Four Alaskan Oil Riggers. One Contest. Four Blind Dates. Who says there are no more mail order brides… one of us.
Shelby is perfect. Gorgeous, funny, from a good family and studying to be a teacher. I came from the wrong side of every track, and Shelby is a taste of the sweet life I never had. I know she’s too good for me, but now I’m starting to wonder: Is she really who I think she is?
Shelby
I was all out of choices back home and I had to get away. A free ticket to Alaska was the escape I needed. Now I’m in the middle of nowhere with a stranger – a sexy oil rigger who’s everything I didn’t know I wanted. I’m falling for him, but I can’t let him get too close. What will happen if he finds out who I really am?
This was book was previously published as Elijah’s Hope.
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This book is delicious little bite of romantic fun! A couple of bachelors plan a contest to bring blind dates to Alaska – a fun twist on mail-order brides. It’s full of Stephanie’s quick banter and sexy good times!
Surprising tenderness in this insta-love romance.
I’ll admit that a group of lonely roughnecks is pure catnip for me, so I was hooked before I even started this book. It was everything I was hoping for, and more.
Eli thinks he knows exactly what he wants, and Shelby checks all his boxes. But the secret she’s hiding turns out to be more than he bargained for. The clever writing draws the reader in to their intense attraction and sweet romance, and by the time the secrets are all bared, sympathies don’t necessarily fall where they should. There is the requisite groveling, but not from whom you’d expect.
I enjoyed this book very much, and was quite satisfied with the HEA.
Elijah’s Hope is the first book in a new interconnected series. With a fresh take on the idea of a blind date, I really enjoyed this story. Well written, I liked the author’s writing style very much, and I found all the characters very appealing.
Elijah is large in stature but not overbearing in nature, he’s kind and considerate in a sort of rough and ready way. However, he’s not afraid to let his inner caveman loose when the situation calls for it. Shelby is an intriguing character. Definitely odd at the beginning, rather old fashioned in her habits and way of speaking and I couldn’t help wondering what was going on behind the eccentric and slightly overboard southern mannerisms. Her reactions, together with the banter and camaraderie between Elijah and his colleagues was entertaining and certainly had me laughing out loud.
Love happens fairly quickly here but I didn’t feel it was over the top, it felt natural enough under the circumstances. There was no rush to the bedroom but once they took that next step, oh boy did things heat up and the sexy times are very steamy! However, as the saying goes, the course of true love never runs smooth, and although there isn’t a great deal of drama and angst to the story overall, there’s a definite feeling that trouble will arrive at some point to knock our pair off their feet.
All in all, this book is a quick, easy and enjoyable read with a lovely feel to it. A great start to this series. There are some very intriguing side characters and from what I’ve seen of them so far, I think we’re in for a treat with their stories too.
This is a new take on a blind date. I mean what are you to do when you live in the farthest reaches of Alaska and there are no prospects for dates? The men come up with the bright idea of having a Facebook contest of sorts where dating potentials submit their profiles and the ones selected are given a round trip ticket to Alaska for a two week “date.” First up is Elijah, AKA “Angel” as he is dubbed by his coworkers since it was his idea to begin with. He selected Shelby from Louisiana. She arrives wearing a thin dress with a denim jacket and wedges. Not exactly Alaska outer wear even if it is August. Eli is charmed immediately by Shelby and her innocent wonder and excitement with the simple things. She is a breath of fresh air for a man who thinks he doesn’t deserve it. Although Shelby has a few secrets of her own. What will happen when all the secrets come out? Will they be able to get past them or not? Definitely worth a read and I am absolutely looking forward to Jackson’s story, especially after the tease we get when his date arrives!
I really enjoyed this book. The fun premise leads into an emotional romance. I liked both characters so much. They both had baggage that added a lot of depth to their characters. Elijah was a study in contrasts. He was a sweet, southern charmer, that could be alpha when required wrapped around a core of pain and sadness from his childhood. Shelby had secrets but was still easy to like. You just basically went in knowing that there was much more to her and her story than you were getting and that it was going to be a bombshell that rocked this couple’s budding romance. I liked it and look forward to the next book in this series.
What happens when a group of men work in the wilds of Alaska on an oil rig with barely any female contact? Well, they decide to create a contest on Facebook to entice women to visit them for a 2-week vacation and maybe some love. Elijah is the instigator behind this scheme and finds the perfect woman to bring to Hope’s Point, Shelby. Shelby is captivating, sexy and sweet, just what Elijah wanted. Shelby can’t believe her luck when she is selected to go to Alaska. When we meet her, she seems to be the sweet, friendly woman Elijah expects but as we get to know her, we find she is running from someone and Elijah gave her the chance she needed. As they date, Elijah finds fun ways to share his love of Alaska and the outdoors with Shelby, you get a sense that there is a real chance at love for them. I loved that Shelby is reserved at first which really allowed them to get to know each other which lead naturally to a sexual connection between them. As they each reveal parts of themselves, we learn more about Elijah’s childhood and his sadness at what his mom had to do to make ends meet. Shelby knows that the person she is pretending to be is what Elijah wants, what will happen when he learns the truth about her? Will they still have a chance at love? Shelby is awesome. When I found out her true situation, I was very proud of her strength and determination to find a new path and taking a risk on Alaska. Elijah is complex. There is a desire to find love but he carries so much hurt from his childhood that he struggles with his true feelings. I loved when he finally went to see his mom after so many years apart. I had a lot of fun with the Alaska Dating Games, the group of guys are a great mix of personalities and their idea is clever. I voluntarily read an ARC of this book and this is my honest review.
The Bachelor comes to Alaska…….
I don’t care for the reality show, so it took me a while to get into the book.
Several men who work on oil rigs in Alaska decide to run a contest to bring women to the small Alaska town where they are based. This book is the story of Elijah & Shelby; the first 2 “participants”. As with many online dating sites, the have both embellished their profiles in hopes of enticing just the right person; Shelby more so than Eli. Of course, when Eli finds out he’s furious and doesn’t want to have anything more to do with Shelby. Eventually, he comes around, forgives her, chases after her and they get their HEA.
Overall an good read; just not my normal storyline.
The author does a very awesome job of bringing the characters to life. When Shelby speaks you can just hear her babbling voice as she rambles along. The physical descriptions of the places and all the characters are detailed and easy to visualize without being wordy. The premise of the plot is superb. Shelby and Elijah are two lost souls looking for safe harbor. The scenes between them build up slowly from playful to hot. The dilemma that divides them comes at a great point in the story and leaves plenty of time for the happily ever after to be achieved without a rush to the ending. A very well written book.