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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“Life isn’t about the destination. We all end up at the same place. Love is what gives our journey meaning.”
Happy Trail by Daisy Prescott is another precious gem from the SmartyPants Romance Universe. This story focuses on “The Runaway Fiancée,” Olive Perry, who is hiking the Appalachian Trail alone after a proposal gone wrong and surly park ranger Jay Daniels who is sent to clear hikers from the trail ahead of a winter storm. Sparks fly when the two get trapped in an abandoned moonshiner’s cabin. While the time they spend together is brief, it is significant and life-changing.
This book had a good mix of comedy, romance, charm and depth. I highlighted more passages in this story than I have any book I’ve read in a long time. A couple of my favorites are:
“Why does every girl want to be a mermaid? Or a unicorn? They don’t exist. Be a narwhal if you want a horn. Or a rhino. They’re super cool and couldn’t care less about what other people think of them.”
“A measure of a person’s worth is synchronicity between their words and actions. No one should be judged on the color of their skin or the money they do or don’t have, nor should we bear the weight of our family’s deeds and words.”
“I just wish people could be themselves without all the bull$#!t.” – Ranger Jay Daniels
I’m absolutely in love with this book! (Did I maybe start looking at cabins in the GSM after reading this? Yes. Yes I did!)
I love Jay. He’s the perfect grumpy H, and those are my favorite! Olive is adorable! She’s determined to hike the AT and prove to everyone (& herself) that she’s capable and committed to it.
They’re both struggling with who they are, and how to accept/show people their true selves. I enjoyed watching them both open up to each other and figure out who they are & what makes them happy.
This book is going to be a go to re-read because I’m absolutely in love!!
***I received an ebook copy from the author at no cost***
I want to start by saying I haven’t read any books from Penny Reid’s Green Valley universe, but I was thrilled to see Daisy writing in this and a new series of books coming. (And I just went and bought the first Penny Reid book in her Winston Brothers series, so there’s that too, lol.)
This is definitely an opposites-attract, slow burning romance story, and I adored it. We have Jay, who is calm, cool, and collected. He’s a park ranger from Green Valley who doesn’t do romance and likes to live in his quiet, introverted bubble. Then we have Olive, who is outspoken, hilarious, and from a wealthy New England family. She’s lived a rather spoiled life in NYC and, after her ex used her as a pawn to advance his social media popularity, she decided to hike the rest of the Appalachian Trail solo.
This book is filled with quirky moments and wit. Prescott does a wonderful job of building up the sexual tension between Jay and Olive, while still keeping the story sweet and comedic. Jay has this wall erected around himself but I could just see it crumbling piece by piece as he got to know Olive better. I loved that even though Jay is an expert in a lot of things, Olive was able to teach him a thing or two as well.
Olive’s character development was wonderful. She changed so much over the course of the story, and Prescott handled it beautifully. All of the changes felt natural and aligned perfectly with where she was at in her own personal journey.
As with all of her novels, Prescott gave us secondary characters who were fun as well. I loved Jay’s co-workers and Olive’s bff. I hope that in future books, we’ll get to see more of these secondary characters.
I can’t say enough good things about this novel. Go out and grab a copy if you’re looking for a fun fall read!
Five stars to this book!
My First read by Daisy Prescott and most certainly not my last.
Jay is a quiet yet extremely knowledgeable Park Ranger. As they say, you have to watch those quiet ones. He has had to deal with prejudice and his temper since a young age. Although not a monk, his days are better spent alone on the trails in the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee.
One such day he is on the hunt for any hikers who might be up in the higher elevations when a storm is due to hit which may include snow! It is here that the forces of nature bring Jay and Olive together.
Olive is on her own after having a “dispute” with her would be fiance. Olive is a city slicker and no match for these woods. She finds solace in the birds of the forest and that is how she comes face to face with Jay. A sweet story of love and acceptance, strangers who feel an uncanny pull to each other despite their differences.
My First read by Daisy Prescott and most certainly not my last.
Jay is a quiet yet extremely knowledgeable Park Ranger. As they say, you have to watch those quiet ones. He has had to deal with prejudice and his temper since a young age. Although not a monk, his days are better spent alone on the trails in the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee.
One such day he is on the hunt for any hikers who might be up in the higher elevations when a storm is due to hit which may include snow! It is here that the forces of nature bring Jay and Olive together.
Olive is on her own after having a “dispute” with her would be fiance. Olive is a city slicker and no match for these woods. She finds solace in the birds of the forest and that is how she comes face to face with Jay. A sweet story of love and acceptance, strangers who feel an uncanny pull to each other despite their differences.
I adored this funny and quirky slow burn romance!! It’s a great adventure story of Olive finding herself, growing and coming into her own person while hiking the Appalachian Trail. Olive has not made the best decisions in her life so far especially in regards to her love life. She follows her boyfriend but ends up dumped and alone but determined to complete the over 2,000 mile hike.
“We come from two different worlds and have nothing in common. She’s a serial monogamist with commitment issues. I’m a loner with trust issues.
We could never work.”
A storm hits in the Smokey mountains and Ranger Jay Daniels is sent in to make sure hikers are safe. Olive and Jay clash but in the most awesome RomCom way! ;).
“A man who gets all soft-eyed and sentimental about his childhood dog is a good man. Ranger Daniels, you might not be the cantankerous grumpasaurus you want the world to believe you are.”
I loved every quirky thing about this story! I was entertained, I swooned, I laughed and didn’t want to put my book down from page one to the authors acknowledgements at the end! A perfect addition to this Penny Reid universe.
-5 Stars!-
Two of my favorite authors and their “worlds” embrace for this book! I have loved Daisy Prescott’s books for a long time and who doesn’t want to live in Pennyverse with all the good folk of Green Valley, TN. Jay is a ranger who works with Jethro Winston and Olive is walking the Appalachian Trail. An early snowstorm strands them in a cabin in the mountains and the story takes off from there. Loved sassy, stubborn Olive and the almost reclusive Jay. A wonderful and fun story.
Happy Trail is another great addition to the world created by Penny Reid and Daisy Prescott has greatly enriched it with her story of a woman hiking the long trail on her own after an abrupt departure of her boyfriend. Not one for physical activity Olive struggles along, refusing to give up, even going so far as stowing her phone in the bottom of her pack. Living the simple life of just being in the moment and enjoying the walking and the peace she refuses to deal with the life she left behind. The failed relationships, her family, the media. It’s all to much. Untill the weather changes during her last 100 miles and her life changes with it.
Jay as a Park Ranger heads out for the quiet of the mountains, to clear them before the storm hits. Except one hiker known as Snowbird is no where to be found. He knows it’s his job to ensure the safety of the hikers, but this is why he prefers birds! Just before the weather really takes a turn he finds her. A defensive, feisty woman that defiantly prefers to do things on her own! Snowed in and trapped together until the weather turns they definitely share an attraction, though one passionate embrace is not enough to melt Jay and his grumpy attitude.
No spoilers from me, I loved it and I admire their journey towards love and the sense of peace that comes with finally being free and knowing who you are and where you belong. A wonderful new story in the Green Valley World and as always it’s like coming home when you meet old characters that see like family. Well done to the author, five star read for me!
Happy Trail – Daisy Prescott
A stand-alone from the Smartypants Romance authors, this story was full of unexpected fun.
Almost a frenemies to lovers but more like a love/hate relationship but with some brilliant wit and quirky banter as well as a smattering of sexy fun.
Great characters built from the Green Valley world but Olive’s snark and Ranger Jays laid back attitude are the perfect foil for this fun romp.
I think I’m going to be hooked on all these Green Valley characters. Bring on some more please and Happy Trails!
What a fun, sweet read from Daisy Prescott. Once I started the story of Olive and Ranger Daniels I could not put this book down. These two have a connection that leads to a slow burn romance with some ups and downs. It was great to see another side of the Green Valley, TN family and learning a bit more about the AT and the local birds. I can’t wait for the other ranger stories.
I absolutely loved this book. I’m a fan of both daisy and penny and seeing Daisy’s writing in penny’s world is awesome. I liked that this book focused pretty much solely on the two main characters olive “snowbird” and Jay. They both had things that were holding them back from being who they were meant to be and with each other they are able to move past those things. Both characters were written in a very likable way, Olive is someone I could be friends with and Jay is someone I am definitely crushing on. All in all it was a fantastic book with lots of laughs and quirks that make it a smarty pants romance!
***5 ‘Black-throated Blue Warbler’ Stars***
Such a sweet, opposites attract slow burn romance that had me rooting for Jay and Olive to get their HEA from the moment they first collided!
I adored Olive and Jay. Olive is sweet, snarky and determined. I loved watching as she took everything she experienced and evolved into the woman she was always meant to be. Jay is a good man, a really good man, but tends to keep people at arm’s length, but when he does let someone close he is all kinds of sweet and charming. I thoroughly enjoyed their journey to their HEA. There is no angsty drama in this one, which I actually really liked, the bantering is on point and I simply loved watching them get to know each other and fall in love when they least expected it.
This was a fun read for me, I don’t know if I’d ever do the hike…ok, let’s be real ~ the chance of me even contemplating is this side of never ~ but I loved learning all about the AT and seeing it through both Jay and Olive’s eyes. While the drama in this is very low, it does touch upon it does touch upon a few issues that are very prevalent in today’s society, (one of which I recently had a discussion about with a friend where we both found ourselves in a weird position because while at first glance we are supposed to fit in that ‘box’, we actually can’t relate because of how and where we grew up) and I thought they were both presented and dealt with quite well. As for the supporting cast of characters ~ I do hope that we get to see more of Gaia and Jenni, whether in this series or another one in the ever expanding Pennyverse because I think they both totally deserve their own HEA’s.
~ Copy provided by Social Butterfly PR & voluntarily reviewed ~
Very funny and sweet
Part of the Penny Reid book universe, Green Valley world, this can easily be read as a standalone, as while there are references to familiar characters or places (and Drew has a brief appearance), you don’t need their background to enjoy this.
So, funnily enough, I was reading this as we got our first snow for the season, with very heavy snow for some places, so it was pretty easy for me to empathize at getting caught out by an early snow. Both Jay and Olive have unusual and intriguing backgrounds, and I really liked the setup of these two strangers being forced together by circumstances. Though on the surface this was an opposites attract kind of story, Jay and Olive find they have much more in common than you might think.
There are several interesting secondary characters here in the form of Jay’s coworkers, and with all the different kinds of people hiking on the trail, and the different kinds of situations they can get into, I love the possibilities for more stories with this particular setting.
Very funny and sweet, with occasional emotional or heated moments, I loved this story about two people who have always felt like outsiders finding where they truly belong. 5 stars.
B2B Kelly
When you are a socialite, finding romance can be hard. For Olive – the stream of failed engagements follows her wherever she goes. Without a real goal in life, Olive finds herself headed to the Appalachian Mountains so her latest boyfriend can work on his Instagram counts. As an influencer – everything about the trip will be documented for the public. With sponsorships and new follows a name of the game, Olive finds herself along for the ride.
Hiking the Appalachian Trail starts growing on Olive. The sights, sounds, and fellow travelers are intriguing and allow the pampered socialite to experience a pleasure in life that Olive didn’t realize she was missing. Then an unexpected live stream took Olive by surprise. With thousands of followers ‘watching’, Olive’s boyfriend pops the question in the middle of the hiking trail. Olive doesn’t accept the engagement request, and her boyfriend decides it is not worth finishing the hike. He leaves Olive right where her rejection was live streamed for all of Instagram!
Determined to make the most of her experience, Olive sets out to finish the journey that the couple started all on her own. Without the luxuries from sponsors, Olive is definitely ‘roughing it’ on the trail. A looming storm brings Olive into the path of Ranger Jay. The park ranger is tasked with making sure all those that travel in the mountains are safe from the oncoming weather. With little time to seek shelter, Jay and Olive find themselves seeking refuge in a moonshiner’s cabin in the woods. As the two are faced with rustic accommodations, they quickly discover that you should never take someone at face value. With a fire burning through more than the chimney, Jay and Olive will have to face an impending attraction that is sure to leave a lasting impression.
Happy Trails is the first book in the Park Rangers series that revolves around the Penny Reid universe, but is written by Daisy Prescott. I have loved all of the back catalog of Prescott’s, so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this unique series starter. The first thing that stumped me was where the author references AT repeatedly in the first few chapters. I stopped several times and asked myself if I was missing something. What was the abbreviation for? Then several chapters deep, we learn that the AT stands for the Appalachian Trail. The reference states that everyone uses the shortened moniker if they are experienced hikers or locals. Now – I have children that hike the Appalachian Trail and spend a lot of leisure time in the Great Smoky Mountains. NONE of them say ‘AT’ when referring to the Trail. I know the book is fiction, but I am so used to Reid’s spot on references for the towns and other focal points to the Tennessee area that this feels weird to reference the location this way. There is such an abundance of AT references, that it distracted me from the story.
Now let’s get to the bones of the plot, Jay and Olive just did not have a believable romance in this story to me. There was so much time spent on the buildup of the couple crossing paths, but when it came time for the romance, the story jumps a HUGE span of time. Jay and Olive only spend a couple of days together, but we jump in time to a place where tons of life events have taken place. The lengthy absence is not really addressed in a way that explains how Jay and Olive can’t seem to live without the other. It is a whiplash of emotion that fell flat for me after such an amazing and descriptive meeting of these two characters.
Another thing that bugged me about this story was the life altering event that Olive found herself facing after coming down from the trail. We get a glimpse into Olive’s life and the importance of her grandfather, but the contact between Olive and Jay disappears as easily as a lightening bug in the autumn winds. It is so hard to believe that Jay and Olive could have the depth to their connection that is shown after all of their time apart.
The connection to Green Valley wasn’t as strong in this book as I would have expected. Other than the backdrop taking place in the Smokey Mountains, there wasn’t a huge presence in the Winston World. Cletus and Drew do make a quick appearance, but their place in the story doesn’t really impact the plot. Overall – this story just felt comfortable and not up to the expectations that I would expect when delving into the Pennyverse.
Now that’s what I call a romance! Funny, sweet, heartwarming, two delightful and charming protagonists and a beautiful hea. I am completely satisfied and want Olive and Jay to be my friend…mind you, I still don’t fancy hiking thousands of miles .
Well written and plotted to perfection, this is a book which goes straight to my keeper shelf.
What a fantastic journey to a happy ever after! I knew when I heard that Daisy was going to write in the Penny Reid world that it would be better than good. This story was everything I’d hoped for and didn’t know I needed!
There was something about Olive that spoke to me. She’s kinda trapped in her too perfect world of expectations, always pushing the boundaries of sorts but always somehow ending up with egg on her face. When she sets off on this hiking expedition on the Appalachian Trail with her latest boyfriend, Olive had no idea how she would find herself. Not only did she find an inner strength she never realized, she also found one hot, broody park ranger.
Ohh how I adore Ranger Jay!! He’s so guarded and closed off, but observant. Maybe that’s why he’s such a good ranger and maybe that’s why he specializes in birds. Then again it could be all the layers that Jay grapples with that is why he keeps himself hidden. I absolutely loved when we get more of who Jay is, seeing his family and learning his history.
Oh but Olive sees him, and Jay sees Olive. They see possibility in the other. Happy Trail was a beautiful slow burn, opposites attract story that I didn’t want to end! I loved all the details about hiking the AT, and birds and the appearances of Winston’s (esp Cletus!) and Daisy’s Nut House and the jam session. So much love and happiness in one story!!
Happy Trail: Park Ranger Series Book 1 by Daisy Prescott is the perfect addition to the Smartypants Romance crew.
I absolutely love Jay and Olive.
I love the way Daisy immerses her readers into the world of the ranger and the die hard hikers. The world that mixes nature and nuture. A world that both of these characters have found themselves in.
Daisy gives her readers wit, humor, depth, and romance.
She lets the story unfold and gives us the chance to root these two on.
“Love is what gives our journey meaning.”
4.5 Stars
I really liked this one. Its a bit different for me…runaway fiancee, AND Olive is traveling the ENTIRE Appalachian trail! Talk about a survival read. I liked how Jay and Olive met and how they interacted. This one was just interesting to read about long distance hiking etc. It was great to see some old characters chime in. I also love the cover.
I received this book at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Daisy Prescott most definitely knows how to make you fall for a character right from the very first page.
We meet Olive Perry who doesn’t seem to have to much luck when it comes to relationships and men and her most recent one leaves her all alone on The Appalachian Trail. After thinking it would have been a fun adventure to do but it leaves her thinking she was so wrong. But being stuck on the trail is not something she thought would happen but when she meets the one and only Park Ranger Jay Daniels that is when her true adventure begins.
Jay Daniels is a man of few words, he just likes doing his job being one with nature more than spending time with other people. But when he finds out their might be a stranded hiker up on the trail what he never expects is to find the one and only Olive Perry.
When they finally meet you can’t help all the hilarious antics that happen between them but you can’t also seem to miss the chemistry and angst they have for one another.
Watching the two of them try and navigate where this will all lead is just fun to watch and you can’t help cheer on Ranger Jay & Olive hoping they can find a HEA.
WOW! Loved this book. Ranger Daniels and Olive, amazing heart felt story The sparks between these two were off the charts.