A solid addition to the horror genre, keeping up with my run of reading winter-set books in the heat of the summer sun.
Thanks for the opportunity to read and review!

A great standalone with explosive plot lines and unputdownable adventures. Another powerful page turner sure to be the next best seller of the summer.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc

Really good suspenseful plot. I was invested from the start. The ending felt a little rushed to me but overall I really enjoyed this book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

North of Nowhere is a non-stop wilderness thriller in which the Montana hinterland is as much a character as the characters themselves. Children kept in hiding to protect them from their murderous father are suddenly thrown into a race of life and death, running deeper into an unrelenting storm while fleeing from the man they fear more than natural predators or the approaching blizzard.

All the elements are there for a memorable adventure, but the telling of this story is focused more on drama than connection with its characters. Though I couldn’t wait to begin the latest Brannan standalone, this one fell a bit flat for me.

But if you are looking for an action-packed thrill ride of a read without a lot of character distractions, you will enjoy North of Nowhere. It is fast-paced and full of wilderness drama.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for providing a free ARC. This review is provided voluntarily.

I requested to read and review this book for free from Minotaur Books an Imprint of St. Martin Publishing Company. This book was a great read there was many twists and turns. It will keep you on the edge of your seat until the end. This book can be ready anywhere and by a mature reader. What happens when you don't know who you really can trust? Can someone every truly feel safe. You will meet characters Ruby, Kristen and Ryan. Who will ask those questions and so many more. Nick and his family will struggle with the truth and what is the truth and who to trust? Feat is a valid thing and should for some be remembered. Family can be either by blood or by friendships in life.

A very fast-paced, quick mystery to easily devour. The majority of the book takes place in one day which keeps the action intense and moving forward rapidly. Layer on various fighting family factions and an impending snowstorm and the story becomes very frantic to reach the dramatic conclusion.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.

North of Nowhere by Alison Brennan


What can I say that will show how much I freaking LOVE this book. I was so consumed into the book that I actually forgot to pick up my husband from work. Talk about having an affair with a novel so good that one forgets their spouse exists. It can happen…… so the premise of the book is this…. Boyd Mcintire has two children and he has been looking for them for sometime now. Kristen and Ryan McIntire have been in hiding from their monstrous father for several years after Kristen witnessed him kill someone who was from a rival mob and now they too want to find her to kill her. Unfortunately, Boyd has found them and wants to kidnap them. Luckily though they manage to escape at first with the guy who has been raising them, Tony Reed. Tony was Boyd’s best friend and is now trying to save their lives. He is a pilot and was able to get the Kristen and Ryan on the plane and take off but Boyd shot at the plane and hit the fuel line. They had to crash land it in the Montana Wilderness. Tony’s sister Ruby left to join the Army and had no contact with the children or her brother in hopes it would keep Boyd off their trail. But Tony asked Kristen to call her and let her know they were in danger. Now there is a storm coming and several people looking for them. Their father has hired a tracker and Ruby has a team with her looking as well but there is also a rancher looking. He heard about the crash is searching to protect Kristen and Ryan. The only problem is, who will find them first? And will they live or die? Let me say that this book was one hell of a ride for me. The characters alone were enough to draw you in and feel like you are a part of the story. Brennan is one amazingly talented author who knows how to write a story that gives the reader just enough information to make you think about what the outcome will be and then know that you will not get it right in the end. I honestly changed who I thought the bad guy was several times but the ending…. Oh the ending is EXPLOSIVE! If you enjoy books that are psychological thrillers with family drama attached this is the book you need to read……well even if you don’t like books like that, you should give this one a try. I would say that this is the number 1 book for me this year. Allison Brennon…I LOVE YOU! You ROCK! I want to read everything you have written and will write.


5++++++ stars out of 5



Thank you to NetGalley as well as the author/publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my unbiased and honest review.

A gripping, suspenseful thriller from Allison Brennan. This is the first time I've read any of Allison Brennan's novels, but I will be looking for more by her.

Description:
After five years in hiding from their murderous father, the day Kristin and Ryan McIntyre have been dreading has arrived: Boyd McIntyre, head of a Los Angeles crime family, has at last tracked his kids to a small Montana town and is minutes away from kidnapping them. They barely escape in a small plane, but gunfire hits the fuel line. The pilot, a man who has been raising them as his own, manages to crash land in the middle of the Montana wilderness. The siblings hike deep into the woods, searching desperately for safety—unaware of the severity of the approaching storm.

Boyd’s sister Ruby left Los Angeles for the Army years ago, cutting off contact in order to help keep her niece and nephew safe and free from the horrors of the McIntyre clan. So when she gets an emergency call that the plane has gone down with the kids inside, she drops everything to try save them.

As the storm builds, Ruby isn’t the only person looking for them. Boyd has hired an expert tracker to find and bring them home. And rancher Nick Lorenzo, who knows these mountains better than anyone and doesn’t understand why the kids are running, is on their trail too.

But there is a greater threat to Kristen and Ryan out there. More volatile than the incoming blizzard, more dangerous than the family they ran from or the natural predators they could encounter. Who finds them first could determine if they live or die. . .

My thoughts:
This was an exciting, action-packed thriller that kept me turning the pages. Kristen and Ryan's family were evil and dangerous. The pursuit to get the two children back was unrelenting. Kristen was strong and determined to take care of Ryan, but she really needed help and didn't want to involve anyone else as they might get killed.

I can't imagine being stranded in the wilderness in Montana during a brutal blizzard with killers out hunting for you. Lots of tension, survival skills, and difficult decisions here. Some brutal violence throughout the book. I loved the characters Nick Lorenzo and his son. They are so quietly skilled and kind. I also liked the aunt, Ruby and the Sheriff, Kate.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on August 8, 2023.

This book, wow! For some reason I thought I might no like it and that it would be too 'wilderness-y' but I loved it. Even though I haven't been camping since I was a child and I'm very much a city girl, I was sucked in from page 1.

In the acknowledgments the author talks about how this book started out differently and her editor didn't think it worked -- that was a good editor because this iteration turned out fantastic.

while I'm not outdoorsy, I do appreciate 'process-driven' stories and this book is essentially, how do you a) flee when your being hunted and b.) you're in Montana in blizzard conditions. It's the kind of book where you know not all of the characters are going to make it to the end and you hold your breathe hoping for the best possible outcome,

Even with such an action-forward and plot-driven story, the main characters are well rendered and I was very invested. You get dropped into the story not yet knowing the lay of the land and learn more over time and get a few flashbacks to flush things out.

I'd highly recommend this book as a great thriller read.

I've enjoyed other books by Brennan, but I struggled with this one. I had a hard time staying engaged. The story starts in the middle of the action, with minimal explanation, which made me wonder if this was part of a series. The pace was too slow, and the plot felt disjointed overall, especially with the large number of characters. Some parts were a bit too unbelievable, even for fiction.

For some reason I’m always hesitant to read books by authors I’ve never read before. I just usually stick with the ones I know. I’m so glad that I broke that habit with this book! I loved it! I hated putting it down, but life sometimes gets in the way of reading. Now I have another author to add to my list!

I received an advanced readers copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I found this one to be compelling at first and very fast paced. By the midway point I started to lose interest with the change in pace. There were a lot of unnecessary characters that I don’t think really added much. Although they were part of one of the twists, it was a little lacklustre.

I also noticed that some paragraphs were repeated later on in the story with a few added words. That felt a bit weird to me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this eARC!

North of Nowhere is a taut thriller that peters out in its last quarter but remains tense enough to earn a recommendation. Its characters are compelling and its action intriguing enough to keep the audience enthralled.

Sixteen-year-old Kristin and ten-year-old Ryan McIntire-Reed have been hiding from their brutal crime family - headed by their father, Boyd McIntire - for quite a while. Kristin witnessed Boyd kill a rival, and now there are a lot of people who’d like her to die in turn. The kids have been custody of Boyd’s best friend and former second-in-command, Tony Reed, for just that reason. Tony’s been keeping an eye on the kids on his ranch in Big Sky, Montana, for five years. But now their luck has run out, and Boyd’s men have found them. Boyd’s plan is to kidnap them back.

In the ensuing mêlée, Tony is shot and he and the kids get away in a private plane. He encourages Kristin to call her aunt Ruby, who abandoned the family years ago to enlist the army and cut off contact with the kids, fearing Boyd would trace his way back to them through her. One of Boyd’s men manages to strafe their fuel line; they crash in the Montana wilderness. Tony desperately sends Kristin and Ryan ahead into the woods for help – and, unwittingly, directly into the crosshairs of an upcoming storm.

Three groups of people are immediately on the kids’ trail – one headed by Ruby, who immediately goes into action when she learns her niece and nephew are in danger; one is headed by a tracker hired by Boyd; the final party is Nick Lorenzo - a local rancher who hears about the crash and seeks to save the kids without knowing anything about their situation - his son Jason, and their forewoman, Millie. None of them know that Frankie McIntire – the kids’ mother – looms large over the picture.

I had a single, big problem with North of Nowhere: the way the author chooses to whitewash the actions of one of the book’s main characters, blaming nearly everything they do wrong on the actions of their monster mother.

But I had to love Kristen in particular - she’s one tough, smart kid. She probably gets it from her aunt, and I also grew a soft spot for Ruby. The book’s PoV is split in multiple directions, and Brenan does a good job balancing all of these characters, even though it felt like there were too many perspectives. There’s plenty of character evolution, which is handled pretty well.

The adventure and suspense are perfectly written, and despite the small reservations I’ve expressed, I’d definitely recommend North of Nowhere to anyone looking for a thrilling adventure story.

I live in Montana so I really liked that the story was set there because I knew the places.
Lots and lots of twists and turns - some surprising, others just one more element that added to the story. Without giving away any of the story, I wish the 1st person who died would not have been killed off, because I would really have liked to have seen that character developed. Boyd turned out to be a very complex/complicated figure who at times you liked and other times not so much.
Liked that the swear words did not feel gratuitous, but seemed to fit with the situation. The ending was satisfying and didn't leave you wondering what was going to happen next or feeling like you had to buy a second book.
Really liked this book and would definitely read more by this author.
Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Allison Brennan can write a great story and North of Nowhere is just another in a long line of them. Afteryears in hiding from their murderous father, the day Kristen and Ryan McIntyre have been dreading has arrived: Boyd McIntyre, head of a Los Angeles crime family, has at last tracked his kids to a small Montana town and is after them. They barely escape in a small plane, but gunfire hits the fuel line. The man who has been raising them as his own, manages to crash in the middle of the Montana wilderness. The pair hike deep into the woods, searching desperately for safety and cover from a bad storm. Boyd’s sister Ruby left Los Angeles for the Army years ago, cutting off contact in order to help keep her niece and nephew safe and free from the McIntyre clan. So when she hears that the plane has gone down with the kids inside, she goes to try save them. Boyd has hired an expert tracker to find and bring them home. And rancher Nick Lorenzo, who knows the mountains and doesn’t understand why the kids are running, is on their trail too. But there is a greater threat to Kristen and Ryan out there.

Grab a cup of hot chocolate and be prepared to thank your lucky stars that you are not stranded on the side of a mountain in a horrible winter storm. "North of Nowhere" is a fast paced thriller set in the rugged winter landscape of Montana. Sixteen year old Kristen and her deaf younger brother Ryan are on the run from their biological father. Their family is dangerous and involved in shady business. Kristen and Ryan left 5 years ago after their mother was killed with a trusted family friend. They have been on the run until their father finally caught up with them. Now after trying to run away they have to use all their skills to survive in brutal conditions.

The novel was filled with excellent action and the reader was left guessing as to what would happen. The chapters switched to different character points of views so there were cliff hangers which made me want to keep reading. I thought this was an excellent thriller!! I would highly recommend for anyone looking for a good story filled with action and adventure.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for this ARC.

This book starts out with a bang as we run along with the characters to get away from the bad guys. We run and fly and run some more, but somewhere along the line, we do pause and wonder- who are these people and what is going on? We pause the chase for some backstory, but that change of pacing makes it feel like you've slammed the breaks on the chase and it can be quite jarring causing the story to feel slow in those parts. We finally get close to the end only to slow down even more.
Overall, this is a really interesting story, but the pacing would have been better if we had learned more about the family before the chase began. This would have given us a reason to care about their flight and it would have meant less times later on that we had to slow down and learn about the back story of a character.

Tony Reed wakes the kids, 16 year old Kristin and 10 year old Ryan to get packed, they have to leave. They have been in hiding for 5 years and even though they call Tony "dad", he is not their father.

This starts an exciting story of a corrupt family and criminal activities. I thought it was a page turner and couldn't wait to pick it up again after putting it down for real life issues. I loved the characters and the research the author put into a deaf child as well as other areas of the book. I will look for more by this author.

Thanks to the Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 - this was a solid fast-paced winter thriller perfect for winter. The whole book took place over 1 day - can Kristen and her brother Ryan survive the ruthless winter storm in the mountains of Montana with multiple groups of people on their tails, some good and some bad.
Almost every character had a POV in this and there was a lot of switching around with some overlapping timelines. It wasn't too hard to follow, but I did have to go back and re-read a couple of times to make sure I was where I thought I was. I didn't mind all the POV's with the exception of the Sheriff, I didn't think that one was as necessary.
This definitely kept me on my toes and I had a hard time putting it down, which is my favorite type of thriller. The story was fine, but the whole crime syndicate family thing did feel a little overdone at times.
Overall, still a fun read that I'll be recommending come Winter and I will be checking out the author's other works.

Allison Brennan is at her finest with this stand-alone novel, North of Nowhere. Vividly set in the cold Montana wilderness which the author describes with such legitimacy - the reader feels as if he or she is navigating this territory with her characters. After crash landing in the Montana wild with the man they call "dad", Kristen and Ryan McIntyre are on the run to safety from their father, Boyd, who has been in jail for crimes he committed in California. He's now out and wants his children back and in the family business - run by his Mother. Boyd has a team in place to capture the kids, but the children also have a group of locals on their side that want them to be safe.... and one of them calls their estranged Aunt Ruby (a former Army paratrooper) who parachutes into the area to help find the children and keep them safe from Boyd. Ms. Brennan, as always, has woven such an incredibly rich and fabulous story. Absolutely one of my favorite books of the year! Thank you to St. Martin's Press for an advanced reader copy of this book. The opinions expressed are my own.