The Next Flame

by Penelope Douglas

First published 2017

Ash arrives in a remote mountain town carrying the weight of his military past. The former soldier hopes the quiet isolation will help him heal from whatever drove him away from his old life. Instead, he meets Ember, a local woman whose beauty masks her own troubled history. Their attraction builds quickly, but both carry secrets that threaten any chance at happiness together. Ash struggles with the trauma that ended his service, while Ember hides whatever darkness shaped her life in this small community. As they grow closer, the truth about their pasts becomes harder to avoid. Each must decide whether to trust the other with their deepest wounds, or let fear destroy the connection growing between them. Their relationship becomes a test of whether two broken people can create something whole together.

Genres: fiction, romance, adult-fiction, contemporary-romance

Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate, suspenseful

Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family, second-chance

Setting: Mountain Town

480 pages · Paperback · Berkley

Content warnings: mental-illness

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