Newly published November 2019 editionCan you trust your instincts when they have betrayed you in the past?
Nature lover Litza York is thrilled when she gets the opportunity to finish her PhD in Eastern Finland, researching the rare Saimaa seal. The landscape’s magical beauty and the residents’ friendly hospitality lure her to believe she has come to the right place to forget about her troubled … come to the right place to forget about her troubled past.
But the idyll is soon disrupted when someone starts poisoning the object of her study, bringing the Saimaa seal to the verge of extinction.
Together with handsome park ranger Niilo Vuorokoski, she does all she can to protect her favorite animal and ends up bringing herself in mortal danger…
Romantic suspense meets cozy crime in Finland’s lonely countryside.
*** The Northern Nights Series is a series of romantic suspense standalones with no cheating, no cliffhangers and a guaranteed happy ending. Contains adult language and nudity.***
For fans of Sandra Brown and Nora Roberts.
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She needs to put her past behind her so when she gets a chance to research the rare seal in Finland. Then some were being killed by poison and she wants to stop it. She joins forces with a danger to help stop it. Can they stop it? Are they now in danger? See how they get on
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
White Nights is a very engaging story that draws the reader right in. The story takes place in Oravi, a small, quaint town in Finland, where the residents are friendly and willing to help with anything that is needed; a place where everyone knows everyone, and most folks know everyone else’s business too. It is an environment I loved reading about, and one most anyone would want to live in. A graduate level student, Litza, arrives in this picturesque place, from the U.S., to complete her doctoral degree in Biology, while studying a rare variety of seal that lives only in this area of the world. She meets the hero, Niilo, who is manager of the nearby national park where the seals live and are presumed protected.
Nonetheless—beneath the comfortable, safe, small-town ambience lies a mystery. It is a dangerous mystery, involving a madman who is trying to wipe-out as many of the seals as he can. Niilo, Litza, and almost the entire population of the town of Oravi work feverishly to discover the perpetrator.
The relationship between Litza and Niilo is a slow-burn. But when they do finally connect, it’s nothing short of wonderful. I would say this book might be what some readers refer to as a ‘clean’ romance. I admit I haven’t read very many of those. Litza and Niilo do embark on a romantic relationship that includes sexual intimacy, but the author leaves most of the graphic details to the reader’s imagination. Despite that, these parts of the story still fired-off sparks for me, and the relationship between the two main characters warmed my heart.
I was also enchanted by all the cultural details of Finnish society the author referred to, including such traditions as eating Pulla with coffee, Niilo making fish stew (known as ‘kalamojakka’ here in the US), taking sauna, and the vasta, the soft birch bundle ‘switch’ Niilo made for gently slapping one’s skin in the sauna. These details brought back fond memories of growing up in my own Finnish-American family.
The characters were well-written, well-rounded and most of them charmed my socks off. I felt this romantic-suspense tale proceeded at a satisfying pace along both of its main arcs: resolving both the tense predicament of the seals and the fledgling romance between the main characters. The theme at the core of White Nights’ plot was poignant, interesting and timely. While the story is fiction, the seals themselves truly are endangered. It’s good that the author directed more light on the plight of these seals, and did it in an interesting way. I’m eagerly looking forward to reading the next book in the series. White Nights is absolutely a 5-star read for me.
I received this book as an advance readers copy the only request was for an honest review. World building was incredibly well done, and character building was exceptional as well causing you to feel for the characters. The storyline and plot lines were both well developed. The story follows the main character who travels to Finland to finish her thesis on the Saimaa Seal, and what follows is mystery, mayhem, and murder. Jenna really did her research well and brought to light the plight of the Saimaa seal which is an endangered species. I highly recommend this book if you like mystery, adventure, travel, learning new information regarding the animals that we share this planet with, and action fast paced thrillers. This is an exceptionally well-written novel.
This was a great thriller to read. There are tons of twists and turns, and questioning that instinct that screams at you on too flip you the other direction. Only to be thrown into a great hea. With this book now it makes want to read others by this author because this I’d the first book for me from her. I strongly recommend if you into suspenseful, thrillers, mystery books.
A love story with cultural clashes, beautiful nature scenery, life in a rather small town, crime against nature, and a great happy ending. Jenna explores well the differences between America and Finland and the difficulties one faces when moving to another country. An easy to read and very interesting book. A promising start for the series.
Litza head for Finland to finish her PhD. She’s studying Saimaa ringed seals, endangered and only found in one Finnish lake. Niilo works for the parks service, and he’s a player. His aunt, Litza’s advisor, warns him about using her as part of his “toy collection”. Someone is killing the seals, at first using illegal fish traps, then fish stuffed with rat poison. This book certainly has it’s romantic aspect, but it’s also a terrific suspense story. Litza has baggage from her prior abusive marriage, and Niilo doesn’t win any awards for good relationships. It’s wonderful to watch them move forward on their romantic journey. But they also work to solve the mystery, along with the police and several others in town. There are some hints along the way, and twice I thought I knew who the culprit was, only to find out I was wrong. Litza could not have found a better group of people in this little town – so accepting of her, and willing to extend the hand of friendship to a newcomer. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, as I did the last one I read from this author. The story grabbed me from the beginning. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I found this book amazing and I fell love with Litza’s favorite animal, the Saimaa seal. I could identify with the doctorate candidate, having recently completed mine. I could not imagine someone killing off the topic – mine was children and education. This author has presented a wonderful romantic suspense that certainly pulled me in. I am looking forward to more by this author.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This book was eye opening to Finnish culture, if it’s accurate as I have no clue. I guess I would be considered a “prude American” as referred to in the book. While there weren’t any detailed love scenes it did have a lot of nudity and sexual occurrences. The book wasn’t what I enjoy readying but the plot was well written and the killer was a surprise.
After reading the blurb, I was looking forward to this romantic suspense book. Unfortunately, the book fell flat and was a but disappointing. It was an interesting story idea with the story set in Finland. The mystery was and relationship between the characters were lacking. I learned a lot about seals, though!
I’ve read I believe three of Jenna’s books and I liked them but this one fell for me. It was a new concept with characters I wasn’t able to relate to or understand. I wouldn’t recommend this novel but will recommend some of her other books such as Until its Gone and My Husband’s Secret. The blurb and cover are really enticing which is the reason I decided to read it.
I wrote this voluntary review in exchange for an ARC copy.