Reviews

Arctic Fire by Keira Andrews

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hex_meghead's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

Content Warnings

latoinombra's review against another edition

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emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

heabooknerd's review against another edition

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3.0

I love a survival/stranded romance so I jumped right into ARCTIC FIRE! Keira Andrews does a great job of setting the scene and really showing the beauty and danger of the Arctic circle; I was getting cold just reading this. The romance happens pretty fast in this one but Jack and Kin do spend a lot of time together and have some major soul searching conversations. I really liked Kin and how connected he was to the land and the Inuit side of his family. He was a dedicated and steady person and that contrasted pretty well with Jack's slightly grumpy side and the struggles he was experiencing after his tour in Afghanistan.

My biggest issue with ARCTIC FIRE was how unsettled the ending felt. Jack and Kin have admitted their feelings but I'm not sure how they're going to work out their issues. Jack is still a higher rank than Kin and that would continue if Jack gets approval for the new base in Arctic Bay. Additionally, Kin was very adamant that his community wouldn't accept him being gay, including his mom and step-dad and that he would lose the respect of the other Rangers which could lead to him losing his job. None of that is figured out and it made me question how and if these two would work things out and stick together through some really hard times.

Content Warning: PTSD and flashbacks; past death of a sibling recounted

shandra's review against another edition

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4.0

Trope fiction always has a special place in my heart. I'll read anything from trapped in an elevator to the huddling-together-to-keep-warm concept to aliens-made-us-do-it. I loved the cold driving the relationship between Kin and Jack in Arctic Fire; Keira Andrews shines as an author who excels at character development. There's so much to love about these two men in this short work from Kin's lingering worry he is the reason for his brother's death to Jack's PTSD from the IED explosion he survived in Afghanistan. They're men with real problems, real fears, and it's really easy to love them.

Arctic Fire is a really good example of Keira Andrews as a character writer. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a satisfying HEA in a neat package. I wouldn't say this was my favorite of her work given there's some editing issues which pulled me out of the story and it's very much an instalove story which is good for what it is yet doesn't immediately steal a place on my favorites shelf. Overall, I enjoyed it for a happy winter read with memorable characters and a much different setting -the Arctic Circle- than I'm used to reading. I'd put it at a solid 4 star read I'm glad I got to experience thanks to a Kindle lend from a friend.

baeb_'s review against another edition

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4.0

🌶️

lexxan's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

lezreadalot's review against another edition

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3.0

Most people he met fit into neat little boxes in his mind, but Captain Jack Turner seemed determined to messily squeeze into the books and crannies.

I really like novellas, but some stories just aren't meant to fit into 100-ish pages. This is one of them, imo. I really enjoyed this story of an army captain with PTSD falling for the ranger guiding him across the Arctic, but I really felt like it should have been... less dense? Or way longer. This has all of the major story beats of a 300-page novel, but just very condensed. I felt like I was watching a speedrun of a videogame. And the fact that it happens within two days made it even worse. Not that this is insta-love; it was at least realistic in that aspect. Things just happened super quickly, and by the time I was warming up to the characters, the book was over. But despite that, I still had a good time with this. I love a good tropey read, and this was forced proximity, cuddling for warmth, sharing a bed (sleeping bag)... all the greatest hits. There were some things about cold weather/frostbite that uhhh IDK if they were accurate, but hey, it's a romance. I'm willing to buy what you're selling. Also not sure about the First Nations rep, but it's not something I can comment on.

Listened to the audiobook as read by Joel Leslie, who is and remains one of my faves. Andrews writes really good romances, and I loved this for the survival aspect and the hurt/comfort. I just wish it was longer.

Content warnings:

Spoiler

war, bombings, death of loved ones, PTSD