An Alaskan Christmas

Two professional helpers save lives while falling in love in this exciting contemporary with a light holiday gloss. Erika Sheraton, a surgeon in Anchorage, is forced to take a two-week Christmas vacation by a hospital board concerned about burnout. She reluctantly visits her childhood best friend, Cassie, in her hometown, Wild River, Alaska, for a long-overdue reunion. Erika has a habit of isolating herself from both patients and friends, something she learned from her father, a brilliant surgeon who withdrew emotionally after her mother’s death. Cassie’s older brother, Reed, is a leader for the town’s search-and-rescue team; he understands being detached during emergencies, but he teaches Erika it is okay to open up afterward. The big-city girl choosing between her career and loving a small-town boy is a romance staple, but the nail-biting search-and-rescue scenes save Erika and Reed from being a cliché. Readers will enjoy the mix of sexy love scenes, tense missions, and amiable banter. This entertaining introduction to Wild River will encourage fans of small-town contemporaries to follow the series. (Oct.)