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    North of Need
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    North of Need
    Unavailable
    North of Need
    Ebook278 pages4 hours

    North of Need

    By Laura Kaye

    4.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    Desperate to escape agonizing memories of Christmas past, twenty-nine-year-old widow Megan Snow builds a snow family outside the mountain cabin she once shared with her husband, realizing too late that she's recreated the very thing she'll never have.

    Called to life by Megan's tears, snow god Owen Winters appears unconscious on her doorstep in the midst of a raging blizzard. As she nurses him to health, Owen finds unexpected solace in her company and unimagined pleasure in the warmth of her body, and vows to win her heart for a chance at humanity.

    Megan is drawn to Owen's mismatched eyes, otherworldly masculinity, and enthusiasm for the littlest things. But this Christmas miracle comes with an expiration—before the snow melts and the temperature rises, Megan must let go of her widow's grief and learn to trust love again, or she'll lose Owen forever.

    Each book in the Hearts of the Anemoi series is STANDALONE:
    * North of Need
    * West of Want
    * South of Surrender
    * East of Ecstasy

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Publishers
    Release dateMay 1, 2012
    ISBN9781622665877
    Unavailable
    North of Need
    Author

    Laura Kaye

    Laura Kaye is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over thirty books in contemporary romance and romantic suspense, including the Hard Ink, Raven Riders, and Blasphemy series. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. Laura also writes historical fiction as the New York Times bestseller, Laura Kamoie. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and monster puppy, Schuyler, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.

    Read more from Laura Kaye

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    Reviews for North of Need

    4.5/5

    15 ratings8 reviews

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    • 5/5
      REVIEW: Impressive start for a series of standalone books. Megan’s palpable sense of loss is tightly woven into this beautiful story. “Want me. Need me. Love me. Your love can hold me here, with you. Forever.” Called by her tears, snow god Owen is challenged to gain her love in just a few days. His naiveté and the wisdom of the ages is combined into a truly magnificent hero. Can’t wait to read the rest of this series. A splendid holiday read offered through BookBub.DESCRIPTION, NOT REVIEW: Desperate to escape agonizing memories of Christmas past, twenty-nine-year-old widow Megan Snow builds a snow family outside the mountain cabin she once shared with her husband, realizing too late that she's recreated the very thing she'll never have. Called to life by Megan's tears, snow god Owen Winters appears unconscious on her doorstep in the midst of a raging blizzard. As she nurses him to health, Owen finds unexpected solace in her company and unimagined pleasure in the warmth of her body, and vows to win her heart for a chance at humanity. Megan is drawn to Owen's mismatched eyes, otherworldly masculinity, and enthusiasm for the littlest things. But this Christmas miracle comes with an expiration—before the snow melts and the temperature rises, Megan must let go of her widow's grief and learn to trust love again, or she'll lose Owen forever.
    • 5/5
      Loved it! Very beautifully written romance filled with magic and second chances. Absolutely loved it :)
    • 4/5
      This story starts out with Megan, who has returned to a cabin that she and her late husband shared. He was killed on Christmas and she still has not gotten over the tragic loss, so she hides away during the holiday season so she can suffer the pain of the loss alone.During her stay she built a snowman family. Once she realized she had made a man, woman, and child family she breaks down and starts crying for a life she would never have with her husband. Later that night, a man appears on her doorstep with no coat or shoes and dressed in the flannel shirt she used on her snowman. At first she is afraid he is some weird killer/stalker dude and she wants to bonk him over the head with a fire poker. Eventually she starts to feel more comfortable with the half-frozen dude.I really enjoyed this holiday snowman story. The slow building romance between Megan and Owen (The Snowman) was great! I loved all the stuff that Owen found as new and exciting. Because he had been non-corporal for so long, he found delight in the little things. Like ice cream and ice cream for breakfast. Even though this book is part of a series, it was a complete story and did not end in a cliff-hanger. (Thank you Laura Kaye!)This was a great little holiday tale but could be read year-round. If you are looking for an uplifting holiday tale, this could be for you!
    • 3/5
      Probably my least favorite of hers out of the three I've read so far. I'm wavering between 3 and 3.5 stars. It wasn't bad at all, very well written and edited, and I really did like the characters.

      My complaint is, considering the subject matter (woman grieving her dead husband, man is a snow god made man just for her), it was all just too easy. She accepted this new guy too quickly, she accepted what he was too easily, and other than one afternoon where she couldn't face telling him she loved him because she feared losing another man (after which he melts in a shades of Frosty the Snowman scene) , then they made it better and it was all ok.

      It was more than twice the length of Hearts in Darkness, but I think it had like half the depth and heart.
    • 5/5
      I won a copy of this book from First Reads, and let me just say, Wow! - what a wonderful gift. Laura Kaye has woven a beautiful tapestry of snowy goodness. The story of Megan Snow's journey from lonely and guilt ridden widow to happily ever after illustrates the amazing healing power of love. Owen's childlike joy with simple things we all take for granted like ice cream, a really delicious sounding snow cone, or even just a smile was contagious and reminded me to stop, look around, and enjoy the beauty around me. Of course, I can't leave out the fact that this was one smokin' hot snowman with some incredibly steamy sex scenes (almost literally - heh!). At this point, I can't wait for the next big snowfall so I can go outside and try my hand at making my own version of a snow god, all for myself!!
    • 4/5
      What a fantastic and romantic read. As I read this book, I felt so bad for Megan and how she just couldn’t let herself let go and be reborn in the beginning. She tortured herself with spending her late husband’s death anniversary at their cabin. In the midst of mourning, Megan builds a snowman family cries herself to sleep while clutching on the male snowman. This act generates Owen into a semi human form and he falls upon her doorstep. At this point, the story starts to steam up. Owen could gladly fall upon my doorstep anytime! He was the perfect character and the perfect match for Megan. He was charismatic, chivalrous, and wanted nothing more in the world than Megan to be happy, oh and a side note, he was SEXY! The two characters together just had so much fun with each other. I would find myself just smiling because in the book they were so carefree and excited about their new bond. A very sweet read with the perfect ending. ~BookWhisperer Reviewer MC~
    • 4/5
      Read in August, 2012Read for Fun!Overall Rating 4.25Story Rating 4.00Character Rating 4.50First Thought when Finished: That was an interesting take on the snowman comes to life story and I really liked it!What I thought of the story: I read North of Need in one afternoon while I was on vacation. The story was really well paced, sweet, seductive, and did a great job of balancing romance/intrigue. If it had any flaws it was in the small time they had to fall in love but by the end I accepted that too! Owen and Megan were both at places where they needed to save each other. Even though Owen was sent to save Megan, I believe that she saved him as well. The ending of the story is what really got me though. I LOVED IT! We all know that the end of a book can truly make/break a story for me. This is an example of a perfect ending! It worked really well for North of Need.What I thought of the characters: This is the first time I have read Laura Kaye but I can tell she is going to be one of my favorites. Her ability to write complicated, damaged, yet inspiring characters was brilliant. Even though both Megan and Owen were damaged their perseverance and gumption shined though their actions. Owen was what leading men should be: strong, resilient, vulnerable, and willing to do what is right even if that is walking away. Megan was what leading ladies should be: independent, smart, a little insecure, and willing to, after a while, take a chance. They are the bulk of the story and they carry it well!Final Thought: I really enjoyed North of Need and look forward to West of Want.
    • 5/5
      If you have followed along with my blog or reviews you have probably figured out by now that I don’t read contemporary. I just don’t like it; my everyday life is ordinary so I want my books to be extraordinary and take me somewhere else! Before all of you contemporary lovers get offended, let me just say that there is nothing wrong with the genre at all. It is just not for me. I bring this up because North of Need did have fantastical elements that I loved, but it read much like a contemporary novel would. I was hesitant going in just because I had heard that about this book, but I was happily surprised by how much I enjoyed reading North of Need. I would classify it more as a crossover book between fantasy and contemporary and it had just enough of the supernatural to keep me content.The mythology in North of Need was fascinating; I remember hearing a little bit about the Anemoi from reading Greek mythology, but I immersed myself back into the subject after reading this book. Laura peppers the mythology through the book at just the right moments so you get just enough information to follow along with who is who and how gods in this world came to be, but you are not overwhelmed with information. I appreciated the balance between the mythology and real life relationships that formed throughout this book.The main relationship we see develop is between Megan and Owen. Megan is a widow who still mourns her husband two years after his death. She has been living a half-life since he died. Filled with grief, she still carries the burden of his death on her shoulders. I cannot imagine what kind of emotional turmoil she must be feeling when she meets Owen and her heart reacts to his presence. The guilt she feels is overwhelming at times and my heart broke for her. She feels as though she is betraying her husband by wanting another man and is having a hard time moving past that lump in her throat. Laura paints Megan’s pain so well; it is hard to not empathize with her situation. I loved watching Owen learn how to help her heal and realize that she can be happy again.I knew I loved this book because whenever I picked it up to read it I had a smile on my face. It is a great book to just get lost in for a while. The best words I can use to describe this book are: warm and sexy. The male protagonist is just the sweetest man, err I mean god. He is so careful with Megan, treating her like she is the most precious being on Earth. That love seeps out of the pages and right into your heart. There was not a slow burn with Megan and Owen though; their passion was white hot from the beginning. But lust quickly turned to love, and Owen slowly mended Megan’s broken heart one piece at a time. The fact that it releases in November is perfect since Owen is a god of winter. While reading, I found myself wishing for snow to fall so I could curl up by the fireplace and sink into this world.Overall, I am in love with this book. I did not go in expecting to enjoy it half as much as I did, but Laura sucked me into the lives of Megan and Owen so fully I could not put the book down. I am so interested to see the other three stories of this series when they are released. If you are like me and don’t read a lot of contemporary but want to just test out the genre, this book would be a great opportunity to do that. Or if you mainly read contemporary but want to have a little fantasy in your life, than North of Need fits that mold as well. It has a little something for lovers of multiple genres and one I will be on the lookout for in the future. I can’t wait to see whose story the next book, West of Want, will bring us.