It's a second chance, small-town romance for Sweet Home Alaska, which also happens to be the start of a new series. I haven't had much experience with Jennifer Snow's work, but I get the impression that this is a spin-off series. That didn't cause any confusion for me, but I feel like it was worth mentioning, especially for those familiar with the author's Wild Alaska series. Skylar and Dex are likable characters, and they have good chemistry. A lot of the angst in the romance relies on a lack of communication. I kind of felt like they needed to be locked in a room together until they worked it out, but that wouldn't have made for much of a story, would it? Things do get steamy, and it's an entertaining read. The romance tropes are some of my favorites, and I like the setting, so I'll be interested to see where things go from here in the series.

Pretty much binge read this book in a sitting, I mean its the weekend its the perfect time to binge a great book? Any who I really enjoyed this book. I loved getting to know the characters and that we get point of view from both Skylar and Dex. Both had a Romeo/Juliet situation going on with family feuding and so their love had to be hidden as teens and when they planned on having a life together Dex backs out leaving Skylar broken hearted but determined to pursue her dreams. Skylar's back and Dex is still around and its clear that attraction never left but then again same can go with the family feud. I thought it was interesting seeing the lengths the two would go to keep the whole thing a secret. They weren't all that great at hiding things but they tried. I liked Skylar's relationship with her father clearly they were close but it was making things a bit complicated since they were working together at the job and while her father was a proud papa it was making Skylar feel wierd since they need to keep things professional. It was interesting seeing thing come together again after so long and learning about eachother. The only issue was was facing the future, I mean Skylar has bigger dreams then staying home and still wants to travel and with her budding relationship with Dex things could get more complicated. Overall this was a pretty great book I really enjoyed it.

When you are a captain in the Coast Guard, you pretty much have to go wherever you are stationed. When Skylar Beaumont gets stationed at Port Serenity, she’s not happy, and puts in for an immediate transfer. But for now she’s back in her hometown and running back into high school sweetheart Dex Wakefield was not something that Skylar was prepared for.

Skylar and Dex had gotten very close, and they even shared the same dreams. But, all of a sudden he broke her heart and she went on with her life. Now that she’s back in close contact with him Skylar must cope with undeniable emotions that prove she never fell out of love with him. This baggage that they both share is exacerbated by a long-standing family feud which makes the Beaumont and Wakefield families enemies.

What a remarkably sensitive story. For all of these years, Dex has had a secret, a secret that was shared with very few people. His feelings for Skylar are just as intense as her hers are for him, but how can he tell her his secret? This part of the story is why Sweet Home Alaska has earned five stars.

I love how Skylar and Dex came back together in the beginning of the story when he saved her life. Despite past feelings, one of the things that she doesn’t understand is why he never joined the Coast Guard himself and works as an emergency volunteer instead. While readers know what is going on with Dex, it was interesting to see how this all unfolded in this delightful second-chance romance. As the pieces began to come together, Skylar really had to consider her career options and that was something that proved evidence of how strong of a protagonist she was in this engaging read. I love that this is the first book in a new series and, as much as I enjoyed it, I am really looking forward to the next installment, Alaska in Christmas, set for release in October.

Many thanks to HQN Books and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Voltar para sua cidade natal não era o que Skylar imaginava após completar seu treinamento na Academia e se tornar membro da Guarda Costeira. Mas ela planeja conseguir um novo posto em algum lugar como Flórida ou Califórnia, e sair dali o mais rápido possível. Skylar só precisa passar pelo desafio de trabalhar no mesmo local que o pai e resistir a Dex Wakefield, seu amor de adolescência que quebrou o coração dela pouco antes da formatura.

Dex não imaginava que um dia veria Skylar novamente, muito menos que ela estaria de volta a Port Serenity a trabalho. Apenas a visão dela fez todos aqueles sentimentos ressurgirem como se nunca tivesse passado um dia longe dela. Dex quer uma segunda chance com Skylar, mas o motivo que os separou ainda está ali e não irá desaparecer. Além disso, ele sabe que o tempo dela na cidade é limitado, e estar com Skylar para depois perdê-la novamente pode quebrar seu coração de forma irremediável.

Dex e Skylar são feitos um para o outro, é inegável que todo aquele amor não sumiu nesses seis anos em que eles ficaram separados. Skylar chegou em Port Serenity tentando se provar como Capitã da Guarda Costeira, que ela está nessa posição por mérito próprio e não por ser de uma família de oficiais que protegeram as águas da cidade por gerações. Dex tem uma questão pessoal que poucas pessoas sabem, e é difícil para ele se abrir, pois não quer que o vejam de forma diferente, principalmente Skylar, de quem escondeu aquilo para que ela não deixasse de seguir seu sonho.

Além de tudo isso, Dex e Skylar são a nova geração das famílias rivais de Port Serenity, os Wakefield e os Beaumont, e o relacionamento deles sempre foi um segredo para seus pais. Outro questão entre eles é a Isla, irmã mais nova de Dex, que sempre teve um problema com Skylar e não aprova essa nova aproximação entre eles. Uma peça muito importante dessa história é a Selaena, a criatura mística metade peixe metade mulher, que todos acreditam que protege as águas de Port Serentiy, bem nem todos, Skylar é bastante cética quando se trata dessa lenda.

Eu devorei esse livro, o romance é tão envolvente que torna quase impossível largar a leitura. Imaginei toda a paisagem do Alaska, suas águas frias, a pequena cidade, a Selaena, e me vi querendo estar naquele lugar, a autora realmente leva os leitores para Port Serenity. No final do livro tem um bônus, que é um conto que se passa pouco antes desse livro, e conta a história de como a Rachel, uma personagem que aparece aqui, chegou na cidade e acabou encontrando o amor. Esse foi o meu primeiro contato com a escrita da Jennifer Snow, já estou ansiosa pelo próximo livro que vai se passar no Natal e é sobre a Isla, a irmã do Dex.

Skylar Beaumont grew up in Port Serenity, Alaska, as a third-generation “Coastie”. She left to attend Coast Guard school and never planned to return after being dumped by the boy/man she had planned on spending her life with. When she is offered a job as the only female captain in the local coast guard, she returns home. Her plan is to remain until she gets the job in California she has applied for. Best laid plans do not always pan out, so when she finds herself in the water after being knocked off her rescue boat, Dex Wakefield comes to her rescue. Unfortunately, the feelings she had for him are still there. Dex has kept a secret from Skylar all these years and she has no reason why he broke her heart. There is also a family feud between the Beaumonts and the Wakefields, which is why they kept their relationship secret years ago. Can they move beyond the secrets for a second chance at love?

I have enjoyed other books by Jennifer Snow, but had forgotten that they do include a lot of steam. I enjoyed the story of Dex and Skylar, soulmates as they are, and looked forward to seeing them find their happily ever after. Slylar is a great character. I like a strong female character in an untraditional role. She has great instincts which made her great at her job, but in her personal life, she is reluctant to take a chance and be hones with her father. Dex is a great match for Skylar. We learn his secret quite early in the story, but he is also nervous to share it. Their relationship becomes intimate quite quickly, so I was pretty sure things would work out. It was like a meant to be relationship that should not have ended. I loved the setting of the small Alaskan town and the community they lived in. If you enjoy a steamy, second chance romance, set in a small community, with a strong independent female, then you will love this story.

Excellent Multi-Layered "Series Starter". After having had a back-door pilot in Alaska Dreams, where the couple traveled down to Port Serenity (our town in this book) to work with the Coast Guard (one of our main groups here, and one who has a direct connection in a secondary character in our unit here) to shoot a movie (which is then watched in one scene in this book) and a lead-in novella in Love On The Coast that explicitly introduces our town and some of its residents and history (and whose couple - and story - is summarized in this book)... we finally get into a proper Book 1 for this new spin-off series from Snow's semi-long running (6 books or so at this time) Wild Alaska series.

And it absolutely fires on all cylinders. You've got a couple of tense Coast Guard rescues in the cold Alaskan waters where our new heroine learns to trust herself. You've got the tragic backstory of high school sweethearts who split due to several misunderstandings/ secrets. For the "sweet" / "clean" crowd... eh, you've got some pretty dang intense sex scenes, both penetrative and not - and not a dang one of them "fade to black" / "behind closed doors". There's enough drama in the book to elevate it above "bubble gum pop" level romance, without it being *too* burdening - and thus it is still a solid escape (and a longer-ish one at near 400 pages) for those who may need to escape the "real" world for a bit. It also happens to be a solid introduction to the author's overall storytelling style for those who may be new to her. Very much recommended.

Skylar Beaumont is coming home. Her plans never included coming back to port Serenity after she left years ago with a shattered heart. Now she is returning to head up a crew in the local coast guard. Not only will she be working with her father, but she must also face the one man who broke her heart. Will Skylar be able to come to terms with her past or will she run again?
Dex Wakefield is shocked to see Skylar back in town. She left years ago after he broke her heart and he never thought he would see her again. Skylar deserves to know the truth, but will he work up the courage to face the past?

What a great start to a new series from Jennifer Snow. We have the beautiful scenery of Alaska along with two families whose grudges are still smoldering. I did enjoy the complexity of the two main characters and their family dynamics. I would have liked to see more of a resistance between Skylar and Dex and their relationship instead of how quickly they resumed their relationship without facing the past. The story as a whole was well written, and the hint of mystery kept me entertained. I am looking forward to the next book in the series to follow up with the Beaumonts and Wakefields. For my honest opinion, Harlequin Publishing kindly gifted me an advanced readers copy. A sweet summer romance.

Title: Sweet Home Alaska
Author: Jennifer Snow
Genre: Romance
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Skylar Beaumont never wanted to return to Alaska. Still, when duty calls, she can’t refuse. And, as a third-generation “Coastie” and the only female captain in the local coast guard, she has too much to prove. Being stationed in her hometown of Port Serenity isn’t ideal—but she’ll tough it out until her transfer goes through and she can move on to warmer waters. That’s the plan, at least, until she crashes into Dex Wakefield. Again.

Shocked to see his secret high school sweetheart after all this time, Dex can’t help but wonder if he should finally come clean. Skylar deserves to know the real reason why he abandoned the dream they’d shared—and broke her heart. But this small tourist town is home to one big grudge where their families are concerned… And leaving the past behind might be the only way Dex and Skylar will finally realize that their first love deserves a sweet second chance.

Usually, I enjoy linked standalone romance series, especially in a small-town setting, but this one was just alright. I didn’t hate it, but maybe it just wasn’t a good fit for me. There was too much of the no communication thing, when everything would have been easily solved with a few words, and that just gets on my nerves. And…what about the loose thread of the mythical sea snake? It’s probably a series thread, but some sort of resolution with these characters would have been good, instead of just dropping the thread and ignoring it.

Jennifer Snow is an award-winning author. Sweet Home Alaska is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin in exchange for an honest review.)

Skyler went into the coast guard academy, thinking her boyfriend, Dex, was going to go with her. Dex doesn’t go with her and they don’t see each other for 6 years when Skye comes home as the new coast guard captain. Skye doesn’t know why Dex didn’t come with her and wants nothing to do with Dex. However things change and Skye and Dex get together. She always wonders why Dex didn’t come with her to the academy. Dex finally comes clean to Skyler. I liked this book

SWEET HOME ALASKA – Jennifer Snow
A Wild Coast Novel, Book 1
HQN
ISBN: 978-1-335-44861-3
May 24, 2022
Contemporary Romance

Port Serenity, Alaska – Present Day


Skylar Beaumont grew up in Port Serenity but left to join the coast guard. She hadn’t planned on returning, despite her father still living there, because the town holds painful memories of her time with her ex-boyfriend, Dex Wakefield. They broke up just as she was about to leave for training, and he ended things between them. She has now secured a coast guard position in her old hometown. Driving into town on her first day, Skylar is startled to spot the last person she expects to see: Dex. Skylar promptly drives off the end of the pier and into the water. It’s Dex who ends up rescuing her. She had heard that he left town, though her father doesn’t mention any of the Wakefields due to a longtime family feud between the families. Why has Dex returned? Is he doing anything or living off his trust fund?

Dex has a medical condition that was diagnosed just before he and Skylar were supposed to head off together to coast guard training. While still trying to digest the news, rather than tell her, he pushed her away. Of course, Dex ended up hurting the one woman he never forgot, Skylar. He’s living on a yacht and occasionally helps with coast guard rescues. He never expected that one of his rescues would be Skylar. Despite their painful breakup, there is still an attraction simmering between them. But despite their feelings for each other, how can he plan a future for them when he has epilepsy?

SWEET HOME ALASKA is the start of a new Alaskan based series by Jennifer Snow. High school sweethearts Skylar and Dex had planned a future together despite their families feuding, but it all ended when he broke it off with her. Skylar loves her profession but hadn’t thought about returning to Port Serenity until the job opened. Once she arrives and not only realizes that Dex is here, but that her father (also a coast guard employee) is micromanaging her, she is ready to ship out again. Meanwhile, Skylar keeps running into Dex and the two soon can’t ignore the attraction. One thing leads to another, and they try to rekindle their romance, though on the down-low since Wakefields and Beaumonts aren’t supposed to like each other.

Even as Skylar begins to wonder if she can have a future with Dex, he worries about how he will tell her about his medical condition. He doesn’t want to tie her down or have her feel sorry for him. He misses the opportunity to work for the coast guard, so helping them out on occasion is a dream come true. The forces around Skylar and Dex work against them at times, yet their love is strong—and growing daily. By the end of SWEET HOME ALASKA, they will need to work out the obstacles if they want a life together.

An emotional and enjoyable read, you won’t want to miss SWEET HOME ALASKA.

Patti Fischer

Beautiful second-chance romance!

First thing you need to know is that Dex is a wonderfully sweet, wears-his-heart-on-his-sleeve kind of guy, and I loved him instantly. Skylar just attained the rank of captain in the coast guard, and her first assignment is the small town she left six years before when she graduated from high school. They haven't seen each other since, but OMG, time practically stands still awaiting their eventual reunion.

The sparks fly right from the start between Dex and Skylar, and I loved every bit of it. Theirs was a romance that never should have been interrupted, but life happens and they each tried to move on and pursue their dreams. Their second chance was written so beautifully, with so much heart, I was sighing and swooning from the first page to the last.

A HEA awaits at the end of a long road of secrets, regrets, and a timeless love that proves soulmates are real. I highly recommend this heartwarming romance. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

A fun, quick, enjoyable second chance at love story between high school sweethearts whose plan for their future went wrong in a small Alaskan town.

Sweet Home Alaska (Wild Coast #1)
by Jennifer Snow (Goodreads Author)
F 50x66
Donna Repsher's reviewMay 13, 2022 · edit
liked it

Jennifer Snow is a new-to-me author, and while this second chance at love story sounded good in the blurb, and while it is fairly well-written, I don't think it quite lived up to its potential for a number of reasons, which is why I can only give it a 3-star rating at most.

The basics: Two high-school sweethearts/lovers from multi-generational feuding families in a small coastal town in Alaska, hide their budding romance from their families, and both plan to attend the Coast Guard Academy together after graduation. However, several weeks prior to graduation, Dex breaks up with Skylar and will give her no reason for his change of plans, so she goes to the Academy alone with a broken heart.

Fast forward 6 years and Skylar is back in her hometown of Port Serenity, and is stationed there as Captain of a Coast Guard cutter. Dex is still there, having turned his wealthy family's yacht into an unofficial rescue vessel. The feelings are still there, but this narrative ambles on and on, with both characters spending most of their time wondering how the other character feels, why things fell apart, and if they could possibly ever come back together again, all before Dex finally is forced to explain his reasons for dumping Skylar 6 years earlier. Both characters are 24 years old, but show little sign of maturity in dealing with what I can only refer to as "the elephant in the room."

The author throws in a mythical sea creature, which, if given the opportunity, might have added additional interest to this story, but that too falls by the wayside. Additionally, the long-running family feud was also much ado about nothing.

Yes, there's a happy ending eventually, but the author took too long to get there, and the filler, a couple of Coast Guard rescue missions, didn't really add much drama or interest to this story, which, in this readers opinion, fell rather flat.

I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.

The crazier the world gets, the more I look forward to a few minutes of escapist reading each day. A romance may not be the only book that I am reading at any given time, but lately it has generally been one of them. In light of that wish for calm, how great to read a book in a town that has Serenity in its name.

Readers who enjoy novels by authors like Debbie Macomber are pretty sure to enjoy this Alaska set story. It is about a former couple, Skylar and Dex, who find themselves in the same place again. Readers may know that they will likely get together again but even so will enjoy seeing how the story plays out. Why did Skylar pursue her Coast Guard dream while Dex didn’t? What will it be like to come face to face with an old love? Can they grow together?

A plus for me, in addition to the characters, was the Alaska setting. I enjoyed my visit there.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin for this title. All opinions are my own.

This story had potential, just fell short, in my opinion. I liked the main characters and looked forward to my usual like turning into interesting intoxication, but just did not happen. The tedium of these two, constantly circling their high school breakup, and acting like immature adults, just made me tired. There is more to the story, the whimsical possibilities saved the book, in my opinion.

Skylar Beaumont never wanted to return to Port Serenity.

After her high school sweetheart Dex Wakefield broke her heart, she was determined to have her dream career as a Coast Guard and leave Dex behind. But now she's back - and Dex is still around, looking as good as ever.

Dex didn't think he'd see Skylar again - but will he finally work up the courage to tell her what really happened six years ago to make him turn his back on their relationship and his dream career?

This was so incredibly sweet, with two very likeable leads. The seaside town of Port Serenity was the perfect setting, and I liked that the story had some more serious elements like Dex's personal situation and Skylar's determination to succeed on her own, despite her father's desire to be involved with her career.

The chemistry between Skylar and Dex was instant, and the many (many, many, many, many) sex scenes were for the most part enjoyable (I would very much like to not read the word "mound" again in a sex scene, but the couple were cute and it was all consensual).

If I had one gripe it'd be that while I got to know Dex very well and felt like I could understand him as a person, I didn't feel the same from Skylar. Apart from her being career driven, I was unsure of who else she was as a person. She didn't seem to have any other personal goals or dreams, or anything else in her life that was important to her. Her relationship with Carly was sweet, and I'd love if we had seen more of that side of her.

It was cute, it was romantic, and I look forward to joining the blog tour in May.

This is a good book. The two main characters are Skylar and Dex. They were boyfriend and girlfriend during their high school days. They broke up. Six years after Skylar moved back to Alaska. Their mutual attraction was still going strong. They each had problems but together they worked them out and fell in live.

SWEET HOME ALASKA by Jennifer Snow is a story about choices we make. Some after planning and deliberating for the future. Others made more by circumstances then by conscious decision. In the end these choices have ramifications and hopefully they lead to a fulfilling life. In SWEET HOME ALASKA Skylar returns to Port Serenity, her hometown, to take on the job assigned to her as a graduate of the coast guard. Not the assignment she had hoped for, but it has the advantage giving her some time with her father and seeing some old friends. One friend she is planning on avoiding is her ex-boyfriend, Rex. Lots of history there and a break that Skylar did not anticipate.

Rex and Skylar had shared more than affection, they had the same goal and plans. Coastguard school, then travel the world. In their hometown they each represented one of the towns feuding families. So as teens they had worked diligently hiding their friendship. Once they had become more than just friends that just made hiding it more challenging, but they persevered.

In short Skylar went forth with her goals, Rex did not. Rex abruptly broke up with Skylar. He stayed at Port Serenity. Skylar followed through and became a coastguard captain.

The story picks up after six years of separation. Somehow their feelings toward each other had not changed. But there was the matter of trust. Skylar didn’t trust her feelings. They had led her to a heartbreaking separation. And to this day she had no idea why.

Jennifer Snow did a great job creating an atmosphere of closeness in a small tourist town. These folk depend on their community. That’s what makes it a challenge to leave but for some it is the incentive. These characters come to life before our eyes and soon you start taking sides. However the goal for Jennifer Snow in SWEET HOME ALASKA is to illustrate how forces beyond our control often change our lives and plans. It’s how you respond to those forces that construct your future. The give and take between the two lead characters Rex and Skylar reenforce the sadness of the plans that were abandoned. Yet Jennifer Snow manages to keep an optimistic eye on how this rather hopeless challenge can be met and conquered. Love conquers all but sometimes it needs a little intervention.

This was a great read and my patrons will love it. Suspense, romance, and of course, all the family and relational drama one could want. I enjoyed it and can't wait to recommend it!

I’m a fan of Jennifer Snow’s Colorado Ice hockey series so I was excited to read something else by her and the Alaska setting was the big draw for me. I think this second-chance, small-town story will appeal to fans of cozy, sweet romances who want very light spice.