Any Trope But You

Any Trope But You by Victoria Lavine | 327 pages | 2025

Beloved romance author Margot Bradley has a dark secret: she doesn’t believe in Happily Ever Afters. Not for herself, not for her readers, and not even for her characters, for whom she secretly writes alternate endings that swap weddings and babies for divorce papers and the occasional slashed tire. When her Happily Never After document is hacked and released to the public, she finds herself canceled by her readers and dropped by her publisher.

Desperate to find a way to continue supporting her chronically ill sister, Savannah, Margot decides to trade meet-cutes for murder. The fictional kind. Probably. But when Savannah books Margot a six-week stay in a remote Alaskan resort to pen her first murder mystery, Margot finds herself running from a moose and leaping into the arms of the handsome proprietor, making her fear she’s just landed in a romance novel instead.

The last thing Dr. Forrest Wakefield ever expected was to leave his dream job as a cancer researcher to become a glorified bellhop. What he’s really doing at his family’s resort is caring for his stubborn, ailing father, and his puzzle-loving mind is slowly freezing over—until Margot shows up. But Forrest doesn’t have any room in his life for another person he could lose, especially one with a checkout date.

As long snowy nights and one unlikely trope after another draw Margot and Forrest together, they’ll each have to learn to overcome their fears and set their aside assumptions before Margot leaves—or risk becoming a Happily Never After story themselves.

(Synopsis taken from Goodreads)

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

 Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer-215 pages

⭐⭐⭐

Goodreads Synopsis: In April 1992 a young man from a well-to-do family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. His name was Christopher Johnson McCandless. He had given $25,000 in savings to charity, abandoned his car and most of his possessions, burned all the cash in his wallet, and invented a new life for himself. Four months later, his decomposed body was found by a moose hunter. How McCandless came to die is the unforgettable story of Into the Wild.

Immediately after graduating from college in 1991, McCandless had roamed through the West and Southwest on a vision quest like those made by his heroes Jack London and John Muir. In the Mojave Desert he abandoned his car, stripped it of its license plates, and burned all of his cash. He would give himself a new name, Alexander Supertramp, and , unencumbered by money and belongings, he would be free to wallow in the raw, unfiltered experiences that nature presented. Craving a blank spot on the map, McCandless simply threw the maps away. Leaving behind his desperate parents and sister, he vanished into the wild.

Thoughts: This was our latest read for the Anything Goes Book Club. It's pretty good and presents a compelling story about McCandless and his escapades. However, much of the Alaskan wilderness part of the story is Krakauer's speculation based on limited evidence and information. McCandless' journal of his time in interior Alaska is only 430 words, so there's very little for Krakauer (or any reader) to glean based on it, but Krakauer tries. There are some of the opinion that this book should be categorized as fiction because of the rampant speculation. I wouldn't go that far, but it is a lot of speculation. Overall, it's a decent read, but it doesn't get full marks. 

The Call of the Wild by Jack London

 The Call of the Wild by Jack London-120 pages

⭐⭐⭐1/2

Buck is a domesticated pet for a local judge in Alaska. He's a big dog (a mix between a St. Bernard and a Scotch shepherd) and weighs 150 lbs. One day, the gardener for the judge kidnaps him and sells him to Perrault and Charles, who are not kind. They own many sled dogs, mostly Huskies, and most of the dogs are also not kind. Buck learns to be tough and mean. He is then sold to mail carriers who are less mean, but still using the dogs as a means to an end. Finally, he's sold to Hal, Charles, and Mercedes. Hal and Charles know nothing about sleds or sled dogs, but want to travel to Dawson. Finally, Buck meets John Thornton who saves him from certain death by continuing on with Hal, Charles, and Mercedes. It's clear that John cares for Buck and Buck grows to care for John. How long will this relationship last? Will Buck stick around or will he heed the call of the wild? 

For such a short book, a lot happens in these pages. Buck goes through several different owners and has quite the adventure. Overall, the book is pretty good. It has the language from the first publishing in 1903 and some of it is outdated to be kind. There's a decent amount of violence, especially for a juvenile fiction book. 

Alaska Twilight by Colleen Coble

Alaska Twilight by Colleen Coble-309 pages

Haley has a disability so she hides behind her camera.  But throughout this book she faces her fears and begins to trust again.  She experiences frightening sights, but through it all her self confidence grows and in the end she may even find love.  Very suspenseful and a good read.  I enjoyed it very much.

Winter's End by Paige Shelton

 Winter's End by Paige Shelton-263 pages

4th in the Alaskan Wild series.  Beth is in hiding from her abductor.  There are a few people in Benedict, Alaska who knows who she really is.  Besides being a famous author she is also an amateur sleuth.  The townspeople are conducting the death walk which occurs when winter is over just to make sure that all have survived.  When several people have gone missing they so not know if their disappearances are connected.  There are alot of plot twists that keeps you guessing.  I enjoy this series very much.  Beth is also originally from Missouri, which is another reason why I like the series.

Dark Night by Paige Shelton

Dark Night by Paige Shelton--390 pages

3rd in the Alaska Mystery series.  Beth who is an author is hiding from a man who kidnapped her and left her for dead.  She has moved to a remote area in Alaska where she feels safe.  Only a few people there know her real story.  While there she has become an amateur sleuth and is very helpful in helping the sheriff solve murders.  I love this series and am looking forward to reading #4 "Winter's End".

Running Wild by K.A. Tucker

Running Wild by K.A. Tucker -- 370 pages

Veterinarian Marie Lehr knows unrequited love all too well after pining for her best friend, only to watch him marry another woman. It’s a mistake she will never make again, especially not when she can practically hear the clock ticking on her childbearing years.

The trouble is, she can’t seem to find anyone who appeals to her even a fraction as much as that burly bush pilot did. Competitive musher Tyler Brady certainly doesn’t, especially not after the heated altercation with the handsome but arrogant, spiteful man. Or so she thinks.

While volunteering at the Iditarod Sled Dog Race, Marie discovers that first impressions may have been false, and her attraction to Tyler is very real. But his heart belongs to someone else, leaving him with nothing to offer but friendship. Marie’s been down this road before and knows how that ends. Yet, no matter how hard she works to keep from falling for Tyler, it seems she’s doomed to follow her own trail once again.

From the internationally bestselling author of The Simple Wild comes the story of a woman at a crossroads in her life, struggling between the safe route and the one that will only lead to more heartbreak.

Not If I Save You First by Ally Carter

Not If I Save You First by Ally Carter -- 297 pages

Bestselling author Ally Carter returns with an exciting stand-alone novel, about a girl stranded in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness with the boy who wronged her . . . as an assassin moves in.

Maddie and Logan were torn apart by a kidnapping attempt when they were young. They were only kids -- Logan's dad was POTUS and Maddie's father was the Secret Service agent meant to guard him. The kidnappers were stopped -- but Maddie was whisked off to Alaska with her father, for safety. Maddie and Logan had been inseparable . . . but then she never heard from him again.

Now it's a few years later. Maddie's a teenager, used to living a solitary life with her father. It's quiet -- until Logan is sent to join them. After all this time without a word, Maddie has nothing to say to him -- until their outpost is attacked, and Logan is taken. They won't be out of the woods until they're . . . out of the woods, and Maddie's managed to thwart the foes and reconcile with Logan.

 

I Know You Remember by Jennifer Donaldson

I Know You Remember by Jennifer Donaldson -- 326 pages

Zahra Gaines is missing.

After three long years away, Ruthie Hayden arrives in her hometown of Anchorage, Alaska to this devastating news. Zahra was Ruthie's best friend--the only person who ever really understood her--and she vows to do whatever it takes to find her.

Zahra vanished from a party just days before Ruthie's return, but the more people she talks to, the more she realizes that the Zahra she knew disappeared long before that fateful night. Gone is the whimsical, artistic girl who loved books and knew Ruthie's every secret. In her place is an athlete, a partier, a girl with secrets of her own. Darker still are the rumors that something happened to Zahra while Ruthie was gone, something that changed her forever...

As Ruthie desperately tries to piece together the truth, she falls deeper and deeper into her friend's new world, circling closer to a dangerous revelation about what Zahra experienced in the days before her disappearance--one that might be better off buried.

Forever Wild: a novella by K.A. Tucker

 Forever Wild: a novella by K.A. Tucker -- 158 pages

From the international bestselling author of The Simple Wild comes Forever Wild, a novella that continues the story of Calla’s journey to the Alaskan wild and a life she never imagined for herself.

The holiday season is upon Calla and Jonah, and with the mistletoe and gingerbread comes plenty of family drama. Jonah is bracing himself for two weeks with a stepfather he loathes, and while Calla is looking forward to her mother and Simon’s arrival, she dreads the continued pressure to set a date for their wedding … in Toronto. Add in one bullheaded neighbor’s unintentional meddling and another cantankerous neighbor’s own family strife, and Christmas in Trapper’s Crossing will be anything but simple.

Wild at Heart by K.A. Tucker

Wild at Heart by K.A. Tucker -- 456 pages 

Calla Fletcher returns to Toronto a different person, struggling to find direction and still very much in love with the rugged bush pilot she left behind. When Jonah arrives on her doorstep with a proposition she can’t dismiss, she takes the leap and rushes back to Alaska to begin their exciting future together.

But Calla soon learns that even the best intentions can lead to broken promises, and that compromise comes with a hefty price—a log cabin in interior rural Alaska that feels as isolating as the western tundra.

With Jonah gone more than he’s home, one neighbor who insists on transforming her into a true Alaskan, and another who seems more likely to shoot her than come to her aid, Calla grapples with forging her own path. In a world with roaming wildlife that has her constantly watching over her shoulder and harsh conditions that stretch far beyond the cold, dark, winter months, just stepping outside her front door can be daunting.

This is not the future Calla had in mind, leaving her to fear that perhaps she is doomed to follow in her mother’s fleeing footsteps after all.

The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker

 The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker -- 390 pages 

Calla Fletcher wasn't even two when her mother took her and fled the Alaskan wild, unable to handle the isolation of the extreme, rural lifestyle, leaving behind Calla’s father, Wren Fletcher, in the process. Calla never looked back, and at twenty-six, a busy life in Toronto is all she knows. But when Calla learns that Wren’s days may be numbered, she knows that it’s time to make the long trip back to the remote frontier town where she was born.

She braves the roaming wildlife, the odd daylight hours, the exorbitant prices, and even the occasional—dear God—outhouse, all for the chance to connect with her father: a man who, despite his many faults, she can’t help but care for. While she struggles to adjust to this rugged environment, Jonah—the unkempt, obnoxious, and proud Alaskan pilot who helps keep her father’s charter plane company operational—can’t imagine calling anywhere else home. And he’s clearly waiting with one hand on the throttle to fly this city girl back to where she belongs, convinced that she’s too pampered to handle the wild.

Jonah is probably right, but Calla is determined to prove him wrong. Soon, she finds herself forming an unexpected bond with the burly pilot. As his undercurrent of disapproval dwindles, it’s replaced by friendship—or perhaps something deeper? But Calla is not in Alaska to stay and Jonah will never leave. It would be foolish of her to kindle a romance, to take the same path her parents tried—and failed at—years ago. It’s a simple truth that turns out to be not so simple after all.

Under the Alaskan Ice by Karen Harper

 

                                         Under the Alaskan Ice by Karen Harper-311 pages

This is the second installment in the Alaska Wild series.  It is always fun to follow characters and see how the author expands their stories.  This one is mainly about Meg and her son Chip.  She is a young widow of a pilot of a small plane.  Some of this book delves into her fear of ever flying again..let alone allowing her young son to fly.  When Meg and Chip happen to witness a small bush plane crash it brings all things back to her.  But then Commander Bryce comes to investigate the crash and they find out that they are indispensable to each other in more ways than one.  It was an enjoyable read with lots of twists and turns.  

                                                                         

Deep in the Alaskan Woods by Karen Harper

 

                                           Deep in the Alaskan Woods by Karen Harper-305 pages

Alex came to her estranged cousins’ B and B in Lost Lake, Alaska, looking for a fresh start. The sprawling forest surrounding the lodge can be harsh and unforgiving, but when Alex meets rugged wilderness tracker Quinn, he offers to be her guide. Still recovering from an abusive relationship, Alex is wary of getting too close, but when savagely deep claw marks appear outside her bedroom window, keeping her distance from Quinn is no longer an option.

Soon a body turns up exhibiting the same ruthless slash marks, and Alex knows it isn’t a coincidence. Something sinister is lurking in the woods around Lost Lake, turning Alex’s fresh start into a brutal game of survival.  Can Alex and Quinn find the killer before darkness falls for good?

First in a new series.  I enjoyed it very much and look forward to the next installment.

The Abominable Snowman of Pasadena by R.L. Stine (Classic Goosebumps #32, Goosebumps #38)

The Abominable Snowman of Pasadena by R.L. Stine (Classic Goosebumps #32, Goosebumps #38)-144 pages

In this chilling Goosebumps adventure, the reader finds Jordan and his sister Nicole travelling to Alaska with their dad to find and photograph the Abominable Snowman. Their dad is a travelling wilderness photographer and has been tasked to take photos of the Abominable Snowman by a national publication. Jordan is excited to visit Alaska because he's never seen snow, being from California. Jordan, Nicole, and their dad arrive and stay in an old, recently uninhabited musher's cabin in the Alaskan tundra where the Snowman has allegedly been seen. Jordan is known for pulling practical jokes and he mimics the monster's footprints outside their cabin the first morning. However, they soon have a scary encounter with what they believe to be the Abominable Snowman. Is the monster real and if so will our protagonists survive the encounter?

Face Off by Brenda Novak

Face Off by Brenda Novak - 390 pages

SHE VOWED NEVER TO BE A VICTIM AGAIN. BUT NOW A KILLER HAS HER IN HIS SIGHT. . .

Tortured and left for dead at sixteen, Evelyn Talbot turned her personal nightmare into her life’s work―studying the disturbing psychopathy of some of the world’s most vicious serial killers. Now a leading psychiatrist at Hanover House in a small Alaskan town, she tries to believe the past will never come back to haunt her―until a woman goes missing from a cabin nearby, and every clue points to the man who once brutalized her…

As her boyfriend, who is the area’s only police, begins to investigate―and finds not one but two bodies―Evelyn can’t forget that her would-be killer, Jasper Moore, was never caught. But there are no new faces in tiny Hilltop, no one who seems suspicious or potentially violent. In this twisted game of cat and mouse, Evelyn is certain of only one thing―Jasper must be hiding in plain sight. And if she can’t find him before he comes for her, she won’t be lucky enough to survive twice…

Thin Ice by Paige Shelton

Thin Ice by Paige Shelton-275 pages
                                                                                                                                        

Beth Rivers is on the run -cold and remote, Alaska seems tailor-made for her to hideout.  Sparsely populated with people who all seem to be on the run from something, she feels safer than she has for a long time.  As her memories begin to return from her traumatic brain injury, she begins to wonder if her assailant has followed her to this remote town, especially after a murder is committed.  After all her years working with her beloved grandfather who was a sheriff in the Missouri Ozarks, she becomes an invaluable asset to the sheriff in her new home.  The first in a new series.  I enjoyed it very much and look forward to the next one.

Not If I Save You First by Ally Carter

Not If I Save You First by Ally Carter - 297 pages

Maddie thought she would be best friends with Logan forever.  That is until her decides to move her to Alaska with no warning.  It's been six years without one word from Logan -- even though she wrote him every day for two years.  She accepted that he no longer wanted to be friends.  She accepted that her life only includes two people -- herself and her dad.  She accepted that she'll always be alone.  Then Logan shows up on her front step and he's brought trouble with him.

I enjoyed this teen book by Ally Carter.  As it's a teen book you knew that Maddie and Logan would eventually make up and become even more than friends.  The fun part was the escape and survival from assassins and the weather.  I would definitely recommend this book to teens.

Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer

Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer, 207 pages

Into the Wild is the true story of Christopher Johnson McCandless who lost his life to the Alaska Wilderness. I found his story to be amazing and truly one that had the saddest of endings.  After graduating from college in 1990, Christopher abandoned the life he knew for one of a vagabond.  He gave up all his possessions and money.  His ultimate goal was to make it to the Alaska wilderness and live off the land.  Christopher left some journals of his experiences and clues to what led to his untimely death.  His life ended in tragedy much too soon.

The Year of Miss Agnes by Kirkpatrick Hill

The Year of Miss Agnes by Kirkpatrick Hill - 115 pages

This is the story 10 year old "Fred" who lives in Alaska with her mom and sister in a remote Alaskan village in 1948.  They've never had a teacher last in their village for more than two months -- until Miss Agnes.  Miss Agnes loves teaching and has methods to help the kids who have never had any real learning.  But, she's only going to be in town for one year as she is homesick for England.

I loved this story.  I've previously read the author's two book Bo series.  This is very similar in tone but is probably for younger kids.  It is very easy to read and to get into the story.  I would recommend this to anyone looking for gentle historical fiction for kids.