Xmas Break – J.E. Rowney

When Isla reluctantly accepts her estranged sister Clara’s invitation to spend Christmas at a luxury mountain retreat, she expects awkward family tension – not a fight for survival. After years of silence following their mother’s death, this holiday reunion seems too good to be true. And it is.

As a brutal snowstorm cuts them off from civilization, dark secrets begin to surface. With time running out and nowhere to run, two sisters must put aside years of mistrust to survive the night. But in a house full of lies, how do you know who to trust?

Review

So this was enjoyable.

It was a very easy read; the writing was entrancing. I saw a review that said that the author spent a lot of time describing the setting, but honestly, it didn’t feel like it at all. Rowney did a great job in setting the setting and introducing the characters, and I honestly don’t feel like she wrote too much.

My only issue with the book is that it is too short! I would have loved it to be a little bit longer so we could have more context of the dynamic between the sisters and know more about their husbands because it almost feels like we’re dealing with strangers. I feel like I only cared about Isla and her sister, but even then, when the ending comes, I feel like I didn’t even know Isla, so I would have loved to have more context about the characters so we could fully engage with them. The suspenseful tone was palpable, so powerful.

Amazing for a quick read to get you in the holiday spirit for us thriller lovers.