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kaity_b's review
4.0
3.5 stars
I enjoyed this book waaaaay more than the first. I do wish they communicated more but I am glad their issues didn’t drag out as long as I thought it might.
I am interested in seeing Quills book since he got a VERY small cameo in this book! And speaking of cameos Griff and River only got a few moments so this book can be read completely as a standalone.
Also Iggy Toma did a great job narrating, he didn’t make Rueben sound ancient like some other narrators would because of the age gap. Also Amelia was annoying at the beginning but really redeemed herself at the end.
I do wish Toby and Rueben got stranded longer, it could have been a few more chapters but overall was still done well!
I enjoyed this book waaaaay more than the first. I do wish they communicated more but I am glad their issues didn’t drag out as long as I thought it might.
I am interested in seeing Quills book since he got a VERY small cameo in this book! And speaking of cameos Griff and River only got a few moments so this book can be read completely as a standalone.
Also Iggy Toma did a great job narrating, he didn’t make Rueben sound ancient like some other narrators would because of the age gap. Also Amelia was annoying at the beginning but really redeemed herself at the end.
I do wish Toby and Rueben got stranded longer, it could have been a few more chapters but overall was still done well!
heabooknerd's review
4.0
I really enjoyed ARCTIC WILD and it brought a lighter tone to the series compared to the previous book ARCTIC SUN. On top of that, the stranded theme is one of my favorites and while it's only a small portion of the story, it's the catalyst for the rest of the character's actions and decisions. As always, the writing was spot on and Albert has such a sense of pace when writing a romance.
Reuben was easily my favorite character and I loved that he was a softer, gentle kind of guy. He's dedicated everything he has to his work at the cost of his personal life and his relationship with his 14 year old daughter, Amelia. After the plane crash, Reuben reevaluates his life and decides to take the summer to assess what he wants and reconnect with his daughter. While Reuben lets go of his workaholic ways pretty easily, I didn't mind because it was great to watch him fall in love with Alaska and a more balanced life. Reuben loves to care for his partners, in and out of the bedroom, and I liked this side of his personality. He might be too obsessed with his work but he's also a genuinely nice guy. It was also really sweet to watch him deal with a moody teenage daughter.
Toby is the carefree, fun loving, pilot who is used to casual flings. He's given his all to care for his younger sisters and his father whose health is deteriorating. From the outside, Toby is always trying to prove his competence and take care of everything on his own. Being confined to a wheelchair while he heals just about kills Toby as he's forced to rely on Reuben and deal with the mounting bills and no income. I never connected as strongly with Toby but I did like him as a character and I thought he was a great match for Reuben. Both men are used to taking on a lot of responsibility but handle it in very different ways.
The only thing I really struggled with was Toby's family who I felt were kind of awful most of the time. His father and his sister don't like Reuben and hate the idea of Toby being with him. Toby's father is also the one who's constantly pressuring Toby to be a man and take care of his own business. While his sister begins to come around to the idea of Reuben I still dreaded anytime they appeared in a scene because they were just both downers.
ARC provided by NetGalley for honest review
Reuben was easily my favorite character and I loved that he was a softer, gentle kind of guy. He's dedicated everything he has to his work at the cost of his personal life and his relationship with his 14 year old daughter, Amelia. After the plane crash, Reuben reevaluates his life and decides to take the summer to assess what he wants and reconnect with his daughter. While Reuben lets go of his workaholic ways pretty easily, I didn't mind because it was great to watch him fall in love with Alaska and a more balanced life. Reuben loves to care for his partners, in and out of the bedroom, and I liked this side of his personality. He might be too obsessed with his work but he's also a genuinely nice guy. It was also really sweet to watch him deal with a moody teenage daughter.
Toby is the carefree, fun loving, pilot who is used to casual flings. He's given his all to care for his younger sisters and his father whose health is deteriorating. From the outside, Toby is always trying to prove his competence and take care of everything on his own. Being confined to a wheelchair while he heals just about kills Toby as he's forced to rely on Reuben and deal with the mounting bills and no income. I never connected as strongly with Toby but I did like him as a character and I thought he was a great match for Reuben. Both men are used to taking on a lot of responsibility but handle it in very different ways.
The only thing I really struggled with was Toby's family who I felt were kind of awful most of the time. His father and his sister don't like Reuben and hate the idea of Toby being with him. Toby's father is also the one who's constantly pressuring Toby to be a man and take care of his own business. While his sister begins to come around to the idea of Reuben I still dreaded anytime they appeared in a scene because they were just both downers.
ARC provided by NetGalley for honest review
nalia_danger's review against another edition
No chemistry between romantic leads, dull plot, overall boring book. Even a great narrator couldn't save it.
bookschaosnart's review
4.0
Following a plane crash in which Toby was seriously hurt, Ruben and his daughter move to Alaska to both take care of Toby and also figure their own relationship out. Toby and Reuben negotiate their relationship while also dealing with Toby's hard head and his family as well. Definitely May/December but Toby is an old soul after having to take care of his own family An excellent story of learning and growing from everyone you meet.
eesh25's review against another edition
4.0
Arctic Wild follows Reuben, a workaholic and very successful layer. He'd finally agreed to go on a vacation in Alaska with a couple of his friends. But when they have to cancel at the last minute, he goes anyway. On the trip, it's only him and Tobias, the pilot and guide. And despite the significant age difference between the two (Reuben is 48 while Toby is 31), they slowly got along.
Then a plane crash happens, leaving Toby very injured. Reuben, who likes Toby and wants to help, offers Toby a place to stay while he recovers, since Toby's home is too cramped to be good for recovery.
And though the story starts beforehand, this was kind of the real start of the romance. Before, we saw Reuben and Toby become comfortable around each other and become friends. And yes, there was attraction between the two, but Toby didn't want to start anything with a client and their trip was more about the beautiful places they were visiting and about Reuben lifting his eyes off his cell phone and laptop to appreciate the trip.
After the accident, we see them really start to bond. And... I have no idea what to write. Somehow, I've run out of words...
*One day later*
I'm back. Let's try this again. I liked the book and that seems to be the essence of how I feel about it. Hence the lack of words. I don't have anything overwhelmingly positive or negative to say, and it's all about the story, which makes me feel like I'm just writing the plot of the novel (I do that sometimes).
The writing is good, both with describing the scenery of Alaska and when helping the reader understand what the characters are going through. We get both Reuben and Toby's perspective, though the understanding part is crucial more for Toby. Reuben, though uninterested in most things initially, soon becomes a lot more open to finding out what more there is to life. Also, he's taking the summer to reconnect with his teenage daughter, who is also a main character in the book.
There are a few side character. Reuben's daughter, Amelia, is one; there's also one of Toby's sisters and his father who are prominently featured. I liked Amelia, despite her initial bratty-ness, but Toby's family never really grew on me. They were so dismissive about Reuben and about Toby's worries and feelings, especially Toby's father. It also didn't help that the conflict was basically his fault.
Toby, though open to a fling or maybe even something more, is quite repressed in other ways. For one, he doesn't share his troubles and doesn't accept help at all. And that's because his father's raised him to think that needing help, even with a broken arm and leg, makes a person weak. Which is such utter bullshit. But it's easy to see what Toby is going through. Yes, it can be tad frustrating when Toby misinterprets Reuben's care and desire to be helpful, but the novel is pretty angst free overall.
In terms of pace, I liked it better than that of Arctic Sun, but because the events of the novel are so contained in personal feelings and conversations, it can feel long. Could've used something to liven things up. I vote humour.
And that's it. I'm hoping I did a decent job with this review. It's a very tame book that's good for when you wanna have a relaxing day, rather than if you're looking for something exciting. I'd still recommend reading it though, and while I'm not particularly eager about the future of the series, I'd definitely like to give some of the author's other books a shot. Maybe when I've made some headway with my "currently reading" list.
Then a plane crash happens, leaving Toby very injured. Reuben, who likes Toby and wants to help, offers Toby a place to stay while he recovers, since Toby's home is too cramped to be good for recovery.
And though the story starts beforehand, this was kind of the real start of the romance. Before, we saw Reuben and Toby become comfortable around each other and become friends. And yes, there was attraction between the two, but Toby didn't want to start anything with a client and their trip was more about the beautiful places they were visiting and about Reuben lifting his eyes off his cell phone and laptop to appreciate the trip.
After the accident, we see them really start to bond. And... I have no idea what to write. Somehow, I've run out of words...
*One day later*
I'm back. Let's try this again. I liked the book and that seems to be the essence of how I feel about it. Hence the lack of words. I don't have anything overwhelmingly positive or negative to say, and it's all about the story, which makes me feel like I'm just writing the plot of the novel (I do that sometimes).
The writing is good, both with describing the scenery of Alaska and when helping the reader understand what the characters are going through. We get both Reuben and Toby's perspective, though the understanding part is crucial more for Toby. Reuben, though uninterested in most things initially, soon becomes a lot more open to finding out what more there is to life. Also, he's taking the summer to reconnect with his teenage daughter, who is also a main character in the book.
There are a few side character. Reuben's daughter, Amelia, is one; there's also one of Toby's sisters and his father who are prominently featured. I liked Amelia, despite her initial bratty-ness, but Toby's family never really grew on me. They were so dismissive about Reuben and about Toby's worries and feelings, especially Toby's father. It also didn't help that the conflict was basically his fault.
Toby, though open to a fling or maybe even something more, is quite repressed in other ways. For one, he doesn't share his troubles and doesn't accept help at all. And that's because his father's raised him to think that needing help, even with a broken arm and leg, makes a person weak. Which is such utter bullshit. But it's easy to see what Toby is going through. Yes, it can be tad frustrating when Toby misinterprets Reuben's care and desire to be helpful, but the novel is pretty angst free overall.
In terms of pace, I liked it better than that of Arctic Sun, but because the events of the novel are so contained in personal feelings and conversations, it can feel long. Could've used something to liven things up. I vote humour.
And that's it. I'm hoping I did a decent job with this review. It's a very tame book that's good for when you wanna have a relaxing day, rather than if you're looking for something exciting. I'd still recommend reading it though, and while I'm not particularly eager about the future of the series, I'd definitely like to give some of the author's other books a shot. Maybe when I've made some headway with my "currently reading" list.
zaza_bdp's review against another edition
3.0
Avec ce deuxième tome de la série Frozen Hearts on retrouve la beauté sauvage et immense de l'Alaska, aux côtés du régional de l'étape, Toby, et de Reuben, le citadin accro au boulot.
Comme dans le tome 1, on part en voyage organisé au fin fond de l'Alaska, et cette fois-ci, pas de minibus, mais plutôt un avion, enfin ... selon Reuben, cela tient plus d'un coucou qu'autre chose ... Rien ne va se passer comme prévu, et les deux hommes vont assez vite se retrouver dans une situation assez dramatique, qui posera les bases du reste du roman, et les conduira à passer beaucoup de temps ensemble.
Si j'ai bien plutôt bien aimé Reuben, j'ai eu plus de mal avec Toby, qui a fini par m'agacer, même si je peux comprendre ses réticences. Et du coup, je trouve la fin bâclée, alors qu'il y a un épilogue ... La romance en elle-même n'est pas transcendante, on sait que leur relation progresse, mais nous n'y assistons pas vraiment, et je trouve cela un peu dommage.
Pour finir sur une note plus positive, j'ai apprécié les relations entre les personnages, notamment celles entre Amelia et les autres.
Comme dans le tome 1, on part en voyage organisé au fin fond de l'Alaska, et cette fois-ci, pas de minibus, mais plutôt un avion, enfin ... selon Reuben, cela tient plus d'un coucou qu'autre chose ... Rien ne va se passer comme prévu, et les deux hommes vont assez vite se retrouver dans une situation assez dramatique, qui posera les bases du reste du roman, et les conduira à passer beaucoup de temps ensemble.
Si j'ai bien plutôt bien aimé Reuben, j'ai eu plus de mal avec Toby, qui a fini par m'agacer, même si je peux comprendre ses réticences. Et du coup, je trouve la fin bâclée, alors qu'il y a un épilogue ... La romance en elle-même n'est pas transcendante, on sait que leur relation progresse, mais nous n'y assistons pas vraiment, et je trouve cela un peu dommage.
Pour finir sur une note plus positive, j'ai apprécié les relations entre les personnages, notamment celles entre Amelia et les autres.
vkelt's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
camill3's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
pretty similar to the first book but i liked that the author included more about Toby's culture & heritage.
nicki_theoverflowingbookcase's review
4.0
As a tourist guide and a pilot, Toby has taken many travelers throughout Alaska, but it is not until he takes Reuben, a man traveling alone that things don't go as smoothly as they should. Although he fights his attraction to Reuben an unfortunate landing has them both relying on each other. But will the high powered attorney go back to NJ and forget about the friendship he made? Or will the two reconnect and hopefully have a future? With a storyline that I could not put down and characters you cannot help but fall in love with once again Annabeth Albert does not disappoint. Love this series and cannot wait for more.