Arctic Sun by Annabeth Albert
Series (name + # in series):
Frozen Hearts, #1
Publisher:
Carina Press (Harlequin)
Release Date (Print & Ebook):
eBook: Monday, April 1, 2019
Print (mmp): Tuesday, April
30, 2019
Length (Print & Ebook):
eBook: approx. 95,000 words
Print: 384 pages
Subgenre:
Contemporary Romance, Military
Romance, Male/Male Romance
Warnings:
Publisher’s Note: Arctic Sun deals with topics some
readers may find difficult, including sobriety and eating disorders.
All buy links or pre-order links:
Book synopsis:
Everything’s bigger in Alaska, especially the HEAs.
Annabeth Albert kicks off the brand-new Frozen Hearts series with Arctic Sun,
an opposites-attract romance between a rugged outdoorsman and a smoking hot
former male model.
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.
One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!
Publisher’s Note: Arctic Sun deals with topics some readers may find difficult, including sobriety and eating disorders.
This book is approximately 95,000 words
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.
One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!
Publisher’s Note: Arctic Sun deals with topics some readers may find difficult, including sobriety and eating disorders.
This book is approximately 95,000 words
Review
I’ve been a fan of Annabeth Albert’s books since starting my
M/M journey. I started with her #gaymers
series because it spoke to the need in me.
Then I moved on to her Portland Heat, and some of her Out of Uniform series’s
(time being what it is, I don’t always have the the chance to read for
pleasure).
I love her books because I love her characters. They’re not just characters, though, but
character studies. They have hopes and
dreams, flaws and strengths, and every variation in between.
So when the opportunity was presented to review Arctic Sun,
I jumped at the chance. And I have to
say that Griffin and River are classic Annabeth Albert characters.
This one features three characters. Now, you might be wondering how that’s
possible when it’s not a menage romance. Well, one of the main characters, at
least in the beginning, is the state of Alaska itself. It’s clear from the descriptions that
Annabeth did an enormous amount of research into the state. The visuals are absolutely beautiful. However, they seemed to overshadow the MCs at
times and could drag somewhat.
That, however, is more than made up for with the actual
human MCs.
River is a former super model-turned author in the process
of penning his second novel. He’s a
traveler, never staying in one place for long periods of time. Basically running from a past and pain that
he can’t deal with.
Griff is my favorite kind of character. Big and gruff, he’s the strong, silent type,
with a super soft center. Ultra-serious
to the point of not seeing the point to the word “fun” This is also a direct result of his painful
past, both physical and emotional.
They’re romance isn’t exactly a whirlwind, nor would I
consider it a slow-burn, but rather something in between (mostly because Griff is
so closed off). But once it starts…wow!!!
Ever try to read a book that has you misty eyed?
I will say that one of the pieces I enjoyed the most was
Griff and River trying to navigate the idea of a long-distance
relationship. From the planning of when
they’ll be able to see each other next, to the fears that something will come
along to derail the whole thing. I’m in
a long-distance relationship myself, so I found this relatable and pitch
perfect.
This is a longer than normal book for Annabeth, clocking in
at over ninety thousand words. But it’s
also vintage Annabeth, filled with emotion.
I look forward to more in this series.
Interview
· Does one of
the main characters hold a special place in your heart? If so, why?
o I love both
River and Griffin for different reasons—they each hold a piece of my heart for
sure. For River, I love his blue hair, his zero fucks to give attitude, his
unicorn tattoo, his drive to find himself, and his deep yearning to belong. For
Griffin, I love his gruffness, his drive to overcome past challenges, his deep
commitment to his family, his love for Alaska, and his most secret longing for
connection.
· What was
the inspiration for the story?
o I wanted to
write an Alaska series for a very long time, and I knew that I wanted the
series as whole to contain a lot of “fish out of water” type stories. As I was
brainstorming, I came up with the most unlikely duo I could think of—a male
supermodel and a gruff Alaskan guide who doesn’t want to deal with tourists,
let alone a flirty, high maintenance guy who may be a lot more than he seems at
first glance. As I delved deeper into the plot bunny, more serious elements
started to emerge, and I realized that not only was this likely to be an
opposites-attract kind of story, but also hurt/comfort.
· What is the
key theme and/or message in the book?
o I hope that
the book sends the message that we are all worthy of love exactly as we are
right now—imperfections, challenges, issues, and more. We don’t need to change
to become worthy of love. We are never, ever too “broken” for love. And while
love is never a magic cure, love heals and inspires and encourages deep
personal growth.
· What is the
significance of the title?
o Titles are
hard! This one went through a bunch, both my own ideas as well as those of the
team at Carina Press. We knew we wanted the trilogy to have linked titles, and
we knew that we wanted each title to resonate with the themes of the book.
Arctic Sun works because the book takes place in the summer in Alaska with all
those hours of daylight, but also on a deeper level, this is the sun coming
back into the lives of two struggling men who have been missing that warmth and
connection in their lives. For Griffin, River truly is the sun he’s been
needing.
· Tell us
about the process for coming up with the cover.
o With Carina
Press, we do a cover request form that includes things like a blurb for the
book, character descriptions, covers we particularly like, and more. I usually
also include visuals for each character from pictures that I used while writing
the story. In this case, the three books in the series all got covers at the
same time so that the covers had a cohesive look. We went through some changes
to colors and fonts as part of the cover process. I knew I wanted Alaska on the
covers—big, sweeping scenery along with our heroes and I feel the cover
delivers!
· What is the
future for the characters? Will there be a sequel?
o The next
book Arctic Wild stands on its own, but you will see a little cameo from Griffin
and River near the end!
Excerpt
The mountain man scowled at River.
The older guy next to him was the one splashed all over the website— well-known
photographer Roger Barrett—with the sort of craggy features that suggested a
long life lived in the sun. He smiled
at River, shaking his hand, and telling him what a fan his sister-in-law and
nieces were of his book. But it wasn’t the old guy who held River’s attention
at all. No, that was all reserved for Mr. Tall, Dark, and Cranky, who clearly
didn’t share Roger’s good opinion of River, but good heavens, the man certainly
made all those rumors about mountains and fresh air resulting in
larger-than-average humans seem true.
He totally looked the mountain man
part too— shaggy brown hair, the sort of tan that River’s friends would pay
good money to emulate, hazel eyes that re- minded River of the greenish brown
stone of a mosque he’d visited in Istanbul. And muscles for days. Big, broad shoulders stretching
the fabric of a denim shirt, thighs like tree trunks, and that scowl. This was
a guy who would be at home playing the sheriff in some old west drama. Or maybe
a gunslinger...
About the Author
Author Bio (include photo):
Annabeth Albert grew up
sneaking romance novels under the bed covers. Now, she devours all subgenres of
romance out in the open—no flashlights required! When she’s not adding to her
keeper shelf, she’s a multi-published Pacific Northwest romance writer. Emotionally
complex, sexy, and funny stories are her favorites both to read and to write.
Her critically acclaimed and fan-favorite LGBTQ romance series include the
#OutOfUniform, #Gaymers, #PortlandHeat, #RainbowCove and #PerfectHarmony
series.
To find out what she’s working
on next and other fun extras, check out her website: annabethalbert.com or connect with Annabeth on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Spotify! Also, be sure to sign up for her newsletter
for free ficlets, bonus reads, and contests. The fan group, Annabeth’s Angels, on Facebook is
also a great place for bonus content and exclusive contests.
Author links (include author site, GR, Twitter, FB, FB
Group, Newsletter, Pinterest, Instagram, Tumblr, etc. The ones you are the most
active on should be first):
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/Nb9yv
Giveaway:
Enter to win 1 of 2 paperback copies of Arctic Sun + a
fun-filled swag pack! Must be 18 to enter and win, open internationally.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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