Sometimes all you need to rise from the ashes is a little bit of hope.

Gage

While my entire life has been an endless string of mistakes and misfortune, burning down my bar—my livelihood—is definitely the worst and dumbest to date.

Okay, so I didn't literally burn it down, but sticking my head in the sand and refusing to ask for help certainly didn't keep this latest disaster away.

A stranger arrives in Hope just as I finally start rebuilding my life. His sweet innocence catches my eye from day one, stirring feelings I haven't felt in, well, ever.

And even though he's just a kid and I'm a hot mess bartender with nothing to offer, I won't let that stand in my way. I flash him some of my trademark charm because, honestly, who wouldn't want all this?

Ash

I've spent most of my life being mistreated by my mom and her partner. The final straw came when she refused my help yet again. I knew that if I didn't leave right then, Id end up just like her. The only solution I had was to leave my hometown to make a life for myself where nobody knew who I was. Sure, it meant leaving behind people I cared about, but I no longer had a choice.

One wrong turn later, I found myself in a quaint town called Hope Harbour, which housed a lighthouse, small-town gossips… and the biggest, most beautiful Greek god known to man.

All it took was one look at him for me to start questioning everything I'd ever thought about myself.

I know I'm just a broken kid from a small town, but maybe it's time to start over with the charming bartender and see if we can't set Hope on fire.

After the Flames is the second book in the Hope Harbour series. While it's best enjoyed after His Guiding Light, it can be read as a standalone.