A man of few words, Ranger Jay Daniels values the calm, quiet solitude of the Great Smoky Mountains. Never quite fitting in with either side of his family, he prefers the company of birds and trees to people.Yeah, he’d most definitely prefer a bird—any bird, any bird at all, take a vulture for instance—to the human-tornado hybrid that just blew onto his peaceful stretch of the Appalachian Trail.… Appalachian Trail.
The path of true love never has run smooth for Olive Perry. After getting dumped and promptly abandoned in the middle of her multi-month hike, Olive swears off men. Determined to finish the long trek by herself, she doesn’t need a prince—or broody and taciturn ranger—to save her.
Yet, when an early snowstorm threatens the mountains, and Ranger Daniels is charged with getting hikers to safety, that includes hot-tempered Olive Perry. Snowed in and forced to share an abandoned cabin, can Olive’s heated intensity melt Jay’s cool reserve?
And if so, will this happy trail lead to true love? Or will their time together be just another bump in the road?
‘Happy Trail’ is a full-length contemporary romantic comedy, can be read as a standalone, and is book#1 in the Park Ranger series.
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Happy Trail by Daisy Prescott takes us into the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. Instantly captivating, I was swept into this story from page one!
First we meet Jay Daniels. He’s the Park Ranger at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Jay is reserved and keeps to himself. He’d rather be in the wild studying the birds as the local ornithologist than have to be surrounded by humans. Being half Japanese and half white, Jay struggles with who he is. He doesn’t feel like he’s accepted among his Japanese side of the family nor does he feel “white” enough to be American. I absolutely loved that Daisy brought these issues to light and the many feelings in which they stirred. It really made me appreciate Jay and his background and my background as well. I come from mixed roots myself; my father is Ecuadorian and my mother–Portuguese. When people look at me they see this white woman and are surprised when they hear me speak Spanish. Yes, I’m American but I’m also Ecuadorian and Portuguese!
The heroine in this book is probably one of the best I’ve read. Olive Perry comes from a high society New York family. She embarked on this adventure of hiking with her ex-boyfriend Tye who was a total d-bag by the way. Along the way he leaves her stranded and Olive decides to complete hiking the Appalachian Trail on her own. I just loved how completely outspoken and sassy she was. She might have been refined at one point but she quickly develops a no filter type attitude as she comes out of her shell. She fell in love with the outdoors and finding different bird species along the way which ultimately brings her to Ranger Daniels.
How Olive and Jay met is such a fated, meet-cute moment. Jay meets her as Snowbird, her hiker name. They soon become stuck in this small cabin in the woods waiting out a snow storm. Let’s just say the attraction and the chemistry between them is palpable. It was undeniable and you won’t help but swoon. I loved how different these two were and how they found common love in birds and hiking. Of course there were moments where they struggled but in the end they came back to each other.
Happy Trail was such a sweet romance and I absolutely loved it! I loved being in the world of Green Valley, Tennessee and meeting these characters from Penny’s Smartypants Romance Universe. This also was my first Daisy book and let me just say… It won’t be my last. I’m ready for more! Sidenote: I’m hoping and wanting a book for Jenni, Jay’s sister please!!
Honest ARC review.
Oh my mountain man hotness! Daisy has written the perfect mix of mountain man/city girl-turned hiker.
The journeys both Jay and Olive took to find one another were breathtaking and heartbreakingly beautiful.
The internal and external battles they both fought to become people they deemed worthy of love is precious.
I love how they found their way back to each other.
This does not disappoint!
Happy Trail by Daisy Prescott is the first book in the Park Ranger series. This is an offshoot from the Pennyverse specifically the Green Valley world created by Penny Reid. I’ve been a fan of both authors for quite some time and I love their stories and styles of writing so I was definitely curious how both can come up with a book baby. Well it’s more surrogate mother book baby since there is one author writing from within another’s created world. This book baby is marvelous! It has both elements from both authors, Ms. Prescott’s words and story telling style mixed very well with the sentiments and theme of the Green Valley world by Ms. Reid.
Jay and Olive are adorable! The forced proximity trope was originally executed plus I definitely love the individual growth of both characters within the context of the story. This is slow burn and slower paced but I never really noticed since the dialogue was entertaining, insightful and overall a joy to read over and over again. In fact I have highlighted several passages which I haven’t really done for a long time because it really struck a chord within.
As I said there is individual growth for both characters since both are placed inside boxes for most of their lives, trying to fit in, to deny what they felt and what they wanted to achieve. So to be able to just enjoy being together and learning about each other and themselves was a great romantic journey to read.
This was a such a great book and I cannot wait for the next one and maybe get a glimpse of Olive and Jay again.
I am so loving the Smartypants Romance books!!
Happy Trial is just another jewel in the series of books.
Daisy Prescott is a new to me author and I am so glad I got the opportunity to read this.
This is the quirky, swoony, heartfelt and just lovely romance in the Park Ranger series.
This is Jay and Olive’s story.
Olive is an amazing character! I floved her quirkiness and I admired her strength and determination. She didn’t let a crappy situation and experience take away from her doing something she wanted to do. She was a hilarious character if she was a real person I would totally want to be BFF’s with her!
Jay was also amazing. He is a bit jaded, but rightfully so, to be facing discrimination and outright bigotry in this day and age is sad and so unsavory. He keeps his cards close to his vest and when Olive comes hiking into his world, he sees what could be.
The dialogue was funny and even educational. I get a kick out of learning new things!
As this is set in the fictional world of Green Valley, it was lovely to see past characters make cameo appearances! To me, it just adds more to the story and really blends it into the world that Penny Reid created.
I can’t wait to add some of Ms. Prescott’s previous stories onto my TBR list!
Is it possible to fall in love with words? Because I just did. Daisy Prescott’s words are my new addiction and obsession. Happy Trail obliterated me in the best possible way. It is unbelievable, unimaginable and unparalleled romance goodness from Daisy Prescott.
I have one word for this warm gooey feeling in my chest and butterflies in my stomach. Happy. Hundred percent unadulterated happiness. An absolutely innovative story line set in the great Appalachian mountains had me hook, line and sinker from the first chapter. The nature is not background. It is the core. And the author incorporates the sceninc beauty wonderfully in the romance. It was teleportation. Seriously. I could feel the freezing snow and rain, could hear the chirping of birds and rustling of leaves and I could smell the green and blues. It was sensational. It was magic. I don’t know about you but I sure took the hike with Olive and Jay. And that’s the highest compliment I can think about a story.
This is a love story between Jay, the ranger aka resident ornithologist aka environment specialist of the national park and Olive, the socialite aka the daughter of ex president aka the runaway fiance aka some city girl who started the hike under false pretense but now want to do it for real. Both these characters have unique personalities. Jay is this grumpy, people phobic, nerdy and reserved guy who has secrets and burdens. And Olive is not the entitled spoiled party princess people assume her to be. She is funny, vibrant, honest, kind and strong beyond her own understanding. They meet under unusual circumstances in mountains and their connection grows so sweetly, intensely and beautifully. It was just mesmerizing. I can compare it with a plant growing and finally the flowers blooming. The same sense of wonder, peace and amazement filled me. Of course it had bumps and turns. Because seasons change. But it was deep, hard and resilient enough to survive all.
The conversations and interactions between Olive and Jay are the most brilliant words I have ever read. It flows like river. They fit like puzzle pieces. Witty, smart, sarcastic, illuminating and soul deep at the same time. My smile never stopped even when they had heartbreak and pain. Happy Trail by Daisy Prescott is one of the best romance I read this year. It made me forget time. It made my heart complete.
Received ARC for Honest review
Hmm… When I started reading this book, I felt like Daisy Prescott was introducing me to characters that I would struggle to like: The cynical hero with misanthropic tendencies. A flighty female (engaged six times!!!) with no job, just coasting along on her family’s money. Will they win me over? Or will I want to pitch the book across the room? I am happy to report there’s nothing to fear. HAPPY TRAIL proved to be a delightful read.
Let’s start with our heroine Olive Perry. She is far removed from my initial impression. In fact, I loved her and her journey throughout this book. Olive gets dumped by her boyfriend while hiking the Appalachian Trail. Coming from a non-outdoorsy background, it wasn’t even her idea to hike in the first place! But instead of hobbling to the nearest 5 star hotel and drawing a line under the entire experience, Olive not only decides to complete the trail section that was originally planned, but she decides to complete the entire thing! How’s that for tenacity? Olive truly was an inspiration, and I held her in ever-increasing regard as the book progressed. I found her character to be funny, witty and down-to-earth. I loved all the parts about the trail: the triumphs, the hardships, plus the characters Olive met along the way all added up to enjoyable story.
And then there’s Ranger Jay Daniels, or Ranger Smoking Hot, as Olive names him upon first sight. Jay’s lifetime of experiences as a half-American/half-Japanese person has impacted how he deals with people. He’s quite anti-social and withdrawn. He’s earnest and serious in his opinions and doesn’t care to connect in a shallow manner. This is very different to the people Olive is typically surrounded by, and she is intrigued.
This romance between these two is definitely not smooth sailing. Physical attraction is not an issue – there’s plenty of that. But we’re talking about two very different people, living very different lives, facing very different futures and the obstacles at times seem insurmountable. What I appreciated about Jay and Olive is that they considered the opinions of the other. Perhaps not immediately, but they talked, and then reflected on what was said. They were working towards a common goal: a united Jay and Olive.
HAPPY TRAIL was definitely a satisfying reading experience. I can’t wait to see who’s up next in the Park Ranger series.
Once again Daisy Prescott creates a new world and group of characters for us to love. Jay and Olive are the true definition of old souls who have just been waiting for their turn. I enjoyed every page and was left wanting more. While I have never thought about walking the AT, Olive’s journey makes me want to. I can’t wait for more in this series. Don’t miss it!
It was such a sweet love story. I definitely recommend this book and this author.
Really 3.5 stars. This is a sweet, rather tame story about two individuals who are trying to find themselves. Olive Perry is in what she thought was a promising relationship with a man who encourages her to go outside of her comfort zone and hike the Appalachian Trail. Halfway down, she comes to some realizations and comes into contact with Park Ranger Jay Daniels, who is looking to get her safely off the trail due to an impending snowstorm. Sometimes I didn’t understand Olive’s blurted out words which were meant to make her quirky, although she was still likable. Jay was nice, smart, and likable, although somehow I wanted more depth or background or something. I enjoyed small references to characters from Penny Reid’s Winston Brothers series.
If you want a great story that is also a romance, rather than a romance that tried or was forced to be a story, this is the book for you. The characters were real but unique, likable but flawed, and the story was interesting, believable, and fresh. I wanted to keep reading because unlike so many “romances” you didn’t always know what was going to happen next. I look forward to reading more by this author.
Unexpected
I loved the story and the stories around the Appalachian Trail.
Books that can make you smile or laugh are good.
A different kind of romance and educational as well!
This was quirky, imaginative and fun, but heart-warming and believable at the same time. Added bonus – you get to learn some things about the Appalachian trail.
Sweet story. Suitable for teenager.
A wonderful romance. Characters you’ll are about and a good story!
Loved this story centered on the Appalachian Trail. Interesting character and great story line. I really enjoyed this book.
A nice love story about a hiker and a park ranger.
This was an entertaining, fun read!