North Country by K.A. Tucker is live and oh, what a read!
An emotional, heart-pounding story set in the wild north of Canada with mystery, suspense, and an epic second-chance romance. I was only a few chapters in when I knew this book would be 5-stars, and that feeling never left. This is a really special read and I loved this book.
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Blurb
From the USA Today and international bestselling author of the Simple Wild comes a sweeping second-chance, forbidden romance set against the rugged beauty of northern Canada.
Emery McAllister once dreamed of leaving Cold River with the boy next door, but one devastating night destroyed their future and left her heart carefully guarded. Twenty years later, she’s built a life of control: running the town’s police detachment, raising her daughter, and keeping a fragile peace with her ex-husband, the mayor.
She’s certain she has moved on until the day she has dreaded—and secretly hoped for—finally arrives.
Logan Landry is home.
After two decades behind bars for being in the wrong place at the wrong time—and the choices that haunted him ever since—Logan returns to his family’s bison ranch carrying the weight of everything he lost, but especially Emery. Friendship is all he dares hope for now, but seeing her ignites a fire he thought long extinguished.
When a teenage girl disappears and old wounds reopen, Logan becomes Cold River’s favorite suspect, despite his airtight alibi. As distrust closes in, Emery must choose between the life she’s built … and the love she can’t let go.
Review
5 stars!
Oh, what a read! An emotional, heart-pounding story set in the wild north of Canada with mystery, suspense, and an epic second-chance romance. I was only a few chapters in when I knew this book would be 5-stars, and that feeling never left. This is a really special read and a wonderful start to a new series, and I loved this book.
Logan and Emery grew up as neighbours and best friends. They fell in love as teenagers, and they were everything to each other until one night tore them apart and sent Logan to prison. Twenty years later he is being released on parole and returning to his family’s ranch, right next door to where Emery still lives, now as a divorced single mother with a 16 year old daughter. She is the equivalent of the Chief of Police for their small town, which puts her in an awkward position when the town’s infamous convict comes back home, especially when a young girl goes missing and fingers are pointed at Logan as the key suspect by those who want to bring him down.
It’s a wonderful set-up, and the emotion is strong from the very beginning. We see a brief glimpse of the past before we see a very different Logan returning home – somewhat broken and not expecting much from his new life, but wanting so much to reconnect with the girl who still owns his heart.
Seeing Logan and Emery reunited is everything. I could feel their grief and devastation over losing the life together they both wanted so badly. Logan doesn’t expect a cheery reunion, and is willing to take anything he can get from Emery. And while Emery is all tied up in her feels at seeing Logan again, she quickly realises that she could so easily fall back into his arms, but being with him risks everything that she’s built.
“All those years, I told myself that I’d accepted what happened and moved on. I wanted to move on so badly. But the truth is I never did. Never.”
I love a second chance romance! Especially when the couple are torn apart due to reasons external to their relationship. A lot of Logan’s past was out of his control, but he made bad decisions and he owns his mistakes. He’s paid for it, and then some, but he still carries tremendous guilt for the impact his imprisonment had on everybody who loves him, and the dramatic and heartwrenching separation of these two and all they lost, made me ache so much for them! But their love for each other absolutely shines, and though they try to keep their distance while they wrestle with the realities of their lives, they can’t stay away from each other, and the emotion is so beautiful.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever stop loving you, no matter how hard I try … It’ll always be you, Em. Always.”
God, I live for those “it was always you” moments! And seeing these two back together again felt so right! They love deeply, they accept completely, and they are so fiercely protective of each other. They mourn what they have lost, but they cherish the time they have now, and I loved their romance so much.
The forbidden aspect to their relationship not only complicates everything, but it adds extra chemistry to every little moment they are able to have together. And the added barrier of Emery working on the case where Logan is being implicated makes it all the more intense. It’s dramatic and emotional, and I was completely swept up and cheering them on.
The sadness of the story is balanced by their beautifully sweet moments together, their passion for each other, and the promise of something so much more for them. Emery’s daughter is fantastic, and her growing connection to Logan is so very sweet. And there’s also the addition of Logan’s family, who are wonderfully entertaining.
The setting, the romance, the mystery and the family moments all combine to create a wonderfully immersive story that feels real, and made me care so much about these characters. I am so excited to continue on with this series.
A huge 5 stars.
An Advanced Reader Copy was generously provided by the publisher for an honest review.
About Kathleen
K.A. Tucker writes captivating stories with an edge.
She is the internationally bestselling author of the Ten Tiny Breaths and Burying Water series, He Will Be My Ruin, Until It Fades, Keep Her Safe, The Simple Wild, Be the Girl, and Say You Still Love Me. Her books have been featured in national publications including USA Today, Globe & Mail, Suspense Magazine, Publisher’s Weekly, Oprah Mag, and First for Women.
K.A. Tucker currently resides in a quaint town outside of Toronto.
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