Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Aloha to Yellowstone National Park ... and romances books celebrating Mother Nature


On this day in 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant signed into the law the creation of Yellowstone National Park as the first National Park in the United States and even in the world. Today, the National Park Service cares for 59 national parks, including Yellowstone.

I have not had the privilege, yet, to visit Yellowstone.  I certainly enjoyed the National Parks in Hawaii ... and romance books have taken me to national parks.

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What do you do when desire drives you to the very brink?

The day Navajo journalist Katherine James met park ranger Gabriel Rossiter, the earth literally moved beneath her feet. Nearly killed in a rockslide while hiking, she found her life in the tall park ranger's hands. Although she can't forget him she thinks she'll never see him again. She is crushed when she recognizes her rescuer among the law enforcement officers raiding a sweat lodge ceremony one night, throwing her and her friends off Mesa Butte, land they consider sacred.

Gabe long ago swore he would never again lose himself to a woman not even one with long dark hair and big eyes that seem to see right through him. But from the moment he first sees Kat, the attraction he feels is undeniable. Appalled by what he has been ordered to do, he's determined to get to the bottom of recent events at Mesa Butte and to keep Kat safe.

But asking questions can be dangerous almost as dangerous as risking one's heart. And soon Kat and Gabe's passion for the truth and each other makes them targets for those who would do anything, even kill, to keep Native Americans off their sacred land.

Click here for Pamela's notes about NAKED EDGE.

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HER LOVE HAS COME ALONG . . . 

Amy Michaels loves her new life in Lucky Harbor. A waitress in the local diner, she's looking forward to her first weekend hike through the mountains. But when a wrong turn takes her off the trail, she finds herself up close and personal with forest ranger Matt Bowers. And even though she's tempted to kiss that sexy smile right off his face, she won't make the mistake of getting involved with the town heartthrob.

A former cop whose life went south, Matt doesn't let anyone get too close. But something about the feisty beauty caught his eye the moment he first saw her in the diner. After a hot night under a starry sky, Matt can't deny their attraction-or the fact that for the first time in a long time, he feels the stirrings of something more. Now it's up to Matt to help Amy see that, no matter what is in their past, together they can build a future in Lucky Harbor.

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In the spring of 1898, A. E. (Alexandria) Bartram--a spirited young woman with a love for botany--is invited to join a field study in Yellowstone National Park. The study's leader, a mild-mannered professor from Montana, assumes she is a man, and is less than pleased to discover the truth. Once the scientists overcome the shock of having a woman on their team, they forge ahead on a summer of adventure, forming an enlightening web of relationships as they move from Mammoth Hot Springs to a camp high in the backcountry. But as they make their way collecting amid Yellowstone's beauty the group is splintered by differing views on science, nature, and economics. This delightful novel captures an ever-fascinating era and one woman's attempt to take charge of her life.

Aerial view of Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone
Public Domain (link)

Do you have a favorite park?  Can you recommend a romance novel set in the great outdoors?  Bonus points for recommending a romance with a park ranger!  One randomly selected commenter wins a book choice from my convention stash.  Comments are open through Sunday, March 5, 10 pm in Baltimore.  I'll post the winner on Monday, March 6.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City

There is nothing like Hawaii Volcanoes National Park ... 


18 comments:

  1. I live on the edge of a large National Park. Drawing a blank on books, but will be taking notes.

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  2. The Nevada Barr has her series of books set in national parks featuring Anna Pigeon, a park ranger. She has not done one set in Yellowstone yet.
    We have been to Yellowstone twice. The first time there were forest fires and some was a problem. We took our grandson with us a few years later. He was 15 and we hit Rocky Mountain N P, Dinosaur NP, Teton N P, Yellowstone N P, Glacier N P, Mt. Rushmore N P, and a lot of other parks and historic sites. We have visited quite a few parks and like them all. They each have their own special character. The only one we weren't impressed with was Mt. Rushmore. It was overly commercial and didn't have a park feel to it, no visitors center with exhibits and information.

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  3. I have read a couple of books with Forest Rangers but can't remember the names, it was so many books ago. We have many parks in our town. Some very beautiful.
    Carol L
    Lucky4750 (at aol (dot) com

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  4. I really love the Tongas National Forest in Alaska.

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  5. New York City has some of the best National Parks and Mountains Adirondacks is great for nature lovers Catskills mountains has some majestic views

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  6. Colorado has some beautiful mountains - gorgeous views. Our son's house overlooks them.
    ladbookfan

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  7. I don't recall ever visiting a national park yet. I need to remedy that!!! I love the book Targeted for Murder which has a Wilderness Guide as the hero. Also, Karen Barnett has a book called The Road to Paradise that is set in a national park!!

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  8. I read a whole series set in a National Park but it was quite a while ago and I'm afraid I'm drawing a blank to the author and titles (sigh).

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  9. Visited Grand Canyon National Park, but would love to visit Joshua Tree and Yosemite someday.

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  10. I have never visited a national park!

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  11. Nature is everything. I had the good fortune of growing up in Colorado next door to Rocky Mountain National Park and Boulder Mountain Parks. I cannot imagine living life indoors.

    Thanks for including NAKED EDGE! :-)

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  12. I've loved every park I've visited - the most unique physically are Bryce Canyon & Hawaii Volcanoes - incredible landscapes.

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  13. I love the Great Smoky Mountains...been going there my whole life.

    This story is chick lit-romance, and one character is a park ranger during the summer months: How I Came to Sparkle Again by Kaya McLaren. I read it a few years ago. The park ranger character does get a HEA.

    denise

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  14. Crushing on Love by Melissa Foster takes place in the Colorado mountains, and the hero is a park ranger. I also enjoyed Kristan Higgins’ My One and Only, which takes place partly in Glacier National Park. My favorite park is the Great Smoky Mountains.

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  15. Interesting facts. We take our kiddos to Custer State park in SD every summer. A convenient location to meet my sister and her family but also a beautiful spot!

    The Care and Feeding of an Alpha Male by Jessica Clare is one that stands out for me. Not a park ranger hero but they spend a lot of time outside. :)

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  16. Everyone should visit Yellowstone at least once in their life in my opinion. We've been a couple times to both Yellowstone and Grand Tetons. Part of my bucket list is to visit all of the National Parks and as many state parks as possible.

    Peggy Henderson has a time travel series based in Yellowstone before it became a park. The first book is Yellowstone Heart Song.

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  17. I don't think I have ever visited a National Park, various others tho. I know I have read a book or two with a Park Ranger, but for the life of me, cannot remember them.
    Karen T.

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  18. Disney with the grandkids.
    pattyb43coral@gmail.com

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