Grumpy Savior Mountain Rescue: A Friends-to-Lovers Sweet Romance

by Ava Donato

My grumpy, alpha, boss trains me in search and rescue… and we end up snowed in, sharing irresistible body heat like it’s the only thing keeping us alive.

I’ve been falling for Caleb Roarke for two years—the brooding leader who doesn’t look at me unless I’m pouring his coffee.
So, I do the only reckless thing and join the team with my dog.

He adjusts my harness, his hands steady while my pulse stumbles. The heat climbs my thighs as he catches me when I fall, and we share a heated look.

We are stranded overnight in a storm, bodies pressed together for warmth; pretending we’re only coworkers, which feels like a lie.

Then he slips a message into my pocket as I’m extracted, but the wind steals it before it's read.

Now he’s broken and unconscious in the hospital, and I’m realizing I’m left holding everything I never said.
Because I didn’t just fall for him—

I built my future around a man I might lose before he ever knows he’s mine.

411 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication June 1, 2026

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This grumpy-meets-sunshine, friends-to-lovers romance follows Jenna as she joins a search-and-rescue team led by the skeptical Caleb Roarke. After two years of unrequited pining, Jenna must prove her grit to him, culminating in a tense night sharing body heat in a snowed-in cabin. When an injury leaves Caleb hospitalized, Jenna is finally forced to confront her feelings for the rugged alpha hero. This is a new Author to me. I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Debra Soehner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jenna is very attracted to Caleb but he doesn't appear to notice her until she tells him she is interested in joining the Search and Rescue team he belongs to. He is very closed off at first and doesn't believe she has the grit and stamina for it but she proves him wrong. Great novel with a friends to lovers theme.

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

[$2.08 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very good story! The main characters both had lost people in their lives so they stayed separate from others and didn't allow anyone close. Throughout the story, they learned to let each other in. It was a beautiful journey.

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

[Bruce Reeves · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading the book. Good character development, along with good plot. It also showed that sometimes soldiers coming home need more than just a pat on the back. Would definitely reread this book.