Mary Connealy has made a name for herself writing humourous historical romance novels, with cowboys aplenty! Her newest series, High Sierra Sweethearts, begins with The Accidental Guardian, a novel with a delightful cover that is sure to catch many a sweet romance reader’s eye. Thanks to Bethany House, you have the chance to win a copy of this novel, so be sure to enter via the Rafflecopter from below. Enjoy learning about Mary’s favourite things 🙂

Over to you, Mary!

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Animal

Cows. I know, an odd choice, but my husband is a Nebraska cattleman so cows are my life and I really enjoy them.

Artist

Currently I’m in love with the work of Deb Gengler Copple. She’s a wildlife photographer then she paints from those pictures. Beautiful stuff.

Board Game

I’m a grandma. Board games are my LIFE (along with cows, I know) I get roped into board games all the time and I’d better not WIN. Most of my motivation is fast and easy. Zingo.

Book

This is a mean question. I am a voracious reader. Favorite book of all time…A Lantern in Her Hand by Bess Streeter Aldrich. A close second, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

Colour

Cobalt blue. Someone made the mistake of telling me it brought out the color of my eyes and now everytime I see a shirt that is cobalt blue I WANT IT!!

Flower

I’m a big daffodil fan. A fussy, frilly flower that’s amazingly tough. Golden trumpets of hope. I read that somewhere describing them. Another time I read, The daffodils opened with a golden shout.

Ice-cream

Bunny Tracks. Ice cream has been perfected. Also I’m on a diet. I haven’t had ice cream for a long long time. Now this interview has made me sad and hungry.

Two of Mary’s cows!

Movie

While You Were Sleeping. Not just the best romantic comedy of all time, the best movie of all time.

Non-writing activity

Reading. Yeah, I know, sedentary. My fit bit says I’ve been dead for a year and a half. Like it’d kill me to take a walk.

Reading genre

I’m a big regency romance fan, and I’m also deeply into cop thrillers like Jack Reacher, Michael Connelly, David Baldacci, John Sanford, Vince Flynn. MANY MORE!!! I’m hooked.

Season

Summer. No contest. We have a boat and we use it to lure the children and grandchildren home to go boating on the river. It’s the best time of year.

Snack

Well, I didn’t get into this shape by being picky. Best? Hmmm…popcorn maybe? But I mostly eat that (and love it) to try and keep myself from eating even less healthy snacks.

Sport (watch or play)

I am a devoted Nebraska Cornhusker Football Fan and I watch NFL quite a bit.

TV show

I just don’t hardly watch any TV. Which is weird. I guess the nightly Hallmark Movie…and I mostly read a book with the TV on and ignore whatever is playing. But Hallmark Movies are the best thing going right now.

The Accidental Guardian

When Trace Riley finds the smoldering ruins of a small wagon train, he recognizes the hand behind the attack as the same group who left him as sole survivor years ago. Living off the wilderness since then, he’d finally carved out a home and started a herd–while serving as a self-appointed guardian of the trail, driving off dangerous men. He’d
hoped those days were over, but the latest attack shows he was wrong.

Deborah Harkness saved her younger sister and two toddlers during the attack, and now finds herself at the mercy of her rescuer. Trace offers the only shelter for miles around, and agrees to take them in until she can safely continue. His simple bachelor existence never anticipated kids and women in the picture and their arrival is unsettling–yet enticing. 

Working to survive the winter and finally bring justice to the trail, Trace and Deborah find themselves drawn together–yet every day approaches the moment she’ll leave forever.

Thanks for sharing a passage from the beginning of The Accidental Guardian, Mary!

“You can’t go look at a massacre.” Trace watched her hand off the child just as if he hadn’t spoken. He knew the woman wasn’t deaf.

She turned to him and, after meeting his eyes and no doubt seeing exactly what he thought, she strode right past him toward the circle of burned out wagons.

He wasn’t only not stopping her, he couldn’t even keep up.

“Miss Harkness.” He was talking to her back. He hustled to catch up, leading his horse, unsure where to tie the critter in this grassy stretch. He moved along fast. He sure didn’t want her getting there first.

As they left the little ears of those kids behind, he leaned close and whispered, “You don’t want to see what’s in that campsite, Miss.”

“I know.” She gave him a frightened look. “Believe me, I know. But I have to.”

Trace didn’t know much about women. Practically nothing as a matter of fact. He’d seen a couple just these last few weeks when he’d been near Sacramento on his first cattle drive, but they bothered and confused him to the point they seemed kinda dangerous, so he’d stayed well back.

No chance of staying back now. He caught her arm, lightly, not yanking her around, but just wishing she’d let him get control of her, “It’s gonna be so ugly. Please don’t walk in there.”

She stopped, and his hopes rose. Looking up at him she met his eyes. She was about four or five inches shorter than him so her eyes were at a level with his mouth. He figured himself for around six feet tall, he’d never measured, he didn’t own a yard stick. So that made her a bit over five and a half feet.

He saw dread and determination in equal parts. Her eyes were a shining, bright blue that seemed to be lit from within because of their contrast to her dark brown hair, worn in a single braid down her back. But her hair was all a mess, with long strings of it escaped from both the braid and her bonnet, and blowing around her face. Her heavy brown wool coat was buttoned up to her chin and her bonnet matched. Her skin—what little he could see—was deeply tanned as anybody’s would be after long months on the trail.

He’d never been this close to a woman in his life, hardly ever been this close to a person since the wagon train he’d been on had been attacked all those years back, and he’d been left its only survivor. His hired men probably rubbed shoulders with him time to time.

He knew exactly what she was about to see in that camp, and he looked at that pretty face and ached for her because, short of hogtying her, the unwavering gleam in her eyes said she was going to stay with him.

Always great to have you visit Relz Reviewz, Mary!

Mary Connealy writers romantic comedy with cowboys. The Accidental Guardian is her fifty-fifth book. She is a two time Carol Award winner and has been a finalist for the Rita and Christy Awards. She’s a lifelong Nebraska and lives with her very own romantic cowboy hero. She’s got four grown daughters and four spectacular grandchildren.

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Buy from Amazon: The Accidental Guardian or Koorong

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