Narrated by Iggy Toma
This second book in Annabeth Albert’s Frozen Hearts series is an opposites-attract, May/December romance in which the protagonists find themselves making a major reassessment of their lives and goals in the wake of a life-threatening accident. It’s no secret I’m a big fan of this author and narrator, so I had high hopes – and I’m pleased to report that Arctic Wild more than lived up to my expectations.
Corporate lawyer Reuben Graham and a couple of friends are due to fly to Alaska for an exclusive one-week wilderness experience when a last minute change sees him heading off on his own. He’d honestly prefer to have cancelled, but when his friend implies that Reuben isn’t the outdoorsy type (he isn’t) and might not cope easily with the challenges the trip is likely to present, Reuben finds he dislikes the insinuation and decides to prove him wrong. As he heads to catch his flight, he just hopes that his tour guide is a grizzled – and most importantly, taciturn – mountain man-type who is likely to leave him mostly alone and won’t notice or worry if Reuben spends a lot of the trip buried in the work he’s brought along.
Toby Kooly – who appeared briefly in Arctic Sun – is Reuben’s pilot and guide, and he’s very good at his job. Friendly, fun, entertaining and informative, he’s genuinely concerned to make sure that his clients have the best time possible, especially as for most of them, the trip is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. But when he meets his new client, Toby immediately senses that the man is going to be a tough nut to crack; he seems to not want to be there and is resistant to enjoying himself. It’s too bad Toby can think of other ways Reuben could enjoy himself; he isn’t normally attracted to older guys, but there’s something about this one that really does it for him. Still, Toby doesn’t make a habit of hooking-up with clients, so instead he concentrates on winning Reuben over and getting him to enjoy himself.
Over the next couple of days, Reuben is surprised to find himself worrying about work less and less and not wanting to check his email at every available opportunity. Equally surprising is the way he finds himself growing comfortable with his attractive – but far too young for him (Toby is thirty-one) – tour guide, even going so far as to open up to him about things he doesn’t normally talk about with anyone – such as his frayed relationship with his teenaged daughter, Amelia – let alone someone he doesn’t know all that well. Both men are aware of the current of attraction fizzing between them, but before they can do any more than acknowledge it, the entire trip goes pear-shaped when a freak storm blows in and forces a crash landing in spite of Toby’s best efforts to get the plane down safely. Toby sustains some serious injuries as a result, and it’s down to Reuben to get them both to safety while they wait for the rescue team to arrive.
This all happens in the first few chapters – the rest of the book deals with the ramifications of the crash and the way in which both Reuben and Toby find themselves making those reassessments and readjustments I mentioned earlier. For Reuben, the near-death experience gives him the push he needs to take a good, long look at his life and realise that he doesn’t really have one outside of his work. At forty-eight, he’s too young to retire, but the firm he works for is restructuring and he’s been offered a buyout package which, prior to the accident, he hadn’t been willing to consider. Now, however, he starts to see the offer as an opportunity to make a fresh start and decides to extend his stay in Alaska over the summer while he takes the time to think about what he wants to do next.
Toby, however, faces a completely different set of problems. He’s been his family’s main provider for a decade, but with a broken arm and a broken leg, he’s not going to be able to work for some time. With an infirm father and two younger sisters – one of whom is in medical school – not to mention his own medical bills, the family finances are going to take a massive hit – which is just one more thing to add to his growing pile of worries.
The principal source of conflict in the story stems from the fact that Toby finds it really hard to ask for and accept help, and it’s his stubbornness on this point that, more than anything else, threatens to tank his and Reuben’s burgeoning relationship. Reuben is a natural protector; he likes taking care of people, and occasionally, Toby can admit that it’s nice to have someone to lift – or at the very least – share his burdens, even if only for a little while. But he’s had it drilled into him from a very young age (by his father) that a man should stand on his own two feet and not be dependent on anyone, and it’s conditioning Toby finds very hard to break. In any case, he and Reuben have agreed to a summer fling, nothing more; Reuben doesn’t belong with someone like Toby any more than he belongs somewhere like Alaska and eventually he’ll go back to his big-city life and will find the sort of man he deserves, someone as rich and sophisticated as he is. Which is going to hurt like hell when it happens.
I did think Toby’s reluctance to ask for help went on a little too long, but otherwise, I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the sizzling, slow-burn romance. Toby and Reuben are attractive, engaging characters and Ms. Albert takes her time developing their love story, showing them getting to know each other, being comfortable around each other and gradually strengthening their emotional bond. She does an excellent job with the other relationships in the story, too, clearly depicting Toby’s dedication to his family (even though they drive him batty sometimes) and Reuben’s love for Amelia – who is very well written as a typical teen – as the two of them get to know each other again, and I really appreciated the way she so easily accepts Toby’s presence in their lives.
When I requested a review copy of Arctic Wild, the narrator was listed at Amazon and Audible as “TBA”, so I had no idea who I’d signed up to listen to! (Which just goes to show what a fan I am of Annabeth Albert’s work – normally I’m all about the narrator!) So I’m sure you can imagine my sigh of relief when the familiar voice of Iggy Toma filled my ears. (In fact, at time of writing he’s STILL not listed as the narrator for this title. Audible peeps, you need to fix that!) He delivers exactly the sort of expressive, emotionally resonant performance I’ve come to expect from him; the secondary characters are all skilfully delineated, his pacing is spot on and his portrayal of the two principals is superb. Reuben sounds exactly like I’d imagined he should when I read the book; he’s given a deep, slightly gruff tone that fits his physicality, and his delivery is measured in a way that conveys that here’s a man who is comfortable with who he is, who thinks things through and likes to take his time (as Toby is very happy to discover! *wink*). Toby’s speech is slightly faster and higher-pitched, and his innate good humour shines through in the portrayal, as does the frustration and anxiety that dog him later on in the story. The attraction, warmth and chemistry between the couple all come through in Mr. Toma’s voice, and his terrific performance, together with the sensual romance and thoughtful story make Arctic Wild an audiobook I’m more than happy to recommend.
Caz
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