When a blizzard strands them in Salt Lake City, two strangers agree to charter a plane together, hoping to return home; Ben Payne is a gifted surgeon returning from a conference, and Ashley Knox, a magazine writer, is en route to her wedding. But when unthinkable tragedy strikes, the pair find themselves stranded in Utah’s most remote wilderness in the dead of winter, badly injured and miles from civilization. Without food or shelter, and only Ben’s mountain climbing gear to protect themselves, Ashley and Ben’s chances for survival look bleak, but their reliance on each other sparks an immediate connection, which soon evolves into something more.

Days in the mountains become weeks, as their hope for rescue dwindles. How will they make it out of the wilderness and if they do, how will this experience change them forever? Heart-wrenching and unputdownable, The Mountain Between Us will reaffirm your belief in the power of love to sustain us.

**A few plot spoilers but I won’t spoil the ending**

I’ve had this on my TBR pile for a while now and finally grabbed the audio book for a road trip. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew it would be like the movie “Alive,” but I wasn’t sure how Martin would approach this kind of disaster story.

This book is such a unique blend of adventure/not much happening/too good to be true/what in the world. In some ways, this story is an eye roller. You’re stranded on a mountain with a guy who’s not only an experienced mountain man/survivalist, he just so happens to have all of his gear with him. And don’t worry about your broken leg — he’s an ER doc/surgeon. Really, this is the best-case scenario for a plane crash in the mountains.

I read a few reviews where the readers didn’t care for Ashley because she didn’t do anything. Well … I mean, she has a broken leg. What’s she going to do? Besides, this isn’t Ashley’s story; it’s Ben’s story. Aside from that, her good attitude sometimes feels a bit off, but I can relate — I deal with tragedy/hardships with humor. Ashley’s stuck on a mountain with a broken leg and a stranger. She keeps joking. I get that, because if you don’t keep laughing you’ll sob and sink into depression. It’s not how everyone would respond, but I understood.

There were definitely some slower parts to the story because Ben’s really just trying to survive. He has to search and go back; search and go back. There are days/times when they can’t do anything else.

Overall, though, the dynamics between Grover, Ben, Ashley, and Rachel slowly pulled me in until I needed to know what happened next. I’m sure some people figured out the plot twists, but I didn’t, so my heart went up and down like a roller coaster.

Once again, this isn’t anything like my normal genre picks, but I loved the story. I always need to take a break after reading a Martin book (to give my mind and emotions a chance to recover), but I’ve no doubt I’ll pick up another one soon.

Rated PG/PG-13 (depending on your comfort level) for survival related plot points. Get you copy here!