Stuck on the Slopes

De: Jessica Salina

Narrado por: Cailey Lupiccini

The cabin is heating up in this romantic comedy as a pro-athlete and corporate marketer dodge the tabloids and save a ski lodge.

Professional athlete Juniper Hart was forced into retirement after a devastating snowboarding accident left him with a permanent injury. Despite the media wondering if he’ll make a return to the slopes, he acquired a failed Colorado ski lodge. With only his service dog, Sasquatch, for company, he needs help bringing the lodge back to life.

When burned-out corporate ladder-climber Rachel Friedman doesn't get the raise needed to afford her rising rent costs, she trades in her Florida summers for Colorado winters. As Juniper Hart’s live-in resort manager, his attitude toward an increasing media presence leaves her wondering if the pay increase and free rent are worth it.

Rachel needs to thaw Juniper’s icy heart so they can work together to save the lodge (and her job along with it). But first, she’ll need to establish dominance over the tabloids to earn Juniper’s trust and take control of the media’s narrative.

©2025 Conquest Publishing (P)2025 Conquest Publishing

Winter Romance

This snowy romance delivers heartfelt character work but stumbles in the audio execution.

Juniper shines with authentic disability representation. His chronic pain journey and bond with his service dog are sensitively portrayed, rooted in trauma from a snowboarding accident.

Rachel brings fresh energy, having uprooted her life to work at the ski lodge, adding a layer of personal reinvention to the story.

Unfortunately, the narration doesn’t quite match the emotional depth. The narrator reads rather than performs, with little vocal distinction between characters and a monotone delivery that flattens key moments. It’s a story that begs to be told with warmth and nuance—but the audio leaves it feeling cold.

Worth a listen for the representation and character arcs, but maybe with a side of patience—or playback speed adjustments.

I received a free copy from StoryOrigin and Jessica Salina and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

Fun Sweet Listen

This was a pretty low angst listen, I found it to be a solid straightforward romance. There was little resolution or even addressing the issues that did arise between the two and with Juniper's Mother, it all fell a bit flat. Narration was a bit emotionless and more like the story was just being read to me rather then actually bringing the characters to life. I understand Juniper's character is described that way but I felt that from the very beginning. Overall its a nice easy listen.

Great story

I honestly liked this story quite a bit with the main characters, (Rachel and Juniper), having a lot of back stories they had to work through to find their HEA. Juniper has so many layers of pain, trust issues, parental angst, etc. that are lying just under the surface. Rachel has a wonderful calming and grounding effect on Juniper which makes them a perfect match.

The setting for the story is described beautifully, you can almost imagine being in the mountains of Colorado.

Personally, I prefer audiobooks that have dual narrators, especially when the chapters are written from each of the main character’s perspectives. The narration is okay (not enough difference between the voices of Rachel, Juniper, and other characters) for me.

I received an advanced readers copy and am leaving this review voluntarily

A Warm and Funny Winter Romance That’ll Melt Your

I absolutely loved this sweet and easy-to-read (or in my case, easy-to-listen) book! Stuck on the Slopes by Jessica Salina is such a fun and heartwarming romantic comedy. The story is entertaining, the characters are relatable, and I was hooked from the beginning.

I listened to the audiobook version, and Calley Lupiccini did a fantastic job bringing the characters to life. Her narration added so much personality and charm to the story, it made the experience even better.

Juniper, the broody ex-snowboarder with his adorable service dog Sasquatch, and Rachel, the ambitious but burnt-out marketing pro, make such a great pair. Their chemistry is believable, the setting is cozy, and the lodge renovation plot added a fun backdrop to their evolving relationship. There’s just the right balance of humor, heart, and a little bit of heat.

Definitely a feel-good listen and perfect if you want something light but engaging. I’ll be keeping an eye out for more from this author!

Pure Enjoyment from Start to Finish!

Stuck on the Slopes was an absolute joy to listen to from start to finish! Jessica Salina has crafted a charming, witty, and heartwarming story that had me smiling, laughing, and completely hooked. The characters were relatable and endearing, and the pacing kept the story engaging without ever feeling rushed.

Cailey Lupiccini’s narration brought the entire book to life. Her voice work was expressive and perfectly matched the tone of the story, making each character memorable. She added an extra layer of magic that made the audiobook experience even more enjoyable.

If you're looking for a feel-good story with great chemistry, humor, and a touch of wintery romance, this is it. I definitely recommend!

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and I have voluntarily left this review.

Adorable, addictive read, would love more!

Ohmygosh this was so cute—before I knew it, I’d consumed the entire book in one sitting! What I enjoyed was how it packed in so many fun tropes, but they all felt like they fit in naturally. Sometimes you can tell when someone is just building them in purposefully—this didn’t feel that way at all.

It also gave me leads to love and root for—but also to relate to, and a parent to hate—so fun! I hope to hear or read more from this author!


🏂🏼 Partially set in Orlando, FL.
🍊 Mostly set in a ski resort in Colorado.
🏂🏼 Opposites attract.
🍊 Friends-to-lovers.
🏂🏼 Workplace romance.
🍊 One-bed trope.
🏂🏼 Slow burn.
🍊 Grumpy / sunshine vibes.
🏂🏼 Sports / high-profile / famous MMC.
🍊 Marketing talk!
🏂🏼 FMC escapes corporate life.
🍊 Fresh starts all-around,
🏂🏼 Disability representation.
🍊 Service dog education & awareness.
🏂🏼 Chronic / invisible ‘illness’.
🍊 Personal growth.
🏂🏼 Leads in their late 20s / about 30 , so it’s believable.


Overall:
There was so much to enjoy here, it just sucked me in. I couldn’t put it down. Thanks to the author for shining a spotlight on so many important issues:
The tragic overdevelopment of Florida.
Invisible disabilities.
Working dog responsibilities.
To name a few. It was repeatedly said that the MMC was an ayhole (cens0red, sorry), yet this really wasn’t shown, he was always considerate, nice, polite, thoughtful, etc.

4 stars.

Audio:
Not good. So:
Overall sound quality was great, it was professionally produced.
The narration was bad, very robotic, to the point I expected to learn it was virtual voice/ was SHOCKED to realize a human is credited with this. This end was honestly awful. If the content wasn’t as addictive as it was for me, it’d have been a DNF as listening to the robotic droning is not something I’m usually able to tolerate.

This is a 4-star production and a 4-star read, tragically dictated instead of performed.

A Contemporary Romance

This was my first experience with this author's work, and it was entertaining. I cheered when Rachel Friedman decided to take charge of her life and left a job where her talents weren't being recognized. I felt for Juniper Hart who had to deal with the permanent injury to his body after his accident. I enjoyed their romance. I liked the descriptive passages which dealt with Colorado, the weather, and the animals who made an appearance. I appreciated Sasquatch and his role, and I liked his name. I thought Cailey Lupiccini's narration was fine, and her performance kept my attention. I was given a copy of the audiobook. I volunteered, without financial gain, to post this review which reflected my honest opinions regarding this audiobook.

Delightful!

Rachel feels stuck in a job where she doesn't feel appreciated and she's suffering from burn-out. Scrolling through some job openings, she spots one that involves running a ski resort in Colorado. Being a Florida girl, that's not even in her wheelhouse, but it sure sounds interesting. Juniper (Juni) is a professional snowboarder who has been injured in an accident and can't compete anymore. He has chronic pain that often flares up to the extent that his service dog, Sasquatch, is trained to make sure that he has his medicine. Now that he's retired, Juni wants to stay around the sport that he loves so much, so he's busy turning a dilapidated ski resort into a world class resort. He can't manage it all by himself and when he interviews Rachel, he knows she's perfect for the job. She didn't even know who he was and that means she didn't want to work with him because he was a star, which is so refreshing. They hit it off, but in a slow burn sort of friendship, and I have to admit that it moved at a perfect rate. Juniper and Rachel make a wonderful couple; however, with Sasquatch, they are the perfect family!
The narration is wonderfully done by Cailey Lupiccini. Her clear and dynamic voice with proper pacing and pronunciation helped to bring each of the characters to life.

loved this forced proximity romance

Juniper is a medically retired athlete, who had to give up the sport he loved. However he decided to find another purpose for his life and ended up hiring the burned out and needing a change cooperate worker Rachel. this forced proximity will show these two that they are both exactly where they are meant to be. Rachel also helps Juniper stand up for himself and be honest about his not returning to sports. this was a great read!

Easy romence

Cute story, narration a little flat coud be more performing than readin but nice voice