COMING JUNE 16, 2026
From USA Today and international bestselling author of The Simple Wild comes a sweeping second-chance, forbidden romance set against the rugged beauty of northern Ontario.
Emery McAllister once dreamed of leaving Cold River with the boy next door, but one devastating night destroyed their future and left her heart carefully guarded. Twenty years later, she’s built a life of control: running the town’s police detachment, raising her daughter, and keeping a fragile peace with her ex-husband, the mayor.
She’s certain she has moved on until the day she has dreaded—and secretly hoped for—finally arrives.
Logan Landry is home.
After two decades behind bars for being in the wrong place at the wrong time—and the choices that haunted him ever since—Logan returns to his family’s bison ranch carrying the weight of everything he lost, but especially Emery. Friendship is all he dares hope for now, but seeing her ignites a fire he thought long extinguished.
When a teenage girl disappears and old wounds reopen, Logan becomes Cold River’s favorite suspect, despite his airtight alibi. As distrust closes in, Emery must choose between the life she’s built … and the love she can’t let go.
WHAT’S THE BOOK ABOUT?
WHAT ARE THE TROPES?
WHERE DO I GET MY COPY?
NORTH COUNTRY WILL BE AVAILABLE IN EBOOK, AUDIOBOOK, AND PAPERBACK. PLUS, DON’T FORGET TO REQUEST NORTH COUNTRY FROM YOUR LIBRARY!
PREORDER NOW
FOR APPLE & KOBO EBOOK READERS, AN EBOOK PREORDER IS AVAILABLE. THE BOOK WILL NOT BE SOLD ON THESE PLATFORMS ONCE RELEASED ON JUNE 16, 2026, AS IT WILL BE AVAILABLE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED. IF YOU PURCHASE YOUR EBOOKS FROM THESE PLATFORMS, PLEASE MAKE SURE TO PREORDER!
PREORDER FROM ALL OTHER RETAILERS (EBOOK VIA APPLE BOOKS, PAPERBACKS, AND AUDIOBOOKS)
I’M GOING ON TOUR!
I'll be visiting these four fabulous indie romance book stores the week of release, in between the City Fling event in Austin, TX June 12-13th and The Star of the North in Minneapolis, MN on June 20th.
I also have a few Canadian store visits planned!
Get your tickets today (click on the dates to visit the store website), and check out my Events page for all upcoming events!
IN-STORE SIGNING SCHEDULE
JUNE 15 - SOLD OUT!
THE PLOT TWIST BOOK BAR
WITH A GUEST AUTHOR
DENTON, TX
6:30PM CST
JUNE 16
THE NEW ROMANTICS
IN CONVERSATION WITH JENNIFER CHIPMAN
ORLANDO, FL
7:00PM EST
JUNE 17
NOVEL GROUNDS
WITH SIGNING PARTNER, ELIZABETH O’ROARK
CHESAPEAKE, VA
6:00PM EST
JUNE 18 - SOLD OUT!
UNDER THE COVER
IN CONVERSATION WITH @ITSTIARASVERSION
KANSAS CITY, MO
6:30PM CST
JULY 15
HOPELESS ROMANTIC BOOKS
IN CONVERSATION WITH BIANCA MARAIS
TORONTO, CA
7:30PM EST
PREORDER CAMPAIGN
For those unable to attend one of the store events, we also have preorders set up with select independent romance bookstores across US and Canada.
Please visit any of these websites to pre-order your copy
CANADA
usa
(copies at Flutter will be handsigned)
HOW ABOUT A MUSIC PLAYLIST AND A PINTEREST INSPO BOARD!
SPOTIFY PLAYLIST
Listen to the North Country playlist on Spotify now (pssst... the paperback includes the playlist set to specific book scenes by page number)
PINTEREST INSPO BOARD
Curious about scenes and characters in the book? Check out my Pinterest board for inspirational pics
SETTING
Cold River is a fictional small town in northern Ontario, situated on Hwy 11 (otherwise known as the Trans-Canada Highway, a system of routes that will take you across the entire country. In Ontario, it is the northernmost highway.) I drew inspiration from a collection of towns — Temiskaming Shores, Earlton, Englehart, and Cobalt — to create the setting for Cold River, and while it may not exist in real life, by the time you've finished North Country, I hope it exists in your imagination.
BEFORE YOU GO
DON’T FORGET TO ADD NORTH COUNTRY TO YOUR GOODREADS WANT TO READ SHELF!
AND KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR GOODREADS GIVEAWAYS
ARE YOU A BLOGGER?
Do you want the opportunity to read North Country two weeks before everyone else? Request an ARC from Valentine PR!