Fast Currents: A Small Town Grumpy Sunshine Romance

by Amelia Simone

He’s sunshine and surprises.

I’m sarcasm and side-eye.

And if he proposes one more time, I might actually say yes.

My glass studio is supposed to be my sanctuary—fire, focus, and zero interruptions. Then Park Ranger Clayton Robertson barges in with his crooked grin, shameless persistence, and a running joke that sounds more like a promise every time he asks me to marry him.

Worse, he ropes me into teaching art classes for a park fundraiser, where feisty seniors wield paintbrushes with more mischief than skill. He’s chipping away at the barriers I’ve spent years building, and it’s getting harder to pretend I don’t care.

Keep your expectations low and your blowtorch hot. Fire and glass, I can handle. It’s people who get complicated. And working with Clay? That has me facing the most dangerous risk of all—what it might feel like to trust again.

Fast Currents is book 3 in the Evergreen Rescue Series but can be read as a stand-alone.

Black Cat x Golden RetrieverHe Falls FirstNational Parks / First Responder HeroWorkplace RomanceBanter and SpiceFound Family ShenanigansSmall Town RomanceDual POV

255 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 2, 2025

About the author

Upcoming Release
Hidden Harbor, the first book in an all-new series set in the San Juan Islands, launched 6/26/25. Happy reading!

Latest Release
Melting Point, a novella in the Campfire Council Series, is out now and available in Kindle Unlimited!

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About Amelia
Amelia Simone is the author of flirty, fun romances set in the Pacific Northwest, including Hidden Harbor (Book 1 of the Evergreen Rescue Series), Mister Romance (Book 1 of the Self-Made Series), Formula for Love (Book 1 of the Excelling @ Love Series), and Forbidden Flame (Book 1 of the Campfire Council Series.)

On sunny days, you can find her lounging on her deck, sipping coffee and working on her latest book. She specializes in writing lighthearted, hopeful romances that feature relatable, everyday characters who are looking for love. She’s a firm believer in writing dessert books with plenty of sweet, flirty banter, teasing, and spice. Her goal is to deliver stories that give you a serotonin boost and leave you with a smile.

When she’s not writing, she’s wrangling her kiddos, indulging in food and wine adventures with her better half, or out back trying to revive her garden. (Hey, sometimes things die, it’s fine.)

Reviews

[SassypantsReading · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, Fast Currents was a huge miss for me. I’m bummed because the characters had potential and I usually love the author. I felt like I was dumped in the middle of Clay and Lucy’s story. There was no lead up to their relationship. There’s like two chapters of this joking/teasing/foreplay thing, which Lucy hates, then BAM, dating. I also felt like there wasn’t really much plot to speak of, and what was there didn’t seem like it was tied up neatly. I kept waiting for something, anything, to happen, but nothing did. Also, I’m kind of over the DGAF quirky old lady in every small town.

I received a copy of Fast Currents from BookSirens and I am voluntarily leaving my review.

[Lilian · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5⭐️
Lucy has her walls high up due to a past relationship but she can’t help but fall for Clay who slowly breaks down her walls, one by one.

The banter between them was so good, and while Clay always puts on a playful front, he is truly a responsible person, a man whom she can rely on. And slowly but surely, as she spends more time with him at work, she soon discovers the real Clay.

The “world tour” was mind-blowing indeed. And I have to give credit to Clay for being consistent AND persistent in pursuing Lucy. It was never a question of whether she would fall too, but rather when!

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clay is a park ranger and after his wife died, he wasn't sure he could find love again. Lucy is new to town, an artist and glass blower. He ex left her not trusting men and she is reluctant to trust Clay. Lucy is an artist in residence and giving art lessons to all ages. Her elderly group is quite the challenge. The owner of the art gallery in town is making a lot of money from the artist A.A. Lucy suspects he is money laundering through the artwork. I loved Clay's patience as Lucy tried to get to know the real Clay and trust him. Great book with wonderful, colorful characters.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure but ended up enjoying this book. The story stars Lucy and Clay. Lucy has her own glass studio and Clay is a Park Ranger. The characters are well developed and soon you can’t help but root for them. I enjoyed reading about Clay, he’s such a nice guy,- a good guy. Lucy has some trauma from a past relationship but Clay is determined to break down her walls. The story was good and I enjoyed it.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, which I understand is part of a series but can be read as a stand alone, is about Lucy and Clay. Lucy is an artist and glass blower with a studio in town. Clay is a park ranger whose first wife died. Clay has instant connection with Lucy and proposes to her every time they get together. He vows that he will wear her down. There is a side story involving a local art gallery. I enjoyed this book and I thank GoodReads for providing me with a copy for my honest review.

[Dee Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast Currents is such a cute small-town romance. Lucy and Clay are both two individuals who have past history that makes giving love a second try difficult. I loved how Lucy was able to acknowledge the scars that her previous relationship had left on her and stopped those thoughts from preventing her happy ending with Clay.

Thank you Amelia and Goodreads for the e-copy!

[Lata Gleich · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, this story, kind of felt low-key compared to the rest of the series. There wasn’t really any drama, or angst or third act both the plot and the romance were very low-key. This book took me over four days to finish and besides him asking her to marry him a bunch of times There’s nothing tangible for me to hold onto when thinking about what this book is about.

[Danelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clay and Lucy are a wondered couple. Add in Gran’s shenanigans and a mystery and you got an even greater story. I really enjoyed this one and I think you will too. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[♡Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast Currents by Amelia Simone is a perfectly fine love story between likable protagonists that is light and enjoyable and pretty much forgettable. It's a low-stakes, pleasant time-passer, predictable but nicely written, and a sweet balm to take your mind off real-world news for a while.

[LizJ. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast Currents book 3 in Evergreen Rescue Series by Amelia Simone is a nice love story but nothing special. I haven't read any other books in this series and probably won't.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Pat Weingartner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read!

I really enjoyed book 3 in this series watching Clay and Lucy travel their very winding road to finding their HEA. I'm looking forward to reading book 4 in this series and will definitely recommend this book to everyone.

[Isha Coleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

From angstful to irresistible, Simone brings a lot of feelings to the canvas. Fast Currents hides it's heart beneath a gruff exterior that speaks it's truth without losing it's soul.

[Christina Bowling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I liked the book and thought it was a good follow up to the previous books in the series. I liked the characters and thought the plot moved well.

[Kathy Church · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun to read

This is a great book. It has a little bit of mystery, a lot of humor and a great love story. Clay and Lucy make a good couple.

[Courtney Pityer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a nice contemporary story that dealt with sevobd chance romance. I will say it was a very cute read!

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loving this series.
Clay and Lucifer.

[Susan, aka Pooh Bear · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast read. Characters are compatble