Similar to the first two books in this series, Arctic Heat was not a fun, lighthearted romance, and again, like the first two books, it had a weightiness(?) to it that at times felt cumbersome. The forced proximity trope, which I usually enjoy, simply backfired for me. Quill's attitude was a turn off a lot of the time, and I found myself wondering why Owen even bothered to be nice half the time, and why he still found Quill attractive. Even when I warmed up to them and things were turning around for their relationship, I found myself losing interest. I actually considered DNFing at around 75% - when everything was going great! I did finish it in the end, mostly because quitting at a high point in the story seemed silly.

As a cancer survivor, Owen is now checking things off of his bucket list. Spending time volunteering his time in Alaska is a life long dream come true. When a connection is made with Quill, the man who is supervising him, will Owen be able to check off finding a soulmate too? Or will the closeted lover end up breaking Owen's heart? These two characters were so great. From the beginning of the story to the very last page Annabeth Albert once again creates a wonderful story.

Another amazing story in the series. These are stand alone stories, they aren't linked by crossover characters but by the place, dangerous Alaska. When Owen was recovering from cancer he made himself a bucket list that included volunteering one winter to help park rangers in Alaska. At his orientation training he meets Quill who teaches avalanche survival training. They are unexpectedly teamed up to spend the winter working together. Owen is excited to work with the sexy ranger, but Quill is more afraid of being outed. Excellent writing, plot, characters, and sense of place.

Arctic Heat is classic Annabeth Albert: two endearing but imperfect MCs, opposites attract theme, slow burn cultivating in something deliciously wanton, and a brilliant HEA.

This is hands down my favorite book of the series thus far. There isn't one thing I didn't love about this story.

Grumpy ranger Quill, mountain man extraordinaire, seriously underestimates the new volunteer. Owen is indeed pretty, but he's no college intern. A cancer survivor, Owen is working on his bucket list and is more than ready to tackle a winter in Alaska.

Quill does his best to ignore Owen, especially after Owen's kiss makes his knees buckle, but Owen craves human connection and is determined to win over the uptight ranger who, thanks to an as asshat of an ex-boyfriend, has so many antiquated ideas about sex.

The two men are nothing alike, but they fit like puzzle pieces. Owen's outgoing nature means Quill can teach but not engage in small talk. Owen makes Quill smile, and Quill grounds Owen, making him realize that maybe he's right where he's supposed to be.

This is a quiet, relationship focused, steamy story. I loved how Quill came to realize that sex can be messy and fun and wild, that there are no rules.

An element of hurt-comfort permeates the book. Owen has some lingering post-chemo issues and is involved in an accident that shakes Quill to his very core.

Some may find the ending rushed. Even Owen was shocked by Quinn's change of heart! But I think the HEA was more than earned. There is so much relationship development on page that I never doubted Quill and Owen's love and dedication.

Three cheers for Owen's amazing parents, pumpkin pie, and, of course, the stark beauty of remote Alaska.

Even if you had doubts about the first two books in the Frozen Hearts series or never read them, don't miss this one! It is one hundred percent a standalone.

P.S. I read this book in Alaska on a balcony overlooking the ocean, and that elevated my reading experience to something holy.

A quote:
“He was fast coming to love Quill’s contrasts – large, hulking ranger capable of handling any crisis, and shy, almost wounded man who struggled with opening up and letting go.”
I loved this story with a closeted hero, who happens to be a study in contradictions: a tough, burly Alaskan ranger, suffering from an endearing shyness and sporting believable and so human insecurities, rooted in a troubled upbringing, a dysfunctional family and an unfortunate, romantic life.
Quill is such a great character, reserved, solid, steadfast, yet hiding so much pain. I really felt for him, his fears and insecurities are so real and understandable. The loneliness in his life is moving, poignantly well written.
How Owen, with his hipster and youngish appearance and sunny disposition dispite a troubled medical history, conquers the curmudgeon ranger with his genuineness, friendliness and warmth is a fascinating journey to watch.
The dynamics between Owen’s innate confidence and “irresistible optimist” and Quill’s guardedness is fascinating. The ranger with “intense eyes” is a tortured hero, yet Owens has troubles of his own too, having dealt with cancer and facing issues post-surgery (handled realistically).
The breaking down of Quill’s emotional walls in the beautiful Alaskan landscape is a fascinating part of the story, even more enjoyable and exciting than the new Quill and the final pages where I felt there was too much talking.

These boys were a bit exhausting!
I like this series. Mainly due to the setting and the scenic beauty the author portrays and how characters in the previous books make a small but vey poignant appearance.
Quill and. Owen had immediate chemistry but instead of giving into their needs they danced around each other for a bit. I liked that they became friends first but it was evident that there was more than just a fling.
I liked that the dominant rolls were reversed in the book. I would have assumed that Quill would have been the dominate one in their relationship.
I appreciate that the author made them both a little older Quill was forty-ish and Owen
was in his mid thirties but they came across as younger and less mature than I thinking.
t takes a scare for this couple to realize what they have. Just when I thought they were going to live their HEA there seemed.to be more roadblocks and constant reassurance.

Another great addition to the Frozen Hearts series.

Content warnings include: cancer survivor main character, homophobia, avalanche, fatal car accident (the main characters are not involved but they are at the scene), sex on-page; mentions of: heart attack, parental death, surgery, amputation, dysfunctional bordering on abusive family dynamics.

I'm having a bit of a hard time sorting my feelings about this one.
There were many things I loved. I adored Owen, who was optimistic and.... mature - that's the best word I can find for it. He was hard to anger, always polite and friendly, never acted out or treated someone hurtfully even when he was hurt himself, he remained calm even when agitated. He was just such a wonderful person and many things I aspire to be.

Meanwhile Quill had a lot of internal demons to fight, which I on the one hand found painfully relateable, on the other... found weird and almost uncomfortable. Part of this was that I could relate to a lot of his fears, yet it was also obvious that, while I share a lot of his sentiments, his and my own reasons were rooted in very different things.
To elaborate: A lot of the things he said and felt and thought were exactly how I as an aromantic and asexual person felt. Yet he decidedly wasn't either of those - he even says so on page - and he says these things I could relate to so much because of bad experiences and internalized fear, shame and homophobia.
I know the book was in no way trying to invalidate asexuality, and even mentions that that is a whole other thing, but... it still made me feel queasy when Owen tried again and again to get past Quill's walls. They reminded me too much of my own boundaries, and that made it hard to separate my discomfort from the gruffness that covered Quill's yearning.

That said, Owen does respect Quill's boundaries. He does test them frequently, but I found it more a gentle brushing and teasing than outright disrespect. Additionally, Quill does want him to do so, especially as the book continues, but I couldn't help but be reminded of the extremely similar patterns from Arctic Sun.
Overall, all three books of the series, including Arctic Wild, follow the same arc, kind of. At first one character is reluctant, then they start having sex, they develop feelings, one of them is sure they will never work out while the other is pushing for the relationship, they fight, something big bad happens, they get their happily ever after.

All of the books are very well executed and still distinct enough in their details and settings (even if they all play in roughly the same part of Alaska), and especially the characters themselves are very different and most of them have very itneresting backgrounds - there are just quite a lot of common elements.

Overall an enjoyable, if rather slow, read, with a lot of cozyness and tenderness between an introvert and an extrovert in the icy winter of Alaska.

A journey of love, but also a journey to self-acceptance and not caring what other people think. Although Quill had to learn that his sexuality and love of Owen wasn't something he had to hide, but rather celebrate, you can take that lesson and apply it to your own life and experiences.

I love the type of book where you can learn something as you enjoy two people falling in love.

I had a feeling I was going to enjoy this as I loved the last book in the Frozen Hearts series. One of the things I really enjoy about this series of books is that the setting is almost like an additional character. Albert has done her research about Alaska and it shows in this book. I spent a lot of time in the north myself and it rings really true for me.

Owen Han is a man looking for adventure and fulfillment in his life. After a victory over cancer, Owen has been checking items off his bucket list and volunteering in a park in Alaska is his next challenge. It’s at Owen’s volunteer training that he meets Ranger Quilleran Ramsey. Quill is a rugged loner who is a Park Ranger doing a presentation. Owen’s immediately drawn to Quill…he’s just his type… but after a brief encounter Quill makes it clear that he won’t cross his strict ethical boundaries for a fling with Owen.

Through a lovely twist of fate, Owen ends up volunteering at the Station run by Quill and their lives get tangled together. I really enjoyed the way these two characters struggled with their own expectations and pre-conceived ideas as they grew closer to one another. There was some lovely sexual tension from the moment they first met and it carried through into wonderfully hot sex scenes. I adored Quill! There were definitely some moments when he broke my heart… but it was well worth it!

This novel has all the ingredients for a great summer m/m romance! It’s set in the cool Alaskan wilderness, there are two hot men (one of whom wears a uniform), there’s some adventure and an epically dangerous natural event … and a happy ending!

3.5* I had mixed feelings about this - at times it felt like Owen was railroading Quill into a 'relationship', whatever definition you might like to give to that noun...

I jumped into this tale blurb-blind, because of the author's name and because I've read the other tales in this series, and I wanted to see how she'd end this. Tbh, this tale isn't at all connected to the others, though very, very briefly the leads from book 1 make an appearance here, with no names mentioned, and it wasn't until the word 'guide' came up that I clocked who they might be. So, it's not necessary to read these in order, and tbh, each is a standalone.

I didn't know about Owen's brush with cancer or his bucket list, and it felt like the latter got bigged up a bit to tease the repressed, closeted Quill, and then nothing came of it. A couple of times, Quill himself, in moments of insecurity, brought up the bucket list and Owen professed to have discarded it, but I thought it was a bit not-really-that-nice to mention it and then not talk seriously about it. I'm not sure that I liked Owen and his Me, I, Mine attitude, but I think I understood that a brush with death would have changed him and changed how he viewed things. There wasn't any evidence of investment banking in his past, which is a bugbear of mine, as it's a line of business I work in and too often authors use the words but don't know what they mean, don't bother checking and don't go there - why?? It wasn't relevant to the tale, other than affording Owen some time off work to do some volunteering. He really didn't seem like a banker type; everything about him, and I mean everything, made him come across as a bit of a dreamer. Not an idealist, but a dreamer, and he really didn't fit the mould of an investment banker, who thinks with his/her head of returns, bonuses/profits, targets, clients, etc.; he really didn't seem tough enough, and of course we don't get to see pre-cancer Owen to compare...

I also didn't like how much Owen pushed Quill into starting something. Frankly, had I seen this in the workplace, I'd have been debating whether to report a form of bullying, but later on being privy to his thoughts, it was clear that he felt something and saw something in closeted, repressed, guilt-ridden Quill, but I don't know that his MO was right, still. Quill did blossom and shed some of his baggage with Owen, but then other guilt set in and it felt at times as if an emotional or emotional guilt, I think is more apt, tennis match was being played, with each wary of the other. Not wanting to win, no, but each volleyed stuff back and then backed off, so nothing much got achieved.

There was a catalyst to this romance that really aided and abetted a big step to be taken towards a HEA. Actually, before this catalyst I felt that the guys were stuck in an unhealthy cycle of guilt, holding back, trying to please, trying to be forgiven, being a bit selfish and I didn't see where their relationship could go. I didn't see how it could last the rest of the time they'd be forced to spend together, as it wasn't a relationship, working, friendship or otherwise. But, hey ho, the catalyst did its job.

The tale ends close to two years since the guys met, and they're in a good place. Life is good for both of them, Quill is comfortable being quietly out, and Owen is doing what makes Owen happy, and I don't mean that in a beeotchy way; simply that he's found something that fulfils him and he's good with life, isn't searching for anything more or making any more lists.

It's not a Keeper for me, and it seems the series has ended, but I don't really consider unconnected books (even books 1 and 2 didn't really have a connection, apart from some name dropping) to be part of a series. It was interesting reading about Alaska and yes, I did get an education worthy of the type bestowed by a tourist guide, but I wasn't invested in any of the leads, particularly the couple in book 2 who really, really didn't seem suited and just came across as two lone gay men in the same place at the same time.

ARC courtesy of Carina Press and Bayou Book Junkie, for my reading pleasure.