Forrest for the Trees, an all new slow burn small town romance from Kilby Blades, is LIVE in Kindle Unlimited!
Forrest Winters isnāt just a federal fire marshal; heās a thorn in Ranger Sierra Bettsās side. The way he swings his big axe, fixes her with his chameleon gray eyes, and talks about his jurisdiction has a way of breaking her concentration. He has a way of showing up everywhere he doesnāt belong, including Greenbrier Ranger Station. And he really needs to quit stealing her bacon bites.
When a series of suspicious fires, an underhanded co-worker, and a cagey Parks Police Chief threaten her job and the park itself, Sierra grudgingly agrees to partner with Forrest. Their side investigation may be her best shot at preventing the framing of an innocent man. But can his firefighting expertise and her detective skills lead them to the real arsonist before Forrest breaks her with his charm?
‘Forrest for the Trees’ is a full-length contemporary romance, can be read as a standalone and is book #1 in the Green Valley Heroes series, Green Valley Chronicles, Penny Reid Book Universe
āļøāļøREVIEW āļøāļø I love reading about the Smoky Mountains National Park! I fell in love with Tennessee and the Park while reading Penny Reidās Winston brothers books, and the subsequent Smartypants Romance books that Daisy Prescott wrote about Rangers in the Smokies. I was really excited to read this addition to SPR.
I liked the characters well enough, but the book was a little slow for me. I did like having characters from previous books pop up (two in particular, from one of my favorite books in SPR, which I will not spoil here).
I do hope there are more Ranger books in the SPR future, because I canāt get enough of reading about the goings on in the park. I even made a trip out last spring to see it in person, and itās to fun to read about places Iāve been.
Thanks to Penny Reid and Smartypants Romance for the opportunity to read and review this book.āļøāļø
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Excerpt
āDo you walk around with bacon in your pocket or something?ā Sierra asked.
Forrest gave Everest a final rub and rose to his feet. āI reckon itās just good, old-fashioned Southern charm.ā
Reaching toward his face, he pushed up the temple of his sunglasses until they sat on top of his head. Forrest looked down at her, smirk on his face, as usual, having his fun. Only, for Sierra, there was nothing fun about the heat that rose to her ears every time his gaze set on her, clouding her thinking with his smoky eyes.
Forrestās eyes werenāt just gray, and they werenāt ājust eyes.ā His gaze was penetrating and clear, with dark lashes that matched his dark hair. His irises were never the same, though whatever their hue at any given moment, a dark charcoal ring that looked like drawn pencil outlined the lighter color, adding intensity. Today they shone brightlyāthe color of wet shaleāa stark difference from the last time sheād seen him. Theyād turned dark, like slate, when heād talked about the fires. There was something wondrous, and magical, and devastating about watching the way they changed.
āWhat are you doing in my neck of the woods?ā
Forrest chuckled and crossed his arms. āYour woods again, huh?ā
Sierra mirrored his posture. āāNeck of the woodsā is a Southernism. I know how yāall like your sayings.ā
He laughed again, his voice rich and deepāanother thing about him she had the bad habit of replaying in her mind.
āBetter than a pig likes slop.ā Forrestās eyes twinkled.
It made Sierra grateful for her own sunglassesāwindows to her soul, and all. She didnāt want to think what Forrest might notice if he really saw her then. He would never stop gloating if he knew of her susceptibility to his allure.
āYou never said what you were doing here,ā she pointed out.
āFollowing up on some potential fire hazards. Just being vigilant. You know how it is ā¦ā
Sierra nodded. āI do.ā
āI was just down at the ranger station ā¦ā he began haltingly. āI wanted to thank you for what you left meāyou know, my fire marshal snacks.ā
Sierra bit her lip against her own smile. āYou liked that, huh?ā
āNot just me. The guys thought it was pretty funny.ā
āYou told me you could read, so I figured ā¦ā She trailed off innocently, and shrugged.
After their last conversation and his repeated, willful ignorance of her Tupperware marked specifically as being āRanger Snacks,ā sheād brought in a smaller Tupperware labeled āFire Marshal Snacks.ā
āSad thing is, a different fire marshal mustāve beat me to it,ā he continued. āImagine my disappointment when I opened the container and it was empty.ā
āOh, no!ā She feigned shock. āWhat did you do?ā
āPicked up the phone and called Ed Ellis. Asked him to put out an APB to track down whoever had my bites.ā
āThen you helped yourself to the ranger bites, Iām guessing.ā
He made a production out of looking distraught. āTheyāre not as good as fire marshal bites, but I had no choice.ā
He didnāt take his gaze off of her. When heat rose again in her ears, she knew she had to go. Plus, if she didnāt get moving, she really would be late.
āNice to see you, Marshal Winters.ā
His smirk melted into a half-smile. āAlways a pleasure, Ranger Betts.ā
About Kilby Blades
Kilby Blades is a USA Today Bestselling author of Romance and Women’s Fiction. Her debut novel, Snapdragon, was a HOLT Medallion finalist, a Publisher’s Weekly BookLife Prize Semi-Finalist, and an IPPY Award medalist. Kilby was honored with an RSJ Emma Award for Best Debut Author in 2018, and has been lauded by critics for “easing feminism and equality into her novels” (IndieReader) and “writing characters who complement each other like a fine wine does a good meal” (Publisher’s Weekly).
During her career as a digital marketing executive, she moonlighted as a journalist, freelanced as a food, wine and travel writer and lived it up as an entertainment columnist. She has lived in five countries, visited more than twenty-five, and spends part of her year in her happy place in the Andes Mountains. Kilby is a feminist, an oenophile, a cinephile, a social-justice fighter, and above all else, a glutton for a good story. Follow her everywhere @kilbyblades.
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