[PREORDER] Dandelions and Smoke

By: Alyssa-Ray Bouman

Release Date: September 18th, 2026

Preorder now and receive a signed book, art prints, bookmark and a sticker while supplies last. 

At Cozy Pines Cafe, Love isn't Rushed, it's Slow-Brewed.

A Story about Found Family, Messy Hearts, and Learning that Being Loved Doesn't Require Becoming Less of Yourself First.

Rory Bolton is chaos wrapped in pink curls and sharp wit. Bold, blunt, and carrying years of hurt behind her smile, she's spent most of her life convinced she's too much. Too messy. Too impulsive. Too chaotic. But when she arrives in Turtle Bay, she finds something she never expected. A family. A home. And people who make her feel wanted for the very first time.

Chief Garrett Mason knows what it feels like to carry guilt like smoke in his lungs. Ever since his marriage fell apart, Chief has blamed himself for everything. For not fixing things sooner. For not saving someone who didn't want to be saved. He's spent too long believing that loving someone means setting yourself on fire just to keep them warm.

Then Rory crashes into his life.

When Chief realizes the fiery mystery woman from one unforgettable night never actually left town, he finds himself unable to stay away. Rory may call herself a mess, but Chief loves every chaotic piece of her and the way she blooms stubbornly through every crack life leaves behind, like a dandelion growing through concrete.

Somehow, in the middle of all the smoke, she becomes his oxygen.