Uncharted (Survival Instincts) – ARC review

Uncharted
by Adriana Anders
Release Date: August 24, 2021
Publisher:  Sourcebooks Casablanca
Book #2 in the Survival Instincts series
Number of pages:  352
Kindle Edition
Source: ARC from NetGalley
Romantic Suspense M/F
Ages 16 and up

Hotshot pilot Leo Eddowes is afraid of nothing and no one. So when she’s asked to evacuate a man from the wilds of Alaska, she doesn’t hesitate. But with enemies in close pursuit and the weather turning sour, what should have been a simple mission quickly shifts to disaster.

And there’s only one way out.

When Elias Thorne disappeared, he was America’s most wanted. Now he’s spent more than a decade in one of the most remote places on earth, guarding a dangerous secret. Leo’s arrival, quickly followed by a team of expert hunters, leaves him no choice but to join forces with her—and run. Neither is prepared for their reluctant partnership to flare into something as wild and untamed as the frozen world around them…but as desperately cold days melt into scorchingly hot nights, Leo and Elias must learn to dig deep, trust in each other, and forge a bond as strong as the forces of nature.

Stranded together in a frozen wilderness,
There’s nowhere left to run…

From Antarctica to Alaska. From dead of winter to the middle of summer…at least for me. I read Whiteout in January and felt the cold of the Antarctic landscape. The Alaskan spring thaw of this story was a bit easier to take when reading it in the August. What was hardest for me to handle was the tight spaces. In the beginning, believe it or not, Leo and Elias find themselves in many tight and dark spaces. And cold, cold, (did I mention cold?) water. As someone who has an intense fear of drowning and has quite an issue with claustrophobia, this story was a tough go at first. That is definitely a compliment to the author’s writing.

Leo is such an amazingly strong and determined woman. She is loyal to a fault and doesn’t know the word quit. Elias has not interacted with anyone but his dog for years. He feels like he cursed and will bring danger to any who he even thinks to care about, so Leo landing on his doorstep to “save” him puts him in the position of feeling he now has to “save” her. They don’t know each other, don’t even know if they can trust each other, but they work together to do what needs doing.

There’s a beautiful connection between these two. The “first kiss” scene is out of this world and had me on the edge of my seat. This story was wonderful all around, but even better once Elias and Leo decided to fully trust each other. They work together magnificently, two bodies with one mind. And you know with all that cold water there are times they have to do what needs to be done to warm up!

This series keeps things intense, and it’s oh so good. With this story it was no different. And the goings on back in town while Leo and Elias were fight for their lives was just as interesting as the main story.

4 stars

**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**