LOVE FINDS YOU IN NORTH POLE,ALASKA [Paperback]

NORTH POLE, ALASKA by Loree Lough
So much for a good night's sleep! Once I started reading North Pole, Alaska by Loree Lough, I could not stop despite having to rise early the next day.
The characters came to life, walked off the pages and right into my heart. Loree's evocative writing and punchy verbiage brought this engrossing plot to life.
Summerside Press books are on my auto-buy list and Loree's book was a delight to cuddle up by a warm fire and read.

This magnetic story endeared me to the setting of North Pole and captivated me to the point I want to hop a plane and go there.

Don't miss this delightful romance by an extremely gifted storyteller. Sleep is overrated. This book was worth procrastinating bedtime.
--Cheryl Wyatt--Award-Winning Author-Wings of Refuge Series-Steeple Hill Books

When it comes to Christmas, former Marine Bryce Stone is more of a "bah humbug" then Scrooge as he hates the holiday. So why someone like him is back in North Pole, Alaska, a town in which "Its Christmas All Year Long" is something he asks himself every minute. The Santa Christmas theme has always hit his gut, but still he manages his Aunt Brice's gift shop since she retired when all he wants to do his open a furniture shop.

Sam Sinclair drives from the Lower Forty-Eight to North Pole for a job she accepted. However, upon arrival she finds no position waiting for her as someone else was hired. Bryce hires the upbeat elf to run his aunt's store figuring with her zero experience the shop will sink beneath the tundra. Instead people flock to the gregarious optimistic pixie to include Bryce who finds him self falling in love with her and the magic of Christmas.

Subtly (except perhaps for Aunt Olive), this "Love Finds You" entry is an inspirational romance with the town in many ways as the leading character. Fans will appreciate the antics of the townsfolk and especially Sam who grew up battling seven brothers so a marine is a piece of pumpkin pie for her to humble. Although their romance follows a typical course, the setting makes for a wonderful tale of how the Grinch found his heart.

Harriet Klausner

Samantha Sinclair is a 27 yr-old baby sister to a week's worth of brothers, none of which believe that she can make it on her own. With the weight of this knowledge on her shoulders, Sam attempts to prove to her loving yet overbearing family that she knows what she is doing. With an RV, a hard-won degree in culinary arts, and a promise of employment, Sam treks across the nation from Baltimore all the way to North Pole, Alaska to pursue her new, independent life running her own kitchen in a local hotel.

Ex-Marine Bryce Stone has returned home to the place where he grew up; a tourist town where it is Christmas all year--North Pole, AK. He grumbles constantly about the commercialization of the Day, but in his heart, he is empty and burdened with his own hypocrisy. Haunted by the deaths of his parents, a harrowing injury on the battlefield, the deaths of his fellow soldiers, and the recent break-up of an engagement, Bryce crawls back home to take over his Aunt Olive's Christmas store.

Bryce's life intersects Sam's as her hotel chef job falls through the day she arrives and a job offer by Aunt Olive follows directly after. Olive is wise and god-fearing and she lovingly steers the two young people together as they do their individual best to avoid falling for each other.

Love Finds You in North Pole, Alaska is chock full of sing-song dialogue and oh-so-natural communication between its characters. It was impossible for me to suppress a smile as I overheard conversations between Bryce and Sam, eavesdropped into their points of view and rooted along with Aunt Olive for their budding love. I was infatuated with the characters from the get-go and like all excellent authors; Loree causes her readers to empathize completely and with abandon. I was Bryce, I was Sam, and yes, I was also Aunt Olive. Because of Loree's superb literary prowess, I understood the pain of the ex-marine confused and addled by the beauty taking over his shop. And I was Samantha; full of love, faith and an unending hope that God has a plan for my life.

Author Loree Lough has not forgotten what it feels like to fall into real love for the first time and because of this, many pages of my copy of Love Finds You in North Pole, Alaska are stained with happy tears. This is the first book I have ever read in this genre, and certainly not my last. Loree has found a lifelong fan and friend in me.

Unnecessary Technical notes: I wanted to add how much I love the cover art and appreciate the silky, smooth matte finish. The author used flawless POV changes (point of view) and employed a flowing style of prose that enabled me to read this book in one sitting.

Ellen C Maze, author
RABBIT: ...45 5-Star Reviews: PHENOMENON! LIGHTNING-PACED! CAN'T PUT IT DOWN! CHALLENGES THE RELIGIOUS CROWD! RIVALS...DAN BROWN & STEPHEN KING! and much more. HOP on the bandwagon and check it out my friend!

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