🎣💗 "Catching Mr. Right" (Seasons of Alaska #7) (2021) 💗🎣 - Book Review

 

MY REVIEW 

 

 

Series: Seasons of Alaska (Book #7)

Paperback: 384 pages 

Publisher:  Harlequin Heartwarming (February 9, 2021) 

Language: English

ISBN 10: 1335179747

ISBN-13: 978-1335179746

⬅️ Click Photo for Purchase Information

 

“They can’t both win…

Can they?

Louisiana angler Victoria Thibodeaux needs the spokesperson contract with Romeo Reels to keep her business going and give her daughter a better life. But her hard-won confidence sinks to the bottom of the bayou when her rival, Alaskan fisherman Seth James, arrives. With his smooth-talking charm, handsome Seth could steal both her job and her heart, unless secrets from her past catch up with her first….”

 

Thank you in advance to the author, Carol Ross, for providing a complimentary review copy through Prism Book Tours. A positive review was not requested or required, and all words are my own.

 

While this is the first book in the series Seasons of Alaska I have read, I am definitely not new to Carol Ross’ books. I previously read Second Chance for the Single Dad (standalone read) and Montana Match (Blackwell Sisters #4). I love the Heartwarming line not just because they’re clean, wholesome, and great reads – some of the stories are heart-breaking, yet endearing, realistic, candid, and often enlightening.

 

Even though book this is part of a series; it is easily read as a standalone and focuses more on Seth than his family. Though I would LOVE to read In The Doctor’s Arms (Seasons of Alaska #6) to see Seth introduced.

 

The cover starts off just right – cozy, relaxing, realistic, fun – really sets the vibe off. Almost like an ad for a place like Bass Pro. It could definitely be a TV movie poster or ad.

 

Ross’ characters, and there are a lot of them in this one, are as different as can be. Seth is of course an angler in Alaska, and Victoria is one in Louisiana. Victoria is a single mom who lives with her grandmother, mother, and daughter – four generations. A rarity in some cases. Family is important, as are their morals and their work ethics. Seth is a triplet with two sisters.

 

Seth’s friendliness, even outside of the competition, is sweet and absolutely endearing. While competitive, he isn’t the “win at all costs” competitive type.

 

Another character I loved was Henry, a competing fellow angler. I wasn’t sure at first how I was going to feel about him. He seemed too good to be true, but he definitely won me over. Especially when Victoria really needed him. He came across as a “father-like” figure.

 

I deeply despised Victoria’s ex-husband Austin. My problem was something I see all too often in real life – a parent or parents using their child as a prop or to get ahead for their career. Worse when it involves politics. So, to say the author keeps it real – she does with vivid and descriptive language. He was honestly the WORST part of the story, but much needed, sad to say.

 

I completely related to Scarlett, as I too was raised by my mother and grandmother since I was four (4). Like her, my father wasn’t in the picture, and still isn’t (even decades later).

 

Just as important to the characters – the setting. This particular book focuses on the Louisiana setting. And, it has a bit of a Cajun flair to it. A setting rarely used in any type of romance novel. Let’s face it – gators and swamps are not romantic settings, yet Ross makes it work.

 

This is a sweet, but slow build-up romance.

 

With the plot centering on competing anglers, Ross reels the reader right in to this sweet and catchy story; that, at one point; deals with the cancel culture prevalent in social media. As this does deal with a fishing competition, there will be a lot of fishing and angling terms.

 

After the first chapter, I was really “hooked” into this one. The beginning is just adorable with Seth, Scarlett, and Victoria.

 

But, Victoria is hiding a secret – more than one. And, she feels a bit inadequate as a result. Most of that centers around Austin, Scarlett’s father.

 

As a family themed book, there was some good-natured ribbing about things. And, the sweet tea? I can make a good batch of it. The retort about tea bags definitely made me snicker.

 

The competition is for Romeo Reels’ spokesperson, a job that will definitely help Victoria’s family. In her “test”, Victoria relates a story about a digital camera which I found interesting. I came into digital photography December 2004, so it wasn’t that far from when Victoria’s story took place.

 

Even Seth can see that Victoria is what they’re looking for, and it is nice to see someone’s competitive side recognize their competitor’s best traits.

 

One little piece of knowledge I loved was when Gerard (one of the people from Romeo Reels) stated “It’s interesting, isn’t it? How sometimes the things we want, and work so hard for, don’t turn out like we anticipate.”

 

There is also talk of education, and certain people do get a bad reputation for having no “real” education, but some make up for it in wisdom. And, this book is also keen on point out the wisdom of certain things.

 

Almost immediately, Victoria is comfortable around Seth, even her grandmother and mother see the closeness the two share. She tries not to compare Seth to Austin, and there is NO competition. Seth is obviously by far the better man (I’ll admit some bias there).

 

And, yes a romance blooms between Seth and Victoria, long distance for now. But, Victoria also has her hands full with Austin, who I just didn’t trust. Especially when he changes his mind about Scarlett.

 

Henry enters the picture when Victoria heads to his area to compete.

 

What starts out as a simple competition turns into a national marketing and promotion campaign in the media.

 

Despite the fact there could only be one (1) winner, I was HONESTLY rooting for all three of them. Henry knows there is something going on between Seth and Victoria, even Marissa sees the sparks right there.

 

I was hoping for Seth and Victoria as a couple to win. And, not that isn’t alluding to the end of this. It was just something I was thinking.

 

Someone from Seth’s past shows up to spoil things …

 

Sadly, Victoria’s past comes up causing a dramatic shift in the entire tone of the book. It is the part of her past that she doesn’t reveal to Seth. There were two people I thought – 100% positive – that did it. The way Ross wrote this – it certainly had a HIGH PROBABILITY.

 

Even when the truth was revealed I really didn’t buy it. That’s how convincing the author was.

 

However, as we all know – this is a happily ever after ending. And, whatever I thought was going on, I was wrong. But, by page 305, with 70+ pages left, I COULD NOT PUT THIS DOWN. It really was a “don’t stop reading no matter what” moment.

 

I am not saying the other two books I read were bad, far from it. They were good with respect to their plots. This really was, from what I read, the author’s best work.

 

One interesting note, sometimes typos escape even editors, so this has a few (less than three). Usually that is something more common to ARCs than finished products. It doesn’t deter from the overall enjoyment of the book, and I very much enjoyed this.

 

Fans of the author, readers of the previous books in the series, and someone with an interest in fishing will more than likely LOVE this sweet and precious read.

 

RATING:

 

5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Goodreads

 

5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Bookbub

 

5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Personal Rating (see rating explanation in this blog: https://readingexcursions.blogspot.com/2020/01/rating-system-2020-changes.html)

 

 

 

Seasons of Alaska

 

Book 1: Mountains Apart

Book 2: A Case for Forgiveness

Book 3: If Not for a Bee

Book 4: A Family Like Hannah’s

Book 5: Bachelor Remedy

Book 6: In the Doctor’s Arms

 

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

 

Carol Ross lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two dogs. She is a graduate of Washington State. When not writing, or thinking about writing, she enjoys reading, hiking, skiing, travelling, and making plans for the next adventure to subject her sometimes reluctant but always fun-loving family to. 

 

 

You can find her on the following social media accounts:

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carolrossauthor/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carolross__/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/_CarolRoss

 

 

 

 

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