THE OTHER SIDE OF US – Sarah Mayberry
Harlequin Superromance No. 1824
ISBN: 978-0-373-71824-5
January 2013
Contemporary Romance

Flinders, Australia – Present Day

Married for six years, Oliver Garrett is shocked to discover that his wife has been cheating on him with her former lover since their marriage.  He takes his little dog Strudel to the Flinders coast hoping to come to terms with what has happened in his life.  He stays at the beach house left to him by his aunt.  He is a musician and a sound engineer.  

MacKenzie Williams has been living next door recuperating from a horrendous auto accident.  She does daily exercises and walks on the beach with her dog Smitty (Mr. Smith) hoping to recover from her wounds.  MacKenzie is worried about losing her job with a production company having to take over a year off to heal.  When Ollie moves in next door, his dog Strudel takes a liking to Smitty and keeps getting through the fence to romance the dog next door.  Not feeling well, MacKenzie is somewhat less than cordial to her new neighbor, who is already angry at women in general (and his ex-wife in particular).

A storm comes into Flinders in all of its fury bringing a lot of rain and flooding the homes on the shore.  Ollie helps MacKenzie and she, in turn, invites him to dinner.  They become friends and then something more.

THE OTHER SIDE OF US is a captivating tale of two people coming together, both wounded by life.  They are both in the middle of healing and are not so sure that the timing is right for romance, even though the attraction is strong.  The dogs are a wonderful part of the story as they gravitate to each other and help the romance between the humans evolve. 

Ms. Mayberry writes excellent dialogue, very realistic, and the story moves along at a very good pace.  Readers can expect a sizzling, sexy romance and a heart-felt story in THE OTHER SIDE OF US.

Marilyn Heyman