Mary Manners

Review for BURIED TREASURES by Mary Manners

/ Dora Hiers / 2 Comments


When Caroline flees Chicago following the brutal murder of her husband, the last thing she expects–or wants–is to fall for Matt Carlson, a builder with strong roots in the small town of Mountainview, Tennessee. She needs to focus on raising her six-year-old daughter and protecting both their hearts from ever being shattered again.

Matt is struggling with issues of his own…guilt over the death of his wife and the responsibility of raising a cynical teenaged nephew who is dropped on his doorstep, abandoned by Matt’s alcoholic sister. He doesn’t have time to fall in love, yet he can’t help being drawn to the woman who is ready to defend her home–and her daughter–with nothing more than a fiesty attitude and a broom handle.

Can Matt’s help and friendship convince Caroline to trust again…and when Caroline’s daughter goes missing, will Matt be able to find the girl before it’s too late and he loses everything he loves…again?

My review:
Featuring a full cast of characters in BURIED TREASURES, Ms. Manners manages to make you fall in love with all of them. Meet Caroline, protective mom. After her husband’s murder, Caroline focuses on raising her daughter, Callie, and wrestles with whether Callie’s heart is too fragile to risk another love. And Matt, acting dad to his nephew, attempts to chase away the guilt for failing his deceased wife’s expectations. When Callie disappears, not only does Caroline’s heart break; yours will, too. Packed with sweet romance and a believable story line, this journey is one you won’t want to miss. 
(Review based on my purchase of the book.) 

Meet Mary:
Mary Manners is an award-winning author of inspirational romance who lives in the beautiful foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee with her husband and teen-aged daughter. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America and Smoky Mountain Romance Writers.

During the school year, she teaches middle-schoolers reading and Algebra. In her free time, she likes to garden, take long walks with her husband, and read romance novels in a hammock beneath century-old shade trees.

Visit Mary at www.marymannersromance.com

BURIED TREASURES by Mary Manners

/ Dora Hiers / 10 Comments

When Caroline flees Chicago following the brutal murder of her husband, the last thing she expects—or wants—is to fall for Matt Carlson, a builder with strong roots in the small town of Mountainview, Tennessee. She needs to focus on raising her six-year-old daughter and protecting both their hearts from ever being shattered again.

Matt is struggling with issues of his own…guilt over the death of his wife and the responsibility of raising a cynical teenaged nephew who is dropped on his doorstep, abandoned by Matt’s alcoholic sister. He doesn’t have time to fall in love, yet he can’t help being drawn to the woman who is ready to defend her home—and her daughter—with nothing more than a feisty attitude and a broom handle.

Can Matt’s help and friendship convince Caroline to trust again…and when Caroline’s daughter goes missing, will Matt be able to find the girl before it’s too late and he loses everything he loves…again?

Let’s find out a little about Mary, shall we? What does a normal workday look like for you?
During the school year I get up at 3am and head to the quiet confines of my classroom, where I write until the students arrive. I have found that driving to work on the dark, quiet roads is quite pleasant (no rush hour…yeah)! In the evening I like to spend time with my husband and daughter, so I don’t do much writing then…maybe a bit of follow-up on emails and marketing.

But in the summer, when school is out, it’s GAME ON. I get up with my husband, usually about 6:30, and begin to write as soon as he leaves for work and until he gets home in the evening. it’s not unusual for me to spend 10-12 hours straight at my computer. I love days like that. In the evening my husband and I like to ride our bikes or take long walks and then sit on our porch swing and talk. I used to be OCD about housecleaning, but as you can imagine, my standards have become a bit more lax. Who wants to clean the house when they can write instead?

Are you a plotter or a pantser?
Oh, I am definitely a pantser! I pray before I begin each story, and am led to a Bible verse. I have an idea–usually just a scene–and the story goes from there. When I get stuck, I mow! I live on two acres, and I love to push mow. My husband thinks I’m nuts, and my neighbors used to, as well. But now when they see me they know I’m writing, too…just in my head. Once my husband tried to take over the mowing, and we actually owned a riding mower for about two months. Then we sold it!

Anyway…back to writing. I do a lot of self-editing as I go along, usually beginning with the previous day’s work and moving forward from there. It seems to save time in the long run, at least for me, and helps to keep my writing ‘cleaner and tighter’.

What are some of your favorite things to do when you’re not writing? Least favorite? I love to take long walks with my husband and work in the yard. I like to run, too. I have run three marathons, and I think the mental mindset there is much the same as that needed for writing. A writer, like a runner, must be extremely dedicated and methodical, and must be willing to endure a measure of pain and sacrifice in order to accomplish the task.

I also like to read. That’s the one thing I miss since I’ve started writing more…I don’t have the time to read as much as I used to. But i still make some time, because reading is an important part of writing.

My least favorite thing to do, I would say, is shopping. Especially if it’s a warm and sunny day. I’d much rather be outside than stuck at the mall…with a million people. Yuck!

If you had a Friday night all to yourself, what would you do?
Wow…it’s been so long since I’ve had a Friday night all to myself. I think I’d curl up with a good book (one from the White Rose catalog, of course!) and read in the peace and quiet…aaahhh…
Thanks so much for stopping by, Mary. Congrats on the release of Buried Treasures!

Mary Manners is an award-winning author of inspirational romance who lives in the beautiful foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee with her husband and teen-aged daughter. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America and Smoky Mountain Romance Writers.

During the school year, she teaches middle-schoolers reading and Algebra. In her free time, she likes to garden, take long walks with her husband, and read romance novels in a hammock beneath century-old shade trees.

Visit Mary at  http://www.marymannersromance.com

Starfire by Mary Manners

/ Dora Hiers / 4 Comments

Austin McGill has one goal: to satisfy the conditions of his estranged father’s will. After living on Starfire Ranch for three months, he’ll sell the property and leave East Tennessee and its heartbreaking memories…forever. At least, that’s his plan until Samantha Lakin comes along.

Samantha Lakin one goal: to save Starfire and its summer camp for special-needs kids like her foster daughter, Jenny. To succeed, Sam will have to soften Austin’s stone-cold heart. Not an easy task, especially when she realizes the ranch isn’t the only thing that needs saving.

Can Sam’s devotion and the love of a little girl teach Austin to let go of the past and to trust God for the future before the ranch and any chance at a happily-ever-after are lost?

Ready for an excerpt?

 

His heart skipped a beat and for the slightest
moment, a haze covered his vision. She was the Sam
his father had spoken of in the will? No way. It was a
cruel joke. But then again, the old man had excelled at
cruel jokes.
Rich, dark hair cascaded in waves down her back
to meet legs that seemed to go on forever beneath
faded jeans. He imagined years of riding horses had
made them strong and toned. And her eyes…the
emerald shade matched shimmering pasture grass that
blanketed the ground as far as he could see. A gentle
breeze carried the scent of her shampoo—a blend of
citrus and apples that danced with sweet hay and the
oiled leather of the western saddle across the mare’s
sleek back.
Austin shook his head and found his voice. “I
know where the barn is. I grew up here, at least
until…” He caught himself. No need rehashing the
past, especially not with a complete stranger, no matter
how appealing she might be. “Sam…the name…I
thought you were a…guy.” His gaze swept her head to
toe, and he nodded with appreciation. “But obviously I
was mistaken.”
She studied him as the mare nickered and nudged
her hand. “Well, I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“You don’t…live in the house, do you?”
Her laughter was like tinkling glass. “Of course
not. Jenny and I live in the guest quarters beyond the
house. We’ve been here—I mean, I’ve been here—
almost three years. Jenny came last summer.”
“Jenny?”
“My foster daughter. She’s seven.” The sound of
an engine rambled through the pasture’s stillness and
Austin followed Sam’s gaze as she turned away for a
moment. Down the road, dust billowed around a small
yellow school bus. “Here she comes. Perfect timing.
You can meet her, Austin. She’s been waiting for you.”
“Waiting for me?”
“Yes. She wants to introduce you to the horses.”
His gut clenched and he shook his head. “Not
today. I’m heading to the house.” No way, no how,
would he get sucked into her ploy to soften his resolve.
Three months, ninety-two days, two thousand, two
hundred eight—no, seven hours left. “I assume the
house is just where I remember it?”
Disappointment shadowed her gaze, and she
nodded curtly. “I assume so.”
“Great. I’ve got the key, so I’ll just go now. Nice to
meet you, Sam. I guess I’ll see you around.” He slid
behind the truck’s wheel and cranked up the music—
anything to chase away the jumbled thoughts in his
head. Dust engulfed the windshield as he gunned the
engine and tires shredded the hard-packed dirt road
until he could no longer see Sam—or those long, toned
legs and waves of hair—in the rear-view mirror.

About Mary:

Mary Manners is an award-winning author of inspirational romance who lives in the beautiful foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee with her husband and teen-aged daughter. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America and Smoky Mountain Romance Writers.

During the school year, she teaches middle-schoolers reading and Algebra. In her free time, she likes to garden, take long walks with her husband, and read romance novels in a hammock beneath century-old shade trees.