Stevie‘s review of Arctic Heat (Frozen Hearts, Book 3) by Annabeth Albert
Contemporary Gay Romance published by Carina Press 23 Sep 20
I’ve been enjoying this series, as with all those I’ve read from Annabeth Albert, albeit with a slightly rocky start in this case. After two books with one pilot hero apiece, we move to an entirely ground-bound story for the conclusion, and select from the park rangers of Alaska for our local lad. Our newbie hero is a little different too: already planning from the outset to stay a little longer than a two-week holiday as he prepares to spend the whole winter as a volunteer working alongside the salaried rangers.
Having recovered from testicular cancer, Owen Han is taking a very extended sabbatical and living off his considerable savings while he tackles the bucket list he made to help him get through his various treatments. Although no stranger to winter sports and outdoor pursuits, he’s not a typical winter visitor to the parks, and the ranger with whom he ends up paired is suspicious at first of Owen’s ability to stay the duration of their posting.
Ranger Quill Ramsey doesn’t like change, and particularly doesn’t like that the volunteer originally scheduled to replace his long-time winter co-worker has been replaced at the last minute by Owen, whom he at first mistakes for an office volunteer rather than an outdoorsman. The pair make the best of the situation, however, and Quill tries to ignore the mutual attraction that is developing between them, not easy when Owen is quite open about his side of things. As the nights get longer, and the days – as well as the nights – get colder, the pair settle into a routine, as well as dealing with a range of emergencies involving visitors to the park.
Owen makes good use of his spare time to surprise Quill with little treats, which are received with both embarrassment and gratitude, although Quill remains convinced that Owen will be off at the winter’s end, if not before.
I liked the slow burn of this story and the atmosphere of the mundane and basic life in the rangers’ accommodations interspersed with the high drama of everything the climate and nature could throw at people. We also got to see how the pairs from the other books in the series were getting along, as well as occasional snippets of how life was panning out for other rangers and volunteers at nearby locations.
This was definitely my favourite out of the series, and puts me in a mood to read more books set in roughly the same location.
Grade: A
Summary:
Owen Han has a fresh lease on life—he’s kicked cancer’s ass and is roaring through his bucket list. The former investment banker hopes to find his next challenge in Alaska, volunteering alongside park rangers and fulfilling his childhood dreams of snowy winters and rustic life. Of course, those dreams did tend to feature big strapping mountain men in vivid detail…
Ranger Quilleran Ramsey would like to be anywhere other than dealing with newbie volunteers. And really, the only thing he needs less than a green volunteer “partner” is the flirty attentions of a buff city boy who doesn’t look ready to last a week, let alone an Alaskan winter. They’re all wrong for each other, even if Quill’s traitorous body enjoys the flirting more than it should.
As the weeks pass, the two snowbound men give in to temptation. But can their seasonal romance last until spring? For them to have a future together, each will have to trust the other…while hoping that the harsh elements and omnipresent dangers don’t destroy what happiness they’ve found in the moment.
Read an excerpt.
Other books in this series:
