Right Here Waiting

RANDOM RETRO READ

Can she belong in his world?

Sled dog musher and vlogger Nick Dahlquist has simple goals—teach outdoor survival, run the Iditarod…and chat with online friend, LadyJHawk. Sure, he’s starting to like her more than he wants to admit, but has no capacity for an in-real-life relationship.

Chopper pilot Jae Washington has been an avid follower of Nick’s DogQuest vlog since inheriting a military working dog. Now, his online friendship has made her wonder if he could be more than a friend. Getting a job on Deep Haven’s Crisis Response Team seems the perfect next step—so long as he doesn’t think she’s stalking him.

Nick is pretty sure petite Jae won’t last a moment in the brutal cold—a fear he shares with LadyJHawk. Meanwhile, Jae decides to keep her avatar a secret until she can prove to Nick she’s not a stalker. But as he trains her—and the chill between them begins to thaw—what if he discovers the truth she’s hiding?

When a blizzard strikes, and the CRT is deployed, more than just their relationship is at risk…

Cozy up to this delightful twist on You’ve Got Mail set in the snowy escape of Deep Haven.

My Review:

published in 2021

This is my first venture into the Deep Haven Collection series and I’ll admit to feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the characters in the beginning. Understandable since this is the 6th book in the multi-authored Collection series and then there are the original Deep Haven books written by Susan May Warren that came before . So, that’s a lot of history wrapped around this community and the CRT gang. I wasn’t so much lost as feeling a bit left out at times. Not enough to dim my enjoyment of the read, but just something to be aware of.

This hidden identity trope is equal parts charming and angsty…especially as Jae is always on the verge of revealing her online persona but never quite manages it and I just knew that we were heading for disaster which left me on edge for most of the read. But this is also a great friends to more love story, though both Jae and Nick are grappling with issues of trust and self-confidence. They have to learn to be open and vulnerable and that trusting God first can ease the way to fully trusting others.

So, plenty of angst, lots of sweet moments, a few toe-curling kisses and even some handy winter survival tips that are quite timely for this Canadian with lots of cold and stormy days ahead. 🙂

I enjoyed listening to the audio edition narrated by Brittany Goodwin courtesy of Chirp Books.

14 thoughts on “Right Here Waiting”

  1. It’s good to know that you can read this story without reading the others in the series and still enjoy it. But I do find reading all the others first gives me so much more. It does sound like a great story and I love Susan’s books.

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    1. I read the original Deep Haven series which was written by Susan May Warren back when they released so I had a bit of familiarity with the setting and some of the characters so I think that helped. It definitely reads fine as a standalone but there are a lot of secondary characters that I just know have back stories everyone else is aware of but not me. 🙂

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  2. Thank you for the flash back review on “Right Here Waiting”. I just know that I would enjoy this book and still looking forward to the time I can dive in reading it.
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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  3. I read this one and enjoyed Michelle Aleckson’s writing. It’s fun how Warren has mentored a group of writers and puts her name on the books for mass appeal (I’m pretty well caught up on Warren books so I’m ready as they release.) I’m looking forward to her next book in the Fox Family series, The Way You Love Me, out next Tuesday.
    You’re amazing! I don’t know how you have time to reread, I just keep picking all the new books I want to read and never run out. I have thought about picking an old favorite at least once a month for the pure fun of it but have yet to do it. Maybe I should make that a new goal for 2024 🙂

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    1. Well, this one isn’t a reread — just a retro one which means I missed it when it first came out. Though I am intentionally doing more focused re-reads this year as well.

      I love that Susan May Warren has the mentorship thing going on and it has expanded with other authors and her own publishing house. Such an inventive and encouraging way to usher newbie writers into the fold! But I do think it’s misleading to have her name so prominently displayed on the books because people think she’s the author and I’ve read some negative reviews from readers who are complaining that these latest Deep Haven books aren’t up to par with her original ones. Oy. That has to be discouraging for the actual authors and just plain confusing for her fans. I read one review — not for this book, but another one — that said they were giving up on SMW altogether now because her books just weren’t the same! And, of course, that’s because the book in question wasn’t written by her!

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      1. I like that she mentored them too, but like you it does seem misleading to me to put her name on the book when she wasn’t the writer, just the advisor. Now there are a bunch of other mentored books from Sunrise out there in various genres so maybe readers are adapting to it. I pick and choose which ones I read and don’t go by the mentor name

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  4. This sounds like a good one! Since my memory isn’t what it used to be, I would probably need to start at the beginning of the series. I’m currently reading Susan May Warren’s Christiansen Family Series. I love it, but there are so many characters that I’ve made a chart! Thanks for sharing your review of Right Here Waiting. Blessings…

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    1. Oh, yes, I remember the Christiansens! Family drama at its best! I think these Deep Haven Collection novels can be read out of order. At least this one was fine — other than giving me the feeling of being the new girl in town who hasn’t met everyone yet. But then, that’s Jae so we got settled in together. 🙂

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  6. I binge read almost all of Susan May Warrens books after I read the first Deep Haven. I think I’m current on the subsequent ones and I enjoy all of them. I liked all of the colloborative books too, but it is almost too much to remember all of the characters.

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