Hailey's Haven

Smoky Mountain Secrets #1

by Laura Scott

A safe place to call home...




After escaping her abusive foster parents thirteen years ago, Hailey Donovan thought her nightmare was over. Gatlinburg Tennessee had been a safe place to live, until she's nearly hit by gunfire while hiking the Smoky Mountains. Her instincts are to avoid law enforcement, especially handsome park ranger Rock Wilson, but when more gunfire echoes around them, they're forced to work together to escape.




More attempts against Hailey convinces her to leave town and start over someplace new. Rock convinces her to stay and fight the unknown assailant. Rock senses Hailey has been traumatized in the past, and is determined to uncover the mystery surrounding her. As Hailey and Rock seek the truth behind the escalating attacks, Rock realizes he's in danger of losing his heart. Can Rock provide Hailey the save haven she deserves?

Genres: Christian, Romance, Christian Fiction, Suspense, Fiction, Contemporary, Mystery

222 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2021

Reviews

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 Stars!!

Great one sitting read that was very inspirational and mildly suspenseful with wholesome characters and a sweet romance.

[Kav · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fast-paced suspense makes for an interesting start to Laura Scott's Smoky Mountain Secrets series. It looks like the books are going to be linked by a group of scattered former foster kids who find their way back to each other during the course of the series. Which kind of gives me O'Malley (Dee Henderson) vibes only in this case, the siblings haven't kept in touch with each other.

Hailey's past is heartbreaking and her persona is defined by it. She's standoffish and untrusting. A loner who is grateful for the little bit of fortune she has in a job she loves and a place to call home. Until it's all threatened by a mysterious gunman.

Rock was in the right place at the right time and gets swept along in the wake of Hailey's trauma...doggedly sticking to her no matter how hard she tries to shake him. She's Miss Independence and he's Mr. Protective, so you can imagine how that goes down. :-)

Lots of tension and conflict in this enemies to more (on Hailey's side anyway) romance. Love how she gradually begins to open up to Rock and how prayerfully constant he is about helping her. Lesser men would have washed their hands of her after all her rebuffs and rebukes.

I listened to the audible edition narrated by Brenda Scott Wlazlo and between the storytelling and the narrating, Hailey's Haven easily became a compulsive listen. I'm eagerly looking forward to the second book, Sawyer's Secret which is also on audible. Yay!

[Sheila Holmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

My review isn't so much a review as just sharing what impressed me with this work.

I don't believe I've ever read anything by Laura Scott before. But, this work was just wonderful! I was very impressed how she gave the Lord His Glory, but without hammering the reader over the head with the gospel. It's a perfect book for those who are not Jesus followers, because of its powerful content, but the reader can make their own decision about the spiritual parts. It's a great book for those who do follow Jesus, because His Presence is beautifully made known.

The story is suspenseful to a high degree, and the love interests are constantly on the move to escape certain death.

This was definitely my kind of story.

[Joleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Until the last three chapters I would have given this book five stars. It was quite a mystery with a man shooting at the female lead numerous times and attacking her with a knife. But the reason Hailey was running for her life turned out to be fairly far fetched.

Then the Christian hero pursued a relationship with Hailey who didn’t believe in God, and said he'd love her even though he knew she couldn’t accept his faith, saying he’d never try to change her. Then he asked her to move into his home with him! Eventually she came to appreciate his faith, maybe even agree that God had watched out for her, but this was only after he kissed her and let her know his affection.

If only those last two or three chapters were rewritten this would have been quite a book.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rp4.5

[Glenda Hendershott · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 🌟
Audiobook

[Brenda Poulos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Her Bodyguard

A story with a creative twist and wholesome characters. It got a bit long and not enough suspense to carry it through, however.

[Laura Scott]

I'm super excited to kick off a new series! Hailey's Haven is the first book in my latest Smoky Mountain Secrets series!

[Tamara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hailey Donovan goes out for a hike after a long day at work when out of nowhere someone starts shooting at her. Rock Wilson, a DNR park ranger in the area, hears the gunshot and he finds Hailey and rushes to find out what is going on. Three times someone tries to shoot Hailey. When they return to her home in a trailer park, it is found trashed. Hailey starts to believe that maybe one girl that she considered as a sister when they were both foster kids may be the culprit though it doesn’t really explain why.

Rock leads them to an abandoned cabin and they spend the night (sleeping on the uncomfortable ground) because they don’t know who or what they are dealing with.

Hailey is a loner, and she doesn’t trust most people. She has a tumultuous background in the foster child system, and because of that, she is reluctant to share anything that might help them understand why someone might be after her. Rock encourages her to report it to the police which she doesn’t want to do because she is stubborn, scared, and not trusting of others. These traits are also seen by Rock as strengths and they are, and he tells her as such but she doesn't take well to his compliments.

I liked this setting but I wasn’t completely enamored with the characters, the setting, and or even the romance between the main characters.

I enjoyed this but I don’t think I will continue on with the rest of the series.

[MK ( MaKayla) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I would've given it 5 /5 but for a few exceptions ; Firstly the author tended to be a bit repetitive about some details , and secondly I find it unsettling when two characters are about to ride off into the sunset happily ever etc ... and one of the characters is not a Christian. I will give the author the benefit of the doubt as this is only the first in a series where we'll likely see more character development with Hailey.

Pros:
Set The Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. Our main characters are two nature lovers, Rock ( nickname ) is a chivalrous and compassionate Forest Ranger , and Hailey is a woman who loves nature and hiking . Haileys story is reminiscent of Kya Clark's in Where The Crawdads Sing , both women found solace in nature and it became a home to them . Though Haileys' backstory is heartbreaking and traumatic, and nothing like mine I found her to be so relatable , and the story was so comforting despite that.

Highly recommend for those who ; love nature , thrillers , books with Christian themes .

[Patrizia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mi sono imbattuta in questo libro quasi per caso, ma conoscendo l'autrice e apprezzandola, ho deciso che valesse la pena provarlo. Non me ne sono pentita: la storia mi ha preso subito, soprattutto mi sono sentita coinvolta nel passato della protagonista. Se devo trovare una pecca, si tratta del solito innamoramento rapido, seppure non a prima vista, ma questo è quasi una normalità in un romantic suspense, non c'è tempo di far crescere la storia d'amore perché risulterebbe troppo tirata per le lunghe la parte suspense. Quindi, forse non sono proprio piene, ma mi sento di dare il massimo delle stelle. E ora voglio leggere i libri successivi per conoscere i fratelli adottivi della protagonista.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hailey‘s bad foster experience has caused her to live as a strong independent woman, well used to disappearing whenever trouble seems imminent. But now someone is trying to kill her and she has no idea who it is. While hiking on a trail in the Smoky Mountains, she is targeted but saved by the intervention of a park ranger. Now the park ranger is determined to do everything to continue to fix things for her. But Hailey would rather solve her own problems. Christian romantic suspense.

[Melmo2610 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and fast paced mystery that was I really liked. The premise of the group of foster kids banding together to form a family reminds me of the O'Malley series by Dee Henderson which is a long time favorite of mine, so I am all in for this series, especially since the first one is a solid story and it's written by a favorite Love Inspired Suspense authors. Looking forward to the series!

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The storyline caught my attention as a murder in a national park was making headlines.

On a hike in the Smoky Mountains, Hailey is target for gunfire. For park ranger Rock Wilson (come on, how perfect is that name?!), when he stumbles onto a frightened Hailey his natural protective instincts kick in despite her protests.

So while the characters felt stilted at first, I just had to know why Hailey was in the crosshairs of a killer.

Along the way, the man of faith (Rock) shows Hailey — who doesn’t believe in God — that she is worthy despite her past.

First in a series…

[Chrissie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5 ✨

[Lynelle Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a powerful story about good vs. evil. The plot is fast-paced and suspenseful that drives the genuine message through its plotline.

I downloaded this book back in 2021 and finally got to it. Now I cannot wait to get to the follow-up story of these foster children and what has happened with them since their split thirteen years earlier.

Hailey' Haven is a touching story that brings out the good and the bad as she tries to stay alive from an unknown assailant. Then to trust a law enforcer officer or park ranger took it to a whole new meaning. With Rock's help, she escapes the assailant's clutches while learning to trust and shift her perspective to God. Being around Rock made her realize that good will always have an opposition and that not all people are evil. Once she grasped the truths, dod she trusts in Rock and the justice system to help her.

The supporting characters' roles were also beneficial in turning her viewpoint from being scared and alone to trusting and hopeful in a new season in her life.

"God doesn’t want us to compare ourselves to others. I think He wants us to believe in Him, to have faith in Him, and to trust in His plan for us.” Rock.

"But hanging on to those feelings will only hold you back. You need to let go of the past if you want to move forward and have a future.” Rock.

The romance was a byproduct of the healing process and I hope to learn more about them in the other books that follows in this series.

Both Rock and Hailey's characters were well-defined and honest. The companionship that grew from this ordeal, a beautiful testimony. A story I truly enjoyed from the beginning to the end. Thanks for the wonderful Freeby.

[Sandra Barker · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, I like this book because it's free of profanity, sex and graphic violence, plus it has Christian elements. That being said, it's also a good story and paced well (mostly). Hailey is an interesting character with a sad, dysfunctional childhood and adolescence. I like how she has made the best of her circumstances and has been a survivor who is in a good, hopeful place when the story opens. When someone (a mysterious someone) comes after her, park ranger Rock Wilson enters her life and the crux of the story begins. A lot of things happen and it's interesting to watch how it all plays out.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A suspenseful tale of a young woman who we scaped foster care 10 years before. Like the other kids, she vowed never to go into the system again. The oldest woke Haily, who woke Sawyer & they all woke the others when Jayme detected the fire and spread the alarm. They had to get out fast. Trapped in the basement but having found a way to escape if
"The Preacher" and his wife weren't there, the 7 managed to escape the fire. Finding no evidence that their jailers were still alive, Jayme took the youngest; the 3 boys went off together, and Haily took Darcy, 2 years her junior, with her. Surviving on the streets of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, TN, Darcy got caught up with a boyfriend who was a drug dealer and Darcy left. Haily has always wanted to find Darcy at least, if not all of them.
One day, she is shot at, but believes it to be a poor shot from a poacher. Then she is shot at again, then, after a ranger comes to try and find her, she lets him know she is OK and they both get shot at. Then her trailer is trashed badly, but the local cop doesn't seem to care about that or the attacks on her before this. While she is at work at her job at the hobby farm, taking kids through, her tires are badly slashed, and that same cop seems uninterested in investigating. She finishes the day but is very worried that the boss, the animals, and esp. the kids are in danger. Nora, her boss, asks Rock, the ranger, to stick around and try to keep Haily from running. At the bus station, when Haily heads for the restroom, someone follows her with a knife. Rock, who has just arrived, alerts her to the danger and she escapes, but gets a good look at him. He doesn't give up trying to kill her and she has no idea why. When they're playing mini-golf, he comes out of the bushes and Rock, too far away, can only shout, which startles her and she falls, minimizing the danger of the knife slash; it is still a gash across her belly. but not fatal, nor deep. But when Rock tackles him, the attacker hits his head on the back of a rock on the golf course. Yet there is still another attempt; there were 2 men who followed her to the restroom and both got away that time, so Haily has not run out of assailants. One more gunshot attempt, & the cops get the bullet out of the wall. Later, antsy, Haily asks Rock to hike up the hill to see if there are any clues, in the direction from which the shot likely came, and they find a bullet casing, which they gather using a plastic bag as both a glove and a receptacle for the casing. Haily comes clean about her juvie record, explains the situation with "The Preacher" and his wife, the fire, and the kid's escaping. vowing never to return to the system...and to the arresting cop's offer to let her go free for her theft in exchange for sex, her refusal, the lawyer's take on it, and how she ended up here and working on the hobby farm.
She and Rock are falling for one another, but Rock is a believer and Haily, after "The Preacher" and his abuse, is definitely not a fan. Can she change her mind in spite of her past? Who wants her dead badly enough to send 2 assailants? Will they ever find the remaining assailant? Will she be able to stay home in Gatlinburg, returning to work with the animals she loves at the hobby farm and caring for schoolchildren on field trips, and will their blossoming love be stunted or grow?
This is the first in a series abour the 7 foster kids who escaped the fire, and the start of the attempts of 2 of them to find the other 5 and, if needed, rescue them.
I liked that there was a real strong mystery and plot ongoing behind the scenes, and how the characters developed through the story. It was well written & the ending, while not completely a surprise in one way, in light of her backstory and the attitudes of her arresting officer and own defender towards her, plus what she had to go through to establish herself with valid ID, are a bit of a twist.

[Debbie West · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Christian Romance fair mystery

I liked the interaction between Rock & Hailey. Trying to keep ahead of the assassin who's after Hailey was fair. A couple of tomes I was shaking my head at the writer because Rock was so alert , then just leaves to give Hailey privacy on his phone while on a public sidewalk . I didn't like the fact that Rock was steadily avoiding his boss instead of telling him what was happening, though I do understand bosses who don't care about anything but the job. They never get a break on the assassin's identity till the very end when he's attempting to kill Hailey, so it's not much of a whodunit mystery. Hailey focuses on her foster sister being the avenger the whole time till almost the end. The plot was good, simple, and clean. I loved the parts that involved the petting farm & the incident at the cabin. . The last two pages were a little weird though. Declaring their love sounded more like a contract they were reading before signing. I know what the author was doing, but it just felt flat. I like Laura Scott, but this book wasn't quite as good as her others that I've read. I'd read it again, though, in a heartbeat!

[Barbara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read 1/4. The heroine is shot at, home trashed, tires slashed. She is afraid of the PREACHER (child abuser) but she thinks this could all be her foster sister whom she ran away with because years earlier they had a fight because. So they haven't seen each other in years. Then in comes the hero (park ranger) and tries to keep her safe, insists she call the cops about the break in and while dealing with the cop, she jumps in her truck and goes to work, leaving said park ranger. So he calls his boss to be late to work and chases her down at work, when she greets him with I don't have time for this, I'm working. Well park ranger, you ought to be working too and leave her to her own devices since obviously she doesn't want to share who she thinks is behind it, why I don't know. She is more afraid of the cops because she was arrested once. Come on, your a grown woman. She seems less concerned about the PREACHER since she won't tell anyone about him and won't turn in her foster sister. Why after years does she immediately think it's her, I don't know. Any the park ranger, come on, you aren't law enforcement and aren't responsible for this prickly woman.

[Lesley Barklay]

I was really engaged in this story up until about the 80% mark. I loved the chemistry between the two main characters, the story was fast-paced, but hints of Hailey's history were dolled out quickly enough to drive the plot forward, I liked the development of the faith-thread throughout the story.

I guess I just didn't find the ending satisfying. Without giving spoilers, I was expecting the killer to be tied to Hailey's more distant past. The person it turned out to be felt like more of a red herring. Also, I was wondering at the logic of this character having $10,000 to spend on a murder for hire when he's only just come out of prison (and why hire someone when he was just going to do it himself? Oh, and why not kill Hailey when he had the opportunity right at the end. He could have gotten away while Rock tried to save her, or killed Rock when he tried to save her. It didn't make sense.

[Shilo Goodson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fairly short book, and I was able to read it in less than a day. The plot was interesting, and it kept me guessing what was going to happen next. The main reason that this isn't a 5-star book for me was that there were just a few too many outrageous/dumb actions on the part of our main characters. The main thing is that Hailey knows that someone's out to kill her, but she keeps getting herself into situations where the killer has easy access to her (sometimes intentionally).

This book is clean. There's no swearing, gruesome violence, or graphic sexual content. As a warning to readers, though, there are several sensitive topics discussed in the book, including child abuse, corrupt cops, and death. This does have some Christian themes, but they aren't thrown in your face. I feel like they were interwoven into the story in an appropriate manner.

[Rosemarie Grainer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Action packed Christian romance

Hailey was out hiking near her home when she gets shot at. Park Ranger Rock is nearby and tries to find out what had happened and if Hailey is hurt. When someone shoots at her again while standing next to Rock, they both realize the danger and go on the run. Hailey loves her job, but truly thinks she should just disappear. Rock definitely does not want to see her go, so he stays nearby protecting her as best he can. When the attacks keep coming, can he convince her to stay and keep her safe? Read this to see!

The pace is fast and the tone is uncertain yet hopeful with an action and character oriented storyline that has some kisses but no steam. The characters are vivid and engaging. The Christian ideals are woven into the story. This is an exciting introduction to a new to me sent Laura Scott. Enjoy!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. Strong storyline. Laura Scott kept my attention throughout this book.

Without giving away any spoilers,as I read Hailey's story, I figured out who the shooter was. Except there was a twist I never expected, which blew my solid guilty party out of the water ... which made the climax way more interesting for me.

I would love to have given this book 5 stars, especially seeing how wrong I was with who the culprit was. Unfortunately, for me, Hailey was too much of a "What I went thru makes it impossible for me to have a good life." victim. She was a victim, don't get me wrong, but she was so ... down on herself, it almost put me off on continuing the book.

There are several more books in this series.

[Valri Western · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the characters and the storyline. The threat of danger is continuous throughout the story and kept my interest. Hailey's past is very sad and that she has overcome most of it is very commendable. However, when she's attacked, her first instinct is to run and leave her life where she's finally found peace. Thankfully, Rock (a national park ranger) happens to be with her when she's attacked and convinces her to stay and find answers. Rock and Hailey continue to piece together answers while the attacks continue to happen. Hailey still wants to run though. I was impressed that Rock was able to always to stop her.
The resolution of the story was interesting and held my interesting. This was the first book in a series so it sets up the rest of the books.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Good Story That Kept Me Reading

I really enjoyed this suspenseful, inspirational romance. The author is new to me and I'm finding I like her enthusiasm for the genre she's chosen. The characters seem well crafted and varied. The flow was a tad unnatural at a couple of places, but otherwise it was easy to read. I had no trouble following the plot, but I didn't guess who the villain was. The faith element was scattered throughout the story, but not overwhelming.
Overall, this was a good story. I'd recommend it to those who enjoy crime suspense and inspiration/faith woven into the fabric of a story.

[Jan L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good vs evil

Well written with not only the suspense to keep you interested but a story that led me to think through issues on the good and the evil we face daily. Hailey had lived through the terrors of an evil person controlling her childhood only to face being hunted and shot at. Rock Wilson, a ranger in the Great Smoky Mtns, is there to help and determined to keep her safe. I enjoyed the way this story unfolded and introduced me to the rest of the characters in this series.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book over a month ago, but was pleasantly surprised by the quality of writing. Scott is a talent. The plot and characters were both solid, interesting and even unpredictable. Yes, the 2 primary characters are a little too "good" to believe. As Christians, we want to believe that we would be people of integrity and live according to God's standards, but on the other hand, it is so refreshing when the characters are not flaunting their immorality on every page! I will keep my eyes open for other books by Scott.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read.

This is a new author for me and I have enjoyed the way she crafted this story, my interest was held throughout and I also enjoyed the twists and turns along the way. I thought the balance was right, the characters strong and the way believing and not believing was written worked well to. I really liked their connection and the way their relationship developed, personally I would have liked to have had another chapter or two, or even an epilogue as I wanted to see some of them after everything had settled, and what happened next employment wise.

[Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kindle Copy for Review

Living in the seclusion in the Smokey Mountains as she hides from abusive foster parents starting over, her quiet life becomes a nightmare once again. While hiking she is nearly struck by gunfire wanting to flee again, she is made to stay by the park ranger.

She will be further attack as she stays to catch the assailant. The two will bond together to find the attacker as they will fall in love surrounded by danger.

A sweet delightful read.