Tag: sarah morgenthaler

ALC Book Review: The Christmas You Found Me (Heart of the Wilderness #1) by Sarah Morgenthaler

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Holiday Romance
Length: 304 pages
Author: Sarah Morgenthaler
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Release Date: September 24th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Sarah Morgenthaler is back with a heart-mending contemporary romance featuring a single dad you’ll fall for; a satisfying slow burn love affair; found family you’ll root for; small town holiday magic; and all the quirky animals and snowy rustic scenes your heart desires.

Sienna Naples’s family has taken care of their wild Idaho land for generations and Sienna can’t imagine any other life. But at Christmastime, with her parents gone and her painful marriage finally over, it’s full of memories…and incredibly lonely. Until a tall, handsome stranger and a little girl walk into her life and suddenly the holidays are alive again.

When single father Guy Maple shows up as the result of an ad meant to be a joke, the handsome Montana construction worker isn’t joking. Money is tight this Christmas, and Guy’s four-year-old daughter Emma has stage-five chronic kidney disease. She needs a kidney transplant, but if Guy can’t prove that he can afford Emma’s anti-rejection medications, his daughter isn’t going to stay on the transplant list. Guy’s willing to do anything, including marrying a stranger, to keep her safe. It’s an impulsive marriage of convenience, and Sienna knows this isn’t real, no matter how much she adores Emma, how well Guy fits in to the ranching life—or how much light and laughter is coming into their lives as a result. But the more time she spends with her new family, the more she fears losing the fragile, feisty little girl and the kind, devoted, hard-working, incredibly attractive man who is her husband—but is it only in name?

Thank you Dreamscape Media for the ALC.

THE FEELS.

I easily hand off five stars to any book that makes me cry because it’s really hard to do so and this book earned those tears. I was a puddle finishing it and all of the emotions that came together (don’t worry, it’s a HEA!).

I loved these flawed characters leaning on each other through hard seasons of life. I was obsessed with Guy and his endearing qualities. A man who got up and did the hard things every single day. Who loved with such fierce loyalty. I loved everything about him and how well he balanced with Sienna. And I loved Sienna’s tenacity too. Her impulsivity to help someone in need became the best decision she ever made. The journey captured my attention and I couldn’t help but pick this book up because it continually draws you in.

The audiobook narration is AMAZING. I loved it. I loved how the narrator worked with Guy’s voice and how Emma’s voice wasn’t too childlike. I loved this soft romance set on a beautiful mountain filled back drop. It is filled with all the things I love and I am so thankful that Sarah Morgenthaler wrote another book. She is one of my favorites and this is a perfect holiday gem.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Holiday Romance
  • Language: low
  • Romance: fade to black
  • Violence: low
  • Content Warnings: a child with kidney failure (theme throughout), divorce, mentions of PPD (side character), emesis

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ARC Book Review: Enjoy the View (Moose Springs, Alaska #3) by Sarah Morgenthaler

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 352 pages
Author: Sarah Morgenthaler
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Release Date: January 19th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A grouchy mountaineer, a Hollywood starlet
And miles of untamed wilderness…
What could possibly go wrong?

Former Hollywood darling River Lane’s acting career is tanking fast. Determined to start fresh behind the camera, she agrees to film a documentary about the picturesque small town of Moose Springs, Alaska. The assignment should have been easy, but the quirky locals want nothing to do with River. Well, too bad: River’s going to make this film and prove herself, no matter what it takes.

Or what (literal) mountain she has to climb.

Easton Lockett may be a gentle giant, but he knows a thing or two about survival. If he can keep everyone in line, he should be able to get River and her crew up and down Mount Veil in one piece. Turns out that’s a big if. The wildlife’s wilder than usual, the camera crew’s determined to wander off a cliff, and the gorgeous actress is fearless. Falling for River only makes Easton’s job tougher, but there’s only so long he can hold out against her brilliant smile. When bad weather strikes, putting everyone at risk, it’ll take all of Easton’s skill to get them back home safely…and convince River she should stay in his arms for good.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own!

BEST OF THE SERIES.

Seriously. THE BEST ONE. I LOVED IT SO MUCH. I WOULD WRITE THIS ENTIRE REVIEW IN CAPS IF I COULD.

But I understand that might annoy some of y’all so I’ll try to tame my emotions here.

OR MAYBE NOT.

I was nervous to dive in because I had *hyped* this book up in my mind. I adore Easton. I was ready for his grumpy mountain man self to mind some love. This did not disappoint. From chapter one I knew I was in for the perfect contemporary romance.

Easton and River’s chemistry was off the charts. Banter on point. Sly looks, and near kisses, heavens I was begging for them to kiss by the time we got there. I loved getting both of their stories and points of view. Add in climbing a daunting mountain and let the romance commence. I’m just still sitting here smitten with them. They bounced off each other beautifully and I really felt like they were a match. The conflict for this one wasn’t over drawn and dramatic. Fit right in and the solution had me giddy. Goodness gracious, read these books y’all.

It’s been sealed that I’m a Morgenthaler fan. I can’t wait to see what she writes next. Hot dang, I loved this book y’all. This entire review would be more gushing so trust me on this. Snowy, low steam, cute and fluffy, contemporary romance in Alaska. It’s all there folks.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary romance
  • Language: A little
  • Romance: kisses / make-outs; one love scene that is so closed door you barely realize it
  • Violence: accidents and injuries from mountain climbing (near frostbite, low oxygen levels, falls)

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ARC Book Review: The Tourist Attraction (Moose Springs, Alaska #1) by Sarah Morgenthaler

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: Contemporary romance
Length: 400 pages
Author: Sarah Morgenthaler
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Release Date: May 5th, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

When Graham Barnett named his diner The Tourist Trap, he meant it as a joke. Now he’s stuck slinging reindeer dogs to an endless string of resort visitors who couldn’t interest him less. Not even the sweet, enthusiastic tourist in the corner who blushes every time he looks her way…

Two weeks in Alaska isn’t just the top item on Zoey Caldwell’s bucket list. It’s the whole bucket. One look at the mountain town of Moose Springs and she’s smitten. But when an act of kindness brings Zoey into Graham’s world, she may just find there’s more to the man than meets the eye…and more to love in Moose Springs than just the Alaskan wilderness.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own!

ALL GOOD THINGS.

This was a gem. I had such a good time reading this that I went through it even fast than I expected. When I saw the setting for Alaska my mind immediately goes to The Simple Wild. That’s a lot to live up to in my bookish brain. No, this isn’t TSW, but it IS another great book set in the Alaskan wilderness I would easily recommend this to others.

With a time period of about two weeks you would think I’d be shouting about insta-love. NOPE. Morgenthaler wrote this romance beautifully. It felt honest, cute, and like they were actually into each other. Graham is the trope-ish grump who meets his sunshine in Zoey. I found myself laughing at their antics and the different situations that kept them colliding. Yet swooning when it was clear that Graham was into Zoey. Resistance was completely futile. Not to mention that utterly wonderful rom-com ending was what dreams are made of.

The only issue I had was wanting more depth from Graham. I felt very surface level with him (and most of the other characters). He spent most of the time in one state. A goofy grump who never divulged too much information. If I had gotten just a bit more from him it would have sent this off the charts.

I liked the rotating point-of-view. I love those in romances. It gives insight to both mindsets and decision making. The setting [of course] played a big part in how this book played out. I loooove the wilderness setting and all it entails. Getting a feel of both sides of tourism vs. those who live there.

Cute, low on the steam (huge plus in for me!), and an easy read that will make you smile. And can’t we all use that sometimes? I can’t wait to read Morgenthaler’s next book.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary romance
  • Language: a little throughout
  • Romance: kisses / make-outs; a love scene with little detail that fades out quickly
  • Violence: drunk driving (not by either MC, a side character in a small scene)

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