[PRE-ORDER] Chasing Smoke: Indie Exclusive (The Mercer Family, #2) by Piper Rayne

Release Date: 10/15/2026

small town romance • best friend's widow • firefighter hero • emotional romance • forbidden attraction

Sometimes the person you're determined to protect becomes the one person you can't stop wanting. When a promise to care for his late best friend's widow begins to blur into something deeper, one firefighter finds himself facing a kind of heat he never expected.

The Vibe

Set against the warm, close-knit backdrop of small-town life, Chasing Smoke brings together a steadfast firefighter and a woman finding her way forward after loss. He's spent years putting everyone else's needs before his own, especially when it comes to keeping his best friend's widow safe and supported.

Collins isn't looking for someone to rescue her, and he's trying very hard to remember that. But as they spend more time together, guarded conversations give way to easy smiles, growing trust, and a connection neither of them can quite ignore.

Piper Rayne delivers the emotional pull readers expect from a small-town romance, with heartfelt characters, simmering romantic tension, and the delicious complication of wanting someone who feels completely off-limits.

Spice Level

• 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (3/5)

Tropes & Tags

• Small-town romance
• Best friend's widow
• Firefighter hero
• Forbidden attraction
• Emotional romance
• Protective hero
• Grief and healing
• Close-knit community
• Slow-building romantic tension

Books in Series (In Order)

• Holding Ground, #1
• Chasing Smoke, #2
• Treading Water, #3
• Catching Light, #4

Please note: This is a pre-order item and will not be available for pickup or shipment until the official release date. You’ll receive a notification as soon as your order is ready.