Mary Bergstrom, a single mom, has left her twenty-five year marriage and entered the work force for the first time. Luckily, she has found a job she loves and two good friends who are also starting their lives over. Despite challenges, they haven’t lost their positive, humorous outlook. Mary’s survival plan is to make a success of her new life that includes fiscal stability and excludes men. Not that she has anything against them, she just thinks she can’t afford them. Unlike Mary, her friend, Roxanne, is launching a detailed plan to find a Captain Marvelous with a yacht. Ray, another friend, bounces from coffee baristas to business moguls looking for love that’s lasting and real.

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Mary’s plans aren’t that grand. All she wants is a Hawaiian vacation so she can relax. She’s left her teenage daughter, Kate, in the capable hands of her ex-mother-in-law so she can get some rest. Too late, she discovers her ex-brother-in-law, Mark, a park ranger from Montana, will be there at the same time for a conference on state parks. He leaves a note for her at the hotel desk warning her to watch out for bears. He hasn’t seen any, but he thinks there might be Bears in the Hibiscus.

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Mark’s interest in her brings complications she isn’t ready for: romance, wealthy, demanding in-laws that she didn’t like the first time she’d married into the family, a jealous and vindictive ex-husband, and a greedy, crazed ex-sister-in-law who dumps her two teenagers on her mother-in-law to follow a con man into a scheme to get-rich-quick raising emus (Yes, emus!). Then, when that fails, she takes off with a rich Arab in a silk keffiyah.

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Mary can’t deny she may have found true love in Mark, but is it worth it if it means being a part of that family again?

This starting-over novel is loaded with characters who will entertain you until the last page. Suitable for most. Special note: of all my male characters in my romances, Mark is my favorite. He’s funny, sexy, and loyal. His best friend, Jackson, the owner of a large store catering to the outdoor segment of the population, is my second favorite. You’re going to love him! Suitable for all. Paperback & Kindle. Amazon.