding but sort of is), and that was it for him. He thinks Nathan is fake, and “…my default coping mechanism is to just ignore the man entirely.”
For his part, Nathan is confused. “I don’t get it. What did I do to make him hate me so much? I can’t remember offending him in any way.” Sometimes I call BS on that, but in this case I think it was true. He doesn’t remember it because it was a case of initial reaction (which Eli witnessed) and aftermath (which Eli didn’t).
Either way, the family is spending the holidays at a cabin and Nathan is Eli’s ride, even thought he absolutely does not want to be. They spend part of the drive with Nathan trying to have a conversation, while Eli glares and grunts. And hugging the pillow he stole from his parents’ house. I thought the siblings’ pillow thievery was so cute! Nathan unexpectedly takes a detour, which makes Eli furious, and even more so when they blow a tire, have no spare, and can’t get a tow truck. So they are stuck walking to Nathan’s uncle’s cabin (the detour), a mile in the snow, and Eli is not happy. He is worse when he realizes they can’t get out of there, and takes off. He ends up nearly with hypothermia and Nathan has to take care of him.
The reason for the detour was a sweet one and they end up talking about Nathan’s mom. “She believed the world is a better place if you treat everyone with kindness and respect.” That starts the conversation about why Eli hates Nathan. “He sounds heartbroken, so small, and I’m the one who caused it.” And now Nathan understands and thinks of how disappointed his mom would be. It really was a heartbreaking moment for both of them.
This one is all on me, but I was irritated at how many times someone in here smirked. 24 if we are counting. I know it’s one of those “only me” things, but every time the word came across, I found myself rolling my eyes. Smirking is not cute; it just comes across as annoying (to me!).
They end up back at the family’s cabin (and the pillow comes up again and I loved that). I laughed when Eli sees Nathan naked. “I don’t know how he doesn’t have back problems carrying that anaconda between his legs every day.” They start kissing (and a bit more) in secret during this vacation and you just know something is going to happen. There are some difficulties, especially that Nathan is straight.
The family members are lovely, especially Eli’s sister, Ava. She is so supportive and isn’t buying it when Eli tries to pretend he’s not getting along with Nathan. “I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if she told me she actually had mind-reading abilities.” The whole family is strong and solid, as families should be. But how will stepbrothers crushing on each other go over?
RATING: 
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