Author: Mandy Baggot
Year published: 2022
Category: Adult fiction (romance)
Pages: 384 pages
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Location: (my 2025 Google Reading map): UK and Iceland
Summary: All it takes is one moment to change your life …
When a cleverly edited video of radio host Lucy Fairweather goes viral, she knows she needs an escape. And preferably somewhere far away.
Where better than Wild Zone – a destination for people who want to experience the Arctic Circle? Owned by the gorgeous but brooding Tommi, Lucy agrees to help with the guests in return for her stay. But getting to grips with her skis is proving harder than it looks.
Far from home and in a winter wonderland, will an encounter with the breathtaking Northern Lights change her luck, in both life and love?
Review: After all the nonfiction reading I've done in November, I needed a light alternative, and this novel fit the bill. I mean, check out that cover; how could it not be a fun read?!
If Iceland needed a PR campaign, this novel could be it. Gunnar, the tour guide, wants to help Lucy plan the ultimate Icelandic weekend. Not only do we get to read about the main tourist attractions in Iceland, but Gunnar (and the author) describe the culture and natural beauty in a way that had me ready to book a flight. Emphasizing the feeling of community, living within nature, and taking time to enjoy beauty all resonated with me.
The romance between Lucy and Gunnar is also well done. They've both been hurt in their previous relationships, both lost their parents when they were children, and both have a secret that needs to be shared. This is a chaste romance with no explicit sex scene (it is merely referenced), so the emphasis is on family, relationships, and letting someone new in. Very nice.
I loved Gunnar's found family, the way they support one another, challenge each other, and make it work well. Lucy needed some of that in her life. Sometimes we need the message to slow down, appreciate what we have, and what is in front of us.
Challenges for which this counts:
- Literary Escapes--Iceland
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