A mistake. A blessing. A tragedy.
And now, Mandi Evans has made it her goal to fade into anonymity. Once a straight-A student with her choice of colleges, she’s withdrawn into a life that consists of two jobs, an online class, and memories. Crippled by the past, she feels unworthy of a better life – until Lane Whitmore walks into the diner where she works six nights a week.
An urban planner, Lane is looking to revitalize the rundown part of town where Mandi’s hidden herself away. He can’t help but notice this diamond in the rough as well, and what starts as simple good times grows to . . . something more.
With Lane, Mandi feels alive again, and she makes a bold decision – one that could chart her course on a path to redemption. But will keeping her plan a secret from Lane turn out to be the biggest mistake of all?
“Something Good” is a heart-felt contemporary romance with themes of trust and redemption featuring characters you’ll identify with and root for!
Here’s what reviewers are saying about “Something Good”:
– “I really enjoyed Mandi’s story — it has emotional highs and lows, and you cannot help but love Mandi and hope she gets her happy ever after.”
– “The setting and the situations are believable and interesting, and the story is chock full of ideas which make one think.”
– ” A book that will leave you smiling.”
– “This is a page-turner with depth and strong characters who rise above their own struggles and prejudices to become better people and do good for others. A beautiful, heartwarming story.”
Maple Leaf Awards 2015
Judges Favorites and Honorable Mentions
Favorite Opening Hook – Always a Bridesmaid (Jana Richards)
Honorable Mention – The Heart of Christmas (Brenda Novak)
Honorable Mention – A Cowboy’s Fate (Gini Rifkin)
Honorable Mention – A Woman of Honour (Marlow Kelly)
Favorite Hero – Dearest Daring (Andrea Downing)
Honorable Mention – Heather for a Highlander (Gail MacMillan)
Honorable Mention – A Cowboy’s Fate (Gini Rifkin)
Honorable Mention – Something Good (Darlene Deluca)
Favorite Heroine – Heather for a Highlander (Gail MacMillan)
Honorable Mention – Always a Bridesmaid (Jana Richards)
Honorable Mention – Dearest Daring (Andrea Downing)
Honorable Mention – Off the Grid (Karyn Good)
Favorite Misty Moment – New Year’s Promise (Anna Clifton)
Honorable Mention – The Heart of Christmas (Brenda Novak)
Honorable Mention – Something Good (Darlene Deluca)
Favorite Ending – Something Good (Darlene Deluca)
Honorable Mention – A Cowboy’s Fate (Gini Rifkin)
Honorable Mention – The Heart of Christmas (Brenda Novak)
Honorable Mention – Heather for a Highlander (Gail MacMillan)
Favorite Cover – The Heart of Christmas (Brenda Novak)
Honorable Mention – Six Geese for Monica (Brenda Gayle)
Honorable Mention – Christmas Clash (Dana Volney)
Favorite Short Story – A Cowboy’s Fate (Gini Rifkin)
Honorable Mention – Holiday Disaster (Vicki Batman)
Honorable Mention – Unlocked Treasure (Linda Carroll-Bradd)
Honorable Mention – Dearest Daring (Andrea Downing)
Favorite Novel – The Heart of Christmas (Brenda Novak)
Honorable Mention – Always a Bridesmaid (Jana Richards)
Honorable Mention – Something Good (Darlene Deluca)
Honorable Mention – Dearest Daring (Andrea Downing)
Trans Canada Romance Writers and our sponsor, Still Moments Magazine, would like to thank all entrants for participating in the 2015 Maple Leaf Awards and for making our annual writing competition a success. We look forward to the 2016 Maple Leaf Awards!
READER DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
– Mandi is stuck, spinning her wheels in dead-end jobs. Meeting Lane has a profound impact on her and the way she sees her life. Consider ways in which others have had a significant impact on your life. Has anyone changed the course of your life?
– Consider the family relationships in the novel. What are some of the issues that put Mandi at odds with her parents? Can you relate more with Mandi or her parents?
– Mandi feels she must make peace with her past before she can move on. She fears the future because of deeds in her past. Can she make things right? Can doing “something good” make up for doing something bad? Discuss her desire/need for redemption.
darlene deluca 