| Title | : | Warming Trend |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1594931461 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781594931468 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 264 |
| Publication | : | First published April 13, 2009 |
Tending bar by night, she spends her days immersed in the research of her only remaining passion in the ice fields of Alaska. But trends may be improving when news from home hints that those she harmed may have moved on, and she can at least recover the papers and books she left behind. The respect and affection she once saw in Eve Cambra's eyes is gone beyond recall.
When a few innocent questions raise Ani's doubts about what really happened three years ago, she realizes she may have a chance to clear her name and reclaim her career. But there's no data to suggest that Eve has thawed and that the fire they once shared can be rekindled.
In this romantic story of the icy north, Karin Kallmaker explores the passion that can melt even a frozen heart.
Warming Trend Reviews
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Warming Trend is a hot and cold second chance romance set in Florida and (primarily) Alaska. Our MCs were together then *something bad* happened and now they are apart. Ani gets a care package from "home (Alaska)" and thinks that Eve has "moved on." With her new (fun) friend, Lisa, she returns home to get her stuff out of Eve's life. Once back in Alaska the two characters alternate between their present day caution and their remembered passion. In the middle to late 3rd of the book, we explore the *something bad* so Kallmaker can clear Ani's name by the end. Everything is resolved neatly in the last chapter of two.
If you like romance but with a subplot of something else (i.e. you hate the 80% breakup angst), this might be a match for you. Kallmaker does use some "miscommunication" but since both MCs are being manipulated by someone with less than honorable intentions, I suppose it's not too much of a stretch. -
“Warming Trend” features two likable MCs, one FANTASTIC secondary character, another enjoyable secondary character, a Disney cartoon villainess, terrific descriptions of Alaskan beauty, and wonderful narration by Abby Craden!
MCs Anidyr (Ana) and Eve are very likable, and they had/have huge chemistry between them. Ani’s university mentor Monica pretty much threw Ani under the bus during an incident, and Ani flees town fearing she’ll have to repay student loans, that Eve’s business will suffer if Ani stays, and worse of all - that Eve doesn’t ever want to talk to her again. Sigh….misunderstandings and miscommunication much?
Working at a cool (hey hey hey) bar in Key West, Florida, Ani is befriended by my favorite character in the book: the flirty, fit, vivacious, intelligent and insightful Lisa. Sigh….be still my beating heart!!!
Believing Eve has moved on, Ani decides to return to Alaska to collect a few belongings she’d left behind. With the bar closed for maintenance, Lisa accompanies her. Yep - assumptions that they’re a couple abound. There are some hilarious moments throughout the story, such as when Lisa insists on fixing Ani’s makeup and hair before Ani goes into the restaurant to see Eve. Also, when Lisa goes to Eve to ask about Tan, Eve decides Lisa is a force of nature!
The details of Alaska and glaciers were captivating. I don’t think the cold is for me! I did laugh at the efforts for four women to pee on a glacier….it reminded me of hiking Yosemite’s Back Country!!
The mystery of the notebook was pretty obvious, although there was a surprising twist in the details. I was unhappy that the villainess didn’t pay much of a price, but I was glad for the HEA for Eve and Ani, and for the HFN with Lisa and Tan! Fun story, great narration - get this audiobook!!!! 5* -
The first chapter sets the tone: it feels too heavy, too depressing and even by the end of the book I couldn't shake off that cloak of despondency, of a wasted life.
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Karin Kallmaker's books take up an entire shelf in my house but I'd never purchased this one. And I'm so glad I was able to experience it for the first time with Abby Craden performing the work! For me, this was one of Kallmaker's best. It was a heartbreaking story and I was dying for it all to be made right. Without re-hashing the premise (since that is readily available) this is primarily about how making one split-second decision can completely change the course of your life - in this case, for the worse. Can you ever come back from that? How? I was so impressed with Kallmaker's research about the glaciers in Alaska. This book is not about geology per se, but MC Ani Bycall is a doctoral student studying to be a glacial geologist so her detailed knowledge made the read so much more real. The other thing that I loved about it was the depth of the love Ani and Eve felt for one another. They were soul mates. Soul mates that had been separated for years by a decision made by a young Ani, who thought she was helping a greatly admired professor. Books can often be made or broken by the narrator. In this case, Craden works her magic. She does vulnerability so beautifully and I love the variations in the voices she uses. I also appreciate that Kallmaker is releasing many of her back catalog on audio, with Craden is narrating many of them. This book was originally published in 2009, and the audiobook just this year. If you haven't read it, I definitely say give the audio version a go. It is terribly romantic and I loved it.
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Well, this book turned out to be cute as hell. I like how Karin Kallmaker handled going back and forth between the present for Ani and Eve, showing us how they fell in love, what split them up, and how they made their way back to each other. I also appreciated that it wasn't overly angsty, because I find that sometimes second chance romances are just way angstier than necessary.
The characters are super likeable, especially the leads and two supporting characters—Tan and Lisa. I've heard Lisa is in Kallmaker's new release, My Lady Lipstick, and I can't wait to see more of her.
If you're looking for a lovely, gentle read, I'd recommend this one. -
The issue I had with this book is the plot. So this MC left her home, lover, and dog, because of... WHAT?? And how exactly is someone with a PhD this slow?
Lisa was my favorite person because it took her 30 minutes to figure out who did it. And I love her tenacity. Infact, I wish this book was about her finding her HEA. I was bored. And the conclusion was not satisfactory in the least!
This was my first intro to this author and I'll still read more of her books. This plot though, I didn't like. On to the next. -
“I haven’t known where I am ever since I left. Getting lost in you seems the only way to find myself again.”
My first experience with Kallmaker, and I'm a little sad about it, because this was... frustrating. It's a second chance romance set in Alaska between a geology PhD student and a chef. Ani ran from Alaska three years ago after an accident and a bad decision turns into a situation that ruins her academic life and her relationship. Now she's back, discovering things about the events of the past, and attempting to rekindle things with Eve.
Second chance romances aren't my favourite, but I added this to my TBR because I was intrigued by the setting. But the misunderstanding between the two characters overwhelmed the first 60 percent of the book, and it was suuuuuch a slog to get through. I truly wasn't enjoying myself. And I can't put it down to a blanket hatred of the miscommunication/misunderstanding trope, because I recently read a romance where that featured prominently, but I still
loved it. Even though the big miscommunication happened in the past, hearing about it in hindsight was just... not gratifying. It didn't feel like the good romance angst that you expect with a second chance romance. I just felt a bit irritated.
Things did pick up a lot in the latter half. I truly adored the secondary characters and the little side romance. Lisa is a delight, and I kinda want an entire book about her and her love interest. The author did a good job of establishing Ani and Eve's past love and their current reconnection. I loved that we got some time on the ice and all the cold weather stuff that you'd normally expect. The plotline with the antagonist was okay, wrt the ways it explored manipulation, but it was a little tiresome, waiting for Ani to catch on to things that reader was made aware of, like, chapters before. The writing was okay, if a bit dated and essentialist at times.
Listened to the audiobook as read by Abby Craden: a complete saving grace. I say this all the time, but I truly wouldn't have finished this without her. I don't think this is a bad book, but it got on my nerves a bit too much to really have any fond memories of it. Whenever I try Kallmaker again, I'll go for her newer work.
Content warnings: -
I'm binge-reading Karin Kallmaker's books this month.
OMG ... so very sad. So very not credible. If ever characters make me want to shake them like a coconut tree, here they are.
The gal who left : Why the f-word didn't you CAME BACK earlier ??? or wait 5 f-wording-minutes to TALK ???
The gal who was left : Why the f-word didn't you LOOK ?
so very frustrating... because the writing was good and beautiful and minor character were likable
The writer tropes seems to be
> awful birth families
> bereavement
> light miscommunication (HUUUUUDGE!!!)
> lava-hot sex scene -
This is a solid novel. Karin Kallmaker has been writing for a long time, and it shows. She finds great ways to describe her characters without violating point of view or stopping the plot. I didn’t really like the “It was all just a misunderstanding” plot that separated the main characters years ago, though.
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4.25 stars.I liked it! But I'll readily admit, I had next to no understanding for MC Ani.
Has she no self respect? At the beginning, I felt empathy for her and for Eve, but as the book progressed, Ani was just acting scared and plain stupid.
At two thirds of the book, the two mains hadn't spoken one word to each other, up to then it was all memories and history, and I got really antsy for something to happen. Admittedly,
this was all well done and engaging, yes, but I had no patience for Ani anymore. Leave the love of her life, her dog, a career she loves, all because of a misunderstanding? I'm glad Lisa was such a fun secondary character, otherwise I probably wouldn't have continued the book...
Anyway... luckily, something did happen eventually. Then the dynamic changed with Lisa, Tan, Eve and Ani, and that was really nice. It became a sort of crime novel but it was fun and I loved it.
All in all, a great book and once again a job tremendously well done by Abby Craden! -
I liked this premise very much—academic fraud, a sexy, manipulative professor, and all the intelligent science-y women are LESBIANS!
It started out a bit slow, the middle section actually tugged pretty hard on the heart strings, and then the ending kind of … lost steam for me.
The setting felt very real and well-researched, and the narration was excellent. Solid 4 stars. -
In short: Anidyr Bycall [tall, dark, and gorgeous:], a graduate student studying glaciers, flees academic ruin in Fairbanks, Alaska, to tend bar in Key West. The love she left behind, Eve Cambra, [short, blond, and you guessed it...:] can never forgive her, she thinks. Three years later, she goes back to get her stuff from Eve's garage and say the goodbye she hadn't before. So she thinks...
Egad! This is uber Xena!
In the category of a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, I realize I'm no expert on Alaska, but I had a few issues with this book. I'll give it five stars for the heartwarming story of love conquering all. Take away a star for including Eve's point of view. As soon as she opens her mind to us, all the tension is lost. We know how this story will play out, the miscommunication becomes annoying, and the character of Lisa clearly a red herring. (I do not get the need, so common in lesfic, to whipsaw readers back and forth between POVs.) Then take away another star for the lame plot. Like Lisa, I guessed the bad guy in about thirty minutes. And Kallmaker's literary license should be suspended for moving Mount McKinley north of Fairbanks. WTF? And the northern lights are not visible in summer in Fairbanks, where it gets no darker than dusk. A flip through Frommer's would have told her that. If these hadn't been major elements to the story, I could have dismissed them.
I wish she had delved deeper into the science. Did it not strike her as ironic to set a story in the shadow of the Alaska Pipeline, which is never mentioned, while discussing global warming research? I'll leave it with 3 stars because I do like Kallmaker and I give her props for at least attempting a potentially interesting setting, even if it would have fit better someplace like Talkeetna. At one point, I did actually pause to reflect on how neat it was to be reading about women's love for each other. -
Must-read & re-read! Original. Funny. Fun. Intense. Thrills. Adventure. Friendship. Love. Romance. Karin Kallmaker's exceptional writing & compelling storytelling will leave you very happy at the end of an emotional roller coaster of a ride.
OMG. Can't remember the last time a book compelled me to have vocal reactions whilst reading it! I was literally screaming into me device - from "You dum-dum!" (to Ani & Eve, separately), "You bloody bitch! How could you?!" (to Monica), to "OMG! Thank YOU, Lisa!! You're my HERO!!" (to Lisa) & ultimately "Oh, thank GOD!".
Honestly, the story was written so flawlessly thrilling that my fingers weren't quick enough to scroll down as my desire to know what happened next reached fever pitch! Literally finished it at fast-and-furious acceleration!
A MUST-READ, HANDS DOWN!! Defo on me re-read list especially now that I know how it ends without inadvertently cooking my stress levels! 😳 -
Still binge reading older romances. This from 2009 was a pleasant surprise. Ani Bycall, a doctoral student working on glacial ice in Alaska flees after being accused of taking a professors field notes. Three years later while tending bar in Key West she decides to return to Alaska to pick up things from the ex that she thinks has moved on. New friend, and awesome side character Lisa, goes into sleuth mode and tries to solve the mystery what really happened. I liked they mystery, although it was so obvious who was the manipulator. Ani was a little annoying at how insecure and guilty she felt and with the fact it took 3 years to try and reach out to Eve. But overall a fun and surprisingly clean romantic read.
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Very good. I love the settings. I love icy lands. Nice story and Lisa has to be one of the best secondary characters I've ever read. Loved her!!!!
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2nd chances at life & love
“Death had taken its fee, she told herself, but life has to go on or death gets more than it ought.”
“She’d disappointed Monica Tyndell, broken Eve’s heart, and Tonk wouldn’t have understood why one day Ani didn’t come back. Dogs only understood hellos, not goodbyes.”
“But maybe she could let go by making sure that Eve had moved on. Say she was sorry, without excuses, own her mistakes, get her stuff and go. Tell Tan not to send her any more boxes and find a life she could embrace with as much love as she had had for her old one.”
“Ani realized, then, a piece of the truth. She had never left. And that’s why she had never moved on.”
“She felt struck by lightning, twice over. Once with the recognition that it was Ani, alive and well, and again with the unanticipated, but unmistakable reaction from the depth of her being: I can live again.”
+ • + • + • +
One single mistake & in that single moment everything you'd worked so hard for & ever dreamed of your entire life is gone in a flash, all plans & visions of your future instantly lost forever.
What if you were given the opportunity to right your wrongs, fix your error & could salvage at least finding peace with yourself & maybe even the possibility of regaining a sliver of what was destroyed —would you? …Could you?
Thanks to the prying, meddling intrusion into her personal life by her new coworker, Lisa, she & Ani are on their way to Alaska, back to the life Ani fled 3 years ago brokenhearted, in shame, disgrace, accusations & scandal, to close the door on the past in the hope she can finally start a new life. But, inconceivably, the prayers for rescue that weren't answered then have been gifted to her the offering of redemption, absolution & forgiveness. -
I need someone to crown Lisa as the queen of something. I just love her so much. This is Lisa's world and we're all just living in it. Jokes aside, Lisa wasn't just a side character, she was the goddamn most important and lovable character. Without her, I probably somehow got into this fictional world and throttle some people (side eyes 2 dumbasses and a wicked witch). Honestly, Lisa got chemistry with everyone more than any other's chemistry - like I could see her with any of the main characters and the main ship sinks and I would've been ok.
But unfortunately, this book wasn't about Lisa, and while I may want to smash their heads together 90% of the book, I also liked Ani and Eve a lot. Ani being nerdy and a passionate glacial geologist was fun to read about. I liked Eve less, but nevertheless, she was also likable being a reasonable, friendly boss and chef.
The structure of this book was refreshing - the past was unveiled as Ani and Lisa traveled to Alaska, nothing about that part of the story can be changed, but then they arrived and what happens next was unpredictable. The ending was
Overall an enjoyable read with some angst and heartbreaking moments, but it was mostly funny thanks to Lisa. -
While reading the Frosting on the Cake short story follow up to this story it said it was originally published in 1989 and I can’t believe I didn’t devour it back then. But I have now and it is a lovely story.
I love the main characters Ani and Eve. AND, I absolutely love Lisa, who is rightfully described as a force of nature by one of the other main characters. For a few minutes I didn’t like Lisa, but she not only grows on you, she is the female Columbo that has great instincts to help the story come together. (You can read more of her character in Frosting on the Cake and My LAdy Lipstick, in that order. I’m hoping a FotC 3 comes out soon with her and Tan!)
Of course, the fact that this story is told (not just read out, but truly narrated given life) by Abby Craden is a big bonus.
Another thing I liked about this book is the amazing descriptions of Alaska. But, this book is an enjoyable book, throughout with humor, interesting facts, great character developments and even a mystery that gets solved in the end that has lingered throughout.
Great storytelling throughout.5/5 and highly recommend! -
I just reread this book. I loved it just as much as the first time. The story takes place in Alaska. The scenery descriptions are phenomenal.
Ani goes to a university in Alaska on a scholarship. Eva is a very good chef. Tan works in the administrative branch of the university Ani attends. Lisa met Ani at an ICE BAR in Key West, Florida. They both were bartenders and had to wear snowsuits because the environment mimicked that of Alaska.
During an expedition with the Professor in the geology dept., there is a death and a missing research binder.
Ani becomes suspect and being advised by her Professor she decides to find her way back to the ICE BAR in Key West where Lisa is still tending bar.
Three years go by and Ani decides to take a trip back to Alaska and asked Lisa to come along.
See how a strong love wins in the end and new romace develops. -
A 10 year old story that holds up quite well. The author is one of my favorites and she does not disappoint. From Key West to the glaciers of Fairbanks, Alaska, the sights and sounds of the natural world come alive in this story. Having been to both places, it tickles my memories with colors and feels. The Characters in this book feel real and alive. Ani and Eve are young and innocents in a world of Academic deceit revolving around research grants and they end of losing three years because off it. The secondary characters are fun, acerbic and faithful friends who find their own way forward. Really good writing and plot line but the dastardly deed is a bit contrived dropping it one star in my rating. Even so, a very good read.
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Ani is the bartender at an ice bar in Key West. She's a sullen loner until waitress Lisa comes along and pushes her way into Ani's business. Lisa's persistence has Ani telling her about the heart she broke three years before in Alaska and her subsequent flight caused by her shame and guilt.
This is a thoroughly enjoyable read and so much more than standard story line where the misunderstanding is unraveled with much angst and chest-beating. I enjoyed Lisa as a character felt as though she had been put there almost as though she is the reader with a clear vision through the bullshit. Entertaining dialogue and set in a place with cold, ice and snow - two of my favourite things. -
This is a wonderful tale of facing past mistakes and taking a chance on reconciliation and regaining love. Kallmaker incorporates some of the most intense and beautiful descriptions of nature and our relationship with it while describing the Alaskan landscape. I truly felt the connection between Ani and the environment. Kallmaker equally develops the characters creating empathy in the reader, I could truly feel Ani and Eve’s emotions throughout the story. The secondary characters are also amazing, Lisa is insightful and hilarious!
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This was my first book by this author and overall I had a good time. I love this narrator usually, and she did a good job here. I think there was just something that didn’t quite click for me personally in the main romance and the background plot stuff just never quite grabbed me the way i wanted it too. That said, it was still an enjoyable listen!
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I liked to read this book, the drama came from typical misunderstanding like it is often seen in romance novels. I really liked the story telling with flashbacks und setting was very unique. It had a little suspense in it to the end other than that it was quite ok.
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By far my favourite Karin Kallmaker novel!
Well written. Engaging. I found it hard to step away to do anything else but find out why Ani was ostracised by the community. The plot was woven to perfection! -
Good one. One of the best lesbian romances I’ve read in awhile. I felt like the end was wrapped up way too quickly. Otherwise, solid stuff.
