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Over His Head
This was supposed to be paradise
That's why Tim Wainwright moved his three children to Williamston, Tennessee, population 123. It was to be a refuge from the tragedy that had fractured their lives, a place where Tim could forget his mistakes.
That's what the place meant to Nancy Mayfield. The veterinary technician thought she had finally achieved balance and peace in her life, and had put her past behind her.
Except no one and no place is perfect - not even Williamston. But maybe two imperfect people make one whole lot of sense.
- GenresRomance
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 11, 2006
About the author
Carolyn McSparren
44 books13 followersCarolyn McSparren started writing when she was a teenager, and always planned to be a professional writer and a college professor. That is, until she fell madly in love, dropped out of graduate school, and became a wife supporting a burgeoning opera singer husband. That led to a three-month trip to Germany that stretched into five years.
She wound up living in Germany, France, Italy, and came home with a different husband and a 14-year-old stepdaughter. The writing got put on the back burner while she produced a daughter of her own and went back to graduate school at the University of Memphis to finish her Master’s degree in English. At that point she discovered that a graduate degree in English wouldn’t buy a cup of coffee in a diner.
She became a program coordinator at the executive center of the University of Memphis, where she designed management training, wrote brochures and press releases, designed and laid out brochures, and did everything from pour coffee to transport dignitaries.
On the home front, she and her family moved to the country to breed and train hunter-jumper horses. About the time they moved, her daughter decided she preferred a social life to cleaning out the barn and left Carolyn with the whole operation. With 18 horses, a full-time job, a husband and family, four cats, and three dogs, there wasn’t much time left for writing.
Finally, Martha Shields, who is now a Silhouette author, dragged Carolyn to the meeting of the River City Romance Writers, and thence into a critique group. Suddenly the time seemed right to get on with what she’d longed to do all her life.
That fall, Carolyn won a Maggie Award for an unpublished manuscript (which has still not been published, by the way), and three years later she took early retirement from the university to write full-time. By that time, only three horses remained — none of which Carolyn had ridden for much too long.
The day that Harlequin called with an offer to buy The Only Child, the editor said, "We want the book but... " Guess which were the only words Carolyn heard? She didn’t even tell her best friend about the offer for three weeks.
Now, with seven Harlequin Superromances under her belt, and another couple in the works, she’s finally living in what southerners call "hog heaven." She rides horses, writes books, works with the local chapter of RWA and with Sisters in Crime, is a member of Mystery Writers of America, and just so that she’ll stay balanced, is a member of the Delta Dressage Association—the local horse training group.
She loves speaking to aspiring writers and adores book signings. Finally, years after she first wanted to be a writer, she’s managed to achieve her goal. Now, if she can just manage to stay on her horse, everything should be great.
She wound up living in Germany, France, Italy, and came home with a different husband and a 14-year-old stepdaughter. The writing got put on the back burner while she produced a daughter of her own and went back to graduate school at the University of Memphis to finish her Master’s degree in English. At that point she discovered that a graduate degree in English wouldn’t buy a cup of coffee in a diner.
She became a program coordinator at the executive center of the University of Memphis, where she designed management training, wrote brochures and press releases, designed and laid out brochures, and did everything from pour coffee to transport dignitaries.
On the home front, she and her family moved to the country to breed and train hunter-jumper horses. About the time they moved, her daughter decided she preferred a social life to cleaning out the barn and left Carolyn with the whole operation. With 18 horses, a full-time job, a husband and family, four cats, and three dogs, there wasn’t much time left for writing.
Finally, Martha Shields, who is now a Silhouette author, dragged Carolyn to the meeting of the River City Romance Writers, and thence into a critique group. Suddenly the time seemed right to get on with what she’d longed to do all her life.
That fall, Carolyn won a Maggie Award for an unpublished manuscript (which has still not been published, by the way), and three years later she took early retirement from the university to write full-time. By that time, only three horses remained — none of which Carolyn had ridden for much too long.
The day that Harlequin called with an offer to buy The Only Child, the editor said, "We want the book but... " Guess which were the only words Carolyn heard? She didn’t even tell her best friend about the offer for three weeks.
Now, with seven Harlequin Superromances under her belt, and another couple in the works, she’s finally living in what southerners call "hog heaven." She rides horses, writes books, works with the local chapter of RWA and with Sisters in Crime, is a member of Mystery Writers of America, and just so that she’ll stay balanced, is a member of the Delta Dressage Association—the local horse training group.
She loves speaking to aspiring writers and adores book signings. Finally, years after she first wanted to be a writer, she’s managed to achieve her goal. Now, if she can just manage to stay on her horse, everything should be great.
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
August 10, 2009
Tim Wainwright is making thing right or as right as he can for his family. A recent widower with three children on the edge and a bag full of regrets and missed chances he packs up what’s left of his family and takes them home.
Home is Williamston, Tennessee, population 123 and it looks as peaceful and as sedate as Tim remembers it – unfortunately for him his three kids hates it and ever since they cross the highway into Tennessee – he was also knowing that they hated it.
Williamston is also home to Nancy Mayfield, The veterinary technician and the woman who just wanted to get home and get to bed. Finding the new neighbours moving truck blocking her drive did not endear them any further to her as she is not pleased to have a new neighbour – she wants her old neighbour back, and to make the highlight of her day – there seem to be three of the weirdest creatures called children moving in as well.
Greeting the neighbour started sooner than Tim or Nancy expected it and immediately the furs starts flying – literally and figuratively. However, that's not the only thing that they have to content with – as good old Williamston is no longer the peaceful sedate small town that Tim remembers it to be.
After searching through the dreaded bedside table a few nights ago I found this book. If you did not know that I love Harlequin books – no matter how long or short – now you know. There are however no expectation on my part when it comes to them and I normally just let my mind sway and read along.
Carolyn McSparren’s OVER HIS HEAD was such a surprise read that I had to do a review of this book. Firstly from the moment I began reading this books I was intrigued by Tim’s decision to go home and the detail description of the three children in Tim’s family was brilliantly done by Ms McSparren.
The plot was a slow build up – it seems and feels very familiar and then somewhere about the middle of the book – there was an edge to this book that I can only describe as unmissable. Small town Williamston began to look very eerie and an unpleasant stench was in the air.
The main protags were all well developed – I knew their entire story – why, how and because and the author gave each person a chance to shine, which made me not only had a chance to like them – but also to understand the mistakes that they made.
Any book with kids is a winner for me – there are three kids in this book and they grew on me – by the end I was rooting for them and wishing them all the best in the world. They were moody, they were arrogant and they did all the things kids get up and a few unexpected as well – but mostly they had that sense of right and wrong about them and in the end they made good. Not only was there kids involved but a pet pig, some very independent cats, a pup that just stole your heart and a cast that made Williamston the place to be.
There was the usual understated romance between the neighbours and that was well timed and dealt with in a manner that suited small town living.
A few side story ran through this book as well and a mystery that made this book stand out of the pack of the usual Harlequin and I loved it . This is my first book by this author but I will be hunting down more by her. OVER HIS HEAD is apart of the Single Father’s range of books by Harlequin and at 378 pages this is a solid read – but Ms. McSparren certainly made use of every available page.
Home is Williamston, Tennessee, population 123 and it looks as peaceful and as sedate as Tim remembers it – unfortunately for him his three kids hates it and ever since they cross the highway into Tennessee – he was also knowing that they hated it.
Williamston is also home to Nancy Mayfield, The veterinary technician and the woman who just wanted to get home and get to bed. Finding the new neighbours moving truck blocking her drive did not endear them any further to her as she is not pleased to have a new neighbour – she wants her old neighbour back, and to make the highlight of her day – there seem to be three of the weirdest creatures called children moving in as well.
Greeting the neighbour started sooner than Tim or Nancy expected it and immediately the furs starts flying – literally and figuratively. However, that's not the only thing that they have to content with – as good old Williamston is no longer the peaceful sedate small town that Tim remembers it to be.
After searching through the dreaded bedside table a few nights ago I found this book. If you did not know that I love Harlequin books – no matter how long or short – now you know. There are however no expectation on my part when it comes to them and I normally just let my mind sway and read along.
Carolyn McSparren’s OVER HIS HEAD was such a surprise read that I had to do a review of this book. Firstly from the moment I began reading this books I was intrigued by Tim’s decision to go home and the detail description of the three children in Tim’s family was brilliantly done by Ms McSparren.
The plot was a slow build up – it seems and feels very familiar and then somewhere about the middle of the book – there was an edge to this book that I can only describe as unmissable. Small town Williamston began to look very eerie and an unpleasant stench was in the air.
The main protags were all well developed – I knew their entire story – why, how and because and the author gave each person a chance to shine, which made me not only had a chance to like them – but also to understand the mistakes that they made.
Any book with kids is a winner for me – there are three kids in this book and they grew on me – by the end I was rooting for them and wishing them all the best in the world. They were moody, they were arrogant and they did all the things kids get up and a few unexpected as well – but mostly they had that sense of right and wrong about them and in the end they made good. Not only was there kids involved but a pet pig, some very independent cats, a pup that just stole your heart and a cast that made Williamston the place to be.
There was the usual understated romance between the neighbours and that was well timed and dealt with in a manner that suited small town living.
A few side story ran through this book as well and a mystery that made this book stand out of the pack of the usual Harlequin and I loved it . This is my first book by this author but I will be hunting down more by her. OVER HIS HEAD is apart of the Single Father’s range of books by Harlequin and at 378 pages this is a solid read – but Ms. McSparren certainly made use of every available page.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review