The Boss of the Mountain

Mountain Men of Whispering Winds #2

by Tessa Klein

He’s big. He’s bearded.
And he’s completely off-limits.

Chase Beckett—fitting name for the forbidden crush I’ve been chasing for years.
But I’m hardly the first person hooked on my older brother’s best friend.

He’s the golden child of our small mountain town.
An ex-football pro with a body like a god. A smile that could burn the clothes right off of you. The one beard to rule them all.

And my new boss.

I haven’t seen him in years, and I still haven’t because the reclusive mountain man rarely leaves his cabin. But when I make one small misstep during my hike in the woods, I’m swept down river by rushing rapids…

Right into Chase's fishing net.

Big. Bearded. Ruggedly handsome.
He’s somehow more gorgeous than I remember.

But I don’t remember him ever looking at me like this before.
Like I’m a present he’s been waiting to unwrap.
And something tells me he’s not going to wait much longer.

Lizzy was the last thing Chase thought he’d fish out of his river, but she’s a catch he’s never going to release. And as a storm rages outside, the two of them huddled in front of a fiery wood stove, this mountain man lets her in on his little secret… his forbidden obsession... with her!

A steamy, age-gap, brother's best friend instalove romance that will melt your heart. Super sweet HEA guaranteed!

Genres: Romance, Novella, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance

98 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 12, 2023

About the author

Tessa loves writing about over-the-top obsessive heroes and the sassy women that bring them to their knees. Age gaps, instalove, and forbidden romances are her jam.

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Reviews

[Christina (stinarinareads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75-3✨
2🌶️

#️⃣ ~100-page contemporary romance novella
⛰️ Small mountain town
👱‍♂️ Older brother’s best friend / best friend’s little sister
🥵 Mutual pining
🥰 HEA, two epilogues

This was a nice, slightly mindless read about two people obsessed with each other. Honestly, that’s honestly the plot. Just two people with the most obvious requited love situation going on, and you’re waiting for the inevitable. For this being only about 100 pages it felt a little slow, a little bloated, and a little repetitive. Because the love between the main characters was already super evident and obvious, the unresolved sexual tension felt redundant and drawn out. There was nothing to provide angst, to provide a reason for tension; even the brother’s best friend element went over pretty smoothly. After a while, the smut ran together, as did the continuous love confessions. But overall, this was sweet! I’m glad to have read, it worked as a nice palate cleanser after some heavier disappointing DNFs.

[CrazyGal609 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple, short & sweet … do love the descriptions of these Mountain Men🔥
🍄‍🟫🍄‍🟫🍄‍🟫
💋 I’m absolutely reading these out of order, but enjoying them too much to care 😉😉😉

[Kate Russo ❦ (Rina Kent’s Version) · Rating 3 out of 5]

So cute omg 👏🏻👏🏻 is it bad to say I find it adorable that he watched her 😩😍

[Peaceful · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brothers best friend is a mountain man

My two favorite tropes in one man yes please. This was a quick hot fast read. It helps when they have known each other for years.

[Rebecca Grove · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lizzie has had a crush on her older brother's best friend Chase for a long time. The one time she acts on her feelings and almost kisses him, he doesn't respond. However he moved away from town to become a professional football player. When he finally retired, he moved back to Whispering Winds. He is running the local resort. When Lizzie returns home after school, Chase gives her a job at his inn. Ever since he hired her, Lizzie hasn't seen Chase in person. She is hoping that he is watching her through the cameras that he has all over. Lizzie is restless and almost out of mushrooms for one of the inn's signature dinner. Lizzie decides to accompany an guest on their hike in the woods and harvest mushrooms. She harvests the mushrooms but loses sight of the guest she was with. Then Lizzie takes a step and the ground crumbles under her. She finds herself being swept down the river until Chase catches and saves her.

Chase has had feelings for his best friend's sister for a long time but he knows he is too old for her and her brother would kill him. When teenager Lizzie almost kisses him, he wanted to kiss her back but he knows she is too young. When Lizzie comes back to Whispering winds, Chase hires her to cook in his inn. He is still doing his best to keep his distance and stays away from the inn when Lizzie is around. He can't resist watching her in the security cameras he sets up. Then when he is out foraging, he hears her scream and sees her struggling in the river and saves her. Now that he has touched her, he can't keep pushing her away.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[SpeedReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

🔥 HOT & SWEET!!! 🔥

• Story/Plot: 📖📖📖📖📖 /5
• Characters: 🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂
• Drama/Angst: 😰😰
• Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
• POV: Dual
• HEA? ✔️
• Would I re-read? ✔️✔️
• Epilogues? 2 of them | 1 year & 12 years later


This story was adorable and hot. The FMC has been in love with the MMC for years, her brother’s best friend. 4.5 years ago, she embarrassed herself with him and fled town for college. She’s back now and took a job at the MMC’s Inn & restaurant as his chef. However, she hasn’t seen him in the month since she’s been back, he stays away secluded in the mountains. She’s still pining for him and he’s not as unaffected as he seemed last time she saw him.

The story of her falling in the river & him rescuing her was adorable. Cue a storm where she’s forced to stay at his cabin overnight.

I really liked both the FMC & MMC. The FMC is the sweet chef who made Penny, the FMC from the previous story her mushroom soup. I really liked how they showed the over lap in time from the previous story and this one, of course from the lead characters in this story. It didn’t make it feel like a repeat of story because of the new perspectives. The storm that caused the FMC & MMC to hole up in his cabin in this story? Same storm from the previous story.

The love scene in this story was HOT. Love some good dirty talk! 😉

I highly recommend this story and can’t wait for the next one!!!

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review. The opinions above are 100% my own & 100% genuine!

[kymagirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lizzy (h) returns to her small mountain hometown to take a job at Whispering Winds Inn, run by Chase (H), her long-time crush and her brother’s best friend. Chase, an ex-football star turned reclusive mountain man, manages his business remotely, secretly harboring feelings for Lizzy while observing her through security cameras. Things take a turn when Lizzy goes on a hike to gather mushrooms, accidentally falls into a river, and is swept directly into Chase's fishing net. This unexpected rescue by Chase brings them into close quarters at his cabin, where a storm traps them together, and things heat up between the two as they confront their feelings for one another and the complications it brings, including Lizzy's overprotective brother. Hot and steamy age-gap, forbidden romance, filled with a side of angst.

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chase and Lizzy's Story . . .

Lizzy has a huge crush on her brother’s best friend, Chase Beckett. Of course what’s not to desire? He’s an ex-football player with amazing muscles and a beautiful smile. But he keeps himself off-limits.

Lizzy accepts a job as chef at Chase’s Whispering Winds Inn. It fits right in with her dreams of one day having her own restaurant one day. Yet Chase hasn’t come around at all to see her. She heads out to gather mushrooms for her popular soup and slips into the strong current of the river’s rapids. Chase rescues her and takes her to his cabin. When a bad storm moves in, will the two of them explore what they have been ignoring all this time? Will they find their long-awaited HEA?

[Cyn's Bookshelves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not Quite Unrequited
Lizzy thought she blew her chance with Chase when she kissed him one summer evening. Little did she know that she lit a fire under Chase that only burned hotter the longer she stayed away. Now that she's back in town, and working for him, Chase has to decide whether he can be the man she deserves.
I enjoyed reading this book, despite it having a bit of repetitive f-bombing. If you like growly and possessive, yet caring and tender (but not too tender!) mountain men (isn't that why we read these?), then you will like Tessa Klein's The Boss Of The Mountain. I need to go read book one now.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is absolutely amazing! I loved every second of it.
Lizzy has been in love with Chase for years, but the night she decides to make a move she is rejected. Fast forward 4 years and she is back in town. Chase has been thinking about her all this time and feels horrible about how he reacted. When they meet again they don't know what to do about their feelings. Will their relationship develop? What will Lizzy's brother say?
Overall, it is a great book. It is short, steamy and fun! The characters really make it an amazing read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Krystal Christenberry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, quick read. Normally a novella like this is so short you don’t really get to know the characters and it’s all steam but this one was long enough that I really liked Lizzy and Chase. The duel epilogue was great. I remember reading the first book a year ago but don’t really remember it being like this one. I was pleasantly surprised. (If I like a book I give it 3 stars, 4 is a great book that I would reread. 5 is very rare for me. I read a crap ton of books so I have to have my own little reviewing system.)

[Merry Jelks-Emmanuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

She has been pining for her mountain man and he is staying away because of his feelings for her. When Lizzy missteps and finds herself going downstream Chase catches her but the looks, he is giving her are hot enough to cook with. When they are held up in his cabin will the barrier between them come down and will it lead them to the happiness they deserve.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Nina Diab · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It was a fun, quick mountain man romance. Great chemistry between Lizzy and Chase. I liked that they had history together and this was almost like a second chance romance now that she had returned, and after saving her when she was swept away in the river, Chase may not be able to let her go again. This is the first book I've read by this author and I will be reading more. 4 stars.

[Laurie Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short fun read

What happens when the mountain man who you're in love with who you kissed over 4 years ago and he rejected you fishes you out of the river for your first meeting since then? You find out that hallelujah he's in love with you too and boy is he going to make sure you know that this time around. Loved the dirty talk in this one and that it came from both of them. Really enjoyed and had me giggling through out.

[Sarah Nielsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really good brother’s best friend romance. It was my first book by this author and completely chosen because of the cover and the story did the cover justice. It was a well written story with some steam. I really enjoyed it and I hope to read more by this author.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Niki · Rating 5 out of 5]

He is her brothers' best friends that she kissed, then left town for years. Now she is back and has not seen him, she suspects that he watches her, but is not sure. When she heads out to the woods to collect mushrooms, she ends up in the river.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Alana Sanchez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I rate this 3 stars I enjoyed the story as well as the characters overall some obits I didn’t love but for the most part I did I liked that this didn’t feel so insta lovey cause we knew they knew each other for years so definitely made me enjoy it a little more than the first do wish there was a little more story but it’s alright cause it was a really quick read

[Susan Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Wait Was Worth It

I love that Chase waited for Lizzy. He didn't want to drag her through his chaos with him. But he did hurt her unnecessarily. I love the passion and obsession between them. Good read. I laughed through a lot of it.

[Janet Rivera-Bright · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Boss of the Mountain

Perfect story, who would’ve thought after waiting 4+yrs that Chase would’ve been pining over his best friend’s little sister, but in the end fate and loved wins. It took them long enough!😊 thanks for sharing again.

[LoAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Short

This installment was action packed.

Captivating from beginning to end.

Lizzy was sassy and caring.

This mountain men took his sweet time to act on his desires, but it was worth it.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rounded up 3.5 stars

[effin surrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

🖤🖤🖤🖤

[Megan ☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

So spicy and perfect 😍

[Zondra.Hallyahoo.Com · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it.

[Janet Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute.

[Simone · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Mak ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is great, it has its charm from beginning to end, and makes you want to read the other books. Everything is very engaging and beautiful, and there are steamy scenes to make it all very, very good.

[Mary Buckmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engaging

I loved every word of this book and can't wait to read more of whispering pines adventures.
It's every woman's dream

[Karen Armes · Rating 5 out of 5]

mountain men, love them

The story of love and obsession from these strong men and their strong women. This is only the second story in this series and I love it.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

very good

Was a shame that he waited so many years to tell her how he felt. I’m glad her brother got on board with their relationship.