Deep in the Alaskan Woods

Alaska Wild #1

by Karen Harper

In the wilds of Alaska, someone sinister is hunting…

Alexandra Collister came to her estranged cousins’ B and B in Falls Lake, Alaska, looking for a fresh start. The surrounding forest can be harsh and unforgiving—luckily, rugged wilderness tracker Quinn Mantell offers to be her guide. Still recovering from a toxic previous relationship, Alex is wary of getting too close, but when savagely deep claw marks appear outside her bedroom window, keeping her distance from Quinn is no longer an option.

Then a body turns up exhibiting the same ruthless slash marks, and Alex knows it isn’t a coincidence. Something sinister is lurking in the woods around Falls Lake, turning Alex’s fresh start into a brutal game of survival. The murky veil of forest offers more threats than answers. Can Alex and Quinn find the killer before darkness falls for good?

Genres: Romance, Mystery, Romantic Suspense, Audiobook, Suspense, Fiction, Thriller

313 pages, Hardcover

First published April 28, 2020

About the author

A New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Karen Harper is a former college English instructor (The Ohio State University) and high school literature and writing teacher. A lifelong Ohioan, Karen and her husband Don divide their time between the midwest and the southeast, both locations she has used in her books. Besides her American settings, Karen loves the British Isles, where her Scottish and English roots run deep, and where she has set many of her historical Tudor-era mysteries and her historical novels about real and dynamic British women. Karen's books have been published in many foreign languages and she won the Mary Higgins Clark Award for 2005. Karen has given numerous talks to readers and writers across the county. Her most recent books include THE SOUTH SHORES TRILOGY (CHASING SHADOWS, DROWNING TIDES and FALLING DARKNESS.) Her latest historical is THE ROYAL NANNY. Please visit her website at www.KarenHarperAuthor and her fb page at www.facebook.com/KarenHarperAuthor

Reviews

[Teresa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ridiculous!

Spoilers ~ The heroine feels guilt and continual mourning over her twin she lost in the womb. She blames herself for absorbing her twin (vanishing twin syndrome). If that wasn’t bad enough, she sees her twin when she looks in a mirror and considers the lost twin her best friend. It makes her sound unbalanced.

It was also very repetitive. They mentioned Sully Sullenberger landing on the Hudson four or five times. Unreal. The dialogue is painful.

[Madeline · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story is like the energizer bunny....it keeps going and going and going....

So many “ugh” moments:

1. Q-man calls a woman he just met: Queen Alexandra and Sweetheart...ew
2. Alex has guilt over vanishing twin syndrome. She feels guilty because her twin vanished in the womb and she absorbed her over twenty years ago.
3. The author reveals the ending to a famous book. (This is just taboo for me.)
4. The writing is simplistic.
5. The author repeatedly reveals the meaning of her sentences....like we were born yesterday.

Need I go on?

[Aura · Rating 3 out of 5]

A romantic suspense novel sounds interesting, specially one set in Alaska. However, this one is not a memorable novel. It is very disappointing that I wasnt wowed by this novel because I really liked American Duchess by the same author.
First of all, I dont understand how you go from my fiancee is wonderful to ... he is evil and just tried to rape me. Secondly, I dont like fake cute dog emergencies. Oh please someone help me, I have an emergency my dog wandered out into the woods. That is not an emergency. Thirdly, Insta-love is annoying. First time they meet, Oh what a nice guy. Second time they meet, I love him. I dont think so.
This novel is not the worst I've read. I guess I had high expectations because I thought I knew Karen Harper from her previous novel but this one was a unremarkable mildly entertaining suspense romance.

[Romance · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’ve been waiting for this book for weeks (library). I’d never read this author but the synopsis, the reading sample, and the cover looked very intriguing. Unfortunately, it was not just boring but the dialogue was just odd. I couldn’t finish it. I pushed myself but I’ve read plenty of self published works so much better. This is an established author so I expected to at least be able to finish it. Here is what I found odd/unbelievable or why I just had to stop reading this book.

1 the story begins with Alexandra receiving lame almost gag-like gifts from her veterinarian fiancé. He is making comments about the engagement ring (like he doesn’t trust her with it) her cluttered space, and her dog. She is snippy right back. For instance she remembers she told him she loved a cozy space (I’m thinking cramped) but she’d love his big house😒. She’s also obviously irritated he went on a trip oversees without her (But with friends) and throws that at him when they argue. She sounded jealous, petty, greedy, fake and annoying. And he isn’t any better.

She’s a vet tech and he’s a vet. Most vets I’ve met are basically compassionate but neither of these characters seem so and he didn’t like her dog.

2. She and her fiancé had zero chemistry and he went from just obnoxious to potential rapist in 0 to 30 seconds. I had a hard time believing that she hadn’t seen signs if he was a violent predator. Just as quickly she moves from oh, what a great gift of a golf ball statue (she doesn’t play golf) to you’re a jerk, here’s your ring, leave and never come back. He immediately threatens her using wizard of oz quotes (I only know this because the author mentions it twice)...as she’s crying in self pity, in an obvious lack of impulse control he gets on her deck and damages and kills her plants. This went Jerry Springer fast.

3. After her ex fiancé (and her boss by the way) leaves, she begins crying in self pity and then starts missing her twin. Now that takes it to the next level because her twin is a vanishing twin in the womb so she never met this twin. She’s seriously unhinged. And her parents talk like the death of the twin was an event for her...they too are unhinged. 😆

She even stopped visiting her cousins and didn’t tell them why. The reason? They are twins so they remind her of her twin. 🙄 The whole missing twin thing was seriously weird.

4. On the spur of the moment after her ex fiancé leaves Alexandra decides to quit her job, move stuff to storage, trade her car for a truck and drive to Alaska and stay with her cousins who she hasn’t spoken to in years. Really? Who does that? Who does that on a vet tech salary?

She calls her estranged cousins who she doesn’t even recognize their voices or even know much about...that level of estrangement but feels comfortable telling her current predicament in detail. Who tells virtual strangers their private business? And their response is equally odd. They encourage her to drop everything in her life and move to Alaska promising a job and free accommodations. Who does that?

Is it me? I wouldn’t give advice like quit your job and move to Alaska...and I certainly wouldn’t say, here’s a job and a place to stay. That’s something your parents Might do if they could. Remember she’s in her late 20s so she should be established. It seemed super convenient. I don’t have any family (much less estranged cousins) or friends who could hire me and give me free accommodations at a moment’s notice. Sign me up for that unrealistic safety net!

5. The rambling thoughts of Alexandra didn’t add to the story and just made it tedious. She repeatedly thought a general courtesy and how nice she was being treated...it got kinda weird. Not to mention she spends an inordinate amount of time looking for her twin in the mirror. That was a tad creepy ....psycho creepy.

6. All the tragic back stories...her cousin with the tragic death of her husband, Mary the cook with the grandma who died in a freak catastrophe and Quinn’s dad being mauled by a bear to death...I mean these deaths aren’t the usual. And Alexandra and her cousin bond over their tragic losses....yes, Alexandra losing her imaginary Friend...I mean lost twin...and her cousin losing her husband and her child's father To a plane crash is comparable..not. 🤦‍♀️

7. The spouting of poetry? Alexandra recites verses of a nature poem because you know, we all memorize nature poetry and spout it when we first meet people, right?! 🤷‍♀️ Anyway, after her recital of poetry Quinn flicks a tear from his eye (I think it was written almost this melodramatically) because it somehow reminds him of his deceased father who died from a bear attack. Which I guess ties to nature. Lol. I actually laughed at this farcical moment.

8. Later, we have lots of women bashing. I think the girlfriend of the cameraman was dissed by every other character including the men. Then we have the producers wife who repeatedly discusses that pilot Sullenberger who saved passengersand is judged because of it. While she buys Alexandra’s homemade herbal concoctions, Alexandra is thinking the woman talked too much and wore too much cologne. I found that to be mean spirited. She wasn’t anything but nice to Alexandra. Later Alexandra missed her after she was thinking harshly about her. Not to mention they only spoke for 5 min while Alexandra sold her beauty products in a store. Is this for real?

9. Alexandra talks to her cousins not only about her personal business but repeats Quinn’s story about his dad and his feelings of guilt. Ok, first, he overshared and then she is gossiping to her cousins about him. He’s a chick and she’s a gossipy, judgmental, and downright crazy chick. No, Just no.

10. Quinn and Alexandra’s instalove...he just seemed to fall at first sight and seriously acted like a preteen questioning her attraction. There wasn’t chemistry so what attraction? And why is everyone in everyone’s love life. These are grown adults...this felt juvenile.

Overall, this book bogs down early with inane conversations and descriptions about Alaska. Add in the plastic stock characters and crazy Alexandra and I just couldn’t read any more.

[Mel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is truly awful. The main female protagonist leaves an abusive partner who is a veterinarian, yes the author chose a veterinarian as a villainous stalker ex. That really rubbed me the wrong way. Two professions which should IMO never be portrayed as bad guys are firefighters and veterinarians.
Alex our heroine trades in her ex-boyfriend bought sports car for a truck, packs up her dog and her natural beauty products and heads out from the Chicago suburbs to Alaska. I wondered why the author had this city gal drive the Yukon with only her Scottie as co-pilot when she could of taken a ferry from Bellingham or Vancouver and cut the travel time in half and because the Alaskan highway system is treacherous and very slow going especially the Yukon.
So she ends up at her twin cousins' lodge whom she had drifted away from because Alex lost her twin Allison to "vanishing twin syndrome" and Alex feels incredible guilt because she "absorbed" her twin and survived. I did not buy this drivel one iota. Oh and throughout the story she "sees" her twins image in the mirror. Oy vey.
The lodge is north of Anchorage and there is a TV guy named Quinn who has a survival show where he teaches tracking and other valuable skills needed in the Alaskan Wild. He is of course Alex's new man and I found him a creepy bland beta hero who spews nonsensical stuff out of his mouth on a regular basis. The writing is very amateur and feels like the author is writing for third graders.
Since this a romantic suspense there is a murder which is very cliche being that an annoying blond that nobody liked is the victim and her murder is made to look like a bear mauling. I am insulted for all blondes and bears because this murder premise is just stupid and the murderer is so obvious a second grader could of pointed him out immediately. None of the supporting characters are interesting or even necessary to this plot filled with stinky red herrings. The end is so predictable and I only finished this clunker to be sure my deductions where spot on and yes they were.

[Heather Fineisen · Rating 2 out of 5]

An average entry in the romantic suspense genre with not enough romance or suspense. The Alaskan setting was a good call and I enjoyed the wilderness scenes. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough sizzle or written attraction between Alex and Quinn. There is a murder and a stalker which should generate plenty of suspense but the plot didn't thicken and the bad guy stalker was a caricature.


Copy provided by the Publisher and NetGalley

[Rainz ❤️rainnbooks❤️(on a break) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listening to audiobooks is still a learning curve for me especially coz I have had a hard time sticking to it and of course where is the thrill in listening to a mystery thriller novel over the course of 10 days? But the romantic suspense genre seems to be working as of now, and thus this random selection of Karen Harper’s Deep In The Alaskan Woods.

Karen Harper is an author I should have read seeing the genre she writes in but somehow, I have missed reading her works so there, another reason why I chose to try this one. Deep In the Alaskan Woods is probably not the best example of her writing skills, the story that should have been utterly engrossing failed to work its magic. With the kind of setting of the story, the wilds of Alaska, I expected more thriller’y effect but that was missing in this plot.

Alex is running away from an abusive boyfriend and she does what she could to slip away under the radar moving to help her cousins in running their B&B. There is an instant attraction between her and Quinn but for someone who has just escaped from abuse, that kind of insta-attraction felt unreal, wouldn’t one be more traumatized to even consider looking at another person let alone fall in love? Well, just a minor point coz the author has wonderfully captured the wilds and the rugged nature of the place, and the description of search and rescue training by Quinn was enlightening.

The author balances the romance with adventure and suspense in a brilliant way but again while listening to the story there were a number of times where everything was getting repeated over and over again. There is the guilt trip of Alex suffering from vanishing twin syndrome, there is Quinn feeling guilty for being the reason for his father’s death, there is a young child again feeling guilty for his father’s death, and to top it off there is also Mary living constantly with the loss of her family. So there is so much guilt flying around and when they get repeated a number of times, it left me a little bored.

Engaging enough but one that wouldn’t last in memories though I would definitely love to explore more books by the author.

This review is published in my blog Rain'n'Books, ##Goodreads, ##Amazon India, ##Facebook, ##Twitter.

[Desiree]

DNF chapter 4. I really need authors who want to write about Alaska to do just the bare minimum of research. Our protagonist is telling the reader the route she’s taking to get from Illinois to the place she’s going that’s only described as ‘north of Anchorage’ (which is, in itself, annoying. There is A LOT of Alaska that is ‘north of Anchorage’.) She says she’s going to need to drive through Western Canada to get there, which is true. However, then she says, “she was still going to have to drive a good slice of Western Canada, then back into the US, past Juneau, to Anchorage, and then even farther North.” You cannot drive to Juneau. Yes, it’s technically part of the mainland, but it’s cut off from any road system by mountains. The only way to get there is by plane or boat. In reality, someone driving from Illinois to Alaska would enter Alaska again about 90 miles Southeast of Tok, AK before traveling the final 320 miles southeast to Anchorage. However, if the town she’s going to is actually NORTH of Anchorage, there probably wouldn’t even be a route that would take her through it, unless she was detouring to visit the city. You know how long it took me to look at google maps to figure out the mileage details? About 30 seconds. But apparently that’s just too much to ask.

Also, I hate the way authors write about Alaska like the people there are living in another century. Are there areas that are more remote where you don’t have great shopping or get great cell reception? Sure. But there are also tiny fishing villages with hair salons and coffee stands and pizzerias. And Anchorage is a city with nearly 300,000 people in it. They have a couple of malls, several movie theaters, restaurants, chain retail stores...but she worries that she won’t be able to get her hair highlighted any time soon. WTF?

I suppose some of this ignorance could be put on the character. She might not have done her research about the city she was going to be living in/near. But you would think she would know that the route she was going to take to get where she was going wasn’t going to be anywhere near Juneau. It felt like the author just threw in Alaskan places she’d heard of and rolled with it.

If you want a good book set in Alaska that actually gets Alaska right, read The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah or The Smell of Other People’s Houses by Bonnie Sue Hitchcock. Both of these authors have lived or at least spent extensive time in the state and their books reflect that. This book does not.

[Danielle Gypsy Soul · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 50%

I wanted to like this book but the only thing it had going for it was the setting - I do love the whole Alaska wilderness setting. I knew I was in trouble when the fiance went from great guy to complete abusive jerk in about a page. There was no build up - one day she is in love with a wonderful guy and the next she has to leave everything and move to Alaska. Then when she gets there she falls in love immediately - I don't like instant love in the best of circumstances but with a woman who is running from a horrible ex I found it even more unlikely. The whole lost twin syndrome was finally the last straw for me and I just couldn't hang in there.

A copy of this book was provided to me by Netgalley and the publisher with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and my comments here are my honest opinion

[Owl._. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ooh ,,, this one was hard to get in to and I honestly gave up about halfway through. I though it would be one of those quick, enjoyable reads and instead I found myself frustrated with the writing and bored.

I’ve read Karen Harper before and was excited to receive this eARC. It sounded interesting and just the type of story I like to read. This one felt rushed and the writing felt forced. It was hard to connect to any of the characters. They were just so unlikeable and one dimensional. The author attempted to give them a backstory but it felt trite and unbelievable.

Unfortunately, this one just didn’t work for me. You can’t like them all. It won’t stop me from reading this author again in the future, but not this particular series.

Thank you #netgalley and #harlequintrade for the eARC.

[Jenna Davis · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was the literal worst. Oh poor me! Oh I’ve known the man/woman for 5 minutes and now I’m in love forever blah blah terrible trope. It wasn’t even well enough written to be enjoyable trash.

I skimmed the last 3/4 of the book to figure out who did it and it was so glaringly obvious. Oy.

[Lyndsie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I would give this book negative stars if I could. It was astoundingly bad.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were so many issues and inconsistencies (mostly geographical) that can be googled super quickly which repeatedly pulled me out of the story. The romance between the two MCs felt rushed and inauthentic. Also, it was incredibly irritating that every. time. they mentioned Mary's grandparents, they reminded the reader they died in the great Falls Lake flood. We got it the first ten times, Jesus. I rolled me eyes way too many times while reading this.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable read from a new author. It had drama, suspense and a twist plus some romance. I would read more from this author. The characters were interesting and well-developed and the story was complex. I enjoyed it.

[Cyndi Marie ☆★Audiobook Addict★☆ · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF 50%

kinda spoiler... Sorry
I was seriously so excited for this book but it just didn't deliver for me. I couldn't really understand the main characters freak out and need to move, the ex was a jerk and yes needed dumped but it just didn't feel like enough happened to warrant moving to Alaska to hide. If the author had given more build up then it would have made more sense to me. Also an Adult comparing her loss from disappearing twin syndrome to a man who lost his father to a bear attack that he was there for... nope I was done.

[Cc]

Unfortunately, Karen Harper died a few days after this came out. I have enjoyed her books before, but reviews on this one seem to call in to question the quality of writing. I'm sure chemo can make writing difficult. But as her backlist suggests, she enjoyed it. I'm still going to read this one and the next that she had finished in this series before her death.

[Denice Langley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read several Karen Harper books and loved them. This one....it's a good book with a solid story line and cast of characters. Enough action and suspense to keep you reading but I don't see it as her best work. I enjoyed the read but hope the 2nd book in this trilogy is better.

[Sheila Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a little disappointed with this book. The characters are good, but a little unrealistic to me. The same goes for the plot.

[Kav]

Really enjoyed the Alaskan setting. Loved how Alex is able to apply what she learns from Quinn about wilderness survival to her advantage when she needs to. But, somehow I wasn't completely engaged with these characters. I felt like I didn't really get to know them that well, including the secondary characters. Almost like I had missed the first book in the series or something, only this is the first book in the series! I can be a fan of insta love in a romance but this one just didn't work for me. (there's one brief semi-descriptive love scene) Enjoyed parts of the suspense plot but the conclusion to it seemed almost an after thought.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Absolutely loved the Alaska setting! The overall plot didn't seem to have any surprises, but still entertaining nonetheless.

[Maureen Timerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

How fortunate that Alex see her fiancé true colors before she marries him, but will she be able to get away?
We travel from Illinois to Alaska, with her possessions in tow, along with her darling scottie dog, Spenser. Will she be able to escape and hide? The author gives us so much suspense and danger, with a murder and stalking, and yet there is a bit of sweet romance. I also loved the family dynamics and how they might not cousins might not have seen each other for a long time, but love each other.
We get a really good look at the wilderness here, and learn a bit about tracking and looking for signs, footprints, etc. We also learn about the wildlife and to be weary and respectful!
Will life ever return to normal here? Will the evil ones be caught? Answers are forthcoming, with this story that has a lot going on! Sure to keep you page-turning! There are also more to come in this series, and I am sure looking forward to future reads!

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Harlequin. and was not required to give a positive review.

[Teri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really wanted to love this one! This was a new author for me and I loved the synopsis and the cover so I just had to read it. I didn't love it. It was just ok. I found it boring at times and hard to muddle through. I found the characters to be one dimensional and I didn't connect with any of them. I found the romance part of this book to be unbelievable from the start. I don't know of anyone in an abusive relationship to immediately be head over heels for some guy they just met to the point of even moving in with them for her "safety" to keep her identity a secret so the abusive ex can't find her. Meh just meh. I hope to try another one by this author at some point in the future, this one just did not click for me at all.

[Ariel · Rating 1 out of 5]

The characters were so one dimensional and repetitive. Nothing felt organic, more like a bunch of NPCs that had information to share about the plot but the conversations didn’t flow. A lot of unnecessary things mentioned. I literally groaned every time someone would bring up their one tragedy in their life. I get it, I just read the same exact sentence last chapter.

[Diana · Rating 1 out of 5]

just so...so bad 🙈

[Abbey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the suspense aspect of the killer/wondering if her ex would return, but the twin thing got old REAL quick.

[Kaye Wyly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lions, tigers, and bears, oh my!” The only bear in this part of the Alaskan wilderness arrives just in time to save Alexander. What a mess this book is. The wilderness of Alaska is complete with uber service and a road nearby the lake trails. The little town’s bank is named Bank and the local Grocery Store is named Grocery Store. A guide at the tracker camp doesn’t know the word nocturnal. The characters have experienced tragedies and trauma which is explain over and over and over but the ending is tied up neatly with a bow. The only character I liked was Spenser, the one-eyed dog. The dialogue was stilted and juvenile. After the story carried on and on and on about Mary’s lifelong trauma of her grandmother drowning when a flood covered the village, Alex tells Mary that she lost her twin sister before she was born, but she believes her sister is always w her “ in a good way” and Mary pipes up “ in a good way, that’s how I will remember my family from now on,” Oh mercy! No therapy, just a solid month of antidepressants, Alex’s comment, and Mary’s lifetime attitude changed. Easier than making instant coffee.

Instead of this oh-so-messy book that so needs an editor, read Marc Cameron’s Arliss Cutter Series. Set in the real Alaskan wilderness with excellent characterization, suspense, and no one ever utters the word ‘sweetheart.”

I even checked to see if the book was self published. Harper Colin’s…seriously? Two stars.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy this author, and have followed her for years. This one was enjoyable, but the story wasn’t as tight.I like to be grabbed from the first page. This became more interesting as the book went in. The ending worked out great. I also liked the main characters. They just seemed to be waiting for their perfect half, and they do. It had some violence, animal attacks, and bring your long Johns. It is Alaska after all. I gave it a 4. For a stalker book, she worried more about it happening, and was not being as watchful when it did, plus it was way toward the end.

[Diane Saul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alex has run to Alaska to escape and abusive relationship. She is staying at a lodge with her cousins. The story was a bit predictable but it still kept me entertained. I thought the vanishing twin aspect was not necessary to the story and mentioned way too often. On the whole the story kept me entertained. I would give this book 3 1/2 stars rounded up to 4. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Deep in the Alaskan Woods by Karen Harper that I read and reviewed.
This book was good romantic suspense book. It moved a bit slow for my usual taste but overall it was an enjoyable story and a good start to a new trilogy by Harper. I did enjoy Quinn and Alex as couple and how well they fit together in the story.
I am giving this book four out of five stars.

[Britty Gee · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. I'm sorry but wth was the deal with the main character feeling guilt and having this huge struggle in her life regarding having her twin lost due to vanishing twin syndrome? Seek therapy if you're struggling with that as an adult. That was just bizarre. Not to mention the repetitiveness of the story. Not a big fan.