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Book Description
A Surprise Baby Firefighter Romance from Amazon Bestselling Author Daphne Elliot
Then he finds me at the Maple Festival… in labor with our surprise baby.
The best part? I had no idea I was pregnant.
Now Jasper is everywhere. The two of us stumble through new parenthood together. And he doesn’t just step up, he moves in. Almost. He pitches a tent in my backyard and sleeps outside so he’s never far away from us. He’s a shirtless, helpful menace who cooks, cleans, and cuddles our son. He makes me feel safe, seen, and wanted. And I hate how much I love it.
Every time I shove him away, he shows back up, golden retriever energy and all, with coffee and pastries in tow, ready to carry the baby, the groceries, and occasionally me.
I came to Maplewood, Vermont, to discover my independence. But it’s hard to keep my distance when the town’s been shaken by danger, the scars from my past refuse to stay buried, and the firefighter I should absolutely avoid keeps setting my world on fire.
Turns out the biggest threat to me in America’s most charming small town might be the man who won’t stop rescuing me.
About Daphne Elliot
In High School, Daphne Elliot was voted “most likely to become a romance novelist.” After spending the last decade as a corporate lawyer, she has finally embraced her destiny. Her small-town steamy novels are filled with flirty banter, sexy hijinks, and lots and lots of heart.
Daphne is a coffee-drinking, hot-sauce-loving introvert who spends all her free time in her garden. She lives on a small farm in New England with her husband, two kids, two dogs, twelve backyard chickens, and a hive of Italian honeybees.
My Thoughts
Daphne Elliot’s Sap & Secrets is a captivating beginning to the Maplewood series that immediately hooked me with its high-stakes premise: a surprise pregnancy where the father, firefighter-paramedic Jasper Lawrence, responds to a medical call only to realize the woman in labor is his former flame and the baby is his.
This shocking opening sets the stage for a deeply emotional journey as Jasper and Evie are thrust into parenthood without a moment of preparation. Having spent nine months unaware of the life growing inside her, Evie’s sudden transition into motherhood is handled with such grace and authenticity that it resonated with me on a primal level.
As a fellow mother, I felt her protective instincts and her fears deeply, especially as she navigated the uncertainty of a new baby without a family support system. The "black cat and golden retriever" dynamic between our leads is where the heart of the story truly beats. Jasper is the literal definition of the “if he wanted to, he would” trope—a devoted, shirtless, coffee-bearing "menace" who is determined to prove he isn't going anywhere.
Coming from a loving background, his steadfastness serves as the perfect foil to Evie’s deeply ingrained insecurities. Having been conditioned by a lifetime of ridicule from her father to believe she was unworthy of love, Evie builds walls so high she can’t see the happiness right in front of her. While her skittishness could be frustrating at times, it felt entirely earned; she was simply protecting herself and her son, Vincent, the only way she knew how.
Beyond the domestic bliss and the "maple syrup madness" of Vermont, the book weaves in a compelling subplot of murder and arson that adds a layer of grit to the small-town charm. This mystery provides a refreshing break from the main romance and kept me turning pages, eager to see how the secrets of Maplewood would unravel.
It was incredibly heartening to see Evie slowly dismantle her defenses and recognize that Jasper was her "forever," leading to a satisfying resolution that avoided unnecessary drama in favor of genuine growth. Returning to a Vermont setting felt like coming home, and Daphne Elliot’s ability to submerge readers in such a vivid, entertaining world is exactly why I continue to reach for her books.
Watching Jasper and Evie adapt to their new roles while navigating their own scars was a beautiful experience. It is a heartfelt, steamy, and protective story that proves sometimes the biggest threat to your independence is the man who refuses to stop rescuing you.
Other books I've read by Daphne Elliot HERE!!
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