Moving Forward is a sweet romance that features characters who work as firemen in a small town in Colorado. This is the second book in the series, but it can be read as a stand-alone. I haven't read the first one yet and didn't feel I was missing anything. This book's hero is Greg, and he is a handsome guy who suffers from ptsd. The heroine is a feisty woman who owns a nursery and has a congenital heart disease. There is also a second romance between a young couple straight out of high school. It was so sweet. I enjoyed the story. I look forward to reading more in this series.
*I was given a copy of this book by the publisher. This is my honest opinion.

This is another good book and series by Shelley Shepard Gray. This book centers around Kristen, a greenhouse owner with a serious heart condition, and Greg, a fireman who was in the service and suffers from PTSD. They met when there was a fire at the greenhouse. See where their relationship leads. It's also about Jennifer, an employee at the greenhouse, that wants to be a firefighter and her new boyfriend, Ryan that is off to college and to play football. This book is about trust, love, commitment, ups and downs and hope for the future. I strongly recommend this book. I received a complimentary copy of this book but was not required to leave a review.

If you are looking for a sweet, heartfelt romance to read this fall, then you should read Moving Forward by Shelley Shepard Gray.

As soon as I read the synopsis for this book, I knew I needed to read it. I love a small-town romance that I know will have a lot of charm. This book did not disappoint me; in fact, it actually surprised me. I thought I would only be reading the love story between Greg and Kristen, but Shelley also surprised readers with another main love story between Jen and Ryan, who are two teenagers who just graduated from high school. I found myself enjoying both love stories. There is this cool blend of adult romance and YA romance; you wouldn’t think it would work, but it does.

Moving Forward is a clean closed-door romance with a lot of charm but also a lot of depth. It has a lot of those characteristics that many Hallmark movies have. It takes place in a small town where everyone knows everyone, and there is this real sense of community. The main heroine owns her own business, and the hero is a gorgeous firefighter. There are plenty of sweet moments between both couples that sometimes it borders on cheesiness (which I loved), but the journey these couples have to go through to be together isn’t smooth sailing. Greg and Kristin both have emotional baggage that they bring to the table. Greg has PTSD from his time in the army, and Kristen is weary of starting another relationship after her ex broke off their engagement a day before their wedding. Kristen also has major health problems and is afraid that Greg will run away when he realizes how all-consuming those health problems can be at times. Kristin’s fear that Greg will run away or break her heart is the main hurdle these two have to overcome. For most of the book, Kristin hums and haws about whether she should start a relationship with Greg. If I had only one wish for this book, I wish that Kristin’s humming and hawing would have been a bit shorter. I found that it dragged on at times.

Jen and Ryan’s love story was fabulous. I wasn’t expecting them to get so much page time, but I am glad that they did. Even though I could classify their story as a YA romance, there is this real maturity to their story. Jen is dealing with difficult family situations and doesn’t know what she wants to do with her life. Ryan is a real sweetheart, and I loved how he supported and adored Jen. It just melted my heart. The only thing I have to complain about is that I felt their story was a bit incomplete, but I am hoping that is because they will be getting their own book in this series. Fingers crossed.

Moving Forward is a sweet small-town romance and is perfect for those looking to escape our crazy world for a few hours.

Thank you, Berkley Publishing Group, for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

What a wonderful novel! Moving Forward is the second installment in The Woodland Park Firefighters Romance series, and I enjoyed every page. I have to say Shelley Shepard Gray truly wrote a heartwarming novel that will stay with me! I found the storyline really engaging from from the beginning! I loved the entire cast of characters and found Shelley Shepard Gray did a great job with the character development — every character was unique and endearing. I also liked that there were two storylines going on throughout the novel. I felt both couples added a lot to novel and I couldn’t wait to read how their situations would turn out, but I also liked how they weren’t rushed and organically fell into place. Moving Forward is a 5 star clean romance that I recommend to everyone! I have not read the first novel in this series (Coming Home), but I enjoyed Moving Forward so much that I most definitely will be reading it ASAP!

This book has a story within a story with a set of teen side characters. The main characters are a Firefighter with PTSD from war who just wants to settle down with a wife and kids. Unfortunately he falls for a woman who not only has a heart condition - and can't have children - but has been burned in the romance dept when others find out about her condition. So she's fairly gun shy. Meanwhile, story two has a teen at her garden shop crushing hard on another teen and that makes for a cute side story.

I would say this is a slow burn on all levels with a lot of angst before the HEA. It's a book to be patient with while reading.

Moving Forward is exactly what firefighter, Greg, and business owner, Kristen, need to do. When they meet they are both drawn to each other but he suffers from PTSD and she had a broken heart from a previous relationship. They are both holding those things close to themselves and need to learn to trust one another with their secrets. This is a great follow-up to Coming Home in the Woodland Park Firefighters series. I'm definitely looking forward to the next one!

If you're in the mood for a good clean contemporary romance, this just might be what you're looking for! I read Shelley Shepard Gray's books every chance I get!

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Publication date: 22 August 2023

Moving Forward is the second book in the Woodland Park Firefighters series. It can stand alone but I recommend reading the first book Coming Home. I really enjoyed it and couldn't wait to read more in the series. 

The lead characters in Moving Forward are Kristen and Greg. She owns a local garden center and he's a firefighter - they meet when there's a fire at the garden center. The author fully developed these characters making them relatable and easy to cheer on. Both have very personal issues that will become apparent as the novel moves forward adding drama and emotional upset. There's also another plot line involving recent high school graduates getting to know each other before heading off for college and new job opportunities. I liked how Gray handled their story.

Moving Forward is a nice combination of romance and women's fiction. It includes themes of health issues, PTSD, and learning to trust. A very good story that has me anticipating the next book in the series.
4.5 stars

Moving Forward
By Shelley Shepard Gray
Pub Date: August 22, 2023
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Romance blossoms in the Colorado foothills in this sweet romance by well known author, Gray.
If you are drawn to clean romances I believe you will like this book as I did.
4 stars

I thought this was a fabulous tale of two couples trying to get thru things and making a life. Very heart warming and shows the good of perserverance.