Review & Giveaway - - Alaska for Christmas

Alaska for Christmas

by Jennifer Snow

A Wild Coast Novel - Book 2

Publisher: HQN

Release Date: October 25, 2022

Reviewed by PJ

 

Can a hometown Christmas bring together these two polar opposites?

After traveling to all corners of the globe, Isla Wakefield has returned home to celebrate Christmas with her adoptive family. The gorgeous Alaskan wilderness is the perfect place to recharge before moving on to her next adventure—whatever that may be. Too bad that being home means once more butting heads with Chief Petty Officer Aaron Segura, Port Serenity's resident buzzkill.

Isla’s fearless spirit has always infuriated Aaron—but fascinated him, too. Having lost his sister years ago, he’s never understood how some people can live so recklessly. But after a terrifying ice-climbing accident leaves Isla with amnesia, she and Aaron both see each other in a brand-new light. Forgetting the pain of her past makes Isla fearless in a completely different way. She’s not afraid to show Aaron exactly how she feels, yet he can’t help but wonder…will this temporary change of mind lead to a permanent change of heart?

PJ's Thoughts:

I'm fascinated by amnesia, not that I'd want to experience it in reality or have it happen to someone I love. But in fiction I find it compelling and difficult to resist. That alone would have led me to this book but combine it with the ruggedness of Alaska (my new favorite romance setting) plus an enemies-to-lovers trope, and I'm in. 

Jennifer Snow is a relatively recent discovery for me but I've been enjoying the books of hers that I've read. Her characters are well developed, the stories flow smoothly, and her sense of place fully immerses me in the majesty - and danger - to be found in Alaska. I'm also enjoying the nod to a local legend (possibly true?) in this new series. 

One of my favorite aspects of Alaska for Christmas is how it explores the positive effects of Isla's amnesia and the impact on her life when she's in essence presented with a clean life slate. Not that it doesn't also focus on the emotional trauma - it does - but it's a much more hopeful, positive overall focus. Without the knowledge of her life history or recognition of anyone in her life, Isla is forced to slow down enough to take a closer look at her life goals, her motivation, herself. And when that new vision turns her in the direction of Aaron, something that never would have happened before, it affords the opportunity to both of them to discard their preconceived notions about the other and open their hearts to new possibilities.

Aaron is so endearing. My heart ached for what his family endured when he was in high school and the continuing disconnect between him and his parents. I love how he chooses to commemorate his sister through his Coast Guard rescue work and how that work results in leading him onto a new path with Isla. They have sizzling chemistry but they also have a sweetness between them that develops into a solid friendship with new parameters. Maybe all that pre-amnesia animosity between them was hiding something deeper that fear kept them from acknowledging all those years? Needless to say, I was in their corner cheering them on the entire way to their HEA, which came about in a grand-gesture way that was the perfect ending for a woman who, before her amnesia, had risked her life on a daily basis and a man who had embraced safety with all that he was. 

The surrounding cast of characters is solid and also well developed, giving readers insight into both main characters, both past and present. Isla's brother, Dex and his fiancée, Skylar (Sweet Home Alaska) feature prominently in this story as well as other family members, local Coast Guard teammates, and townspeople. Even with continuing characters, this book is written in such a way that readers new to Port Serenity should have no difficulty beginning the series with Alaska for Christmas. Though I recommend book one as well.

Bonus Novella

In Love in the Forecast, meteorologist Monica Mallard signs up for Port Serenity’s annual navigation contest as a distraction from recent heartbreak. But when she’s paired with silver fox Captain Keith Beaumont, Monica finds the second chance she never could have predicted.

PJ's Thoughts:

For fans of seasoned characters, this romance between Monica and Keith (Skylar's widowed father - Sweet Home Alaska) is an absolute delight, proving that there may be snow on the roof but there's still fire in the soul and you're never too old to embrace new adventures...or new love. 

Have you read Jennifer Snow yet?

Do you enjoy books set in Alaska?

What do you think about amnesia as a plot device? 

One person who posts a comment before 11:00 PM, October 30 will receive a print copy of Alaska for Christmas.

*U.S. only

*Must be 18

*Void where prohibited

Review - - Alaska Dreams

Alaska Dreams

by Jennifer Snow

A Wild River Novel - Book 6

Publisher: HQN

Release Date: January 25, 2022

Reviewed by PJ

 

Is she making the right decision…for her career and her heart?

Following a near-death experience, Selena Hudson is finally going after the career she wants. And since casting directors won’t see her as anything but a rom-com queen, Selena signs on to produce and star in her own movie—an edgy psychological thriller. But just as the cast and crew arrive on location in Wild River, Alaska, the leading man drops out of the production.

Reporter Gus Orosco is not hiding out in Wild River—he’s waiting for the dust to settle after his on-camera “overreaction” triggered by watching his ex-fiancee get engaged to a superstar hockey player. Gus doesn’t want to be anywhere near the film crew shooting at his family’s campgrounds, but Selena makes him an offer he can’t refuse: she’ll snag Gus an interview with Sports Beat if he’ll be her leading man. All Gus has to do is learn his lines, hit his marks and somehow ignore the sparks flying between them…even though they’re hot enough to melt the Alaskan snow.

PJ's Thoughts:

Three years ago I stumbled upon An Alaskan Christmas, the first book in Jennifer Snow's Wild River series. That was all it took to hook me on Snow's writing, her small Alaskan town, and all of the interesting people who call it home. 

Gus and Selena are both at a crossroads in their lives, let down by the people they loved, and struggling to forge new career paths. Well, Selena is forging ahead. Gus is still in the wallowing, I've lost everything stage. They should have a lot in common, and they do, but it will take a while for them to realize that. First, they'll have to move beyond their preconceived notions and instant animosity towards each other. And doesn't that turn out to be eye-opening fun!

I love these two together, their snappy banter, sizzling chemistry, and how their respect for one another slowly grows while they work together on Selena's film. I love Gus's innate goodness and the decisions he makes to protect and promote Selena. He doesn't always get it right but his heart is in the right place and I appreciate that he's willing to listen and learn. 

I was in Selena's corner, urging her on as she sticks to her determination to call her own career shots after being "herded" into movie roles by others since she was a child. She's finished being taken advantage of and that applies to her personal life as well. But, like Gus, she also is in want of emotional growth. Snow does a good job of moving their relationship, as well as their individual evolution, forward slowly and realistically, with a satisfying amount of steam, and a few potholes to test them along the way. By the time they reached their story's conclusion, I was fully confident in their future happiness and their professional success. 

As a fan of the series, it's always fun to catch up with former main, and secondary, characters from the earlier books. In this one, I especially enjoyed watching a certain almost-teen gradually coming into her own while helping on the movie set. She was an absolute delight. For readers new to Wild River, however, you should feel comfortable jumping in at any point in the series. Give this one a try. I enthusiastically recommend it. 

Harlequin Holiday Blog Tour

If you're looking for a variety of holiday romances to curl up with this month, check out these titles from Harlequin! There are stories that will make you laugh, make you cry, make you sigh, and fill your heart with joy.

Coming Home for Christmas
by RaeAnne Thayne

Hearts are lighter and wishes burn a little brighter at Christmas…

Elizabeth was trapped in a tangle of postpartum depression and grief after the death of her beloved parents and she couldn’t quite see the way back to her husband and their two beautiful kids…until a car accident stole away her memories and changed her life.

And when she finally remembered the sound of little Cassie’s laugh, the baby powder smell of Bridger, or the feel of her husband’s hand in hers, Elizabeth worried that they’d moved on without her. That she’d missed too much. That perhaps she wasn’t the right mother for her kids or wife for Luke, no matter how much she loved them.

But now, seven years later, Luke finds her in a nearby town and brings Elizabeth back home to the family she loves, just in time for Christmas. And being reunited with Luke and her children is better than anything Elizabeth could have imagined.

As they all trim the tree and bake cookies, making new holiday memories, Elizabeth and Luke are drawn ever closer. Can the hurt of the past seven years be healed over the course of one Christmas season and bring the Hamiltons the gift of a new beginning?

This book has all the feels! RaeAnne Thayne engaged just about every emotion I have with this story, ripping my heart apart then putting it back together stronger than before. I've read almost her entire back list and I think this is some of her strongest writing ever. What this family has endured is heartbreaking, leaving all of them dealing with strong emotions when they're finally reunited after seven years. I found all of their reactions to be realistic and understandable. Thayne doesn't give them any quick fixes, instead flawlessly guiding them through the peaks and valleys of grief, anger, fear, and forgiveness as they all begin to deal with their new realities. I couldn't stop reading. I cried for what they'd been through and I cried with joy for what they'd found. This one is a keeper. 

An Alaskan Christmas
by Jennifer Snow

If there’s one gift Erika Sheraton does not want for Christmas, it’s a vacation. Ordered to take time off, the workaholic surgeon reluctantly trades in her scrubs for a ski suit and heads to Wild River, Alaska. Her friend Cassie owns a tour company that offers adventures to fit every visitor. But nothing compares to the adrenaline rush Erika feels on being reunited with Cassie’s brother, Reed Reynolds.

Gone is the buttoned-up girl Reed remembers. His sister’s best friend has blossomed into a strong, skilled, confident woman. She’s exactly what his search-and-rescue team needs—and everything he didn’t know he craved. The gulf between his life in Wild River and her big-city career is wide. But it’s no match for a desire powerful enough to melt two stubborn hearts…

Sometimes, you really can go home. I so enjoyed this journey to love between two strong-willed people: a workaholic, city surgeon and a small-town, search and rescue leader. Talk about opposites attracting! Snow packs this first book in her Wild River series with lots of sizzle, heart, action, adventure, and complicated family dynamics. Her characters are complex and multi-layered. I became invested in them quickly and fully engaged in the issues surrounding them and standing in the way of a potential HEA. Snow's descriptions of Wild River bring the small town to life as well as the people who live there. I'm already looking forward to many more stories set there and hoping Cassie's will be next. 


A Wedding in December
by Sarah Morgan

In the snowy perfection of Aspen, the White family gathers for youngest daughter Rosie’s whirlwind Christmas wedding. First to arrive are the bride’s parents, Maggie and Nick. Their daughter’s marriage is a milestone they are determined to celebrate wholeheartedly, but they are hiding a huge secret of their own: they are on the brink of divorce. After living apart for the last six months, the last thing they need is to be trapped together in an irresistibly romantic winter wonderland.

Rosie’s older sister, Katie, is also dreading the wedding. Worried that impulsive, sweet-hearted Rosie is making a mistake, Katie is determined to save her sister from herself! If only the irritatingly good-looking best man, Jordan, would stop interfering with her plans…

Bride-to-be Rosie loves her fiancé but is having serious second thoughts. Except everyone has arrived—how can she tell them she’s not sure? As the big day gets closer, and emotions run even higher, this is one White family Christmas none of them will ever forget!

A lovely blend of women's fiction and romance, Sarah Morgan's A Wedding in December will have you laughing, sniffling, and sighing with delight. There's such a wonderfully real, and complex, family dynamic going on here that's fully explored along with each of the three romantic relationships. Bride and groom to be, Rosie and Dan are young, in love, and I couldn't help but be in their corner. While both of them seem to be easy going and uncomplicated at first, I liked the bite Morgan puts in each of these characters and enjoyed their evolution through the book, especially Rosie's. Katie, the over-protective older sister has perhaps the greatest amount of growth throughout the story. My heart ached for her and, though I didn't care much for her at the start, she ended up being one of my favorite characters by the end of the book. But it's the parents who stole the show, at least for me. Their hilarious, complex, and poignant second chance romance, set in motion because they lied and told everyone they were on their second honeymoon, was the highlight of the book for me. I enthusiastically recommend adding A Wedding in December to your holiday reading. 

Cowboy Christmas Redemption
by Maisey Yates

Cowboy Caleb Dalton has loved single mom Ellie Bell, and her little daughter, Amelia, for years. But since Ellie is his best friend’s widow, Caleb’s head knows Ellie will always be strictly off-limits. If only his heart got the memo. So when Caleb discovers that Ellie has a Christmas wish list—and hopes for a kiss under the mistletoe—he’s throwing his cowboy hat into the ring. If anyone’s going to be kissing Ellie and sharing this magical time with her and her daughter, it’s him.

Ellie has dreaded the holidays since losing her husband. But this year, she’s finally ready to make some changes. She never expects the biggest change to be the heart-stopping kiss she shares with Caleb. For almost five years, Caleb has been her best friend, her rock, her salvation. This Christmas, can Caleb prove he’s also the missing puzzle piece of Ellie’s and Amelia’s hearts?


Friends to lovers is one of my favorite romance tropes and this newest addition to Maisy Yates' Gold Valley series brings all the feels. Though Caleb and Ellie have been best friends for years, the mass of intermingled emotional baggage they both carry has kept them from moving beyond friendship. Until Ellie finally decides to move forward with her life...and Caleb isn't about to let her move on with anyone but him. It makes for a complex, emotional journey that made me laugh, cry, and tingle in all the best ways. 

Yates does a great job of bringing her characters to life and immersing me in their journey. I could feel all the doubts, desire, and guilt that Caleb and Ellie have to wade through. My heart ached for the pain caused by the secrets Caleb has kept from his family, and Ellie, and rejoiced in the forgiveness and acceptance that follow when he finally shares them. 

Ellie and Caleb have been tested by the flames of emotional fire, from which they emerged stronger and wiser, with a solid foundation of friendship and love. I turned the final page of their story confident in the strength of their bond and their future happiness as a family. 

I can't wait to return to Gold Valley for more Dalton family stories!

Christmas From the Heart
by Sheila Roberts

Olivia Berg’s charity, Christmas from the Heart, has helped generations of families in need in Pine River, Washington, but this year might be the end of the road. Hightower Enterprises, one of their biggest donors since way back when Olivia’s grandmother ran the charity, has been taken over by Ebenezer Scrooge the Second, aka CFO Guy Hightower, and he’s declared there will be no more money coming to Christmas from the Heart.

Guy is simply being practical. Hightower Enterprises needs to tighten its belt, and when you don’t have money to spare, you don’t have money to share. You’d think even the pushy Olivia Berg could understand that.

With charitable donations dwindling, Olivia’s Christmas budget depends on Hightower’s contribution. She’s focused her whole life on helping this small town, even putting her love life on hold to support her mission.

When Guy’s Maserati breaks down at the edge of the Cascade foothills, he’s relieved to be rescued by a pretty young woman who drives him to the nearby town of Pine River. Until he realizes his rescuer is none other than Olivia Berg. What’s a Scrooge to do? Plug his nose and eat fruitcake and hope she doesn’t learn his true identity before he can get out of town. What could go wrong?

I can always count on Sheila Roberts for humorous, heartwarming, holiday romance. This year, she's bringing readers a new, feel-good story that gives a nod to the classic tale, A Christmas Carol. Once again, I found myself delightfully immersed in the lives and loves of the citizens of a small, Washington town.  

I love Sheila Roberts' characters. They're so delightfully real, with all the flaws and quirks we find in ourselves and those around us. I like that even though they may have good intentions, they don't always make the best decisions. I enjoy how they evolve, often taking two steps back for each step forward as they move toward their happily ever after, wherever, and with whomever, that may be. I love the spirit of kindness, love, sharing, and forgiveness that she weaves throughout this story. I also turned the final page with a smile on my face, joy in my heart, and the conviction that, once again, two deserving characters have found the person they're meant to share life with. 

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Have you read any of these titles yet? I have Brenda Novak's Christmas in Silver Springs on my Kindle so watch for my review of that soon.

One person who comments before 11:00 PM, December 17, will receive one Kindle copy of their choice from the six titles shown in the header.