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Aching for the Ranger: A Curvy Woman Instalove Short Read
The dream she thought she was finally getting is turning out to be a nightmare. He’s determined to turn the nightmare into the dream she wanted.
Moving to a small town and running my own inn was always a dream of mine. When an inn needing some work becomes available in the town my sister recently moved to I jump at the opportunity.
Nothing goes right, and my handsome neighbor is always there when disaster strikes. Fighting my attraction to him is harder than it should be. I have a falling apart inn and life to deal with, but it’s not long before I’m aching for the man who keeps riding to my rescue.
Aching for the Ranger is a steamy, fish out of water, friends to lovers, curvy woman, protective mountain man, small town short romance.
Welcome to the small town of Coyote Creek, where the Shadow Mountain Forest District is located. Follow along as these forest rangers each find their happily ever after. These are steamy, short, interconnected standalone instalove romances that can be enjoyed in an hour or two with no cheating or cliffhangers and a guaranteed happily ever after.
Moving to a small town and running my own inn was always a dream of mine. When an inn needing some work becomes available in the town my sister recently moved to I jump at the opportunity.
Nothing goes right, and my handsome neighbor is always there when disaster strikes. Fighting my attraction to him is harder than it should be. I have a falling apart inn and life to deal with, but it’s not long before I’m aching for the man who keeps riding to my rescue.
Aching for the Ranger is a steamy, fish out of water, friends to lovers, curvy woman, protective mountain man, small town short romance.
Welcome to the small town of Coyote Creek, where the Shadow Mountain Forest District is located. Follow along as these forest rangers each find their happily ever after. These are steamy, short, interconnected standalone instalove romances that can be enjoyed in an hour or two with no cheating or cliffhangers and a guaranteed happily ever after.
55 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 5, 2026
2 people are currently reading
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
Some dreams don’t fall apart all at once.
They unravel—one broken pipe, one bad day, one unexpected feeling at a time.
Aching for the Ranger by AnnMarie Springs is a sweet, comforting small-town romance filled with heart, humor, and the kind of steady love that shows up exactly when you need it most.
Blair thought she had it all figured out.
A new town. A fixer-upper inn. A chance to build something of her own near the only family she thought she needed—her sister, her new husband, and their baby.
A fresh start.
Except… nothing goes right.
The inn is a disaster. Things keep breaking. Plans keep falling apart. And the independence she fought so hard for starts to feel a lot more overwhelming than she expected.
That’s when Roe steps in.
The quiet, dependable ranger next door who always seems to show up right when everything is about to fall apart—tools in hand, calm in his voice, and a patience that never wavers.
And Blair?
She tries to keep things simple.
Friendly. Grateful. Safe.
Maybe even… a little too safe.
Because what starts as neighborly help quickly turns into something harder to ignore—and even harder to resist.
✨ Tropes to love:
Small-town romance
Neighbor-to-lovers
“He’s always there when she needs him”
Slow realization / friend-zone tension
Protective, steady hero 🤍
Fixer-upper / fresh start vibes
What makes this story shine is Roe.
He’s not flashy. He’s not pushy. He’s just… there. Consistently. Quietly. Showing up again and again—not because he has to, but because he wants to.
And that kind of love? It hits differently.
Blair’s journey is just as relatable. She came into this new life thinking she only needed herself (and maybe her sister’s family), but as things start to crumble, she has to face the reality that letting someone in doesn’t mean losing independence—it means gaining support.
And maybe… she put Roe in the “safe” category a little too quickly.
Because once she starts to really see him?
There’s no going back.
This is a cozy, feel-good romance full of small-town charm, a heroine learning that she doesn’t have to do everything alone, and a hero who proves that love isn’t always loud—it’s steady, reliable, and always showing up when it counts.
If you love stories with a strong sense of place, a swoony “always there” hero, and a heroine discovering that her dream might be bigger than she imagined, Aching for the Ranger is a warm, satisfying read you’ll want to curl up with.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
They unravel—one broken pipe, one bad day, one unexpected feeling at a time.
Aching for the Ranger by AnnMarie Springs is a sweet, comforting small-town romance filled with heart, humor, and the kind of steady love that shows up exactly when you need it most.
Blair thought she had it all figured out.
A new town. A fixer-upper inn. A chance to build something of her own near the only family she thought she needed—her sister, her new husband, and their baby.
A fresh start.
Except… nothing goes right.
The inn is a disaster. Things keep breaking. Plans keep falling apart. And the independence she fought so hard for starts to feel a lot more overwhelming than she expected.
That’s when Roe steps in.
The quiet, dependable ranger next door who always seems to show up right when everything is about to fall apart—tools in hand, calm in his voice, and a patience that never wavers.
And Blair?
She tries to keep things simple.
Friendly. Grateful. Safe.
Maybe even… a little too safe.
Because what starts as neighborly help quickly turns into something harder to ignore—and even harder to resist.
✨ Tropes to love:
Small-town romance
Neighbor-to-lovers
“He’s always there when she needs him”
Slow realization / friend-zone tension
Protective, steady hero 🤍
Fixer-upper / fresh start vibes
What makes this story shine is Roe.
He’s not flashy. He’s not pushy. He’s just… there. Consistently. Quietly. Showing up again and again—not because he has to, but because he wants to.
And that kind of love? It hits differently.
Blair’s journey is just as relatable. She came into this new life thinking she only needed herself (and maybe her sister’s family), but as things start to crumble, she has to face the reality that letting someone in doesn’t mean losing independence—it means gaining support.
And maybe… she put Roe in the “safe” category a little too quickly.
Because once she starts to really see him?
There’s no going back.
This is a cozy, feel-good romance full of small-town charm, a heroine learning that she doesn’t have to do everything alone, and a hero who proves that love isn’t always loud—it’s steady, reliable, and always showing up when it counts.
If you love stories with a strong sense of place, a swoony “always there” hero, and a heroine discovering that her dream might be bigger than she imagined, Aching for the Ranger is a warm, satisfying read you’ll want to curl up with.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Love at first splash 💦
You have to just love a man who even when he thinks he has been relegated to friend zone only, is there for his woman so completely🥰 Blair is having one issue after another after buying a inn but luckily she has a neighbor Roe who always comes through. Short, sweet, and sexy - this is a great addition to the series ❤️.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
You have to just love a man who even when he thinks he has been relegated to friend zone only, is there for his woman so completely🥰 Blair is having one issue after another after buying a inn but luckily she has a neighbor Roe who always comes through. Short, sweet, and sexy - this is a great addition to the series ❤️.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 5, 2026
“Aching for the Ranger” by Annemarie Springs
-A cozy small-town romance where a fixer-upper dream brings unexpected love next door. I received a free copy and am voluntarily sharing my honest thoughts.
Roe’s steady, always-there presence makes him a quiet, dependable, adorable hero. Blair has a small town dream and is determined to succeed.
Short, sweet, and heartfelt, where a heroine learns she doesn’t have to do it all alone.
-A cozy small-town romance where a fixer-upper dream brings unexpected love next door. I received a free copy and am voluntarily sharing my honest thoughts.
Roe’s steady, always-there presence makes him a quiet, dependable, adorable hero. Blair has a small town dream and is determined to succeed.
Short, sweet, and heartfelt, where a heroine learns she doesn’t have to do it all alone.
May 5, 2026
3.75 - 4 stars.
The chemistry between these two was good, I liked how he was willing to wait until she was ready, and that she was honest with him. They had good support around them and I liked seeing them together.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The chemistry between these two was good, I liked how he was willing to wait until she was ready, and that she was honest with him. They had good support around them and I liked seeing them together.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 6, 2026
Cozy small town instalove romance - great addition to the Shadow Mountain Forest Rangers series.
Blair was struggling with her purchased Inn when met her neighbour Roe, forest ranger, not the social butterfly.
Sweet an funny short read to enjoy.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Blair was struggling with her purchased Inn when met her neighbour Roe, forest ranger, not the social butterfly.
Sweet an funny short read to enjoy.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 5, 2026
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. I liked how Roe and Blair meet and then fall in love. I'm glad Blair keeps the inn.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews