When Easton Lockett stopped to help the woman walking along the side of the road pulling a suitcase behind her, he had no idea that his life would never be the same. As an experienced mountaineer and guide, brother to Ashton, and best friend to proprietor of the Tourist Trap/mayor Graham, he knows where he stands. But meeting this woman, who jumps into his truck reluctantly and immediately starts talking to herself and taking some of her layers of clothes off, he is so thrown off balance that he calls for reinforcements. Specifically, he calls his friend and the local police officer Jonah, in case her form of crazy is dangerous.
But as he drives her up the road a little, he discovers who she was trying to talk to, her film crew Jessie and Bree. They are trying to make a film encouraging travel to Alaska, but they can’t get the permits they need to film in Moose Springs, so they’re working around the city to try to keep filming. River Lane is an actress turned filmmaker, and she brought her two best work friends with her to make this documentary about Alaska. But she only has so much of a budget to work with, so time is of the essence. She needs to get those permits to start filming in the city, or she needs another idea.
Easton is torn. As a lifelong resident of Moose Springs, he understands the way the locals feel about tourists. They don’t want them to feel welcome there, but the income they bring to the town helps a lot of places stay in business, including Easton. Without tourists, he doesn’t have anyone to guide up Denali or Mount Veil. And if these filmmakers are able to make and release their documentary, it’s possible that Moose Springs could be flooded with tourists. Easton doesn’t want to betray his friends and help the filmmakers.
But River just keeps getting under his skin.
When he gets hired to take River and her crew up Mount Veil, Easton isn’t surprised. Getting kicked out of the town, there are only so many other options for their film. But Mount Veil isn’t for beginners. It’s a serious mountain to climb, and he’s not so sure that he can get them all to the summit. But then River smiles at him, and he knows he has to try.
The climb starts out easy enough, once the film crew has met all of Easton’s exacting standards. They take a helicopter to their starting point, and get ready for the climb. River is a natural and has climbed more than her share of rock walls (and anything else she could find), so Easton doesn’t have to keep too close an eye on her. Jessie and Bree are less experienced, but they start out strong. Each day they make some progress, get some great shots for the documentary, and watch as the marmot who has been following them falls a little deeper in love with Easton.
But as the team goes higher on the mountain, and the filmmakers take more risks to get their film made, Easton gets more worried about the safety of the entire team. And as they get higher on the mountain, Easton’s and River’s feelings for each other grow deeper and more obvious, much to the marmot’s chagrin. As Easton’s warm feelings for River gets mixed in with his irritation at the risks they’re taking and his determination to keep them all in one piece until they get back off Mount Veil, will he be able to guide them all to the summit they so desperately want to film and back down to safety? Or will his new love affair be cut short by a tragic accident, or just by River’s disappointment at not being able to make it to the summit?
Enjoy the View is the third in the charming series of Moose Springs books by Sarah Morgenthaler. Each of these books (The Tourist Trap, Mistletoe and Mr. Right, and Enjoy the View) work as stand-alone rom coms, showing the life and love of one character of the small Alaskan town, but reading them all is a well-earned vacation to a bewitching small town filled with friends and family who support each other and pull together no matter what.
I have loved each of these books, from Graham’s delightful diner to Rick’s pool hall to Easton and his mountain. But Enjoy the View shows a side of the town and the landscape that are only a side story to the other books. Getting a chance to see Mount Veil from a climb is a completely new perspective, and the story line about making the film added an extra tension that kept the pages turning. I loved the slow burn between Easton and River, as they kept their heads while the fell in love with each other, making smart choices (usually), especially when their lives depended on it. I was hoping for more moose (it is Moose Springs, after all), but the addition of the lovesick marmot made for a wonderful addition.
If you’re looking for an irresistible read that combines adventure travel with humor, warmth, and romance, then you will enjoy Enjoy the View, for certain! It’s a keeper.
Egalleys for Enjoy the View were provided by Sourcebooks Casablanca through NetGalley, with many thanks.
