Enjoyed catching up with brothers Caleb, Landon and Xavier in this second story of the Alaska series by Belle Calhoun. Although part of a series this can be read as a standalone book.

The author brings the characters and small-town life in Alaska justice once again. This is a story of a single mom and the middle brother, an actor who was crucified by the media in his first television show. He is the opposite of her ex, caring, helpful, considerate, and dashing my handsome. He's as good on the outside as he is on the inside, but can a relationship survive ? You'll laugh and cry at the ups and downs of this relationship, cheering them on as they traverse life after love.

They both have enlightening moments with their fathers that help shape them into the adults they are. Another 5 star read from Belle Calhoun. It will be hard waiting till Fall 2025 for the next installment.

Although I received a free ARC ebook from Net Galley and the publisher , all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley, Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and Belle Calhoune for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

3.5 stars, rounded down.

This is the second book in a series about the Stone brothers, who come back to Moose Falls after a 20-year absence to run the family business. Their grandmother, Hattie (who I loved) is terminally ill and wants the heirs of her hard cider company to work there for one year before deciding if they want to sell, or continue to run it.

Until this deal with his grandmother and brothers, Caleb was in Hollywood, trying to make it as an actor. His recent stint on Love Him or Leave Him has him labeled as a cheating bad boy, and that image has followed him since the show ended.

Sophia, a single mother of the adorable Lily, is an avid watcher of reality TV, so she knows Caleb's reputation when he rolls into town. But as they get to know each other, she can't understand why this sweet, generous, loving man was scapegoated into such an evil character.

I didn't read the first book in the series prior to reading this one, but it works as a standalone.

I liked the premise of the story and the development of the characters. I also really enjoyed the MCs' relationships with their family members, especially Caleb and Hattie, and Sophia and her dad, Skip. For the next book, I'm curious to learn more about Landon because he was a bit of a mystery in this book!

Unfortunately, Flirting With Alaska was a miss for me. While I liked Caleb and Sophia, I felt like the writing style was a bit stilted and redundant. The author repeated herself frequently, which added length but no substance. I did appreciate that the characters were POC. I’m not sure I’ve ever read a book set in Alaska that wasn’t 100% white. I also loved Hattie! She was a hoot!

I received a copy of Flirting With Alaska from NetGalley. I am voluntarily reviewing this book.

The need to protect yourself can also shut out joy.

This book picks up near where the first one ended. The three Stone brothers are celebrating the engagement of their older brother Xavier to True in their own inimitable way. Then middle brother Caleb spots Sophia. Boom. Instant attraction. What he doesn't realize at the time is that it's mutual but, well, it's also complicated. Sophia, photographer for the event, has been hurt before and has a four year old daughter that is "the love of her life" and Sophia isn't looking for romance. Actually, Caleb isn't really looking either, his Hollywood dream is still supreme, but, well, he's attracted. He follows Sophia to the attic when she goes there to retrieve an old camera Hattie, who brought the Stone brothers home in response to a plea given her oncoming death, has given her. Caleb is used to being able to charm women almost effortlessly but it isn't working on Sophia. I won't give away what changes that, well, at least allows her to warm up to his ways, but it might be classified as a meet cute, albeit rather itchy one for Caleb.

A closed door romance, actually almost chaste, this is a sweet one. You ultimately know they'll come together in the end but the fun is in watching them overcome the obstacles before the finish line. While the book works as a standalone, if you have the chance, reading the first book will give you more insight into the situation the independent find themselves. As an Alaskan, I'm always up for an Alaska based read, so while this one didn't knock off my socks, it was still a pleasant, light read that I enjoyed. The characters were likable and some relationships carried over from the first book show advancement, too, including the parental characters. Sophia is cautious, putting her daughter first, and also has to deal with 4-year old Lily's father, who seems to take two steps backwards for every step forward he makes in that relationship. Bottom line, though, he does love his daughter, so I cut him some slack. The relationship between Caleb and Sophia is relatively open and honest although Sophia's innate need to protect both herself and her daughter from further hurt keeps her from throwing caution to the wind and just accepting the relationship Caleb seems to offer. He has his own regrets, of course, and it was nice to see him bonding with family. Hattie....I cannot say enough about her. Her strength is what seems to hold everything together and it's delightful to see her happy in her remaining years. Other characters flit in and out but these are the core of the story. The ending is cute and romantic, too.

Bottom line, while I questioned a few things as an Alaskan myself, the book overall holds together and the characters were likable. I think in real life I'd avoid spending much time with the boisterous Stone brothers together but that doesn't make them any the less likable. If you like sweet, closed door romances, you'll probably like this one and you're almost sure to love Hattie. Thanks #Forever - #GrandCentralPublishing for allowing me to share some of the Stone Brothers Alaska, even if I still haven't sorted out the area where Moose Pass must be located.

1.5 Stars rounded up.

If you like super sweet romances, this book will knock your socks off. But when I say super sweet, I really mean saccharin sweet. Perhaps even cloyingly sweet. Everyone was just so perfect; the relationships were perfect, and even the Grandmother's dying was done perfectly and sweetly! Except for one scene at the beginning of the book, the rest of the book was filled with stilted characters, unreal interactions, forced dialogue, and pure perfection.

The author was very vague about many parts that were important and would have contributed a great deal to the story.

I don't mind telling you that I only made it to the 70% mark before I gave up on this.

*ARC was supplied by the publisher Forever/Hachette Book Group, the author, and NetGalley.

Flirting With Alaska is a continuation of the Moose Falls series. You do need to read the first book, Falling For Alaska, prior to this for the back story and set up. At a high level, three brothers move back to Moose Falls after leaving as children to reconnect with their grandma and conditionally work at her company Yukon Cider. Flirting With Alaska is following the middle brother, Caleb’s, story. After becoming the villain on a reality romance show, Caleb is trying to figure out what’s next while working at Yukon Cider. He meets Sophia, a single mom photographer, hired at Yukon to handle shooting ads. This follows their story. This is a cute, chaste series that is a quick and easy read.

Thank you Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

A flashback prologue establishes Caleb Stone’s sibling rivalry with his two brothers, his love for his grandmother Hattie, his angst over his parents divorce, the fish out of water feeling as an Alaskan transplanted to Arizona, his desire to be popular and his love for the ladies… at eight years old, in an inner monologue that is not the voice of an eight-year old.

Flash forward some number of years later to Caleb’s brother Xavier’s engagement party. Aspiring actor Caleb, recently booted off a reality dating show, and Landon, are teasing Xavier and his bride to be about getting married. In short order, we learn Hattie is terminally ill, the future her Yukon Cider business is up in the air as the brothers need to come to agreement about their inheritance, and Caleb has the hots for the curvy single mom photographer hired to help at the event. Photographer Sophie, a reality television junkie, saw Caleb’s disastrous stint on Love Him or Leave Him, thinks she got his number, and would prefer to leave him, and communicates this with the cut direct. As she did, a month ago, the last time he flirted with her.

Unfortunately, dude cannot take NO for an answer and Caleb follows Sophie when she is sent up to the attic to get an antique camera Hattie’s been saving for her. They get locked in, disclose backstories and childhood traumas in the ten minutes they’re alone together… and then Caleb is attacked by an infestation of carpenter ants. Itchy and welted, he just has to get out his clothes…which is when his mother and brothers show up to rescue them.

While it’s true carpenter ants will bite if threatened, and do spray an acid that intensifies the discomfort, this seemed a bit over the top—it’s not clear where the fictional town of Moose Falls Alaska is located, but carpenter ants are not native to southeast Alaska. Apart from questionable fact-checking, and tired old trope of pursue the girl until you wear her down and she says yes, I found the characters disingenuous and unlikeable. The writing relied on telling not showing; employs passive voice over active; and relies on adverbs instead of strong verbs. This is poorly written or poorly edited. It felt like the second book in a series, trying to catch the reader up to speed from page one, with no skill or patience for weaving in details to allude back to previous events or set the stage for a third book in the series (three brothers, gotta be another installment coming…).

A quibble: the teaser after the cover has an excerpt from a chapter about 14% of the way through the book, but doesn’t name the protagonist.

I stopped Flirting With Alaska at 16% and did not finish.

For a much more charming take on love in Alaska, try the Moose Springs series by Sarah Morgenthaler, which features strong setting, unique characters, and lots of humor.

I received a free advance readers review copy of #FlirtingWithAlaska via #NetGalley courtesy of #Forever.

If you are looking for a fluffy, hallmark-style Alaskan romance, you may have just found the right book for you!

Unfortunately for me, this was not the book I was expecting to read, and feel I am probably not the target audience. We start the book with inst-attraction between both Caleb (the reality star "player") and Sophia, the local photographer and single mom while at an engagement party for Xavier, Caleb's brother. You get the strong sense of family on both sides; Sophia has a great relationship with her father and sister, and she has an adorable daughter she loves! Caleb's dedication to his grandmother, brothers, and his parents is very evident as well. This seemed like it will be a very sweet, fluffy/cozy sort of romance, adorable meetings, resisting of feelings. If you're still hooked, then this book is worth the read for you.


In my honest review, I had to DNF around chapter 6.


Id like to separate my opinions from the positives I found of this book, so Ill try to provide a visual divide.


I found the writing style campy/cheesy; Im all for a romance cliche, hit the trope checklist style, but this one felt a bit over the top. The inst-infatuation was way too fast for me for how often they both remember the reasons they shouldnt be together; I felt distracted with how many side characters and their love stories and histories; I think Hattie was supposed to be endearing but I felt we focused more on her situations then Caleb or Sophia. I also found repetition on verbiage/phrases distracting; on multiple occasions of characters having thoughts repeat within a page or two.

Flirting with Alaska is the second book in Calhoune's Moose Falls, Alaska series. This is the story of the middle Stone brother, Caleb, and Sophia, a photographer, and her four year old daughter, Lily. Both Caleb and Sophia have had past romances that went amuck. As their feelings for each other grow, will they be brave enough to try romance again?

I appreciated that the author got the reader up to speed on what transpired in the first book. I also enjoyed the closeness that the Stone brothers shared with each other.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #GrandCentralPublshing for an e-pub of this book. All opinions expressed herein are strictly my own.

#FlirtingWithAlaska #NetGalley

Loved this sweet romance and second chance story.
Past regrets that kept me turning the pages well into the middle of the night. I love a good story like that.
Grandmother Hattie was pretty cool. I almost wished she was mine.
I loved the setting of this book. I could visualize being in Alaska. A beautiful and wild place. Cold too!
I enjoyed in getting to know Sophia Caleb. They made me laugh out loud at their playfulness. I thought they made a cute couple. I found myself rooting for them. After all, they're only human. Mistakes are a part of life's journey. So's sweet sweet love. I "sighed" pleasure when the end came.
I wasn't disappointed at all. I'm looking forward to the next Calhoune novel. She's a fantastic writer and has a way of drawing her readers in from the start.
5 stars from me for keeping me entertained with Sophia and Caleb. I love them both.
My thanks for a copy of this wonderful story. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.

Although this book had all the right ingredients, it wasn’t quite to my taste. This is unfortunate because I enjoyed the first book in this series. It was a five-star read for me.

When I started reading, I thought I’d read this book before; Alaskan setting, someone dying and gifting a business, siblings needing to work together for a certain time frame before a decision is made….Finally found it ~ Moose Be Love by Jacqueline Winters!

As someone who works closely with children of different ages daily, I found the age representations, era-specific toys, and conversations a bit off. I also had difficulty connecting with the characters and struggled with the pacing.

I did enjoy:

✔the tension created when the siblings needed to present a united front and they each had unique personalities. It reminded me of me and my siblings!
✔The concept of giving love another chance and of preserving a legacy

I don’t make these comments lightly; I’ve read this several times since it was gifted to me a month and a half ago and I struggled each time. I appreciate the chance to read and review. Please don’t let my disappointment influence your decision to read this book. Investigate other reviews.

"Flirting With Alaska" by Belle Calhoune is a sweet soft romance story about Caleb and Sophia finding a path to each other. This is book 2 of Calhoune Alaska series and continues with the next brother's romance. I love that this book can also be a stand alone. When things are mentioned about from the first book, the author does brief explanation of what they are referring too. The two main characters were cute to read that I was able to have a visual in my mind throughout the story.

** Thank you NetGalley, Forever Grand Central Publishing, and Belle Calhoune for an eARC copy of "Flirting with Alaska".

This was such a cute love story. I absolutely fell in love with Moose Falls. I also love Hattie who is a rock star grandma. Lily is the cutest child. Caleb and Sophia build such a fun and loving relationship throughout the book. They have to work together in order to build a new image for the company. It brings some unique moments. Totally recommend for a heartwarming story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC of *Flirting with Alaska* by Belle Calhoune. I’m giving it 4 stars. This was a fun, closed-door rom-com with a cozy, small-town vibe. I was particularly drawn to this book because I live in Alaska, and it was exciting to see some descriptions of the state I call home. The author did a great job capturing the charm and beauty of Alaska, which added an extra layer of enjoyment for me as a local reader.

The chemistry between the two main characters was engaging, and their banter felt natural and fun. I appreciated how their relationship developed—it felt genuine, and the playful moments kept the tone light and enjoyable. This is a sweet romance that avoids some of the usual dramatic pitfalls, and I liked that the closed-door aspect allowed the story to focus more on emotional connection.

My only minor issue was that this is the second book in a series, which I didn’t realize until I was already into the story. Although it can be read as a standalone, I did feel like I was missing some context and character background, which made me wish I’d started with the first book. It didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment, but I think I would have gotten more out of it if I had the full series experience.

If you’re looking for a lighthearted romance set against the gorgeous backdrop of Alaska, this is a great pick!

4⭐️ This is my first book by Bella Calhoune and I am sure it won't be my last. This book was such a cozy contemporary book that pulls at your heartstrings. Even though this is the second book in the series, I don't think there is any issue with reading it as a standalone. Overall, I would definitely recommend and look forward to going back and reading about Xavier and True's story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the opportunity to read this eARC for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

This is the 2nd book in the “Moose Falls Alaska Series.” Flirting With Alaska is about Stone brother number 2 Caleb but all three brothers are mentioned throughout “Flirting With Alaska”. Sophia is a up and coming photographer and single mom to her adorable 4-year-old daughter Lily. Remember Caleb is the brother who has his heart set on becoming a famous Hollywood actor. He was on a reality TV show where he was painted in a bad light known as the “The Love Rat” where he allegedly become involved with twins. Caleb has fallen hard for Sophia but is still undecided whether he will be staying in Alaska or returning to the acting scene. Hattie is the matriarch of the family that brought the Stone brothers back to Alaska to take over her business Yukon Cider. Caleb is having a hard time dealing with past issues with his father Red. As Caleb and his dad finally have the long-awaited discussion family issues are revealed about Daisy his mom and dad Red. Caleb has a better understating about the situation between his parents. Sophia has trust issues from her ex-boyfriend Lily’s dad. Sophia and Caleb are enjoying their time together and are getting closer. Sophia and Caleb are good for each other as they have both been hurt in the game of love. There are obstacles in their way but the two are gaining their footing on the right track. Hattie is holding her own and everyone is still very much concerned about failing health.

Two Stone brothers down older brother Xavier, middle brother Caleb and one to go younger brother Landon. Landon is the youngest of the Stone brothers and a scientist whose reputation was ruined due to allegedly plagiarizing his work. Awesome series, loved the characters and the plot that had me laughing up a storm.

I received an ARC via Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and I am leaving my review voluntarily.

This was my first book by Belle Calhoune and definitely won’t be my last!

This story was so festive and sweet. It takes place in a small Alaskan town and truly is my dream semi-isolated cozy setting for a book.

This was the second book in the series but read wonderfully for me as a stand-alone! I loved getting to know the characters and their quirks and charms.

I personally loved that this stayed a sweet seasonal romance and was more closed door. It suited the vibe and characters perfectly.

I can’t wait to recommend this to my book club for December and read more from this author!

Hattie, a grandmother of three boys, gets them to come back to Alaska, to teach them about her business, before she passes away. good story

This is a second book in the series, although truthfully it can be read as a standalone. It is another sweet story about second chances, and learning to trust. I love the characters, especially Hattie, the grandmother. She is terminal, and has gotten her three grandsons back to Moose Falls, Alaska, to learn and take over her business. But, she also loves a little matchmaking! This time it is Caleb and Sophia she sets her sights on. I really enjoy the series, and am looking forward to Landon's story.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Another sweet and clean romance by Belle Calhoune! The setting of Moose Falls, Alaska, provides the perfect backdrop for love! This is the second book in the series, but it can be read as a stand-alone.

There are a ton of familiar characters! The three handsome Stone brothers are wonderful! Their brotherly bond is strong and true. Hattie is still a fire cracker! She doesn't let her illness stop her from living life. Sophia is amazing! She's a strong, sexy, successful single mother! I enjoyed seeing Caleb grow and mature throughout the story!

I really liked that Caleb was able to talk to his father about their painful past. As he learns about a distressing secret, he feels closer to Red and ready to listen to his heart.

I was provided a complimentary copy of the book from Forever/ Hatchette Book Group via Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.