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Through the Storm
by Natalie ParkerSeries: Owens Wildlife Wardens - Ironvale Ridge #1
Published by Self-Published on June 22, 2026
SubGenres: Contemporary Romance
Format: eArc
Pages: 331
Source: The Author Agency
Audience: 18+/Adult
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TROPES:-Small Town-Marriage of Convenience-Game Warden MMC-Slow Burn-Neurodivergent RepI never thought I’d get married…let alone to a man I’ve had to pull a gun on.
Twice.
But I also couldn’t have anticipated some sleazy land developer would
threaten to take my home.
If I don’t get married to fulfill some stupid clause in my grandparents’ will…
I’ll lose everything.
Until game warden Wolf Owens steps in and claims to be my fiancé.
Beyond staring down the barrel of my weapon, we barely know each other.
The handsome, stoic man has no reason to help me beyond protecting the
land we both love so much...
Yet from the moment we share our first kiss as husband and wife, this fake
marriage starts to feel very real.
With each heated look…
Every lingering touch…
We grow closer.
Until the only thing I’m afraid of losing is him.
Grab this small town romance featuring a feisty veterinarian
heroine who doesn’t want to need anyone else and a reclusive
man who has never let himself want who find love in the
wilderness and hope in each other.
Through the Storm is the first installment in Natalie Parker’s Owens Wildlife Wardens – Ironvale Ridge Series. After reading the synopsis, I knew I had to read this book, and I’m glad I did. It has some of my favorite tropes with a memorable storyline, plus characters you can’t help but love, especially how they end up together.
Small Town Romances will always be something I enjoy reading, especially since I live in a small town myself. It’s that feeling of everyone knowing each other and looking out for one another, which is the case in this book. Even though both main characters didn’t meet until the MMC gave the FMC a citation for fishing, they later ended up in a marriage of convenience, which was definitely a twist in the story. I loved how Wolf stepped up to help Molly, and Molly was confused at first, wondering why he would help her. The reason he truly helps her is revealed, and when Molly realizes the marriage is not temporary and Wolf proves he’s there for her completely, it is heartwarming. Seriously, Wolf won me over from the beginning of the book, even if he gave his future wife a citation. He was just following the laws.
Wolf truly was such a sweet soul in this book, and I loved his character. Maybe it’s due to him reminding me of a family member I have, and that is why I felt protective of his character, because I understood him. I loved how Molly helped him after she realized what was going on with him. She was the only one who understood, unlike Wolf’s brothers, who had no clue, which was frustrating to read.
I loved Molly because of her love for animals and her strength to fight back against the developer who kept threatening to take her land, the land she inherited from her grandparents. I was rooting for her to fight back because if there is one thing I will never understand, it is how money-grabbing developers think it’s okay to develop such beautiful land and overcrowd it with real estate or other buildings. I also loved how Wolf was very protective of Molly the whole time in this book, even though Molly could definitely handle herself. She was not someone you wanted to mess with. She did have wildlife protecting her, which will be introduced in this book.
When it came to Molly and Wolf’s relationship, it’s definitely a slow burn. They have to get to know each other, and at times it was frustrating for one of the characters because one of them didn’t communicate like the other, but eventually the one who isn’t communicating realizes what they have to do. There are also the traumas that both have experienced in their lives, and they end up helping one another with those traumas. I loved reading their relationship grow, and how they both didn’t really have prior relationships, so they ended up learning together. These two were definitely meant to meet as they did, and I was here for their happily ever after.
When it came to the ending, it did feel a bit rushed, but it was still enjoyable. Overall, such a great start to a series, and I give it 4-stars. I can’t wait to read the second book. This is definitely not my last Natalie Parker book, especially when this small town romance was much different from other small town romances I’ve read in the last 15+ years.
POV: First Person (Dual POV)
Would I recommend this book? Yes. If you enjoy romance stories where it’s set in a small town and the FMC and MMC marry for convenience, and it has a slow burn romance, this is one book you need to add to your TBR.
What to Expect:
♥️Small Town Romance
♥️Marriage of Convenience
♥️Game Warden MMC
♥️Slow Burn
♥️Neurodivergent Rep
About Natalie Parker
Natalie Parker resides in the Seattle area with her husband and two rugrats, but is originally a Michigan girl.
She always enjoyed writing and noticed she had a knack for it while earning her Psychology degree and has always been an avid reader, but never thought of becoming an author until one day there seemed to be a story to tell.
In her spare time, she enjoys reading, reading, reading to her kids, drinking coffee, reading, occasional yardwork, reading, listening to music, reading and writing.
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My obsession with reading started over 30+ years ago when I went to my first Scholastic Book Fair and found R.L. Stine's Fear Street series. Later, I came across Anne Rice's novels at my public library when I was fourteen when my obsession with vampires started. I was the girl who preferred to be a vampire over a princess any day. My husband says I would leave him a heartbeat for a vampire that looked like Spike or Angel (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) or Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries. (It's true, though, and he's accepted it.)
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