Rachel Bond loves living in the middle of the chaos that is known as Los Angeles and savors the traffic, noise, and questionable air quality. Most of all she loves her job painting murals and has little need for nature beyond that which can be found within city limits. Rachel yearns for some sort of adventure in her life, but not too far from civilization and probably without any real risk-taking. So when fate delivers her ownership of a Bed and Breakfast inn in the wilds of Alaska, Rachel knows her adventure has arrived – just not in the tame package she desires. And what did her great, great Aunt Gertrude have up her sleeve in willing such a place to a citified girl such as she?

Kellan McInty, Rachel’s lifelong friend (and in her estimation a complete geek), accompanies her to Alaska to take a look at her strange inheritance. Rachel is very fond of the tall, funny brainiac who is so easy going that his disheveled appearance reminds her more of an absent-minded professor than the Sea World dolphin trainer he actually is. He listens to Rachel’s complaints, accepts her bossy nature, and is her rock in every storm. Though there have been many times in his life that Kellan wanted to strangle Rachel, most of that time he wants her in his arms more, so he is more than happy to allow Rachel to lean on him.

The B & B truly is on the edge of civilization with nary a road or walking path to its door and the only way out a dangerous contraption of a plane that shows up once a week. An old four story Victorian with a myriad of dark windows, the inn looks foreboding instead of warm and charming and the guests and employees appear only to disappear and are unwilling to answer any questions. It soon becomes evident that Rachel wasn’t expected to show up and the employees don’t know if they should welcome her or warn her away.

There is something about those woods not far from the inn and Rachel can’t resist their pull. Concerned that she may lose her way, Kellan follows her and the two are immediately trapped in some sort of weird storm that leaves them with smoking clothes and some frightening new abilities. Rachel can see through anything, including the clothes Kellan wears and Kellan has unbelievable strength, enabling him to rip the handle off a door in a single tug. But the change that garners most of Rachel’s attention is the different Kellan standing before her. Since when did he have such nicely chiseled abs, hard pecs, and sinewy biceps, not to mention those amazing eyes? Where had this confident, take-charge, alpha Kellan come from? As the theme song from Twilight Zone plays in her head, Rachel knows things have seriously changed, but all she can think about is Kellan’s body.

Rachel’s eccentric aunt left many puzzles for her niece to solve and powers to understand. The bizarre world Kellan and Rachel find include a pair of employees who are both ill suited for their respected jobs. The cook doesn’t know how to cook but can blaze a trail in the wilderness while the trail guide loves to cook but can’t find his way out of the forest. These represent only the tip of the many wacky scenarios that are introduced to culminate in a big mystical event. What I am sure is meant to be a zany, Out of This World adventure translated instead to a boring, never-ending run toward as many unlikely scenarios as possible.

Despite the attention paid to Rachel and her many quirks, this is Kellan’s show. Even before any manifestation of changes during the storm, Kellan is a prince charming in hiding. The book is supposed to be a story of Rachel accepting the man he is rather than wanting the new man he appears to be, unfortunately, Rachel never progresses beyond extreme self-centeredness, although her character offers a number of laughs along the way. Her shallowness, incongruously combined with Kellan’s thoughtful nature, were bad enough, but it all got even worse when the final third of the book became a trial of another sort by featuring far too much wackiness for my tastes. All in all, Shalvis’ latest is a frustrating reading experience.