I liked this book better then the first one. This book seemed to flow better for me. I really liked Toby and Reuben. It was a little slow burn. I felt they really got to know each other before something happened between them.
I liked that a lot.

Toby had a lot on his shoulders. He took care of his family... a lot. He was feeling the stress of everything. I felt for him. Because it was a lot to hold in.
Reuben was in a weird place in his life. He had to make decisions about his career and try to reconnect with his daughter. The plane crash brought out all these feelings out in him. He definitely needed time to think.

That part I struggled with in this book was Reuben’s daughter and Toby’s sister Nell.

I was done with Reuben daughter Amelia. I was over her attitude, her rudeness, her everything. I mean, I get it! She’s a moody teenager. But at 42%. I wanted things to start to flow. And it was, kinda... but Amelia was killing the mood for me.
And Toby’s sister with her constantly saying sugar daddy was getting on my nerves.

Things changed towards the end of the book with both of them. But I just hated how they acted for a good chunk of the book.

Overall.... I’m glad I read this book. I’m even excited to read the third book in this series.

I read the first book in this trilogy (all are companion novels), Arctic Sun, and I liked it okay. It wasn’t my most favorite book by Albert, but it wasn’t bad. I definitely liked Arctic Wild a bit more. Tobias is a tour guide in Alaska, where he meets lawyer, Reuben. The trip was supposed to be for Reuben and a couple friends, but they couldn’t go last minute, so it’s just Reuben and Tobias…and their slowly burgeoning friendship and then relationship. In the summary, it talks about a plane crash, and that’s a big moment in the book but the book covers much more than the crash. Arctic Wild is an age-gap romance (and Reuben has a daughter that appears about halfway through the book), and I definitely rooted for these two to make a family together!

I clicked on this novel in Net Galley for one superficial reason - I liked the cover. The series is set in Alaska and I'm a sucker for mountains and the wilderness, being an avid outdoors person myself.

Arctic Wild features two leads who are opposites in every way - Ruben Graham is a much older, successful lawyer who reluctantly goes on an Alaskan vacation after the couple who'd booked the trip with him bail at the last minute. He's an intense workaholic, out of touch with his teenage daughter who just wants to a solid internet connection and a few hours of peace to get some documents read. Regarding the quest for internet and a few hours of peace, I can totally empathize.

Toby Kooley is a tour guide whose laid-back, social personality hides the burden of being the sole provider for his family. He is intrigued by Ruben's intensity but, because of his work, he doesn't pursue right away the spark of heat between them.

The romance between the two leads develops very slowly, accelerating after they experience a plane crash together in which Toby is seriously wounded. Ruben, out of a desire to be close to his daughter and a sense of duty towards Toby, takes a sabbatical from his work to care for Toby while he heals from his injuries.

I enjoyed the central love story of the novel. Often, I feel like mm romances tend to have less of a buildup and rush directly into the sex. This romance was a slow burn, where Ruben and Toby grow to genuinely enjoy each other's company, becoming friends after the crash, and finally, acknowledging their attraction to become lovers. There is a bit of the frustrated love trope, where the leads think their romance cannot last beyond a certain expiration date and struggle to avoid investing emotionally in the relationship to minimize the pain of certain separation.

The descriptions of the Alaskan wilderness were pleasurable. I particularly appreciated the realistic reminders of the limits of living near the arctic circle - cold winters and short days. I love an idealized setting as much as the next reader, but I respect an author who does their research to provide as much verisimilitude as possible about the place they're describing.

There were times when I found Toby to be a bit too limited in his thinking and it made me impatient with him. A lot had to do with his financial duress resulting from his inability to work. But his father also contributed to this idea that he should handle his own business, not ask for help and bear the weight of total financial responsibility without complaint. This expectation of excessive self-reliance hampers Toby's ability to see his way to a long-lasting relationship with Ruben and while it made the father unlikable, it went a long way towards understanding Toby's behavior.

Toby's father and sister's resistance to Ruben was a bit baffling to me. I understand a wariness of outsiders, but I found their concerns to be bordering on the paranoid. Without enough clarity from the narrative as to why they were so hell-bent on disliking Ruben, despite his wealth, selflessness and obvious feelings for Toby, it felt like a plot device dropped into the narrative to generate external conflict. On the other hand, Ruben's teenage daughter, Amelia was very well drawn character and furthered Ruben's development during their interactions.

Overall, it was a well-earned and satisfying love story featuring characters I mostly rooted for. The setting is wonderful and the path to intimacy felt authentic. I have a soft spot for the slow burn and that was the case here. The writing was very pared down, as is often the case with contemporary romances, but it made for an easy read.

4 out of 5 stars.

I liked Arctic Sun and I adored River and Griffin, they're adorable and I got the chemistry between them. But I didn't get the same vibes from Reuben and Toby. I was curious about Toby's story earlier in Arctic Sun, but too bad his story bored me a little bit.

I get it that he need to be a family backbone, but denying the relationship with Reuben, while Reuben willing to give everything for him, sounded like ungrateful. But overall I liked the story, if only Toby didn't get too busy being self conscious.
I liked Reuben's daughter Amelia and Toby's sister Nell.

I invested my time reading this series, though I didn't really loved this story, I need to read the next in the series, hope it's going to give me a good feeling like Arctic Sun!

Annabeth’s series keep going on strong. Another enjoyable read. The MCs actually had real families, it makes the book a lot of interesting when you have secondary characters that a their own personalities. Another good thing about this series is that each book can be read as a standalone. It was a sweet story.

This is the first time I have read this author but I was drawn to this book as it was set in Alaska. M/M is not my favourite genre but I do enjoy to read it once in a while. The start of this book was very entertaining but I did find that after the plane crash that the story was a bit slow for my entertaining pleasure.

The two main male characters had a believable connection with each other and I enjoyed reading about them at the start but other than their families interaction on the second half I found the story lacking to keep me wanting to read every word to the very end.

To most other readers this type of story might be exactly what they enjoy to read. My highlight was Reuben’s daughter Amelia and how his relationship with her developed during the book. This is a sweet romance story that had me more interested in the setting than the story its self.

Hate it when real life gets in the way of me finishing books that I'm really enjoying and that happened with Artic Wild.

I truly enjoyed this book, Reuben and Toby are amazing characters, both brought so much to the story, Reuben with his take charge and caring persona and Toby realizing that's okay to receive help when you need it and specially from people that love you.

I liked this one better than the first one in the system. The characters act a bit randomly as the plot needs them to. I didn't exactly believe the character development as the character development was too fast. Also, there's a kid and I am not the biggest fan of kids in books. Sure the kid is a teenager, but still not my preference and there was nothing about her in the description. The family drama was also annoying. I figured the book was hurt and comfort and instead it was family drama. So it was okay but I don't think this series is ever going to be for me.

I can always rely on Annabeth Albert to write something I’ll enjoy. I love that her latest series has taken her signature elements and given them a new twist with a new setting.

95% of the time I can start an Annabeth Albert story and be so engrossed that when it ends I'm like NO! I need more....

However with Arctic Wild, I moved at a much slower pace. And I think that is because the book moved at a slow pace. There was no rush to the trip, the travel, the relationship between Toby and Rueben. I won't lie....at times I was even bored.

This book has several themes I enjoy in a good story...age gap, comfort/care, drama free (for the most part), and a achingly slow burn. Rueben's daughter, while she tried hard to be defiant, was, at her core, just wanting to be noticed, loved and belong. Toby had his hang ups, and his family......in the beginning they could have been way more supportive. Rueben's ex was....well, the ex who tried to control him even after the divorce. Once you get past all of that, and past the fact that Toby let insecurities attempt to lead him away from his HEA, you get the dslowly earned HEA between two men who deserved it.

High-powered attorney Reuben Graham agrees to a trip with his friends through remote Alaska. Things don’t get off to the best start, when Reuben’s colleagues can’t make their flight.

Luckily, the persuasive and attractive younger tour guide convinces Reuben to make the best of the situation.

Tobias Kooly is ever the professional, no matter how sexy the silver fox is. And no matter how much both men begin enjoying their time together.

However, the careful distance disappears when the worst happens, and Toby and Reuben’s plane goes down in the wilds of Alaska.

I’ll admit it took me a while to really get into the book. The initial part of the book with the trip seemed fairly similar to all the touristy stuff in book 1. And though I liked both Reuben and Toby, neither immediately grabbed my attention.

But once things got a bit crazy, I was in for the ride. Nothing like a near-death scenario to really whet the appetite.

The experience forges a bond between Reuben and Toby. And Reuben, normally a very sedate and orderly man, decides to take a chance and spend the summer being Toby’s nursemaid.

Was it an odd and quick jump from strangers to roommates-on-the-cusp-of-more? Yes. Did I mind? Not too much. I wanted to see the big silver daddy take care of his young pilot!

The two made a cute pair, becoming closer as Toby recuperates from his injuries. And beneath that budding friendship, there’s a strong undercurrent of attraction that had been there from almost the moment the two men first met.

When they give in to it, it was hot. Kudos to them for finding ways to work around Toby’s injuries!

This isn’t a particularly drama-filled book. The angst comes from real issues that might face any long-distance relationship between two people from very different backgrounds.

I did think there was a bit too much family. I could have done with less of Reuben’s daughter’s constant surliness, though I did think her relationship with Toby’s sister was sweet.

Though the pace was a bit too slow for me, I really liked Toby and Reuben’s HEA! If you’re looking for an easy-to-read family-centric romance with a bit of action, give ‘Arctic Wild’ a try!

Frozen Hearts started with Griffin and River in Arctic Sun. Even though you could probably read either book as a stand alone, there are some cameos from previous characters, plus readers do briefly meet Tobias in the first book. I’m a series “junky” though, so, it’s up to you if you want to start here. 😉

I really liked getting to know Toby better in Arctic Wild. There was certainly a lot more to him than the playboy readers met in Arctic Sun. He’s under a lot of pressure and responsibility – which is why losing time from work after the accident is such a hard blow. It also makes it hard to become too dependent on Reuben, especially since getting attached to someone who doesn’t plan on sticking around is risky – mainly to his heart.

Reuben is a certified work-a-holic, but while he’s taking care of Toby, he realizes that there’s more to life than work. Getting close to Toby while re-connecting with his daughter makes him want even more. Toby doesn’t trust what they’re feeling to be enough to pull Reuben away from the fast-paced business world he seems to thrive on. Watching the three of them (including Reuben’s daughter) become closer and eventually trust what they’re all feeling was the best part of the story, at least for me.

The rest of the supporting characters were also great and added a lot to the story. (I especially loved Toby’s sister.) Even the characters that I didn’t like very much kept things interesting.

The next book in the Frozen Hearts series features a character that readers only met briefly in Arctic Wild, so I’m sure Arctic Heat can also be read as a stand alone.

I am totally enjoying the Frozen Heart series by Annabeth Albert. It's fun and exciting and the descriptions of the Alaskan Wilderness will take your breath away.
Toby and Reuben were the classic definition of opposites attracting. Reuben didn't know how to relax and Toby was as laid back as it could get. But there was definitely an attraction between them. When Toby finally gets Reuben to relax and enjoy himself, the inevitable happens and they are thrown together in a way that they can't help but look deep into themselves and figure out just what it is in life and love that they want.
Arctic Wild was interesting. I loved the supporting characters and how they all interacted with each other. Amelia took some getting used to but she eventually came around when she realized what was before her. Natalie was just a spoiled bitch. Toby's father was a real piece of work. Nell needed some getting used to. But, they all worked together in this story. And, Annabeth Albert was the perfect author to bring them all together and write such a wonderful story.
Arctic Wild was a beautiful love story … fun, interesting, exciting and sexy.

4.5 stars
I 💗 LOVED Arctic Wild by Annabeth Albert, it unfolded with literacy brilliance while being set to the backdrop of breathtaking scenery all while the reader was enveloped by the growing connection these two sharedWhen hot shot attorney Reuben Graham finally takes a vacation... escaping to the breathtaking landscape of Alaska his path collides with local guide Tobias "Toby" Kooly.
I adored the use of Reuben's daughter, Amelia; her character really adds to the lesson that life is really about finding YOUR path and surrounding yourself with those who build to up and add value to your life.
I continue to be blown away by this author's talent and her ability to pull the reader in while she creates real feel characters the reader can root for!
The life Reuben and Toby craft is so perfect for them... the closing pages of this book had my heart signing and my eyes savoring each last word!
This book is easily read standalone but if you have not read book 1 in this series of stand alone books grab Arctic Sun
As my review states loved Arctic Sun and it's powerful themes
I have Arctic Heat book 3 in this amazing series on her must read list!

I love Annabeth Albert, and I was very excited to dive into Arctic Wild. It has the fish-out-of-water with the guarded attorney, Reuben and the outdoor enthusiast pilot, Tobias, who takes Reuben on a tour in Alaska. Things get complicated fast, and there's much more to each of these guys than the other thinks.

I lost interest and had a really hard time finishing this story. It just didn't connect for me, personally. However, there's something very charming about both of these men, and they're sure to win the reader over. I'm eagerly anticipating the next book in the series.

3.5 stars!

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Sarah – ☆☆☆☆
4.5 stars

At the start of this story, bush pilot Toby and high-powered lawyer Reuben don’t have much in common until their plane crashes, leaving them stranded together in the Alaskan wild. The plane crash changes everything and the two men bond in a way that no one else quite understands.

Reuben is pretty vile at the start of this book. He’s also instantly recognisable – he’s driven, successful, and very smug about it. He also can’t switch off from work. We start to see him soften very slightly before the crash, but the crash is the catalyst he needs to sort out his life. In contrast, Toby is wonderful and despite all of his efforts, nothing seems to go right for him or his family. It took a long time before I felt Reuben was good enough for Toby.

This series is as much about Alaska as it is about the men and Annabeth Albert’s Alaska is wonderful. Most of this story takes place in the summer and several passages read like promotional tourist adverts. I’m enjoying the novelty of the settings but as I said about the first book, this series leaves my expat heart more than a little bit homesick.

Despite some fairly heavy topics in this book, it isn’t a dark read. Toby and Reuben’s connection is surprisingly playful and while they both have some existential angst to work through after the crash, there is very little relationship drama or angst in this story.

This is a family-focused read. Reuben’s daughter and Toby’s family are central characters and the result is a more mature romance with more focus on intimacy than sex. As always, I’m slightly ambivalent about the parenting and family elements of this story because I tend to read as an escape from the more mundane elements of family life. I don’t necessarily want to read about someone else’s miserable teenager when I’ve stolen twenty minutes away from my own.

All in all, I enjoyed this story more than the first book in the series. This story is more coherent. The plot is tighter and the pacing is much stronger.

So…I liked this book more than the first one, but I still had some issues with it and I’m a little sad that I didn’t enjoy this more.

I misunderstood the synopsis and there are some major points missing from the it which changed the entire dynamic of the story for me. I *thought* these two would be stranded a bit longer in the wilderness and Toby’s recovery would be just the two of them together but that is not what happened. The change in dynamics of Reuben’s situation endeared me to him but the addition of Toby’s family soured my enjoyment of the story quite a bit.
I liked Reuben a lot. After the plane crash, he takes the time to evaluate his life and whether he’s happy. He is a genuinely good guy and is awesome with Toby while he’s recovering. I loved his open-minded approach with his self-reflection and his time in Alaska.

Toby and his family were frustrating for me. Some of my frustration with Toby wasn’t his fault…he’d had it drilled in his head by his family his entire life to be responsible and support the family. However, instead of appreciating the fact that Toby survived a plane crash and was recovering possible life-alerting injuries, EVERYONE in the family made him feel guilty for not being able to work. GAH! I was so irritated by them all! I absolutely hated the way they talked about and treated Reuben – for no other reason than he was older, richer and an ‘outsider’. That entire situation grated on me. I liked Toby when he wasn’t letting all that guilt and BS get to him and he allowed his relationship with Reuben to build.

I liked the ending, but the story dragged on at times and was longer than it really needed to be considering most of the drama was surrounding their families and not necessarily the relationship.

It looks like the next book is about Owen…I don’t remember him but I’m undecided on whether or not I’ll continue with the series since I’ve not loved it so far.

I enjoyed this for the most part. There's a few things I wish were different but overall it's a sweet love story. I liked Reuben a lot and I loved his relationship with his daughter. I like her as well. I struggled more with Toby. Like a lot. I wanted him to stand up for himself, for Reuben more. I wanted him to let go and quit trying to control everyone around him. His sisters and his father are their own people. He can't dictate their lives. I don't care what he promised his momma. The reverse is also true. His sisters and father were pretty much jerks to Reuben for the entire book. Unnecessarily. I was a little underwhelmed by the plane crash and the aftermath. I thought it'd be a bigger part or have more impact. I wish the mental aftermath had been addressed more. Or like at all. It's mainly the physical injuries that gets the focus, I mean yes Reuben rethinks his priorities and life but there's other than that not much is mentioned. I did enjoy Reuben and Toby together when they were just removed from everyone else and all the expectations from life.

Usually I zip through an Annabeth Albert story, but Arctic Wild took me aaaaages to finish.

I feel slightly depressed because I adore Annabeth Albert, but this Frozen Hearts series isn't doing it for me. Though there were some great aspects about Arctic Wild, it didn't wow me like I wanted it to.

Right away, I'm giving this book a full bonus point for a silver daddy bear Jewish MC. My husband would say it's very Oedipal of me, but I ACCEPT IT, OKAY.

I tend to love predicament love stories, i.e. stranded/snowed-in/trapped, and I enjoyed that aspect here as well. I'll always go for an injured hero. I liked the dynamic between the two MCs, though I think they lacked passion and bit of chemistry. I wanted a bit more from them.

I didn't love the teenage daughter, to be honest. I found her to be super bratty, and though I have a tween, not a teen, daughter, this one grated on my nerves. Sometimes kids work for me in romance and sometimes they don't.

Though the book was good, even great at parts, the pace was a bit slow and the chemistry a bit off, just enough that this book took me about a week to get through. I don't know if this series is for me.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

Loved this age-difference survive-in-the-wild story. Because as usual with this author, it was more than about that.

Rueben has to relax and see there's more to life than work, and Toby needs to acknowledge he is worth more than just meeting his obligations. They both have stumbling blocks - Rueben's daughter needs time and attention, and Toby's dad's judgemental attitude needs to be called out.

I liked that they let each other find their own way through his hang-ups, but was there with support and love at the right moment.

I seriously wanted more River & Griff and I am on the lookout for number 3. Albert nails it again (sorry this is late, life is crazy).

Thanks Negalley and Carina Press for advanced copy. Came out last week.