Forensic accountant Maggie Martin survives the sudden death of her husband, the charismatic President of Windsor College, only to uncover the secrets of his carefully-concealed double life. Dealing with the financial and emotional wreckage left in Paul’s wake, she is stunned to learn he inherited an estate known as Rosemont in the seemingly serene Midwestern town of Westbury. Why had he never … never told her?
Maggie travels to Westbury for the stated purpose of listing Rosemont for immediate sale, but what she really seeks are answers to her all consuming questions about her sham of a marriage; her sham of a life. She never anticipated the seductive charm of Rosemont. Throwing her trademark caution to the wind, and over the objections of her opinionated grown children, she pulls up stakes and moves halfway across the country, determined to make a fresh start in Westbury. Behind closed doors, however, lurks a cadre of evildoers, playing with multiple wild cards of fraud, embezzlement and arson.
With a quiet, orderly — and distinctively solitary — life in mind, Maggie is instead thrown headlong into a crusade against political corruption, where defeat and retreat are not an option. Still bearing the scars of betrayal, will she find joy, romance and possibility in Westbury?
This fast-paced, smart novel has enough twists and turns to make the reader want to buckle in!
Coming to Rosemont is the first book in the Rosemont series.
Interview with the Author
Q: Have you always wanted to be a writer?
A: I’m an attorney and have done a lot of technical writing, but knew I wanted to write novels. I thought I’d find time when I retired. Fate stepped in, as it often does, and put me on this path sooner. I broke my neck in an auto accident and suffered from double vision for months. I couldn’t read or watch TV, so I conceived the plot for my Rosemont series.
Q: Why did you decide to write a series?
A: I prefer television series to movies. The longer format of television allows for deeper character development. The same holds true for series fiction. I like to fall in love with a character or hate a character (but root for them to change their ways). I feel like Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi from Alexander McCall Smith’s Ladies’ Detective Agency series are old friends. I wanted to recreate that sort of connection in the Rosemont series.
Q: What other authors do you read or admire?
A: I’m a fan of women’s fiction, women’s sagas, and romance. I love Rosamunde Pilcher’s later trilogy -The Shell Seekers, Coming Home, and September. Jan Karon’s Mitford series creates an enchanting world, as does Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove. My Rosemont series is set in the current day, but I’ve tried to capture a feeling of camaraderie and connection (among the good guys) that takes us back to a slightly simpler time and place.
Q: What are your favorite books?
A: In addition to the works I’ve already mentioned, I adored Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and A Long Way from Chicago.
Q: Who has had the greatest influence on your author life?
A: My dad–without question. He told me or read me a bedtime story every night of my childhood, often adding his own twists and turns to the plots or dialogue. He had an incredible, gentle sense of humor. He also wrote novels–who-done-its–when he retired. I have 17 of his manuscripts and can feel his comforting presence in the room with me when I pick up his pages and read.
Q: What of your own interests have you written about in the Rosemont series?
A: I love my home and all things related to homemaking: cooking, gardening, decorating, and entertaining. I love celebrating all of the seasons and I change my decor for Easter, 4th of July, fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and spring. I’m also addicted to vintage silver and all sorts of china, with a special fondness for teapots.
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I enjoyed the book. About a woman coming into her own after the death of her domineering husband. She inherited a family home of her husband that she didn’t know about while she was married. The house was in a small mid-west town where she felt right at home and fell in love with her new home. It was well written and the characters were well …
This is a gentle and engaging book.
I just love this book! So beautifully written.
I enjoyed the characters. The story was interesting. And I loved that the author created a blog that showed how she imagined the house to look.
Amazing beginning to the series. Maggie is recently widowed only to discover how little she knew about her husband. He was a cheater and a thief. She decides to start anew and moves and finds a whole new life. Great narration. Just bought the next in the series to find out what happens next.
another woman finding life after her world falls apart, a strong, smart woman.
I liked this story about a town getting together to help each other with exposing crooks and keeping their town wonderful to live in a town of caring people.
Great story.
entertaining story, but I couldn’t suspend my belief when the protagonist made dear friends with several people within days of moving to a new town and state.
A villain you love to hate but the widow is clearly capable despite his maneuvers to drive her out of town.
Loved this book. It’s the first of the series and I ended up buying the rest of the series. Binge read the whole thing.
Such a feel good story. Looking forward to reading more.
I rarely give 5 stars to any book, but this one deserved every one of them!
Fabulous, thought-provoking book club questions. It speaks to today’s woman who is re-entering the workforce and hasn’t had a support system to boost her morale. Maggie is an Everywoman, albeit one with lots of money. The reader can relate to her. Great read!
I enjoyed this book enough to continue to read the series.
Enjoyable read that kept me interested. There are more books in the series, which I look forward to, but it is not a cliff hanger.
It was a quick, fun read. The plot was wholly predictable, and the characters were a bit shallow and cliche. But it was a nice escape piece to read between the heavier subjects I’ve been consuming.
Wonderful series. I read them all in a couple of weeks. I like happy endings and warm relationships
Yes some hard times and decisions yet a lovely homey roundup of a possible life.
Couldn’t put it down until I finished.
I enjoyed the plot and the characters