Let me just say that I needed to read this kind of book and it was pretty much everything that I wanted it to be. I haven't read many lesbian romances lately that have left me feeling much of anything, so it was great to rather unexpectedly stumble upon this book and love every second of it.

Clara is an educated Bostonian who, at the age of twenty-four, is labeled an old maid. Eligible bachelors, especially in post-Civil War America, are in short supply, and so she starts reading the matrimonial ads in the paper, hoping to find one that sparks her interest. And she does - Jasper Glass' ad, a trapper who lives in Alaska. Clara's mind is filled with the romance of living in the Alaska District, and so she replies to the ad and starts her adventure up north. But Jasper dies in an accident before Clara reaches Alaska.

Callie, Jasper's sister, is devastated by her brother's death on the trapline. Left alone in the Alaskan Frontier with few friends and more than a few enemies, Callie wonders if maybe it'd just be best if she overdosed on laudanum. To make matters worse, Jasper's intended bride, Clara, shows up on Callie's doorstep unexpectedly, even though Callie had written to tell her that she shouldn't come to Alaska after all (Clara never received the letter), and Clara doesn't seem like she's too keen on leaving any time soon.

I love historical romances. Back before I discovered publishers like Bella Books and Bold Strokes, I read straight romances (usually pretending the guy was just really butch - hey, I'll admit it!), and my genre of choice was historical. And now that I've discovered queer romances, yes, I like contemporary fine, and I love paranormal and urban fantasy, but damn, I still love historical romances. And finding lesbian historical romances that ring true to the time frame depicted is extremely difficult! I don't want something that is unrealistically all sunshine and rainbows and kittens; if I'm reading historical fiction, I want it to feel like it could have actually happened. And Alaskan Bride totally felt like that.

The author really uses a lot of period-appropriate dialogue, which can be a bit confusing at first (there were several words that I had never heard of before - thank goodness I was reading on my Kindle with its built in dictionary ;) ), but I really liked that, actually. It felt more authentic. And Clara and Callie "spoke" very differently from one another, which I also appreciated - I hate when I can't tell who is "speaking" in a story, and Clara and Callie SHOULD sound very different from one another (one is a well-educated Bostonian, another is someone who has lived on the frontier most of her life and is more "rough around the edges").

I also like that this book was a slow burn romance; Callie and Clara didn't fall into instalove. They progressed from strangers to acquaintances to friends to partners to lovers. There isn't any sex in the book (although it is heavily implied off-the-page in the last chapter), and just one kissing scene. I didn't mind that too much, although I just wanted to read MORE about the characters at the end of the book. I didn't want the story to be over when I was done - I wanted to read about them forming a relationship, and building the cabin like they planned, and Clara's brother and friend coming up to visit, and just more more more, haha. I could totally go for a sequel. ;)

I've never read a book by this author, but the story was completely engrossing - I definitely plan on reading more books by this author in the near future! ( )