Olivia Rutherford receives an offer to paint watercolours of Yosemite National Park, in the 1930s. This must have been a complete contrast to the smoky air of cities, and most artists would jump at the chance. Olivia has a secret however; she’s not keen to spend time at the tourist lodge WHERE THE FIRE FALLS. But the lure of funding to paint for a magazine – plus the commission for painting a wealthy industrialist’s wife – are impossible to resist.

Clark Johnson is a tour guide in the Park. He doesn’t make a habit of mentioning his past as a minister. His future might well be, becoming a fully-fledged Park Ranger. He never thought his future might include a beautiful and talented city artist – but when Olivia turns up, hugging her background as close as the paint box she never puts aside, he’s fascinated. The lady doesn’t know how to talk to him and declares a wish to paint him. They don’t seem to have one thing in common – except an appreciation for the awesome setting of Yosemite.

I was expecting more of a crime story, but we do get suspense arising from backstory that has gone unresolved. Mainly the tale provides a sense of time and place, dropping the characters into the setting and letting them get on with finding a romance… or not. This is second in the ‘Vintage National Parks’ series and I haven’t seen the first book yet, but it’s a tremendous concept. Nature, contrast, history and tensions combine to make WHERE THE FIRE FALLS a cracking good read. Karen Barnett is on to another winning combination after her ‘Golden Gate Chronicles’ historical series, proving that research will get you everywhere.

The romance is suitable for any age and since this is a suspense book too, men should find the adventure just as interesting! I had a good time reading WHERE THE FIRE FALLS and can recommend it for Christmas stockings.