Overview

In a town run by shadows, only his gentle hands can pull her into the light. Lena Vasquez came to Blackwood Hollow to hide. After a journalism scandal destroyed her career in Portland, this fog-wrapped mountain town seemed like the perfect place to disappear-at least until her car breaks down in a thunderstorm on a deserted mountain road. Enter Finn Daniels: small-town mechanic, stress-baker, and the kind of man who fixes your car for free and leaves fresh sourdough on your doorstep. He's soft-spoken, emotionally intelligent, and makes playlists that see straight into your soul. Everything about him screams ""too good to be true."" Lena doesn't do trust. And she definitely doesn't do soft-hearted men who look at her like she's worth saving. But Blackwood Hollow has secrets darker than Lena's past. For forty years, people have been disappearing-journalists, activists, anyone who asks too many questions about the two families that run the town like their personal empire. When Lena starts digging into the disappearances, she becomes their next target. Finn knows he should stay away. He's been trapped by his father's debts to these families for a decade, keeping his head down and his hands clean. But something about Lena's prickly defenses and brilliant mind makes him want to be braver than he's ever been. As they uncover evidence of corruption, murder, and decades of cover-ups, danger escalates. Finn protects her with clever plans and quiet devotion-no alpha posturing, just a man who bakes cinnamon rolls at 3 AM and tells her she's incredible even when she doesn't believe it. Between midnight break-ins at churches, narrow escapes through fog-shrouded forests, and stolen moments in his flour-dusted bakery, they fall impossibly, dangerously in love. But the families are closing in. Lena's past mistakes are weaponized against her. Finn's best friend is kidnapped. And both of them must decide: are they brave enough to expose the truth, even if it costs them everything? A slow-burn romance where the hero never raises his voice but will absolutely shield you with his body. Where praise kink meets emotional intelligence. Where sourdough starters have names and playlist curation is a love language. Perfect for readers who love: ✨ Cinnamon roll heroes who cry during emotional conversations ✨ Grumpy/sunshine (but reversed-she's grumpy, he's sunshine) ✨ Forced proximity and ""staying at his place for safety"" ✨ Small-town dark romance with actual stakes ✨ Investigative journalism meets domestic bliss ✨ High heat (4/5 spice level) with enthusiastic consent ✨ Found family and healing trauma together ✨ Guaranteed HEA with epilogue showing their life decades later Tropes: Grumpy/Sunshine, Forced Proximity, Caretaker Hero, Enemies to Lovers (her vs. the town), Praise Kink (lite), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Small Town Romance, Suspense/Mystery, ""Too Good For Me"" Conflict Content Notes: This book contains explicit sexual content, discussions of past trauma, threats of violence, and references to corruption/murder (no graphic violence on page). Emotionally vulnerable hero who 100% cries and it's beautiful.

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