Review: Arctic Heat by Annabeth Albert
SYNOPSIS:
A lasting connection needs more than simply surviving a winter together—they’ll have to outsmart danger, let down their defenses and open their hearts.
Owen Han has a fresh lease on life—he’s kicked cancer’s ass and is roaring through his bucket list. The former investment banker hopes to find his next challenge in Alaska, volunteering alongside park rangers and fulfilling his childhood dreams of snowy winters and rustic life. Of course, those dreams did tend to feature big strapping mountain men in vivid detail…
Ranger Quilleran Ramsey would like to be anywhere other than dealing with newbie volunteers. And really, the only thing he needs less than a green volunteer “partner” is the flirty attentions of a buff city boy who doesn’t look ready to last a week, let alone an Alaskan winter. They’re all wrong for each other, even if Quill’s traitorous body enjoys the flirting more than it should.
As the weeks pass, the two snowbound men give in to temptation. But can their seasonal romance last until spring? For them to have a future together, each will have to trust the other…while hoping that the harsh elements and omnipresent dangers don’t destroy what happiness they’ve found in the moment.
REVIEW:
I couldn’t connect with this story. I wanted to love it and on the surface, the cover and synopsis are enticing. But there were a few factors to this story that kept me from getting pulled into the narrative. Mainly the pacing of this book was off for me, both for the romance and the individual character development.
So lets start off with Quill, this man is so tragically broken and damaged. And over the course of the story, he never seems to truly get a handle on his trauma. He carries it around like baggage, a weight and burden he is resigned to bear. And honestly it is heartbreaking to watch. At the end of the story his personality seems to do a complete 180 but this sudden change lacks any transition. It’s like one minute he is all doom and gloom and the next, life is a beautiful gift he and he must seize the moment.
Then there is Owen, who is actual sunshine and I really liked his personality. Him and Quill complimented each other so well, when in their secluded bubble. It is totally a case of opposites attract but they do have chemistry. And this is where the relationship stuff comes into play. Quill was so deep in the closet that him coming out and having a change of heart didn’t seem fluid. Owen felt like a dirty secret throughout the book.
This change of heart happened towards the end of the book and in a matter of two chapters the story ends. I didn’t feel satisfied as a reader. Owen kept mentioning he didn’t want Quill to come out for the wrong reasons and I have to be honest, I kind of agreed with Owen. In a matter of pages, Quill sheds 40-some years of baggage and is suddenly a new man. And it all felt rushed and I didn’t know where his head went or who this new, mysterious man was but it wasn’t the same man I just spent the last 200 pages listening to groaning about how he wasn’t relationship material and would never come out.
LINKS:
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
