Mary Smith

Oh Captain, My Captain presents Valo Manner of the Liberty Eagles. Valo Manner was traded to the Maine team a few seasons ago and worked his way up to his current position as a captain. He's enjoyed the change, living with a rookie roommate, but he's missing his someone special. When he finally makes a move on the girl he has his sights set on, he isn't expecting the whirlwind she comes with. Jade Patterson has had nothing but bad luck her whole life. She's had to fight for every scrap of food that she's ever received. Her life quickly changes one night when working at the strip club that makes her keep a firm grip on her no-holds-bar attitude. Jade can't believe that a Finnish hockey player wants anything more from her than what she can give to him in bed. Jade is sure her broken past and impure life will only taint Valo's life. However, Valo does everything he can to show Jade that being tainted isn't as bad as it seems.

Oh Captain, My Captain presents Jax Godwin of the Las Vegas Gamblers. Jax Godwin has been married to the love of his life for almost five years. But lately, things haven't been great. In the middle of hockey season and trying to recover from another year of missing the playoffs, Jax has let his career become his number one priority. He's ready to get things back on track until his wife's actions has him rethinking everything. Avery Godwin has loved Jax Godwin since the day he came into the emergency room where she works. With a quick marriage, Avery becomes comfortable in her new life until Jax's priorities change. After months of neglect and lack of communication, she begins to questions Jax's love for her. It becomes worse when Avery takes a vacation away from him and finds comfort from another man. The couple is far away from who they were when their relationship began and they both have to figure out if they can start again with a new beginning.

Oh Captain, My Captain presents Brody Ross of the Indiana Mustangs. Brody Ross was one of the youngest captains in the hockey league. His one and only goal is lift the Cup over his head. That is until he moved next door to Selene Porter. When he approaches her with a proposal, their friendship takes a turn. However, it comes at a price when an ex-flame appears in the picture. Selene Porter has two loves: her dog, Bonkers, and hockey. She's been a lifelong fan of the Indiana Mustangs and their Captain. She refuses to let anything take away what means so much to her and Brody, his career, and his old fling has her wondering if love is worth the risk. With the unwanted presence, can Brody and Selene stick together or will Selene back out of the proposal?

Oh Captain, My Captain presents Carson Lee of the Alabama Blacksmiths. Carson Lee is the league's bad boy and womanizer, who wants nothing more than to keep it that way. However, his life is full of deep secrets that could ruin the image he built for himself. Everything he worked for could come crashing down around him once he starts finding out who he really is when a grumpy blonde enters his life. Kinley Wright wants nothing more than to thrive in the world of fashion. She could care less about hockey as long as it leads her to a promotion to work with the football superstars. It isn't until she has to sign Carson Lee to a clothing contract that she finds he may be the one to push her to let go of her guilt from her past marriage. Carson Lee is more than meets the eye and Kinley Wright is more than her failures. When their lives collide, will they trust in the possible hope for their future?

In the final installment of Levi Carr and Presley McCarthy's story, he's playing in the AHL in Pennsylvania while she's back home in New York trying to finish school. Presley's only dream has been to go to law school. That goal has remained strong, and she's still trying to focus on that goal, even though Presley has fallen in love with Levi. He's off playing hockey and now she has to deal with Levi being gone and having to wait almost a whole year to be with him again. Until there's a change in plans. Levi has been working towards an opportunity to play in the NHL his entire life. To reach that goal, he has to live away from Presley. He knows they can handle it for the time being because they are strong enough, but when Levi tries to deal with a set back, their love is tested again. For Presley, school is first, and for Levi, it's hockey. In the end, will that hurt their relationship, or will they finish with the game winner?

In the second installment of The Penalty Kill Trilogy, Levi Carr and Presley McCarthy continue to rebuild their relationship as they deal with surprises and other problems. Levi is trying his best not to hover with worry over his father after his heart attack. Presley is still trying to gain the love and respect from her parents and keep her independence as well. They lean on one another for support and work through these issues together. As the offseason progresses and a long time friend of Presley's returns, trust issues arise between the couple as Presley tries to fix her relationship with her parents and Levi works towards his NHL dream. Will their relationship survive off the ice?*Book intended for mature audiences.*

Anymore, it seems the world is on a wide and hectically flowing track. We're all rushing toward something, but many times we have no idea what that something is. We want to get where we're going NOW not later. Time is a premium, and we want it in increasingly smaller increments: minutes not hours, seconds not minutes. We want our communications, our information, our very lives to happen ASAP. No longer can we wait to talk face to face with friends and loved ones. We grab some electronic device and whip off a message, then decry the time it takes for them to respond. Microwave ovens, once the epitome of speed and efficiency, have become objects of ire as we pound on them, berating them for taking seconds to warm our food. Libraries, places we once scheduled time to visit, to walk the aisles, to run our hands over the rows of books and smell them, are now unfortunately fading into the past. Where are the quiet times? The times when we looked forward to being with family and friends, face to face, eye to eye, actually enjoying the time we spend together? The times when we put our feet up, open a book and lose ourselves? Those times can be yours again. All you have to do is jump out of the fast lane, get off the broad and rushing highway, open a book, and simply TAKE THE PATH. Authors included in this anthology: Ronna L. Edelstein, Carrie Rogers, Kathleen Ratcliffe, Alex G. Friedman, Michelle Wotowiec, Karen Dorsey, David Empey, Mary Smith, Rachel Worrell