Smart Romance
Maggie McConnell
A School of Daughters
A SCHOOL OF DAUGHTERS is women's fiction written by Maggie's alter ego, Kate Rene' MacKenzie. Visit Kate's website by clicking on the book.
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It's funny how things sneak up on you...
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Kate Willoughby is a champion for throwaways--discarded dogs and cats, abandoned horses bound for slaughter, and all creatures great and small. But she never imagined she'd be a throwaway like an old dog dumped by the side of a road. Is there a champion for Kate?
After 22 years of marriage, Kate loves her husband, Brian, with an even greater passion than when she spoke her vows. “My world spins on his axis,” she often says. But when Kate finds a love letter to Brian from Micky, she’s torn between proving Brian’s innocence and nailing him to the wall with his guilt.
Throughout her marriage, Kate has been trusting and trustworthy--to a fault, friends have said. Now she steals into Brian's emails and accesses his credit card accounts, phone records, bank statements, friends and activities, discovering the metaphoric iceberg beneath his affair.
Turning to the one constant in her life, Kate is guided by her family of animals: shelter dog Molly; Premarin horse Quinn; packrat Winston; owls Albert and Victoria; Stubby, the chipmunk; rattlesnake Cassandra; and Phineas, the determined grosbeak. These wise and wonderful teachers, along with a wild menagerie on Kate's Arizona ranch, deliver lessons on life, love, and letting go.
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Spooning Daisy
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It's a long way from Seattle to Otter Bite, Alaska. But if one woman can survive the trip--and the locals--she just might find what her heart has been searching for.
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Her mango chutney is exquisite; her blueberry sauce is to die for. But right now, Chef de Cuisine Daisy Moon is a woman without a kitchen--and without a fiancé. Unceremoniously dumped from her place of business and her relationship, Daisy sells her belongings, plus a few of her ex's, and packs her bags. Maybe smashing all the china in her former restaurant was a bad move. Stripped of her Golden Spoon for "un-chef-like" conduct, she is now blacklisted all over Seattle. Her sole job offer is from the Wild Man Lodge. . .in Otter Bite, Alaska.
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Too bad Daisy can't even get out of Dodge without incident. By the time she boards a ship for Alaska, she's got a trail of new troubles behind her, and suddenly Otter Bite is sounding pretty good. But the vessel turns into her own personal Titanic when a series of close encounters confirms her terrible taste in men--including one very good looking bad luck charm named Max Kendall. She vows to dedicate the rest of her days to chowders and brulée. Yet even Alaska isn't far enough away to shake the memories of the sexy shipmate who rocked her cabin--and her world. Thank goodness she's done with surprises--but they may not be done with her. . .
You Had Me at Habari
Coming 2024
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Growing up poor in the backwoods of Mississippi, Beth Tyler had little hope for a life better than her mama's. The only respite she received was in the borrowed books she read; books like The Flame Trees of Thika and Savannah Joy; stories that took her far away and made her believe in possibilities. Married at 16, and pregnant soon after, Beth didn't even graduate from high school. But that didn't kill Beth's dream of one day seeing the flame trees, or her mama's hope of something more for her only daughter.
Now, packing paints and canvas--along with a suitcase of secrets--Beth is embarking on the adventure of a lifetime. Soon she’ll be at Mkono ya Mungu, the internationally acclaimed wildlife reserve in Kenya. There she'll experience the magic and majesty of Africa, along with the mystique of Dr. Alex McCord, the man National Geographic praises as "the Daktari Simba of the Torrid Zone."
Alex McCord, however, is not the accommodating type; he's as inhospitable as the land and animals he protects. Turning his back on the billion dollar biotech company started by his father, Alex prefers life where running water refers to the Mara River. He simply won't be tamed! But Alex is faced with a crumbling resolve when confronted by a woman as seductive as Africa herself.
Read the first chapter on my blog page.
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Embracing Felicity
Coming 2025
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Felicity Arhnaq is making a splash. Living in her ancestral home of Otter Bite, Alaska, this golden-haired beauty has been seen frolicking in Kachemak Bay, her dolphin-like tail glistening as she dives below the surface. Tourists are swarming to this bend in the bay, hoping for a glimpse of the Otter Bite Mermaid–last seen 200 years ago. Is Felicity capitalizing on the legend of Sedna to entice believers into her curio shop? Or has Sedna returned to once again save her village from those who threaten it?
Oil executive and Scottish transplant, Ian MacIntyre is heir-apparent to his grandfather’s company, Knox Oil & Gas–unless Ian’s cousin, Donna, can find a way to claim the top spot for herself. But Ian’s only vulnerability, it seems, is his 10-year-old daughter, Emily, whom he fiercely protects. Donna would never dream of hurting Emily, but she’s found another route to the executive suite–through Otter Bite and Kachemak Bay.
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Emily MacIntyre is old beyond her years. Absent a mother since she was a baby, she later lost what little childhood she had during her dad’s battle with cancer. But Felicity is the answer to Emily’s prayers for a second chance at a family. However, getting her dad to embrace a different reality, let alone Felicity, may prove the biggest challenge of Emily’s young life.
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Read the first chapter on my blog page.
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