Classic good clean Macomber romance! Palmer surprises Josie with a marriage proposal the night before she's due to fly back from Alaska to Seattle. And she's so surprised she misses the plane the next morning, giving them some more time together before she is able to leave. The proposal itself reads like something out of a Western set in the 1880s but that's ok. Jack, the trapper, is a great character. You can guess what's going to happen but....Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is a quick light read that would make a nice light movie.

Alaskan Holiday by Debbie Macomber
Alternating chapters of each of the main characters, book is located at Ponder, Alaska.
Josie had been hired at the lodge and her time was up-the lodge was shutting down and she was heading back to Seattle.
Love the events for no special reason why the community gets together.
Story also follows Palmer who is a worker and the lodge and he favors Josie and wants her to stay but he can't express himself in words. He knows her suitcases are packed.
His sister Alicia and she's asking if he's going to propose to Josie. Love hearing how they were raised near the Arctic Circle.
Like all the food combinations and Palmer's career, priceless being able to use her hands to make a living. Like hearing about his work.
Love hearing of the salmon ping pong game LOL lots of fun travel described. He finishes his project and wants to deliver it before Christmas. He and Jack make plans and things don't go according to plan.
She is so innovative and creative. Great holiday read when things are so unpredictable.
Inclues an excerpt from another book by the author. About the author is listed at the end.
Received this review copy from andom House Publishing Group - Ballantine via Netgalley and this is my honest opinion.
#AlaskanHoliday #NetGalley

I can't, in good conscience, rate this book because I only made it a chapter before quitting. I didn't like the writing style or connect to the characters. I wanted to give Debbie Macomber one more chance, but this novel confirmed what I already knew--she is not the writer for me. I'm sure her fans will love this story--it has a good premise, but I couldn't force myself to read something I knew I wouldn't enjoy.

Josie Avery is an accomplished sous chef taking a vacation in Alaska where she cooks for the local inn in the small town of Ponder. While summering there, she becomes close friends to the locals, especially Palmer, a handsome, single free lance metalsmith.

Palmer has never met anyone like Josie. Ever since she arrived in Ponder, she’s stolen his heart away. But, he knows that her heart’s desire is to return to Seattle and begin her new career as a chef at Chef Anton’s restaurant. So he keeps his feelings to himself; at least until the night before Josie’s due to leave Ponder.

Debbie Macomber’s Christmas tale is a sweet story of the pain in making choices—both or the right reasons and the not-so-right reasons—and the repercussions of those choices. At turns amusing, bittersweet and romantic Alaskan Holiday shows Alaska in a new light through the eyes of a city girl and her backwoods man.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. You can purchase this book on October 2nd at the following link: https://www.amazon.com/Alaskan-Holiday-Novel-Debbie-Macomber-ebook/dp/B078VTZV9X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1536804762&sr=8-1&keywords=alaskan+holiday.
I cannot say how honored I am to receive an advanced copy of a Debbie Macomber book. I am such a fan! This is the magic #100 of her books that I have read! Several of her books have been turned into movies for TV.
This is a wonderful, feel good book This book takes place in Alaska. Palmer, a native to Alaska falls in love with Josie Avery, a mid-twenty year old chef that was hired on at the lodge for the season, which ran from May through to the end of October. At the end of the season, Josie sets out to leave for Seattle. Palmer realizes that he cannot live without Josie and asks her to marry him with a NO in response. Josie then proceeds to move back to Seattle to start a career as a sous-chef, creating menu items, training new kitchen staff with Douglas Anton, a renowned chef. This was the career break she had been waiting for! Josie overslept and missed her ferry connections and flights. Palmer takes this as an opportunity to convince her that she should say yes. Unfortunately, Josie is set on advancing her career as a chef and is determined to get to Seattle. We then follow Josie's career with a self-centered Chef Anton and we begin to see that sometimes the grass isn't as green as we thought it was. We are taken through the life of a new restaurant and we are faced with many hiccups along the way. There is an old man named Jack that gets involved and makes the whole situation more interesting.
We see a love story from Mainland to Alaska evolve. This really puts long distance relationship in perspective.
This was such a feel good book and it really put me in the mood for the cooler weather and in the mood for the upcoming holidays.

This story was about reaching for your dreams & working to achieve them. Josie & her mother have worked hard to insure she received her culinary education & degree. Now, she’s graduated & received an offer to work under one of the premier chefs in his new restaurant. It’s what she’s wanted all her life. Just one catch! The job doesn’t start for 6 months until the restaurant is finished. To earn money in the meantime, Josie takes on a job cooking for a lodge in Alaska. Not only does she love the country, she finds the love of her life, Palmer. How can she leave him now that the summer is over? On the other hand, how can she give up her dream & disappoint her mother?

Palmer can’t believe it. He loves his life in Alaska & the open beauty of the country. His job enables him to live anywhere but he can’t stand crowds. He’s been waiting forever for her to walk into his life. How can he let her go? But, how can he ask her to give up her dreams? He proposes a long distance relationship but as her calls dwindle down, his jealousy grows. Is she really that busy at work or did she find someone new?

Debbie Macomber has written another excellent, moving story. Her characters are well rounded & realistic. The interactions between Palmer & Josie paint the perfect picture of their love, the turmoil of the decision & the toll that decision takes on each of them. Ms. Macomber shows that we all continually grow & our dreams change as we grow. They evolve. I loved that this story made me think about how my dreams have changed & the effect circumstances had on that change. Ms. Macomber has a talent for taking what lives in our hearts & minds & putting it into words!

I received this e-book for free to read and review from Random House. I have read many books by Debbie Macomber and each new book is amazing. This book Alaskan Holiday is no different. I didn't want to put this book down I wanted to keep reading to know what happens with Josie, and Palmer and their friends. I know it says holiday in the title but you can read this anytime. And the best part it's for any reading type and would make an amazing gift for someone. Not just at Christmas time. If you want a feel good book with a dose of reality and realism this book is for you!

I absolutely love Debbie Macomber and her books. Alaskan Holiday is another great "feel good" read. Josi works as a summer chef in a fishing lodge in Ponder, Alaska. This is a temporary assignment for her after finishing culinary school. Palmer is a full-time resident in Ponder. He is taken with Josi and the more time he spends with her, the more he likes her. Ponder closes down for the winter and many of the residents leave for a warmer climate. When Palmer realizes that Josi will be leaving to work for a famous chef, he asks her marry him. Josi wants to stay but she also wants to fulfill her dream and using her culinary degree, so she leaves. Both Josi and Palmer are struggling with the decision but Palmer needs to find a way to get her back. Will Josi want to come back? Loved the clean romance. Wonder what it would be like to live in a town that shuts down and goes on holiday? That would be interesting in itself. Thank you to Mrs. Macomber, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for the ARC. Loved it!

Fast read. Short and sweet. Light reading for when you don’t want to think too hard. Fans of Macomber will like it.

This was another good book from Debbie Macomber. Josie was a temp chef at a lodge during the summer months in Alaska. Palmer was a full time resident who was in love with Josie but was afraid to tell her. He bungles it pretty well when he got around to it. Jack was another full time resident who was quite a character who loved any type of cooking. When Josie leaves, it breaks Palmer's heart but knows she must follow her dream. She finds out it wasn't what she wanted after all and eventually follows Palmer back to Ponder. This was a good story with the characters fleshed out nicely. I was given this book from NetGalley for an honest review.

Debbie Macomber's Christmas releases were, for over a decade, magic trapped between a front and back cover. I'm not really sure what happened, but some of that magic has been missing in recent years. As this year's Christmas offering, Mrs. Macomber has given us Alaskan Holiday.

Returning to the Alaskan wilderness for the first time since Starry Night, this brand new story introduces all new characters including Josie Avery, a young chef who takes a job in Ponder, Alaska while waiting for her big break in Seattle with a world-renowned chef to start and Palmer Saxon, a Ponder native, who happens to make specialized swords. There are other secondary characters, many with fun quirks, but the story focuses on Palmer and Josie (along with the gorgeous Alaskan landscape) as they fall in love and try to maintain their relationship long distance.

Alaskan Holiday is a quick and heartwarming read. Perfect for the hectic weeks leading into Christmas. It has the usual romance with a slight speedbump that is expected from Mrs. Macomber. I can't see breaking my holiday tradition of picking up the latest Debbie Macomber, but I think the true Christmas magic lies in her classics such as Mrs. Miracle, Shirley, Goodness and Mercy, Trading Christmas, or last year's Merry and Bright.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a quick easy read. Predicable, fall in love, conflict, separate, still in love, come together and be happy the rest of your lives.
I had predicted Jack would fall in love with Josie’s mom, so I was surprised when she already was interested in someone else. That part of the book, I thought a bit quirky. The story was good, but there are others that have kept my interest.

Debbie Macomber has once again succeeded in writing a moving and delightful romance. Alaskan Holiday delivers humor, insightful feelings, and realistic circumstances.

I love Debbie Macomber's stories, I love books set in Alaska, and I love happy endings so this book hit all the marks for me. I enjoyed watching strong, silent Palmer wrestle with his feelings for Josie, waiting until she was leaving Alaska to say anything. I was a little annoyed with Josie for not admitting her feelings for Palmer because she put her career dreams as a chef ahead of everything else. A little separation made them both think things through. Jack, a rough Alaskan mountain man, provided comic relief as Palmer's friend and someone who was always ready to eat. I also appreciated Palmer's unusual occupation as a master swordsmith and a little peek into that world. The epilogue proved the happy ending was lasting and left me very satisfied.

As with many Debbie Macomber books this one is fuzzy and a bit unrealistic, which is usually just what I'm looking for in a Christmas novel. While I enjoyed the story and the residents of the town of Ponder, AK this one felt a bit too stilted to me. I also didn't particularly care for the fact that the couple was already together when the story began, and it was more about how they would make it work. It made it seem like there wasn't any fun banter or chemistry, even though the characters were in love. I also felt like some of the characters were too over the top. I liked Jack a lot at first, but then he became so hysterical it wasn't really believable or that funny anymore. The epilogue was also pretty unbelievable.... even in a fantasy world the things that they all accomplished just went on and on. I won't spoil it, but it felt like too much. Not my favorite of Debbie Macomber's Christmas books, but I'll highly recommend Merry & Bright if you are looking for something a little more banter-y and slightly more realistic.

An excellent well written story by Debbie Macomber. I loved the main characters, the secondary characters and even the dog! The story plot was believable and was so well developed that I felt I was in the story with them. Highly recommend this one!

This was a quick, sweet read. I was drawn into this story right from the beginning, and I finished the entire thing in about 3 hours. I didn’t want to put it down, and luckily, I didn’t have to.

Debbie Macomber has a knack for writing such vivid stories, that I feel like I know the characters, and I always feel like I am right there with them. I fell in love with this small community, and the way they care so much about each other.

I loved the way this romance played out. It wasn’t as predictable as romances usually are. There was a bit of suspense thrown in there to keep you turning those pages. It totally worked!

I loved this story, but it wasn’t a Christmas story like I thought it was. Christmas didn’t occur during the book at all, and it was only mentioned in passing a few times. I was surprised, since it was advertised as a “magical Christmas tale.”

Recommendation: All in all, I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a nice, clean, romance to read around the holiday season.

*I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher. A positive review was not required. All opinions are my own.*

Another sweet romance from Debbie Macomber who never ceases to amaze me with her lovely stories! If you are looking for a romance that will sweep you off your feet and make you smile then this is the book to read! I highly recommend it for this holiday season.

Josie is a chef who takes a job in a small town in Ponder, Alaska as the cook at a lodge there. She immediately grows to love one of the residents, Jack, who will eat anything she cooks! She also gets extremely close with Palmer, a Master Swordsmith. They spend almost every day of the summer together and, Palmer soon realizes he's in love with her. Problem is that Palmer knows that Josie is heading back home to Seattle to work as the Sous Chef at a newly opened restaurant with the hot chef of the moment! This is a job she was extremely lucky to be picked for and, she's not about to give up the job of her dreams in her home town, whether or not her and Palmer have strong feelings for each other.
These two have to deal with strong emotions, life decisions that have been made long ago, attempting a long term relationship and, whether or not this is all worth it!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

I enjoyed the book. I’ve read other books by this author and I have never been disappointed.
The book was easy to read. Heartwarming and romantic. I love holiday books and this one definitely makes you think about the holidays and the Christmas celebrations.