Off the Beaten Path

The Mountains are Calling #1

by Madison Wright

Wren Daniels is in over her head.

Between organizing a charity auction and trying to renovate a cabin she can’t afford, she’s barely keeping her head above water. The only bright spot is her new friend she met on an anonymous dating app four months ago. That is, until she discovers he’s the last person she would have expected—her grumpy neighbor who she’s never gotten along with.

Holden Blankenship likes his life just the way it is.

After his wife left him, he spent years putting his life back together. Now he’s got his daughter who is the light of his world, his family, and surprisingly, an anonymous friend. But when his anonymous friend turns out to be his neighbor who drives him crazy, he’s not sure what to make of it. Especially when her contractor backs out of her cabin renovation project and he finds himself offering to help her. Now Wren is getting under his skin in a completely different way and turning all his carefully laid plans upside down.

As Wren continues to show up for Holden and Holden keeps proving to Wren that he’s not really as standoffish as he seems, the lines between friendship and more start to blur.

Their relationship may have gotten off to an unusual start, but some of the best things in life are just a little off the beaten path.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Small Town Romance, Contemporary, Enemies To Lovers, Audiobook, Forced Proximity

283 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 26, 2024

About the author

Madison Wright is a hopeless romantic living her own happily ever after in Nashville. After falling in love with reading at a young age, she always dreamed of becoming an author. She writes romances that feel cozy and always feature a happily-ever-after.

She's a big fan of sunshine, pastries, and any book with a love story. When she's not reading or writing, she can be found exploring her city with her husband and dog.

To keep up to date, follow on socials @authormadisonwright, join her newsletter, or go to her website www.authormadisonwright.com.

Reviews

[Heather Mclarry · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ this was just so cute and wholesome 😭 loved the characters and the way this was written really had me genuinely caring for them

[♥︎ Heather ⚔ (New House-Hiatus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡ ˚ "𝓓𝓸𝓮𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓶𝓮𝓪𝓷 𝓘'𝓶 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓰𝓲𝓻𝓵𝓯𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓷𝓭?" "𝓖𝓲𝓻𝓵𝓯𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓷𝓭 𝓭𝓸𝓮𝓼𝓷'𝓽 𝓯𝓮𝓮𝓵 𝓵𝓲𝓴𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓻𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 𝔀𝓸𝓻𝓭." "𝓦𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓪𝓶 𝓘 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓷?" "𝓨𝓸𝓾'𝓻𝓮 𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓮." ⋆✴︎˚｡⋆

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗ 3 Stars ˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

We follow our FMC Wren, a woman who lives next door to a grumpy/brooding single dad. While Wren knows Holden has his reasons for being so closed off, that doesn’t mean he’s not infuriating sometimes. Wren does everything she can to rile him up, but the man still never cracks a smile.

So, when Wren discovers that the man she’s developed an online friendship with is actually her neighbor, well… it changes everything between them. The messages the two exchanged may have been platonic, but they also broke down some walls around Holden’s heart.

Connected in a way that neither anticipated, Holden slowly comes to realize that if any woman is going to get past his defenses completely, it’ll be Wren. And that was the last thing he expected...

First, I want to say that Holden is one of the sweetest MMCs I've read in a while. I'm such a sucker for a vulnerable and low key incredibly sweet and caring single dad's and this one served for real. On top of that, omg his love and relationship with his daughter is just the cutest. Not to mention, he's tatted up - oh and celibate.

➺ Amazing Dad
➺ Sweet and Caring
➺ Tattooed up and sexy

Hello.😍

This was really such a cute feel-good story that I enjoyed - I was initially under the impression that this was going to be more of an autumnal vibes story but it wasn't which was fine but I was hoping for the vibes.

I do recommend for anyone looking for a short and sweet romance with minimal drama and a swoony af MMC.

╰⪼ 🌲Grump ✘ Sunshine
╰⪼ 🍁Tattooed Single Dad
╰⪼ 🌲Forced Proximity
╰⪼ 🍁Small Town
╰⪼ 🌲You've Got Mail Vibes
╰⪼ 🍁Sprinkle of Fake Dating
╰⪼ 🌲Cabin

➽─────────❥

[buket · Rating 3 out of 5]

dear buket,
when will you stop believing that just because a book has cute cover, it will be good?😒

i thought about dnf’ing this around %24 but then it got better. but in the end it was just mid.
he did in fact loved his wife, she left him so we can’t possibly know that if he would leave her ever. ☹️

also wren was so annoying in the beginning. she had the same energy as i had when i was 8yrs old. i would mess with my sister just like wren messed with holden. you know what we have in common? we were both annoying but at least i was a kid🤗



~~~~~
i love gorgeous covers

note for my future self: check reviews before reading to see if he loved his ex wife‼️

[Southern Lady Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sweetest mountain town romance with just the barest hint of drama, a tattooed cinnamon role of a man, and a sweet-as-pie red-headed heroine you want to be your best friend!

I also adore sweet non-3rd-act breakup endings? These are what I like to call my sleepy-time romances because they're so relaxing to read before bed, and I adore taking my time to soak in sweet, uncomplicated love stories before bed!

**Thank you to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the advanced reader copy. I received this book for free, but all thoughts are my own. – SLR 🖤

Find Me On Instagram 🦋 || More Bookish Thoughts & Reviews Here 🖤

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This was a super cute small town romance and had so many things I love in books… single dad, grumpy/sunshine, enemies to lovers, and the cutest kid. I loved the little girl in the book and the hero and heroine were great too, but I never felt the romance. I liked the characters individually but as a couple I never could connect.

Audio book source: Hoopla
Story Rating:
Narrators: Neill Thorne & Austenne Grey
Narration Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Romance
Length: 8h 52m

[Madison Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hi, friends. This book was so important to me in a lot of ways, and I hope you love Wren and Holden as much as I do. They’re cozy and tender and they were an absolute joy to write. Welcome to Fontana Ridge! 🤎

You can expect:
• grumpy/sunshine
• single dad
• you’ve got mail
• forced proximity
• a little splash of fake dating
• nicknames
• small town charm
• no third act breakup

[Destiney Bomberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️
Just the most sickeningly sweet romance that had me tearing up due to overwhelming feelings of happiness! Please trust me when I say this was THE CUTEST read that was full of the most warm and cozy feelings! You have Holden who is a seemingly grumpy single dad and very isolated in who he lets into this life because of his daughter, then enter his cabin neighbour Wren who is literal sunshine but has always managed to get under his skin ends up in a pickle and Holden agrees to help her out by being her contractor+ add in a splash of fake dating! I had the best time reading this and I truly couldn’t put it down for a moment! Literally any time this man said “my girls” I would turn into a full on puddle. Children can be so hit or miss in books for me and I think Madison did a wonderful job with Junes character and I thought she was seriously cute as a button!
PLEASE READ!!! It is so worth it!

What to expect
Grumpy sunshine
Single dad
Dash of fake dating
Forced proximity
Small town romance

[Sarah | Kerosene.Lit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have this problem where I sometimes get bored with a romance once the characters make their relationship official. It was the complete opposite here! This didn't hook me right away, but the more I read, the more I became obsessed with Wren and Holden.

"You're like our little spot off the beaten path. You have to work to find it, but when you do, it's breathtaking."

In a nutshell, this is a super soft, tender romance about a guarded single dad finding love when he least expects. All the heart eyes for the most endearing father-daughter relationship between Holden and June! I loved the little ways Wren stepped in, supplementing their lives with consistent warmth and hopefulness.

The cozy, wintry, boots-crunching-on-the-snow vibes were so dreamy. It complemented the romance perfectly. And whew! Madison Wright knows how to write a kiss. All the heat, tension, and beard burns (I had to mention it) without any on-page spice ... exactly what I love!

(heat level: closed door)

[Tasha Metzler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grumpy single dad & a ray of curly red hair sunshine = smiles for days.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was adorable! Anytime there is single dad + enemies to lovers, I am all in!

I also loved that they were neighbors because I am alllll about the forced proximity! The relationship between Wren and June was everything 🥹

“It makes me want to do it, kiss her and see if she tastes like the strawberry wine she was drinking at the table. I’ve never been a fan of wine, especially not fruity wines, but I think I’d like it on her.”

3.5 ⭐️
.5 🌶️

[summer⁎ ˚ ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was so cute!!! such a good fluffy little book. holden and wren were so so sweet and i adored june. there was no third act breakup and the pacing was really good! i always love a single dad and holden was no different 💅🏻

but i will agree with other reviews that he didn't have "holden" energy like that shouldn't have been his name 😂

i definitely had some moments where i was squealinggggg and they were just SO CUTE!!!! and it was so short that honestly i didn't even notice the closed door so don't let that deter you 💜

omw to read about finley!!!

[Cait | GoodeyReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

ALL THE STARS.

BLOG || INSTAGRAM

Good heavens I could not put this book down, I LOVED IT SO MUCH. It’s that perfect level of sexy without being spicy. That reallll good sweet spot where gosh dang those kissing scenes were fire. FIRE. And I absolutely adored that this was dual POV. I loved both Holden and Wren. They were this beautiful blend of messy and heartfelt and human. And June??? Are you kidding me. Loved her too. The new little family they built MELTED MY COLD HEART.

And I loved the setting. I’m really into the mountain and woods and all things rainy and foresty. I must go cozy up in my own cabin now. This had the best small town vibes. No overwhelming drama, just some quirky side characters and antics but also how they all came together?! I can’t. Like I said, this book got me in the feels good.

Loved it all. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series. This is an incredible gem of a read I’ll be begging others to pick up.

Overall audience notes:
- Contemporary Romance
- Language: none
- Romance: heated kisses

[Ashlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 4.5 stars

This was such a cute small town romance! I fell in love with Wren and Holden's neighborly banter turned friendship to lovers. I loved how sweet Holden was even though he was "tough" to people who didn't really know him. It was so nice to see their friendship grow and change. I loved how both Holden and Wren opened up to each other and were always there for the other when they needed it most. I fell in love with Madison Wright's writing when I read Just Go With It a year and a half ago, and while I've only read these two by her, I know that she is always going to be an author that I will be willing to read anything she writes.

Read this if you love:
- Small town romance
- Dating app
- Grumpy/sunshine
- Divorced MMC
- Single dad
- Neighborly rival
- Fake dating
- Closed-door

[Syndi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hate it when I picked up a book like Off the Beaten Path and halfway through it, the story falls flat. The banter is off. The characters are not developing well.

The only good thing about this book is: It has a good promising start.

3 stars

[kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This gave me all the cozy vibes. I don't think it was perfect, but I felt really happy the whole time I was reading it and that's a five star feeling.

[Jeeves Reads Romance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Caught up in the SWOONS, I had the biggest smile on my face when I turned the final page of this tender romance. I've been meaning to try this new-to-me author for a while now, and this was the perfect place to begin. It kicks off the start of something new, developing a great small town feel and community vibe. I kinda loved that these two have been neighbors for a few years, but they never really knew each other until an anonymous online interaction breaks down their walls in an unexpected way. There was no deception, no secrets, no messiness revolving around their online communication, which I loved. And I also loved the gruff, secretly sweet single dad at the heart of it, who has spent the last few years slowly mending the emotional damage done by his ex-wife. He's had zero interest in women since she left, so this romance takes awhile to start building. It's the kind of book that gets better with every page, pulling me in a little deeper with every intimate moment. I loved it!

The story follows Wren, a woman who lives next door to a grumpy single dad. While Wren knows Holden has his reasons for being so closed off, that doesn't mean he's not infuriating sometimes. Wren does everything she can to rile him up, but the man still never cracks a smile. So when Wren discovers that the man she's developed an online friendship with is actually her neighbor, well... it changes everything between them. Those messages may have been platonic, but they also broke down some walls around Holden's heart. Connected in a way that neither anticipated, Holden slowly comes to realize that if any woman is going to get past his defenses completely, it'll be Wren. And that's a shock to the system.

I've been waiting for the perfect tropes to try out this author, and I'm so glad I started here. Vulnerable, secretly sweet heroes get me every time, and I loved the neighbors element. Holden is also SUCH a great dad, and that kicked up the swoon factor to a whole other level. Sexy, tattooed, sweet with his daughter, and celibate? Yeah, that's a compelling combination. It's a quiet, feel good romance that dances around some heavier subjects without ever getting weighed down by them. The focus on the emotional connection was greatly appreciated. It's a sexy book without any spice, and that worked for these characters. They had plenty of chemistry and connection even without the heat, and I actually liked the slower pace. Sometimes I just want to read a tender love story that will make me smile, and this absolutely accomplished that. It ended up being a very solid read, and I'm excited to read more love stories set in this small town.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 / 5 🌷✉️

ARC kindly gifted for honest review, so huge gratitude and appreciation.

The minute I saw this cover and it was a Madison Wright book I knew it was going to be good and boy did she deliver.

This was the perfect small town, single dad romance. I loved every minute of it. Madison's writing is so good at transporting you to this small town filled with family, love and laughter. You have the usual small town antics and meddling, the small town banding together in support. The plot, the characters, the romance. The ability to have someone swoon and laugh in the same space is incredible.

I adored Wren and Holden and June, they were perfect and I loved the little family they created. One thing I love about single dad romances is when it's a 6 year old daughter and watching the FMC form such a tight bond with the little girl. And Wren and June's relationship was so cute, the hair braiding, ugh swoon.

I loved every single second of it and I cannot wait to continue the Mountains are Calling series.

tropes
🌷 small town + their antics [found family]
✉️ single dad who's a grump
☕️ neighbours
📄 no third act break up

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

thank you net galley for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review!

this book follows wren and holden. Wren had purchased a super cute cabin in the small mountain town of fontana ridge ( that she can’t afford) and when her contractor pulls out of her project she’s freaking out. In comes holden blankenship, her grumpy (and hot) neighbor who is the dad of the most adorable six year old june. of course being around each other will mean they won’t fall for each other…right?

this has got to be the easiest 5 stars of my life. i literally started this book last night and i finished it today. I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. if you know me you know how much I love a grumpy (but he’s actually a softie) male lead and holden wasn’t any different. And WREN she was the most adorable sunshine lead and i just loved how her relationship progressed with holden and his daughter june. i’m immediately preordering the paperback so i can have it on my shelf.

Read if you like:
🌿 small town romances
🌿 grumpy x sunshine
🌿 no third act breakup
🌿 single dad
🌿grumpy but only soft to her

Off the beaten path by Madison wright will be available on January 26 on amazon and KU!

[Amy | Foxy Blogs · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars.

Her: “You hate fun.” Him: “I like fun with you.”

🏔️ The vibes:
- neighbor nemesis
- lots of town gossip
- Dual pov
- Small town

🏔️ My thoughts:
Ok so this one is hard to review because it had a lot of cute moments but I felt like a lot was missing. The two characters had a connection, but I don’t feel like we got to see the connection itself being created, and it made me sad. I enjoyed what I read but it felt like key moments were missing or happened off page. While I felt like I missed key parts in their story, there was still a lot going on. It felt like maybe too much was going on. Enemy neighbors. Flirty vibes. Enemies ish….But also friends. Single dad. Fake dating. Secret chats. Renovating/forced proximity. It may have just been too many focuses for me personally.

🏔️ Things I liked. The hair bonding moment between June and Wren. The winter vibes. The cute texting moments. The phone calls Wren had with her sister Rae with the brother in law Leland popping in the conversation. Whatever something something that’s brewing between Finley and Grey.

🏔️ Things I did not enjoy:
Charlotte for one. Just yikes. She needed a firm sit down. June’s obsession with candy and sweets. Repetitive language- a lot of talk about “necking”, “strawberry wine”, “twisting bedsheets”, “off the beaten path”, and making a face red by being kissed by someone with a beard.

🏔️ Overall:
Nowwwww- as always, keep in mind that ratings and reviews are so subjective. So just because it may not have worked for me doesn’t mean it won’t be something you love. I’ve seen plenty of raving reviews for this one, so it’s important to look at preferences and similar tastes.

[Holly · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF AT 53%. I tried. I really tried to stick through with this one, but I just couldn’t take it anymore. First, let’s start with the fact that Holden and Wren (who are next door neighbors that don’t like each other) didn’t know they were talking to each other on the anonymous dating app AND those conversations / text messages were boring, surface level and didn’t create any chemistry between the two of them. In fact, Holden (aka user6872) told her multiple times his sister signed him up for the app and had no interest in dating, but Wren (aka LikeStrawberryWine) was clingy and annoying.

The text exchange we did get was extremely brief and had zero substance and I mean zero, BUT then we find out they’ve been texting for FOUR Months and consider each other friends, but still don’t know who each other really is yet. Umm…WHAT!?! Where were those texts? What were those conversations? Show me the relationship/character development!!! Then, come to find out once they agree to fake dating (I’ll address that in a minute) there was an off page text exchange when Wren went out with a friend and got tipsy. WTF!?! Why didn’t we see that exchange between Wren and Holden. It’s bad enough this was a closed door romance, but EVERYTHING - ALL THE BEST MOMENTS were closed door or off page. And what the author should have left off page was the term “necking”. I stopped counting how many times they said it, but it never got less cringy each time.

SO next thing you know we’re thrown that fake dating trope out of left field for a half-assed reason named Charlotte. But I feel like that’s what this author did. She just threw out a bunch of half baked ideas for tropes hoping it would be enough to carry the book. Spoiler…none of them helped. The single dad trope - well, the kid had zero personality and added nothing to the story except her addiction to sugar. The grumpy/sunshine trope - Wren was clingy, desperate and annoying, while Holden ran hot and cold more than my bathroom faucet. The small town romance - we got more filler of Wren and Holden interacting with the town than with each other, which just made me impatient and bored. Next door neighbor - this one had so much potential with Wren sending her packages to Holden’s house, but it just fell flat.

I feel like I’m being gaslit seeing all of the positive reviews. Did I read a different book? Did my book have all the scenes/chapters? Because I’m clearly missing something.

[Ace✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5/5

Dnf @ 45%. This book had so much potential but it just ended up being so boring. I was going to finish it but I didn't care enough to find out what happens. The fact that the plot that drew me into this book, the anonymous chatting, was resolved in chapter FIVE was ridiculous. It was way too quick and I felt zero connection to the characters.

When finding out that the FMC actually gets stuff delivered to her neighbor without telling him, thats fuckin weird ok. I'd understand a few packages but damn, no wonder the MMC didn't like her.

[Noi (in & out)]

The cover got me
-------------
I'm out - 25%

[Bree · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this book was just not for me. Idk, I just wasn’t super comfy with the spice level, even if it was closed door. The overall content in the book made me uncomfy and therefore I didn’t enjoy it very much. The cheesy romance got a bit too much at times and made me cringe.

I listened to the audiobook of this story and I loved the narrators! The guy did the cutest voice for June and his voice for Holden was amazing!

While I didn’t overall love this book, there were a few aspects I enjoyed. One of those was June 🥹 She was the literal cutest little bundle of energy and sweetness! I especially loved all the interactions between her and Wren ♥️ June’s sweet tooth was unmatched and nothing could keep that child from her sweets 😜

The chemistry between Holden and Wren was super prominent 🔥 The beginning of the book where Wren was terrorizing/teasing Holden was hilarious and elicited a few chuckles from me.

[Nádia (weebna) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a great read.
Absolutely adored the grumpy x sunshine dynamic between the characters and the plot surrounding them. The story was very well paced and I loved that it didn’t have unnecessary drama because they’re adults and they could communicate despite their struggles with their private lives.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the advance reader copy in exchange of my honest opinion.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute and cozy small town romance. Holden and Wren are neighbors that constantly get on each others nerves. They also happen to be anonymous online friends, which was shocking for them to find out. Their relationship was cute and little June was the sweetest. Their little family was adorable. It was an enjoyable story and I appreciate the lack of 3rd act breakup. The HEA was so sweet and well deserved for Holden and Wren.

[monica • · Rating 5 out of 5]

my chest hurts. this is one of the most tender single dad small town romances ive experienced. i want the love that wren and holden have 😭 please read it. it’s so good. I really hope finley and grey’s book is next!

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

My new favorite from indie romance author Madison Wright!! This was a beautiful, feel-good grumpy/sunshine, single dad, dual POV small town romance between contractor Holden and his bubbly red-headed neighbor, Wren.

The two find themselves unknowingly becoming friends through the town's dating app only to discover they've slowly become the first person each turns to at the end of the day and the person neither knew they wanted or needed.

I loved Holden's daughter June/Junebug, and how great Wren was with her. I loved that there was no third act breakup and that this book just felt like one big hug!! Many thanks to NetGalley and the author for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

💋Steam level: kissing only

[Denise Stragazzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was recommended this from a friend, I usually don’t pick books with cartoon humans on the cover. But this was an uplifting, slow burn, single dad romance and it ended up being really cute!

[Juliana Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pure perfection. RTC!!