First book I have read by Alison Brennan.

Kristen and Ryan have been hiding out in Montana for 5 years, with Tony, a friend of their mother's. Tony helped the two children escape from their violent father and the rest of his mafia-style crime family, after their mother was killed. Now, in a snowstorm, their father Boyd has finally discovered where they are and has arrived with armed help to forcibly bring them back to his family.

Tony 'borrows' local rancher Nick's plane and tries to fly the kids out of danger, but the plane is shot down, and the kids are left deep in the forest trying to make their way out in treacherous conditions.

Within a short period of time, lots of people are trying to find the kids, from Nick and his son, the local sheriff, Boyd and his henchmen, Boyd's sister Ruby, and an unknown pursuer too. I struggled a little with the large cast of people and it was a little difficult to keep them and their motives straight - there were plenty of 'goodies' and 'baddies' to keep track of!

I enjoyed the relationship between Tony and the kids, and also the connection they had with Nick. The location was good and very atmospheric.

The writing was a little disjointed for me in places. Initially I had to check if this was the second book in a series, as the first few pages read like the 'catch-up' of characters that we should have previously known. Their backstories were introduced in a few one-liners that interrupted the flow of the plot.

But overall this was an enjoyable fast-action thriller. Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martins press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest options.

North of Nowhere, by Allison Brennan

I finished this book about a week ago and have let it linger with me for a few days. North of Nowhere was part of a Minotaur Sampler offered early in the spring. I read the short percentage and requested the ARC right away. Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for approving my request.

NON was part kids on the run from their murderous crime family and part small-town neighbors trying to keep them safe. Kristen and Ryan were hiding on a farm in remote Montana with a man, believed to be their father, when their past, hidden for five years, comes back into their lives. On the run, the kids survive a plane crash to become lost in the hills during a massive snowstorm. Law enforcement and their murderous family are on their heels.

I liked the characters; good, bad and ugly, but the pace at which this book moved was like slogging through the snowstorm in which it was set. It reminded me of a “B” movie. A couple of times, I nearly sat down in the snow and quit (figuratively), but am glad I stuck it out. Overall a good, not great, read. Three stars.

I started out on this one excited and feeling like it was quite a thriller. Unfortunately, it definitely lost steam in the middle and I had trouble getting through. Near the end, it picked up and I enjoyed the excitement, but the end was a little too perfectly wrapped up with a bow for me. Overall, it was interesting read but not one I’d pick up again.

Just Wow! Action packed suspense you can't put down. The characters are complex and interesting. This book was a total adrenaline rush that had my heart racing and my eyes reading as fast as possible.

Full Disclosure - I am addicted to Allison Brennan. I have read almost every book she has written. The ones I haven't read are in my TBR pile. I loved North of Nowhere, I became invested in this book and characters. I knew going in that it was a stand alone thriller. Then I started reading it and wanted to cry, because I needed it to have at least one more book, or two! I was that invested in Nick, Ruby, the children- okay some were teenagers. North to Nowhere picked me up and dropped be into the mountains in Montana in the middle of a snow storm. I was immersed, invested and thrilled. There are twists, turns and drama. The chapters are short, there are numerous characters, if you pay attention you will not get lost. Thank you so very much for the arc! I freely volunteer my thoughts and opinions. #NorthofNowhere #AlisonBrennan #Minotaur Books #NetGalley

Reading this book is like reading a crackship with the “crack taken seriously” tag for the first time. I started out REALLY skeptical about the premise and the action because it seemed incredibly outlandish - and it is! - but at some point I realized that I was fully invested and absolutely enjoying myself. This is a book that probably shouldn’t work but somehow it does. Thoroughly recommend this breezy and action packed read.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Minotaur Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I’m not sure why I requested this book, other than that once in a while I feel the need to read a thriller. North of Nowhere is about a man and two children running from a Mafia-like family. They’ve been in hiding for five years, but Tony has never let down his guard when it comes to protecting Kristin (age 16) and Ryan (10 and deaf) from their father. One day he’s doing recon and he knows they’ve been discovered, so he grabs and kids and heads to his friend’s airplane. His pursuers, including the kids’ dad, Boyd, are not far behind.

The plane’s fuel tank and Tony are both hit, so the three aren’t able to fly to their getaway point and have to land on the shores of a lake. It’s clear Tony is fatally injured, and he sends Kristen and Ryan off with their backpacks, a compass, and a map. Oh, yeah, a blizzard is coming and they’re in the mountains.

The story follows many people who are searching for the kids: Boyd, an L.A. cop who wants Tony arrested for a previous murder (or so he says; he’s on Boyd’s payroll), the Sheriff, Tony’s friend Nick, and I think a few more people. As the story progresses, the threads start to unravel because the story keeps changing points-of-view and more searchers are brought into the mix. It started to get really confusing because of this.

It took a while for me to get into the story, because I tend to shy away from organized crime stories, but figured this would be more of a survival story for the kids. As the story progresses, I found myself skimming through while still getting the gist of the novel because I thought it dragged on unnecessarily and it was too melodramatic. And I hated the ending.

In the end, I’d give this book three stars. I liked it, didn’t love it. Was interesting to a point, and maybe my issue is that I normally don’t read this sort of book, but ultimately as a whole the book felt a little flat.

I really like what Allison Brennan says in her acknowledgements, and I quote… “One of the best things about writing fiction is that I get to make everything up. To make fiction believable, so that my readers can immerse themselves in the story.

This story began as a nail biting and suspenseful thriller. Tony and the two children are fleeing in a small plane while under attack. Ms. Brennan is certainly a good suspense writer.

So, here’s what’s going on…
Kristin and Ryan have been in hiding for five years from their murderous father, knowing and dreading that one day, given with all their fathers resources, he is sure to find them. Kristin knows her father is a killer, but younger Ryan only knows what he’s been told about his past. Here’s where the story starts.

You see, Boyd McIntyre is the big boss of a Los Angeles crime family, and has tracked his kids to a small Montana town. In a valiant attempt to escape, Tony “borrows” a small plane, but gunfire hits the fuel line. Tony, the man who has been raising them as his own, manages to crash land in the middle of the Montana wilderness. Tony, mortally wounded, the children must leave their “father” behind to avoid capture. The siblings hike deep into the woods, searching desperately for safety, unaware of an impending snow storm.

Boyd’s sister Ruby left for the Army years ago, cutting off contact in order to help keep her niece and nephew safe and free from the horrors of the McIntyre clan. If she knew the whereabouts of Kristin and Ryan, Boyd could get it out of her one way or the other. Ruby gets an emergency call that the plane has gone down with the kids inside; she drops everything to try and save them from her brother.

The storm is building as is the intensity of the pursuit in this harsh wilderness. Ruby is looking for the children, but Boyd has hired an expert tracker to find and bring them to his home. Then there is rancher Nick Lorenzo, who knows these mountains better than anyone and doesn’t understand why the kids are running. Nick, along with his son are on their trail too.

The threats to Kristen and Ryan are building and the blizzard is bearing down. Who finds them first could determine if they live or die and their futures.

The pursuit to get the two children back was unrelenting and to this reader a bit overdone. I really liked sixteen year old Kristen who was strong and determined to take care of Ryan, but she really needed help and didn't know who she could trust now that Tony was out of the picture.

Living in the mountains of North Carolina, I cannot imagine being stranded in the wilderness in the frigid Montana outback during a brutal blizzard with killers hunting for you.

Brennan writing incorporates much tension, survival skills, with difficult and split fast decision making. I enjoyed getting to know the characters Nick Lorenzo and his son, with their survival skills and kindness. I also liked aunt Ruby and Sheriff, Kate.

Thus is a very good tension filled book, even though I wished the pace of the story would have kept up about middle way into the pursuit

This book was unfortunately a dnf for me. Too many characters right at the beginning made it kind of overwhelming and also hard for me to get invested in the story. But I can see how some people will absolutely love this!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an eARC of this book via NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating: 5/5 Stars
Publishing: August 8, 2023
Series: N/A
Pages: 368

I have been pushing myself into reading more of this type of genre and so far, it has turned out well. Never having read anything by Allison Brennan but hearing about her books, I decided to request “North of Nowhere”. OMG! True to its form, this book had a powerful beginning, and I enjoyed every bit to the very end. It was well-written, intense, thrilling and the pace was on point.

Tony Reed has protected Kristen and Ryan to the best of his ability. It is unfortunate that the father of the two children is out to get them back at any cost. There is a race against time, children on the run, mountain storms and mobsters. This story blasts you straight into the action from the start and is a page turner until the end. There is suspense and twists in this life and death thriller. I finished this in one sitting and quite sure others would do the same. This is my first introduction to author, Allison Brennan’s work and will not be my last. Highly recommend the read.

This book started out with a bang. It dropped right in the middle of the action without much background information. A family on the run, a mafia storyline. I really enjoyed the first half of this book, but it somehow lost my interest in the end. I was not invested enough in the characters and the plot. Thank you for my advance copy of this book.

North of Nowhere was the first Allison Brennan book I've read. I was immediately intrigued by the premise of the family in hiding, and their escape attempt from a small town in Montana where they were trying to lay low.

Unfortunately, I felt like I was dropped right into the drama and action without a moment to slow down to explain what was going on. It was missing some foundation. Secondly, there were too many characters/names, and it was difficult for my mind to track what was going on, especially after putting it down for a little while. I started to lose interest around the midway mark, and struggled to keep going. The exciting premise just didn't quite deliver for me. But, there was enough there that I will still check out Brennan's future work!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Sadly North of Nowhere was a DNF for me. I just never got invested in the characters enough to understand who was who and how they all tied together.

This book was such a strong start and had my attention right away. I lost momentum after the first 30% and had a hard time getting back into it. I suspect it is less about the writing and more about my non-interest in this running from the mafia plotline. I imagine this will be a great read for those who enjoy this type of book, but unfortunately it just wasn't for me.

Thank you to St. Martin' Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for the chance to read this book - I appreciate you!

I am big fan of Allison Brennan's books but this one is by far one of best! This story starts out grabbing my attention and making me realize that this book was one I would not be able to put down. I carried my Kindle everywhere I went reading a line or two and sometimes a page while waiting on hold, at the drs office, waiting at a red light and on and on. The suspense in this story wound tighter and tighter as the story evolved. The characters and the environment felt real to me and had me gasping more than once. Loved this book!

4 stars

This wintery thriller added a welcome to chill to a blisteringly hot summer day. Humans? Nature? Human nature? Who or what will win and lose?!

Kristin and Ryan are already in the thick of the action when readers join them on an ill-fated flight. These kids have a family background that would've raised even Jerry Springer's eyebrows, and that's precisely why they are on the run (and why they anticipate needing to stay on the go for a while, at least). Kristin, as the older sibling, has been much more aware of the hard truths about her family, and this has caused her to grow up way too fast. That added maturity comes in quite handy as she attempts to shepherd her brother and herself to safety, determine who to trust, and find independence in a permanent way.

These characters are facing an array of challenges that are exacerbated by their permanent connections to each other. Will the weather take them out? Will they take each other out? Can they manage to redeem themselves in any way, or will they drag others down with them? Readers get to explore the answers to all of these questions and more in this compelling, unusual family drama.

I recommend the audio version when and where accessible.

A thrilling story about a family on the run. It is action packed from start to finish! I love how the author send us on a tailspin of nerve racking action and revealed a little bit of information at each turn, keeping the reader wholly invested. Very well done!

I wanted to LOVE North of Nowhere by Allison Brennan however; I feel that this genre isn't the one for me at the moment. I did enjoy the first thirty percent but quickly lost the will to want to read on after wards. I do feel this book will hit the right audiences however.

I have been reading Allison Brennan’s books since the beginning and have enjoyed all of them. This one, however, is definitely the best book she has ever written! So tense and exciting. I read it in 2 sittings. The storyline was great, the setting, in the snowy Wyoming mountains, sounds breathtaking. I just loved it. I look forward to more stand-alones like this in the future from her.

This action packed thrill ride is set in the mountains of Montana. A mob family, a father searching for his children, a "father" trying to protect his children and a rancher who will help those in need. A snow storm and bloodthirsty mobsters keep the pace of this story moving along. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.