Book Review and GIVEAWAY: The Simple Wild, by K.A Tucker {ends 8/13}

November 15, 1993
Anchorage, Alaska

He settles those sharp gray eyes on me, the ones that ensnared me four years ago. If I'd had any idea how much heartache the ruggedly handsome man who sat down next to me at a bar and ordered a bottle of Budweiser would cause ... "So, I guess I'll see you when you're ready to come home." There's a rare touch of hoarseness to his voice, and it nearly breaks my resolve.

But I hang onto that one word to give me strength: "home."

That's just it: Alaska will never feel like my home. Either he truly doesn't see that or he simply doesn't want to.

I swallow against the painful ball in my throat. "Calla, say goodbye to your daddy."

"Bye-bye, Da-da." She scrunches her mitten-clad hand and gives him a toothy grin.

Obliviously happy as her mother's heart breaks.

I'm a huge K.A. Tucker fan, so I had a feeling I would like this book too. To be honest, I had completely forgotten that I signed up for this book tour for it ... so I started reading the book last Monday, and I finished it Tuesday night—which for me, nowadays, is a super quick turnaround, and shows how much I enjoyed this novel.

Official synopsis:

Calla Fletcher wasn't even two when her mother took her and fled the Alaskan wild, unable to handle the isolation of the extreme, rural lifestyle, leaving behind Calla’s father, Wren Fletcher, in the process. Calla never looked back, and at twenty-six, a busy life in Toronto is all she knows. But when Calla learns that Wren’s days may be numbered, she knows that it’s time to make the long trip back to the remote frontier town where she was born.

She braves the roaming wildlife, the odd daylight hours, the exorbitant prices, and even the occasional—dear God—outhouse, all for the chance to connect with her father: a man who, despite his many faults, she can’t help but care for. While she struggles to adjust to this rugged environment, Jonah—the unkempt, obnoxious, and proud Alaskan pilot who helps keep her father’s charter plane company operational—can’t imagine calling anywhere else home. And he’s clearly waiting with one hand on the throttle to fly this city girl back to where she belongs, convinced that she’s too pampered to handle the wild.

Jonah is probably right, but Calla is determined to prove him wrong. Soon, she finds herself forming an unexpected bond with the burly pilot. As his undercurrent of disapproval dwindles, it’s replaced by friendship—or perhaps something deeper? But Calla is not in Alaska to stay and Jonah will never leave. It would be foolish of her to kindle a romance, to take the same path her parents tried—and failed at—years ago. It’s a simple truth that turns out to be not so simple after all.

I've never been to Alaska, and now I want to visit, although maybe somewhere like Anchorage versus a more rural town like Bangor (which isn't a real town, but the author has said it's based on Barrow, Alaska).

Calla goes to Alaska to visit her father, whom she hasn't seen since she was about two years old, and whom she hasn't talked to on the phone since she was 12. Her father is dying of cancer and this might be her last time to see him. Calla, her mother, and her stepfather currently live in Toronto, where Calla enjoys all of the perks of city life - weekly manicures and hair blowouts, going out to the clubs with her friends, etc. So Bangor, Alaska is quite an eye-opener for her.

She soon meets Jonah, whom she dubs the "angry yeti," and later (unsurprisingly) falls for him, thus starting a narrative close to the one her mother had with her father—Canadian city girl falls for an Alaskan "sky cowboy" (pilot).

I really liked the chemistry between Jonah and Calla here—their back-and-forth banter was fun to read. Obviously Calla is in town for a not-so-happy purpose (her father is dying of lung cancer), but Jonah proves to be an interesting distraction ... and later a sad one, when she realizes she won't be staying in Alaska forever.

I'd recommend this book to fans of K.A. Tucker's other works, and/or for people who like a good YA (or New Adult, really) love story, with a dash of "real life" thrown in, too.

The Simple Wild will be in stores and online tomorrow, August 7, 2018.
4.5 stars out of 5.

{click here to purchase}

*Disclosure: I received an e-copy of this book for reviewing purposes. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own.

GIVEAWAY:

One of my lucky readers will win a copy of The Simple Wild!

Enter via the widget below. Giveaway will end on Monday, August 13th, at 11:59pm EST, and winner will be notified via email the next day, and have 24 hours to respond, or an alternate winner will be chosen.

U.S. residents only, please.

Good luck!

The Simple Wild, by K.A. Tucker