An exciting contemporary series debut with a wildly unique Alaskan setting.
A workaholic doctor takes a forced vacation and returns to her hometown, reconnecting with the best friend she’s lost touch with and her friend's sexy brother, a search-and-rescue Adonis whose small-town contentment makes her question some life choices.
Dr. Erika Sheraton is a talented surgeon who’s on the cusp of clinical trials for a new anti-rejection drug when she’s put on forced leave because her superiors think she's working too much and it's affecting her performance. She works at the Anchorage hospital run by her father, which means she’s continually under his scrutiny, which is complicated. Their relationship has been strained since her mother died when Erika was in high school and her father became emotionally distant, compelling Erika to work round the clock. Now that she has to take a vacation, she has nowhere to go, so she arranges to visit her childhood best friend, Cassie, whom she hasn’t seen since high school and who still lives in their hometown, Wild River. At first uncomfortable, they soon regain their friendship, then meet up with Cassie’s brother, Reed. Erika and Reed shared an emotionally intense event in high school, and once they meet again, sparks fly. Reed serves on the Wild River Search and Rescue, and over the next two weeks, Erika joins the team on a couple of searches. She’s falling for Reed and loving life in Wild River, but when she returns to Anchorage, she falls back into her workaholic ways and loses touch until another set of surprises forces her to reevaluate everything. Snow’s Alaska setting and search-and-rescue element are interesting twists, and the romance is generally smart and sexy. However, Erika’s father’s about-face emotional engagement feels odd, especially when he effectively takes life-changing decisions out of her hands.
An exciting contemporary series debut with a wildly unique Alaskan setting.Pub Date: Sept. 24, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-335-04150-0
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Harlequin HQN
Review Posted Online: June 30, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an...
True love flares between two people, but they find that circumstances always impede it.
On a winter day in London, Laurie spots Jack from her bus home and he sparks a feeling in her so deep that she spends the next year searching for him. Her roommate and best friend, Sarah, is the perfect wing-woman but ultimately—and unknowingly—ends the search by finding Jack and falling for him herself. Laurie’s hasty decision not to tell Sarah is the second painful missed opportunity (after not getting off the bus), but Sarah’s happiness is so important to Laurie that she dedicates ample energy into retraining her heart not to love Jack. Laurie is misguided, but her effort and loyalty spring from a true heart, and she considers her project mostly successful. Perhaps she would have total success, but the fact of the matter is that Jack feels the same deep connection to Laurie. His reasons for not acting on them are less admirable: He likes Sarah and she’s the total package; why would he give that up just because every time he and Laurie have enough time together (and just enough alcohol) they nearly fall into each other’s arms? Laurie finally begins to move on, creating a mostly satisfying life for herself, whereas Jack’s inability to be genuine tortures him and turns him into an ever bigger jerk. Patriarchy—it hurts men, too! There’s no question where the book is going, but the pacing is just right, the tone warm, and the characters sympathetic, even when making dumb decisions.
Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an emotional, satisfying read.Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-525-57468-2
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: July 30, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.
Eleven years ago, he broke her heart. But he doesn’t know why she never forgave him.
Toggling between past and present, two love stories unfold simultaneously. In the first, Macy Sorensen meets and falls in love with the boy next door, Elliot Petropoulos, in the closet of her dad’s vacation home, where they hide out to discuss their favorite books. In the second, Macy is working as a doctor and engaged to a single father, and she hasn’t spoken to Elliot since their breakup. But a chance encounter forces her to confront the truth: what happened to make Macy stop speaking to Elliot? Ultimately, they’re separated not by time or physical remoteness but by emotional distance—Elliot and Macy always kept their relationship casual because they went to different schools. And as a teen, Macy has more to worry about than which girl Elliot is taking to the prom. After losing her mother at a young age, Macy is navigating her teenage years without a female role model, relying on the time-stamped notes her mother left in her father’s care for guidance. In the present day, Macy’s father is dead as well. She throws herself into her work and rarely comes up for air, not even to plan her upcoming wedding. Since Macy is still living with her fiance while grappling with her feelings for Elliot, the flashbacks offer steamy moments, tender revelations, and sweetly awkward confessions while Macy makes peace with her past and decides her future.
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.Pub Date: April 10, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5011-2801-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
