A Soldier's Pledge

by Nadia Nichols

She's never lost a client, but this could be a first! Cameron Johnson thought she'd found the perfect life as a guide and bush pilot in Canada's Northwest Territories until one of her clients disappeared in the wilderness. Jack Parker had been searching for the dog that saved his life when he was deployed in Afghanistan-a dog his sister had helped bring stateside only to lose him along the Wolf River. Jack's traveling on a prosthetic leg, and after just one day, Cameron's sure he'll be ready to quit and climb into her canoe. Once she finds him. Well, she's about to get a thorough lesson in stubbornness from a veteran who won't give up…

287 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2017

About the author

Nadia went to the dogs at the age of 29 and currently operates a kennel of 40 Alaskan Huskies. She has raced for 15 years in northern New England and Canada, works at the family-owned Harraseeket Inn in Freeport, Maine, and is also a registered Maine guide. She began her writing career at the age of five, when she made her first sale, a short story called "The Bear," to her mother for 25 cents. This story was such a blockbuster that her mother bought every other story Nadia wrote, and kept her in ice cream money throughout much of her childhood.

Reviews

[Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up because I like wilderness adventures and survival stories. Cameron is a bush pilot, recovering from a divorce from a philandering husband and the loss of her father who died in a plane crash. Jack is a wounded soldier recovering from an amputation and learning to adapt to life with a prosthetic leg. He's traveled to the Northwest Territories to look for his dog, which his sister lost while camping there and thinks ran off to die after a bear attacked. Jack thinks otherwise and is determined to find his dog even though it’s been nearly a year since she was lost. Cameron gets involved when Jack's sister begs her to find Jack and persuade him to come home. She’d go herself but she’s eight months pregnant. She fears he's suicidal, and he doesn't yet know that his mother is ill. It takes some persuasion, but Cameron goes back and that's where the adventures begin.

I really liked this story. It deals with serious issues, but with a light hand and some gentle humor thrown in, and doesn't go over the top. Normally, I don't like it when characters fall in love too quickly. The events of this story happen over eight or so days. However, due to everything Cameron and Jack go through together, it works. In any case, I found it more believable than many other fast-paced relationships I encounter in romance. Despite the quick timeline, their interactions are meaningful and it manages to show the gradual way in which their feelings develop. I also loved that the people in this story are working class people who've lived hard. The love scenes are behind closed doors. There's not really any mental lusting. When Cameron and Jack are in dire straits, they aren't thinking about sex. They're thinking about survival, as they should. I also learned from this that some amputee soldiers can go back to active duty as Jack is considering. Overall, I really liked this one and definitely want to try more by the author.

[Kate Vale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cameron Johnson is a bush pilot and wilderness guide in Alaska, but she's also lonely and living in a falling-down trailer because her boss and the owner of the place is using her skills without paying what she deserves. Not that she's done much about that, but she prides herself on never having lost a client. When she is asked to fly Jack Parker, a veteran intent on finding the dog he rescued from Afghanistan, Cam has her doubts about him going into the wilderness alone, but he insists. Trouble is, when two stubbornly independent characters knock heads something has to give, and it's their respective hearts that occurs, but only after Jack heads on, on his prosthetic leg, and Cameron goes back to find and bring him out when Jack's sister insists.

All manner of near-disasters confront them as she looks for him and then finds him, but he won't quit, no matter what she says or does. And those near-disasters continue to occur as they attempt to find the dog Cam is certain is dead but Jack is just as certain would have survived. They find another dog, with a pup, but it's the wrong dog, and when they do find the right one, the man who has her isn't sure he wants to give her up. Happily for Jack, the dog makes clear who she wants to be with, which leaves Cameron out in the cold when Jack reiterates his intention of going back to his Army duties in the Middle East.

That was what he wanted in the first place, didn't he? Which means Cam is out in the cold again, after foolishly allowing her heart to be stolen by a man she suspects doesn't really care for her. Oh, the sex is good, but commitment? No way. Or, wait a minute. Are both of these flawed characters incorrect in their assessments of the other, unaware of what the other really wants?

A stupendous story set in the wilds of Alaska that jump off the page and pull the reader onto the difficult trails, even in the cold cold waters of the Mackenzie River. And, of course, into the hearts and minds of the two protagonists.

[Stormie Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could not put this down!!

[Harlequin Books]

received 4 stars @ Harlequin.com (as of 1/26/17). To view reviews, go HERE> http://www.harlequin.com/storeitem.ht...

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

The romance was wayyy too sudden. No tension or development just appeared out of nowhere, took me completely out of the story. DNF.