I love this author but this was not really for me and I could not put my finger on it, both MCs were fine, the plot was fine, everything was fine.

I thought I would like this one more than I did, but sadly that wasn't the case. It was a bit slow, some characters really irked me and I really just had to force myself through. The lack of communication reeeally annoyed me. There were a lot of aspects that seemed fake and I just didn't enjoy it.

This book surprised me in all the right ways! I loved Toby and his eagerness to be able to survive on his own and everything. And Reuben's caring? His daughter? Amazing. I loved reading the book and can't wait to reread it before writing and posting the full review.

One of my favorite books by Annabeth Albert. I loved every twist and turn and returning to Alaska. Whatever Ms. Albert writes i will read because she has a way of turning words into comfort.

Reuben Graham is approaching his 48th birthday–in 2 days!!–and prepping for an Alaskan adventure trip with his friends Craig and Letitia when he gets the news he’s going solo. It’s not ideal, but this bisexual attorney is well-traveled and unwilling to let down Craig, who’s urging him to go despite this unexpected drama.

He meets his guide, Tobias Kooly, in Anchorage, and it’s not a meet-cute, per se. Reuben is recently out of a relationship, and not generally panting after younger men–while Toby isn’t usually drawn toward silver “bears” but he can’t help noticing that Reuben is a big ol’ sexy dude.

Their trip together starts inauspiciously, with Toby and Reuben feeling the tension of being opposites in personality. Reuben is quiet and staid, while Toby is dramatic and personable–which suits him as a tour guide. Reuben’s also a little annoyed with his kinda interest in a younger man who seems to be interested in women, but Toby is bi, too, and they work that business out eventually. In the meantime, just as Reuben is getting used to flying in Toby’s tincan of a seaplane, they run into really treacherous weather and crash. The only reason they aren’t both dead is Toby’s heroic flying, and he’s significantly injured in the landing. Reuben, a total city-slicker, is tasked with keeping Toby alive until help can arrive, and the storm is complicating matters.

They’re rescued, but Reuben feels responsible to continue caring for Toby, who is the main support for his family. And, Reuben’s NYC life is kind of crumbling so he allows himself a time out, renting a house that suits both himself and Toby’s care. And, has enough space to bring his teen daughter, Amelia, out for a summer of unexpected reconnection.

The more Reuben lingers in Alaska, the more he realizes his life was passing him by. His situation with Toby is a huge reset, and it’s more welcome than he could have imagined. The age gap is a bit of a stumbling block, as Toby and Reuben realize this interlude is really developing into something more than a summer fling. There’s steamy sexy moments as well as realistic connection between the MCs, and it’s really endearing how Amelia takes to Toby, and counsels her dad to live his best life, for a change.

I really enjoyed the book, and it’s got me hankering for a vacation to Alaska.

Reuben Graham is a busy attorney who spends pretty much all of his time focused on work. He has agreed to go on a trip to Alaska with some friends, but when they have to bail, Reuben isn’t particularly looking forward to the solo trip. He figures he can squeeze in as much work as possible in between outings on the plane tour he has planned.

Toby Kooly works hard as a tour guide to help take care of his father and his younger sisters. He is used to getting difficult tourists to relax and enjoy their trips, and although Reuben starts off glued to his phone, he begins to slowly appreciate the beautiful surroundings. But when the weather takes a sudden turn, Toby is forced to make an emergency landing that leaves the men injured and stranded together.

Once they are rescued, Reuben realizes he has a new perspective on his life and what he wants for himself. Work may not be his top priority any longer and when it is clear that his relationship with his daughter has suffered, he decides to take some time to re-evaluate by spending the summer with Amelia in Alaska. With Toby severely injured and in need of someplace to stay and some assistance getting around, Reuben offers to let him spend the summer with him and Amelia.

The two men find that the bond that started to grow during their tour is turning into more. While both figured their connection would be nothing more than a summer fling, unexpected feelings are now involved. But Toby can’t imagine Reuben being interested in him long term; Reuben is rich and older and has a life on the East Coast. Toby also isn’t comfortable taking assistance from Reuben, but between his injuries and his resulting money trouble, things are getting away from him. Now Toby must learn to allow Reuben in and accept that needing help isn’t a sign of weakness. If the men can find a compromise, they may be able to find a way to a future together.

Arctic Wild is the second book in Annabeth Albert’s Frozen Hearts series and follows Toby, who we met briefly in Arctic Sun as one of Griffin’s coworkers. While the story takes place within the same community and there are side characters who appear in both books, this book would stand alone just fine.

As with Arctic Sun, what stands out most for me in this book is the wonderful depictions of Alaska. Annabeth Albert has a knack for really making the beautiful sights come alive. I could picture the gorgeous scenery and unique spots the men visit and Albert really brings out the flavor of the area through her descriptions. The portions of the book that focus on the men touring and the resulting crash and rescue were the most exciting for me.

I also appreciated that Albert incorporates a character who is a native Alaskan in Toby and that we get a nice sense of his culture in the book. Toby talks about a lot of his family traditions and we get some background on his customs. Romances featuring indigenous characters are rare and I really was thrilled to see this inclusion in the story and it really brings a lot to the book.

My issue here is that this is a very long story (Amazon has it at about 400 pages) and things felt slow through the middle. The first quarter or so focuses on the tour and the men being stranded, and things pick up again toward the last quarter when the conflict comes to a head and the guys have to work out their issues. But there is a very long stretch in the middle that just felt slow where not much seems to happen. Toby and Reuben are in the rental house with Amelia, who is a pretty bratty 14-year old. Granted, she may be justified as it seems like her parents do nothing other than work and have no time for her. But reading about a grumpy teen who is surly and unpleasant as she tries to adjust to her new surroundings and her father suddenly being back in her life wasn’t particularly enjoyable to me.

The storyline with Toby and Reuben also just doesn’t feel like enough to carry so much of the book. Toby is healing while Reuben and Amelia have various outings. The men start a sexual relationship and it is clear that a romantic one is developing, despite their intentions to keep it casual. But there is a lot of circling around as Toby reflects on his bad financial situation (and his unwillingness to tell Reuben about it), his worries about taking care of his father and sister, and his certainty that Reuben isn’t interested in him long term. Toby has an incredibly strong sense that needing help is a weakness, and while Albert does a great job establishing clearly why that is, it also became frustrating to read about. He has this whole “real men don’t need help” thing going on that I didn’t really enjoy. The men do finally get some good conversation and both realize that they need to compromise more and meet in the middle, so there is a nice resolution. But it all just felt sluggish through the middle and there just wasn’t enough happening here for me to carry such a long book.

I think where this book really shines is the great depictions of Alaska and the native culture, as well as the excitement of the crash and rescue. I also really enjoyed the scenes where we reconnect with the team from the tour company. But the book just felt too slow with things moving over the same ground for too long to really carry such a long story. All that said, I am super excited for the set up for the next book in the series, so I will definitely be back for more.

*~~*ARC kindly provided from the publisher/author to me for an honest review *~~*

Full review to come

5 stars

I love Annabeth Albert and I also love a good May/December book. My only niggle (and its more personal) is that the conflict was weirdly placed.

I tried with this one and I will have to come back to this again later because the first book left a sour taste in my mouth that I cant get rid of when trying to read this one. Unfortunate since I do enjoy Annabeth;s writing.

A cute sexy romance. I liked the diverse characters represented. Toby and Reuben are so well crafted and feel so real that I didn’t want to stop reading.

3.5 stars

This is the second book in the series but can be read as a standalone. If you read the first book you will remember Tobias as he works with Griffin. (there is also an appearance by Griffin and River from book one).

The plot of this one is pretty unbelievable imo and I had to let that part go but once I did I enjoyed this for the most part. I really disliked Reuben's daughter which was a struggle. I can stand poorly behaved kids in books. Other than that I enjoyed the book. The setting and scenery were gorgeous and I enjoyed the romance.

**ARC provided through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

Love love loved this book. Ms Albert is one of my favorite authors and this book shows why. Fully developed characters, a plot that doesn’t drag, and an ending that makes sense. Bring me more, Ms Albert!

I'm an Annabeth Albert fan. I am.

I read this book as the last one in the series, only because I couldn't fit it in sooner, and I'm struggling to remember it. That's a familiar feeling in regards to this series in general. The extreme opposites attract pairings simply didn't work for me. I didn't feel the chemistry between these two, and that made their sexual relationship slightly icky w/their age disparity.

Not for me.

So, this review was a long time coming, but I guess I just didn't know what to say about it.
Some of it worked really well for me, others did not. The pacing was slow or odd or something. It seemed like the climax happened and resolved real quick, but we had a lot of book left to go. Not that I don't like gradual relationship build, I love it usually. And the more on page couple time the better! But parts of it just felt too slow. And Reuben, ugh, I just didn't like him in the beginning. He grew on me, but I felt like I had to work on liking him. There was also some lackluster chemistry.
Maybe there was just too much story here to tell. Both characters had a lot to unpack emotionally and personality wise. And the teenager...y'all. She got better when she discovered something she enjoyed, but before that she was a bear to read.

Anyway, I have liked this series, but I wouldn't say I have loved it.

Oh, there is an epilogue, which I enjoyed.

Slow burn
Age gap
Hurt/comfort
Gradual relationship building
Single parent
HEA

Title provided via Netgalley

I usually like Annabeth Albert titles, but this one just didn't do it for me. Personally, it read very much like your normal modern romance - angst, hurt/comfort, a good read-by-the-fire type ooey gooey romance. I wasn't really in the feel for it, but of all the things in there, the character development, plot it was all good...just very cookie-cutter.

I didn't love this once as much as I did the first book in the series but its Annabeth Albert so I still enjoyed it. As with all of her books I found it hard to put down and I loved how all the characters interacted. I also didn't mind the child character in this book - granted she was a teen and not super young - but so often in books the kids of one of the romantic lead come across as so unrealistic. While I didn't fully buy the ending it was still an enjoyable read.

I had a very hard time reading this book. I struggled to like the characters, something not common for me when reading any book by this author. I actually read this little by little over a few of months until I finally buckled down to finish it. In the end, I really liked where each character headed, their journey, and how that looked for their HEA. I don't know what made me struggle at first but I'm so glad I finished it. It is still not a favorite, but I'm glad I gave it the change to get that ending.

Amazing! Annabeth Albert has started her new series with a bang! The book had angst, pining and growing from the past. I absolutely loved the Alaskan setting. I am very excited to continue with this series.

Reuben Graham, a workaholic attorney, finally goes on the vacation he wasn’t excited about going on. His pilot and tour guide, Toby, is young, vibrant, social and everything an older man like Reuben shouldn’t want. He can’t help himself thought. The attraction and chemistry between the men is intense and hard to resist. When their plane goes down in the Alaskan wilderness, Reuben finds himself wanting to stay to help and provide a place for Toby to recover.
If you aren’t into hurt/comfort or the age-gap romance, this book is not going to be for you. That said, I actually loved this book. There was a tenderness to Reuben that you don’t typically come across. He’s described by Toby as a ‘silver bear’ so he is a bigger, fuzzier guy. Which I kind of like that he was a normal character. And all the aspects Reuben was insecure about, Toby found attractive and pushed Reuben to embrace those pieces of himself.
Reuben has to take extensive care of Toby in this. Toby ends up in a wheelchair and has a cast on his arm. He needed help getting into the shower, cooking, everyday functions. It didn’t lead to sexy times – it was rooted in making sure Toby was healing. Toby had a difficult time accepting their relationship for fear of what his family would think, which was entirely believable.
The sex between the two was a slow burn, in the best way. I don’t see scenes like what was given for Reuben and Toby. It was teasing, enveloping and full of emotion. They were one hundred percent vulnerable with each other. It was kind of perfect for them.
I totally read this series out of order, haven’t read the first yet, and it was easily understandable. Looking at other reviews many people have mixed thoughts, but honestly if you like Annabeth Albert, give this one a read. It is a bit different from her usual but I loved it.

Arctic Wild is about second chances, new adventures, and the dynamics of caring for each other. We meet imperfect people where their lives unravel, and watch them unfold beautifully into who they really are. The story honours learning to accept help and asking for what you need –physically, emotionally, and sexually. It's more about that journey than it ever is about the plane crash or being stranded together.

While I found Arctic Sun gripping from the very start, Arctic Wild took its time to lure me in. Things get pretty intense when Toby loses control of their seaplane, and just when it feels like maybe the whole book is gonna be about emergency survival techniques, their romance begins to take centre stage. Toby, Reuben and Amelia (Reuben’s incredible teenage daughter) end up living together for the summer, finding themselves very much like family before Toby and Reuben even realize they’re in love. It’s wonderfully cozy: Toby teaches Amelia to cook, and to use his mom’s old sewing machine. They prepare meals as a family, and the couple Netflix-and-cuddle every night.

Toby and Reuben’s decision to stay together for the summer seems sudden, but it feels completely right. Things work well when they’re together, and life feels better with each other around. They lean on each other throughout --allowing their unlikely bond and new-found friendship to develop into the fire of a romance that’s achingly sweet and filled with tenderness. Also, great sex! With no-problem accommodations for Toby’s injuries, and alottttt of edging! Being with a man isn’t problematic for them (both men are already out as bisexual), but their difference in age and financial status is something that Toby’s family quite openly has issues with.

Being in Alaska gives Amelia —a gamer who loves makeup and hates the kids at school—the space and confidence to bloom. She encourages her father to follow his heart with Toby, and her iconic teenage interruptions of their charming moments made me laugh so much! Seeing her flourish is my favourite part of this story. I also love the way disability is depicted in Arctic Wild. There’s a scene with Toby struggling to open a can that literally happens to me once a week. It’s frustrating and overwhelming, and it means the world to see it on-page. There’s also an awareness of accessibility considered in their everyday plans. Accommodating for Toby’s limitations or comfort is never seen as an inconvenience; it’s simply a part of their lives. Disability isn’t looked down upon. Reuben very clearly states that he’s attracted to Toby whether his injuries are permanent or not. Even Toby’s frustration at his healing process taking longer than he’d like is really only rooted in his fear of the financial stress from not working.

It was disappointing how little of Griff and River (from Arctic Sun) we see in this story. There’s like, three sentences about them. But! Any lingering sadness is erased by Toby & Reuben’s Extremely Charming, Incredibly Cozy epilogue ©

Content Warnings: near-death experience, plane crash, burden of care for a disabled parent, health insurance bureaucracy struggles, brief mention of flashbacks, grief, parental death in the past, mild BDSM