Gabe Rice, a seasonal ranger at the Rocky Mountain National Park, can’t seem to get his life on the right trail. He loves the rugged beauty of the land, and there is no place he would rather live than the mountain community of Estes Park. But after six years, Gabe is beginning to wonder if he’ll ever get a full-time position or find love. When Gabe sees Luis—and hears his gorgeous singing—he’s compelled to meet him.
Luis Martinez, the new owner of a hotel and steak ride business in Estes, left California and a career as a therapist for a fresh start in Colorado. But even the beauty of the mountains can’t help him forget the past or move forward. Unprepared for his strong attraction to Gabe, Luis is ready to run and hide from emotions he never thought he’d have again.
Suddenly the path ahead opens to a future that looks brighter for both of them, if they can find the courage to walk forward—together.
Some stories make you work for that HEA. But when you get there... it's glorious.
Mapping the Forest is one of those quieter romances. The pace is organic and natural. The characters are real and likable. You know the books that sneak up on you? You think everything is moving along nicely and then BAM! you're crying your eyes out? Yeah. That's Mapping the Forest.
The title is so apt for a story like this. Gabe and Luis had to really work to find their way to an HEA. They had to find their own path, making plenty of mistakes along the way. There was a lot for them to hash out. But they did. They were open and honest with each other from the get-go. It made for some awesomely awkward dates, but they kept going, full-steam ahead. That's not to say there weren't any fall-outs, because there were, but they knew what they had was special so they worked at it. I loved that about Gabe and Luis,
This one's a tearjerker. Not just a little misty-eyed, but tears rolling down my cheeks tearjerker. It was beautiful and heartbreaking. And really, all this emotion kind of snuck up on me. I knew it was sad. I knew nobody should have to experience what Luis did. But I didn't know I was feeling so much for them until I was clutching my kindle to my chest while in the fetal position. It was not cute.
The setting of Estes Park was amazing. I've only been there once, but through the descriptions I could easily picture the breathtaking landscape. Again... beautiful.
I do hope this is a series. There's a great cast of characters here and I would love to read more about them. I feel like just the surface was scratched with these guys and I want to know all the things.
So good. Mapping the Forest is just so good. I couldn't put it down and stayed up late in order to finish it. This one's a must read, Unicorns.
Find out more info on Goodreads and Dreamspinner Press.
Thanks for the great review! This series sounds wonderful.
ReplyDelete