The steamy Alaska romance books make a cold setting feel H-O-T. These enchanting books showcase this picturesque yet brooding setting where nature plays a huge role in the plot. Your heart will be warmed in the cold. Fall in L-O-V-E with these top romance novels below.
List of the Best Alaska Romance Books
- The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
- The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker
- The Snow Child Eowyn Ivey
- The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morgenthaler
- The Unsinkable Greta James by Jennifer E. Smith
Spicy Alaska Romance Novel Reviews
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
The Great Alone features a developing relationship between teens Leni Allbright and Matthew Walker, set against their challenging lives in the Alaskan wilderness.
One of Kristin Hannah’s best books, The Great Alone‘s moody Alaska setting sets the stage for one extremely emotional love story. This is a book of family, love, and survival set in a harsh climate. While teen Leni’s family grapples with the PTSD of her father, Ernt, a recent POW in Vietnam, she befriends the local Matthew.
As the long and brutal winter approaches, Leni’s friendship blossoms into more. At the same time, life becomes a battle against nature in a series of very dramatic and consequential events.
The Great Alone has stayed with me since I first read it. On numerous occasions, I have searched “Alaska 1970s” to get a clear picture of the alluring state that became the backdrop for 13-year-old Leni’s love life.
It’s a breathtaking story about love and survival in the wilderness, which is both beautiful and devastating.
Related Post: The Great Alone Review
The Simple Wild by K. A. Tucker
The Simple Wild follows Calla Fletcher, a city girl who reconnects with her estranged, dying father in the Alaskan wilderness. This leads to unexpected personal growth and romance.
While braving the wilderness in order to connect with her father, Calla meets Jonah, a quiet and brooding Alaskan pilot who operates her father’s charter plane company.
Jonah doesn’t think Calla can “handle” Alaska, but Calla becomes determined to prove him wrong. As time passes, they form a bond. But Calla’s heart is in Toronto, and Jonah’s heart is in Alaska. Calla knows her parents failed in these exact circumstances years ago.
The “wild” is not so simple after all! The Simple Wild is a social media favorite that begins a series of four romance books.
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
The Snow Child is a Pulitzer Prize finalist that’s a good choice for fans of magical realism, winter settings, Where the Crawdads Sing, and The Giver of Stars.
Set in Alaska in 1920, it’s one of the best Winter books. The landscape has been harsh on Jack and Mabel, a childless couple drifting apart.
During the season’s first snowfall, they build a snow “child.” Although the snow child is gone by the next morning, a young blond girl of the wilderness, Faina, is seen running through the trees.
Faina seems to have appeared from the pages of a fairy tale, yet Jack and Mabel begin to love her as their daughter. Alaska can be both a violent and mysterious place, but Faina transforms them all.
The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morgenthaler
In The Tourist Attraction, Zoey is on her dream two-week vacation in Alaska when she visits Graham’s diner. He’s a local who’s unenthused about serving food to visitors. But Zoey is so kind interacting with the locals that she may change his heart.
It’s a lighthearted story that’s romantic (but not too steamy) and keeps you entertained with humor amidst its unique Alaskan setting. There’s even a rogue moose!
The Unsinkable Greta James by Jennifer E. Smith
The Unsinkable Greta James follows a struggling musician who embarks on an Alaskan cruise with her estranged father after her mother’s death, leading to healing and self-discovery amidst the scenic backdrop, as well as unexpected romance.
Greta James falls apart on stage after her mother’s sudden death. Still, she agrees to go on an Alaskan cruise with her unsupportive father, which was supposed to be a wedding anniversary celebration.
Greta befriends a handsome historian lecturing on “The Call of the Wild” and, ultimately, she must decide how to cope with her past and move forward in her future.
Despite sounding heavy, it’s a fairly light and realistic mix of real life and romantic love that takes its Alaskan setting “on board.”
Final Thoughts
The best Alaska romance books steam things up by making the cold yet beautiful setting part of the plot. My top pick is The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah, a gripping, bestselling historical fiction novel I still think about years later.
