Beth Carpenter

I always love visiting Alaska in Beth Carpenter’s Northern Lights series—and with a goat on the cover, I knew Alaskan Dreams would be extra fun.

Lauren Shepherd thinks she can find the life she always wanted on a farm in Alaska, but the goats do not prove to be the solution to all her problems—finding a rumored treasure might be though. Patrick O’Shea, the grandson of the farm’s owner, may be suspicious of Lauren’s intentions, but still, he joins her on the hunt. Of course, show more together, discovering a treasure worth more than gold seems oh so likely.

I so enjoyed Alaskan Dreams. Carpenter delivers this romantic adventure with a cast of especially entertaining characters, a natural romance, and heartwarming themes of perseverance, family, and love. One day, I will get to Alaska, but for now, I am content to experience it via good books—and Alaskan Dreams is one such book. Don’t skip it!

I received a complimentary copy of this book and the opportunity to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own. show less

Acquired Book By: I received a complimentary copy of “Sweet Home Alaska” direct from the author Beth Carpenter in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

I liked how Carpenter connected a thread of faith into her Contemporary Sweet Romance - not all the authors in the Heartwarming line do this directly, though some I feel imply it which makes my heart happy. I liked how it applied in the context of this story - how being a show more doctor and/or a medic has a certain measure of faith associated with the careers. You can go only so far on your own merits before you have to recognise there is point where you have to lean on something outside of yourself in order to be the better medical professional. Not everything is understood through medicine and science - yet, how Carpenter broaches these topics within her narrative align well with two characters who haven't yet decided what their final thoughts are on life, their careers or how they might still be attracted to one another!

When we first see Volta and Scott together - it is like a random snowstorm burrowing people in a house together who would otherwise not expect to be confined in the same place with each other. Volta has mixed feelings - which felt natural given their history and how she has become a widow in his absence and a single Mum. Her responsibilities are different now than they were before they had met even if there is still a bit of an open door to their hearts, it is interesting watching how Carpenter is going to reveal the story as we hug close to both of them as they ride out the volcanic ash which has grounded their plane.

I loved when Carpenter re-shifted back into the planes and took us into the air to be with the air ambulance crews. It gave more foundation to the roles these people have IRL but also, how their shifts can run longer than your realise as Volta had a 24 hour rotation facing her when she agreed to be Scott's liaison. This was another smart move I felt in the story itself - how Scott, was wanting to bring changes to the Alaskan methodology of approaching prenatal care in the state, he needed someone who understood how to interact with the locals. Someone who could give them assurances he couldn't as an outsider and that someone felt perfect to be Volta even for me! I liked how he fuelled his desires to help others into plausible situations where he could yield the most good and be of the most help. This plan had to change the prenatal care of Alaska felt like the kind of forward-thinking leadership needed in rural medical inefficient areas need in order to find a gateway into a future where they are more self-sufficient.

How can you not laugh when Volta's Mum brings up the subject of Scott re-entering her life? Mum's are intuitive that way with their daughters - they understand far more than what you reveal. It wouldn't have taken long for her to recognise that Volta was struggling to understand this new role of Scott's in her life and I, for one, was questioning why she kept him at such a stilted distance. Clearly the years had been kind to them both- they might not have reached the place they each wanted to be the most, but they had found their own kind of happiness and that was alright, too.

Carpenter puts you front and centre on the action within her medically focused Contemporary (Sweet) Romance wherein you get to see first-hand what first responders go through in Alaska when their patients live rather remotely. Even the first case she presented in the novel wasn't routine as it was a woman who had hypertension and it was causing issues with her pregnancy - I did give a bit of a pause of thought as to what would have happened if Volta and Scott hadn't been there at that particular moment in order to intervene on the woman's behalf. A credit to what Carpenter had already established about how due to how lean the state is on medical facilities and how the support staff in the more rural areas were limited to aides; you can see how Alaska can become a medically adverse state in which to live.

I definitely will be seeking out the rest of this Northern Lights series as I liked the pacing and the presentation of how Carpenter implores us to want to know more about this world she's created for us to find! She hugs us so close to the hearts of her characters, it is easy to feel what they're feeling and live a period of time in their shoes rather than our own. In essence, I love that this is another small towne series focused on family, hearth, home and a wicked dollop of romance! Best of all, she gave me a new reason to venture back to Alaska and that was the icing on the cake!

// This is a quotation of my full review originally shared via jorielovesastory.com show less

It's official: I need to visit Alaska! (True story--I actually considered it--briefly--for college, but figured I'd never be able to get rid of my dad...which kind of defeated the purpose of going away for school! ;) )

The Alaskan Catch is a sweet story about family, finding your own path ("paddling your own boat" as it's put one more than once here--both figuratively and literally), and learning to put your trust in unexpected love even when it seems contrary to the plans you thought you show more had. Besides finding each other, Dana and Sam also find out some hard truths about their families' histories during the course of the story, which each has to deal with in their own way. Neither is exactly on the path they thought they'd be by the end of the book, but since they're on that new path together, it makes all the difference.

The Alaskan Catch was my first book by Beth Carpenter, but it won't be my last. I can't wait to see what the next book in the Northern Lights series will bring!

Rating: 4 stars / A-

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. show less

I could see this being a cozy choice for the right reader, unfortunately this wasn’t the best fit for me right now.

I liked Sunny and Adam well enough, they’re genuinely kind people, but when characters have few apparent flaws to overcome, when they’re understanding to the point where it circumvents pretty much every possible conflict, there isn’t much of a character arc to invest in and really drive things forward.

I felt similarily about the romance, these are two nice people, they show more share some meals together, they work together, he’s great with her daughter, but I never felt that engaged with their developing relationship. Like Sunny and Adam themselves, I guess everything was all a little too nice and easy, he is from another state, so there was potential for that to be an issue but that barely materialized nor did any other reason for them to resist each other, and I like some resistance, some tension in my romance, whereas this one would work best for those craving almost no angst or hurdles for the couple.

There is a slim plot here, everyone working towards saving a senior living complex, an important goal yes, but since it’s a shared goal and Sunny and Adam are on the same page at every turn, it left me feeling like there wasn’t enough to the story.

It felt like this book focused more on minutia than anything else, detailed accounts of every photo taken, details on various craft projects, details about a wedding, a tour of the area, a craft fair, etc., these are not uninteresting things, but for me these details would have been more interesting had they been sparingly woven into a propulsive plot rather than seeming like filler for a book that didn’t have quite enough plot or character development. But if you’re in the mood for a quieter novel with an emphasis on extraneous stuff, this might be more up your alley than it was mine. show less