Snapper’s Seduction by Heather Slade

Heather Slade delivers clean writing and a solid premise in Snapper’ & Saffron’s Seduction. The editing is strong. The concept is intriguing. Unfortunately, the story never quite hits the right tone for me. This is the third or fourth book I’ve tried by this author, hoping it was just a timing or mood issue. At this point, I know her storytelling style simply doesn’t work for me.

This story follows Snapper and Saffron, longtime friends brought together by a bachelor auction, a failing winery, and a decades-old mystery involving a legendary Christmas wine. The stakes are clear. The setup is strong. Yet the emotional execution falls flat for me. I struggled to believe the pining between them. The feelings felt more told than shown, which made their romance feel forced instead of natural.

Friends-to-lovers is a hard trope for me to love, and this book reinforced why. The shift from friendship to romance didn’t feel organic. One moment they were friends. The next, they were suddenly everything to each other. I needed more emotional build and deeper connection to fully buy in.

Some of the side characters also missed the mark. Their portrayals felt inconsistent as the story progressed, which pulled me out of the narrative more than once. Those shifts added to the overall disconnect I felt while reading.

That said, this is not a bad book. The writing is polished. The mystery surrounding the wine formula is engaging. Readers who enjoy friends-to-lovers romance will likely enjoy this story. For me, though, the emotional delivery just missed the mark.