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Mossy Bog #1
Muddy Waters
Is someone watching her? Roxie Whitaker is struggling to make her grandmother's real estate business a success. When her coastal home is burglarized, her rosy worldview dims. Atlanta security expert Sloan Harding distracts her from her troubles, but is Mossy Bog's former bad boy serious about her? Never one to shy away from muddy waters, Sloan is determined to find his alleged missing inheritance. Sparks fly as he enters into a business arrangement with Roxie to oversee the restoration of his childhood home. With her help, Sloan resurrects old secrets while a dangerous predator stalks them. When passion meets danger, will love win the day?
268 pages, Paperback
Published October 22, 2010
About the author
Maggie Toussaint
41 books403 followersA scientist by training, a romanticist at heart, Maggie Toussaint loves to solve puzzles. Whether it’s the puzzle of a relationship or a who-dun-it, she tackles them all with equal aplomb and wonder. Maggie writes romantic suspense, contemporary romance , and science fiction for Muddle House Publishing, cozy mystery for Camel Press, Henery Press, and Muddle House.
She has five published romantic suspense novels: House of Lies (won the 2006 Readers Choice Award for Best Romantic Suspense), No Second Chance (won 2 cover awards), Seeing Red (LASR book of the week), Muddy Waters ( Beacon finalist), Hot Water (EPIC finalist, cover art winner), and Rough Water.
Her mystery titles include In For A Penny, On the Nickel, Death, Island Style, Murder in the Buff, Dime If I Know, No Quarter, Gone and Done It, Bubba Done It, Doggone It, Dadgummit, Confound It, Dreamed It, All Done With It, Seas the Day, Spawning Suspicion, and Shrimply Dead. She also wrote a romantic mystery novella series, The Lindsey & Ike Mysteries.
Her next release, SNUFFED OUT, is tentatively scheduled for January 2023 under the pen name of Valona Jones.
Her works blend mystery and romance, often with a dash of humor.
She's a member of Southeast Mystery Writers of America, Sisters In Crime, and Guppies. She was awarded the WRW Magic Crystal Award in 2004. She also won Silver Falchion Awards, the National Readers Choice Award and the EPIC ebook Award. She's been a finalist for Georgia Author of the Year three times.
Visit her at www.maggietoussaint.com
She has five published romantic suspense novels: House of Lies (won the 2006 Readers Choice Award for Best Romantic Suspense), No Second Chance (won 2 cover awards), Seeing Red (LASR book of the week), Muddy Waters ( Beacon finalist), Hot Water (EPIC finalist, cover art winner), and Rough Water.
Her mystery titles include In For A Penny, On the Nickel, Death, Island Style, Murder in the Buff, Dime If I Know, No Quarter, Gone and Done It, Bubba Done It, Doggone It, Dadgummit, Confound It, Dreamed It, All Done With It, Seas the Day, Spawning Suspicion, and Shrimply Dead. She also wrote a romantic mystery novella series, The Lindsey & Ike Mysteries.
Her next release, SNUFFED OUT, is tentatively scheduled for January 2023 under the pen name of Valona Jones.
Her works blend mystery and romance, often with a dash of humor.
She's a member of Southeast Mystery Writers of America, Sisters In Crime, and Guppies. She was awarded the WRW Magic Crystal Award in 2004. She also won Silver Falchion Awards, the National Readers Choice Award and the EPIC ebook Award. She's been a finalist for Georgia Author of the Year three times.
Visit her at www.maggietoussaint.com
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 1, 2010
Toussaint crafts an edge of your seat romantic suspense with "Muddy Waters." Set in a rural, Georgia coastal town called Mossy Bog, Roxie Whitaker is a real estate agent with dreams of opening a maritime museum, only when she meets Sloan Harding, Mossy Bog's long lost son, does she realize there's more to life. Dare she take a chance on Sloan - and love?
The novel opens with Roxie hard at work in the small town of Mossy Bog. On the way home, she discovers her house has been broken into. The incident puts Roxie on edge - that is until her absentee neighbor, Sloan Harding, walks into her real estate office. The attraction between the two is undeniable. Sloan is thinking of selling his house and is grateful that Roxie helped with its upkeep while he was away. Impulsively, Roxie asks him to escort her to a wedding. Sloan agrees.
Sloan is drawn to Roxie, but is honest - his grandfather hid the Harding treasure somewhere in the house and he would like to find it. As he begins his repairs, he hopes to discover the money. However, as he becomes acquainted with Roxie, he is tempted by the sexy real estate agent to stay longer in Mossy Bog than he intended.
Roxie has her own problems, She's the victim of identity theft, a kayak is delivered to her house, but she doesn't know who sent it, and she can't get the funding she needs for her maritime museum. The icing on the cake is when a sewer line bursts and floods her house.
Sloan stands by Roxie, but when he discovers that her grandfather had helped to hide the Harding money, a schism develops that threatens to tear apart their growing relationship. Can Roxie find it in her heart to forgive Sloan?
Toussaint's writing is crisp and easy to read. The plot is tight, filled with plenty of twists and turns that keep the reader on their toes.
One of the most endearing aspects of the story is how Toussaint captures the authenticity of small town America, giving delicious depth to the setting and characters.
Mossy Bog is full of wonderful characters and the supporting cast shines. Roxie and Sloan are wonderfully complex. Roxie's dreams of opening her museum, but only with patience and perseverance can she hope to succeed, and she needs a heavy dose of patience in her dealings with Sloan.
Sloan has been hurt before. By going to Mossy Bog, he opens old wounds, which is not an easy thing for him. Roxie gives him hope, but can he work through past hurts?
The love scenes are sophisticated for romance readers and tasteful.
"Muddy Waters" is a thrilling kayak ride full of suspense and romance!
The novel opens with Roxie hard at work in the small town of Mossy Bog. On the way home, she discovers her house has been broken into. The incident puts Roxie on edge - that is until her absentee neighbor, Sloan Harding, walks into her real estate office. The attraction between the two is undeniable. Sloan is thinking of selling his house and is grateful that Roxie helped with its upkeep while he was away. Impulsively, Roxie asks him to escort her to a wedding. Sloan agrees.
Sloan is drawn to Roxie, but is honest - his grandfather hid the Harding treasure somewhere in the house and he would like to find it. As he begins his repairs, he hopes to discover the money. However, as he becomes acquainted with Roxie, he is tempted by the sexy real estate agent to stay longer in Mossy Bog than he intended.
Roxie has her own problems, She's the victim of identity theft, a kayak is delivered to her house, but she doesn't know who sent it, and she can't get the funding she needs for her maritime museum. The icing on the cake is when a sewer line bursts and floods her house.
Sloan stands by Roxie, but when he discovers that her grandfather had helped to hide the Harding money, a schism develops that threatens to tear apart their growing relationship. Can Roxie find it in her heart to forgive Sloan?
Toussaint's writing is crisp and easy to read. The plot is tight, filled with plenty of twists and turns that keep the reader on their toes.
One of the most endearing aspects of the story is how Toussaint captures the authenticity of small town America, giving delicious depth to the setting and characters.
Mossy Bog is full of wonderful characters and the supporting cast shines. Roxie and Sloan are wonderfully complex. Roxie's dreams of opening her museum, but only with patience and perseverance can she hope to succeed, and she needs a heavy dose of patience in her dealings with Sloan.
Sloan has been hurt before. By going to Mossy Bog, he opens old wounds, which is not an easy thing for him. Roxie gives him hope, but can he work through past hurts?
The love scenes are sophisticated for romance readers and tasteful.
"Muddy Waters" is a thrilling kayak ride full of suspense and romance!
July 27, 2013
Perfect Weekend Romantic Suspense.
If you're looking for a gripping, emotionally engaging romantic suspense for the weekend or for a holiday read, then 'Muddy Waters,' by Maggie Toussaint is for you. Written in a flowing, limpid style, the story opens with a mystery and never lets up. The main characters, Roxie as the heroine whom I'd love to have as a friend and Sloan, a hero with a fractured, troubled past and a long journey of the heart to make, are engaging and realistic. Sloan's dog Mac is great, too.
The mysteries - missing treasure, inheritances, stalking, Roxie having her credit card stolen, her kitchen trashed and being shot at - come thick and fast. Is Sloan interest in her genuine, or is he only after what he can take from her? This is a valid concern, given Sloan's own wild past and his father's reputation as a drunk. The whole of small-town life is here in the novel, with wonderful secondary characters - the man who calls his gun by a pet name, the fearsome old ladies, Roxie's caring friends. There is concern and neighbourliness and there is also prejudice. Roxie womanfully strives to help everyone, including her wayward younger brother Timmy, who as Sloan points out, needs to find his own way. She is powerfully attracted to the sexy Sloan, but can she trust him not to break her heart?
Sloan has a longer emotional journey to undertake, from wary, unavailable male to committed loving partner. His reasons for being unavailable are shown so I never lost sympathy for him and he never became a caricature 'bad boy'. He has more soul and grit than that. Sometimes I wanted to smack him up the side of the head to knock some sense into him but he comes through in the end wonderfully.
The little town of Mossy Bog is a character in its own right. It would be a place I would want to visit and perhaps even live in. The wilderness close to the town is certainly attractive and Maggie Toussaint's love of nature shines through in her writing.
I intend to read this whole richly rewarding series.
October 23, 2010
The beauty of small town life is the sense of community and neighborliness that pervades everyday interactions and provides comfort in a time of crisis. The ugly underbelly is everyone knows what you did, what your daddy did, and what your granddaddy did, and those same neighbors are slow to forget or forgive.
Author Maggie Toussaint explores this yin-yang of small town life in her delightful romance Muddy Waters—a book definitely worth staying up too late to finish.
Heroine Roxie Whitaker has sunk her roots deep into the small Georgia town of Mossy Bog. Despite the lack of eligible young men, she loves the slower beat, the complicated interactions of its residents, and the fact that everyone knew and liked her grandmother, and by extension, knows and likes her. Yet she is fearful of missteps and the town’s censure.
Sloan Harding grew up as the town pariah thanks to his father’s constant drunk and disorderly conduct, his grandfather’s reputation, and his own wayward youth. Yet he found freedom in not having to live up to expectations, and after leaving Mossy Bog, he became a successful Atlanta businessman. Now back to fix up the family home—and hopefully find the rumored Harding fortune—he must again face the disapproval of a town that doesn’t let go of the past.
And though Sloan and Roxie have to navigate the muddy waters of his past to reach their future, it’s clear from the start that Sloan is the perfect complement to Roxie’s take-no-risk nature.
Toussaint’s book is a delightful, contemporary romance spiced with a mystery that keeps you guessing whether the Harding fortune exists or if it was just a figment of a drunken imagination. Sloan and Roxie’s relationship unfolds in a natural way that draws the reader into their story. And the barriers between them and happily ever after are so organic to their personalities and their past that the reader truly wonders if these two will be able to work it out.
Author Maggie Toussaint explores this yin-yang of small town life in her delightful romance Muddy Waters—a book definitely worth staying up too late to finish.
Heroine Roxie Whitaker has sunk her roots deep into the small Georgia town of Mossy Bog. Despite the lack of eligible young men, she loves the slower beat, the complicated interactions of its residents, and the fact that everyone knew and liked her grandmother, and by extension, knows and likes her. Yet she is fearful of missteps and the town’s censure.
Sloan Harding grew up as the town pariah thanks to his father’s constant drunk and disorderly conduct, his grandfather’s reputation, and his own wayward youth. Yet he found freedom in not having to live up to expectations, and after leaving Mossy Bog, he became a successful Atlanta businessman. Now back to fix up the family home—and hopefully find the rumored Harding fortune—he must again face the disapproval of a town that doesn’t let go of the past.
And though Sloan and Roxie have to navigate the muddy waters of his past to reach their future, it’s clear from the start that Sloan is the perfect complement to Roxie’s take-no-risk nature.
Toussaint’s book is a delightful, contemporary romance spiced with a mystery that keeps you guessing whether the Harding fortune exists or if it was just a figment of a drunken imagination. Sloan and Roxie’s relationship unfolds in a natural way that draws the reader into their story. And the barriers between them and happily ever after are so organic to their personalities and their past that the reader truly wonders if these two will be able to work it out.
March 6, 2011
Bad boy gone good? And having feelings for her, could it be? Roxie can't help but be drawn to Sloan, that's for sure. And then starts the strange troubles, transactions made in her name and on her credit that she has nothing to do with. Things appearing in her yard that she didn't buy. And her ever-growing attraction for a man who will test her emotions and tell her things she may not want to hear.
I enjoyed Muddy Waters. The characters and setting create a perfect scene in my mind as I read. Roxie didn't want to feel an attraction to Sloan, and reading about him breaking down her walls slowly was quite a ride. With just the right blend of suspense and tension to make the reader’s heart pound faster. Maggie Toussaint writes about a small town, big characters and real suspense.
If you like suspense weaved in your romance, then go visit Mossy Bog in this delightful story.
I enjoyed Muddy Waters. The characters and setting create a perfect scene in my mind as I read. Roxie didn't want to feel an attraction to Sloan, and reading about him breaking down her walls slowly was quite a ride. With just the right blend of suspense and tension to make the reader’s heart pound faster. Maggie Toussaint writes about a small town, big characters and real suspense.
If you like suspense weaved in your romance, then go visit Mossy Bog in this delightful story.
September 28, 2011
I enjoyed this read for several reasons. The romance and the suspense worked well together. I was anxious to know about this lost treasure Sloan has always heard about, but never thought it really existed. I liked the banter between Roxie and Sloan—she kept him in his place.
At first they have a roller coaster relationship. They each find it hard to trust the other and misjudge a few things along the way. Sloan’s dog, Max, was cute as well. I loved the small town feel in Georgia. My mom is from a very small town in Georgia and I could relate to the charm and gossip.
I like the writing style of this author. I will be looking for more books by her. I enjoyed the story and really didn’t want it to end. This is another book I can add to my tiny “read again” stack.
http://sirenssongreviews.blogspot.com...
At first they have a roller coaster relationship. They each find it hard to trust the other and misjudge a few things along the way. Sloan’s dog, Max, was cute as well. I loved the small town feel in Georgia. My mom is from a very small town in Georgia and I could relate to the charm and gossip.
I like the writing style of this author. I will be looking for more books by her. I enjoyed the story and really didn’t want it to end. This is another book I can add to my tiny “read again” stack.
http://sirenssongreviews.blogspot.com...
October 10, 2011
A great book! The Georgia background rings true, with its small town clannish-ness, everyone knowing everyone else’s business, and never accepting that a leopard can change its spots or a miscreant should be allowed to live down his past. Really made me homesick! Both Roxie and Sloan are well-done; each is shown to be a strong character in his/her own right, while acting completely opposite to beliefs in relation to the other. The dialogue is smart and realistic, the progression of the story believable. Mac the dog is a delight.
I read Muddy Waters in one sitting because I didn’t want to put it down. You’ll feel the same way.
I read Muddy Waters in one sitting because I didn’t want to put it down. You’ll feel the same way.
September 28, 2011
See my review over at SirenSong Reviews
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July 12, 2011The beauty of small town life is the sense of community and neighborliness that pervades everyday interactions and provides comfort in a time of crisis. The ugly underbelly is everyone knows what you did, what your daddy did, and what your granddaddy did, and those same neighbors are slow to forget or forgive.
Author Maggie Toussaint’s explores this yin-yang of small communities in her delightful romance Muddy Waters—a book definitely worth staying up too late to finish.
Heroine Roxie Whitaker has sunk her roots deep in the small Georgia town of Mossy Bog. Despite the lack of eligible young men, she loves the slower beat, the complicated interactions of its residents, and the fact that everyone knew and liked her grandmother, and by extension, knows and likes her. Yet she is fearful of missteps and the town’s censure.
Sloan Harding grew up the town pariah thanks to his father’s constant drunk and disorderly conduct, his grandfather’s reputation and his own wayward youth. Yet he found freedom in not having to live up to expectations, and after leaving Mossy Bog, he became a successful Atlanta businessman. Now back to fix up the family home—and hopefully find the rumored Harding fortune—he must again face the disapproval of a town that doesn’t let go of the past.
And though Sloan and Roxie have to navigate the muddy waters of his past to reach their future, it’s clear from the start that Sloan is the perfect complement to Roxie’s take-no-risks nature.
Toussaint’s book is a delightful, contemporary romance spiced with a mystery that keeps you guessing whether the Harding fortune exists or if it was jut a figment of a drunken imagination. Sloan and Roxie’s relationship unfolds in a natural way that draws the reader into their story. And the barriers between them and happily ever after are so organic to their personalities and their past that the reader truly wonders if these two will be able to work it out. – Keena Kincaid, author of Enthralled.
Author Maggie Toussaint’s explores this yin-yang of small communities in her delightful romance Muddy Waters—a book definitely worth staying up too late to finish.
Heroine Roxie Whitaker has sunk her roots deep in the small Georgia town of Mossy Bog. Despite the lack of eligible young men, she loves the slower beat, the complicated interactions of its residents, and the fact that everyone knew and liked her grandmother, and by extension, knows and likes her. Yet she is fearful of missteps and the town’s censure.
Sloan Harding grew up the town pariah thanks to his father’s constant drunk and disorderly conduct, his grandfather’s reputation and his own wayward youth. Yet he found freedom in not having to live up to expectations, and after leaving Mossy Bog, he became a successful Atlanta businessman. Now back to fix up the family home—and hopefully find the rumored Harding fortune—he must again face the disapproval of a town that doesn’t let go of the past.
And though Sloan and Roxie have to navigate the muddy waters of his past to reach their future, it’s clear from the start that Sloan is the perfect complement to Roxie’s take-no-risks nature.
Toussaint’s book is a delightful, contemporary romance spiced with a mystery that keeps you guessing whether the Harding fortune exists or if it was jut a figment of a drunken imagination. Sloan and Roxie’s relationship unfolds in a natural way that draws the reader into their story. And the barriers between them and happily ever after are so organic to their personalities and their past that the reader truly wonders if these two will be able to work it out. – Keena Kincaid, author of Enthralled.
Read
December 1, 2015What other people think of you is none of your business
That's the lesson Sloan needs to learn, and patient, kind-hearted Roxie is just the person to teach it to him. A fun "lay it on the line" kind of romance filled with danger and hidden secrets that can tear livers apart. A big thumbs up
That's the lesson Sloan needs to learn, and patient, kind-hearted Roxie is just the person to teach it to him. A fun "lay it on the line" kind of romance filled with danger and hidden secrets that can tear livers apart. A big thumbs up
December 1, 2015
What other people think of you is non of your business. That's the lesson Sloan needs to learn, and patient, kind-hearted Roxie is just the person to teach it to him. A fun "lay it on the line" kind of romance filled with danger and hidden secrets that can tear lovers apart. A big thumbs up.
February 6, 2015
Great story, really enjoyed the characters and the storyline, had me engrossed it until the end. Thoroughly enjoyed this book.
June 10, 2016
A fun romp through Georgia Tidewater country with a lot of romantic ups and downs and a bit of a mystery to unravel. Toussaint's imperfect characters always have such charm. Recommended author.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews