Brielle Ives prefers dogs to people, and who could blame her? Her sled dogs are loyal to a fault, trust her implicitly, and couldn’t care less about the scars that mar her face. The only human who’s never disappointed her is her mentor, Dr. William Hunter. When his plane goes missing in the remote Alaskan wilderness, Bree will do anything to find him . . . even if it means turning to a frustrating, irresponsible, and too-sexy-for-his-own-good California boy for help.
When Ellis Hunter enlisted in the Army at eighteen, he put Alaska—and his womanizing drunk of a father—in his rearview mirror. He promised himself he’d never return, but even he can’t resist Bree’s panicked plea for help. If she’s hell-bent on trekking into the bush to find his father, then he’s determined to go with her. But Ellis isn’t the only one shadowing Bree’s rescue attempt…
When the search for answers leaves Ellis and Bree trapped together in the wilds of Alaska, they’ll have to put aside their differences—and an attraction hot enough to melt glaciers—to survive the elements. Because someone dangerous lurks in that icy wilderness—a killer desperate to keep Dr. William Hunter’s secrets buried deep in the snow.
Revew:
An explosive start to a new series!
Northern Escape introduces us to the dysfunctional Hunter family–Eliis, the oldest brother who left Alaska never intending to return, his younger (but just as troubled) half brothers Nate and Damian, and the dad they all blame for their messed up childhoods, Will. When her only real friend disappears with only a desperate phone call and a missing plane to point to his possible whereabouts, Brielle Ives tries calling all three brothers for help. They all turn her down.
Until Ellis actually shows up.
From almost the very minute Bree and Ellis set out to find Will, the danger begins. I don’t want to spoil anything, but believe me when I tell you it’s pretty much non-stop. Really, once the warning signal goes off on Bree’s plane you can pretty much kiss any other plans you had for your time good bye, because you’re not going to want to put this one down until Bree and Ellis are out of danger again.
(Though–are they really out of danger? Only time will tell…and future books in the series.)
As much as I love the human characters here–not only Ellis and Bree, but even Damian, Ellis’s youngest half brother who is definitely hiding something from him and Nate–it’s the dogs who absolutely steal the show. Bree’s sled dogs, led by Norte and Aleu, and OMG Peanut, the reincarnated heiress come back to life in the body of a diva Chinese Crested, might be my new favorite fictional dogs of all time. Ms Burrows managed to give them and every single dog on Bree’s team their own distinct personality, and it was delightful. My fingers are crossed that the dogs continue to play a co-starring role in the rest of the series!
Northern Escape gives us an HEA for Bree and Ellis, though since their initial goal of figuring out where Ellis’s dad is and what he was embroiled in that led to his disappearance is very much *not* resolved, for the Hunters as a whole this is more of an HFN. To be continued with Nate and Freya’s story, which absolutely cannot come out soon enough to suit me…
Rating: 4 stars / A-
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.