Ahhhh this was just such a great book. I just was entranced by this story and these characters. I look forward to seeing what happens next.

Family. It all starts with and ends with family. This story is multi-faceted with a slew of characters, but the overarching thread is family, the good and bad. Kristen and Ryan are so strong and precious facing situations and decisions that no one, let alone children should face. Ruby (great name) is another fierce female character who faces a lot of obstacles to save the kids and deal with her baggage. Along with some great strong female characters, Nick and Jason are a father/son pair that were instrumental to the story and outcome. The story moves quick and has a lot of danger and angst in it. The ending is sweet, and fitting, though partially sad as the characters look to the future. Everyone and everything was well developed and the characters personalities vividly shown through the pages. Another great story by AB!

Brennan delivers a truly suspenseful thriller of a read with North of Nowhere. Young Kristin and Ryan McIntyre have been in hiding from their notorious family for the past five years and they have no intention of ever going back. When their father discovers that they are in Montana, he comes after them, forcing them to flee with the man who has loved them like a father. As they are all leaving in a small plane, bullets fly, and the plane is badly damaged. After crashing in the middle of the Montana wilderness, the children soon find themselves trying to make it on their own. As if things weren't bad enough, there's a major winter storm coming on, and their father isn't the only one trying to find them. With multiple foes, and multiple friends looking for them, it's a race against time to see if they can survive the wilderness, the storm, and who finds them first.

Brennan writes with a sure hand and applaudable skills as she ratchets up the tension and makes readers feel the cold and the terror as if they are experiencing it themselves. Rich and complex characters add to the enjoyment. A wonderful read, I highly recommend it!

My thanks to Minotaur Books for allowing me to access a DRC of this novel via NetGalley. The book is scheduled for release 8/8/23. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and are freely given.

This was a heck of a story and I honestly never really knew where it was going. I knew where we would end up, but the ride to get there was wild.

I received both an ebook and audiobook copy through NetGalley and I definitely enjoyed it. The narrator for the audiobook was fantastic and I was invested from the start. I absolutely had to know where we were going and how we’d get there. I listened to this nonstop and finished in a day. It was great.

Wow. I must be the only person left who hadn’t read a book by Allison Brennan and I’m kicking myself for it! Her writing style is great and the book had me on the edge of my seat the whole time! I’m a huge wilderness thriller fan and wasn’t sure what to expect with all the subplot in this, but I’m so glad I just jumped in because it was a thrill ride! Overall, a great action packed thriller that I’d recommend to anyone. I’m a new fan of Allison Brennan’s, that’s for sure!

This was a solid thriller. Kristen and Ryan are kids on the run, trying to escape their family, who they've been hiding from for years. This is part adventure tale, as a whole crew of characters are lost in a Montana forest as a blizzard sweeps in. Every character has to confront past mistakes and tragedies.

There's a lot of blood spilled in this book. The characters' personal nuances are sometimes repeatedly brought up (like, I get it, Frankie is cold and quiet and cruel). I liked the characters and wanted to make sure that the good ones were okay.

This took me a little bit to get into. I was skeptical. Thought it would be all over the top action and no real character development. Which is sometimes ok but not what I was in the mood for.

But I was pleasantly surprised. The action was enjoyable. Lots of characters, never really sure whose working with whom, but it never became too much.

And despite all the tension and things happening, there was still room for the character stuff. I think it came together nicely.

“North of Nowhere” is a thriller by Allison Brennan. This is a pretty action packed thriller with interesting characters. I liked that different characters were able to give their points of view during the story. While this story started off strong, my interest started waning toward the half-way point due to additional characters being introduced and the writing not being as strong. I wanted to enjoy this book more than I did as it started off so strongly. I’d probably give this author another chance - as she has a number of other books - but as this was touted as a stand-alone, it didn’t feel like a complete stand-alone (or maybe would have if there was a tighter ending).

Thank you Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Publish date: August 8, 2023

First of all I love Allison Brennan’s books. They are FULL of suspense and action and definitely build my anxiety as I read them. North of Nowhere was no exception!

Kristin and Ryan are fleeing from their crime boss father when their plane goes down. Their aunt leaves the army to come try to find them in the middle of the wilderness - but she isn’t the only one. There is more than one danger waiting for them in the woods. Which will find them first?

We read this book from multiple POVs, which I love because we get a peak into multiple characters’ minds and get more character development. It gave Brennan the opportunity to leave cliffhangers with each character which made me not want to put this book down!

North of Nowhere by Allison Brennan is a fast paced thriller which takes us on chase through Montana mountains during an incoming snowstorm. This is the first book I have read by this author and look forward to reading more! There’s crime family, friendship, love, murder etc in this book. The characters are realistic and complex. I felt like I was trekking through the snow storm also. I recommend this one. Thank you NetGallery and publisher Minotaur for letting me review this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book grabbed my attention on the first page and didn’t let go! It was fast-paced and easy to lose myself in. There did seem to be a lot of characters but for the most part I could keep them straight. The author wrote in a lot of tense moments, cliff-hangers from chapter to chapter by having different characters for narrators. The weather conditions they experienced were well described and added to the tension in the book. If you’re a mystery/thriller lover I think you’ll like this book. I received an arc of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book. This did not influence my review of this book.

I loved this book. So many twists and turns I had to stay up to finish it.

One thing you knew through out the book that somehow the grandmother was going to be involved.

I highly enjoyed the book and would highly recommend it to my friends.

A solid addition to the horror genre, keeping up with my run of reading winter-set books in the heat of the summer sun.
Thanks for the opportunity to read and review!

A great standalone with explosive plot lines and unputdownable adventures. Another powerful page turner sure to be the next best seller of the summer.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc

Really good suspenseful plot. I was invested from the start. The ending felt a little rushed to me but overall I really enjoyed this book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

North of Nowhere is a non-stop wilderness thriller in which the Montana hinterland is as much a character as the characters themselves. Children kept in hiding to protect them from their murderous father are suddenly thrown into a race of life and death, running deeper into an unrelenting storm while fleeing from the man they fear more than natural predators or the approaching blizzard.

All the elements are there for a memorable adventure, but the telling of this story is focused more on drama than connection with its characters. Though I couldn’t wait to begin the latest Brannan standalone, this one fell a bit flat for me.

But if you are looking for an action-packed thrill ride of a read without a lot of character distractions, you will enjoy North of Nowhere. It is fast-paced and full of wilderness drama.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for providing a free ARC. This review is provided voluntarily.

I requested to read and review this book for free from Minotaur Books an Imprint of St. Martin Publishing Company. This book was a great read there was many twists and turns. It will keep you on the edge of your seat until the end. This book can be ready anywhere and by a mature reader. What happens when you don't know who you really can trust? Can someone every truly feel safe. You will meet characters Ruby, Kristen and Ryan. Who will ask those questions and so many more. Nick and his family will struggle with the truth and what is the truth and who to trust? Feat is a valid thing and should for some be remembered. Family can be either by blood or by friendships in life.

A very fast-paced, quick mystery to easily devour. The majority of the book takes place in one day which keeps the action intense and moving forward rapidly. Layer on various fighting family factions and an impending snowstorm and the story becomes very frantic to reach the dramatic conclusion.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.

North of Nowhere by Alison Brennan


What can I say that will show how much I freaking LOVE this book. I was so consumed into the book that I actually forgot to pick up my husband from work. Talk about having an affair with a novel so good that one forgets their spouse exists. It can happen…… so the premise of the book is this…. Boyd Mcintire has two children and he has been looking for them for sometime now. Kristen and Ryan McIntire have been in hiding from their monstrous father for several years after Kristen witnessed him kill someone who was from a rival mob and now they too want to find her to kill her. Unfortunately, Boyd has found them and wants to kidnap them. Luckily though they manage to escape at first with the guy who has been raising them, Tony Reed. Tony was Boyd’s best friend and is now trying to save their lives. He is a pilot and was able to get the Kristen and Ryan on the plane and take off but Boyd shot at the plane and hit the fuel line. They had to crash land it in the Montana Wilderness. Tony’s sister Ruby left to join the Army and had no contact with the children or her brother in hopes it would keep Boyd off their trail. But Tony asked Kristen to call her and let her know they were in danger. Now there is a storm coming and several people looking for them. Their father has hired a tracker and Ruby has a team with her looking as well but there is also a rancher looking. He heard about the crash is searching to protect Kristen and Ryan. The only problem is, who will find them first? And will they live or die? Let me say that this book was one hell of a ride for me. The characters alone were enough to draw you in and feel like you are a part of the story. Brennan is one amazingly talented author who knows how to write a story that gives the reader just enough information to make you think about what the outcome will be and then know that you will not get it right in the end. I honestly changed who I thought the bad guy was several times but the ending…. Oh the ending is EXPLOSIVE! If you enjoy books that are psychological thrillers with family drama attached this is the book you need to read……well even if you don’t like books like that, you should give this one a try. I would say that this is the number 1 book for me this year. Allison Brennon…I LOVE YOU! You ROCK! I want to read everything you have written and will write.


5++++++ stars out of 5



Thank you to NetGalley as well as the author/publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my unbiased and honest review.

A gripping, suspenseful thriller from Allison Brennan. This is the first time I've read any of Allison Brennan's novels, but I will be looking for more by her.

Description:
After five years in hiding from their murderous father, the day Kristin and Ryan McIntyre have been dreading has arrived: Boyd McIntyre, head of a Los Angeles crime family, has at last tracked his kids to a small Montana town and is minutes away from kidnapping them. They barely escape in a small plane, but gunfire hits the fuel line. The pilot, a man who has been raising them as his own, manages to crash land in the middle of the Montana wilderness. The siblings hike deep into the woods, searching desperately for safety—unaware of the severity of the approaching storm.

Boyd’s sister Ruby left Los Angeles 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. So when she gets an emergency call that the plane has gone down with the kids inside, she drops everything to try save them.

As the storm builds, Ruby isn’t the only person looking for them. Boyd has hired an expert tracker to find and bring them home. And rancher Nick Lorenzo, who knows these mountains better than anyone and doesn’t understand why the kids are running, is on their trail too.

But there is a greater threat to Kristen and Ryan out there. More volatile than the incoming blizzard, more dangerous than the family they ran from or the natural predators they could encounter. Who finds them first could determine if they live or die. . .

My thoughts:
This was an exciting, action-packed thriller that kept me turning the pages. Kristen and Ryan's family were evil and dangerous. The pursuit to get the two children back was unrelenting. Kristen was strong and determined to take care of Ryan, but she really needed help and didn't want to involve anyone else as they might get killed.

I can't imagine being stranded in the wilderness in Montana during a brutal blizzard with killers out hunting for you. Lots of tension, survival skills, and difficult decisions here. Some brutal violence throughout the book. I loved the characters Nick Lorenzo and his son. They are so quietly skilled and kind. I also liked the aunt, Ruby and the Sheriff, Kate.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on August 8, 2023.