*3.5 stars*

In a genre that typically relies on a few tried-and-true storylines, Ruthie Knox delivers something different with Rosemary and Kal’s. I have to say, even more so than the love aspect, I appreciated the driving force behind it all—the sense of empowerment and the burning desire these characters shared in regards to chasing their dreams. I think far too often we let things fall to the wayside and some of us never recover.

The story opens on Everest, not quite at the peak, but Rosemary is on her way. Cold, worn-out and quite miserable, if you want to know the truth, she’s constantly questioning her thought process. Wasn’t this supposed to be the trip of a lifetime; so why is she feeling this way? Having spent the entirety of her marriage as nothing more than “wallpaper”, Rosemary decided the only choice was to get out and chase those pre-nuptials and pre-motherhood dreams of hers—climbing Mount Everest and writing a book about it. Now, searching for her best self, it’s not just one mountain she’s after, it’s the Seven Summits.

In the blink of an eye, everything changes. An avalanche forces an evacuation and shuts down the entire mountain. At that point, with no immediate plans in place, Rosemary’s state of mind is questionable, to say the least. Lucky for her, ‘Doctor Doom’ is looking out for ‘the princess’. Naturally, you have to wonder, if the circumstances had been different—if Rosemary and Kal had not been so close to that deadly force of nature—would they have shared such a strong connection? They might be from two completely different worlds, but the eternal optimist in me would like to think so.

Interestingly enough, what held me back from giving this a higher rating was just how quickly the couple threw out that four-letter L-word. I won’t go so far to say that it felt like insta-love exactly (I wasn’t entirely cringing on the inside), but the timeframe is hard to ignore. With the exception of the epilogue, this story spans a five day time period; so you be the judge.

There’s a lot going on with this story and in some instances the author takes the focus off of Rosemary and Kal together, in an effort to explore their individual goals, growth and familial relationships. I won’t say it was detrimental to the storyline, but had their bond garnered more of the spotlight, I might have swallowed their declarations of love a little easier.

Again, I adored the message behind the story—go after your dreams—love doesn’t mean compromising who you are and what makes you happy. Thought I'd throw that in, just in case you need a little reminder. *wink wink*

Our patrons love Ruthie Knox. We always buy her for our library.

I really enjoyed the other titles in this series. This book took too many turns and yet kept a very slow pace. I didn't ever fully appreciate the characters.

a well written ok read. no high drama other than the avalanche that starts the story.

DNF so will not be rating or reviewing. Thank you for the opportunity to review this title.