Member Reviews

This was a great little story that I could not put down. I read this in one sitting because I couldn't stop reading once I started. Debbie Macomber sure knows how to get your attention and keep you turning the pages.

Palmer is a long time resident of Ponder and has gotten used to the way everything closes up for the fall and winter due to the snow. When Josie takes on a short term assignment in Ponder, she knows that she is going to have to leave in the fall because she has taken on another dream assignment in Seattle. Josie has to get on the last ferry out of Ponder before everything shuts down for the fall, no questions asked, but fate has another plan!

Josie and Palmer have gotten really close while Josie has been in Palmer as a chef. With Josie knowing she was going to have to leave, she has played her relationship with Palmer cautiously. The night before she is to leave, Palmer asks her to marry him and stay in Ponder with him. This throws Josie for a loop and causes her to toss things around in her mind the whole night. Josie turned Palmer down on the marriage proposal, but was it the right thing to do? Josie goes back in forth in her mind all night long and eventually gets up to take a sleeping pill to help her sleep. Well, Josie ends up sleeping through the ferry the next morning. Josie is so mad and blames Palmer because she was not able to sleep. When Palmer sees that Josie is still in town after the ferry departed, he thinks that maybe she has changed her mind about his marriage proposal, only to be let down once again.

When there is no other way out of Ponder for Josie for at least another 10 days, she is stuck with Palmer and Jack (the old man who loves Josie's cooking and bugs her about food all the time). Palmer loves Josie unconditionally and knows that he has to arrange a way for Josie to get back to Seattle to work at her dream job under a renown chef.

Will Josie be able to fulfill her dream job and get to Seattle? You will not regret picking up this lovely read. I loved this one and could not put it down. Such a great read for sure. I can't wait to devour more from Debbie Macomber in the near future!

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This was a very cute book! It’s a very fast read. I loved reading about Alaska. My husband forges so I was able to relate to Palmer. Josie is a sweet woman. I especially loved the character of Jack. He was so awkward and had no filter that he added a great deal of humor into the storyline.

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Very disappointed in this one.
The story line drug on and after the first few times Jack always wanting food became more of an annoying part of the book more then anything else.
I just felt like this book dragged on and could have been written in one chapter. Definitely a disappointment for One of Debbie Macomber's books.

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A little town in Alaska, Ponder, is a seasonal vacation spot. During the winter months very few people live there. It is a place to hunt and fish while staying at the local lodge. They have a fantastic chef in the lodge but she plans to move on when the lodge closes for the season. Unless the local craftsman can persuade her to stay.

Debbie Macomber sets this story in Alaska. Her characters and story are well crafted and thoughtful, everything a Macomber book is known for. You become invested in the story and hope for a positive outcome. After a few twists and turns, there is a happy ending.. In this novel, Macomber concludes the story and wraps up any loose ends. It is a charming story.

Love isn’t smooth and simple and the “Alaskan Holiday” portrays this well. The pages fly by and you will find yourself on the last page far too soon.

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Alaskan Holiday is the latest holiday offering by prolific author Debbie Macomber. Newly trained chef Josie Avery has taken a job for the summer season at the Brewster’s lodge in the village of Ponder, Alaska. While she falls in love with the area, the back woods characters, the peace and quiet, and, especially, local master sword smith Palmer Saxon, she knows she will only be in Ponder for the summer. Come the end of the season Josie will be heading back to her home in Seattle to begin her dream job as sous chef at the new Chez Anton restaurant.

Due to many things, Josie misses the last ferry out after declining Palmer’s proposal. But Palmer puts his efforts into helping Josie realize her goals without regard to his own heartache. Palmer arranges for a bush pilot friend to collect Josie the next time he is in the area, getting her back to Seattle to take her new job.

While they had promised to call and text every day, as time went by the calls and texts became less. Josie is working 16 hour days. Palmer is diligently completing a commissioned civil war sword, and time becomes a divisive force.

But when Palmer and hunting guide Jack surprise Josie at the restaurant, the story takes a big turn. What happens next makes the story a holiday delight.

Debbie Macomber has once again spun a lovely and heartwarming story with endearing characters and delightful conclusions. I did enjoy this book and do recommend it!

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Typical Debbie Macomber tale...easy, light reading. Alaska with all of it uniqueness, living in the bush.

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Thanks to Ballantine and NetGalley for a review galley.
3 stars - I liked it! Chef Josie and Palmer, a master swordsmith, have gotten to know each other throughout the summer season in a little Alaska town. Now that the season has ended Josie is heading back to Seattle for a job at a new restaurant. She can't wait. Palmer wishes she'd stay in Alaska and agree to marry him. After a very awkward proposal from Palmer, Josie thanks him but has to go back to Seattle. And then fate throws a wrench into her plans. What follows is typical Debbie Macomber. It is a light, sweet, humorous, romantic story that will be a good choice for romance fans this holiday season.

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This book was a wonderful book about Small town in Alaska. Boy meets girl and she has to decide whether to stay and marry him and live in a small town or follow her big city dreams. It was full of humor and true love. A must read!!

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I always enjoy reading Debbie Macomber stories: she has such a way with characters -- making them vulnerable and strong and loveable. Alaskan Holliday is no exception. I love her description of Ponder, Alaska. I enjoyed the food descriptions and Jack's reactions! Palmer and Josie make such a great couple! Quick uplifting read. Very entertaining!

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Debbie Macomber's Alaskan Holiday was a delight to read. The physical description of Ponder, Alaska was nothing short of a National Geographic show. Josie is a recent graduate of culinary school in Seattle and before she starts her dream job working with a renown Chef in his new restaurant she goes to Ponder to work in a holiday/vacation lodge as the chef. She meets Palmer a local resident and he is glad to show her around when she is not working. She has developed a relationship with Jack, an older man who loves to eat. The time comes for Josie to return to Seattle and Palmer and Jack both want to continue their relationships with Josie. Life has a propensity to change things and things that were very important don't exactly measure up to your expectations. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone that enjoys Debbie Macomber books and women's fiction.

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Great characters, especially Jack, make Alaskan Holiday come alive. It is a quick, satisying read that left me hoping for a sequel so I'd know what happens next in Palmer and Josie's lives.

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Another heart warming story! Will leave a 5 star review on Amazon under name of Connie.

Thank you for granting me access to this book.

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I assume he has dated, though.

It sounds like they definitely have a basis for marriage.

Ha, Jack is already planning to mooch free meals.

If you're going to write a list of compliments, get the details right!

Worst proposal ever. And he left her alone outside.

The life in Alaska is so interesting.

I would have expected Jack's house to be slovenly, honestly.

Yay, a new baby.

9:30am is sunrise? Yikes!

Jack loves her for her cooking.

Bubonic plague? Charming.

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Alaskan Holiday is a sweet and charming love story between Josie and Palmer. They want to be together but Josie's career takes her back to Seattle to start a new and exciting job but is it what she expected? True love will overcome any obstacles. I really enjoyed reading this book.

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Alaskan Holiday is the perfect book to put you in the holiday spirit. It is a sweet story set in beautiful Alaska. Debbie Macomber delivers another superb read.

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Debbie has done it again. She can make me feel like I am right there in the setting of a story. I have a easy time finishing her books in less than a few hours. Such charming characters that you can't let go of and Jack has got to be the quirkiest by far my favorite. So jump in your favorite reading chair, grab a warm toasty blanket, hot cocoa and enjoy this fun read.

My thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this title. Alaskan Holiday was a joy to read and I kept putting it down so that It wouldn't end so quickly. This story was reminiscent of Debbie Macomber's earlier Mail Order Bride series which I also loved.

Alaskan Holiday was a sweet romance that takes place in Ponder, Alaska. Josie is young and has dreams of a career as a Chef in Seattle. She hadn't planned on falling in love with Palmer, but she did. She comes to realize that as long as she is with her love she can redefine her dreams and create new dreams.

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Alaskan Holiday by Debbie Macomber. Debbie Macomber’s book is a beautifully written Christmas book. The descriptions of the food and the town are wonderful. Makes you feel like reaching out and grabbing the food. I did not want to put the book down when I started reading it. A great Christmas romance.

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What a wonderful story!

Whenever I have an opportunity to get one of Debbie Macomber's books I jump on it right away. I am never disappointed. Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Sometimes we think we have things all planned out and we know what we're supposed to do. This story is about how to trust God in everything, especially when things don't go as planned.

Josie thinks she has everything all figured out. She will work in Ponder during the summer and in the winter she will start her dream job in Seattle. She tries to stay the course and follow through on her plans.

She is so set on the plan that she almost misses the blessing right in front of her. I loved how Palmer helped her and was so patient.

I loved the setting and the problems it created for the characters.  Jack is a hoot! Gotta love a man who loves his food the way Jack does.

This is a heart warming story. If you love a good romance, then this is a good fit.

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BRAVO! Debbie has done it again!

What a heartfelt read, as Josie goes North to Alaska to work as a freelance chef until the lodge closes for the off-season. What she didn't expect is to fall head-over-heels for Palmer, who lives in Ponder all year long.

When the time has come for Josie to leave, she knows she will miss Ponder and all of the local characters that took her in with open arms, but she has an agreement to work with well known Chef Anton, in Seattle and put her culinary degree to good use for this chance of a lifetime.

B-U-T little did she know the Chef was more of Grizzly Bear than what she left behind in Alaska. Should she throw in the towel and return to Ponder and into the arms of hunky Palmer, or stick it out for the sake of her career in Seattle?

Guess you will have to read this " from the heart" book from Debbie Macomber and find out what she decides to do with her life and her career.

This book made me feel like I was also welcome into this small close knit community, it is written with compassion and a sense of adventure.

Don't forget to read it today, and it would also make an excellent gift for someone you know and love.

Read, relax and enjoy this beautiful holiday tale.

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