Morgan West is the sole police officer in Deep River, who spends all of the her time taking care of the town and its inhabitants. Her family founded the town, and she remains the last West after her brother, Caleb, passed away unexpectedly.

Zeke Montgomery was one of Caleb's best friends, and is now in Deep River after Caleb's passing to make good on his promise to take care of Morgan. Despite being a man of few words and very stubborn, Morgan seems to be crawling under his skin. An untold secret may turn things around, but will it change for the better or the worse?

4 out of 5 stars.

I received a free ARC from the publisher and NetGalley; and I am voluntarily leaving an unbiased review.

Oh, this was just lovely. In a strange coincidence, I chose to read three books fairly close together that all have the grumpy one and the sunshine one trope in them ( It Happened One Summer , Neon Gods , and this one) and though they're all very different--and very good!--I think Ms Ashenden might win the award for best grumpy bear hero out of the three.

Though I'm still in the middle of Katee Robert's book. If that changes, I'll let you know ;)

I loved the whole atmosphere of this book--the town of Deep River, its people, and OMG Zeke and Morgan--the spell the author wove with her words here was really something else. At first glance Zeke and Morgan are one of those couples that really shouldn't work--she's a small town cop who is used to making things right for everyone around her, the little sister of one of his best friends, and the last remaining West in a town that was founded and owned by Wests; he's left his home and his family behind and is happier living on his own in the woods than with anyone else, barely even lets his friends get to know him, and doesn't even attempt to develop any type of people skills, ever. He's determined to help her and then duck out of town; she is just as determined that she doesn't need to be helped.

They should repel each other, but instead they find themselves inexplicitly drawn together--and Ms Ashenden makes it all 100% believable. I loved the glimpses she gave us into Zeke's head as much as those we get into Morgan's (poor Morgan! She's the one who takes the most risks the earliest, and Zeke just tramples all over her. I wanted to have his head for a hot minute or ten.)

The black moment here is black, black, black, and soooo hard to read. Though the resolution is ultimately satisfying, I did think Zeke got off a tad bit too easily in figuring out what he really wanted (a conversation with someone else essentially did the job...) Still, I put this one down with a warm glowy feeling inside.

That Deep River Feeling is the third book in her Alaska Homecoming series. I haven't read the first two (yet! You'd better believe they're on my TBR now!) and it did work OK as a standalone. Reading the other two books first would definitely give readers a fuller picture of what is happening with the town and the oil company and Zeke's two friends and their place in the town, so if you are able I would recommend reading them in order.

(Just don't plan on doing so using the NYPL digital offerings or Audible, though--NYPL only has the first book on audio and in ebook, and Audible only has this book available. :( )

Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

Morgan West was the only cop in Deep River, Alaska. Now, with her brother's death, she didn't have any family left, either. When the will was read, her brother, Caleb, left the ownership of the town to his three best friends from the Army. Silas and Damon had already settled in to Deep River, but Zeke, had disappeared. With his return, there were lots of questions. Where had he gone for so long and why did he come back? He was a mountain man that lived in the wilderness. He hated being around people but he had made a promise to take care of Caleb's sister, Morgan, and he would help her fix some things around her house and then he would be gone again.

Morgan didn't know what to make of Zeke. He was like a bear with a sore paw. She felt there was more to him that the grouchy mountain man, though, and she was determined to get below the surface to learn more about him. What she found was more than she had imagined.

This was a sweet story of forgiveness and healing and learning to love without fear. There was some foul language used and a few descriptive sex scenes which I don't particularly like but I enjoyed reading the story and learning about more characters in the series.

I was given an arc copy of this book and I willingly offer my honest review.

That Deep River Feeling was an excellent small town romance between a woman sworn to protect the town and one of the men who just inherited it.

Since the death of her brother Caleb, Morgan West has been alone as the last of her family. Then one day Zeke Montgomery shows up and tells her his brother asked him to look after her. Morgan has never taken well to being bossed around but Zeke isn't taking no for an answer. Zeke isn't one for sticking around so his plan is to fulfill his late best friend's last request, figure out how to offload his share of the town, and get out of dodge. But Zeke finds himself drawn to Morgan and the more time he spends with her, the harder it gets to walk away.

Morgan grew up in Deep River under the shadow of the West name. Morgan has never felt she's been enough for her family and even to an extent blames herself for them leaving. Despite her family issues, Morgan loves Deep River and has dedicated herself to keeping the town safe. Zeke never fit in with his family and so he left at the first opportunity. Zeke is very socially awkward and comes across as quite abrupt as he simply tells it like it is. He feels most at home when he's on his own in the wilderness, so he tends to avoid being in populated areas/towns as much as possible.

Morgan and Zeke's romance gets off to a bit of a slower start. Morgan doesn't want someone to take care of her as she can do that herself and Zeke is determined to help as it was Caleb's last request of him. Despite reservations on both sides, the two are immediately attracted to one another and their chemistry was fantastic. At first Zeke is very reserved in his interactions with Morgan and I enjoyed watching him open up more as the book went on. Due to Morgan being a West, the entire town is watching these two closely and offering their opinions. Personally something like that would annoy me more than it did Zeke and Morgan who took the meddling in stride. There is a bit of conflict towards the end but thankfully that was dealt with quickly.

Overall That Deep River Feeling was a fantastic read and I would highly recommend the series if you're looking for some great contemporary romances.

This novel was a great addition to the Alaska Homecoming series. It can be read as a stand alone but the other two are so good you will want to read them too. This novel will tug at your heart. I really liked the characters of Zeke and Morgan and enjoyed following their romance. The small town and the people who live there is a positive for me as well.
Many thanks to Sourcebook Casablanca and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

~~~ I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ~~~

I am loving Jackie Ashenden's "Alaska Homecoming" series! The stories take place in a quirky little town called Deep River- which is deep in the Alaska wilderness. That Deep River Feeling is the story of Zeke and Morgan. Together they discover that believing in and loving yourself first will open the door for a meaningful relationship. This is a story of commitment, love, romance, and duty. The overall plot of this book entails a large oil company trying to buy out the town... I liked how the town people all came together to save their town from these oil drillers and preserve the wilderness. This is a well written Alaskan romance (my fav!). I hope there are more books to come in this series.

This book was so fun to curl up with.
A romantic suspense was just what I needed.
Zeke is on the run. Morgan is a police officer. Let the sparks fly.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for my honest review.

Just like that my time in Deep River has come to an end 😢 but I would have to say it everything happened exactly how I wanted it to.

Like the other two books, Jackie brought you right into the town of Deep River, & it felt like you were actually there! I also loved catching up with the characters from the other books again 👏🏻👏🏻

Morgan was the definition of a strong, independent woman, & Zeke was the perfect grumpy character to keep her on her toes 😂 also, Zeke’s growth throughout the book was great, & the two of them balanced each other out nicely 💕

I’m hoping there will be more Deep River novels in the future, but in the meantime I will be looking up Jackie’s new series set in New Zealand 😍

If you’re looking for a small town, heartwarming series, definitely look this on up ❤️ it’s worth the read!

This is the third book in the series and having read the second book previously I had a better idea of the side characters involved.
This is Zeke and Morgan's story of both being able to accept love in their hearts. Morgan's brother Caleb passed away and left the town that he owned, Deep River to his three friends. Zeke is the final new owner to return to the town and is just their to fulfill Caleb's dying wish of looking out for Morgan. Morgan is the towns cop and is always looking out for other people so when Zeke comes along trying to look out for her, she doesn't take it well. Of course they can't avoid their attraction to each other and sparks fly. But when Zeke's secrets come out, can they survive it together.
I liked this more than the previous book and I really enjoyed these characters. I do wish their was more small town character involvement though as you barely even see the two previous couples from the series.
Overall a heartwarming Alaskan romance that had be in tears by the end.

I love the connection this author creates between her reader and the characters. She has delivered an amazing world and characters that you can't help but look forward to what comes next. I wish this series could go on forever.

This was a sweet yet steamy romance with intriguing characters. Although I read the previous book in the series, Zeke didn't make an appearance and whatever I learned about him was through Silas and Damon's conversations, so I was definitely looking forward to reading his story. I found Zeke's story interesting, unfortunately, he had a tendency to get into his head A LOT, which led to some lengthy monologues. As for Morgan, I enjoyed reading her story especially when things started developing between her and Zeke. Soon I found myself looking forward to their interactions, which solidified their connection. While their attraction was evident and the underlying chemistry palpable, I appreciated that the author made an effort to develop their connection as the story progressed.

Thank you for Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thought are my own.

When I saw this cover I was immediately drawn to the book it is so beautiful and made me this I would love to go to Deep River, Alaska and meet the locals. However the book was a little disappointing for me. This might because I haven't read the previous books in the series so have no background on the characters but I just couldn't warm to them however hard I tried.

Zeke Calhoun made a promise he would always look after his best friend's sister. Living in the wilderness most of the time he has a hard time returning to Deep River to fulfil that promise but it is the last thing he vowed to his friend. Morgan West is the town cop, and doesn't think she needs looking after. She is usually the one who looks after everyone else, but she humours Zeke as he was her brothers friend. The guys have lots of chemistry, but for me it fizzled for too long and then sparked all at once.

This is the first book I have read by the author, I would definitely read one of her books again. Maybe would start at the beginning of the series next time so I get a background of all the characters. I think this would have really helped.

This is a great book. The two main characters are Morgan and Zeke. They are complete opposites. Zeke’s family owns an oil company. Morgan’s family was looking for oil under their town. Zeke tries to talk his family out of trying to buy the oil leases. They both have problems that they both need to work through, which they do. They eventually find out they love each other.

A sweet and deeply emotional connection between the hero and heroine, nicely developed characters and relationships, vivid description, and an intense, compelling romance highlight That Deep River Feeling, book 3 in Jackie Ashenden’s Alaska Homecoming #3 series. The novel starts just after the funeral of the big brother of heroine Morgan West and best friend of hero Zeke Calhoun. His last dying request was for Zeke Calhoun’s promise to take care of his sister Morgan, and Zeke is determined to do whatever it takes to keep it, which is why he’s in Deep River, Alaska. Zeke plans to make his stay short and retreat to his isolation, preferring to be alone. While honest, straightforward, protective, generous, and dependable, he’s also guarded, taciturn, and not good with and uncomfortable around people. Plus, he has secrets he needs to stay secret. But being around Morgan not only challenges his need and ability to go back to isolation for the first time, but she also challenges his view of himself and the world.

An independent, self-reliant, formidable, no-nonsense, sensitive caretaker, Morgan may be alone in the world, but despite what her big brother requested of Zeke, she doesn’t need him to watch out for or take care of her. After all, Morgan is Deep River’s only police officer. Furthermore, she has gotten used to taking care of herself and being on her own. However, Morgan has not managed to escape her desire to take care of other people or being needed. Being around Zeke brings those aspects of her personality out with a vengeance. Though she fears and cannot afford to get involved with anyone, she finds him irresistible with his rugged sexiness. He makes her feel things she never thought she’d feel or have in her life. But is being with him worth risking her job and the town she loves and calls home.

In confusion, I found myself re-reading the description for the book because one of the things that drew me to That Deep River Feeling was never mentioned or alluded to within the novel. If you read it without expecting it to be about an innocent ex-con on the run, you shouldn’t have unmet expectations like me. That Deep River Feeling is a sweet, compelling, and deeply emotional love story about how learning to let go of our fears of being rejected and letting someone into our lives and our hearts, while scary, might be one of the best things we can or ever do.

That Deep River Feeling was the perfect small town romance that I needed this summer. There’s just something about a stubborn, elusive mountain man that I love in romance novels recently, and Zeke Montgomery was the perfect specimen.

Morgan is pretty stubborn and set in her ways herself - but I loved that she was the town law enforcement and living her life on her own terms.

The romance between Zeke and Morgan is sweet, and watching them grow individually and as a couple is such a great read. There is definitely some heat as well, but overall this is a very lovely romance.

Watching as Zeke grows from an isolated mountain man to someone who decides to set down roots in a small town with other people is inspiring, and reminds me that there’s always an opportunity to change.

Author Jackie Ashenden perfectly described the town of Deep River that I felt like I was transported to this small town Alaska every time I picked up the book.

That Deep River Feeling is the third book in the Alaska Homecoming series, but can absolutely be read as a stand-alone.

Thanks to SourceBooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the review copy in exchange for my honest opinions.

That Deep River Feeling is a brother’s best friend (with the brother in question being dead) Alaska-set romance that’s simple and easy to read, if a little unsubstantial.

Zeke Montgomery has arrived in Deep River, Alaska charged with a mission: his recently deceased friend and business partner, Cal, has left him a letter asking Zeke to care for Cal’s sister Morgan. Morgan is a West, part of the family that has historically owned the postage-stamp-sized town of Deep River. But Cal willed the town to his three army/business buddies, including Zeke. Morgan isn’t bothered by this, but what she is bothered by is the looming prospect of outsiders interested in Deep River’s most easily lucrative asset - oil. Preserving Deep River as a town and not simply a drilling site is her secondary job, after that of Village Public Safety Officer, something she describes as being “the Alaskan rural equivalent” of a police officer. She’s not overjoyed at the arrival of Zeke, who’s determined to fix her house and be otherwise useful, but they have an instant affinity for each other they can’t deny.

Zeke is famously forthright and tends to isolate, while Morgan is a self-described practitioner of “aggressive caregiving” who lives submerged in her community. They both, however, come from parents who judged them mercilessly and conveyed to them that who they were was undesirable. The song says all you need is love, but for Morgan and Zeke love specifically means kindness, and they get it at last from each other. They have a cute dynamic – he calls her “sunshine girl” and she calls him “bear”. Her interpretation of him as a large, grizzled herbivore is borne out by Zeke’s entertaining tendency to see her as positively appetizing: he adores her “apricot hair”, her personality with its “tartness, like an almost-ripe peach” and her scent of “sugar cookies”. Morgan, for all that she self-critically describes her caregiving as aggressive, is a real sweetheart, and Zeke has a sleeper talent for a romantic gesture (having a bath in the middle of the Alaska wilderness while eating chocolates and surrounded by candles is a new life goal for this reviewer).

The story has a sense of intimacy to it. The first twenty percent consists entirely of Zeke and Morgan on Morgan’s property and they don’t come into contact with another soul. When the story does move into town, it still stays low key. There are the protagonists from earlier books, and the requisite Cute Old Grumpy People, but there’s no deluge of characters and secondary storylines. The main external conflict is whether the town will become an oil town, but even that ultimately plays out in a very measured and reasonable way. While it’s a pleasant surprise how little predictable drama occurs, the downside is that it leaves a lingering feeling that nothing really happened.

The story’s real preoccupation is with emotion not action (perhaps hardly a surprise since ‘feeling’ is in the title). Morgan is determined that she can “heal” Zeke, but his emotional recovery comes not at Morgan’s hands, but through one of the town’s Cute Old Grumpy People, who dispenses wisdom of such incredible potency that it takes Zeke mere minutes to see the light after their conversation. This speed takes the healing from simply miraculous to vaguely ludicrous, and even Ashenden is aware of this fact, going so far as to call it out. “I gave you fifteen minutes to change your mind,”  the Cute Old Grumpy Person says to Zeke, “and you took twenty”. Brevity is perhaps the book’s most significant shortcoming; not only is the third-act drama compressed, but the whole story is a little restricted at just under three-hundred pages.

All that said, I can confirm that the feelings evoked by That Deep River Feeling are by and large ones of pleasure, gentleness, and contentment, though the hasty conclusion and short page count prevent it from being as satisfying as it might have been.

Buy it at: Amazon, Audible, or your local independent retailer
Visit our Amazon Storefront

I was excited to get this book because I’d already read the previous two in the series and enjoyed them. They start with a slow burn and intensify as they go but all the while you get that feeling you’re in Alaska. The cozy town setting, it’s rural tight community makes for a story that you immerse yourself in. Many thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for review

That Deep River Feeling is a story about community, about learning to accept yourself, and about allowing others to be there for you. While this third book in the Alaska Homecoming series started off a little slow for me, I did find that by the 50% mark I was loving all of Deep River's quirky characters. The romance between the town VSP, Morgan, and the mountain man, Zeke, was very slow burn with lots of introspection-mostly on the part of Zeke. While I enjoyed getting to know Zeke and a little of what made him so wary of others, at times I felt as though those inner monologues were detracting from the rest of the story. In all, the story was a sweet (with a few spicy moments) romance, and the author's style of writing made me feel as though I was a part of the Deep River community.

I loved this book so much so that I will be going back reading books 1 & 2 so that I have the complete story. I would not mind living in that little town of Deep River. I love books that feature that deep sense of community and community responsibility. And while I like Morgan (poor girl)… I loved Zeke he just about broke my heart but what I really loved was Morgan & Zeke together. '

I would recommend this to anyone to read.

3.75 stars—THAT DEEP RIVER FEELING is the third instalment in Jackie Ashenden’s contemporary, adult ALASKA HOMECOMING romance series focusing on three friends who inherited the small town of Deep River, Alaska. This is bush pilot Zeke Calhoun, and Village Safety Protection Officer Morgan West’s story line. THAT DEEP RIVER FEELING can be read as a stand alone but I recommend reading the series in order for back story and cohesion.


SOME BACKGROUND: Thirteen years earlier Silas Quinn (Home to Deep River 1), along with his best friend Caleb West, swore never to return to Deep River but with Caleb’s death came the ownership of the town of Deep River, owned by the West family for close to one hundred years. When the sole surviving West refused all ownership, the town of Deep River was passed on to our heroes Damon, Silas and Zeke.


Told from dual third person perspectives (Zeke and Morgan) THAT DEEP RIVER FEELING focuses on Zeke Calhoun, the final partner in the privately owned small town of Deep River, Alaska. For two months Zeke has been MIA; no contact with his friends Silas and Damon, and in this Silas and Damon struggle with potential offers to buy Deep River, Alaska. Deep River sits upon a ‘gold mine’ of oil, oil that a Texas company is hoping to own, while secretly approaching the people in an effort to buy what’s left of the town. Morgan West is the only member of the local law enforcement, and the only surviving West family heir, and with it comes the knowledge that someone is hoping to gain access to the Deep River oil. Enter Zeke Calhoun, the third partner bequeathed ownership of Deep River, Alaska and the man with whom Morgan West will fall in love. What ensues is the struggling romance and relationship between Zeke and Morgan, and the potential fall-out as Zeke’s secrets are about to be exposed, as our hero struggles with issues of rejection, trust and low self-esteem.


Zeke Calhoun worries that once the truth is revealed, his friendships and relationship with his best friends Damon and Silas with spiral out of control. Having suffered through a dysfunctional relationship with his family, Zeke prefers to live life on his own terms but meeting Morgan West stirs something deep within our story line hero. Morgan West has lived all of her life in Deep River, Alaska, and like Zeke, struggles with demons from the past. Believing she is unworthy of love, Morgan finally opens her heart only to discover that Zeke’s time in Deep River, comes with an expiry date. The $ex scenes are limited but intimate and passionate, without the over the top, sexually graphic language and text.


The secondary and supporting characters include Silas Quinn and his girlfriend Hope Dawson; Damon Fitzgerald and Astrid, James; Astrid’s son Connor; Zeke’s sister Izzy Montgomery, as well as Filthy Phil, all knowing, all seeing elderly gentleman -the people of Deep River are very protective of our story line heroine.


THAT DEEP RIVER FEELING is a story of secrets, family, relationships and love. The premise is entertaining; the romance is captivating but I struggled to feel any palpable sexual attraction between our leading couple. Perhaps it was Zeke’s less than stellar attitude towards everything, or his need to move on without the woman he loved.





THE READING CAFE: http://www.thereadingcafe.com/that-deep-river-feeling-by-jackie-ashenden-review/



GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3846127724


AMAZON COM: https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R9CT7RQOOBBWT/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=1728216923


B&N: Sandy_thereadingcafe: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/that-deep-river-feeling-jackie-ashenden/1138546247?ean=9781728216928&bvnotificationId=6a9cd287-f7d1-11eb-a998-12954bfd745d&bvmessageType=REVIEW_APPROVED&bvrecipientDomain=hotmail.com#review/184943020

BOOKBUB: https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/2727206450


IBOOKS (Sandy Sch): posted


CHAPTERS/INDIGO (Sandy Sch) posted


GOOGLE PLAY (Sandy Sch) posted