Alaska is where they exile snarky New Yorkers whose lives are falling apart. Well . . . okay, maybe I’m being a little dramatic. My boss called it a temporary leave of absence, right before he offered me a promotion on my way out the door. Now I’ve got two weeks to kill and big decisions to make. Sure, the ER can function without me, but what’s a trauma nurse to do without her hospital? If you’re me, you hop a plane to a remote lodge for a solitary retreat. I wanted silence and tranquility. The time and space to think. Perhaps some freaking fresh air. I wasn’t prepared for what I got when I snagged the resort’s last vacancy. THE Wes Emerson. The Australian actor is too gorgeous—and too irresistible—for his own good. And lucky me, I get to spend the next fourteen days with the cocky celebrity who makes it his mission to antagonize me for crashing his guys’ trip. It looks like the Far North may not be big enough for both of us. Wes can push my buttons all he wants. It won’t take me a New York minute to show him Lena Hamilton doesn’t back down from anyone. Especially not panty-melting surfer dudes with insanely blue eyes. Except, even when he riles me up, Wes is infuriatingly charismatic. Thoughtful. Attentive. All the things my ex wasn’t. No matter how much I want to believe his flirting is genuine, I’m not stupid. Let’s be real, he’s way out of my league, and I’ll be an afterthought as soon as this vacation is over. Of course, leave it to fate—and Mother Nature—to out-drama me. Wes and I quickly discover why Alaska is nicknamed the Last Frontier when we find ourselves stranded in the arctic wilderness. Now I have no choice but to trust him.

Alaska was a brutal hostess. I spent three weeks lost in the wilderness with celebrity heartthrob, Wes Emerson. Sharing a tent with the Australian actor was one thing. Opening my heart? That was a totally different ballgame—and you guessed it—he won. Wes is the embodiment of warmth, strength, and shelter. We forged a soul-deep connection in the face of peril and uncertainty. Too bad our rescue was only the beginning. When reality comes knocking, it hits hard. I'm an ordinary nurse from upstate New York. He's a Hollywood A-lister who lives on a different continent. Our lifestyles are worlds apart. What happens without Mother Nature to level the playing field? Can our love withstand the noise, chaos, and media attention? Wes and I conquered the Far North, but we discover wilderness can take on many forms . . .

When hemispheres collide… It started out innocent. He was my older brother’s best friend. The teen who built sandcastles and splashed in the waves with me when I was a little girl. We’d collect seashells and build moats around our castles to protect the imaginary princess within. He was my Jake. I was his princess. His summer visits to Australia became less frequent after scoring his first record deal, but I never forgot him. While the multiplatinum singer-songwriter traveled the world, melting hearts and panties with his lyrics, I filled a notebook with his name. Everything changed when Jake flew in for my brother’s thirtieth birthday party. At eighteen, I’d come a long way from the girl he remembered. One lingering touch was all it took to ignite us. I kissed him, but he walked away. He was still on tour, I was about to start college, and let’s not forget my hotheaded brother. But after graduation, when a New York internship opportunity lands me in the Brooklyn brownstone across from his, the ocean between us is replaced with a street. Jake thinks he can’t have me—we’re different as earth and sky—but I’ll prove him wrong. Those five years of distance only deepened my ache. His demons don’t scare me. He’s everything I’ve ever wanted, and I know I can make him happy if he’ll let me. I'm determined to try. After all, his old sweatshirt is not the only thing I’ve held on to for him… When earth meets sky on the horizon, Jake Bennett, the King of Ballads, will be mine.