Take Me Home

Last Frontier Lodge Novels, Book 1

By: J.H. Croix

Narrated by: Hollis McCarthy

Length: 6 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's Summary

From best-selling author, J.H. Croix, a sensual and steamy Christmas romance set against the wilderness and beauty of small-town Alaska!

Gage Hamilton is a smoldering Navy SEAL and a man on a mission. He's returning to Diamond Creek, Alaska, to resurrect his dream of reopening Last Frontier Lodge. Marley Adams moves back home hoping to find a sense of security and safety after it was stolen from her.

Gage has spent many years successfully avoiding emotional entanglements. He is looking for nothing more than peace and sanctuary at his family's old ski lodge. His new neighbor, Marley, was definitely not part of his plans. Marley is a brainy computer whiz and way too sexy for Gage's own good. A man who prides himself on always being in control, Gage finds that he has little when it comes to Marley.

Marley only wants to get her feet back under her after her world was turned upside down in Seattle. She's been focused on little else beyond her work and is seriously out of practice with anything resembling romance...including the scorching hot attraction that sizzles anytime Gage crosses her path.

Gage and Marley are powerless against the magnetic pull between them. Steamy and snowy nights weave a spell around them. While Marley thought she escaped whoever set out to hurt her in Seattle, she finds the threat of danger has followed her to Diamond Creek. Gage must face the depth of his feelings for Marley when he realizes he will do anything to protect her. Can Marley and Gage discover love in time for Christmas? The magic of a white Christmas is right around the corner.

All novels in this series are full-length standalone novels with an HEA.

©2015 J.H. Croix (P)2016 J.H. Croix

A Sweet Romance

This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.

The narrator did an excellent job on both the female and male voice with the right amount of emotion,

Marley has moved back home after a robbery and pistol whipping while living in Seattle. Gage is reopening his grandparents ski lodge. They meet and have an attraction immediately that neither has felt before. The dialogue and secondary characters were enjoyable and added to the story. I like that it didn't drag on forever and both parties were cautious falling in love
Some steam, but not over done...I really liked both H and h.
Worth the credit and listen

No place like home.

I love this author so was so happy to listen to this book. Loved Gage and Marlee's story and how they were both in need of healing from past tragedies and when they found each other they did heal. I love the story telling this author does and gives us the description of living in Alaska. I could picture the scene as the narrator told their story. Hollis McCarthy did a good job, I will say I prefer to listen to both a male and female narrator for the characters but she told the story well. I would recommend this book and will be listening to the next in this series.

Gage and Marley!

Marley left Diamond Creek and moved to Seattle to pursue her career and experience a different kind of life. When she walks in on a robbery at her home she is traumatized and heads back to the place where she felt the safest. After the death of his grandparents Gage and his siblings inherited the Last Frontier Lodge. He is an ex-Navy SEAL who is trying to adjust to civilian life and is scarred by what he has seen and done. A chance meeting leads to them working together and they become close. When it appears the threat of her past has resurfaced will he be able to keep her safe so that they can have their happily ever after? This is a story about family, love with a little suspense. I look forward to reading the rest of this series. I thought the narrator did a great job of bring the story to life.

Well worth the credit

Sexy seal, check. Kind of clueless chick, check. Irresistible attraction, check. Keeping herself safe from danger, check. Seriously? I LOVE this trope, don't you? Plus, Marley rendered some serious help to Gage as he worked to get his lodge opened in time for the holidays. They fall in love and live happily ever after, sigh. Thank you, Ms. Croix, for the chance to listen in exchange for my honest opinion. It's my pleasure. The narrator is good, btw. Frankly, I tire fast of high pitched girl voices, especially reading the sexy parts. It takes the spark away. So thanks for the smooth toned Hollis McCarthy.

Heartwarming

This story was great! It ran the gamut of emotions from sorrow, anger, hope, suspense, happiness and excitement. Great characters, too! Very good start to the series!

Learning to trust and release control...

Marley has returned to her hometown in Alaska after being attacked when she walked in on a robbery in progress...in her home. She suffers with a form of PTSD (panic attacks, etc) that forced her to quit her high level job as a computer programmer in Seattle. One morning she is exploring walking trails when she decides to check in on the old ski lodge that has been closed. There she runs into the new owner, Gage, who has inherited the lodge from his grandmother, and is getting ready to reopen. Ex navy seal, Gage, has come to Alaska to recover from his last tour overseas, where he watched his best friend die. He feels an instant attraction to Marley and what better way to explore that attraction than to accept her offer to work on setting up the Lodge's website? Soon enough the pair begin dating. The locals also rally around Gage to get the lodge back up and running. When someone from Marley's past begins to threaten her, Gage goes into alpha mode...so endearing. This is a quick, sweet read with a bit of suspense thrown it.

I love romance, but...

I was looking for a distracting, fun holiday story. I love Alaska and military men, but I found this disappointing. Way too predictable, and too cheesy. I swear, if I heard "Rock hard abs" one more time, I would have thrown my phone across the room! And I thought the narrator could have done a better job...some of her characters sounded like James Cagney. sorry, just not my cup of tea.

Lovely Story

The Narrator Hollis McCarthy did an okay job of reading this audio book.

The actual story was beautiful and the characters were great.

I must admit however that I hated the vulgar language used. Why do authors think they need to use words like C__K and F__K? It really isn't necessary. This story would have been amazing without those words.

Love Story in Alaska

Any additional comments?

I received this audio book from the author at no charge for an honest review. This is the first book in the series. I really enjoyed the premise of the story of two people with problems finding love and overcoming their problems together. The book is set in the mountains in Alaska at an old ski lodge. Gage, a retired Navy SEAL, returns to the ski lodge that he and his siblings inherit from their grandmother. Marley returns home after being attacked in her apartment in Seattle. There is suspense as they try to figure out who and why Marley was attacked. Gage and Marley have great chemistry and definitely care for each other.
This is a great listen and Hollis McCarthy did a wonderful job of narrating it. If I hadn't received the book, I would gladly have used a credit on it.

Great Christmas love story

This book has it all, chemistry and suspense. the family dynamics are terrific, while the story line keeps your attention. The narration kept you wanting to listen until the book was finished.

BEAUTIFUL LOVE STORY

I brought Christmas on the Last Frontier, expecting the story to be completely different & based back in the old time in the Homestead, but it's not & what a heck of a HOT love story it is between ex Navy Seal Gage Hamilton, who's come back to Alaska after the family being away for a good couple of decades. and Gage had come back & left the Military (& it's here I was a little disappointed as we don't see him open up to his love interest about things, though that's only me being pinikity, as we do know his story) after he had been given the majority hold of the family's old Town's Ski Lodge & decided that he had to get it up & going again, especially after talking to his new neighbour computer advertiser Marley Adams, who herself had not long come back to Alaska from living & working in Seattle for the post decade. AND she came back due to not feeling safe there & just needed to be home.
But heck these 2 connected from the off start & they both helped each other, she with helping getting the lodge up together with him, old & new employees & Gage helping with the suspense of finding out who's contacting her & who it was that destroyed her life as she knew it, in Seattle.
But hey you have to thank that person in the long run as if that hadn't happened in her life, these 2 HOT love birds find, help & fall in love with each other.
Recommended Read & even narrator Hollis McCarthy wasn't too bad

Very well written

Any additional comments?

I never listen to an audiobook from this author before I received audiobook 3 in this series from the author herself. Because of that book, I decided to start this series from the beginning and that's the reason why I now write this :)
I really do like this contemporary romance series from J. H. Croix. First of because the story feels real - like stories without fantastic heroes and an unrealistic storyline. It contains great alpha males and sweet women, a lot of hot and steamy sex and in this one, you even find a bad guy. You also find two people who, despite not feeling sure about needing or wanting love, never let the love for each other go. The fight in this series is the inside fight in the main characters about accepting love finding them even when they weren't looking - but when sparkles fly they have to give in!
I love J.H. Croix descriptions of Alaska - actually so much that I really wanna visit Alaska myself even though I'm definitely more of a "sun-girl". The descriptions of the nature, people and the connections between people are so well written that you're almost able to watch the scenes in front of you while you listen to the narrator.
The narrator is well chosen for this series, and I'm so glad to see Hollis McCarthy has been narrating all 3 audiobooks in this series, and I cross my fingers she will be chosen as the narrator for the rest of the books in the series!