Title: Taking Chances
Author: Shannon Guymon
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Release Date: October, 2008
ISBN: 978-1-59955-205-7
Size: 224 pages, 6×9 softcover
Genre: Romance
Meet Maggie Tierney, a lighthearted, kind, free spirit who has a lot to be happy about: at 24, she is independent, successful, a wealthy artist, and she’s just inherited a home in beautiful Alpine, Utah, the place where her mother, Lisa, grew up. However, her excitement is colored by the reality that Maggie has never been to Alpine, and that this home was left to her by her estranged great-grandmother, a woman Maggie never met. As Maggie makes the move from St. George to Alpine, she is haunted by her mother’s past: a childhood filled with the misery and despair of childhood sexual abuse. However, she is determined to make amends with the relatives she’s never met and help heal her mom’s childhood wounds.
Armed with Propels, Doritos, and her favorite easel, Maggie dives into Alpine life, ready to make it her home. Despite being 24 and only having had one serious boyfriend in her life, Maggie quickly attracts the attention of Luke Petersen, a man dealing with the death of his fiancé but in need of a friend, and maybe more . . .
Between battling Luke’s jealous admirers and quelling the gossip always present in any small 
town, Maggie has to muster all of her courage and black belt skills in Jujitsu to come to terms with her mother’s past, overcome her own fears, and jump into a relationship with unknown but exciting prospects.
This book was a lot of fun!
This is my favorite cover this year. It’s hip, modern, and tells me the genre I’m dealing with. And it was a really good read.