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Review: Arctic Sun (Frozen Hearts #1) by Annabeth Albert

He’s built a quiet life for himself in Alaska. But it doesn’t stand a chance against the unrelenting pull of a man who’s everything he shouldn’t want.

Ex-military mountain man Griffin Barrett likes his solitude. It keeps him from falling back into old habits. Bad habits. He’s fought too hard for his sobriety to lose control now. However, his gig as a wildlife guide presents a new kind of temptation in superhot supermodel River Vale. Nothing the Alaskan wilderness has to offer has ever called to Griffin so badly. And that can only lead to trouble…

River has his own methods for coping. Chasing adventure means always moving forward. Nobody’s ever made him want to stand still—until Griffin. The rugged bush pilot is the very best kind of distraction, but the emotions he stirs up in River feel anything but casual, and he’s in no position to stay put.

With temptation lurking in close quarters, keeping even a shred of distance is a challenge neither’s willing to meet. And the closer Griffin gets to River, the easier it is to ignore every last reason he should run.


I wanted to love ‘Arctic Sun’. I thought I’d love it. It’s a perfectly fine read with well-rounded characters, angst, and the beginning of a happy ever after. However, it just didn’t resonate with me.

‘Arctic Sun’ introduces readers to two complex MCs - cranky mountain man Griffin Barrett and former supermodel River Vale. The two men are very different, yet find common ground.

Both men have not-so-perfect histories. And they’ve paid their dues. Griffin’s a recovering alcoholic and River struggles with an eating disorder. But they cope very differently.

Griffin prefers to live quietly in the Alaskan mountains, helping run the family tourism and transport business. On the other hand, River jumps from one adventure to the next.

When the two first meet, it’s a shaky start. While there’s an immediate spark between them, Griffin passes quick judgement on River, who he assumes is a flaky and pampered socialite.

However, River proves Griffin wrong pretty early on. River may be a pretty boy, but he’s strong and determined.

And so begins a waiting game. River’s all for a vacation fling, but Griffin approaches things more slowly before giving in to the attraction between them.

And when I say slowly, I really do mean slow. Or at least that’s what it felt like. For me, there were waaay too many pages with not much happening.

With things moving so slowly between River and Griffin, I found myself almost detached from the book. So much so that the character and relationship development, as both men shared their histories and built a friendship, didn’t mean much to me.

I understand that the two have some serious baggage, but the hot-and-cold routine, the will-they-or-won’t-they just got old and repetitive.

It isn’t an easy romance for Griffin and River. It takes a lot of work for them to reach a point where they’re happy with themselves and their relationship. I could appreciate that hard-won happiness.

But I just wasn’t invested in the relationship. This is a “it’s not you, it’s me” situation. Maybe I just wasn’t in the mood for an angsty slow read. But if that’s your jam, give ‘Arctic Sun’ a try.



A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.


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