I have mixed feelings about The Winter Bride. Don't get me wrong, I liked it enough--the 3 stars are a testament to that--but the story just had too many flaws to ignore. 
 For one, its characterisation was problematic and one-dimensional. It's problematic in the sense that I found Damaris' character to be inconsistent at times. At the start of the book, she's very serious and solemn, and then all of a sudden, halfway through it, she's all laughter and smiles. I also found that the other characters, including Freddy, the hero, to be rather bland and lacking in depth. To give them credit, Freddy, Max, and the Chance sisters were likeable. It's just that, well, they don't have enough character depth to feel real. The same holds true with Freddy's parents. The way they were painted in the story, especially their irrational hatred against Freddy, seemed too contrived to be normal. This issue stopped me from making any connection to the characters. I didn't feel invested. 
 Another issue I have with the book is the irregularity in the tone. It can be funny at one instance, and then serious the next. The mercurial quality to the tone just made me confused as to how I should feel at the scenes. 
 The whole reading experience entertained me, but it was a shallow kind of entertainment. The plot was very simplistic and not at all compelling. I liked it, but that's just it.