First Kiss before Frost

I really enjoyed this romance, with a great setting in Alaska, two well-matched, competent, intelligent main characters, and a touch of suspense running through it to keep everything interesting. Lulu is a dancer on a cruise ship temporarily docked in Lost Harbor who jumps ship and takes refuge on Tristan's fishing boat. Initially he doesn't quite know what to make of her. She's gorgeous, quirky, and in the habit of cracking jokes in order to deflect his attention from getting the full story of why she left her ship in the first place. She does tell him that she's running from a guy on the ship who she recognized as an internationally wanted criminal. He isn't quite sure what to believe, but when his truck is blown up the following day as a warning, he realizes that Lulu is in a bit more trouble than she let on, and becomes determined to help her. Tristan is a "nice" guy, a natural born leader, although he'd reject that description, and there's no way he's going to walk away from Lulu, especially once he learns the extent of the trouble she's in. Once he decides to help her, he's all in and together, they make a great team. The author deftly balanced their growing attraction and romance with just enough suspense to keep the story interesting and moving along at a good pace. I've only read one of the previous books in this series, but although there were appearances by other characters from previous books, I never felt lost, so a reader could definitely jump in here, even though this is the 11th in a series set in Lost Harbor. I received a free copy of this book from the author and am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.