Evergreen by Mya O’Malley
What's It About?
“The dog, like an angel, had appeared and changed the course of his destiny.”Just how much influence can pets have in determining one’s future partner? There are studies on this. In his roles as an evolutionary biologist at the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University and scientific advisor for Match.com, Justin Garcia has acknowledged that they certainly “add some twists and turns to our love lives.”
Writes author Mya O’Malley in her sweet romance novel Evergreen, “Sometimes people just came into your life, maybe not what might seem like the best time, but maybe it seemed, they came at the time you needed them most.”
And maybe a dog was the catalyst for bringing them together.
In Evergreen, Graham, a sixth-grade teacher, shows up at an animal shelter with a stray Great Dane that he found with no tags. That’s when he meets June, who works at the shelter. For June, it’s love at first sight… with the dog, that is. “Just like that, June knew she had found the one.”
June and Graham figure the owner will surface before too long and reclaim the beautiful dog. But until then, they both want to bend the shelter rules and take the dog to their own homes until she is claimed. The first playful scuffle ensues – June wants to take the newly (but likely temporarily) named “Maxine” to her house while Graham wants “Max” for himself. Shelter director Monica decides they will alternate weeks until the owner shows up.
During this period, it’s clear Graham is attracted to June. It’s not so clear whether the feeling is mutual. He takes baby steps to find out. But what we discover are insecurities about self-esteem that have dogged June all her life and are resurfacing amid Graham’s advances. Those insecurities run deep, as O’Malley provides well-timed flashbacks to June’s struggles over acceptance – with her parents, whose expectations are based on their desires and not hers, and with the most popular girls in her school class.
Hence, the natural hesitation to respond to Graham full throttle. Yet the reader clings to a feeling that something romantic is afoot.
And what of Maxine? While her presence is certainly the reason June and Graham have met, she initially is the root of the early conflict over who will keep her until the owner comes forth. It is clear they both love her, and she becomes the center of their worlds. As the ice starts to melt between June and Graham, the dog remains the character of interest that dominates their attention.
Maxine is not a Lassie – that is, doing extraordinary things that defy human comprehension. But her mere existence and beauty provide a foundation of warmth and love from both of our main characters that gives further hope for a happy ending.
But can there be a happy ending if Maxine’s owner shows up? And what of the secret June is stowing away that could alter Graham’s perception of her? And how about Graham’s previous love interest Tara, who goes to great measures to sabotage the new budding relationship?
Did Maxine show up in the lives of June and Graham at the time they needed her most? At the time they needed each other the most?
“The character of Maxine was born of love, hope, and inspiration, something we could all use an abundance of,” says O’Malley.
Evergreen is now available for purchase. Visit Mya O’Malley’s BookTrib author profile page.
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