As per usual, I began reading this series partway through. As well, there were several short stories written between the full length books that I had not read. For the Finishing the Series challenge, I wanted to read all the short stories and the novels that I had missed along the way. This meant I wanted to read: An Alaskan Wedding #1.5, A Wild River Retreat #2.5, A Wild River Match #3.5 & Wild Alaskan Hearts #4.5 as well as Sweet Alaskan Fall #3 and Stars Over Alaska #4. I listened to the full length novels and read the short stories all over the last few weeks. I am glad I finished this series as I really enjoyed it. I’m not sure if it is finished or not, but I am caught up.

An Alaskan Wedding (Wild River #1.5) by Jennifer Snow

Published April 15th 2020 by HQN Books

3 Stars: ⭐⭐⭐

An Alaskan Wedding is a short story (60 pgs.) with a second chance romance. Aurora Klein and Tyler Forrester were high school sweethearts and were sure they would spend the rest of their lives together. Aurora received a scholarship to University and California and Tyler was afraid she would regret her decision if she stayed in Alaska for school, so he broke up with her. Six years later, Aurora is ready to graduate and has come home to Wild River to stand up in her best friend’s wedding. She is marrying Tyler’s brother, so Tyler is the best man. They have never stopped loving each other, so when they meet up, the chemistry is still there. Aurora is upset that Tyler dumped her, but will she find out the real reason? This was a short and sweet second chance romance. There is not much time to develop the characters, but with her friend running off and having second thoughts about her choice of groom, Aurora realizes that she wants to take a chance on Tyler. I enjoyed this short story that took me back to Wild River.

A Wild River Retreat (Wild River #2.5) by Jennifer Snow

Published July 1st 2020 by HQN Books

3.5 Stars:

Wild River Retreat is a short story (63 pgs) in the Wild River series. This one is forced proximity, second chance, miscommunication romance. Kendra Phillips and Nolan Lawless met a year earlier at a conference and spent a wonderful week together. They both lived in Alaska, but several hours apart. They decided to give a relationship a try, but Nolan copied Kendra’s phone number down incorrectly. He thought she gave him the wrong number on purpose, she thought he ghosted her. Fast forward one year and Nolan has been hired by Kendra’s company and gotten the promotion she thought she had a lock on. There is still one position left and she wants it, but has to get through a team building exercise in the Alaska Wilderness, worse yet, she and Nolan are teamed up to work together. Can they get through the weekend together? Will they sort out the misunderstanding? This was a fun story, with two interesting characters. Both Nolan and Kendra are workaholics and at the top of their games. They don’t like to lose, so when they are forced to work together, they still do their best to win every task. Along the way there is some humor, more misunderstandings and finally reconciliation. I liked both of these characters and as much as I get frustrated with the trope using lack of communication, I liked how this one played out. Although these books and stories are all part of the same series, they all star different characters, so can be read in any order or as standalone stories.

A Wild River Match (Wild River #3.5) by Jennifer Snow 

Published February 1st 2021 by HQN Books

4 Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I’ve heard of speed dating, I’ve heard of singles mix ‘n mingles, but I have never heard of a Blind Date Fishing Weekend. In Wild River, the outdoor tour company puts this together for Valentine’s Day for singles to meet. They are paired up in an ice fishing hut for the weekend with a lot of time to fish and get to know each other. Maddie Frazier’s sister has set it up for her, but what Maddie doesn’t know is that her sister has something else in mind. When Maddie’s assigned partner doesn’t show, she is paired with paired Mike Toledo, their wilderness guide who also happens to be her sister’s ruggedly sexy ex. There are feelings, but they can’t act on them, can they? I love how well matched Maddie and Mike are. They like the same things, have similar personalities and fight the attraction they feel as hard as they can. This is just business, right? She can’t fall for her sister’s ex. At only 67 pages, there isn’t much time for a conflict, so the sister is all there is. This is a forced proximity trope in a short, sweet story that introduces a couple of characters, I would love to meet again. I enjoyed the setting of Valentine’s day, a secluded fishing hut and the snow and cold. Perfect for a romance novella. A great addition to the series.

Wild Alaskan Hearts (Wild River #4.5) by Jennifer Snow 

Published August 1st 2021 by HQN Books

3 Stars: ⭐⭐⭐

In Wild Alaskan Hearts, Arron Bosch and Alisha Miller had dated in the past and never had closure on their relationship. When Aaron’s twin brother died suddenly, he packed up everything he owned, sold what he couldn’t take and left town. He didn’t deal with his loss well and when Alisha wasn’t ready to pack in her new job and leave with him after only dating 3 months, he left and didn’t call for 16 months. Alisha tried to move on, dated other men, but never found someone she cared about as much as Arron. He is back, now injured after falling from a mountain during a free climb and living at Alisha’s apartment while he recuperates. It’s a good thing they already had history, because at only 39 pages, this is a very short story. Aaron tries to convince Alisha that he never forgot her and that he is ready to settle down, but she’s not sure she should believe him. Can she take a chance on their love? Once again, I liked these characters and wanted them to get together. This is a second chance romance that was cute and introduced more wonderful characters to the Wild River series.

A Sweet Alaskan Fall (Wild River #3) by Jennifer Snow, Melissa Moran (Narrator)

Published August 25th 2020 by Harlequin Audio

4 Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Montana Banks has returned to Wild River, Alaska, for a fresh start. Although she is a well known base-jumper, she can no longer participate in that sport after a serious head injury. She can still teach the sport, so gets a job working for her friend’s adventure tour company. She has moved into an apartment and finds out that her next door neighbour is straitlaced police officer, Eddie Sanders. Eddie is an excellent cook and when her smoke alarm goes off while trying to cook a meal for a date, Eddie comes over and gives her a cooking lesson. Eddie has always had feelings for Montana, but when a going away party ends in a shooting, with Eddie in a wheelchair, Montana takes it upon herself to take care of him and show him that he still has a lot to live for. The more time they spend together, the closer they become and when Montana’s daughter disappears, it is Eddie that puts together a team to find her. Will Eddie remain in Wild River? Can Montana show him that he still has value and that she cares for him?

I enjoyed this story, but it is not perfect. Montana is such a wonderful character. After her accident, she learned that she could still do things that she loved, so was a perfect person to teach Eddie the same thing. She was also not a person who was going to give up easily. She had to fight for what she wanted in life, so Eddie was going to have a tough time ignoring her. Montana is also co-parenting with the father of her child and she has grown a lot. We met both her and Tank in a previous book, so it was great to see them again. I loved the character building and the romance, but it got a bit steamier than I expected. There is also a nude tandem sky diving scene that was a bit unbelievable, but who knows, maybe it is a thing. One thing that Montana deals with since her head injury is hallucinations, but the hallucinations are her sister, who died when she was a young teenager. She sees and talks to her sister, especially when she is under stress. Overall, I liked this story and enjoyed being back in Wild River and meeting up with some familiar characters. I listened to this one, narrated by Melissa Moran. I enjoyed her performance and felt her expression, tone, voice and emotions added to my enjoyment of the story.

Stars Over Alaska (Wild River #4) by Jennifer Snow, Melissa Moran (Narrator)

Published March 30th 2021 by Harlequin Audio

4 Stars:⭐⭐⭐⭐

Leslie Sanders left Wild River when her police officer fiancé, Dawson, was hit and killed by a criminal he was chasing. She is working in LA as a protection agent and is working as a bodyguard for a young starlet, Selena, who has picked up a dangerous stalker. Fearing for her life and also that someone on the inside is giving away information, she returns to her hometown of Wild River to hide out in the family cabin. She tells no one where they are going except her boyfriend and co-worker. When the cabin burns down, she comes face to face with her best friend from her childhood as well as the best man in the wedding that was canceled. Levi is a firefighter, rescue worker and he is called out to the fire. He has had feelings for Leslie for most of his life but was happy his two best friends loved each other. Now, those feelings are about to cause complications. Is this his second chance at a relationship beyond friends with Leslie.

Stars Over Alaska is an entertaining and enjoyable story. I really liked the characters in this one, including the secondary ones. Levi is one of Alaska’s elite group of wildland firefighters, putting his life on the line and determined not to get involved with a woman. I felt bad for him and his unrequited love for Leslie. Leslie never knew how he felt about her, as he never told her. She also had feelings for him, but when he never acted like he cared about her as more than a friend, she began dating Dawson. I always like when the female characters work in professions that have long been considered male roles and do a great job. Leslie’s occupation as a bodyguard/security detail to the stars was a great job and was an important part of the story. Selena, was such a hoot. She began the story as a spoiled, whiny starlet, but she did grow and change as the story progressed. She was also very interested in getting to know people and added a lot of humor to the book. I have enjoyed the setting of Wild River and getting to know so many of the characters that lived there. There is a bit of steam in this one, but it can be skimmed if that is not your thing. Once again, Melissa Moran. narrated this audiobook and I felt her expression, tone, voice and emotions added to my enjoyment of the story. I recommend this book and series in either format.

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