Firefighter Colton Sparks is beautiful, brawny, and lonely. A total man’s man with testosterone driven tendencies smothered in a tough guy exterior. He’s every woman’s dream; they just aren’t his. A die-hard romantic, Colton is looking for a Hallmark happily ever after, but finding Mrs. Right has been as fruitful as playing the lottery. It’s no secret that he dreams of white picket fences, finding love, and having a family. He has the white picket fence…he just needs her.

When a beautiful woman comes to town, he begins to wonder if he has finally found her? Megan Johnson is stunning with a regal quality that doesn’t live in small mountain towns, and a mystery that has him intrigued. She also happens to be his neighbor.

Megan thought McKenzie Ridge was the perfect place to settle…for now. It was the polar opposite of the glamorous life she abruptly abandoned. Small town living was anything but simple; it was damned hard! Gone were her days of fancy make-up, and designer clothes. Here were the days of flannel, fur lined boots, and becoming Megan Johnson.

As things start to heat up and fall into place with the handsome firefighter next door, her past flashes its depraved and wrathful face. Can she stay in McKenzie and fight her demons, or will her secrets leave her alone and on the run?

Is there a happily ever after for Colton and Megan, or is love a deadly game of chance?

Megan is happy, she has a new business that is flourishing in the small town of McKenzie. She met Colton at a friend’s wedding and felt an immediate attraction to him, but needs to stay away from him because she is sure he can steal her heart and she couldn’t do that to him. She can’t do that to anyone, it was too dangerous.

Colton, is a hunky firefighter/paramedic who adopts animals that are considered unwanted, thus he has an unusual menagerie. He too felt that attraction at the wedding and has wanted to get to know his elusive neighbor better.
He gets the opportunity in a unique way, she was being “attacked” by a flock of geese that contained one duck. Mainly for the bag of bread hanging from her back pocket. One of my favorite scenes is in the aftermath of this attack as Megan meets more of his pets.

Colton recognized that he had been holding Megan’s arm, and now hand, for some time. The realization spread quickly and they both found themselves speechless and unable to let go. The silence between them was deafening and their locked eyes were creating a sweat worthy heat that was laced in undeniable desire. The spell was broken when a large German Shepherd entered the room and sat in from of Megan, holding a mewing kitten by the nape of its neck, in his mouth.

She jumped startled by yet another animal and stated the obvious, “That’s not Nancy! Oh my God, it’s eating a kitten!! Do something!!! Oh no, where’s his other leg?” She shouted as she leaned back in her chair attempting to distance herself form the cat-eating monster.

Colton laughed again, finding her antics amusing. She clearly had little to no experience with animals.

“That’s Duke. He only has three legs but it doesn’t slow him down.”
Hidden. Kindle Location 245-252.Kindle Edition.

There is lots of laughter as she meets the whole of the menagerie. Her and her nephew both have been enthralled by the animals. Now Megan is trying not so very hard to stay away from him. Even more so as her past starts sneaking up on her.

This book kept me guessing at what her problem was, leaving me more than a little surprised when the truth came out. Suspense was high throughout the book, growing with each chapter. The relationship between Megan and Colton starts at a slow simmer and the heat just kept getting turned higher and higher. Lots of great characters in this story to continue to build on. I look forward to reading Rescued, and the next in this series.

There were some editing errors most of which can be excused for an ARC. However, this repetition kicked me out of the story for a bit:
The tables were lined with big baskets of fresh sweet rolls and farm fresh butter. Simple, but plentiful and absolutely delicious.
The tables were lined with metal pitchers of iced water and clear glass pitchers of sweet tea to accommodate the two glasses set at each place setting.

So…

4 Contented Purrs for Stephanie and a Hiss for editing!

  Stephanie St. Klaire

Stephanie St. Klaire debuted as an author in 2016 with her McKenzie Ridge Series. Rescued, released in March of 2016 as the first book in a five book series, launched her writing career. Stephanie is a Pacific Northwest native currently living in Oregon with her husband, five children, and two ferocious lap dogs.

As a writer, Stephanie brings realistic circumstances to the pages, and fills them with real emotion, reactions, and outcomes. Her characters are passionate, have bold personalities, and full of life. She writes happily ever after’s, with plenty of twists, turns, drama, and of course, steamy romance.

Stephanie has always been a story teller, with the gift of “gab”. With a life-long goal to be a writer, unfortunate circumstances with her health, finally afforded her the time to do so. Irony at its best, she began writing her first novel at an adverse time, to escape her circumstance and explore the stories in her imagination for relief. She is happy to share those stories with her readers, and bring a little fun, entertainment, and of course smexy characters to the pages.

Follow Stephanie St. Klaire on Social media to learn more about her, and to keep up with her work.