Review: Tiffinie Helmer has done it again... you'll want to book a trip to Alaska to find your own wild man!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 18, 2013
HOOKEDIt’s been 3 weeks since I’ve read HOOKED by Tiffinie Helmer but I can still remember everything about this book.  HOOKED is the second book from the Romance on the Edge series, EDGE being the first Book.  While HOOKED can be read as a total stand-alone, I would high recommend reading EDGE.  Not only does it take place in one of my most favorite area in Alaska, Homer, it is another fantastic enthralling romance story.  Ms. Helmer does such a magnificent job describing the area that you will feel like you have actual been there yourself and the suspense will keep you on the “EDGE” of your seat!OK…back to Hooked, this time Ms. Helmer takes her readers west of Homer, towards the Bering Sea.  Yes, this is the same place the popular TV show Deadliest Catch is filmed, only this time the Captain of the fishing boat is a young women, Sonya Savonski.  Her family has been fishing these waters her whole life and now she is ready to prove that she has what it takes to fish with the Big Boys.  Sonya is no fool, she knows exactly how dangerous these waters can be, she lost her parents and twin sister many years ago to the deadly waters.The story opens with Sonya picking up her fishing crew, her grandparents, from the tiny remote airport. Along with her grandparents, the small airplane also had another passage, Garrett Hunt (who we met briefly in Book one, Edge).  Of course, grandpa zeroed in on him almost instantly as a potential husband for his granddaughter.  The moment Sonya and Garrett meet, the chemistry between them starts to sizzle, until Sonya discovers that Garrett is a “Fish Cop”.  Alaska State Troopers and Fisherman have a long history of not playing nice together, so imagine Sonya’s horror to find out her attraction is to the enemy.Not only does Sonya have her hands full with her growing desire for the fish Cop, there is Aidan, the object of her past affections.  His family has been coming to the Bering Seas every year for as long as Sonya’s family. Therefore, in a sense, Aidan and Sonya grew up together.  They had a summer romance the last year that ended badly after Sonya informed Aiden she planned to captain her own ship this summer. Now Aiden has every intent on making it up to her and show Sonya that he is a different man, willing do whatever it takes to get her back in his arms.Sonya is one headstrong, independent, and very capable woman, who totally has what it takes to captain a ship and keep up with the “good old boys club”, 'til one by one mysterious accidents start happening.  Can you guess who is called in to investigate these accidents?  Yes, our hero Garrett.  Watching these two characters go head to head was a sheer joy.  I love to see women who can stand her ground, even if she is being a bit pig headed at times.  I thoroughly got a kick out of the constant bantering between Sonya and Garrett.Garrett has a strong hunch that these incidents are no accidents and that someone is out to sabotage Sonya and her crew, but Sonya won’t hear of it.  She can’t wrap her head around the fact that someone would want to harm her or her family, until the truth is staring her in the face.  One of the things I respected about Sonya, she knows when to throw in the towel and wasn’t ashamed to ask for assistance when she finally came to the realization that she indeed did need help.Will Garrett be able to get to the bottom of who is out to cause Sonya harm?  Will Aiden be able to convince Sonya that he’s a changed man, deserving of a second chance?  Will Sonya be able to finish the fishing season safely and with her heart in one piece?  I can happily say, yes, all these questions are answered and more.Ms. Helmer was woven an marvelous story, that kept me engaged and intrigued up to the very end.  Just as with EDGE, by the time you are done with HOOKED, you’ll feel like you just came back from your very own adventure on the Bering Sea.ImpactI love stories about lovers who reunite for a second chance at love. And I love stories that take place in my home state of Alaska!With this short story by Tiffinie Helmer, I have both.When Wren Terni returns to her village for a wedding, the last person she wants to see is Alaska State trooper Skip Ozhuwan, the man who arrested and sent her to jail for 5 years. But as luck would have it, he is on the same small 3 seat plane as her. When they crash in the mountains, these two have to face each other and deal with their sordid past, or freeze to death.I LOVED the fact that Ms. Helmer does an amazing job of stay true to the reality of living in Alaska. I had to laugh at some of the lines, shaking my head and saying, yep, that’s Alaska.This was the first time I read anything written by Tiffinie Helmer, I was so impressed by the fact that this was a short story, 67 pages on my Nook, yet, it was so well written that I didn’t feel rushed or cheated.As soon as I was done with Impact, I immediately went to B&N; and downloaded Moosed Up, the second book in the Wild Men of Alaska Series.