You may remember that I reviewed Under An Adirondack Sky about a month ago. I enjoyed the book so much, though, that I wanted to feature it again during TLC Book Tour’s Summer Lovin’ Tour.
Can he juggle everything…including her?
After raising his siblings and running the family pub for more than a decade, Aiden Walsh has set his own dreams aside. Until the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen stumbles into his bar, and his arms.
Too bad Rebecca Day is the school psychologist in charge of his brother’s future.
Who’s he kidding? He doesn’t have room in his full life for romance anyway.
But forced to join Rebecca and her group of troubled teens on an Adirondack wilderness adventure, he realizes keeping his family afloat isn’t enough for him…not by a long shot.
SERIES: A Walsh Family Story
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
PUBLISHER: Harlequin Heartwarming
RELEASE DATE: July 1, 2016
PAGES: 368
“There was one thing worse on a Monday than facing the man who broke your heart… and that was doing so while impersonating a medical experiment gone wrong.”
In order to properly read Karen Rock’s Under An Adirondack Sky, you should make sure you have adequate provisions on hand. The following list is a good place to start:
- a fan (HELLO, KissingBook!)
- a freezer (see above)
- a fainting couch (see points 1 and 2)
- tissues (you will cry)
- a decent supply of s’mores (purchase ingredients here)
- some popcorn (or buy some s’mores popcorn)
- travel brochures for the Adirondacks (head here)
- an Adirondack chair for atmosphere (grab one here)
Are we all set? Ok, excellent! On to the review…
In case it wasn’t clear from my list of highly-suggested provisions, the kisses in Under an Adirondack Sky are quite toe-curlingly delicious. This one is definitely going on the next KissingBooks 101 syllabus! Just the right amount of heat and passion tempered with sweetness and staying firmly in the “clean reads” category. Aiden and Rebecca can barely keep their lips off each other once they get a taste and it makes for some oh-so-yummy kisses as the story progresses. Whew…. where’s that fan I had stockpiled?!? Actually… I might just need to skip the fan and move right to sticking my head in the freezer.
But it’s not all about the kisses. Karen Rock takes a ragtag group of troubled teens, a school psychologist whose job is on the line, and a brother bearing the burden of an entire family on his shoulders and drops them all in the middle of a camp in the Adirondacks – and into our hearts in the process. It is so heartwarming to watch the transformation in the kids over the course of their stay, as well as seeing the change in both Aiden and Rebecca as well. Rock doesn’t stick a sugar-coated bandaid over the situations or the behaviors with which the characters struggle, but she does offer hope for positive change in the long run with dedicated people involved who care about the outcome.
This was – sadly – the first book I’ve read by Karen Rock. That oversight is soon to be corrected however, as I have now raided Goodreads and marked her entire backlist “want to read”. I can tell from Under An Adirondack Sky that she has a knack for setting and character growth as well as subtle humor and of course KISSES. (update: After reading my original review, Karen very kindly sent me some of her books for my reading pleasure. So keep an eye on the blog for those reviews to be forthcoming!)
Bottom Line: If you want a clean read that still sparks with passion, or a touching story full of compelling characters, or a setting so vivid that you forget you’re reading the book at home in your grubbies … then look no further than Under An Adirondack Sky by Karen Rock. A hero you’ll fall hard for, a heroine you’ll befriend, a bunch of teenagers you’ll be rooting for from the moment they step off the bus, and some outdoor adventures that allow even the most indoorsy of us to live vicariously. Another 5-star read from this July’s Harlequin Heartwarming quartet.
(I received a copy of this book in exchange for only my honest review.)
My Rating: 5 stars / Loved it!
KissingBook Level: 4.5 / WHEW! Keep that fan & fainting couch handy. Maybe even the freezer.
Reviewer’s Note: This book does contain some minor and very scattered instances of profanity. It is otherwise clean. I have no problems at all recommending this series to my followers who prefer Christian fiction!
Read the first three chapters on Wattpad!
Award-winning author Karen Rock is both sweet and spicy–at least when it comes to her writing! The author of both YA and adult contemporary books writes red-hot novels for Harlequin Blaze and small-town romances for Harlequin Heartwarming. A strong believer in Happily-Ever-After, Karen loves creating unforgettable stories that leave her readers with a smile. When she’s not writing, Karen is an avid reader who’s typically immersed in three different books at a time, all in different genres. She also loves cooking her grandmother’s Italian recipes, baking, Christmas (no need to specify–she loves every bit of it), and having the Adirondack Park wilderness as her backyard, where she lives with her husband, daughter, dog and cat who keep her life interesting and complete.
website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads
Other Books by Karen Rock
What about you? What’s your favorite way to eat s’mores? Do you have any unique yummy recipes?
Leave a Reply