Review: Enjoy the View

I've been having so much fun reading Sarah Morgenthaler's Moose Springs series. I liked Mistletoe and Mr. Right, the second book, a bit more than The Tourist Attraction, the first, and I liked Enjoy the View a bit more than that! I don't know if it's because I'm loving the town more the more I read about it or there was something about Easton and River's story that really drew me in. No matter the reason, I enjoyed reading it!

Here's the synopsis:

A grouchy mountaineer, a Hollywood starlet
And miles of untamed wilderness...
What could possibly go wrong?

Former Hollywood darling River Lane's acting career is tanking fast. Determined to start fresh behind the camera, she agrees to film a documentary about the picturesque small town of Moose Springs, Alaska. The assignment should have been easy, but the quirky locals want nothing to do with River. Well, too bad: River's going to make this film and prove herself, no matter what it takes.
Or what (literal) mountain she has to climb.
Easton Lockett may be a gentle giant, but he knows a thing or two about survival. If he can keep everyone in line, he should be able to get River and her crew up and down Mount Veil in one piece. Turns out that's a big if. The wildlife's wilder than usual, the camera crew's determined to wander off a cliff, and the gorgeous actress is fearless. Falling for River only makes Easton's job tougher, but there's only so long he can hold out against her brilliant smile. When bad weather strikes, putting everyone at risk, it'll take all of Easton's skill to get them back home safely...and convince River she should stay in his arms for good.

As usual, I was both frustrated and understanding of how the residents of Moose Springs were treating River. They need the tourists to be able to stay financially viable but they also want absolutely nothing to do with them. So, they treat River pretty terribly. She, like I, can't quite understand why they don't want their town overrun with tourists so her enthusiasm rubs them all the wrong way. I don't think they need to be assholes though and I felt the same as I did when Lana was butting heads with the entire town as well. And there's even a quick scene with Zoey, the heroine from the first book, is "othered" and treated like an out of towner. Graham may be head over heels in love with her but it's like it physically pains and sickens him that she didn't grow up there. It's the strangest thing.

I've never had the urge to climb mountains. I could barely get my spindly arms to cooperate during rock climbing week in gym class during high school. (I haven't tried it as an adult but since I seem to have developed a fear of heights, I figure I probably shouldn't give it a go.) But. That doesn't mean that I was uninterested in the story as Easton, River, and her team climbed Mount Veil. (Which, as I'm realizing as I'm writing this...doesn't actually exist.) The mountain climbing took up a longer portion of the book than I expected (and maybe a touch too long and technical) and there was a lot of drama. Like absolutely terrifying and I-was-afraid-for-their-lives kind of drama. It added to the suspense of the building romance between River and Easton. It was like climbing the mountain was a giant, long foreplay session. And that was not a bad thing! I remembered that Morgenthaler keeps everything other than kissing behind very closed doors so I liked that the pair flirted and teased each other. It was so fun and sweet to read.

Speaking of love stories. There's a marmot that follows Easton and the group when they're climbing the mountain. It is the most ridiculous thing but I absolutely adored it. Because why not have a rodent fall in love with a tall, bearded mountain man. Honestly, I can't explain how hilarious and adorable it was.

Even though the Moose Springs series hasn't WOW-ed me, I've been having a lot of fun reading Sarah Morgenthaler's novels. Enjoy the View has been my favourite so far and I definitely recommend reading it (and the rest of the books) if you want to armchair travel to Alaska. They're funny and sweet and the small town feel is so great to read (especially for this small town girl). I do hope there will be another book - I want to see Ash, Easton's twin sister, get her love story too!

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Sourcebooks Casablanca, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*