What happens when a correspondence relationship becomes real? A military man asks a woman to travel to Alaska for six weeks ... will it be enough to find a connection?

A few scenes that were difficult to read but despite it being a challenge for me, I am confident this will be enjoyable to other readers.

This is likely a case of "it's me, not the book". I was buddy-reading it with a friend, but unfortunately, I just could not get myself invested in the story. I'm not sure if it was the writing or the story or just not being the right fit for me. I think if you like military romances, this one may be a better fit for you than it was for me.

This was one of those books that I should have just quit listening to. It was so cheesy and unbelievable. Sara hears an ad on the radio encourage people to send soldiers letters. After receiving her letter, Gabe emails her back, and the two start corresponding. When Gabe goes on leave for six weeks, Sara flies to Alaska to spend time with him. This was like the worst Hallmark movie, and I love Hallmark movies. Hard pass.

Thanks to @NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for my ARC!

I loved the characters and the storyline development of this book. It was absolutely one of my favorites so far and I can't wait to delve in to the next one that this author writes. The storyline was simple, enjoyable, and entertaining.

DNF at 30%

The cover was so cute and I loved the book blurb. I loved the whole falling in love via pen pal. Unfortunately, I fell out of love with the story hard and fast. The heroine Sara. Her family members were so HORRIBLE to her. And she let them. I just felt so bad for her. I could not get invested in the story. There was no balance. And it's such a shame because there was so much promise. I hung in there for as long as I could but I stopped for the last time at 30%. I hope Sara found happiness because she greatly deserved it. And her horrible sister-in-law and jerk of a brother can go to hell.

The experience won't turn me off from trying future books from the author, she has promise.

I didn't enjoy this one as much as I thought I would. The premise sounded promising, but I had a hard time with the author's writing style. It's too much tell, not enough show and there is no need to write the letters out full-text twice. Either let the reader read the letter when the sender is writing it, or when the recipient reads it.

Absolutely loved this short and sweet Alaskan winter romance! It was fillers with love and drama and the build up that I always look for in a romance! I also love the adorable cover and the MMP!

I absolutely loved this book until the 50% mark and then it became a bit of a mess which was so disappointing. This couple meets through a “card to any service member” campaign and spend months sharing emails, then private messages and even Face timing. I loved their interactions, the way they got to know one another, and how, dare I say, they fell in love while sharing their thoughts and feelings. There was something so refreshing about this part of the book and then Gabe returns from deployment surprising Sara and things go rapidly downhill.

Here’s the thing, after Gabe surprised her and realized that she hadn’t shared their relationship or her plans to go and visit him in Alaska he ran away. Then when her family got on her she ran away from them to Alaska to visit Gabe and they were not in a good place. This part of the book was counterproductive, it really did nothing to further the story all it did was add in unnecessary and manufactured angst to what had been an excellent romance. While they do eventually begin to rebuild what they had, for me they never got the spark back, it was gone, lost, and I missed it, leaving me less than satisfied with the remainder of the book.

So you are probably asking why 3 stars and not less, because that first 50% was superbly entertaining and I fell in love with their story, I just wish the last half had been even a fraction as good as that first half.

From Alaska With Love started out strong but in the end it fizzled leaving me disappointed. Maybe for another reader this story will work better but for me, it did not.

I have chosen not to read/review this title as I was not able to connect with it or recommend it to the readers of our blog page or those who follow my reviews on Goodreads.

I apologize for the delay in this, as sending the negative reviews is something I (clearly) avoid doing for an embarrassingly long time.

Thank you, as always, for the review title.

Laura

3 Stars / 1 Steam Fans

From Alaska with Love started as a fun, sweet, military pen pal story until it went flat. Sarah gets publically shamed during a family event and decides to step outside of her comfort zone by writing a letter to an anonymous deployed soldier. Gabe is on the receiving end of Sarah's message, and they start a long-distance romance. Sarah has a family that continuously degrades her, and she just takes the abuse, which didn't work for me. Once Gabe has the opportunity to meet Sarah, the uncaring family, all of a sudden, wants to step in to protect her from Gabe. I was not a fan of the ending either because Sarah just moves from one situation to another.

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I was in the mood for a light, sweet read and this one delivered for sure. I was very invested in the story after the first 15-20%, which I found awkward. The repetition of what Sara wrote in her letters got old. We basically saw what she wrote twice each time. When their communication switched to emails, I felt like the quality of the writing by the author improved. The flow also picked up. I’m glad I didn’t give up on this one because I ended up enjoying it quite a bit. I do feel that first 15-20% could have been improved.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my finished copy.

2 stars
I read after I read other book based in Alaska. Maybe I should have waited because I couldn't help but compare the two. This one was unfortunately wasn't the better of the 2. I had a few issues with it. Mostly the heroine character's family.

Cute story! I enjoyed the lettering writing aspect of this book and found it overall very enjoyable.

Special thanks to Berkley for providing our copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.

I am such a sucker for a dog-themed cover and romance. I really wanted to love this one but I had a really hard time connecting with the characters. The Alaska setting is great & I did like the dual POV.

Thank you for the opportunity to be an early reader.

A correspondence romance, military hero, and the promise of Alaska for a setting were all it took to hook me into trying a new to me author standalone.
Review

From Alaska With Love opens with overworked-underappreciated Sara going out on a limb and writing a letter to a military service personnel as part of a correspondence project. Her letter reaches dedicated career soldier, Major Gabe Randall, who usually passes off the letters to those under him, but there was finally enough in this batch for him to get a letter of his own. Sara’s upbeat, fun letter hits the spot for Gabe and a correspondence between the two begins through email and onto face time.

Gabe is plans to finish his career out and settle in his Alaska home. He is eager to meet Sara in person and get all his dreams. He surprises Sara in person and that’s when he discovers that all is not as it seems. The sparkle is gone and Sara isn’t who he thought- she’s been playing a part. Sara can’t believe how it all miserably fell apart and knows she needs to get a backbone and start standing up to demanding family if she is to ever get back her chance of happiness. First stop- Alaska!

This book was all I was hoping in many ways. I recently enjoyed a slow burn correspondence- military romance so I was primed for this one. But, it ended up being one that I had mixed feelings over. I could see some complications on Sara’s side as she acted her own Cinderella part in her family as nanny to her own sharp-tongued niece and user sister as well as whipping girl for her self-absorbed mother and on Gabe’s side- he was quick to action and not a lot of tenderness and letting his guard down. So a doormat and the Great Wall of China between the pair. About half-way, the wheels fell off and it got messy. The tone of the story changed when they both started floundering. I really wanted to see them weather it after the idyllic distance romance they had together. It was a struggle. I even skimmed a few times. Nearer the end, it got onto solid ground again.

The handling of Gabe’s military background rang true and the Alaska setting was all I was looking for. Their emails really captivated me. Sara’s family were a real sour note as was the pathetic way she let them get away with it. Happily, I never hated her and wanted her with Gabe more than ever- though yeah, I wanted to boot her in the butt a few times. When Gabe went all stone soldier I wanted to shake him, too. I get his thing a bit more because I didn’t like that she basically lied to him and caused him to wonder if any of it was true bringing his withdrawal on herself. I know that she didn’t do it on purpose and got carried away especially in the beginning when it was just an escape from her dreary life. Like I said, mixed feelings.

All in all, if I balance the first half with the last half, I’d call it moderately good. Those who enjoy a slowburn romance crossover women’s fic featuring a correspondence courtship and military hero should definitely give it a try.

My thanks to Berkley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Jerjen

Sara attends a family reunion and while she is there, her aunt tells everyone that she is a spinster. Which is kind of true, she does not have a man in her life. Instead, she lives with her brother and his wife and their daughter. She is the nanny for her niece and she really enjoys that role. But she also does a lot of chores for her brother and sometimes she feels like the hired help instead of a member of her family. When she hears an ad to send a card to a serviceman, she decides to do it. What can it hurt?

Major Gabe Randall is the lucky recipient of Sara’s card. He thinks the card is cute and he decides to write her back, and what follows is a penpal friendship that they both need. Gabe knows it cannot turn into anything more permanent because he is military for life and that would not be fair to her. But as they continue to write and then Facetime, they decide to meet. But that does not go as planned and it could be over before it really began. Both Sara and Gabe will have to decide if they want to make their friendship into something more permanent, and if they do, they have some work to do.

The characters are well rounded and well developed. Sara has to learn that she is a good catch and quit selling herself short. And Gabe has to reconsider his military life and do what needs to be done to make this a permanent situation. I really enjoyed Sara’s cousin, Chloe, she was not afraid to tell it like it is. She helps Sara put her life into perspective and gives her the push she needs. Sara’s niece is adorable and you could tell how much they loved each other.

This was a very good book and I enjoyed it a lot. I liked the fact that Sara and Gabe took everything slow, that made it seem very realistic to me. They had a great friendship and that is the most important thing to have in a relationship. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well-crafted romance book. And you cannot look at the cover without falling in love with the dog.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*

FROM ALASKA WITH LOVE drew me in from the very first page. This is a wonderful love story, which started off on a terrific note. Sara hears a radio ad asking for listeners to send a card to deployed troops to help their morale while overseas and on a whim sends one. Her card ends up in the hands of Major Gabriel Landon, who is stationed in Iraq. He’s already served for sixteen years and doesn’t show much feeling. But that’s all about to change when he reads Sara’s quirky note.

They become fast pen-pals and look for each others emails. The emails progress to messaging and soon FaceTime. They develop a rapport that helps both of them. Sara is the live-in nanny for her five-year-old niece in North Carolina and lives with her brother and sister-in-law. Their mom lives nearby, and Sara and her brother care for her as well since their dad died five years before.

Sara’s definitely unappreciated except by her niece, but Sara doesn’t realize how much her life is lacking until she attends a family reunion and finds out what her relatives really think of her. Her only ally becomes her cousin, with whom she hasn’t had much of a relationship, but they soon become fast friends.

Most of the story is set in North Carolina and Iraq, but when Gabe returns to his home in Alaska on leave, it segues there. The author really makes you feel the Alaskan cold. The addition of Gabe’s dog, who is endearing and seems to judge people correctly, really makes the story shine.

Gabe and Sara don’t have an easy relationship, especially when he’s out on leave and he’s about to give up on their pseudo relationship and get on with his life. I loved the path that the story took and how feelings were revealed. Gabe stepped out of his comfort zone more than once, and it was so worth it. There are surprises throughout and a sweet epilogue. I hope there will be more stories since Sara’s cousin definitely needs her story told (hint, hint).

This is the first book by Ally James, who also writes under the name of Sydney Landon. Both are new-to-me authors. I look forward to reading more of her books.

Letters brought them together…

I loved how Sara and Gabe met – two souls connecting through words, then tech. The slow build up allowed them to learn so much about each other without the usual pressures of face to face dating life. Sara was funny and self-deprecating, the perfect foil to Gabe’s quietness. They connected, each finding someone who listened, was thoughtful and simply brought a smile their faces. That was why it was so hard when a bold move brought things crashing down…. And my heart with it.

This story ended up being two connected but distinct reads, the before and the after. If I thought the first half was sweet and gentle, the second matched it in angst and uncertainty. A bit uneven, yes, but what bound it all together so perfectly was love and its determination… A great first read that has this author firmly in my radar.

3,5- 4 STARS

This one has a cute romance which developed slowly and the story was good.We meet our heroine, Sara Ryan, as she attends a family function and is embarrassed by her aunt, who tells everyone she is a spinster. Major Gabe Randall, our hero, is now in his 7th deployment and when he is given one of the cards coming in, he gets a kick out of Sara’s card, and decides to respond, and a pen pal relationship begins.I find it cute and I enjoyed most of it!While I was hoping for life in Alaska in general aside from the love story it was more Sara finding her place in Gabe's life.Sara didn't change a lot through the story and this was a little problem for me!

I received an advanced readers copy free from Netgalley and Berkley Publishing in exchange for an honest review
I expected this to be the usual, fluffy, light romance. What I got was a funny, engaging modern romance featuring real characters with flaws and problems. There is minor areas which could be triggering for some, such as emotional neglect of a child, slut shaming and the like, but I found these to be minor flaws and not detracting from the story
Well worth the read!