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Alaskan Holiday
Cover of Alaskan Holiday
Alaskan Holiday
A Novel
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Debbie Macomber brings us to the Alaskan wilderness for a magical Christmas tale about finding love where it’s least expected.

“Picture-perfect . . . this charmer will please Macomber fans and newcomers alike.”—Publishers Weekly
Before beginning her dream job as sous chef in one of Seattle’s hottest new restaurants, Josie Avery takes a summer position cooking at a lakeside lodge in the remote Alaskan town of Ponder. Josie falls for the rustic charms of the local community—including Jack Corcoran, the crotchety keeper of Ponder’s famed sourdough starter, and, in particular, the quiet and intense Palmer Saxon, a famed master swordsmith.
Josie and Palmer become close during the long Alaskan summer days, but Josie knows that, come fall, she’ll be returning to reality and the career she’s worked so hard for. Palmer, on the other hand, would like nothing better than to make Josie his wife and to keep her in Ponder. But Josie can’t imagine abandoning her mother back in the Emerald City and sacrificing her career to stay in this isolated town—not even for a man she’s quickly coming to love.
Fate has other plans. Josie misses the last boat out of town before winter sets in, stranding her in Ponder and putting her dream job at risk. As the holidays approach, Josie and Palmer must grapple with the complications that arise when dreams confront reality, and the Christmas magic that can happen when they put their faith in love.
Debbie Macomber is at her best in this beautiful holiday story about the far journeys we travel to find a place to call home.
Praise for Alaskan Holiday
 
“[A] tender romance lightly brushed with holiday magic.”Library Journal
 
“[A] thoroughly charming holiday romance.”Booklist
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Debbie Macomber brings us to the Alaskan wilderness for a magical Christmas tale about finding love where it’s least expected.

“Picture-perfect . . . this charmer will please Macomber fans and newcomers alike.”—Publishers Weekly
Before beginning her dream job as sous chef in one of Seattle’s hottest new restaurants, Josie Avery takes a summer position cooking at a lakeside lodge in the remote Alaskan town of Ponder. Josie falls for the rustic charms of the local community—including Jack Corcoran, the crotchety keeper of Ponder’s famed sourdough starter, and, in particular, the quiet and intense Palmer Saxon, a famed master swordsmith.
Josie and Palmer become close during the long Alaskan summer days, but Josie knows that, come fall, she’ll be returning to reality and the career she’s worked so hard for. Palmer, on the other hand, would like nothing better than to make Josie his wife and to keep her in Ponder. But Josie can’t imagine abandoning her mother back in the Emerald City and sacrificing her career to stay in this isolated town—not even for a man she’s quickly coming to love.
Fate has other plans. Josie misses the last boat out of town before winter sets in, stranding her in Ponder and putting her dream job at risk. As the holidays approach, Josie and Palmer must grapple with the complications that arise when dreams confront reality, and the Christmas magic that can happen when they put their faith in love.
Debbie Macomber is at her best in this beautiful holiday story about the far journeys we travel to find a place to call home.
Praise for Alaskan Holiday
 
“[A] tender romance lightly brushed with holiday magic.”Library Journal
 
“[A] thoroughly charming holiday romance.”Booklist
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Excerpts-
  • From the book CHAPTER 1



    Palmer

    “Are you gonna propose to Josie or not?” Alicia demanded.

    I closed my eyes. It felt as if my heart was doing cartwheels inside my tightening chest.

    “Palmer, did you hear me?”

    “I heard you just fine.” I knew it was a mistake to call my sister. Alicia wasn’t one to hold back on sharing her opinion. She knew how I felt about Josie, and as my big sister, she was determined that I not let Josie leave town without letting her know how I felt about her.

    “Then answer the question. Are you going to tell Josie you’re in love with her?”

    My sister and I had been raised in Alaska in a tiny town above the Arctic Circle. We were homeschooled, so I didn’t have a lot of the exposure and experiences most kids get for social interaction. I wouldn’t give it up for anything, though, except for my lack of certain skills. Alicia made it sound easy to lay one’s heart out on the chopping block with the big chance of it getting axed.

    The problem is, I’ve never been anything even close to what one would consider romantic. I leave that to those city boys. I am a man, an Alaskan man; fancy, romantic words are as unfamiliar to me as a pumpkin-spice latte. I’ll admit, when it comes to sweeping a woman off her feet, I’m about as dense as a guy can get, and I’ll certainly never be the kind of man who recites poetry. Living up here in the Alaskan wilderness doesn’t help. Ponder is miles from what most people would consider civilization. Northeast of Fairbanks and close to the Far North region of Alaska, Ponder has a population that swells to three hundred in-season when the lodge is in operation. In the wintertime, these numbers drop to a few hearty men and women, and only a handful of families.

    Alicia reminded me that it was now or never. I could do without the clichés, especially when my gut was in knots. Even the thought of telling Josie that I loved her and wanted her to stay in Ponder had me breaking into a cold sweat. This felt worse than the case of flu I had last year.

    Although the fishing and hunting lodge brought in a fair amount of traffic in-season, single women were few and far between here in Ponder. The only women I’d happened to meet in the last several years were those employed by the lodge, or those I met on my infrequent trips into Fairbanks. Most of the lodge employees were college students and so flighty and immature that I didn’t pay any attention to them.

    All that changed when Josie Avery arrived.

    She was in her mid-twenties and had been hired on at the lodge as the chef for the season, which ran from May through the end of October. The minute I saw her, I knew she was different. The first thing I noticed was that her phone didn’t come attached to her hand. The next time I saw her, she was reading a book. She stopped me cold when she happened to glance up and smile at me. Her eyes brightened, and I swear I could have drowned in her warmth. The sunlight had broken through the trees and landed on her like a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Her hair was long and dark and flowed over her shoulders. She wore jeans and boots. I hardly know how to explain what happened in that very moment. I know it sounds nuts, but I felt something physical, like someone had hit me. The impact was so hard and strong that I stumbled back a step.

    From that time on she was it for me. It didn’t take me long to learn that she was intelligent and sensible, and had a great sense of humor. I was comfortable with her in ways I had never been with any other woman. I...
About the Author-
  • Debbie Macomber, the author of It's Better This Way, A Walk Along the Beach, Window on the Bay, Cottage by the Sea, Any Dream Will Do, If Not for You, and the Rose Harbor Inn series, is a leading voice in women's fiction. Thirteen of her novels have reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, and five of her beloved Christmas novels have been hit movies on the Hallmark Channel, including Mrs. Miracle and Mr. Miracle. Hallmark Channel also produced the original series Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove, based on Macomber’s Cedar Cove books. She is, as well, the author of the cookbook Debbie Macomber’s Table. There are more than 200 million copies of her books in print worldwide.
Reviews-
  • Publisher's Weekly

    August 27, 2018
    Macomber (Cottage by the Sea) brings her signature charm to this appealing tale of an aspiring chef and a taciturn, small-town sword maker. When lifelong Seattleite Josie Avery takes a short-term cooking job in remote Ponder, Alaska, she’s simply marking time until her job as a sous chef at a hot new Seattle restaurant begins. Meanwhile, lifelong Alaskan Palmer Saxon is perfectly content in his tiny lakeside community north of the Arctic Circle—until he falls head over heels for its temporary resident. Creating picture-perfect small towns packed with salt-of-the-earth characters is Macomber’s forte, and her foray into the wilds of Alaska is no different as she explores Josie and Palmer’s deep feelings for each other. Macomber takes the risky step of beginning the novel with Josie declining Palmer’s marriage proposal, making it work by skillfully illustrating how life can surprise and delight even the most planned-out of futures—and how dreams can backslide into nightmares. A quirky cast of supporting characters—particularly Palmer’s gruff, always-hungry sidekick, Jack—add color, and an expected happily-ever-after provides a resoundingly satisfying coda. This charmer will please Macomber fans and newcomers alike.

  • Booklist

    September 15, 2018
    Cooking at the lodge over the summer in the tiny, remote town of Ponder, Alaska, changed Josie's life. She enjoyed making meals for the locals and visitors and going for walks with the handsome Palmer, but she must catch the last boat to Seattle before fall and her awaiting chef position. When Palmer proposes, she is so surprised and disoriented, she misses the boat. She is able to get a plane a few weeks later, but by then she realizes that she is in love with Palmer, and they grow ever-closer during their extra time. The long-distance relationship is hard with her very demanding job, inspiring Palmer to head to Seattle. Palmer's proposal is funny and awkward, and the path to their happily-ever-after has surprising yet realistic twists. Macomber's descriptions of the Alaskan town and Josie's culinary adventures add fascinating details to this thoroughly charming holiday romance.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

  • Library Journal

    October 15, 2018

    When Josie Avery takes the chef's position at the Caribou Lake Lodge in tiny Ponder, AK, she's only marking time before she accepts her dream job as sous-chef at a trendy restaurant in Seattle. But her arrival and their growing friendship are a sea change for Ponder native and master swordsmith Palmer Saxon, who's been trying to get up the courage to ask Josie to marry him. Reluctantly, she turns him down only to end up missing the last ferry out of Ponder until spring, a situation that could cost her the new job if she doesn't find another way to get there. With Palmer's assistance, she makes it out only to find that the job is not what she'd hoped for and she's missing Alaska--and Palmer--far more than she imagined. Lively dialog, likable characters (a crusty old codger with a 150-year-old sourdough starter is memorable), and stunning descriptions are pluses. VERDICT Life in the Alaskan wilderness takes on new dimensions as a well-matched pair discover the importance of love in this tender romance lightly brushed with holiday magic. Macomber (Cottage by the Sea) lives in Port Orchard, WA.

    Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

  • Library Journal

    October 15, 2018

    Josie Stewart heads to Alaska to take on a six-month position as cook at a lakeside lodge before she begins work as sous chef at a classy Seattle restaurant, but her interest in soft-spoken sword craftsman Palmer Saxon might presage a change of plans. Another holiday tale from Hallmarked Macomber.

    Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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A Novel
Debbie Macomber
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