Kristy McCaffrey's Blog: Author Kristy McCaffrey - Posts Tagged "medium-spice-book"
The Canary is now available!
Paleontologist Jack Brenner enters a fake marriage with Sarah Ryan to protect her in the Arizona wilderness ...
Arizona Territory
1899
Sarah Ryan grew up in Texas digging up animal bones and potsherds, but she always dreamed of searching for the extraordinary dinosaur fossils in the American West. When a wealthy benefactress gives her the opportunity to join the team of esteemed paleontologist Dr. Allan Brenner, she eagerly accepts. But when she arrives in the wild and wooly town of Holbrook, Arizona Territory, ready to start digging, she’s faced with the very real obstacle of being a female in a world dominated by men.
Dr. Jack Brenner is looking for his father who disappeared into the Painted Desert two months ago. Mounting an expedition to find him, Jack is suddenly saddled with Sarah Ryan, a young paleontology student hired as an intern to his father. When Jack’s guide refuses to let Sarah accompany them into the wilderness without a chaperone—and a colleague threatens her—he finds himself in a pretend marriage to protect the determined woman whose passion for paleontology was something he once possessed. But he has bigger problems than his beautiful new wife—his father is pursuing a controversial theory about the origin of birds, and it’s attracted the attention of men who would rather destroy evidence than excavate it.
Sarah is the daughter of Logan and Claire from THE DOVE.
The Wings of the West Series Reading Order
Book One: The Wren
Book Two: The Dove
Book Three: The Sparrow
Book Four: The Blackbird
Book Five: The Bluebird
Book Six: The Songbird (Novella)
Book Seven: Echo of the Plains (Short Story)
Book Eight: The Starling
Book Nine: The Canary
Book Ten: The Nighthawk (Coming Soon)
Read now in eBook or paperback at Amazon, Apple Books, Nook, Kobo, and Google Play Books.
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon CA
Amazon AU
Apple Books
Nook
Kobo
Google Play Books
Paperbacks
Read Chapter One
Read an excerpt
(Jack and Sarah are searching for Jack's father, Dr. Allan Brenner. Isaac Dearborn was Allan's assistant for many years.)
“Allan thinks the birds can be traced back to the theropods,” Isaac said.
Sarah’s mind raced with the possibilities, and Jack’s silence signaled the same.
Finally, she spoke. “Because of Archaeopteryx?”
“Yes,” Isaac said, his face its usual somber self.
She knew that fossils of Archaeopteryx, found over thirty years ago in Germany, were of a primitive bird-like dinosaur with evidence of feathers.
“But not everyone believes that birds were dinosaurs,” she said. “Some say Archaeopteryx is a missing link between the two but that doesn’t mean it’s true.”
Jack said, “Dinosauria is divided into two clades: Ornithischia and Saurischia. And everyone has always believed the birds to have evolved from the first, not the theropods of the second. But if it’s true ….”
“Archaeopteryx was a theropod that lived during the Jurassic,” Isaac said, “so Allan kept thinking … what came before? Could he prove a connection to something in the Triassic?”
“Has my father spoken about this?” Jack asked.
“Not publicly, no. He wanted to find proof. But I’m guessing he has in private, which is how Dr. Pierce no doubt heard about it.”
Sarah was a bit stunned, and for the first time since arriving she wondered if she was in the wrong place. She had admired Dr. Allan Brenner and the work he’d done in the quarries in Wyoming and the fossils he’d excavated from this area, but was she now to be associated with a man who might be committing career suicide?
Copyright © 2023 K. McCaffrey LLC
Arizona Territory
1899
Sarah Ryan grew up in Texas digging up animal bones and potsherds, but she always dreamed of searching for the extraordinary dinosaur fossils in the American West. When a wealthy benefactress gives her the opportunity to join the team of esteemed paleontologist Dr. Allan Brenner, she eagerly accepts. But when she arrives in the wild and wooly town of Holbrook, Arizona Territory, ready to start digging, she’s faced with the very real obstacle of being a female in a world dominated by men.
Dr. Jack Brenner is looking for his father who disappeared into the Painted Desert two months ago. Mounting an expedition to find him, Jack is suddenly saddled with Sarah Ryan, a young paleontology student hired as an intern to his father. When Jack’s guide refuses to let Sarah accompany them into the wilderness without a chaperone—and a colleague threatens her—he finds himself in a pretend marriage to protect the determined woman whose passion for paleontology was something he once possessed. But he has bigger problems than his beautiful new wife—his father is pursuing a controversial theory about the origin of birds, and it’s attracted the attention of men who would rather destroy evidence than excavate it.
Sarah is the daughter of Logan and Claire from THE DOVE.
The Wings of the West Series Reading Order
Book One: The Wren
Book Two: The Dove
Book Three: The Sparrow
Book Four: The Blackbird
Book Five: The Bluebird
Book Six: The Songbird (Novella)
Book Seven: Echo of the Plains (Short Story)
Book Eight: The Starling
Book Nine: The Canary
Book Ten: The Nighthawk (Coming Soon)
Read now in eBook or paperback at Amazon, Apple Books, Nook, Kobo, and Google Play Books.
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon CA
Amazon AU
Apple Books
Nook
Kobo
Google Play Books
Paperbacks
Read Chapter One
Read an excerpt
(Jack and Sarah are searching for Jack's father, Dr. Allan Brenner. Isaac Dearborn was Allan's assistant for many years.)
“Allan thinks the birds can be traced back to the theropods,” Isaac said.
Sarah’s mind raced with the possibilities, and Jack’s silence signaled the same.
Finally, she spoke. “Because of Archaeopteryx?”
“Yes,” Isaac said, his face its usual somber self.
She knew that fossils of Archaeopteryx, found over thirty years ago in Germany, were of a primitive bird-like dinosaur with evidence of feathers.
“But not everyone believes that birds were dinosaurs,” she said. “Some say Archaeopteryx is a missing link between the two but that doesn’t mean it’s true.”
Jack said, “Dinosauria is divided into two clades: Ornithischia and Saurischia. And everyone has always believed the birds to have evolved from the first, not the theropods of the second. But if it’s true ….”
“Archaeopteryx was a theropod that lived during the Jurassic,” Isaac said, “so Allan kept thinking … what came before? Could he prove a connection to something in the Triassic?”
“Has my father spoken about this?” Jack asked.
“Not publicly, no. He wanted to find proof. But I’m guessing he has in private, which is how Dr. Pierce no doubt heard about it.”
Sarah was a bit stunned, and for the first time since arriving she wondered if she was in the wrong place. She had admired Dr. Allan Brenner and the work he’d done in the quarries in Wyoming and the fossils he’d excavated from this area, but was she now to be associated with a man who might be committing career suicide?
Copyright © 2023 K. McCaffrey LLC
The Nighthawk has landed!
By Kristy McCaffrey
The newest Wings of the West book is here!
Arizona Territory
September 1899
Sophie Ryan’s dream of working for a newspaper has come true. Accompanied by her cousin, Lucas Blackmore, a newly appointed U.S. Deputy Marshal, she arrives in Jerome, one of the richest mining towns in America. And one of the most remote. Although she’s been hired to report for the Jerome Mining News on education and cultural issues, she soon finds herself immersed in something more serious when she finds an enigmatic injured man in the Black Hills claiming to be an ornithologist.
U.S. Deputy Marshal Benton McKay is undercover tracking the notorious train robbing Weaver gang, and the trail ends in Jerome. When he’s injured in the Black Hills and found by a determined and beautiful young woman, he must gain her trust to keep his identity a secret. But keeping her out of trouble proves a challenge, especially with her cousin assigned to assist him. As they track down the band of outlaws, another agenda emerges—the renegades are searching for lost gold believed to have been left behind by the Spanish Conquistadors. And Sophie Ryan is determined to report on it.
The Nighthawk is a fast-paced romantic adventure filled with humor, treasure hunting, a tenacious heroine, and a hero harboring a secret. It has light steam, a happily-for-now ending, and can be read as a standalone.
Sophie is the daughter of Logan and Claire from THE DOVE.
Available in digital and paperback. Find more info here.
The Wings of the West Series Reading Order
Book One: The Wren
Book Two: The Dove
Book Three: The Sparrow
Book Four: The Blackbird
Book Five: The Bluebird
Book Six: The Songbird (Novella)
Book Seven: Echo of the Plains (Short Story)
Book Eight: The Starling
Book Nine: The Canary
Book Ten: The Nighthawk
Book Eleven: The Swan (Coming Soon)
Read an excerpt
Sophie pulled free. “What are you doing here?” she whispered.
“I could ask you the same, but I don’t have time.”
McKay went to the barn door as Bromley’s light disappeared around the house. He stepped into the storm, searching the ground for Xander’s path. It became futile quickly, the ground a muddy slop. And he couldn’t keep lurking around the Bromley house. The man might see him.
When he stopped abruptly, Sophie slammed into his backside. He grabbed her shoulders before she fell, her duster slick with rain. “We need to go,” he said.
Grabbing her hand, he dragged her behind him, not stopping until they got to her horse.
“Were you following me?” she demanded.
He ignored her, grabbing her waist and hoisting her onto Roger. He took the horse’s reins from her.
“I can ride on my own,” Sophie said loudly above the din of rain.
McKay walked Roger to his own horse. Once mounted, he continued to hold Roger’s reins, not wanting to lose Sophie in the storm. It was slow going, but he finally got them to the livery where they left the animals for the night. Then McKay took her hand again and led her to his hotel.
“Where are we going?” Her voice was exasperated.
“We need privacy,” he said, taking a back way, entering the Connor Hotel through a rear entrance.
When the way was clear of employees, they went through the kitchen and took the stairs. He unlocked his door but when he stepped inside, Sophie refused.
“I’m not going into your room,” she whispered. She was dripping water all over the carpeted floor.
“Now’s not the time to play hard to get, Sophie.”
He pulled her inside and shut the door.
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The newest Wings of the West book is here!
Arizona Territory
September 1899
Sophie Ryan’s dream of working for a newspaper has come true. Accompanied by her cousin, Lucas Blackmore, a newly appointed U.S. Deputy Marshal, she arrives in Jerome, one of the richest mining towns in America. And one of the most remote. Although she’s been hired to report for the Jerome Mining News on education and cultural issues, she soon finds herself immersed in something more serious when she finds an enigmatic injured man in the Black Hills claiming to be an ornithologist.
U.S. Deputy Marshal Benton McKay is undercover tracking the notorious train robbing Weaver gang, and the trail ends in Jerome. When he’s injured in the Black Hills and found by a determined and beautiful young woman, he must gain her trust to keep his identity a secret. But keeping her out of trouble proves a challenge, especially with her cousin assigned to assist him. As they track down the band of outlaws, another agenda emerges—the renegades are searching for lost gold believed to have been left behind by the Spanish Conquistadors. And Sophie Ryan is determined to report on it.
The Nighthawk is a fast-paced romantic adventure filled with humor, treasure hunting, a tenacious heroine, and a hero harboring a secret. It has light steam, a happily-for-now ending, and can be read as a standalone.
Sophie is the daughter of Logan and Claire from THE DOVE.
Available in digital and paperback. Find more info here.
The Wings of the West Series Reading Order
Book One: The Wren
Book Two: The Dove
Book Three: The Sparrow
Book Four: The Blackbird
Book Five: The Bluebird
Book Six: The Songbird (Novella)
Book Seven: Echo of the Plains (Short Story)
Book Eight: The Starling
Book Nine: The Canary
Book Ten: The Nighthawk
Book Eleven: The Swan (Coming Soon)
Read an excerpt
Sophie pulled free. “What are you doing here?” she whispered.
“I could ask you the same, but I don’t have time.”
McKay went to the barn door as Bromley’s light disappeared around the house. He stepped into the storm, searching the ground for Xander’s path. It became futile quickly, the ground a muddy slop. And he couldn’t keep lurking around the Bromley house. The man might see him.
When he stopped abruptly, Sophie slammed into his backside. He grabbed her shoulders before she fell, her duster slick with rain. “We need to go,” he said.
Grabbing her hand, he dragged her behind him, not stopping until they got to her horse.
“Were you following me?” she demanded.
He ignored her, grabbing her waist and hoisting her onto Roger. He took the horse’s reins from her.
“I can ride on my own,” Sophie said loudly above the din of rain.
McKay walked Roger to his own horse. Once mounted, he continued to hold Roger’s reins, not wanting to lose Sophie in the storm. It was slow going, but he finally got them to the livery where they left the animals for the night. Then McKay took her hand again and led her to his hotel.
“Where are we going?” Her voice was exasperated.
“We need privacy,” he said, taking a back way, entering the Connor Hotel through a rear entrance.
When the way was clear of employees, they went through the kitchen and took the stairs. He unlocked his door but when he stepped inside, Sophie refused.
“I’m not going into your room,” she whispered. She was dripping water all over the carpeted floor.
“Now’s not the time to play hard to get, Sophie.”
He pulled her inside and shut the door.
Connect with Kristy
Website
TikTok
Newsletter
Author Kristy McCaffrey
Kristy McCaffrey writes western historical and contemporary romances. She and her husband live in Arizona with their two dogs. Visit her online at kristymccaffrey.com.
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