Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: She’s Got a Way
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.maggiemcginnis.com/
CITY:
STATE:
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/181168/maggie-mcginnis
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Married; children.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer. Former high school English teacher.
AVOCATIONS:Music, martial arts.
MEMBER:Romance Writers of America.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Maggie McGinnis is an author of contemporary romance novels. “I love that books have the power to transport people in so many ways,” she told Christine Warner in an interview posted on Warner’s eponymous Web site. A former English teacher, McGinnis explained the origins of her writing career by telling Warner: “The first time a group of people laughed at something I wrote was a defining moment for me. I realized that maybe I did have the power to entertain—to take someone out of her own moment and put her in one I created—and that was an amazing feeling.” Her books include the “Whisper Creek” series, set on a Montana dude ranch, and the “Echo Lake” series, taking place in a small town in Vermont.
Accidental Cowgirl and A Cowboy's Christmas Promise
The “Whisper Creek” series series opens with Accidental Cowgirl, which involves two people with problems who find love at the ranch. Kyla Bennett comes to Whisper Creek to get over heartbreak. Her fiancé not only cheated on her but cheated others out of money and implicated her in his crimes, so she has broken up with him. Decker Driscoll has returned to the ranch, his family’s business, after a long absence because he learned that Whisper Creek was deeply in debt due to his father’s gambling habit. He hopes to help his mother and brother hang on to the property. He and Kyla are quickly attracted to each other, but they have to overcome doubts and fears about relationships—and the presence of Decker’s ex-girlfriend Marcy further complicates matters. The novel received some critical praise, with a Harlequin Junkie online reviewer calling it “a fun, sweet and very entertaining read.” A blogger at Romancing the Book added: “It was super sweet and the characters had depth and dimension.”
The second “Whisper Creek” novel, A Cowboy’s Christmas Promise, brings Boston veterinarian Hayley Scampisi, who appeared in the first book, back to the ranch for Kyla’s wedding. Hayley is not good at any of the wedding-prep tasks, so she ends up spending time in the stables with Daniel McKee, a vet treating a horse at the ranch. He is the widowed father of seven-year-old twin daughters, and his mother-in-law wants to send the girls away to a boarding school, which she believes will be a better arrangement for them than life with their busy, harried father. She is even prepared to seek custody of them. Hayley helps Daniel in the fight to keep his children, while becoming attracted to him and pondering whether to give up her practice to join his. McGinnis “keeps readers involved with blended plotlines that balance the characters’ complications with their backstories,” remarked Joyce Sparrow in Xpress Reviews.
Once upon a Cowboy and Forever This Time
Once upon a Cowboy, the third entry in the series, focuses on Decker’s brother, Cole, and another ranch visitor, yoga teacher Jessalyn Alcott. She has a troublesome secret, so she is reluctant to take relationships beyond a few dates. She cannot deny her interest in Cole, though, and he does his best to break down the barriers she puts up—but a bigger barrier arises when her past begins to catch up with her. Once upon a Cowboy “offers a boatload of heart and romance, with a dash of suspense for good measure,” commented Kellie Tilton in Xpress Reviews. An online critic at Smut Book Junkie summed up the novel as “a pleasant read that flowed nicely.”
The “Echo Lake” series begins with Forever This Time, in which Josie Kendrew returns to Echo Lake after a ten-year absence to see her father, who has suffered a stroke. She had left town at age eighteen, vowing to leave it behind forever, but when she comes back she finds much has changed. Her alcoholic mother is now sober and functioning well, while her father can no longer devote himself to the work that once absorbed all his time, running a Christmas-themed amusement park. Josie also reunites with her ex-fiancé, Ethan Miller, who has become chief financial officer of the park. They rekindle their relationship, but Josie has complicated feelings about Ethan, her family, and her hometown. Some critics thought this a promising series opener. “McGinnis weaves an engrossing and uplifting tale of enduring love,” remarked a Publishers Weekly reviewer. In Booklist, Amy Alessio noted that “while the second-chance story is a convention,” the author tells this one “in a fresh, resonating style.”
Heart like Mine and She's Got a Way
The second entry, Heart like Mine, has Delaney Blair arriving in Echo Lake to become chief financial officer of Mercy Hospital, where her first assignment is to cut spending. The job is made more difficult by her attraction to Dr. Joshua Mackenzie, the head of the pediatrics department, who is devoted to his patients and colleagues. Delaney works with him to try to figure out how to maintain patient care while lowering costs, all while their romance blossoms—and while a devious coworker is trying to take Delaney’s job. The novel offers “an engaging plot, genuine, relatable characters and a sweet yet sexy romance,” observed Melanie Bates, writing online at RT Book Reviews. Alessio, again critiquing in Booklist, called Heart Like Mine an “excellent contemporary romance,” featuring a “smart heroine and hero together in a realistic hospital scenario.” A Publishers Weekly contributor termed the story “heartwarming” and concluded: “Joshua and Delaney’s hot and emotionally charged romance will delight readers.”
She’s Got a Way takes place at Camp Echo, a dilapidated campground near Echo Lake. It is owned by Briarwood Academy, an elite preparatory school. Even though the camp has shut down for renovation, Briarwood sends four troublesome students there for a month as punishment. Briarwood staffer Gabriela “Gabi” O’Brien accompanies and supervises them. Things go badly at first; the students, all teenage girls, are unhappy with the surroundings, and so is Gabi. Assistant camp director Luke Magellan, who is handling the repairs, is not thrilled about his visitors either. As they all get to know each other, though, the girls start to enjoy the outdoor life, and Luke enjoys teaching them survival skills. He and Gabi also discover they like each other’s company. McGinnis’s “sweet, emotionally layered tale” shows “a wry, self-aware sense of the rules of romantic comedy,” noted a Publishers Weekly critic. Bates, again writing at the RT Book Reviews site, noted that McGinnis writes “amusing, genuine dialogue,” while Gabi and Luke have a “sweet natural connection.” Readers, she said, will find that the story “touches their hearts.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, November, 1, 2015, Amy Alessio, review of Forever This Time, p. 36; April 1, 2016, Amy Alessio, review of Heart like Mine, p. 28.
Publishers Weekly, October 5, 2015, review of Forever This Time, p. 45; February 8, 2016, review of Heart like Mine, p. 55; July 25, 2016, review of She’s Got a Way. p. 54.
Xpress Reviews, October 31, 2014, Joyce Sparrow, review of A Cowboy’s Christmas Promise; June 26, 2015, Kellie Tilton, review of Once upon a Cowboy.
ONLINE
Christine Warner Web site, https://christine-warner.com/ (April 4, 2016), interview with Maggie McGinnis.
Harlequin Junkie, https://harlequinjunkie.com/ (September 26, 2013), review of Accidental Cowgirl; (October 14, 2016), review of Unlucky in Love.
Maggie McGinnis Home Page, http://www.maggiemcginnis.com (May 3, 2017).
Penguin Random House Web site, http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/ (May 3, 2017), brief biography.
Romancing the Book, http://romancing-the-book.com/ (September 27, 2013), review of Accidental Cowgirl; (July 9, 2015), interview with Maggie McGinnis.
RT Book Reviews, https://www.rtbookreviews.com/ (May 3, 2017), Tasha Harrison, review of Forever This Time; Melanie Bates, reviews of Heart like Mine and She’s Got a Way.
Smut Book Junkie, https://smutbookjunkie.com/ (November 21, 2014), review of A Cowboy’s Christmas Promise; (June 30, 2015), review of Once upon a Cowboy.
Urban Book Reviews, https://urbanbookreviewsrus.wordpress.com (September 5, 2016), review of Unlucky in Love.*
Maggie McGinnis
Photo of Maggie McGinnis
Photo: © Geoffrey McLoughlin
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Maggie McGinnis is the author of Meant to Be, Unlucky in Love, Once Upon a Cowboy, A Cowboy’s Christmas Promise, Accidental Cowgirl, and Driving Without a License, which was a finalist for Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart Award. A former high school English teacher, an accomplished musician, and a certified black belt, she lives in New England with her family.
About Maggie
Maggie McGinnis is a USA Today bestselling author and Golden Heart Finalist who lives in New England, vastly outnumbered by both children and cats. She writes sweet romances set in Montana and Vermont, and feels extremely fortunate that through her books, she gets to fall in love every single day. She's a sucker for romantic comedies, popcorn, and the perfect green pen, and if she wasn't an author, she'd totally be rocking a Nashville club in her pink cowgirl boots. It's probably good that she embraced the author thing, because her singing skills are better suited to the shower, and really? Pink cowgirl boots?
Her debut novel, a cozy mystery, was a Golden Heart® finalist, and her debut romance, Accidental Cowgirl, is a USA Today® bestseller! In her Whisper Creek series, four books are now available, and Meant to Be and Taking a Chance will arrive in 2017!
Her series with St. Martin's Press has hit the actual AND virtual shelves! A prequel novella, Snowflake Wishes, is available in digital format, and Forever This Time, Heart Like Mine, and She's Got a Way are now available in both paperback and digital.
Maggie is thoroughly grateful to her wonderful agent, her amazing teams at Random House and St. Martin's, her readers, and her fabulous writer-gal friends for making this journey so much fun!
She's just hoping that one of these days, her family will understand ...
Maggie McGinnis is a USA Today bestselling author and Golden Heart Finalist who lives in New England, vastly outnumbered by both children and cats. She used to be an English teacher, a certified black belt, and a cool-car driver. Then ... twins. Now she swills caffeine while driving the one vehicle she swore she'd never own: a minivan.
She's a sucker for romantic comedies, popcorn, and the perfect green pen, and if she wasn't an author, she'd totally be rocking a Nashville club in her pink cowgirl boots. It's probably good that she embraced the author thing, because her singing skills are better suited to the shower, and really? Pink cowgirl boots?
Her Whisper Creek series features modern-day Montana cowboys and the women who can't help but fall for them, and her Echo Lake series is set in small-town Vermont, where everybody knows your business, but most of them also love a good happily-ever-after.
You can find Maggie at www.maggiemcginnis.com.
Quoted in Sidelights: I love that books have the power to transport people in so many ways.
The first time a group of people laughed at something I wrote was a defining moment for me. I realized that maybe I did have the power to entertain—to take someone out of her own moment and put her in one I created—and that was an amazing feeling.
INTERVIEW with Maggie McGinnis author of Heart Like Mine ~ GIVEAWAY
04
APR
I’m so glad you could join me on the blog today 🙂 We have author Maggie McGinnis in the hot seat. She’s agreed to answer a few questions about herself and she is also sharing her release Heart Like Mine. I love the cover, blurb, and excerpt!
Afterward, check out her giveaway!
Let’s get started …What 5 words would your friends use to describe you?
Oh, boy. Shy, empathetic, quiet, funny, and amazingly coordinated. I might be lying about one of those.
Tell us what you had for breakfast.
Bagel with peanut butter—my standing order at my favorite bagel shop.
I’m a huge fan of toast with peanut butter for breakfast 🙂 What’s the last movie you went to the theater to see?
It probably says a lot about my social life that I had to just Google 2015 movie releases, and in the top 50, the only one I saw in a theater was Inside Out. There are many on that list that I’d LOVE to see, though. Does that count?
Definitely counts. You have to have a wish list 🙂 When you first saw your cover for HEART LIKE MINE what was your first thought?
“Oh, the pretty!” I am so in love with the colors on this cover!
Love it! Cover art is one of the best parts about being published 🙂 What’s your favorite part of the writing process?
I love the element of discovery, when I’m humming along and suddenly something seems clear, or a new idea pops into my head and somehow it completes a puzzle I hadn’t necessarily known I was trying to solve. I’m not a plotter, and this is why. I get so much energy from the process of figuring it out as I go. (That said, it also causes me way more stress than is probably healthy, so finding a balance someday might be a really excellent idea.)
When did you know you wanted to become an author?
The first time a group of people laughed at something I wrote was a defining moment for me. I realized that maybe I did have the power to entertain—to take someone out of her own moment and put her in one I created—and that was an amazing feeling. Whenever I read a review or get a note from a reader, it just solidifies that feeling. I love that books have the power to transport people in so many ways.
Nicely said! I love choosing character names. Tell us how you chose the names for your characters in HEART LIKE MINE.
Actually, this is kind of funny, because I just realized that for my heroines, I almost always use names that Mr. McG put the kibosh on when we were choosing names for our own little ones. My heroes are sometimes combinations of guys in my past (the good ones, of course!), but many times, names just pop into my head, and they seem perfect for the character. Clearly, I don’t have a system!
What is your favorite type of scene to write…love scene, fighting scene, make up scene, or another type of scene and why?
I love-love-love writing the verbal sparring at the beginning of a relationship, but I think my absolute favorite scenes to write are the ones where heroes and heroines are at their lowest points, broken, on their emotional knees. There’s such beautiful, horrible emotion in those moments, and such discovery. These scenes absolutely wring me out, but in the end, they’re always my favorites.
What one characteristic from your hero and then your heroine do you have in common?
Delaney’s shyness is something I can definitely empathize with, being a certifiable introvert myself. I’m totally the girl in the corner, nursing her drink, listening to other people’s conversations and taking notes for future books. J As for Joshua, he feels like no matter what he does, it’s never enough, and I can totally relate. I’m pretty sure there isn’t a parent out there who can’t.
Care to share what you’re working on now?
I’d love to!! I have two books coming out later this year, which is so exciting! SHE’S GOT A WAY, the third book in the Echo Lake series, is coming out in the fall. It features a boarding school dean who gets sent to Camp Echo with her misbehaving students, and a camp director who wants nothing to do with a bunch of rich girls showing up at his wilderness camp—lots of fun, with lots of emotion.
Also this fall, the fourth book in my Whisper Creek series, UNLUCKY IN LOVE, comes out. It’s more of a comedic romance that features a woman on a mission to travel the country and pretend she’s someone else, and a cowboy who just longs for roots…until he meets this crazy woman who seems to have forgotten who she is.
Two more Whisper Creek books are planned for 2017, along with some other projects that are still on the down-low. It’s going to be fun!!
RANDOM FUN…FINISH THIS SENTENCE:
I always like to … sing in the car, which drives my kiddos crazy.
If I had one wish today it’d be … for some sleep. And world peace. But first, sleep.
The book I’m reading now is … Carolina Man, by Virginia Kantra. So good!
My toothbrush is … hopefully exactly where I left it.
The favorite room in my house is … my office, because it’s mine. And it has a door. 🙂
I will never eat … anything smushy. Yes, it’s a word, and nope, I just can’t do it.
Interview & Contest: Maggie McGinnis
Posted on July 9, 2015 by Jen @ RtB
OUC
MaggieJen: Today we welcome Maggie McGinnis to Romancing the Book. Maggie, will you share a short bio with us?
Maggie: Maggie McGinnis is a USA Today bestselling author and Golden Heart Finalist who lives in New England, vastly outnumbered by both children and cats. She writes sweet romances set in Montana and Vermont, and feels extremely fortunate that through her books, she gets to fall in love every single day. She’s a sucker for romantic comedies, popcorn, and the perfect green pen, and if she wasn’t an author, she’d totally be rocking a Nashville club in her pink cowgirl boots. It’s probably good that she embraced the author thing, because her singing skills are better suited to the shower, and really? Pink cowgirl boots?
Website | Facebook | Twitter
Jen: Please tell us about your newest release and where the idea came from.
Maggie: My newest release, ONCE UPON A COWBOY, is the third book in my Whisper Creek series, which is set on a family-owned dude ranch in Montana. It features a cowboy trying to find his place, and a woman running from a past that has just recently caught up with her. She’s got secrets, and he’s the one man who can help her learn to trust again. My inspiration for the series as a whole was the power of forever-friendship. I wanted to take a trio of women and toss them so far out of their comfort zones that they couldn’t help but grow, change, and strengthen their already-steely bonds, plus—of course!—find their happily-ever-afters. Jess, the heroine of ONCE UPON A COWBOY, is really the most “broken” of the three, with a past she’s kept hidden from even her best friends. This book rips open her secrets, bringing her to her knees before she figures out that the bonds of friendship and love can heal even the worst of wounds.
Here’s a short excerpt:
“Okay, look to your left.” Kyla pointed toward the stable as she adjusted her camera later that afternoon. “And stop growling at me. Grumpy cowboys do not sell calendars, Cole.”
“Don’t they have models who do this kind of thing?”
“Yes, but they’re not authentic. You guys are the real deal.”
Cole raised his eyebrows. “The real deal is sweat and dirt and stink.”
“We’re going for pseudo real deal, then. Dirt and stink don’t sell calendars, either.” She motioned at him again. “Lift the brim of your hat up a little, okay? Your eyes are in shadow.”
“Kyla.”
“No growling.”
He raised his hat the obligatory half-inch, and of course as he did, Decker strolled out of the barn.
“Lookin’ good, Cole. Gonna get a little scratchy with those buttons undone, though, don’t you think?”
“Shut up, Decker. Don’t get any horse shit on those fancy shoes.” He looked toward Kyla. “Are we done here yet?”
“I was actually hoping to get a few more in the—”
“Sorry. Union rules. I can only be photographed for an hour a day.”
“Just a few more?”
Cole started doing up his buttons. “I have work to do, Kyla. Go play shutterbug with somebody else for a while, wouldja?”
Christ. Stupid calendar. Real cowboys didn’t run around with their shirts open, aiming for the best light so their eyes wouldn’t be in—shadow. He shivered. At least she hadn’t suggested waxing.
“You could do worse, you know.” Decker grinned as he watched Kyla walk back up to the main lodge. “Maybe she can post those pics online or something. Might help you get a date for Daniel and Hayley’s wedding.”
Cole executed a middle-finger salute, then leaned down to pick up a rope Kyla’d insisted on using for a prop. “Don’t need a date. We have any early guests coming in today so I can be very, very busy next time she comes around with that damn camera?”
“Just Jess.”
Cole stopped coiling the rope. “Oh. Right.”
“Trying to make like you forgot? I’ll pretend I haven’t seen you check your watch about eighty times today.” Decker laughed. “Gonna get up the nerve to actually take her out while she’s here this time?”
“I’ve got plenty of nerve.”
“Right. She’s been out here three times now, and every single time, you’re like a parched man looking at a desert mirage, but—”
“Shut up. I’m hardly—parched.”
Decker eyed him in that way he had, the look that stripped the lies right off your face and made you tell the truth whether you wanted to or not. “I don’t know. Word in the bunkhouse is that your rep in town is getting a little rusty.”
“I’m not—rusty. And we don’t have a damn bunkhouse.”
“Want to know what I think?”
“No.”
“I think ever since you met Jess, you can’t help but compare everybody to her. And nobody quite measures up.”
Exactly. “Not true.”
“Well, true or not, she’ll be here by dinnertime. Kyla’s leaving for the airport in a while to get her.”
Cole rolled his eyes. It wasn’t like he’d been counting the days or anything. Not like he’d gotten a haircut yesterday or had thoroughly checked out Jess’s cabin this morning to be sure it was shipshape and ready for her.
He shook his head, trying to get visions of Jess’s long dark hair and deep brown eyes out of his brain. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around Daniel and Hayley getting married in a week. I feel like we live and breathe weddings around here these days.”
“We’re gonna have a lot more if Kyla’s Bridal Bliss package thing works out.”
“I suppose that means we’d better finish the spa so she can start selling the packages.” Cole shook his head. How in the world had their working ranch become a wedding-slash-spa-slash- getaway place? “Your woman makes a hell of a lot of work for us, you know.”
Decker laughed. “She makes a hell of a lot of money for us, too. I think the only reason she’s not haranguing us to get the spa done is she’s hoping Jess will help with the design. I have a feeling she’s going to dangle it out as a carrot to get Jess to stay out here.”
“Out here out here? Like, for good?”
“Yep.” Decker nodded. “She’s been planting seeds for months. Getting Hayley to move to Montana got her all puffed up about her abilities. Now she’s turned her sights on Jess.”
“Poor Jess.” Cole shook his head.
“Pretty sure she can handle herself.” Decker tossed a beaten-up leather briefcase into the cab of his truck. “I gotta go charm the home buyers. Hold down the fort.”
As Decker headed out the driveway, Cole turned up the hill toward the new lodge, half of which was Whisper Creek’s new childcare facility and petting zoo. The other half was still rough-framed inside, but by fall was supposed to be ready for duty as a full-service spa.
He strolled toward the building, letting himself in the spa door. He inhaled, loving the scent of fresh lumber and drywall putty. Decker was the acknowledged brainiac of the family, working with his design software for half the night, but Cole preferred to be the guy with his hands right in the mud—literally.
Morning sun came through the east-facing windows and skylights, and he tried to picture what the spa would look like once it was finished. They had fifteen hundred square feet to work with, which might be an architect’s dream—if the architect was ever at the ranch long enough to figure out what to do with all this emptiness. Cole sure didn’t have a clue.
But then he pictured Jess in the warmly lit space, gliding around with one of her yoga outfits on, flashing her warm smile his way, tying up that long, long dark hair into a ponytail he’d just itch to take back down.
He shook his head, trying to erase the vision. Fantasizing about Jess before she even got here was only going to torture him more.
And her kind of torture was the kind that only left a man wanting what he could not have.
Jen: Do you have a writing routine?
Maggie: I wish I did! But I have children who aren’t yet convinced that writing stories constitutes a real job, so they firmly believe their needs come first. Funny how that works. At this point, I do my best to squeeze in hours anytime I can, in hopes that someday it’ll turn into a routine!
Jen: How do you remember ideas that come to you at odd times?
Maggie: I am the undisputed queen of the random-notebook-in-every-bag-and-room-and-purse. Coupled with my impressive (read: ridiculous) pen collection, I can usually capture random ideas on the fly. The challenge is remembering which notebook I actually wrote them in!
Jen: Who has influenced you as a writer?
Maggie: Ooh—this one’s easy. Every single author I’ve ever read has influenced my writing in some way. I’ve learned so much about language, emotion, and storytelling by reading authors like Maya Angelou, Kristan Higgins, John Steinbeck, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Tom Rob Smith, Christie Craig … the list never, ever ends. My best advice for any aspiring writer is to read, read, read. Those words will spin around in your brain for years to come, and eventually, your own voice will emerge.
Jen: How do you come up with characters names?
Maggie: Honestly, a lot of them just come to me, but I definitely use some of them as a little shout-out to my favorite people. As a former teacher, it’s sometimes hard to find names that aren’t already attached to a personality for me, but at times, that’s half the fun. Being married to another former teacher, naming my characters is certainly easier than naming my children was!
Jen: What’s been the highlight of you career to this point?
Maggie: One of the most fabulous things about this career is that it becomes a series of highlights, and once you hit one, there’s always the possibility of another one peeking around the corner. For me, there are concrete ones like being nominated for a Golden Heart award and hitting the USA TODAY bestseller list, but sometimes it’s the quieter highlights that touch down deep—first 5-star reviews, e-mails from readers, and that first person who thanks you for writing a story that kept her up past her bedtime. That’s the good stuff.
Jen: What’s next for you?
Maggie: So much! I’m thrilled to say that there will be three more Whisper Creek books coming in 2016-2017, with more swoon-worthy heroes and happily-ever-afters. I also have a new series that will start releasing in print this fall. It’s set in Vermont, and captures the magic of second chances and forever love. SNOWFLAKE WISHES, a novella, releases in October, and FOREVER THIS TIME, the first full-length novel in the series, will be out in November. I’m thrilled and excited to have two different series for readers to fall in love with!
Thank you so much for hosting me today!!
Quoted in Sidelights: sweet,
emotionally layered tale
a wry, selfaware
sense of the rules of romantic comedy
She's Got a Way
Publishers Weekly.
263.30 (July 25, 2016): p54.
COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
She's Got a Way
Maggie McGinnis. St. Martin's, $7.99 mass market (352p) ISBN 9781250069092
In this charming contemporary, third in the Echo Lake series (following Heart Like Mine), Gabriela O'Brien, the
idealistic house mother to a quartet of troublesome prepschool girls, finds unexpected love and fulfillment after she
and her charges are temporarily exiled to a rundown camp for a month. Meant as a lastditch punishment for the girls,
it's no picnic for Gabi either, and she sees her chances of making a difference at the elite Briarwood Academy slipping
away. But Camp Echo's hunky handyman, Luke Magellan, has a knack for helping people: soon he's showing Gabi's
students how to work together and survive in the outdoors, while teaching Gabi the ways of love. With a wry, selfaware
sense of the rules of romantic comedy, this romance hits all the usual notes. McGinnis crafts a sweet,
emotionally layered tale about dropping barriers to let one's true nature shine, and the result is an entertaining, if predict
able, happily ever after. Agent: Courtney MillerCallihan, Handspun Literary. (Sept.)
Source Citation (MLA 8
th Edition)
"She's Got a Way." Publishers Weekly, 25 July 2016, p. 54+. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA460285499&it=r&asid=558501e71bf7ff1ec3d4cc5fc4757cd7.
Accessed 9 Apr. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A460285499
4/9/2017 General OneFile Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1491792194329 2/7
smart heroine and hero together in a realistic hospital scenario in this excellent contemporary romance.
Heart like Mine
Amy Alessio
Booklist.
112.15 (Apr. 1, 2016): p28.
COPYRIGHT 2016 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
Heart like Mine. By Maggie McGinnis. Apr. 2016. 368p. St. Martin's, paper, $7.99 (9781250069085).
Good medical romances are rare despite their appeal to many readers. McGinnis (Forever This Time, 2015) brings a
smart heroine and hero together in a realistic hospital scenario in this excellent contemporary romance. Delaney has
been assigned to slash the funding in the pediatric ward. Dr. Joshua Mackenzie challenges her to work down in the
ward for at least a week, to show her that they are already running on a barebones budget. Her attraction to the
dedicated doctor is a distraction Delaney can do without, especially now that she is swamped with painful memories of
her brothers death while spending time in the ward. Yet she soon finds herself pitching in to support patients. McGinnis
creates conflict in the opposition among their hospital colleagues against both their budding relationship and Delaney's
plan to fix the budget crisis, and the satisfying if slightly predictable ending will genuinely affect readers. The realities
of sick kids and insurance limitations add a poignant note.Amy Alessio
Source Citation (MLA 8
th Edition)
Alessio, Amy. "Heart like Mine." Booklist, 1 Apr. 2016, p. 28. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA450036770&it=r&asid=49d90cc4159889bab2d1deb4abfd14ba.
Accessed 9 Apr. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A450036770
4/9/2017 General OneFile Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1491792194329 3/7
Quoted in Sidelights: Joshua and Delaney's hot and emotionally charged romance will delight readers.
heartwarming
Heart like Mine
Publishers Weekly.
263.6 (Feb. 8, 2016): p55.
COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Heart like Mine
Maggie McGinnis. St. Martin's, $7.99 mass market (368p) ISBN 9781250069085
In this heartwarming second entry in the contemporary Echo Lake series, Delaney Blair, a beautiful, shy, and ambitious
number cruncher, is in line to be the next CFO of Mercy Hospital in Echo Lake, Vt. When Delaney is given word that
she must prepare a proposal for another round of budget cuts, she's devastated, but gets right to work. With the proposal
in hand, she meets with the head of pediatrics to decide where to slash funds. Dr. Joshua Mackenzie, the department
chief, is young, goodlooking, and absolutely dedicated to his staff and patients. As they work together, things begin to
heat up and present some unexpected emotions and complications. A bit of mystery is added when a sneaky rival
colleague steps up his game to land the CFO job, while the trauma and sorrow of working in the pediatric ward is
keenly felt. Joshua and Delaney's hot and emotionally charged romance will delight readers. Agent: Courtney MillerCallihan,
Sanford J. Greenhurger Associates. (Apr.)
Source Citation (MLA 8
th Edition)
"Heart like Mine." Publishers Weekly, 8 Feb. 2016, p. 55. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA443654558&it=r&asid=e239eb912032556a82c40b5111f298d1.
Accessed 9 Apr. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A443654558
4/9/2017 General OneFile Saved Articlesƒki
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1491792194329 4/7
Quoted in Sidelights: While the secondchance story is a convention,
in a fresh, resonating style.
Forever This Time
Amy Alessio
Booklist.
112.5 (Nov. 1, 2015): p36.
COPYRIGHT 2015 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
Forever This Time. By Maggie McGinnis. Nov. 2015.368p. St. Martin's, paper, $7.99 (97812500690781.
Josie is called home to Echo Lake, Vermont, for the first time in 10 years to see her father after he has a devastating
stroke. Painful memories assault her everywhere. At the family's Christmasthemed amusement park, where her exfiance,
Ethan, is now CFO; at her former best friend Molly's family restaurant; even in her mother's home, everything
has changed. Her mother is now sober, together, and capable. Ethan is angry but still kisses in the same unforgettable
way. Her father's recovery is complicated, and Josie struggles against an urge to flee again. McGinnis' characters are
realistic and appealing, especially in her articulation of their conflicting, changing emotions. The Christmas amusement
park provides many funny details. While the secondchance story is a convention, McGinnis deftly shapes poignant
situations along with moments of humor and romantic scenes, writing in a fresh, resonating style. This novel begins
McGinnis' Echo Lake series, and fans of smalltown romance series by Susan Wiggs and Carla Neggers should also
enjoy thisAmy Alessio
Source Citation (MLA 8
th Edition)
Alessio, Amy. "Forever This Time." Booklist, 1 Nov. 2015, p. 36. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA434514438&it=r&asid=fab4e50b863baa876720afbbde271033.
Accessed 9 Apr. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A434514438
4/9/2017 General OneFile Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1491792194329 5/7
Quoted in Sidelights: McGinnis weaves an engrossing and uplifting tale of enduring love.
Forever This Time
Publishers Weekly.
262.40 (Oct. 5, 2015): p45.
COPYRIGHT 2015 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Forever This Time
Maggie McGinnis. St. Martin's Paperbacks, $7.99 mass market (368p) ISBN 9781250069078
Launching the Echo Lake contemporary series, McGinnis weaves an engrossing and uplifting tale of enduring love.
Josie Kendrew ditched her family and fiance and left Echo Lake at age 18. Ten years later, she makes a quick visit to
see her father, who has suffered a stroke. Childhood memories of an alcoholic mother and workaholic father are
strangely compromised when Josie encounters her mother, now an organized homemaker, and sees her father, the
energetic owner of Christmas theme park Snowflake Village, lying listless. She also reconnects with her former fiance,
Ethan, despite knowing little about the man he's become. Frequent flashbacks give readers a glimpse into the life Josie
left behind, explaining her aversion to Snowflake Village and introducing Avery, a young girl with cancer who in many
ways shaped Josie's adult life. Josie and Ethan's charity work with cancerstricken children adds depth, while former
friends, some welcoming and some not, add elements of loyalty and conflict to a robust romance. Agent: Courtney
MillerCallihan, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. (Nov.)
Source Citation (MLA 8
th Edition)
"Forever This Time." Publishers Weekly, 5 Oct. 2015, p. 45. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA431617360&it=r&asid=d7b9bf88e8b36805d90e2c71d126eaea.
Accessed 9 Apr. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A431617360
4/9/2017 General OneFile Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1491792194329 6/7
Quoted in Sidelights: offers a boatload of heart and romance, with a dash of suspense for good measure.
McGinnis, Maggie. Once upon a Cowboy
Kellie Tilton
Xpress Reviews.
(June 26, 2015):
COPYRIGHT 2015 Library Journals, LLC
http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/reviews/xpress/884170289/xpress_reviewsfirst_look_at_new.html.csp
Full Text:
McGinnis, Maggie. Once upon a Cowboy. Loveswept: Random. (Whisper Creek, Bk. 3). Jul. 2015. 288p. ebk. ISBN
9781101884966. $2.99. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
Normally, Jessalyn Alcott is thrilled to visit Whisper Creekthe horses, the scenery, the mountains, and the cowboys
are quite the draw for the urban yoga instructor. When Jess heads to the Montana dude ranch for a friend's wedding,
though, it feels more like hiding than vacationing. Her dark, longburied past has suddenly reared its head, but she is
determined to keep her friends out of the dark shadows and focus on the delights of Whisper Creek, delights that may
include ranch operator Cole Driscoll. After two years of pretending there was nothing between her and the cowboy, this
trip might finally seal the dealthat is if Jess's past and Cole's future don't stop the relationship in its tracks.
Verdict McGinnis's latest offers a boatload of heart and romance, with a dash of suspense for good measure. Readers
will benefit from reading the first two books in the "Whisper Creek" series (Accidental Cowgirl; A Cowboy's
Christmas Promise) before this onethe emotional payoff alone would be greaterbut it certainly isn't required. While
the final confrontation is not quite as intense as the promised buildup, Jess and Cole's romance is sweet, gentle, and
worth the read.Kellie Tilton, Univ. of Cincinnati Blue Ash
Tilton, Kellie
Source Citation (MLA 8
th Edition)
Tilton, Kellie. "McGinnis, Maggie. Once upon a Cowboy." Xpress Reviews, 26 June 2015. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA421323466&it=r&asid=bb3a3a2c6d3cd0d22d708799a98a985a.
Accessed 9 Apr. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A421323466
4/9/2017 General OneFile Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1491792194329 7/7
Quoted in Sidelights: keeps readers involved with blended plotlines that balance the characters'
complications with their backstories.
McGinnis, Maggie. A Cowboy's Christmas
Promise
Joyce Sparrow
Xpress Reviews.
(Oct. 31, 2014):
COPYRIGHT 2014 Library Journals, LLC
http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/reviews/xpress/884170289/xpress_reviewsfirst_look_at_new.html.csp
Full Text:
McGinnis, Maggie. A Cowboy's Christmas Promise. Loveswept: Random. Nov. 2014. 280p. ebk. ISBN
9780553394566. $2.99. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
Boston veterinarian Hayley Scampini is visiting Whisper Creek Ranch in Carefree, MT, for her friend Kyla's wedding.
Hayley is all thumbs in the kitchen and all paper cuts in the craft room, so when she is removed from her prewedding
assignments she finds herself in the stables with Daniel McKee, a largeanimal veterinarian, who is treating a colicky
horse. Hayley discovers that Daniel is a widower and a father of sevenyearold twin girls. Evelyn, his deceased wife's
mother, is planning to enroll the twins in a private school in Denver. Daniel acknowledges the challenges of being a
single dad with a job that requires him to be on call, but he knows he is the best father the girls could have and that they
will never go to a boarding academy. Tensions rise as Evelyn announces she is willing to take Daniel to court to fight
for custody. In the middle is Hayley, tempted to leave her poodlepet, show dog veterinary practice to become Daniel's
assistant. Sparks fly for many reasons and not just when Hayley attempts to make lasagna.
Verdict McGinnis (Accidental Cowgirl) keeps readers involved with blended plotlines that balance the characters'
complications with their backstories.Joyce Sparrow, Kenneth City, FL
Sparrow, Joyce
Source Citation (MLA 8
th Edition)
Sparrow, Joyce. "McGinnis, Maggie. A Cowboy's Christmas Promise." Xpress Reviews, 31 Oct. 2014. General
OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA390871298&it=r&asid=e5fe4f9e1bd09bf4cdc10b899de103cd.
Accessed 9 Apr. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A390871298
SHE’S GOT A WAY
Quoted in Sidelights: amusing, genuine dialogue
sweet natural connection
touches their hearts.
Author(s): Maggie McGinnis
McGinnis’ latest is a heartwarming, romantic read. With her natural contemporary style of storytelling of amusing, genuine dialogue, readers will be drawn into the story from the start. The down-to-earth characters in Luke and Gabriela and Luke’s strong, masculine appeal are the highlights of this story. Add Luke and Gabriela’s sweet natural connection, and readers will be left with a story that touches their hearts.
Due to the bad behavior of her four students, residential director for the prestigious Briarwood Academy, Gabriela O’Brien finds herself at Briarwood-owned Camp Echo, an isolated campground in Vermont off of Echo Lake. There she meets Luke Magellan, assistant camp director-turned handyman who is bitter because Briarwood shut down Camp Echo for the summer so he can bring the camp up to code. Soon, however, when Luke discovers there is more to the elite crew than what he assumed, his heart softens for the girls as his attraction deepens for Gabriela. (ST. MARTIN’S, Sep., 352 pp., $7.99)
Reviewed by:
Melanie Bates
Quoted in Sidelights: An engaging plot, genuine, relatable characters and a sweet yet sexy romance
HEART LIKE MINE
Image of Heart Like Mine: An Echo Lake Novel
Author(s): Maggie McGinnis
Humor, witty banter and McGinnis’ contemporary style of writing are the strengths of her latest novel about an adorably spunky financial analyst and a handsome pediatric doctor. An engaging plot, genuine, relatable characters and a sweet yet sexy romance will keep readers turning the pages. However, the story gets off to a slow start, which takes a little of the shine off of this delightful read.
When Delaney Blair is tasked with cutting the budget of the pediatric department at the hospital she works at, she comes face-to-face with sexy pediatric department head Dr. Josh Mackenzie. Their first meeting is a caustic exchange of words. Yet Josh can’t help but be attracted to Delaney. When Josh gets Delaney to agree to work in pediatrics for a week to observe the department before making her budget cuts, business between them becomes a little personal as their attraction to each other intensifies. (ST. MARTIN’S, Apr., 368 pp., $7.99)
Reviewed by:
Melanie Bates
FOREVER THIS TIME
Image of Forever This Time (An Echo Lake Novel)
Author(s): Maggie McGinnis
Second-chance and small-town romance tropes team up in this series debut. Set in a small Vermont town with a year-round Christmas amusement park, Snowflake Village seems like the perfect place for Josie and Ethan to rediscover each other and get a second chance at love. The sweet romance holds a lot of promise, but too many flashbacks and a slow-moving plot make a potentially enjoyable story difficult to finish.
Ten years ago, Josie Kendrew left Echo Lake and her fiancé, Ethan Miller, to become a therapist in Boston. But when her father has a stroke, she feels obligated to go home to help out with the family business. At Snowflake Village, a year-round Christmas theme park, her ex, Ethan is now the CFO. The position Ethan holds would have been Josie’s, had she stayed in Echo Lake, so it seems like a no-brainer for her to help out while her father is in the hospital. Ethan Mitchell is benched by a football injury that forces him to completely reorder the course of his life. Ten years ago, he thought that future included Josie, until she left town, leaving hurt and confusion in her wake. (ST. MARTIN’S, Nov., 384 pp., $7.99)
Reviewed by:
Tasha Harrison
Quoted in Sidelights
REVIEW: Accidental Cowgirl by Maggie McGinnis
Posted September 26th, 2013 by Sara @HarlequinJunkie in Blog, Category Romance, HJ Recommends, LoveSwept, Review / 2 comments
In Accidental Cowgirl by Maggie McGinnis, Kyla Bennet is still nursing a broken heart and trying to fix her reputation. Her no good, two timing, lying ex-fiancé not only broke her heart, he also used her to steal from people and incriminated her without her knowledge. Now after so many trials and months of investigation, the final court date has arrived and she couldn’t be happier. But her friends have decided to whisk her off to Whisper Creek, a dude ranch, to take her mind off everything that has happened.
ACAfter a terrible tragedy, Decker Driscoll never thought that he would see his home, Whisper Creek again. But when he learns that his father gambled away the family’s property to a Vegas gambler, he return for the summer to try and help his mother and brother keep Whisper Creek. He knows that the dude ranch is a good way to make money, but he doesn’t know if they’ll be able to gather enough money to pay off the debt without his mother finding out.
Unfortunately, things don’t go too well for Kyla to begin with, when she arrives at the car rental place she has to take the last car on the lot, and to make matters worst it decides to break down in the middle of nowhere in a cell phone dead zone. At first she believes that she might be able to find someplace to ask for help from a higher vantage point, that being the roof of the car. When a truck approaches her she believes that she is saved, but when the supposed deputy starts asking her if she is drunk and makes her take a sobriety test, she doesn’t know if she should have run from him instead. Until another car approaches and thankfully a very hot cowboy comes to her rescue.
Decker cannot believe the things that Kyla had to do on the road to prove that she was not drunk, but no matter how much he liked her and can’t get her off his mind he has to keep his mind focused on saving Whisper Creek. Besides he doubts that he will run into her again.
Kyla doesn’t believe that she will meet another cowboy that will be hotter than Decker on the dude ranch, but when the family and staff introduce themselves to the guest, she finds out that Decker will be much closer than she thought.
Accidental Cowgirl is a fun, sweet and very entertaining read. I seriously could not put it down, the chemistry between Decker and Kyla is immediate, but neither of them wants to act on it. And with other female guests trying to get close and personal attention from him and his brother, well things will get interesting. There will be some fun passages and some very sweet ones too. And the adventures Kyla goes on during her stay will make you laugh and wonder how she managed to survive it all intact and without leaving before the end of their vacation.
If you want a fun, entertaining, and a read that will be hard to put down, don’t miss Accidental Cowgirl by Maggie McGinnis.
Book Info:
4.5SOctober 8th 2013 by Loveswept
In her Loveswept debut, Maggie McGinnis tells the tale of a city girl who’s running on fumes—and the cowboy who shows her all the good things she’s been missing.
After being betrayed by her con man ex-fiancé, Kyla Bennett nurses a broken heart. But Kyla’s friends have other ideas and when they whisk her off to Whisper Creek, a dude ranch staffed by cowboys so hot they dim the Montana sunset, all Kyla wants to do is hide under a quilt. Then in rides Decker Driscoll. He’s hauling about as much emotional baggage as Kyla, but when he stands close by, both of them want to stay close—and begin to succumb to an undeniable attraction.
After experiencing personal tragedy, Decker never thought he’d see Big Sky country again. But now that his family’s Whisper Creek property is in deep with a Vegas gambler, Decker’s back for the summer—and spending all his time running from “cowgirls” who come to the dude ranch to score some dudes. Then he meets Kyla, a kindred spirit who brings on a stampede of protective feelings . . . and a powerful hankering to sear her with a new brand of love.
Quoted in Sidelights: It was super sweet and the characters had depth and dimension.
Review: Accidental Cowgirl by Maggie McGinnis
Posted on September 27, 2013 by Aubrey_M
Accidental Cowgirl by Maggie McGinnis
Release Date: October 8, 2013
Publisher: Loveswept
Pages: 303
Source: Book provided by NetGalley for review
In her Loveswept debut, Maggie McGinnis tells the tale of a city girl who’s running on fumes—and the cowboy who shows her all the good things she’s been missing.
After being betrayed by her con man ex-fiancé, Kyla Bennett nurses a broken heart. But Kyla’s friends have other ideas and when they whisk her off to Whisper Creek, a dude ranch staffed by cowboys so hot they dim the Montana sunset, all Kyla wants to do is hide under a quilt. Then in rides Decker Driscoll. He’s hauling about as much emotional baggage as Kyla, but when he stands close by, both of them want to stay close—and begin to succumb to an undeniable attraction.
After experiencing personal tragedy, Decker never thought he’d see Big Sky country again. But now that his family’s Whisper Creek property is in deep with a Vegas gambler, Decker’s back for the summer—and spending all his time running from “cowgirls” who come to the dude ranch to score some dudes. Then he meets Kyla, a kindred spirit who brings on a stampede of protective feelings . . . and a powerful hankering to sear her with a new brand of love.
Review: I adore books about cowboys. I do not know if it is because I’m a city girl longing to live out in the country or what. I really liked this novel. It was super sweet and the characters had depth and dimension. I could really relate to Kyla in that I hope to find my forever love in a cowboy or farmer. Kyla comes to Montana with a bunch of baggage. She is scared of life in a way after trusting her ex-fiancé who ended up being a con artist. Her best friends take her on vacation in the hopes that she can leave her past behind her and move on. Little does she know that she fall in love with Montana, Ma and Decker.
Decker is one of the the cowboys in charge of the dude ranch. Decker like Kyla is a bit broken and back on the ranch that he grew up on. His past is full of skeletons that need to be explored and dealt with. Together they fight their feelings and learn to heal. At the same time a bunch of accidents keep happening to Kyla. An accidental cowgirl at the end but she certainly comes a long way from where she was when she first came onto the ranch. Kyla is a strong female that needed to realize that she wasn’t weak and what happened to her was not her fault. You really see how she comes to terms with what happened and how she falls for Decker. She really puts herself out there even though Marcy an ex-flame of Decker is out to sabotage the relationship.
I really enjoyed this book. I loved Cole and Decker’s mother Ma. I liked how there was a lot of heartache but in the end there was a form of redemption. I will definitely read more by this author and would love to read Cole’s story. It was refreshing to read a novel where I was not able to guess what was going to happen next. The author did a great job at creating characters that you wanted to know more about and that you start to care about. I would have liked to learn more of a back story of Kyla’s best friend Hayley and Jess. I really hope there will be more books with these characters.
ARC Holiday Review: A Cowboy’s Christmas Promise by Maggie McGinnis – Whisper Creek Series- Book 2
Posted on 11/21/2014 by shellbellereads
holiday reviews copy
acowboychristmaspromise
A Cowboy’s Christmas Promise
A Whisper Creek Holiday Romance
Whisper Creek Series- Book 2
By Maggie McGinnis
57761-addtogoodreads
Synopsis
In a captivating novel spiced with holiday magic—perfect for fans of Rachel Gibson, Susan Mallery, and Molly O’Keefe—a rugged Montana man mends a Northeast girl’s jaded heart.
Boston veterinarian Hayley Scampini tends the city’s pampered pets but dreams of the rural life of a country vet. She’s single and determined to stay that way, convinced that love isn’t permanent enough to trust. Then a vacation to the Whisper Creek dude ranch introduces her to Daniel McKee, a sexy single dad who runs the kind of veterinary practice she aspires to—and rattles her conviction to keep men at a distance.
Managing a thriving practice, coping with the loss of his wife, and fighting a custody battle with his in-laws over his twin daughters, Daniel couldn’t be more overwhelmed. Hayley is a godsend, accompanying him in the field and winning over his girls. It doesn’t take Daniel long to realize he’s falling for this woman, hard and fast. So before Hayley returns to Boston, he extracts a promise: that she will return to Whisper Creek for Christmas. It’s the perfect time and place to show Hayley that the promise of a beautiful life together is something she can believe in.
Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes
4
Tina’s Review
*** Provided by Netgalley in Exchange for an Honest Review. ***
Two years ago, Hayley Scampini inherited her uncle’s Boston vet practice when he chose to retire and since then she’s been handling pint-size critters and ridiculously spoiled show cats. She’s looking forward to taking a break to attend her best friend Kyla’s wedding in Montana under open skies and dealing with larger animals.
When Daniel McKee lost his wife two years ago to cancer, he suddenly needed to learn how to be a single dad to his five-year old twin girls. He desperately needs a partner for his vet practice, but finding a graduate more interested in livestock than domestic has proved impossible. In the meantime, he’s still struggling to balance work with fatherhood.
——————————
Although this is the second book in the Whisper Creek series, it can easily stand on it’s own. The characters are wonderfully written. Daniel and Hayley are extremely enjoyable as primaries. The secondaries are fantastic, however I think the twins kinda steal several scenes. The plot is dynamic and it flows quite smoothly. There are many emotions conveyed nicely and a sweet humor that makes you smile and laugh as you read it. There were several conflicts of various degrees that took some time to resolve, thus creating a world of realism that not many books manage to capture in such a mature way. NO major Cliffhangers, NO “to be continued”. The conclusion was solid, it closed the book nicely with only the slightest hint of other stories that could develop in the future.
Author Bio:
maggie mcginnisMaggie McGinnis is a USA Today® Bestselling author and Golden Heart® Finalist who writes humorous contemporary romance and cozy mysteries.
Her heroines are smart and sassy, and her heroes are ju-ust right … but only if they find the right gals!
She’s a member of Romance Writers of America, and is agented by the fabulous Courtney Miller-Callihan of Sanford J. Greenburger Associates.
Maggie’s Whisper Creek series is published by Random House Loveswept®, and her upcoming Echo Lake series will be published by St. Martin’s Press.
a pleasant read that flowed nicely.
Happy Release + Review: Once Upon A Cowboy by Maggie McGinnis -Whisper Creek Series – Book 3
Posted on 06/30/2015 by shellbellereads
23395415
Once Upon A Cowboy
Whisper Creek Series – Book 3
By Maggie McGinnis
5801e-goodreads
Synopsis
In this sexy Whisper Creek romance for readers of Kristan Higgins, Susan Mallery, and Molly O’Keefe, a red-hot cowboy uses some Montana magic to give a reclusive beauty her happily ever after.
Yoga instructor Jessalyn Alcott radiates peace, calm, and serenity—on the outside. Inside, she still feels like the broken, desperate girl from the trailer park. She’s got dark secrets she can’t share, which is why she never lets her relationships go beyond the third date. But when she travels to the Whisper Creek dude ranch for a friend’s wedding, Jess is enchanted by a cowboy whose deep blue eyes, dimpled smile, and rock-hard body make it tough to remember why she keeps running scared.
Cole Driscoll has struggled to find his place on a family ranch where he’s always played second fiddle. His future might be uncertain, but he’s sure of one thing: He wants Jess by his side. Easier said than done. When it comes to getting close, she’s full of excuses, and he longs to fix the hurt he sees in her eyes. Now that she’s at Whisper Creek, there’s nothing he wants more than to break down the walls around her heart and heal her pain with the power of love.
Buy: Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo
4StarSunTina’s Review
Judging a Book by it’s Cover:
There is really nothing in this cover to convey that it is a Western Romantic Comedy other than the cowboy boots that she is wearing which is at odds with her fuzzy top. The synopsis is a tad cliche’ and I can’t help but assume that the female lead may be the stronger of the two in this story.
Looking Deeper:
Third-person POV. Although this is the third book to the series, you can read it fairly easily having not read the previous installments. That said, I’ve not read book 1, but *did* read book 2 when it first came out. The characters are all interconnected, but each have a unique story that can and will stand-alone
This is going to be a rough one to score… I absolutely LOVE Cole. His gentle, patient and caring nature is often taken advantage of by those around him. He’s the good and dutiful son that has put his own dreams aside for far too long, but never says a word. Jess… I really am not a fan of her adult decisions in reaction to her juvenile life left behind. This makes her difficult to connect with, both in the story with the other characters AND with the reader. Cole and Jess’s chemistry is too one-sided. She likes him, yeah, but she’s “afraid” and continues to push Cole away… he’s left to do all the work – again… just like on the ranch. It’s no wonder the poor guy hasn’t just said, “I quit. All of it” and walked off the ranch and straight to a new life. The secondary characters on the ranch are great; enjoyable, lovable, and fun while the ones back in NC add the necessary touch of “bad guy” drama. The dialogue throughout the story is natural and believable. The plot wasn’t horrible, but I just was not as engaged as I’d liked to have been even with the smooth, fluidity of the writing. There are a few minor conflicts along the way that are handled by Cole in his most heart-warming and utterly charming manner, yet the main conflicts remain until much closer to the end. It is only at about the seventy to seventy-five percent mark that I begin to feel that things are becoming truly and believably cohesive between Cole and Jess. That is NOT to say that it was poorly portrayed before, but rather that her “personality” did not quite allow for anything but her self-imposed stiff, impersonal, and aloof being. I waited through the entire length of the book, or so it seemed, to see what Cole’s retribution for the water balloons would be and was strangely disappointed that it never came to fruition. There really was not any predictability to speak of, but there were a few minor unforeseen twists. The conclusion was complete and solid, an epilogue is provided to slingshot the couples forward a few years and touches on a few places that were waiting in the wings to be finalized. Overall, it’s a pleasant read that flowed nicely.
REVIEW: Unlucky in Love by Maggie McGinnis
Posted October 14th, 2016 by Sara @HarlequinJunkie in Blog, Category Romance, HJ Top Pick!, LoveSwept, Spotlight / 6 comments
HJ_TopPick
Unlucky-In-LoveUnlucky in Love by Maggie McGinnis brings heartwarming romance back to Whisper Creek. This is book four in the Whisper Creek series but can be read as a standalone. Although all four books are worth the read, especially if you love your romance sweet and your cowboys HOT!
In Unlucky in Love, Alexis Maguire decides to take on a temporary job as a ranch nurse in Montana. Her reasons for taking the job are all because her fiancée calls off their wedding, leaving her feeling inadequate and needing to change herself. She believes if she starts taking chances and being adventurous, he will want her back.
Gunnar Peterson loves his job at the Whisper Creek Ranch and the only thing that would make his life better, would be finding a woman to put roots down with him. His father was never a good role model growing up and Gunner is nothing like him. He wants commitment and the new nurse is perfect for him, if only she would stop thinking about her former fiancée.
“I’m just sick of being the safety-school girl, the one you keep around till something sparklier comes along. I want to be the sparkly one, for once.”
Lexi’s issues have a lot to do with her ex, but there is also some jealousy in there about her sister, too. While her sister was out having fun, Lexi was taking care of their mother and her feelings come off as realistic while her character is relatable. My heart broke for Lexi every time she looked down at her phone waiting to see if the ex was going to call her, but then my heart expanded, when her feelings for Gunner began to surface. Just because one man doesn’t think you’re his world, doesn’t mean another one won’t.
I loved Gunnar with Alexis. He sees right through her and when he talks to her, I feel like he’s talking to her soul. He’s on team Lexi throughout the book and out to prove to her that she doesn’t need to change herself for anyone. Gunner and Lexi are great together, but when summer ends and Lexi has to go back home, will either of them ever be the same?
While I was reading I was thinking of that song from Garth Brooks. The one about thanking God for unanswered prayers, and I think that’s the perfect song for this story. Lexi prayed for her ex to come back to her, but thankfully when he did, her heart was already gone to someone else.
If you’re looking to brighten up your day with a satisfying romance that is hard to put down, I highly recommend Unlucky in Love!
Review: Unlucky in Love
September 5, 2016 by danielleurban24 in Featured Blogs and tagged 5 stars, Bestselling Author, blush worthy, book review, contemporary, cowboys, entertaining, exciting, family, fate, feel good romance, funny, Highly Recommend It, Horses, hot, lobsters, Loved Reading This!, Maggie McGinnis, must read, Net Galley, new, New Beginnings, novel, romance, sexy, St. Martin's Press, sweet, thrilling, west
Synopsis:
After Alexis Maguire’s wedding day comes and goes without a groom, she decides that it’s time for a change. Tired of being the dependable, steady—and apparently boring—one, Alexis hopes that a cross-country road trip will help her loosen up and find her inner sparkle. Her first stop is the Whisper Creek Ranch, where the hot wranglers are sure to bring out her inner party girl. The trouble is, she can’t stand pretending to be someone she’s not—especially around the cowboy who tempts her to stay put.
Gunnar Peterson has spent six months working at Whisper Creek, and he’s never been happier. Having grown up an army brat, he’s ready to put down roots, and the only thing missing is a woman to share his life with. When Alexis blows into town, Gunnar thinks he may have met his match, despite the wild-child facade he sees right through. But Alexis swears she won’t settle down anytime soon—so it’s up to Gunnar to convince her that what she’s looking for . . . is right here.
Rating: 5 stars
Review:
Unlucky in Love by Maggie McGinnis is the best romance. I love the characters, the scenes and all. Maggie McGinnis has a way of showing a story to readers and leaving them in the story even after they have reached the last page. The emotions were real. The tension from both of the main characters was like a playing a tug of war with themselves and not winning. A sexy hot cowboy, who has had it rough in growing up…doesn’t want to be anything like his father. He keeps trying not to fall for the red headed beauty that walked into his life. But something keeps tugging him right back to her. Like an undeniable attraction of a magnet. Then, there’s the good girl nurse. She does everything to help her mother who can be a lot to handle at times. Her younger sister ends of leaving the majority of responsibility onto her shoulders. However, her sister is also, a good friend when it comes to her bad ex. Being left two weeks before one’s wedding is a raw enough scar…but only time will tell if both the cowboy and nurse can have a happily ever after or forever e cursed. Unlucky in Love is a new must read for all. I can’t think of one reason why readers wouldn’t love this contemporary sweet yet sexy romance. One that takes place in the West. Did I mention hot cowboys with a heart of gold? Overall, I highly recommend this novel to all.