Book Review: An Alaskan Family Found by Beth Carpenter

AN ALASKAN FAMILY FOUND by Beth Carpenter
SERIES: Northern Lights #9
GENRE: Contemporary Romance (Clean & Wholesome)
PUBLISHER: Harlequin Heartwarming
RELEASE DATE: June 28, 2022
PAGES: 266

A temporary summer arrangement…
Or their new forever?

Alaskan peony farmer Caleb DeBoer can barely keep up with the weeds—let alone his willful teen daughter and being short-staffed at the start of wedding season. Luckily, sunny counselor Gen Rockford could really use a summer job and a place for her girls to live. Now what began as the perfect solution for Gen and Caleb is transforming into one unforgettable summer. But will one little secret ruin it all?

From Harlequin Heartwarming: Wholesome stories of love, compassion and belonging.

Other Books In This Series

In An Alaskan Family Christmas, Gen Rockford and her adorable little girls captured my heart even though the book’s focus was Gen’s brother Tanner & Natalie, the stranded woman he brings home for Christmas & falls in love with. I was thrilled to find out that Gen, Maya and Evie would have their starring roles in the latest Northern Lights book by Beth Carpenter – An Alaskan Family Found.

Once again, these three characters made me smile and had me solidly in their corner. And so did the dynamics between them and Caleb DeBoer & his teenage daughter Fleur. Add in a precociously endearing dog and two sweet kittens, and I was thoroughly entertained from beginning to end. Gen and her girls have been without real roots for a while now, and honestly so have Caleb & Fleur. Sure, Caleb still works and lives on his family’s peony farm (more on that in a moment) but in his heart he’s a bit lost. Allowing us to watch these five hurting souls help each other grow and mature – and find those roots – over the course of an Alaskan summer is one of the book’s strengths. Not to mention the fact that we also get to watch Gen and Caleb fall in love in such a sweet and heart-tugging way.

Another reason this book stands out to me is that when I think of Alaska flower gardens are not the first things to pop into my mind. Snow? Yes. Cold? Certainly. Yet, apparently this is a long-standing and currently-growing industry there… particularly when it comes to peonies. I really enjoyed seeing this side of Alaska both through the eyes of a peony farmer (Caleb) and from the administrative side as Gen pitches in to help the co-op field wedding orders left and right. I love it when fiction not only entertains me but also makes me smarter, and I thought this unique element in An Alaskan Family Found added a lot to the story.

Bottom Line: An Alaskan Family Found is a sweet, swoony and delightfully endearing story, not only of two people falling in love but also of the true meaning of family. A wide range of layers flesh out the plot and sharpen the characters – from big (long buried secrets and custody issues) to small (math homework and new kittens). And there are plenty of opportunities to grin too. Another fabulous read from Beth Carpenter – make sure it’s on your TBR list!

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.)

My Rating: 5 stars / fantastic!

KissingBook Level: 3 / may forget to breathe on occasion

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Beth Carpenter grew up on a farm reading everything she could get her hands on, from cereal boxes to the encyclopedia. Saturday visits to the library were the highlight of her week. Due to motion sickness, she couldn’t read on the school bus so she made up her own stories instead.

She still consumes books like popcorn and loves to create happy endings for her imaginary friends. She believes dogs, books, and laughter are key to happiness. And dark chocolate. And love.

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What about you? What makes you want to read An Alaskan Family Found by Beth Carpenter?