I adore S.C. Stephens so needless to say, I was so excited to dive into Under the Northern Lights! This fantastic read showed S.C. Stephens softer side—which I totally devoured!! The majority of this novel is completely centered around the main characters Mallory and Michael with little interaction from others and I found that a refreshing change! I enjoyed how realistic the storyline was- there wasn’t an instant fix to Mallory’s situation and Mallory and Michael didn’t experience insta-love. Everything happened organically-such a breath of fresh air. Under the Northern Lights is a 4.5 star book that will warm your heart and glued to your kindle! As always, I cannot wait to read S.C. Stephens next novel!

“Live each day expecting the worst possible thing to happen, and you just might get to see the next day.”

Mallory Reynolds is a wildlife photographer and every year flies to remote Alaska and stays a few weeks in the wilds - just her and her trusty Nikon.

But this year happens differently. A storm appears suddenly, her plane stalls, and her plane crashes. Somehow she miraculously survives but she's injured and lost most of her supplies in the crash.

That's when recluse Michael Bradley finds her, takes care of her wounds, and gets her back to his cabin. And, because his plane is broken down until he receives a spare part, Mallory is stranded with this strange man.

I love stories about Alaska, especially winter tales, and this fit the bill. There is a slow-build (very slow) romance between the two. And there is another dilemma - Mallory wants to get home to let her family know she's alive and there are reasons that Michael doesn't want to move back to civilization.

I liked this story. I liked the main characters, the backdrop of frozen Alaska, the details of surviving in a frozen, remote area, and the romance.

I received this book from Montlake Romance (Amazon Publishing) through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

I, like many other readers, devoured the Thoughtless series. This book shows us a completely different type of love story.

Mallory and Michael show us a love story filled with grief and longing, understanding and compromise. And the imagery we see through the author's words is so vivid, you feel as if you are in the isolated forests of Alaska. An excellent book for those who love stories where the protagonists find a second chance at happiness.

3 stars
I was super excited to get this book by S. C. Stephens! I have to be honest here, this book dragged for me. It was very wordy and descriptive. I didn't feel it was as much of a love story as it could have been. I found myself skimming some of it (epically the beginning of the book).

This had some seriously scary moments. Mallory is a wildlife photographer and she spends a couple weeks every year in the Alaskan wild lands trying to capture pictures of as many animals she can. Just the idea that she pilots a plane all by herself is scary enough. I can't imagine then spending weeks in a tent and risking her life with all the wildlife that surrounds her for pictures. It's pretty fascinating. Then the unthinkable happens. Her plane crashes.

5 years ago Michael left New York to live off the land in Alaska. He's running from something from his past, lost his faith and wants nothing to do with civilization. When Mallory's plane crashes near his cabin, he is forced to spend time with her until she is able to return back home. He must protect her form the elements and wildlife.

There's no way you won't be completely drawn into Mallory and Michael's story. There were so many moments that I was hanging onto the edge of my seat. It was exciting and adventurous. I have to admit, I would love to live in the wild like this, just once. I probably wouldn't last a month but it's something I've always thought I would want to do. Second best thing is reading about it.

The only thing I didn't exactly love about the book was the reason for why Michael chose this life. It's a trope that isn't a favorite of mine only because that usually means their some pushing away between the main characters. And there is. This is a slow burn and appropriate for this couple. The good thing is there was plenty of other exciting things going on besides their relationship.

Wildlife photographer and pilot Mallory flies into the Alaska wilderness to begin her yearly trek to photograph wildlife. When her little Piper Cub crashes, and she is injured, she tries to remain emotionally strong to figure out how she will survive during the winter surrounded by predators. While shooting at wolves who are trying to attack her, she meets a mountain man who rescues her and brings her to his very basic cabin.

Michael lives in the remote tundra of Alaska, hating society and foraging for a meager existence after a traumatic event in his life. He lives off the land by hunting and is content not to interact with people except when he is trading animal skins for the commodities he can't find in the wilderness. When he hears a plane crash, he is stunned to see the survivor and takes her to his cabin.

Both Mallory and Michael are survivors of their own traumas but with the long days and weeks and months spent together, their stories unfold to each other and they develop a friendship that may also develop into something more meaningful.

No spoilers with this book but it was delightful and I'm glad i had a chance to read it. Thank you.

I devoured this, a rare book for me to immediately get into. Great writing, life-affirming and a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Mallory is a wilderness photographer. She takes a two week trek to Alaska annually. This year the unthinkable happens. She has crash landed. She injured and alone in the middle of Alaska. She's fighting for her life when she is rescued by Micheal. Micheal heard the crash and has come to see if he can salvage the plain parts. He's in for a shock when he discovers Mallory surrounded by wolves. He brings her to his home but he cannot bring her to civilization until he gets a part that he needs for his plane. Which means that they are togrther for months. Which doesn't sit well with Micheal he has chosen a isolated mountain man life. His past has made him wary of other people. Can Mallory help him as much as he helped her or is he destined to live his life in isolation. I loved this book it was a sweet story.

***ARC received in exchange of an honest opinion***

I think this book has a great deal of potential, but I don't think it reached it quite yet, specially in the angst department.
I was left disappointed after finishing it, because I expected more. I feel like when things started to get good the story flatlined.
To be honest, I just expected more of it, from the characters (I didn't see a connection there) and from the story itself.
It was an om read, enjoyable, but not really impressive.

I was really excited to give this book a try. The unique storyline and the setting really appealed to me. Mallory is a wildlife photographer that ends up crashing her plane in the remote terrain of Alaska. She survives on her own briefly after the accident but then is found by Micheal, a man escaping his past by living alone in the remotes of Alaska. They have to spend the winter together because there is no way to reach a town due to mechanical issues with Michael's plane. Over the course of the winter, they grow close and a slow-burn romance blooms.

I really liked the first part of this story but as it progressed I was less and less invested sadly. I really wanted to like it but I struggled with the connection between the characters and with Mallory's personality. After a while, the aspects of living off the grid in a remote location became more interesting for me than the romance. I actually looked forward to Mallory returning to her family versus dreading the separation like I usually do in romance books. I didn't like the end (it felt rushed and glossed over) and by the time I got to it, I disliked Mallory altogether. To me, Mallory was overstepping boundaries often. Michael should have repaired his own connections. It was him that needed come to terms with his heartbreaking past and make peace. It felt like she needed him to do what she wanted/needed and she was going to push until he did what she wanted. Just like she did with her religious beliefs throughout the book. She did things he asked her not too but yet everything is fine and dandy. He's not mad and he's suddenly over his phobia and trauma. Maybe I just didn't connect with Mallory and was misinterpreting things because of my dislike of her but that's how it came off to me.

Personally, I wasn't a big fan of Mallory's religious efforts and the religious undertone within the book. There was nothing in the blurb or labeling of this ebook that hinted this was a Christian romance. I even stopped reading to double check that I hadn't veered into that category by mistake. Honestly, the way Mallory treated Micheal when it came to his lack of faith was pretty off-putting to me. I may have liked it more without this.

Overall I think the writing is good but there could have been so much more. 2.75/5 stars. I really don't think it is a bad book. It just wasn't the book for me. I have read other things by this author in the past and liked them so I would still pick up another book by this author.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an ARC via Netgallery. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.

Once I read the description I just knew I had to read this book. It didn't disappoint! I loved it! Michael & Mallory were perfect! Their chemistry were off the charts and their storyline kept me interested! I would love to see a part 2 of this book! I think it could be amazing!! I definitely recommend this book!!

I didn't know what to expect going into this book as I went in completely blind, but I found myself engrossed in the story pretty early on. I enjoyed the uniqueness of the story line. It is not your typical boy falls for girl romance, and I appreciated that about the book. I enjoyed the wilderness and survival aspects of the book, though some parts were harder to read. This book evoked a wide range of emotions from me, and my heart broke for both Michael and Mallory at various points. Overall I found this to be a enjoyable and engaging read.

This author gave me my absolute favorite book boyfriend ever, Kellan Kyle. I could not wait to dive into this one. While the story was very unique and the love story was a beautiful slow burning one, I just didn't feel quite as satisfied with the ending. Yes, it was a HEA, but man! This book needed an epilogue more than any other book I've read recently. I just wanted MORE MORE MORE!

I felt strongly I was being spoon fed a romance. I did not feel the character was talking, but instead I was reading a robot going through step by step. I did enjoy the setting of the book.

Omg this book is amazing. I felt what Mallory and micheal went through to survive the wilderness.

Mallory is a photographer and she goes on her annual trips to take pictures of the wild animals. On this trip she hit a snow storm that took her plane down. She is in the middle of nowhere where anybody can come help her. Her survival mode kicks in but she knows she won’t last long out there. In reading this book I felt her fears her being scared and what about the wild, dangerous animals. She felt eyes on her and found that it was a wolf. They smelled her fear and her wounds and knew she was weak. Then a man showed up and saved her from being eaten alive. She thought she was dreaming.

Micheal gave up hope for humanity for what happened to his wife. He moved his life out to the wilderness to live alone and away from people. Until he stumbled upon Mallory and he saved her life. They go back to his cabin and to see how hurt she was. She realizes she is there for the long months of winter.

They started to get to know one another since it’s going to be a long winter. They became good friends and helped out one another with their chores. There was a couple of close calls that I thought neither one of them were going to survive. You learn a lot about micheal and Mallory and how they relationship develops. It made me sad and heartbroken. Does Micheal and Mallory’s love for one another surpasses everything that they thought couldn’t get passed?

I highly recommend this book. You definitely won’t be disappointed. I absolutely love this book. So good!

This was so original, a little like Castaway the Alaskan edition.

Mallory is a wildlife photographer and all around outdoors gal whose plane crashes in the middle of nowhere en route to her latest photo assignment. She’s rescued by a true mountain man, Michael, and for reasons I won’t go into, they are both stuck in his remote log cabin for months and months until he can repair his plane and return them to civilisation.

I loved the originality of the plot and the survival details - there’s lots of bother with bears and other wild animals - so it got pretty hair raising at times and I was gripped. It was a slow burner but he’s kind of closed off and so the chemistry was off for me; I was actually more interested in seeing her return safely to her family than seeing her with him, I just wasn’t feeling the feels between them I’m afraid.

I wasn’t a huge fan of her spirituality either and particularly the way Mallory seemed determined to push her beliefs onto Michael. That was a big turn off for me and I wondered a few times if I’d accidentally stumbled onto my first Christian romance as it was a key theme in this story. Perhaps I had, idk, but I know I would’ve enjoyed this story better without it.

It’s definitely one to escape into as it is well researched and an enjoyable and riveting read but sadly a bit of a miss for me on the romance side. It’s been years since I read the Thoughtless series but I never would have guessed this was from the same author it’s totally different.

**Thanks to the publisher via netgalley for my arc.**

Mallory, an adventurer and nature photographer, takes off on her annual trip to capture wildlife in Alaska. An accident leaves her stranded and at the mercy of the weather. Michael, a mountain man with a tragic story, finds Mallory and rescues her. The authenticity of their time in the wilderness was exceptional. The story reminded me of Discovery Channel nature wilderness shows, describing every aspect of survival and isolation that one can experience in the wilderness. Their love story was unique and heartbreaking with each passing week. The author created a beautiful push and pull of emotions for both characters. Stay. Go. I wanted both for them. It was redeeming to see they got both. I recommend this book to others. The beginning starts slow but hanging on to midpoint was well worth it.

"We needed to be extremely cautious with each other, because despite everything out there that might hurt us—being mauled by a bear, frozen in a river, impaled by a felled tree, or lost for all eternity in the woods—losing our hearts to each other might be the deadliest of all."

Yes, I'm one of the millions of readers who enjoyed the author's Thoughtless series. So, of course, I was excited to get my hands on another of her stories. Though I must say, this is very very different, in every way.

What started my nailbiting was knowing in advance that Mallory's plane was going to crash. I had already read it in the synopsis, so it was just a matter of surviving the experience since I knew she would survive the crash. But I wasn't sure I would, that was scary as shit!

And then, once she made it through that harrowing ordeal, I was back to gnawing on my nubs as she faced the elements. Alone. In the wilderness. Injured. With hungry animals. Even though I knew she was going to be rescued—that was in the synopsis too—I was still on the edge of my seat worried for her as she fought to stay conscious and safe from attack. Because... she wasn't safe!

For those of you that follow my reviews, this is not what I usually read. It's more of a PG-rated slow burn rather than a turbo boosted steamy romance. What made it interesting for me was the close look at what it takes to live in a remote location without any of the modern conveniences. The dangers that I never considered and the work required to just eat or bathe. This experience takes 'outhouse' to a whole nother level. It really made me appreciate my toilet, bathtub, and refrigerator. I thought being at a location without WiFi was roughing it. Even though I'd been a big fan of Little House on the Prairie back in the day, I didn't have a clue what 'off the grid' meant until I experienced it through Mallory's eyes.

Michael is beyond broken. He's living in the wild by choice. He's doing without when he doesn't have to. It's more about giving up people than material things. Are you as curious as I was to find out why? That really kept me intrigued for a long time before I finally learned the reason for his self-isolation. "He was too broken for me to fix. The two of us falling into a passionate relationship...it wouldn't just be a bad idea. It would be catastrophic.

The author's writing is very smooth and her words made me feel like I was right there, feeling the cold of the snow and the fear of all the dangers that they faced. It was a thought-provoking tale that gave me a new respect for those that live in the wilderness.

I have loved S. C. Stephens writing since she gave us Kellen Kyle, but this book is just so much more than I could have ever imagined.

From page 1 I was gripped by the story of Mallory, a wildlife photographer who flies her own plane into the wilds of Alaska to live amongst the dangerous but wonderous animals for a few weeks a year to capture them in their natural habitat. Unfortunately on this trip Mallory has trouble with her plane and only barely manages to survive. A few days after crash landing, Mallory fears for her life again when she is the prey being hunted by some very hungry wolves. Thinking this is where her story ends, Mallory can’t believe it when a stranger comes to her rescue, tending to her wounds and taking her back to his cabin to heal. So grateful for his help, Mallory is shocked but elated when Michael, her ruggedly handsome rescuer, tells her he has his own plane, only to dash her hopes when he tells her it needs a part that can’t get to him until after winter, 3 months away.

As Mallory heals and learns to live in the wilderness, she helps Michael get set for a winter with no modern day comforts, the sparks begin to fly, but Micheal has faced a tragedy and isn’t ready to let Mallory in, he doesn’t trust humanity and has locked himself away, surviving only on the land and occasional trips to the closest town a couple of times a year for essentials.

The pair grow close and both Mallory and Micheal fear the day she will leave, but neither are prepared to leave their homes.

I absolutely loved this story, I read it in one day as I couldn’t put it down. Although I felt frustrated with Michaels actions at times, getting close then pulling back, I felt every emotion this pair went through and loved reading how their love story unfolded.

I have read other books by this author before and I was pretty excited to get this arc.

Mallory is a wildlife photographer who takes a trip up to the Alaskan wild for a few weeks every year, but this time she flies into a storm and her plane crash lands. She is injured, but is soon rescued by the reclusice Michael. They settle into a routine together, with plans to depart company when Michael gets a delivery of a part for his plane to fly her back to town. Michael has a painful past and is reluctant to get close, while Mallory just falls in love with a Michael.

Okay, I liked the idea. It’s good. Stranded and injured woman stumbles into recluses life- love ensues. I just feel like this story could have been done without shoving religion down my throat. It kind of ruined it for me. I finished the whole novel and don’t regret it, but I just felt like the religious aspect was forced onto me and I think it could have be done more subtly.

Overall, 2.5/5 stars.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.