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Mowana Magic
His opinion of women galled her!
Just becausc the outrageously handsome Kiall Lancaster was supreme master of his domain, the breathtaking Australian station of Mowana, didn’t give him the right to treat all females with disdain.
Ally had flown out to his magnificent homestead to help out his stepsister, Sacha, a friend in need. There she was confronted with the problems created by the Lancaster men's attitude to their womenfolk.
Somehow Ally had to turn things around at Mowana. And she had to teach chauvinistic Kiall a lesson... without giving in to his considerable charms!
Just becausc the outrageously handsome Kiall Lancaster was supreme master of his domain, the breathtaking Australian station of Mowana, didn’t give him the right to treat all females with disdain.
Ally had flown out to his magnificent homestead to help out his stepsister, Sacha, a friend in need. There she was confronted with the problems created by the Lancaster men's attitude to their womenfolk.
Somehow Ally had to turn things around at Mowana. And she had to teach chauvinistic Kiall a lesson... without giving in to his considerable charms!
188 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 12, 1988
1 person is currently reading
40 people want to read
About the author
Margaret Way
617 books165 followersMargaret Way was born and educated in the river city of Brisbane, Australia. Before her marriage she was a well-known pianist, teacher, vocal coach and accompanist, but her hectic musical career came to a halt when her son was born and the demands of motherhood dictated a change of pace.
On a fortuitous impulse she decided to try her hand at romance writing and was thrilled when Mills & Boon accepted her first effort, Time of the Jacaranda, which they published less than a year later in 1970; a feat that brought tears to her father's eyes. Some seventy odd books have followed resulting in a loyal readership whose letters provide a source of support and encouragement. A driving force in all her writing has been the promotion of her much loved country, Australia. She delights in bringing it alive for her readers; its people, way of life, environment, flora and fauna. Her efforts so far have not excited official recognition, but she expects one day she will be awarded the "Order of Australia."
Her interests remain with the arts. She still plays the piano seriously, but her "top Cs" have gone. She is still addicted to collecting antiques and paintings and browsing through galleries. She now lives within sight and sound of beautiful Moreton Bay and its islands, inspiration for some of her books. Her house is full of books, spectacular plants, Chinese screens and pots. She is devoted to her garden and spends much time "directing the design and digging and providing cold drinks and chocolates."
On a fortuitous impulse she decided to try her hand at romance writing and was thrilled when Mills & Boon accepted her first effort, Time of the Jacaranda, which they published less than a year later in 1970; a feat that brought tears to her father's eyes. Some seventy odd books have followed resulting in a loyal readership whose letters provide a source of support and encouragement. A driving force in all her writing has been the promotion of her much loved country, Australia. She delights in bringing it alive for her readers; its people, way of life, environment, flora and fauna. Her efforts so far have not excited official recognition, but she expects one day she will be awarded the "Order of Australia."
Her interests remain with the arts. She still plays the piano seriously, but her "top Cs" have gone. She is still addicted to collecting antiques and paintings and browsing through galleries. She now lives within sight and sound of beautiful Moreton Bay and its islands, inspiration for some of her books. Her house is full of books, spectacular plants, Chinese screens and pots. She is devoted to her garden and spends much time "directing the design and digging and providing cold drinks and chocolates."
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 26, 2018
Mowana Magic, aka, Mary Sue goes to the Outback.
Mary Sue is a model, a country girl at heart, who has learned to accept her height, her great beauty and her ability to manage people.
Hero is the owner of Mowana Station and has learned to accept he is rich beyond measure, is a babe magnet, and can trust no one after his mother left his father (and him) when he was six.
H/h met for the first time before the heroine was Mary Sue. She was being mauled at a party and the hero rescued her, only to give her a lecture on morals before sending her home. Heroine recognizes him right away when the picks her up at the airport to join his half sister (heroine's friend) for a visit at Mowana Station. She hopes the hero won't remember her, but alas, he'd know that beautiful bosom anywhere.
Heroine tries to ignore her attraction. Hero doesn't. He's up for a bit of fun as long as the heroine knows he's never going to get married. Heroine believes him and never gives in to traitorous body syndrome. (Thank you heroine!)
MW has to have Mary Sue do something besides avoid having sex with the hero. So she has Mary Sue make over the hero's shy stepmother. She devises ways to stop her friend from marrying a fortune hunter. She wins over the cook and now meals are lovely at the station. She rearranges the furniture, rehangs paintings, arranges flowers, learns to ride a horse, and drives the OW around the bend to the point of madness.
OW is a neighbor - 28 - with a pushy mother and a mean mouth. The hero had an affair with her, but didn't make it clear enough that he will never put a ring on it. OW is mean to everyone but the hero. She tries to drive the heroine away by not reporting her missing when she radios for help, by screaming in the middle of the night that the heroine is attacking her, and by spilling scalding tea on the heroine. None of these things work, obv. She really is obsessed since the hero insults her to her face and she keeps coming back for more.
All these plot points come together during a house party the heroine has organized.
I enjoy a Mary Sue heroine every now and again. It's nice to see someone competent and in charge of her own emotions actually handle a tricky problem and succeed. The most annoying thing about her were her attempts at humor. (Don't quit your day job, honey. ) Her dialogues with the hero were the weakest parts of the story. Hero was your typical cranky pants/sexually frustrated MW hero. Heroine will keep him in line. She's a Leo with a temper.
Outback checklist:
Private plane
Palatial pioneer homestead
Neighborhood polo match and houseparty
Flora and fauna
Cave with aboriginal drawings and legend
Jeep stuck in the mud, and a wait in the dark for rescue
Mary Sue is a model, a country girl at heart, who has learned to accept her height, her great beauty and her ability to manage people.
Hero is the owner of Mowana Station and has learned to accept he is rich beyond measure, is a babe magnet, and can trust no one after his mother left his father (and him) when he was six.
H/h met for the first time before the heroine was Mary Sue. She was being mauled at a party and the hero rescued her, only to give her a lecture on morals before sending her home. Heroine recognizes him right away when the picks her up at the airport to join his half sister (heroine's friend) for a visit at Mowana Station. She hopes the hero won't remember her, but alas, he'd know that beautiful bosom anywhere.
Heroine tries to ignore her attraction. Hero doesn't. He's up for a bit of fun as long as the heroine knows he's never going to get married. Heroine believes him and never gives in to traitorous body syndrome. (Thank you heroine!)
MW has to have Mary Sue do something besides avoid having sex with the hero. So she has Mary Sue make over the hero's shy stepmother. She devises ways to stop her friend from marrying a fortune hunter. She wins over the cook and now meals are lovely at the station. She rearranges the furniture, rehangs paintings, arranges flowers, learns to ride a horse, and drives the OW around the bend to the point of madness.
OW is a neighbor - 28 - with a pushy mother and a mean mouth. The hero had an affair with her, but didn't make it clear enough that he will never put a ring on it. OW is mean to everyone but the hero. She tries to drive the heroine away by not reporting her missing when she radios for help, by screaming in the middle of the night that the heroine is attacking her, and by spilling scalding tea on the heroine. None of these things work, obv. She really is obsessed since the hero insults her to her face and she keeps coming back for more.
All these plot points come together during a house party the heroine has organized.
I enjoy a Mary Sue heroine every now and again. It's nice to see someone competent and in charge of her own emotions actually handle a tricky problem and succeed. The most annoying thing about her were her attempts at humor. (Don't quit your day job, honey. ) Her dialogues with the hero were the weakest parts of the story. Hero was your typical cranky pants/sexually frustrated MW hero. Heroine will keep him in line. She's a Leo with a temper.
Outback checklist:
Private plane
Palatial pioneer homestead
Neighborhood polo match and houseparty
Flora and fauna
Cave with aboriginal drawings and legend
Jeep stuck in the mud, and a wait in the dark for rescue
August 12, 2018
Four stars for the heroine despite the misogynistic, male chauvinistic hero.
The heroine on the outside
The heroine really…
The heroine is more than a Mary Sue, she is an out and out Pollyanna.
The first person Pollyanna meets when she gets to the Outback is the Big Fat Jerk aka the hero. Too bad as several years and about 25 pounds ago, he caught her getting chased around a desk by a diminutive lech that was unfortunately married to one of the H’s relatives. The H won’t believe her when she says she was innocent.
It’s present day, she wised up, slimmed down, and she’s an up and coming model with good girl morals and a can do attitude. P’s there to provide moral support to the H’s half-sister who’s pining for man the H thinks is a bad news. She really, really hopes the H doesn’t remember her, but the ridiculous accusations start up right away.
At the estate, the sister and her poor, pitiful mother are happy to see her, but the whacked out, pyscho bitch-from-hell evil OW is NOT!!!!! Never fear, potential readers, the heroine is no spineless dweeb who turns the other cheek, bites her lip, suffers in silence, etc…There isn’t a moment when she does not stand up for herself and all the shinola the OW tosses her way.
The top drawer evil OW…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpuc7...
One of my favorite slap downs is when the top drawer OW says she’s been riding since she was three, and the heroine’s response is she must be glad she’s not bowlegged. The evil OW is relentlessly and in your face bad and sets the heroine up in a variety of ways. She helps make the book, but only because the h foils her in every way.
Pollyanna boosts the morale of the stepmother to the point she gets a makeover and more importantly tells the OW off in the most ladylike way as she tells evil OW that she is essentially a two-faced beeyotch that learned at her mother’s knee and really needs out to hightail it to her vast estate to get a dress to the party they may not invite her to.
Sadly the hero rears his handsome head on occasion, and he puts the Rico Suave moves on the heroine. The h is wildly attracted to him but is not up for an affair with a man that has so little respect for women. (His mother left when he was six, and his father was cold and heartless.) Typical push-pull and some nice banter.
It all comes to a head at the fete that the stepmother asked the h to organize. The evil OW’s equally evil mother swoops in and threatens the h who doesn’t take it lying down. More manipulative setups that fail, and the H confesses his love.
I’m going to close my eyes, click my heels, cross my fingers and just hope he lives up to his admission of love and faith. No official epilogue, but the last few paragraphs provide a happy twist that gives up for a real HEA.
I really enjoyed the book for a wonderfully fun heroine and her managing Martha ways as well as the writing. The romance is secondary.
The heroine on the outside
The heroine really…
The heroine is more than a Mary Sue, she is an out and out Pollyanna.
The first person Pollyanna meets when she gets to the Outback is the Big Fat Jerk aka the hero. Too bad as several years and about 25 pounds ago, he caught her getting chased around a desk by a diminutive lech that was unfortunately married to one of the H’s relatives. The H won’t believe her when she says she was innocent.
It’s present day, she wised up, slimmed down, and she’s an up and coming model with good girl morals and a can do attitude. P’s there to provide moral support to the H’s half-sister who’s pining for man the H thinks is a bad news. She really, really hopes the H doesn’t remember her, but the ridiculous accusations start up right away.
At the estate, the sister and her poor, pitiful mother are happy to see her, but the whacked out, pyscho bitch-from-hell evil OW is NOT!!!!! Never fear, potential readers, the heroine is no spineless dweeb who turns the other cheek, bites her lip, suffers in silence, etc…There isn’t a moment when she does not stand up for herself and all the shinola the OW tosses her way.
The top drawer evil OW…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpuc7...
One of my favorite slap downs is when the top drawer OW says she’s been riding since she was three, and the heroine’s response is she must be glad she’s not bowlegged. The evil OW is relentlessly and in your face bad and sets the heroine up in a variety of ways. She helps make the book, but only because the h foils her in every way.
Pollyanna boosts the morale of the stepmother to the point she gets a makeover and more importantly tells the OW off in the most ladylike way as she tells evil OW that she is essentially a two-faced beeyotch that learned at her mother’s knee and really needs out to hightail it to her vast estate to get a dress to the party they may not invite her to.
Sadly the hero rears his handsome head on occasion, and he puts the Rico Suave moves on the heroine. The h is wildly attracted to him but is not up for an affair with a man that has so little respect for women. (His mother left when he was six, and his father was cold and heartless.) Typical push-pull and some nice banter.
It all comes to a head at the fete that the stepmother asked the h to organize. The evil OW’s equally evil mother swoops in and threatens the h who doesn’t take it lying down. More manipulative setups that fail, and the H confesses his love.
I’m going to close my eyes, click my heels, cross my fingers and just hope he lives up to his admission of love and faith. No official epilogue, but the last few paragraphs provide a happy twist that gives up for a real HEA.
I really enjoyed the book for a wonderfully fun heroine and her managing Martha ways as well as the writing. The romance is secondary.
October 18, 2022
"Mowana Magic" is the story of Ally and Kiall.
What a delightful read!
Set on the fictional Mowana ranch in Australia, this book has the h travelling to help the H's stepsister out, and ultimately finding love. She is a successful model, he is a rancher. Both met years ago when she was a curvy belle, and the H rescued her from an over-enthusiastic employer, albeit misunderstanding the situation.
Now, the h is on his land to help out her old friend. There she not only has to face a devious OW, but also a shy stepmother, a naive friend, a seemingly rigid housekeeper and an amorous H.
This book has one of the wittiest banters, and seriously one of the BEST smackdowns of the OW. I really enjoyed how the h was able to charm everyone, and called out both the h and OW when situation warenteed. She is confident, assured, independent, feminist- but also not afraid of loving herself or those around her. An absolute delight to read!
My favorite moments were the ones where empowered the H's stepmother, and where she dealt with the bitchy OW, and when she karate chopped the OM before talking him down..DELICIOUS!
The overbearing and suspicious hero was a bit of a letdown, but I'm pretty sure our h would be able to control him!
Enjoyed it!
SWE
4/5
What a delightful read!
Set on the fictional Mowana ranch in Australia, this book has the h travelling to help the H's stepsister out, and ultimately finding love. She is a successful model, he is a rancher. Both met years ago when she was a curvy belle, and the H rescued her from an over-enthusiastic employer, albeit misunderstanding the situation.
Now, the h is on his land to help out her old friend. There she not only has to face a devious OW, but also a shy stepmother, a naive friend, a seemingly rigid housekeeper and an amorous H.
This book has one of the wittiest banters, and seriously one of the BEST smackdowns of the OW. I really enjoyed how the h was able to charm everyone, and called out both the h and OW when situation warenteed. She is confident, assured, independent, feminist- but also not afraid of loving herself or those around her. An absolute delight to read!
My favorite moments were the ones where empowered the H's stepmother, and where she dealt with the bitchy OW, and when she karate chopped the OM before talking him down..DELICIOUS!
The overbearing and suspicious hero was a bit of a letdown, but I'm pretty sure our h would be able to control him!
Enjoyed it!
SWE
4/5
November 12, 2018
Nice one. I liked the heroine she was feisty, fun and sassy. She visits her friend at their outback station and encounters the brother (H) who is the cattle baron. Also in the house is a very rude and unlikeable other woman, a neighbor who has her sights set on the brother. The OW naturally takes an instant dislike to the beautiful heroine and tries to make her stay uncomfortable. But our heroine overcomes all obstacles and proves she is the perfect wife for the dedicated cattle baron.
August 25, 2018
A keeper for me! Ally was a very strong "feminist", not letting "chauvinist" Kiall get away with trying to put her down. At times, though, it seemed as if both characters were caricatures of themselves.
August 6, 2022
His opinion of women galled her!
Just becausc the outrageously handsome Kiall Lancaster was supreme master of his domain, the breathtaking Australian station of Mowana, didn’t give him the right to treat all females with disdain.
Ally had flown out to his magnificent homestead to help out his stepsister, Sacha, a friend in need. There she was confronted with the problems created by the Lancaster men's attitude to their womenfolk.
Somehow Ally had to turn things around at Mowana. And she had to teach chauvinistic Kiall a lesson... without giving in to his considerable charms!
Just becausc the outrageously handsome Kiall Lancaster was supreme master of his domain, the breathtaking Australian station of Mowana, didn’t give him the right to treat all females with disdain.
Ally had flown out to his magnificent homestead to help out his stepsister, Sacha, a friend in need. There she was confronted with the problems created by the Lancaster men's attitude to their womenfolk.
Somehow Ally had to turn things around at Mowana. And she had to teach chauvinistic Kiall a lesson... without giving in to his considerable charms!
February 17, 2025
1.75 round up
I knew what this would be going into. I was surprised by the dialogue/language in the book in a good and bad way.
The biggest annoyance was the talk of looks and the concerning harassment. For example, if the main guy hadn't said/did somethings he honestly would have been fine. And the fmc kept talking about how absoulty beautiful she was and everyone else to like, okay, i get it.
Honselty, the fmc, didn't change and continued to be true to her word (I felt), and I actually like how she wanted to help Susan and such. And that she defended the mmc mother. Also, it seems like her and the "jealous" woman were friends at the end, which was cool - not the jealous trope, which to be fair is set up in a way that shows trauma so.
Honselty didn't seem like much of a plot. Sometimes, the dialogue didn't make sense to me (but that's time period difference), and for being short, it took a minute to read
I knew what this would be going into. I was surprised by the dialogue/language in the book in a good and bad way.
The biggest annoyance was the talk of looks and the concerning harassment. For example, if the main guy hadn't said/did somethings he honestly would have been fine. And the fmc kept talking about how absoulty beautiful she was and everyone else to like, okay, i get it.
Honselty, the fmc, didn't change and continued to be true to her word (I felt), and I actually like how she wanted to help Susan and such. And that she defended the mmc mother. Also, it seems like her and the "jealous" woman were friends at the end, which was cool - not the jealous trope, which to be fair is set up in a way that shows trauma so.
Honselty didn't seem like much of a plot. Sometimes, the dialogue didn't make sense to me (but that's time period difference), and for being short, it took a minute to read
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 26, 2021
Margaret Way's h in MM is one of the strongest in her lexicon as well as in HPlandia. The H is also well drawn.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews