Romancing Rivals

Part of the Maiden's Bay series:

Editions:ebook, Hardcover

The biggest catch is often the one you aren’t chasing.

Brie Babcock has spent her life on the water, running Maiden’s Bay’s longest-standing whale watching tours. Protecting the orcas and sharing their world with others is more than her job—it’s her calling. But with dwindling customers and rising costs, her beloved business is barely staying afloat.

Then, Aiden Parker lands. Literally.

Known for his high-end helicopter tours from Canada to Seattle, Aiden sees Maiden’s Bay as his next big venture. His flashy arrival stirs up more than the local gossip—it sends shockwaves through Brie’s tranquil waters. His tours promise luxury and excitement. Hers promise harmony and respect. And neither of them is willing to back down.

As competition turns into sparks, Brie and Aiden find themselves caught between pride and attraction. His charm disarms her, her passion unnerves him, and the line between rivals and something more begins to blur. But when protecting the bay means risking their growing connection, both must decide what—and who—they’re willing to fight for.

Set against the stunning coastal beauty of Maiden’s Bay, Romancing Rivals is a heartwarming story of ambition, empathy, and the unpredictable tides of love.

Published: November 18, 2025

Publisher: Radiance

Genres:

Romance

Tags:

About the Author

Mary Shotwell

Mary Shotwell is the author of small-town love stories with happily-ever-afters for all seasons. Her debut romance novel Christmas Catch (Carina Press, 2018) was a Golden Leaf Finalist and earned a starred review from Library Journal. She loves incorporating her science and nature background into her fiction. When adulting, she’s a wife to husband Matt and mother to three children. She currently resides in Tennessee.

Other Books By Mary Shotwell

Series: Maiden's Bay

Sorted First to Last

Romancing Rivals

Casting Cupid

Practicing Partners

Forgotten Fayetteville and More Hidden Histories from Washington County

Washington County has nearly two centuries of stories to tell, and many of them have been forgotten.
In this follow-up to Forgotten Fayetteville, local historians J. B. Hogan and Susan Parks-Spencer uncover more of the people, places, and events that shaped Fayetteville and the surrounding county. Explore the violent early years of Evansville, revisit the shocking murder that led to the execution of the Burnett family, and discover what made April 1864 one of the deadliest months in Washington County history. You’ll meet John Rollin Ridge, the first Native American novelist, learn the story of Rebecca Brown Tollett’s life in slavery, and examine the tragic lynching of Reverend Anthony Bewley.
From vanished towns and frontier churches to forgotten cemeteries, pioneering families, and overlooked chapters of Native American, Black, and immigrant history, these stories reveal a richer and more complex past than many realize. Woven together, they form a portrait of the lives, triumphs, and tragedies that shaped this corner of the Ozarks and the communities that call it home.
Whether you’re a lifelong resident, a newcomer, or simply a student of Arkansas history, Forgotten Fayetteville and More Hidden Histories from Washington County invites you to look beyond familiar landmarks and rediscover the people and events that helped shape the Ozarks.

Owl Dreams

SARAH BIBLE HAS spent most of her life cleaning up after her mother, Marie. College in faraway New Mexico was supposed to be her escape.
When her boyfriend is sent to prison back in Oklahoma, Marie spirals and is committed to a psychiatric hospital. But before Sarah can bring her home, she is abducted by a mysterious Choctaw psychiatrist named Hashilli, a man rumored to be a shapeshifting witch who can steal your face as easily as your identity.
The police dismiss Sarah’s fears. Every lead disappears into a maze of false names, missing records, and dead ends. And the deeper Sarah digs into southeastern Oklahoma, the stranger the world becomes.
Her only allies in this quest are an imprisoned ex-con, a schizophrenic patient who may know more than anyone realizes, and Big Shorty, an enigmatic cemetery caretaker locals whisper about like he’s already dead himself.
To save her mother, Sarah must orchestrate an impossible breakout, unravel a web of kidnapping, murder, and identity theft, and hunt a predator who hides behind borrowed lives.
From the backroads of Choctaw country to the wild Kiamichi Mountains, Owl Dreams is a haunting supernatural thriller filled with danger, dark humor, folklore, and desperate people fighting for one last chance at redemption.

Almost the End of the World

The Apocalypse Called. It Wants a Do Over.
Seventeen-year-old Corey Walker was fully prepared to die. An asteroid the size of Texas—Perses—was supposed to wipe out everything. No college apps, no student loans, no awkward graduation speeches. Just… boom.
Then the last-minute save actually works. Earth survives. So does Corey.
Yay?
Turns out, staring down extinction leaves scars. The government’s toast, the economy’s in a coma, and nobody knows what to do next. Turns out, staring down extinction leaves scars. The government’s toast, the economy’s in a coma, and nobody knows what to do next. Corey returns to Augustus Boarding School at the insistence of his mother and finds a weird new student cult—The Refuge—targeting the most scared and vulnerable on campus, including those closest to him.
When Corey meets the fiery Paige, he finds himself with an ally against The Refuge. She’s the first person who makes him feel awake again. Together, they start pushing back. That’s when things get messy. Fast.
Now, Corey’s a reluctant leader, with enemies, followers, and a target on his back. Whether he likes it or not, he’s being forced to answer the question everyone’s been avoiding:
If the world didn’t end… what now?

Roan & Weatherford