First published 2018
Josie Avery takes a summer cooking job at a lakeside lodge in Ponder, Alaska, before starting her dream position as sous chef in Seattle. The remote town charms her with its tight community, including Jack Corcoran, who tends the famous sourdough starter, and Palmer Saxon, a master swordsmith whose quiet intensity draws her in. Through the long summer days, Josie and Palmer grow close, but she plans to return to Seattle and the career she has worked toward. Palmer wants to marry her and keep her in Ponder, yet Josie cannot imagine leaving her mother in Seattle or abandoning her professional goals for this isolated place. Winter arrives early and Josie misses the final boat out of town. Stranded in Ponder with her dream job at risk, she faces an impossible choice as Christmas approaches. The holidays force Josie and Palmer to confront what happens when their separate dreams collide with an unexpected reality.
Genres: fiction, romance, adult-fiction, contemporary-romance
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water
Setting: Ponder, Alaska, Seattle
Period: Summer, Winter, Christmas
256 pages · Hardcover · Ballantine Books