Across a Thousand Miles

No need to elaborate on the previous review.Just know that this is a GREAT book.The tale of Rebecca Reed and her dogs and William "Mac" MacKenzie and his team of dogs leaves you breathless.[grin] and COLD!We have another hero in Merlin, Mac's lead dog, in the Alaskan tradition of excellent sled dogs. You actually feel like you are traveling along the race trail with them.Wish Brian wasn't such a grumpy younger brother but he was there for Mac.Loved the trials and tribulations -- couldn't put the book down -- hope these characters show up in another book, Ms. Nichols!HIGHLY RECOMMENDED -- this is a keeper for any library!

Author Nadia Nichols pits her heroine and hero against the elements and each other in ACROSS A THOUSAND MILES. Based on the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race run each year in February, Rebecca Reed and Bill (Mac) Mackenzie challenge over a 1,000 miles of grueling terrain between Whitehorse, Yukon and Fairbanks, Alaska. The race takes place each year in mid February when the weather conditions can be the coldest and most unpredictable of the year. More than the unpredictable terrain and weather, however, are two unpredictable hearts drawn irresistibly to one another even as they race against each other.Rebecca feels guilty for her feelings regarding Mac. She has grieved a long time, and it feels wrong to abandon the memory of her husband for someone new. Falling in love with Mac, to Rebecca, is like a betrayal of her late husband's memory. She had loved her husband deeply, and loved this life they built together in the harsh elements of the Yukon. His loss left her days lonely and bleak and while things are improving, the harshness of her days is making her hard in ways Rebecca doesn't like. Yet when she meets Mac, Rebecca can't help being drawn to a man with a soft spot so big he can't even kill the animals his brother asks him to trap.Mac has hit rock bottom. A failed marriage, a failed career, and the feelings of a failed life led him to the wilderness to care for his brother's dog team while his brother returns to college. Although his failed marriage has convinced him to swear off women, Rebecca quickly captures his heart. Unfortunately, he can't compete with a dead man. Further, the harshness of the Yukon at times leaves him wondering what made him think he could challenge this hostile land and survive. Despite the odds, however, Mac bends a few rules and signs up for the race, determined to win, even if he has to beat Rebecca.Nichols portrays the Yukon with a savage beauty, describing Rebecca's life almost poetically: "She had come to love this little place on the edge of the wilderness, the timeless cycle of the seasons, the ebb and flow of life, and the harsh, harsh laws of the wild." Outhouses, wood stoves, hand carried water become a part of daily life, reminding readers of conditions typical of a hundred years ago. With such descriptive word pictures, Nichols creates a tale of danger, of love, of challenges and of the triumph of the human spirit. As the hero of this tale goes above and beyond what seems endurable, the rewards at the end make for a happy ending that will leave the reader with tears and rejoicing. Indeed, no reader can read the concluding chapters without a racing heart and a smile. It's a remarkable achievement indeed to perfectly capture such an extraordinary tale and compact perfectly into series romance. ACROSS A THOUSAND MILES is a winner of the WordWeaving Award for Excellence.