Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: Arctic Wild
SERIES: Frozen Hearts #2
AUTHOR: Annabeth Albert
PUBLISHER: Carina Press
RELEASE DATE: June 3, 2019
LENGTH: 400 pages
BLURB:
When a plane crashes in the Alaskan wilderness, the best place to land is in the arms of a younger man…
Hotshot attorney Reuben Graham has finally agreed to take a vacation, when his plane suddenly plunges into the Alaskan wilderness.
Just his luck.
But his frustrations have only begun as he finds himself stranded with the injured, and superhot, pilot, a man who’s endearingly sociable—and much too young for Reuben to be wanting him this badly.
As the sole provider for his sisters and ailing father, Tobias Kooly is devastated to learn his injuries will prevent him from working or even making it back home. So when Reuben insists on giving him a place to recover, not even Toby’s pride can make him refuse. He’s never been tempted by a silver fox before, but something about Reuben is impossible to resist.
Recuperating in Reuben’s care is the last thing Toby expected, yet the closer they become, the more incredibly right it feels, prompting workaholic Reuben to question the life he’s been living. But when the pressure Toby’s under starts closing in, both men will have to decide if there’s room in their hearts for a love they never saw coming.
REVIEW:
Lawyer Ruben ends up taking an Alaskan vacation on his own. He didn’t expect to find his pilot-come-guide hot as hell. He also didn’t expect his plane to crash and have epiphany moments either. But that’s precisely what happened.
Ruben’s near-death experience made him look at his life and do some re-evaluation. In his bid to become a successful lawyer, he forgot how to be a good dad, and value some of the simpler things in life.
Toby wasn’t into older men, but the more time he spent with Ruben, the more he considered making an exception. When Ruben saves his life and gives him a place to recuperate, they get closer than either expected. Unfortunately, their whole romance could be a summer fling.
Arctic Wild is one of those stories that contain life realization moments. Being in a plane crash will do that to you. Ruben and Toby are from opposite ends of the financial scale. Though Ruben had humble beginnings and worked hard for his healthy bank balance, Toby’s circumstances have him working hard to keep him and his family afloat. Ruben has a broken marriage and a daughter. Toby has sisters and an invalid father.
The story flows naturally and tackles issues like family not liking out of towners unless they’re going to spend money then bugger off, ageism, and preconceived ideas of people who have money vs those who don’t have much. Also, the author has Amelia (Ruben’s daughter) nailed as the grumpy teenager – kudos.
Both men are out of their comfort zone. Ruben must adjust to life away from the office, renewing his relationship with Amelia, deciding what he wants to go back to, and the startling realization that he could well be in love with Toby. Being incapacitated makes Toby anxious because he’s not earning and he is frustrated at his lack of independence. It also makes him think about what his actual needs in life are, what’s important, that being taken care of can be nice and has a sinking feeling that he’s falling in love with a man who will have to return to his normal life.
The story is sweet and insightful. Overall, an evenly flowing ride of emotional exploration and realization, though there are a few speed-up moments on the heart monitor. The arc contains drama, angst and inevitable fuck ups. The dramatic parts were good but could have lasted longer – what can I say, I’m an angst junkie. The sex was hot – other than the dreaded ‘come for me’ line that belongs in my room 101. I’m also of the belief that a slow sex scene shouldn’t have equal or more page time than the angst. If you’re going to add trouble to the mix, do it well and make it count. Having said that any reader who likes distressful times to be resolved sooner rather than later, will be in heaven.
I found Arctic Wild to be a sweet reflective, emotional story with some drama that triggered changes of life, allowing second chances.
RATING: 
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