At Last ( LuckyHarbor #5) by Jill Shalvis

Amy Michaels loves her new life in Lucky Harbor. A waitress in the local diner, she’s looking forward to her first weekend hike through the mountains. But when a wrong turn takes her off the trail, she finds herself up close and personal with forest ranger Matt Bowers. And even though she’s tempted to kiss that sexy smile right off his face, she won’t make the mistake of getting involved with the town heartthrob.
A former cop whose life went south, Matt doesn’t let anyone get too close. But something about the feisty beauty caught his eye the moment he first saw her in the diner. After a hot night under a starry sky, Matt can’t deny their attraction-or the fact that for the first time in a long time, he feels the stirrings of something more. Now it’s up to Matt to help Amy see that, no matter what is in their past, together they can build a future in Lucky Harbor. ( synopsis from Jillshalvis.com)

Paperback, Forever, 345 pgs.    

Amy Michaels gets lost in the woods, alone and inappropriately dressed with no idea of how she is going to get out of the mess she is in.  She started her journey to look for a mysterious spot her grandmother wrote about in her diary. She is looking for the answer to finding peace in her life.

Matt Bowers is a forest ranger who rescues Amy when she gets lost on her trek. Having been a soldier and then a cop, he has found this new job to be perfect for him, including rescuing the occasional pretty girl. His nickname around town is “Ranger Hot Buns”.

Both Amy and Matt are attracted to each other but they both have baggage in their lives that makes it almost impossible for either one to think about a long term relationship. They dance around each other, much to the amusement of their friends, and finally decide to start a no strings relationship. This is a tried and true plot in romance novels but in this case, it seems perfectly appropriate for two people so dragged down by their past.

The addition of Riley, a teen runaway who Amy befriends, provides insight into Amy’s past and into why she acts as she does towards Matt. Her relationship with Riley also sets up a situation that could be the undoing of Matt & Amy’s fledgling relationship.

I enjoyed reading this book even though Amy could be a little exasperating at times. She and Matt have great chemistry and it was interesting to see her go from being a self-hater to a person ready for and open to love. Matt also had to move on from his broken marriage and let go of his self-blame.  The support of their friends is a big part of how they are able to do so. It was fun to see Mallory and Ty continuing in their romance from the previous book and turning the tables on Amy and Matt. I am anxiously awaiting the next book in the series!