Ashley James
March 17, 2026
I’ve spent my life doing the right thing.
Wanting him is the first thing that’s ever felt impossible to resist.
Remington Buchanan is the golden-boy firefighter everyone in town trusts with their lives. He’s wears a dimply smile that doesn’t seem to dim for anyone and makes me forget that he’s off limits. Because not only is he half my age, he’s also my son’s best friend.
I’ve built my world on responsibility. On early mornings, hard work, and putting my family first. There’s no room in it for reckless desire. And yet, every time he walks into a room smelling like smoke and sunshine and looking at me like I’m more than just his best friend’s dad, my carefully built restraint starts to crack.
When he takes in a thirteen-year-old boy who just lost his whole world, I tell myself I’m only helping because it’s the right thing to do. Nothing more.
But late nights together in secret turn into shared glances and accidental touches that linger too long. The space between us grows heavy with everything I’m pretending not to feel.
Loving him would mean risking my relationship with my son. It would mean admitting that after years of playing it safe, I want something that could burn my whole life to the ground.
Wanting him feels like crossing a line I can’t uncross.
Because if this goes wrong, I don’t just lose him—I lose my son. My family. My quiet, comfortable life I’ve spent decades building.
But when Remington looks at me like I’m not too old, not too closed off—just his—I start to wonder if doing the right thing has kept me safe… Or just kept me alone.
Some things are worth the risk.
And this time, I’m not sure I’m ready to walk away from the life, and the love, taking shape right in front of me.
We’ve met Remington Buchanan in previous books because he’s Hollis Moore‘s best friend. He’s a firefighter who’s charming, flirty, easy-going, and sunshiny. And now he’s decided to take on being the guardian for a 13-year-old boy. Gentry Moore is his friend’s father and he’s a ranch patriarch and he’s tired, grumpy, closed off, and barely tolerates Remington's shenanigans. Remington likes to mess with Gentry with a little flirt here and a little innuendo there. But behind that teasing, Remington really does have the hots for his friend’s dad. And as Remi starts to try to help Gentry with something and they spend more time together, Gentry starts questioning things about how he is living his own life.
I loved seeing how their relationship be evolved. Especially Gentry's perceptions of Remi, because he started seeing him in a different light in the new circumstances and it honestly made him mad and he really fought against it. But he’s a man who’s never really had a healthy honest, full relationship with real chemistry and intense want. But even as he tries, he can’t ignore it and he still tries to keep a lid on it and put boundaries on it.
But Remington has been crushing on this man since he was 15 years old and he has no shame in just being cocky and flirty and pushing the older man to his limits. He sees a chance and he’s not going to stop until he can get whatever he can out of it. They’re both stubborn and opinionated. But it’s fun to watch them taunt and challenging each other. The age gap is like early 30s to young 50s and it didn’t bother me at all. It’s messy and complicated due to friends and family dynamics and Gentry hiding behind his gruff rancher persona he has cultivated his entire life.
I also really enjoyed the storyline of Remington becoming a guardian. His relationship building with Lukas is honestly heartwarming and it made me love Remi even more. I enjoyed more with the side characters we met in the first two books of the series as well.
This is an age, gap, grumpy sunshine, son’s best friend/best friend’s father, firefighter and rancher, small town romance with just a bit of Daddy kink.
FINN
Kim's review
Falling for my girlfriend’s twin brother wasn’t what I had in mind when I hired him to be my son’s nanny.
Working on my family’s cattle ranch, the hours are long, and sometimes unpredictable, so when my regular nanny quits, leaving me in a pinch, I have to think fast.
In walks Ash Tudor.
My opposite in almost every way.
He’s cheerful and bubbly, has horrible taste in music, and does yoga in my yard almost every morning in the tightest shorts I’ve ever seen.
Not that I’m looking.
But it’s none of those things that have me scratching my head and second guessing everything I thought I knew about myself.
No… it’s the fact that he’s a him and I can’t seem to keep my eyes away, no matter how confusing that may be.
I’m nearly thirty, and never once have I looked at another man the way I catch myself looking at him.
The feelings and urges growing inside of me make no sense, and then when he gets a special delivery to the house of items he plans to use on himself, I can’t stop imagining him doing just that… Or imagining me using them on him.
But confusion and curiosity aside, I can’t fall into bed with my son’s nanny.
Doing so would be reckless and irresponsible.
No matter how tempting it may be.
When the universe hands me a hot, older, recently divorced man on a silver platter, who am I to turn down such a generous offer?
Big deal if he also happens to be my best friend’s boss.
Ford Wesley, Captain of the Wolf Creek Fire Department, is the whole package, with hair that’s a delicious mix of dark and silver strands, and deep brown eyes that hold a touch of mystery.
He’s also always been off the market… Until now.
When he gets caught in a bind and has to temporarily stay on my family’s property, I know it’s my chance to get closer to him, but I never expected it to be so easy.
One night, I match with an anonymous stranger on an app, and it doesn’t take long for things to go from innocent and flirty to raunchy and scorching.
Then when I catch a glimpse of my new neighbor shirtless one day, it becomes clear Mr. Tall, Broody, and Off Limits is the mystery man sending filthy messages to me every night online.
The best part? His profile may be anonymous, but mine isn’t… He knows exactly who he’s talking to.
The chemistry on the app morphs into a reality in the sheets…and at the firehouse, and what starts out as a secret, no-strings arrangement quickly becomes so much more. Before I know it, it’s not just his body I crave, but everything he keeps close to his heart as well.
But I’m not the settle down type, and he’s fresh out of a long marriage. When push comes to shove, will this turn into something more, or are we destined to crash and burn?
Ashley James
Ashley James is a romance author who enjoys writing (and reading) LGBTQIA+ books. She is from Washington State—and no, not Seattle—and currently resides in South Carolina with her two kids and hairless kitties, Goose, Maverick, and Houston. Ashley is introverted and slightly (okay, majorly) awkward. She refuses to make this section sound like a tacky dating app profile, so she won't be telling you how much she enjoys music, how she thoroughly enjoys dancing and singing in her kitchen, despite not being able to carry a tune, and she won't be telling you about her love of toxic and broken fictional men.
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