Silas has returned to his hometown. His best friend died and left the town to him. The town is privately owned by the people who lease their properties, under the condition they have to live on the properties. Silas isn’t interested in running the town and wants to sign it over to another resident, but there is a complication. This book didn’t really hold my interest. I found myself skimming reading the story. I was interested enough to see how it ended. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

I received a free copy of Come Home to Deep River in exchange for an honest review. Overall, I enjoyed this story. Anytime the plot occurs in Alaska that's a win. I enjoyed the small town atmosphere and the community bonding. I enjoyed the fact that Si and Hope got a second chance at a relationship after Si left when he graduated.

I had a few issues with Hope. The fact that she never told Si how she felt and pretended to like their best friend, Caleb so she wouldn't get hurt was sophomoric. However, she was just finishing high school and probably needed to mature some. The same for Si. He left and didn't come back for 13 years just because of his feelings for Hope. What about the rest of the community that he claimed to "love." Why wouldn't he come back to see them?

I'm still a little lost when it comes to Caleb's sister. She was briefly mentioned as the town police officer, and was offered ownership of the town when her brother Caleb died. She didn't want it, and that's where her character was never mentioned again. Lots of questions, but maybe that is going to be addressed in a future book.

What a brilliant start to the series! This book has such emotional depth, you feel like the characters are somehow part of you. It’s wonderfully romantic, beautifully written and the descriptions of the town and it’s surrounding landscape are so vivid that it’s almost a character in itself. Although at times heart wrenching, this is an ultimately uplifting book about what it means to belong and the strength of community bonds. I can’t wait to read the next in the series.

Silas Quinn is flying back to a remote small town in the backcountry of Alaska, Deep River, which is privately owned. Silas (Si) left thirteen years ago, with one of his best friends, Caleb West, and is about to upset his second best friend, Hope Dawson.

Caleb died in an accident, and left the ownership of the town to Silas and two other buddies. Silas wants no part of owning the town, which comes with the clause that he'd have to live there. He left for a reason.

Hope Dawson is the owner of The Happy Moose, that she inherited from her grandfather. Hope had dreams of going to see the world and going to college for a degree. She put her life on hold to stay to take care of her mother and run The Moose.

When Si walks into the bar, Hope tampers down an urge to go run into his arms to welcome him, but instead focuses her anger on how Caleb and Si left her all those years ago. Not once did Si come back. After hearing Si out, Hope is blindsided regarding the news that has the potential to uproot the entire town.

While Si and Hope work together to come up with a solution, they can't fight the attraction they have towards one another. The problem is Si doesn't plan to stay very long, he's got a business to get back to. Hope's mother just threw gas on the fire, and Hope might be able to reach for her dreams once again, if her mother has her way.

Coming home to Deep River, leads Silas to remember what he left behind and it's going to take an old friend with wisdom that helps Silas find the true meaning of what Silas doesn't believe in. Hope's mother shares a secret that allows Hope to see that it's past time for her to stop being afraid and have courage to go after what she truly wanted.

This is a new author for me. From the first page, I was intrigued by the man on a mission and returning to a hometown that might not welcome him. I love the chemistry between Si and Hope. Throughout the story, there is back and forth between Si and one of the other buddies, who is also willed the town, but left to run the business. He flies in to confront Silas. There's a nice plug for another story that hopefully involves this man. Amazing start to wonderful new series!

I received an ARC from NetGalley via SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca and I have voluntarily reviewed this book.

Hope, Silas, and Caleb we’re best friends during their childhood in isolated Deep River Alaska, unfortunately Caleb and Silas left to join the military and Hope stayed behind to run her grandfather’s bar after his tragic death (although Silas would have stayed if Hope wanted). Fast forward 13 years and it’s Silas first time back to town, a town he recently has inherited. He needs Hopes’s help with the townspeople due to surprising news about the town, but bitter about being left behind Hope doesn’t want to help. Both characters struggle with their pasts as they try to find what they’re truly looking for in life, each other. This book is more about the relationship between the two leads, although there are several steamy moments, and the relationship between the numerous townspeople. There is a lot of funny and poignant moments between all but as the first book in the series there’s a lot of ground to cover and at some points it’s hard to keep all the characters straight . Still a nice quick read. 4 stars. I received an arc copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher for my honest review.

Yeesh, tough crowd.

Why didn't Caleb leave the town to his sister?

Well, at least it breaks up the week for her.

If Caleb was the Beloved Son, you would think more people would go to his funeral.

Ooh, what legal difficulties, Zeke?

So does Damon commute usually?

Breakfast of champions.

It's a wonder they even have a mayor at all.

Money corrupts just as much as power.

Talk about mixed messages!

She's a martyr every so often.

I cannot stand her mother.

Phil is crazy but fun.

Nice setup for Damon's story.

Our hero returns after thirteen years,how will he be received in his home town? Emotions run high but is there a solution?. An easy read.

Come Home to Deep River by Jackie Ashenden was an enjoyable story. This is a unique story from the independent small town of Deep River in Alaska. This is Silas and Hope's story. Silas grew up in Deep River and then left to join the military. Thirteen years later he returns. Hope has been in Deep River all her life, and due to many events has never left. Silas returns and he and Hope kindle a spark. This is an interesting story and I loved the location. It was a page turner that I could not put down. I recommend it.

I just really enjoyed this book. It was just really easy to get lost in this book. I will definitely be reading more by this author.

DNF @ 33%
Long inner monologues full of repetitious details. Several times I thought I forgot to turn the page because the same information was repeated. I couldn’t warm up to Hope and her bizarre anger towards Silas was too frustrating.

Come Home to Deep River - Jackie Ashenden

I received an ARC from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

I am a great fan of Jackie Ashenden and have read loads of her books and enjoyed nearly every single one. I was keen to see what this one was like as it's a bit different from the books I usually like.

This was an interesting start to what is clearly going to be a series. The author created a great setting in the town and the characters who lived there. The dilemma of how to deal with an oil find in the town which could bring loads of money to individuals nut ruin the very nature of it was really well handled. I liked the hero a lot - Si had won me over on page 1!

Hope was a different matter. I didn't understand why she held a grudge about Si leaving and not coming back. He'd asked her to leave with him and she'd not only said no, she'd made it clear it was his brother she was interested in. (All untrue of course!) I get a bit fed up with heroines who sacrifice themselves for a family - especially when I feel the family don't deserve it - so Hope still being stuck in the town 13 years later struck me as her fault and no one else's

However, this simply shows what a good writer Jackie is as she writes such believable characters that they become real people!! I swiftly started to support Hope as well.

Looking forward to the next story!!

It took me a while to read this one. It wasn’t that it was bad I just wasn’t feeling it. Silas is back in his hometown thanks to the will of his best friend. He has a lot on his plate to handle and with the town facing changes things get interesting. Hope had dreams of leaving but was stuck in staying to run her family bar. It was okay but not something I would read again.

Flying into deep River Alaska is difficult. Silas Quinn (I love the name) is a talented pilot though. He's flying into the hometown he left thirteen years earlier. I love that it's set in Alaska and that Silas is a pilot . His friend Caleb has recently die .silas has done three tours in Afghanistan. The town of deep River is privately owned. Caleb had ran the town until his unexpected death in a plane crash . A discovery about the town could change everything. Coming back to deep River brings silas's old friend hope back into his life.I was hoping for a relationship between hope and Silas and that he would stay I wanted him to run his business from town❤️

The town of Deep River, is as small as a town gets. So a lot of small town people and thinking in the book.
Silas has a lot on his shoulders. The book is mostly what he does and how he handles these decisions. This is not necessarily a book that I would read a second time but I did enjoy it.

Woo hoo! I'm in love with this book. Jackie absolutely knocked this one out of the park. This is a unique take on a small town romance with unlimited potential. The author leaves so many threads to be pulled and cast of secondary characters that you want to know more about. Silas and Hope are perfect for each other except they take thirteen years to explore their feelings. There is some considerable baggage to unpack too. I can not wait to see whats next for the town, it's residents, and Damon whose hopefully next to fall in love.

This book was just ok for me. I really wanted to love it. Prickly bar owner in an ultra small town in Alaska. Interesting side story related to the oil underneath the town. But in the end I just didn't like Hope and Silas was just ok. Hope came across as seriously whiny. I understood her feelings of familial responsibility. But as the book progresses, you can see that she wasn't held back by anything other than herself. She really was just afraid and indulged in a serious long term pout because the boy she wanted didn't do what she wanted him to. I feel like I'm making light of her circumstances, but really, that is how it came across.

Silas was just, sigh, so frustrating as well. He clearly had held on to his feelings for Hope for all that time - and while I get the unrequited love thing, I'm not sure Hope was worth it.

Overall, the story is definitely a slower burn. And when Silas and Hope come together - it feels forced and very surface level.

I wish I had more positive things to say about it - because I was so excited to read this.

This is the first book I’ve read from this author, and whilst I enjoyed the characters and story, at times I felt it was a bit wordy.....it could of done with being maybe 50 pages shorter. The flow was kinda spoilt by all the unnecessary descriptions

There are some things you can't run away from. Si & Hope are forced together to save their beloved town. Pretty soon things heat up and their connection is unavoidable. The characters are well written and not predictable. This was my first time reading Jackie Ashenden and I really enjoyed it.