Annabeth Albert is one of my favourite authors, but this book ... is so full of angst, and fear and desolation and loneliness - the full nine yards of negativity.

This is my 13th book by Albert and only the second one I've awarded less than 4 stars.

Quill, a park ranger in Alaska, is a brick wall, a grumpy immoveable fearful man, damaged by his past of dysfunctional family and relationship. He's a man who has no idea what it's like to look on the bright side - have fun - till Owen.

Owen has been through it all, with a cancer scare that's changed everything in his life. But he's a vital young man in his 30s and has pulled his life together better than most would.

For some reason I don't think Albert explains fully - unless it's that Owen sees a kindred damaged person, although comes from a happy family - Owen persists with everything he is to make a relationship with Quill.

The novel is hard going, and it's 10.5 hours of audiobook. Narrated by Iggy Toma, he does his best with the slog - too much time spent inching up hill to the HEA, and then the trope of a near-death accident to get us there.

I am being harsh, as there are some beautiful moments when the two characters connect. ( )

4.5 stars

My favorite in the series.

( )

I have really enjoyed this short series. Each featured a different couple. This book is about Owen Han, former investment banker and cancer survivor who is fulfilling his bucket list by volunteering to spend the winter helping at a ranger station in Alaska. At the orientation he spies Ranger Quilleran Ramsey, blue-eyed, almost-silver-fox-lusciousness. Of course, being the extrovert that he is, Owen approaches him only to find out that Quill is shy to the point of being rude. They both have had past “boyfriends” who have led them to question long-term relationships. Owen is good with one night or two... whereas Quill is so far in the closet, he must have coat hangers hanging off his ears and smells of mothballs.... not to mention his bad family experiences. Don’t they all? The on again...off again of their relationship made me want to put Quill back in the closet and lock the door, but I knew that they would probably get their “happy ever after". It was just taking longer than I wanted. I have read everything that I can get my hands on by this author, Annabeth Albert is incredibly skilled at bringing her readers along for an emotional ride with all the feels...both good and bad ( )

It’s probably more of a 3.5 but I don’t feel like rounding up.

I can’t say that I’ve been a huge fan of this series since the beginning, but I’ve enjoyed the Alaskan setting enough to want to continue. And I’m glad I did because I found this book to be much better than the previous installments.

The writing in this book took me a while to get into and I was a bit bored initially. But once the winter season started in the story, it was interesting to get to know more about how the volunteers work along with rangers, what are their responsibilities and what kind of incidents should they be equipped to deal with. There was always this sense of danger, especially related to avalanches which felt real and visceral and gave me a real appreciation for the work all of them do to keep the tourists safe. On the flip side, this book doesn’t showcase the beauty of the Alaskan backcountry but concentrates on the issues travelers might face - but I didn’t mind this shift. I had enough of the picturesque locales in two books and it was nice to see the other side too. The last third of the book was also quite emotional and I ended up crying a lot (it could have just been my mood too though). It’s probably one reason I liked this book more despite not connecting with the characters a lot.

Quill wasn’t an easy person to like. Not that he is bad, but he has so many internalized issues about relationships and being out as gay that sometimes I wanted to give him a hug, but other times I wanted to give him a good shake. But he was great at his job and I really liked that he didn’t shy away from talking about all the dangers, even if his audience didn’t appreciate it. Owen on the other hand is a cancer survivor, who now has a bucket list and wants to get through it all because he doesn’t want to waste any time. He is also a very social, talkative and extroverted person which makes him an exact opposite of Quill. And I totally understood his wish that Quill be more open, but I don’t think he completely empathized with Quill’s hangups. They are so different from each other that I couldn’t understand why they liked each other in the first place, but there was a lot of friendship and relationship development which I enjoyed. It felt very domestic and adorable and I liked those quieter moments. However, there was also a lot of back and forth, especially on Quill’s part and while I could feel where he was coming from, it got frustrating after a while. When the conflict happened, it seemed inevitable but I was also so upset that I kept sobbing for quite some time. However, the ending felt a little rushed but also earned and very very sweet.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read despite some of the issues I had with the characters. I loved following the rangers and getting to know their daily life, and that’s one main reason this is probably my favorite of this trilogy. This book also has the hurt/comfort trope - so if you enjoy these themes or the setting of Alaska, you should definitely check out this book. Even if you have been disappointed by the previous books in this series, I have a feeling you might enjoy this better just like I did. ( )

I had a feeling I was going to enjoy this as I loved the last book in the Frozen Hearts series. One of the things I really enjoy about this series of books is that the setting is almost like an additional character. Albert has done her research about Alaska and it shows in this book. I spent a lot of time in the north myself and it rings really true for me.

Owen Han is a man looking for adventure and fulfillment in his life. After a victory over cancer, Owen has been checking items off his bucket list and volunteering in a park in Alaska is his next challenge. It’s at Owen’s volunteer training that he meets Ranger Quilleran Ramsey. Quill is a rugged loner who is a Park Ranger doing a presentation. Owen’s immediately drawn to Quill…he’s just his type… but after a brief encounter Quill makes it clear that he won’t cross his strict ethical boundaries for a fling with Owen.

Through a lovely twist of fate, Owen ends up volunteering at the Station run by Quill and their lives get tangled together. I really enjoyed the way these two characters struggled with their own expectations and pre-conceived ideas as they grew closer to one another. There was some lovely sexual tension from the moment they first met and it carried through into wonderfully hot sex scenes. I adored Quill! There were definitely some moments when he broke my heart… but it was well worth it!

This novel has all the ingredients for a great summer m/m romance! It’s set in the cool Alaskan wilderness, there are two hot men (one of whom wears a uniform), there’s some adventure and an epically dangerous natural event … and a happy ending! ( )