Stolen Innocence

An innocent girl is a dangerous thing.

Twenty years ago, Maura Lenihan was the beautiful red-haired teenager at the center of a devastating political sex scandal that destroyed lives, fueled tabloid headlines, and left permanent scars on everyone involved.

Now thirty-five, Maura has carefully built a quiet, controlled life far from public attention. She works as a hospice nurse, spending her days caring for the dying and her nights escaping into romance novels. Safe. Invisible. Untouchable.

Exactly the way she wants it.

But Maura’s carefully protected world begins to unravel when the press suddenly renews interest in the decades-old scandal that once made her infamous. At the same time, one of her newest patients — a wealthy young Wall Street banker with hauntingly familiar blue eyes — awakens painful memories Maura has spent years trying to bury.

As old secrets resurface, Maura is forced to confront the truth about what happened all those years ago, the powerful people who protected themselves at her expense, and the devastating emotional cost of being publicly judged while still a child.

Set against the backdrop of Long Island privilege and political influence, Stolen Innocence is an emotionally layered women’s fiction novel about shame, resilience, family pressure, forbidden love, and the long shadow of public scandal.

If you enjoy Jodi Picoult's "ripped from the headlines" fiction, then Stolen Innocence is for you.

• emotionally charged women’s fiction
• Long Island family drama
• stories about surviving scandal
• complex female protagonists
• forbidden romance
• Irish-American family dynamics
• emotionally layered contemporary fiction
• character-driven novels with secrets and redemption

Readers praise the novel for its:

• emotional depth
• realistic flawed characters
• powerful portrayal of shame and survival
• layered family relationships
• bittersweet romance
• gripping revelations and twists

Readers described the novel as:

“Emotional, honest, and laced with hope.” 

“A great emotional read.” 

• public shame and private trauma
• political power and exploitation
• the emotional aftermath of scandal
• caregiving and emotional exhaustion
• family loyalty and betrayal
• female resilience
• healing and second chances
• reclaiming your own narrative

1. How did Maura’s past shape the person she became as an adult?
2. Did the media and public treat Maura unfairly? Why?
3. How does the novel explore the imbalance of power between adults and teenagers?
4. Why do you think Maura chose such a quiet, isolated life?
5. Which family relationships felt most painful or authentic to you?
6. What role does forgiveness play in the novel?
7. Did your opinion of certain characters change as secrets were revealed?
8. What does the novel ultimately say about survival and self-worth?

Available in ebook, audio and print at most retailers. AVAILABLE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED

Amazon: https://a.co/d/09Y6treU

REVIEWS:   https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53147867-cold-spring">