His predicament is pretty awful, and the change that begins to happen when he physically and emotionally connects with Hutch is not easy, it’s painful, and has serious consequences for Jude’s career and personal life. Yet there are enough hints poking a hole in what turns out to be an elaborately set up cover story that I was not shocked when the truth about him began to emerge. He plays this role so well that he had me fooled for quite a while. Jude seems to be a “harmless” model in need of help. He is a man of honor, principles, and great integrity – yet has paid a high price for his steadfast moral course. As the details of why he has escaped to Alaska slowly emerge, Hutch began to fascinate me.

The way he keeps “checking the perimeter”, the number of times he thinks about the “traps” he has placed around his cabin, and the way he approaches and then searches harmless-looking Jude made me suspect he is paranoid at the very least, and possibly hiding from some serious threats. The (for me) unexpected direction was a wonderful surprise and I ended up loving ‘Snowblind’ even more than I thought I would. The twists and turns that follow held me in suspense, the level of action turned this story into something like a thriller, and I really liked the way the characters grow and develop. And just at the point when the emotions begin to rise and I was really getting into the story – everything changes. Hutch, who clearly has secrets, and Jude, who seems to be in some sort of trouble, really connect. And it started out exactly the way I expected. Add the fact that this novel is written by Eli Easton, an author whose work I love, and I approached this book with high expectations. But is Jude what he claims to be? Or is he entangled in the secrets Hutch moved to Alaska to escape?įirst edition published by Dreamspinner Press, March 2017.Ī snowstorm + a secluded cabin + two strangers who suddenly need to get along = one of my favorite tropes. By the time the storm clears, Hutch finds himself a little too attached to Jude Devereaux, San Francisco-based male model. Two gay men snowed in for three days-things happen. The problem is Jude isn’t just gorgeous, he’s funny and smart and flirtatious. But Hutch is a suspicious SOB and treats his unwanted guest warily. Jude says he’s in the area for a ski trip, and that he fled a domineering lover, thinking he could make it into town. The latest snowstorm carries something unexpected to the doorstep of Hutch’s secluded Alaskan cabin: a stranger named Jude, the most beautiful man Hutch has ever seen.

Snowblind by Eli Easton