The Deep Paths

The Last Route, Book 6

Some roads run deeper than memory.

Now available.

Wren Ashwick thought she was learning the Last Route: the villages, the weather, the unwritten rules that matter more than Guild protocol.

Then the Route opens somewhere it shouldn’t: a quiet threshold in the woods, a warmed stone that hums under her palm, a path that isn’t on any map.

With Thistle on her shoulder and her satchel full of letters, Wren steps onto the Deep Paths, the forgotten ways beneath the world where old magic still listens. And once you’ve walked them, you can’t pretend you haven’t.

What readers are saying

★★★★★

“Wren has quickly become a favourite. Going into the deep woods and gently coaxing them awake, so brilliantly done.”

Michelle Shamy (Goodreads, 20 Mar 2026)

What to expect

  • Cozy fantasy with found family and gentle magic
  • Quiet stakes with meaningful change
  • Forgotten paths and old magic beneath the world
  • Slow-burn sapphic romance (fade to black)
  • No cliffhanger. Warm ending guaranteed.

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Free bonus story: Quills & Quiet

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Perfect for readers who loved:

Legends & Lattes · The House in the Cerulean Sea · Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea

At a Glance

  • Title: The Deep Paths (The Last Route, Book 6)
  • Author: James Heppe-Smith
  • Genre: Sapphic cozy fantasy
  • Series: The Last Route (20 books)
  • Season: Winter | Year 2
  • Setting: Aeldra (coastal cliffs, highland moors, ancient forest)
  • Tropes: Found family · Grumpy/sunshine · Slow-burn sapphic romance · Quirky familiar
  • Content promise: Low stakes, warm endings, no graphic violence, closed door
  • Format: Kindle ebook and paperback
  • ISBN: 979-8247307860

Reader ratings

★★★★★ 5.0 / 5 from 6 ratings across Goodreads and Amazon
Goodreads: 5.0 / 5 (3 ratings) · View on Goodreads
Amazon: 5.0 / 5 (3 ratings) · View on Amazon