The Mahjong Mistress: A Why Choose Romance

Mara Whitmore is obsessed with Mahjong and done with dating apps. The men lie about what they want-and if she's being honest, she isn't entirely sure what she wants either. At thirty-three, divorced with her kids living with their dad during the school year, and alone in a suddenly quiet house, Mara has had enough of carefully curated profiles, awkward first dates, and misleading men. Then little things in her house start falling apart. A broken patio door, a leaking sprinkler, a new hot tub that needs maintenance, and a growing repair list bring a parade of very attractive handymen and tradesmen to Mara's front door. Best part is... quotes are free! Unlike an app, she gets to see who they really are first: how they work, how they treat her, whether they respect a boundary-and whether the attraction survives once the tools are put away. Her Friday mahjong games only encourage her. Between clacking tiles and glasses of wine, Mara's friends demand updates, offer terrible advice, and push her to stop apologizing for wanting more. But casual gets complicated when different men offer different things: laughter, confidence, safety, filthy chemistry, and the kind of attention Mara forgot she was allowed to enjoy. Mara started with a repair list and no idea what she wanted. Now, she's going to have a very good time figuring it out.