Not what I expectt from a Dailey book. Poorly written and drags on and on.

A suspenseful read, this book tests the different kinds of love through some major family drama.

Central characters Emma and John are thrown together when he rescues her from the man who turn mean as soon as she said I do. She's escaped with Boone and his hounds at her heels in the cold Alaska brush. John sees her from his plane, makes a tough landing and is shot at while rescuing her.

Emm may be embarrassed at her naiveté and terrified on Boone, but she's determined he'll face justice for his deception and actions, and to make sure he doesn't have a chance to lure another victim to his run down trailer.

Throw in an ex-wife Marlena -- who's kept John's kid from him for a decade and told david what and awful alcoholic he is, and is also sister to Boone, married to John's former boss, who is the brother of Emma's new temporary boss/coworker -- and David starting work at the restaurant alongside Emma, and you've got quite the web of drama. Past wrongs and hurts have to be dealt with while Emma and John grow closer as they try to remain safe and put the authorities on Boone's trail.

Refuge Cove was interesting interwoven tale. I did feel like the two main characters got attached a bit fast, but given the danger of the situation, still plausible.

I would have liked more on Emma's background. I felt like the details of how Boone was able to sweep in and sweep Emma up in his lies, her life before that were glossed over. Where were her friends, the married ones with babies, when she was being conned by Boone? Her coworkers?

Typically, you don't just skip out of a teaching job, especially with elementary kids after the semester is underway. What about her contract?

So where did John live after his grandfather died when he was 16? He just stayed at his house? Why didn't John and Marlena just live there instead of with her crazy family?

Loved the full family circle at the end.

Janet Dailey sets an idyllic scene as she opens this book in a tourist town in Alaska shut down for the season, but just outside of town in the surrounding forest a woman is running for her life. Emma Hunter was a lonely school teacher looking for a man to love while living in Utah. Enter the man of her dreams she believes, who talks her into moving to Alaska to marry and live with him. Only to find out all is not as it seems. When she ends up running for her life and knows she can't stop or she'll die. Emma gets caught in a muskeg an Alaskan swamp and is spotted by John Wolf flying home from a mail run. He reluctantly stops to rescue the woman. They are shot at and escape but when he finds out what is going on he vows to protect her from her so called husband who John knows all too well since they were once related, but tried to keep it a secret. He takes Emma to the police who really can't do much but any of what happened to her, so John starts investigating on his own. As he tries to help Emma and she tries to get her life back on track they start having feelings for each other. Emma wants to help John to get to know his estranged son and he wants to keep her safe. Emma is staying and working at the local historical hotel. After Boone makes a couple attempts to get to Emma through John it all starts coming to a climax when a huge storm hits. John's plane goes down in the storm and Emma and he realize how much they mean to each other. When John's investigating turns up another possible victim he decides to set a trap for Boone. Boone thinks he's got the upper hand when he kidnaps John's son and wants to exchange him for Emma. When Emma ends up in a boat with Boone and is being taken away Boone makes the mistake of thinking he's won and makes a mistake. 1 year later: John & Emma are married and expecting their daughter and at his tribe's celebration for putting up a totem pole which was carved by John his grandfather and his son. Refuge Cove is one of Janet Dailey's Americana series and I look forward to reading the other 49 books. Refuge Cove keeps you wondering when the bad guy will show up and shows you that no matter a large city or a small town there is danger and that you can over come your fears with true love.

An exciting romantic suspense tale. Lots of back stories and family issues. Interesting location. Having visited Alaska on a cruise, much of the details were familiar. This was a quick and intriguing read.

A classic Janet Dailey book, where romance is at the forefront, with a background of suspense and desperation. The story is thus, Emma leaves her life to marry Boone all the way in Alaska, and when she reaches there, she sees Boone to be what he really is, a conman sociopath. And she runs....
She is saved by John, who has his own history with Boone. But the story does not end here. Boone wants Emma back and plays a cat and mouse game with her. John and Emma try to remain a step ahead of him. Will they succeed???
Of course, they will. This is a Janet Dailey book, where love always succeeds and bad men always are arrested. I am reading Janet Dailey after nearly a decade. And her writing is still the same, clean and precise. I wouldn't say this is the book of today's times, as things have changed in the literary world. But Janet's books are still a pleasure to read.
The story reads fast, I took 3 hours from start to finish. Janet maintains the same pace throughout. Love happens quickly, without being too mushy. There are a lot of characters, as this book is based in a small town Ketchikan, in Alaska. I liked the two main characters and I didn't like Boone, as the author wanted. The rest of the characters popped in and out throughout the book. They just go on to bring about a background story for John.
There are many stories within this story, and they all pertain to John and his life. Emma, has no such story, other than being a teacher and getting fooled. If the book was set in the 1980s before smartphone and internet, this story would work. But it is set in modern times, so a teacher giving up her job and marrying a stranger all the way in Alaska, is a little far-out and then giving this 'husband' all her life savings. I wouldn't do that even if I knew my man.
The book is a classic romantic suspense, written by an elegant author, to be read in moments of nostalgia.
BTW, there is a redneck mother-in-law, there is mentally ill brother-in-law, there is a ex-wife, there is a son, there is a chopper accident, there are storms, marshes, chase by dogs, there is a skinned bear carcass hung from the tree, there is a dead woman buried with a deer deep in the woods, a burnt trailer, and a fake preacher... All this and more in Janet Dailey's Refuge Cove.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and publisher Kensington Books, and this is my honest and unbiased opinion

Alaska is a beautiful area with its waterways and forests to visit or in which to reside. Dailey describes it at its best in the Americana series. In Ketchikan, like a lot of small towns, nothing happens quickly as indicated by the somewhat slow, cautious police department.

John flying over Emma during his regular mail flight and seeing a ‘damsel in distress’ truly saves her life. Like some women who are looking for love and family, Emma has fallen prey to a crazy guy and is trying to get away from him. She thinks they just got married.

John, as a native, has to deal with the difficulties of a life that has had its troubles, from his dad dying in prison to his failed marriage and alcoholism. He lost his way for a while.

Although not sure if she should trust John, Emma does with a bit more caution due to the ‘new’ husband. Emma and John’s time together is fast paced with a lot of tumultuous relationships surrounding them. There is John’s relationship with his ex-wife, his ex-brother-in-law and his son. Ketchikan, being the small community that it is, has a lot of its citizens who are related to each other in some way. This leads to mixed up relationships, too.

Dailey deals with the issue of alcoholism, the Alaskan pipeline and the native Tlingit people from a very respectful perspective. She give credence to the importance or effect each of these had on the local citizens. This is a somewhat serious, but also, light-hearted book that is very enjoyable. A good addition to the series.

Emma has come to Alaska to marry and hopefully fulfill her dreams of a husband and family. Unfortunately, she finds out that her new "husband" is evil and has to run for her life. John, a bush pilot, rescues her and even though she is disrupting his solitude knows he can't just leave her. Sweet story of love and second chances.

This new series is not what I expected. It's definitely different from Dailey's normal cowboy romance novels. I loved it and can't wait for more.

Peaceful description of Alaska...then, boom! Action sequence.

Why would her husband be trying to kill her? For her money, yes, but there must be easier ways.

The lady can take care of herself.

The police in this town are horrible at their job.

Marlena and Boone are both crazy.