Small-town romance in Snowbound, Alaska

Even after all the Halloween treats, I was ready for something sweet and highly unrealistic to read, so I picked up Debbie Macomber’s “The Snow Bride.”

Jenna Campbell is 31 and has a great job as executive assistant to the head of Fulton industries, Brad Fulton. She’s had a crush on him for years, but Brad acts as if she’s invisible.

Jenna’s five-times divorced mother, Chloe Lyman, is not a good role model when it comes to relationships. She often frustrates Jenna with her constant search for “Mr. Right.”

A romantic at heart, Jenna visits an internet poetry chat room. That’s where she meets Dalton Gray. He sounds like everything she’s ever dreamed of and, after only four months, he convinces Jenna to quit her job and leave sunny California for Beesley, Alaska.

A surly seatmate makes her flight from Seattle to Fairbanks uncomfortable, but she can’t help noticing that he is ruggedly handsome. Eventually she learns that his name is Reid Jamison, and he’s on his way home to Snowbound, Alaska. She explains that’s she’s planning to meet Dalton Gray in Fairbanks. He immediately goes into a rant about what a louse Dalton Gray is. Jenna insists he’s wrong and says she’ll decide on Gray for herself. But when they land in Fairbanks, Gray is nowhere to be found.

Reid agrees to fly her to Beesley since it is on his way, but as they near the village, he changes his mind and takes her to Snowbound — effectively kidnapping Jenna. He planned to have his sister, Lucy, talk sense into her, but Lucy isn’t back from her monthly trip to Fairbanks. Lucy is the only woman in Snowbound, so Reid is forced to keep Jenna at his house.

Naturally, she is angry about the situation and makes her feelings known. Reid apologies and promises to take her back to Fairbanks as soon as possible, but a blizzard keeps them grounded for days. In that time, Jenna meets the rest of the village.

Jake owns the local café, Pete runs the store while aging pipeline workers Addy and Palmer keep the runway cleared, do odd jobs and mooch as many meals as they can. The forced togetherness allows Reid and Jenna time to get to know each other and, before they know it, share passionate kisses. They both feel something strong, but neither will admit it.

Meanwhile, Brad Fulton decides to fly to Snowbound and bring Jenna back to work, even if it means marrying her. Chloe wants to reach Jenna before Brad does, so she books a flight with Dalton Gray, who plans to make his case.

Almost immediately, Addy and Palmer try to start a tundra tourist business, Chloe and Pete become an item, Reid and Dalton have a fist fight and Brad Fulton arrives ready to claim Jenna.

The interaction between all parties is laughable. But within hours, Jenna must decide who she’ll be with. After a long chat with Lucy, she tells Dalton to get lost, apologizes to Reid, announces that she is returning to California with Brad and begs her mother to go back with her. Chloe refuses, saying she’s found her true soul mate in Pete but is pleased with Jenna’s choice.

Since this is a Macomber book, we all know that things work out just the way they should with a happy ending for all involved — just what we need on a dreary November day.

AT A GLANCE
BOOK: “The Snow Bride”
AUTHOR: Debbie Macomber
PUBLISHER: MIRA
PUBLISHED: Dec. 18, 2017
PAGES: 240