Elusive Love: A Small-Town Second Chance Single Dad Romance

· Alpine Ridge Book 4 · Wicked Dreams Publishing
6 reviews
Ebook
231
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About this ebook

Sometimes the love you thought you lost is the one that leads you home...


Rae Donovan is forty-six years old and has made her peace with how her life has turned out.


She has the bakery, her momma up the road, and a town that's known her since she was a girl. It's a small life, but it's hers. The part where she was sixteen and certain Luke McMillan was going to be her entire future is ancient history. Though everyone in Alpine Ridge still remembers how that ended: he got another girl pregnant. Then he left.


Thirty years later, he walks into her bakery.


Luke is back as Alpine Ridge's first fire chief, raising his daughter alone and showing no sign of leaving again. Even if some people, Rae most of all, don’t seem entirely happy to see him. 


What he doesn’t know is what the town’s residents have believed about him for three decades. What his father let them believe. What they still believe, given that the child is now grown and serving as a town council member.


Luke knows his father is not a good man. He learned that at sixteen, the year the church burned down. But even he doesn’t know the depth of his deceptions … yet.


Rae has spent her whole life being the one who stayed. Luke has spent his paying for something he didn't do and never knew he'd been blamed for.


Some second chances are about forgiveness. This one is about the truth.

Sometimes the love you thought you lost is the one that leads you home... Rae Donovan is forty-six years old and has made her peace with how her life has turned out. She has the bakery, her momma up the road, and a town that's known her since she was a girl. It's a small life, but it's hers. Th...

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Ratings and reviews

6 reviews
Shannon Johnson
May 26, 2025
A swoon-worthy second chance romance! Rae has been a staple in the Alpine Ridge since book one in the series and she is finally getting her story! Rae has been a staple in Alpine Ridge since book one, working at the bakery and helping plan events for her friends when she hears the news about the new fire chief. And the new fire chief happens to be her ex-boyfriend who left under mysterious circumstances. There's an adorable 12 year old and wonderful friends to round the story out!
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Mary S
May 13, 2025
This is such a good addition to the "Alpine Ridge" small town series. It is a heart warming and emotional story about Rae and Luke. This is delightful second chance romance with a little tragedy. I enjoyed how their story develops and love the characters.
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Anne Sinclair
May 7, 2025
What a read! An excellent addition to the amazing Alpine Ridge series. Rae and Luke take the story forward (although it could be read as a stand alone), and in doing so, expose shenanigans history has distorted and tried to hide. All the previously loved characters throughout the series are expertly interwoven in this story and brings meaning to 'friends are the family we choose for ourselves'. Smith navigates the challenging topics touched on with sensitivity and understanding. This is a must..
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About the author

Melanie A. Smith is an award-winning, international best-selling author of steamy romance with smart, self-sufficient heroines and strong, swoony book boyfriends with hearts of gold. A former engineer turned stay-at-home mom and author, when Melanie is not lost in the world of books you’ll find her spending time with her husband and son, crafting, or cross-stitching.

Melanie A. Smith is an award-winning, international best-selling author of steamy romance with smart, self-sufficient heroines and strong, swoony book boyfriends with hearts of gold. A former engineer turned stay-at-home mom and author, when Melanie is not lost in the world of books you’ll find h...

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