Whiteout by Adriana Anders is the first book in the Survival Instincts romantic suspense and adventure series and is set mainly in Antarctica. The author brought this reader an intense and action-filled adventure story.

Angel Smith has spent the summer as a chef at a remote research station, and is ready to leave before winter sets in, when the station is attacked. She and glaciologist Ford “Coop” Cooper barely escape, but there are few places to go. Without power, no way to contact the outside world, and a team of mercenaries chasing them, can Angel and Coop get to safety? Can they take enough food and essentials to survive the trek? Who attacked the research station and what was the impetus for the attack? Was it successful? What follows is a suspenseful survival story with a romance weaved into the story line.

Angel is a character that you definitely can root for, but Coop is rather reserved and harder to get to know. However, the progression of their relationship made sense as a partnership for survival and some initial attraction was tested by the need to survive.

The author brought a strong sense of place to light in this novel. The subzero temperatures, harshness and inhospitableness of Antarctica was balanced with its beauty, isolation and peacefulness. However, the book was short on dialogue in places. Some of this was necessary due to the circumstances. Instead, there is a lot of introspection by both Angel and Coop which added depth to their characters. Additionally, there is some insight into the villains in this story and we get perspectives from a couple of them which enriches the tale. Running from the past, danger, action, steamy scenes and much more kept this reader entertained and wondering what could happen next.

Overall, this novel kept me engaged and made me grateful that I was not enduring the stark reality of wind, snow, and cold that Angel and Coop faced. I have read other books set in Antarctica, but this one is by far the best. I felt somewhat let down by several loose ends. I know the epilogue set up the next novel, but I would have preferred that the information was put at the beginning of the next book in the series. What a cliffhanger! Despite, this, I am looking forward to reading book two which is currently slated to be published August 31, 2021.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, Sourcebooks Casablanca. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date was January 28, 2020.