The Teacher and the Soldier (Ellery Mountain #2)

When firefighter Max meets local cop Finn, their love affair burns as hot as the fires being set in town.

Max Harrison's life in the small town of Ellery takes an unexpected turn when he crosses paths with Finn. As a dedicated volunteer firefighter and assistant to the mayor, Max is thrust into a perilous situation when Finn fearlessly risks his life to save a town drunk from a burning building. Now, Max is determined to go to any lengths necessary to ensure Finn's safety.

From the moment Max becomes Finn's rescuer, an intense and magnetic attraction binds them together. Yet, their burgeoning romance is overshadowed by the realization that the fire was deliberately set. Someone is targeting Finn, and Max will do anything to keep him safe.

As Max fights to keep Finn alive and protect their town from the looming threat, their bond deepens, and love takes hold. However, with danger lurking at their doorstep, Finn's survival hangs in the balance, and Max has to put everything on the line.

Can Daniel persuade the man he loves to remain by his side in Ellery?

Luke left Ellery for college and his career as a teacher, and vowed never to come back, not to the parents who hurt him, or the town that never noticed his pain. He’s bigger than bigger than his dad’s abuse and his mom’s abandonment and he has a life that he’s happy with. But when his father is murdered he returns home, not to mourn for his dad, but to settle his inheritance and sell everything that reminds him of the painful past. His sole purpose is to rid himself of his stake in the Ellery Mountain Cabins and move on, but everything takes an unexpected turn when he encounters Daniel.

A former soldier, Daniel has managed to escape the haunting memories of his past and the weight of survivor's guilt by embracing a life of living to the fullest. With his tattoos, confidence, and unyielding determination, he co-owns Ellery Resort Cabins alongside Luke. However, it's evident that Luke wants nothing to do with his family's legacy. Despite this, Daniel finds himself falling deeply in love with Luke, believing with all his heart that Luke is his forever. But Luke has made it clear that he won't be staying in Ellery, and it's only a matter of time before he departs.

Jason is hiding out in Ellery, grief-stricken and unable to trust anyone, until Kieran shows him it’s okay to let go.

Desperate to escape the relentless pursuit of paparazzi following his brother's death, actor Jason seeks refuge in the familiar embrace of his home town of Ellery. All he wants is peace and to find anonymity within the secluded tourist cabins of Ellery Mountain during its off-season, craving a respite from the unrelenting scrutiny of the outside world.

Enter Kieran, a determined man who knows precisely what he wants: the captivating actor Jason, tied up, surrendering to his desires, and pleading for more. Their passionate encounters quickly turn to love but scarred by his past and burdened by the fear of betrayal, Jason panics. Even in each other's arms, Jason can’t find the trust he needs, and all too soon it’s time for him to leave. Unless Kieran can get him to stay.

When reformed bad boy Mitchell crosses paths with the town doctor, can he let himself learn to love?

Mitchell Askett has always felt misunderstood, labeled as the troublemaker, the alcoholic, and the failure. However, his decision to invest in the Ellery Mountain resort and establish a home for himself, his sister, and his niece catches the attention of the Fridays and Doctor Liam Wolfe. In Ellery, Mitchell discovers genuine friendships that accept him for who he is and allow him to distance himself from his troubled past. As he falls Liam, he can even imagine a promising future for himself in Ellery.

Liam works long hours as a doctor at the small Ellery hospital with little time for a social life or for finding a partner. After he operates to save a young girl with appendicitis he meets her uncle, the tall, dark, stubborn, bad boy, Mitchell, who punctuates every sentence with a curse. Liam is determined to show Mitchell, as they fall in love, that it’s perfectly okay to accept help from others, and that no one has to battle their inner demons alone. Now, if only he could get Mitchell to believe him.. After he operates to save a young girl with appendicitis he meets her uncle, the tall, dark, stubborn, bad boy, Mitchell, who punctuates every sentence with a curse. Liam is determined to show Mitchell, as they fall in love, that it’s perfectly okay to accept help from others, and that no one has to battle their inner demons alone. Now, if only he could get Mitchell to believe him.

A dramatic rescue of a man with amnesia, a loaded firearm, and an unsolved murder, might just be the start of falling in love.

Paramedic Jamie escaped the city and relocated to Ellery, seeking a fresh start. Settling in at the small Ellery hospital, Jamie is content. He wants to make a difference in a community in dire need, and he’s prepared to work long hours to help. Little does Jamie know that his life will be forever altered when he’s part of a rescue mission for an unidentified individual, known only as John Doe. The man is trapped in a wrecked vehicle perilously perched on the edge of a ravine, Jamie risks everything to save him, and as John regains consciousness, revealing captivating violet eyes, Jamie is more than intrigued.

However, beneath the surface of a growing attraction between them, a veil of mystery shrouds who John really is. He’s suffering from amnesia, rendering him unable to recollect the events leading up to his shooting of the car's passenger. In addition, the presence of the firearm discovered in his possession further deepens the mystery surrounding the incident.

Determined to help John regain his lost memories and find solace in the truth, Jamie immerses himself in a tireless quest for answers and giving his unwavering reassurance during moments of frustration and confusion. Driven by the desire to protect John and help him reclaim his identity, Jamie finds himself falling deeper in love with the complex, mysterious man who has become the center of his world.

After losing everything, is it possible for a broken man to find love?

Travis, a former Navy SEAL grappling with post-traumatic stress disorder, is the first veteran to seek help from the Ellery Mountain Veteran Center. He’s struggles to reconcile the haunting memories of his past actions with the life he’s returned to. In the midst of a highly public breakdown, it is the owner of the local bar, Avery, who steps forward, offering support and understanding.

Estranged from his family, Avery manages the sole drinking establishment in town—The Alibi—where he lends an ear to others' troubles while trying to forget his own. Recognizing a kindred spirit in the wounded warrior yearning for companionship, Avery discovers himself gradually falling deeply in love with Travis. With unwavering determination, he commits himself to helping Travis, and demonstrating that with determination, they can build a new life together and have a love that will last forever.

As Michael finally finds the person who left him for dead, can the love he'd found with Alex survive the fallout?

Michael survived a hate crime but is haunted by memories beyond his grasp and plagued by relentless nightmares. When he leaves his life as a catwalk model ad returns home to confront his past, it’s his present in the shape his persistent agent, Alex, who refuses to leave him alone. Once he thought he loved Alex, but their relationship crumbled is destroyed when Alex's well-intentioned but suffocating tendency to protect Michael becomes their downfall.

Michael loves Alex, and always will, and protecting the man he loves is everything. Only, in protecting Michael he loses everything, and he wants a second chance to prove that he can change. When he’s drawn into the darkness of Michael’s past, he’s determined to be a very different kind of person—someone Michael can depend on. Secrets rarely remain hidden, and the pursuit of the person who nearly took Michael's life presents a formidable challenge. The prospect of remaining passive becomes increasingly difficult as danger looms closer. Will history repeat itself, causing Alex to lose Michael once more?

The hero is a sinner. The bad guy is a saint. And agreeing to sex for just a month turns everything else upside down.

Ben Rockwell, a former military medic, arrives in Ellery with a mission to establish a specialized unit for post-trauma care at the Veterans Center. Driven by a strong desire to rectify past battlefield decisions, he pours all his focus into this endeavor, disregarding everything else. However, his world takes an unexpected turn when a stranger moves in next door, throwing him off balance. Despite being hailed as a hero, Ben feels burdened by the weight of concealed truths, and knows he is anything but.

British actor, Nicholas Merrick, accused by the media of cheating on his fiancé and then coming out as gay flees from London, and seeks refuge in his friend’s house in small town Tennessee. He intends to remain hidden until the chaos in his past subsides. The choices he made in his life were motivated by protecting his best friend, but everyone has painted him as the villain. The moment Ben and Nicholas cross paths, they fall in lust, but is love possible for the sinning hero and the saintly bad boy?

Harrison is alone and hurting with his memories gone, but Toby shows him that love can heal even the most broken of hearts.

After losing his entire team in a roadside bomb, Harrison is left with a traumatic brain injury, a broken body, and scars on his heart that might never heal. Staying at the Ellery Mountain Veterans Center is the first step in healing, but short-term memories evade him, and the only thing he trusts is the love of Barney, his support dog.

Until he meets Toby.

Toby lands the chance of a lifetime, using his horticultural skills to aid in working with veterans during their physical and mental recovery. Meeting Harrison on his first day goes badly, but there is something between them that could be more than just friendship.

With time, it could even become love.

Someone wants JC dead, and Adrian is the only thing standing in the way. Has war followed them home? Or is something more sinister at play?

JC struggles to understand his place in the world, and despite being wealthy beyond imagination, he’s never found real happiness outside of his friendship with Adrian. Enlisting in the army is his attempt at finding purpose, but tragedy strikes, and only the Ellery Veterans Center can help put back the pieces of his shattered life. With a bullet fragment in his brain and seemingly no chance of ever being the man he once was, he begins to lose hope. 

Adrian didn’t hesitate to follow his best friend to war, but with their unit decimated in an ambush and JC bleeding into the dirt, Adrian buries his hopes for the future to keep the man he loves safe. Acting as JC’s bodyguard means he is secure for now, but threats from an unknown person escalate to attempted murder, and Adrian has no choice but to take JC and run. When the Sanctuary Foundation intervenes and takes them into their care, they might be safe, but revealed secrets could destroy everything.

Sometimes, even if love finds a way through tragedy, it can be impossible to imagine forever.

This book features characters from my action-adventure romantic suspense Sanctuary series, but you do not have to have read Sanctuary to enjoy this story. This best-friend-to-lover, hurt-comfort romance has bodyguards, threats, found family, and a guaranteed love-filled happily ever after.