As we get into the long, lazy days of summer… Um, what happened to those? Are YOU experiencing lazy days? Right now, I’m juggling day camps, dance classes, play dates and trips to the pool. This summer has been anything but lazy. Oh, help… I’m turning into one of THOSE parents (the whiny, overscheduled ones). Well, when you find some lazy moments this summer, I hope you make time to pick up a book.Love is a Battlefield by Annalisa Daughety is a perfect book for a little light summer reading. Get this: park ranger romance. Doesn’t that just make you smirk? Some might roll their eyes, but I got VERY excited when I heard about this book. I spent two years as a seasonal park ranger at Mount Rainier National Park, two years at a nearby wildlife park and two more years with Oregon State Parks. I must have a two-year limit with park jobs. But those three jobs all hold very special memories for me, so I couldn’t wait to dive into this novel and see this author’s take on park service life.
She nailed it.
From the office politics to the deep love of place, to the fear of being caught outside without your park hat — Annalisa Daughety’s descriptions of ranger life will make you want to jump in your car and head for your nearest park.
Here is the the author’s description of the book:
Kristy O’Neal gave up her dream job as a park ranger at Shiloh National Military Park to get married and move away. When she’s left at the altar, she returns to the park to find her old position has already been filled. She accepts a seasonal position even though it is a step back, career-wise. Working alongside Ace Kennedy (the man who has her old job) is almost more than Kristy can handle. Throw in a matchmaking mother and friends who think she should put herself back in the dating game, and Kristy is nearly at her wits’ end. She sees the past as a battlefield of failed relationships and isn’t sure she’s ready to risk her heart again.
For Ace Kennedy, history offers proof that true love exists. With stories from the park’s rich history in his arsenal, he begins the battle to win Kristy’s heart. But when Kristy learns he’s keeping secrets from her, her skepticism of love seems justified. Can she risk her heart on the battlefield of love one more time or will Ace lose Kristy forever?
Love is a Battlefield won first place in Contemporary Romance at the 2008 ACFW Genesis Awards. I’m looking forward to exploring a few more parks with Daughety’s characters when I get the opportunity to read Love is Monumental and Love is Grand (releasing 10/1/10), the next two books in her A Walk in the Park series. Daughety has also written another book, Love Finds You in Charm, Ohio.
Karen, you were a park ranger? I’m so impressed. I had friends who were PRs in New Orleans & they were all dying to get back out west. The book sounds really cute, and I am wishing you the best with your busy summer. Thanks for the review.
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Karen,
Thanks for the nice review! Interesting that you were a park ranger, too! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Thanks for stopping by, Annalisa! Your book made me very nostalgic for my NPS days. I love the covers on the next two in your series — nice to see the old green&grey on a book cover!
And Kathy — Yes! I was a ranger and loved it. Greatest job ever. Loved leading hikes and working with the public, but the best part was living in the park and being there after all the visitors went home. Of course, you also had to deal with mice and large insects in the park housing, but it was a decent trade. 🙂
I thought this was a good book, too, and did a review of it on my blog. Good review!