Stevie‘s review of Finding Paradise (Paradise, Alaska, Book 2) by Barbara Dunlop
Contemporary Romance published by Berkley 30 Nov 21
I’ve mentioned before that I have a soft spot for stories of any kind that are set in Alaska, dating back at least to when Northern Exposure was first aired in the UK. Having read Annabeth Albert’s delightful trio of gay and bisexual romances, it seemed only fair that I read a heterosexual romance with the same setting for the sake of comparison. I somehow missed the first book in this series when it was released, so I dived straight into the second. although this may not have been the best idea.
Small-town girl done good, Marnie Anton successfully won a legal battle over an inheritance, only for her client to decide that the other side was more deserving of the majority of it and then moved to Alaska to be with her new love. Now Marnie is friends with all of them and finds herself involved in a scheme to match a dozen successful, adventurous LA women with lonely Alaskan men in her former client’s new hometown. Marnie knows all about towns like Paradise and has no wish to return to her roots. However, she is persuaded to tag along at the last minute, purely as as observer, which throws her straight into the path of Conrad “Cobra” Stanford, an ex-Military aircraft engineer. Cobra is intrigued by Marnie, but has no expectation that she, or any of the other women, will stick around when they could have their high-flying careers and day-to-day luxuries back in LA.
Cobra and Marnie have both gone against the expectations of their families – hers were survivalists and criminals, while his were all conventionally successful and expected Cobra to attend a prestigious college and follow a career track similar to the one Marnie chose. On the plus side, they both know their way around an engine and excel at target shooting. Before we get to most of that, though, we spend a bunch of time with the impossibly large cast of career women and their potential beaus. I kind of suspect all will eventually get their own books, but it felt like a massive crowd of people to be introduced to, only for them to mostly disappear into the background – or back to LA – halfway through the story.
I quite liked the subplot about Marnie’s father, uncle, and brother – especially her brother – but Cobra really annoyed me with his belief that he knew what was best for Marnie and could fix any problem she might have by paying for stuff – expensive stuff at that. Unlike the Albert series, there was no acknowledgement that relationships of types other than that of the central pairings might happen: no gay bachelors in Paradise and no bisexual flirting amongst the women from LA. I was also disappointed at the solution to the logistical issue our protagonists faced. They had to jump straight into a full-on relationship, when for once I could have foregone my dislike of epilogues to be told they spent a year or more getting to know each other better before either of them made any sort of commitment to uprooting and moving in together.
All in all, not a series I plan on dipping into again, despite the enticing setting.
Grade: C
Summary:
Accomplished Los Angeles lawyer Marnie Anton has always been sensible, but when her friend Mia Westberg asks for help with a ridiculous matchmaking project, she can’t say no. The idea of transporting city girls into the small town of Paradise, Alaska, is so crazy it just might…work? Against her best judgment, she tags along. Having grown up in a family of intimidating men, Marnie developed a preference for the urbane lawyers and clients in her life in LA. But when she meets a mountain of a buff Alaskan man with an intriguing snake tattoo, intimidated is definitely not the first thing she feels.
Conrad “Cobra” Stanford was skeptical of the matchmaking event from the start. Big-city women weren’t adventurous, they were judgmental. They’d take one look at him and scorn his lifestyle, just like his first love did. Cobra planned to give the women a wide berth, but one of them won’t be ignored. Marnie’s everything that’s wrong and everything that’s right for him all at the same time. Just when he thinks he’s got her pegged, she blindsides him with a startling past, falling into his arms and igniting his protective instincts and so much more….
Read an excerpt.
Other books in this series:
