Mallory O'Connor and Nathan McKendrick are married and live in Seattle in between travel for their own separate careers. Nathan's a musician and Mallory a TV drama star. SNOWFLAKES ON THE SEA set the scene as Mallory suffers a collapse from stress. She loves her husband but doesn't see much of him, and she suspects that he has a succession of groupies to keep him company. Nathan rushes home when he learns she's been ill, but what does that prove?

Diane, Nathan's press agent, shows up at his home, and she gains far too much enjoyment from telling Mallory all about the lively Christmas they had in Australia. A scurrilous report had placed Mallory in a cabin with a partying country singer, but she denies it ever happened. Meanwhile Brad, Mallory's producer, wants to up the ante with sexy scenes in the drama. Can the couple mend some fences, or will their first Christmas apart spell the beginning of the end for their marriage?

This sensitively written character study looks at the pressures of the entertainment industry and asks whether the people who make Christmas enjoyable for everyone else actually have a good Christmas holiday themselves. Their contracts leave no room for starting families or relaxing with relatives. While not a cosy romance this topical, well- researched novel gets under the skin of the characters and reveals the love they bear despite major issues. As an adult romance the scenes are convincing and tender.

Linda Lael Miller is well known for modern western romance such as Big Sky Mountain and many other novels in several series. Her devoted fans will enjoy SNOWFLAKES ON THE SEA as a change from her usual surroundings while new readers will surely discover the quality of her writing.