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corinnas's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
novelesque_life's review against another edition
4.0
RATING: 4 STARS
2019; HQN/HarperCollins
I enjoyed this holiday romance! It is a cute story that I am sure Hallmark would make into a movie. Erika is a surgeon and a workaholic. Taking a forced vacation is making her more stressed out. She decides to head to Alaska where her friend, Cassie owns a tour company. Seeing Cassie means that Erika will see her brother, Reed as well. Sparks fly as the surgeon can't stop working and helps out at Search and Rescue. Could either leave their career for the other? I am looking forward to the next book which I am hoping is Cassie's story.
***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***
2019; HQN/HarperCollins
I enjoyed this holiday romance! It is a cute story that I am sure Hallmark would make into a movie. Erika is a surgeon and a workaholic. Taking a forced vacation is making her more stressed out. She decides to head to Alaska where her friend, Cassie owns a tour company. Seeing Cassie means that Erika will see her brother, Reed as well. Sparks fly as the surgeon can't stop working and helps out at Search and Rescue. Could either leave their career for the other? I am looking forward to the next book which I am hoping is Cassie's story.
***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***
readingwithhippos's review against another edition
3.0
Erika is a high-powered surgeon who doesn’t know when to quit—until her boss forces her to take a vacation. With nothing to do outside of her job, Erika winds up at her childhood best friend’s house in their small hometown, Wild River, Alaska. A lot of things haven’t changed around town, but her friend’s brother Reed sure has. He’s now a big, buff search and rescue team leader, and while Erika jumps at the chance to put her medical skills to use on the mountain rescues, she’s less sure about jumping into a relationship with Reed. Reading about high-altitude peril while snugged up safe by the fire is #peakcozy.
heavenleighreader's review
I'm an Alaskan and oh this wasn't it. I wanted to like the story but it's very difficult for me to suspend disbelief when a story is set in Alaska and is the furthest thing from it in terms of setting. You can't just slap a fake town name and occasionally reference Anchorage and expect to get it right.
onceuponatimeireadabook's review against another edition
4.0
An Alaskan Christmas is the first book in Jennifer Snow’s new series, Wild River, which takes place in Wild River, Alaska. When Dr Erika Sheraton, gets sentenced to a mandatory two-week vacation, she decides to head back to her hometown and her childhood best friend, Cassie Reynolds. When Erika arrives in Wild River, she and Cassie quickly realise how much they’ve changed over time, but after reuniting with Cassie’s brother, Reed Reynolds, the two best friends finally start to get their groove back.
Speaking of Big Brother… Sparks are flying every which way between Reed and Erika. The pair have an immediate connection despite their rocky start. They butt heads as much as they flirt, which, for me, is so entertaining. I like my romance pairings to have various sparkings, okay? A little strife to add some spice to life. Growing up, Reed had a complex about proving himself to his little sister’s stuck-up best friend, they didn’t really interact aside from this one time one time they got lost overnight on a camping trip.
One of the things I truly enjoyed about An Alaskan Christmas was the research Jennifer Snow put into this book. Not just in the medical mumbo jumbo that I know absolutely nothing about but also in the search and rescue field which I’m happy to say I’m a fan of. So, when I say Ms Snow did research, I mean it! The one thing I didn’t really like was Erika was dogsitting and had the chance to put the dog’s shoes on but her response was “you’re a dog”. Ahem. Soap box time.
If you feel the need to protect yourself from the cold, including your feet, put the shoes on the dog because dogs can get frostbite too! I live in Florida, the complete opposite of Alaska, but my dogs wear boots so they don't burn their feet. If you feel the need to wear shoes to protect your feet from something, put boots on your dog. It bothers me so much that we have this educated character presented with the option of taking the precaution of protecting a dog from needing medical treatment and instead, she opts for "why would a dog need boots? so ridiculous." Why not educate your audience through your story and help put shoes on other dogs out there whose owners have that mentality through subliminal messaging? Instead, Jennifer Snow put dog boots in the story and made them seem ridiculous.
Moving on, An Alaskan Christmas is about love, connection, and discovery. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about this book (like I’m ever sure about anything), but as I read Erika and Reed’s story, I found myself enjoying it. Did I hope Erika would fall down the stairs for not putting the boots on the dog? Maybe. But other than that, I found this book a great read. I got my emotions all twisted about and tugged every which way just right and I really enjoyed the storyline.
This book contains alcohol consumption, bar scenes, a father with an alcohol problem, life-threatening situations in the wild, and medical procedures performed in less-than optimum surroundings, and loss of parents.
Overall, I'm giving An Alaskan Christmas 4 stars and 5 flames. This book was well researched, entertaining, and absorbing. I look forward to reading the second book (hopefully Cassie's!). I received a copy of An Alaskan Christmas from Harlequin as a part of their 2019 Holiday Blog Tour and as super excited as being a part of Harlequin's blogging community, this does not influence my rating or review. I'm an overly opinionated heifer and, after thirty years on this planet, I'm stuck in the zone. But the FTC demands I make you aware of my connection to Harlequin so I'm connected to Harlequin as a voluntary blogger and reviewer.
This has been a review from Once Upon a Time, I Read a Book, and if you enjoyed this review, come visit my site where you can find me in all of my weirdness.
Speaking of Big Brother… Sparks are flying every which way between Reed and Erika. The pair have an immediate connection despite their rocky start. They butt heads as much as they flirt, which, for me, is so entertaining. I like my romance pairings to have various sparkings, okay? A little strife to add some spice to life. Growing up, Reed had a complex about proving himself to his little sister’s stuck-up best friend, they didn’t really interact aside from this one time one time they got lost overnight on a camping trip.
One of the things I truly enjoyed about An Alaskan Christmas was the research Jennifer Snow put into this book. Not just in the medical mumbo jumbo that I know absolutely nothing about but also in the search and rescue field which I’m happy to say I’m a fan of. So, when I say Ms Snow did research, I mean it! The one thing I didn’t really like was Erika was dogsitting and had the chance to put the dog’s shoes on but her response was “you’re a dog”. Ahem. Soap box time.
If you feel the need to protect yourself from the cold, including your feet, put the shoes on the dog because dogs can get frostbite too! I live in Florida, the complete opposite of Alaska, but my dogs wear boots so they don't burn their feet. If you feel the need to wear shoes to protect your feet from something, put boots on your dog. It bothers me so much that we have this educated character presented with the option of taking the precaution of protecting a dog from needing medical treatment and instead, she opts for "why would a dog need boots? so ridiculous." Why not educate your audience through your story and help put shoes on other dogs out there whose owners have that mentality through subliminal messaging? Instead, Jennifer Snow put dog boots in the story and made them seem ridiculous.
Moving on, An Alaskan Christmas is about love, connection, and discovery. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about this book (like I’m ever sure about anything), but as I read Erika and Reed’s story, I found myself enjoying it. Did I hope Erika would fall down the stairs for not putting the boots on the dog? Maybe. But other than that, I found this book a great read. I got my emotions all twisted about and tugged every which way just right and I really enjoyed the storyline.
This book contains alcohol consumption, bar scenes, a father with an alcohol problem, life-threatening situations in the wild, and medical procedures performed in less-than optimum surroundings, and loss of parents.
Overall, I'm giving An Alaskan Christmas 4 stars and 5 flames. This book was well researched, entertaining, and absorbing. I look forward to reading the second book (hopefully Cassie's!). I received a copy of An Alaskan Christmas from Harlequin as a part of their 2019 Holiday Blog Tour and as super excited as being a part of Harlequin's blogging community, this does not influence my rating or review. I'm an overly opinionated heifer and, after thirty years on this planet, I'm stuck in the zone. But the FTC demands I make you aware of my connection to Harlequin so I'm connected to Harlequin as a voluntary blogger and reviewer.
This has been a review from Once Upon a Time, I Read a Book, and if you enjoyed this review, come visit my site where you can find me in all of my weirdness.
whatcha_listening_to's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 Stars
Erika and Reed are stubborn and their story is a sweet one. I love all things Alaska so this book was right up my alley.
I like that even though Erika was pushed into her vacation she picked going to see her College friend. That showed that she really wanted to be more than what she had become.
Reed gets blind sided with how much he is attracted to Erika now that she is all grown up.
I kinda loved the way this book unfolded. It was just the right amount of sweet and sassy.
I really enjoyed the narration as well.
Erika and Reed are stubborn and their story is a sweet one. I love all things Alaska so this book was right up my alley.
I like that even though Erika was pushed into her vacation she picked going to see her College friend. That showed that she really wanted to be more than what she had become.
Reed gets blind sided with how much he is attracted to Erika now that she is all grown up.
I kinda loved the way this book unfolded. It was just the right amount of sweet and sassy.
I really enjoyed the narration as well.
mommasaystoread's review against another edition
3.0
An Alaskan Christmas is more holiday adjacent than what I expect in a holiday romance. Nevertheless, the setting in Alaska always intrigues me, so I curled up to see where this one would go. I admit I had a bit of trouble getting into this romance mostly because it didn't feel much like a romance to me. Erika isn't very likable in the beginning, and I'm not sure if the back and forth between her and Reed is supposed to be fun banter or not, but I wasn't a fan. That said, she does redeem herself, and as the story goes on, the reason for her prickly nature is explained. The middle of the story is a bit more sex than substance, and I did end up skimming some of that. I have no problem with some steamy goodness, but this one was a bit of overkill for me. That said, the conclusion did win me over as far as rooting for this couple, and it's hard not to like Reed. He's much more considerate in the beginning than I felt like Erika deserved. In the end, there were things I liked, and things I didn't about this romance, but this couple did make for an interesting opposites attract romance.
smatthew459's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
lauralovestoread's review against another edition
4.0
Another mood read for December! I was saving this one for just the right time and the time had come. It was steamy and sweet, not too Christmasy but the perfect winter atmosphere in Alaska.
Highly recommended and I’m glad I got this one in for this month too!
*Thank you Harlequin and HQN publicity team for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own
Highly recommended and I’m glad I got this one in for this month too!
*Thank you Harlequin and HQN publicity team for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own
courtthebookgirl's review against another edition
2.0
I should give this book 1.5 stars, but I can’t do half-stars so I’ll be kind and give it 2 because I finished it. I like schmaltzy Christmas romances. I’m a sucker for holiday sap. Add in Alaska, and the book automatically soars to the top of my TBR. I’ll admit it, I’m a walking cliché. So you have to know how truly over-the-top ridiculous this one is if I give it two stars, right?
Honestly, it wasn’t just the fact that the main character (who is a surgeon) felt faint at the sight of BLOOD (what? really?) or that I can’t count how many x-rated, pornographic descriptors were here (far too much “throbbing”). It was just... clichéd in the worst way - from a girl who loves this sort of thing.
I’m sad to rate it 2 stars. I know someone else loved this. And I see it’s a whole series, so...
Honestly, it wasn’t just the fact that the main character (who is a surgeon) felt faint at the sight of BLOOD (what? really?) or that I can’t count how many x-rated, pornographic descriptors were here (far too much “throbbing”). It was just... clichéd in the worst way - from a girl who loves this sort of thing.
I’m sad to rate it 2 stars. I know someone else loved this. And I see it’s a whole series, so...