ONCE UPON A CABIN (Sweet Home, Alaska Book 2) by Patience Griffin
Publication Date: November 30, 2021
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Two sisters from Texas find themselves exiled to Alaska . . . and thrown into the arms of two very different men.
Tori and McKenna St. James have been living comfortably on their trust funds in Dallas. But their uncle Monty, keeper of the purse strings, decides to push them out of their comfort zones by requiring them to spend one year in Alaska or lose their inheritance. Initially the sisters are stunned, but they aren’t willing to back down from the challenge.
Tori is sent to a primitive homestead outside the tiny town of Sweet Home. She had been prepared to forego fashion magazines and lattes, but not electricity and running water! Will her rugged wilderness guide, Jesse Montana, teach her to survive, or send her fleeing back to civilization? Meanwhile, outdoorsy McKenna is stuck within the concrete walls of an Anchorage bank. Her sexy boss Luke McAvoy is tasked with teaching her the business but what he’s really doing is tempting her. Not that she’s the type to fall for a stuffed suit like him.
Tori and McKenna find much needed solace with Sweet Home’s Sisterhood of the Quilt. Will this crafty group of women be up to the challenge of teaching two outsiders how to sew—and perhaps how to love?
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I enjoyed this book, it captivated me even through the holiday season chaos. Granted, the situation the women were thrust into seemed rather extreme – but it made for a fun escape. Tori was a prissy city girl that I planned to dislike and failed. I liked her and how she pushed herself to rough it in the wilderness despite obvious limitations. Jesse was her “teacher” for the adventure and a perfect match for her. He taught her how to survive without a feeling of rescuing or pampering her. He let her be strong. (I loved the homesteading tips strewn into the storyline.) Tori’s sister McKenna was a secondary romance within the story. This outdoorsy woman had to spend a year in the city to learn the banking business. Personally, I thought she got off easy, especially with Luke there to be her mentor. I wish both romances had a bit more depth in the emotions. It felt like I was told they were falling for each other instead of shown.
I love small town romances that also showcase the people that live there. How others treat the couples reinforces the character’s worthiness of caring. It also helps when the townspeople are fun and engaging. In closing, this is a fun romance. No sexy-time, but I didn’t miss it. I’ve found a new author.
*Review copy provided by Penguin in exchange for an honest review.
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Kindle | Paperback
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Patience Griffin grew up in a small town along the Mississippi River. The author of the Quilts and Kilts and Sweet Home, Alaska novels, she has a master’s degree in nuclear engineering but spends her days writing stories about hearth and home and dreaming about the fictional small town of Gandiegow, Scotland.
Reading in Pajamas 