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.

Michael likes to tease his woman, "there was amusement in his eyes as he studied me. “Are you asking me if you’re the first woman I’ve seen in five years?” Mallory likes to let her man know when its time for him to get groomed, "his beard tickled my face, and I giggled as I tugged on it. “We’re going to have to cut this soon.” I liked this book, it was a sweet read.

Mallory, a professional photographer, is making her annual flight up to Alaska to enjoy the remoteness and the capture images of the wildlife she loves so much. What she didn't expect is for her plane to go down in a remote area after unexpected weather hits her. Left without any supplies, badly injured and surrounded by danger, she assumes this is the end. Seconds away from death, a mysterious man, living alone in the mountains saves her life.

After spending years alone, having given up on society and life in general, Michael can't help but find himself growing more and more appreciative of Mallory's presence as they face the harsh realities of living in remote Alaska together. Stuck until Spring when he can finally fly them out and to safety, they must learn to live together, relying on each other in this remote land.

SC Stephens has an incredible way of writing that completely rips your heart out, yet you just can't turn away. She hooked me years ago with her Thoughtless series (still my all-time favorite) and she has once again created a beautiful story about survival, faith, and love. Highly, highly recommended!

This was a bit slow to start out, but pulled me in once Michael appeared. It was well-written, and I really loved how the animals and setting were so vividly described.

I got pulled out several times though, as the once or more per chapter mentions of praying, God, or having faith started to become too much (Mallory is a Christian, Michael is "lost). It bothered me that Mallory had so little respect for Michael's "lack of faith," and I checked to see if I wasn't actually reading a Christian Romance. Nothing in the synopsis or genre mentioned...

It is a sweet romance, with plenty of excitement in all senses of the word.

Ooh. So many feels with this story. I’m not a patient person, and this story is definitely a slow burn, in fact the flame almost blew out on a number of occasions. I was like “just do it and stop being so blooming stubborn and pig headed!”
Mallory Reynolds spends a few weeks in Alaska each year in seclusion photographing her favourite thing. Nature. When her plane crash lands in the middle of the wilderness, she is alone and injured, being hunted by the very things she loves to photograph. Rescued unexpectedly by Michael, a recluse who has lost faith in humanity, they form a bond. Michael is running away from his own demons and is unwilling to give Mallory anything more than friendship. It’s so obvious that they both have feelings for each other, the chemistry is palpable, yet they both handle it with more finesse than I did. Told entirely from Mallory’s POV, the writing was faultless, truly perfect words. As I stated earlier, I’m impatient so I did get frustrated with Michael, I wasn’t sure if I even liked him at one point, his restraint was annoying (that’s the thing, even in real life men annoy me at times as they seem to have so much more willpower than me). Even with their close proximity, which must have made things difficult, they managed to practice restraint. A lovely story with lots of emotion, I really didn’t realise how much I was invested in these characters until I had tears streaming down my cheeks. I received and advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is my honest review.