Ascension of Larks Author:Rachel Linden When globetrotting photographer Maggie Henry loses the only man she?s ever loved, she jeopardizes her rising career and steps in to care for her best friends? three young children on a remote island in the Pacific Northwest. Free-spirited and fiercely independent, Maggie?s star is rising fast. But she has a secret. She can?t let go of her first... more » and only love, renowned architect Marco Firelli, now married to her best friend Lena. With the shattering news of Marco?s death, Maggie rushes to the Firelli family?s summer home on San Juan Island and attempts to provide stability for the children as fragile, perfectionist Lena slowly falls apart. When Maggie is offered a once-in-a-lifetime chance to compete in the world?s most prestigious photography competition, she finds herself unable to leave the only family she has during their time of need. Devastated, Maggie takes a series of photographs documenting their life in limbo. A mysterious man appears on the island, and Maggie soon realizes there is more to him than meets the eye. Daniel Wolfe, an award-winning Native American poet hiding in exile on the island, is responsible for Marco?s death. Maggie is both drawn to and repelled by Daniel, a sensitive, tortured soul with secrets of his own. Out of their loneliness and grief they form an unlikely friendship. Maggie develops her recent photographs, and she?s elated to discover that they are good enough for the photography competition. She still has a chance to win. But she must first relinquish the past so that she can move forward and embrace the reality of her unexpected life.« less