When Catrin’s childhood crush returns home after breaking her heart fifteen years ago, she somehow gets roped into traveling across the continent and stealing a few horses alongside him.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

Tropes:

Grumpy (her) x sunshine (him)

Forced proximity

Childhood crush

Brother’s best friend

Only one cave

Only one horse

Boatload of angst

This book was firing on all cylinders! The characters are incredible. The world-building is amazing. The romance is swoon-worthy. The plot is engaging and easy to follow. I enjoyed every moment of this read.

Catrin is an awe-inspiring female lead. Burdened with abandonment issues and familial trauma, she still works hard every day to be an incredible single mother to her children. She is fierce and brave despite her flaws. Her character development was such a joy to watch. I see so much of myself in her, and she makes me feel valued and heard.

I usually steer clear of high angst levels in my romance reads, but the angst in this book was written wonderfully well. I enjoyed the way these two complex characters navigated their feelings towards each other while trying to be respectful of the other’s wishes and protect their own hearts from harm. 

Again, I find myself fascinated with the side characters that make brief appearances and I crave more stories from this world!

I would highly recommend this read to anyone who enjoyed A Polar Expedition! It is a phenomenal second installment. And there’s quite a bit more spice in this one as well. 👀