When I discovered my ex was cheating with my best friend, it felt like I lost everything in a day. Months later, I packed up the broken pieces of my life and fled to Willow Brook, taking a job at the remote Heartfire Falls Resort. I came to the Alaskan wilderness for a fresh start.
When Lincoln Silver walks into my office, I take in his tall, dark-haired, blue-eyed presence and tell my pulse to chill out. The Silver family owns the resort, so technically I work for Lincoln. Minor detail.
He's a rugged hotshot firefighter whose family owns the resort, and he carries his own grief. He’s the kind of man who never fails to show up and never fails to protect.
We are both haunted by our pasts, bumping into each other in the dark hours of the night when sleep refuses to come. When he catches me spiraling over the betrayal I left behind, he protects me. I swore I'd never want anything from anyone again, but as our shared midnights turn into a burning attraction, this devoted hero is determined to prove that some risks are worth it.
Perfect for readers who love slow burn romance with forced proximity tension, deeply emotional hurt/comfort, and a love story set against the rugged beauty of the Alaskan wilderness.
✓ Small Town Found Family
✓ Hotshot Firefighter Hero
✓ Workplace Romance / Grumpy Boss
✓ Forced Proximity
✓ Who hurt you?
✓ Emotional Angst
✓ He Falls First
✓ Deeply Protective Alpha Hero
✓ Spicy Heat
One-click this standalone small town firefighter romance today!
USA Today bestselling author J. H. Croix writes emotionally charged, steamy small town Alaska romance featuring protective firefighter and first responder heroes and smart, strong heroines. Best known for her interconnected series set in Willow Brook, Alaska, Croix creates immersive fictional communities where the town itself becomes a character and found family is at the heart of every love story.
Having lived for over a decade in a tiny coastal Alaska town, Croix brings an authentic sense of place to her rugged mountain settings—where wildfire crews, stubborn alpha men, fiercely independent women, and tight-knit communities collide. Her interconnected series span multiple generations and friend groups, rewarding readers who love returning characters and layered small town worlds.
She lives in a small town with her husband and two spoiled dogs. When she’s not writing swoony Alaska romance, she’s cooking, counting birds in her backyard, or plotting her next romance while running with her dogs.