Lowcountry Stranger


Book Description

In a quaint coastal town where everyone knows everyone, the arrival of a stranger is big news. So when a mysterious young woman crashes the Sweeney family wedding, the tight-knit community is abuzz with curiosity and suspicion. Meet Annie Dawn: an enigmatic waif with doe-eyes and a spunky personality that instantly captivates everyone she encounters. As the night unfolds, Annie wins over both young and old with her street smarts and spirited charm. But who is she, really? And what secrets is she hiding? One thing is for certain: Annie Dawn, whether for better or worse, is here to stay. Returning to the limelight are the beloved Sweeney sisters from Her Sister’s Shoes, faced with a new wave of suspense and family drama that will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the final, heart-stopping conclusion. As Annie grows closer to the Sweeney family, hidden agendas come to light and loyalties are tested. Amidst the chaos, bonds will be strengthened, and relationships redefined. Ultimately, the arrival of Annie Dawn sets in motion a series of events that will forever change the lives of the Sweeney sisters.




A Lowcountry Wedding


Book Description

Wedding season has arrived in New York Times bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe’s fourth novel in the “distinct, complex, and endearing” (Charleston Magazine) Lowcountry Summer series, set against the romantic, charming Carolina lowcountry. Nothing could be more enchanting than a summer wedding—or two!—in storied Sullivan’s Island. A centuries-old plantation, an avenue of ancient oaks dripping moss, a sand dune at sunset… it’s all picture perfect, and half-sisters Dora, Carson, and Harper, and their grandmother Marietta “Mamaw” Muir couldn’t be more excited. Wedding dresses are picked, venues booked, and delectable cakes tasted. What could possibly go wrong? The answer, the Muir clan is soon to find out, is everything. Carson loves Blake, but struggles with giving up her independence. Harper questions if a prenuptial agreement will help or hurt the future of her marriage, and a newly unfettered Dora is uncertain whether she really wants to walk down the aisle again. Just when it seems things couldn’t get more complicated for the Muir sisters, a stranger arrives bearing a long-held family secret that has the potential to upset even the most carefully laid-out wedding plans. With the weddings mere weeks away, the invitations sent out, and the family in tumult, Mamaw and her Summer Girls discover the enduring and powerful bonds of family, and realize that, no matter how different each bride might be, she can still have her perfect wedding.




Lowcountry on My Mind


Book Description

“An element of suspense along with the right amount of romantic sparks.” Childhood friends reunite in an explosive tale of family dysfunction and romance gone wrong. Amelia has been plotting to escape her abusive husband for years. When her mama’s untimely death provides an unexpected opportunity, she hops on the next bus to the South Carolina Lowcountry. Her husband will eventually come for her. But she’s prepared. Her freedom has given her confidence to face her uncertain future. She settles in at her family’s oceanfront estate to await her destiny. But a visit from Amelia’s past presents danger in a different form. After a string of disastrous blind dates, Max falls for the first guy who expresses an interest in her. As the weeks wear on, her attraction to Ron wanes. But he’s living in her apartment. And he won’t be so easy to get rid of. Jump on board for a wild ride of adventure with the continuation of the bestselling Palmetto Island Series. Be sure to download Muddy Bottom, the series novella prequel, for free.




The Legend of the Lowcountry Liar


Book Description

Welcome to South Carolina's Lowcountry, the so-called “Netherlands of the South," where good tales grow like sweet-grass and the truth is as tricky as the Devil himself. Author Brian McCreight recounts thirteen tall tales told to him by his friend Jim Aisle, the Lowcountry Liar, whose homespun Southern yarns weave fact and fiction like the Gullah women make sweet-grass baskets. These tales are for telling aloud; the funny and the fantastic betide true Southern characters in a style as smooth as morning on the Stono River. Hear from Jim the stories of Brave Bob and his encounter with the ne'er-do-wells at the old mansion; of Lazy Lowcountry Jack and his troubles earning his keep and following his mama's orders; and learn about the Native American boy way back when whose hungry fishing trip wound up supplying food for all the coastal peoples. Jim even tells his own story: a firsthand account of a foggy morning on Buzzard's Roost Point, an area strictly off-limits to all but the conjure men and root doctors who work their magic there.




Lowcountry Lost


Book Description

Sometimes what haunts you most is wondering what could have been. Avalee Elvis prides herself with being able to fix just about anything. . . except her past. Unable to put the puzzle of her life together, she pours heart and soul into making neglected places whole again. As the owner of Lowcountry Lost, Avalee spends her days in hot-pink Carhartt overalls and a tool belt reclaiming Lowcountry properties. Making them beautiful again releases the deep sigh that soothes the hurt she holds. Avalee’s latest project takes her to tiny Somewhere, South Carolina, a long-abandoned town. She ignores its ghostly folklore but can’t miss the shock of hearing the familiar Irish brogue that materializes on the job site—the voice of the man she never wanted to see again. Rowan Murray is a structural engineer hired by investors to oversee the redevelopment of the quaint downtown Avalee is bringing back to life. Once upon a time, he was also the man who knew Avalee better than anyone else—or so he thought. Six years ago, neither of them was prepared for the tragedy they would face together or what would happen in its wake. But as they work together to complete the rehabbing of Somewhere, their broken pieces and the pain that nearly consumed them begin to lose its grip, and both begin to wonder if it’s not too late for a restoration of their own. From the author of the breakout Southern fiction bestseller Under the Magnolias comes a story of loss and abandonment, forgiveness, and the beauty of undying love. Contemporary Southern romance with a second chance romance trope Special features include: discussion questions for book clubs, recipes, and a playlist inspired by Avalee and Rowan’s love story Contains themes of loss and restoration For fans of HGTV shows like Fixer Upper, Home Town, and Good Bones




Tangled in Ivy


Book Description

Escape to the South Carolina Lowcountry for a tale of true love and southern family dysfunction. Lillian Alexander has never understood her twin sister’s animosity toward her. Their problems stem from childhood, from the traumatic day their mother died twenty-seven years ago. But Lillian remembers nothing about that day. Until their father dies and she encounters ghosts from her past who stir those long-suppressed memories. Why, if her mother’s death was an accident, does Lillian harbor guilt, as though she were somehow to blame? When the Stoney twins learn the family fortune is gone, Lillian fights to save her ancestral home on Charleston’s prestigious East Battery. Desperate to resolve her money problems and get answers to her questions about the past, she tears her father’s study apart in search of clues. She discovers a thumb drive in a hollowed-out hardback copy of For Whom the Bell Tolls. The thumb drive, marked For Lillian in his handwriting, contains her father’s memoir. Secluded in the family’s cottage on Wadmalaw Island, she immerses herself in her father’s account of his stormy relationship with her mother. What she learns sets her on a journey of self-discovery. “. . . the story is endlessly intriguing, with enough plot turns that readers who predict one or two may still be surprised . . . The ending befits this realistic portrayal of love, family, and all the complications those two often engender . . . An absorbing fusion of a searing family drama with an unusual love story.” --Kirkus Reviews




Saturdays at Sweeney's


Book Description

When a devastating fire engulfs Lovie Sweeney's sixty-year-old seafood business, not only do the flames consume a family legacy, but they also ignite a whirlwind of suspicion. Was it a tragic accident, or is this tight-knit family the target of a malicious attack? As Lovie finds herself scrutinized in an arson investigation, the Sweeney clan faces a medical diagnosis that threatens to redraw the family dynamics. Samantha, caught in the struggle of resurrecting the family market, is also grappling with her son’s future. Poised to graduate college, Jamie is torn between staying in his hometown of Prospect or venturing to Charleston where love beckons. Faith, aged forty-five and still bearing the emotional scars of an abusive marriage, is on a pilgrimage to discover her life's purpose. Meanwhile, Jackie's world is shaken when her son Sean drops out of college, leaving her questioning how she went wrong as a mother.




Slavery, Disease, and Suffering in the Southern Lowcountry


Book Description

On the eve of the Revolution, the Carolina lowcountry was the wealthiest and unhealthiest region in British North America. Slavery, Disease, and Suffering in the Southern Lowcountry argues that the two were intimately connected: both resulted largely from the dominance of rice cultivation on plantations using imported African slave labor. This development began in the coastal lands near Charleston, South Carolina, around the end of the seventeenth century. Rice plantations spread north to the Cape Fear region of North Carolina and south to Georgia and northeast Florida in the late colonial period. The book examines perceptions and realities of the lowcountry disease environment; how the lowcountry became notorious for its 'tropical' fevers, notably malaria and yellow fever; how people combated, avoided or perversely denied the suffering they caused; and how diseases and human responses to them influenced not only the lowcountry and the South, but the United States, even helping to secure American independence.




On My Terms


Book Description

Virginia Romance Writer’s Holt Medallion Winner Jolie Hogan likes black coffee, lacy panties, and neat tequila. She’s a cop, turned journalist, turned private investigator. On the outside, she’s fearless. But her courage is a recklessness that stems from her troubled past. Caught in a lethal snare, Jolie finds herself framed for an unthinkable double murder—the victims are none other than her own husband, Lucas, and the wife of a menacing criminal attorney with limitless power. Her only way out? A high-stakes gamble with the devil. In Jolie’s case, that devil is a smoldering detective, a living paradox of fire and ice, whose very presence churns up shadows from a past she's desperate to escape. The clock is ticking, and the line between salvation and damnation has never been so blurred.




Sweet Tea Tuesdays


Book Description

In the case of Lula Horne, fifty-five is the new sixty-five, and she’s proud of it. Lula despises modern technology and prefers walking her dog to attending hot yoga. She spends her days tending her perennial garden and cooking for sick friends. She’s stubborn and opinionated and committed to her traditional values, a nonconformist if ever there was one. When her daughter brings her girlfriend home for a visit, Lula goes off like the firework display at her Fourth of July party. For twenty-six years, Midge, Lula, and Georgia have watched the seasons change and their children grow up while sipping tea on Georgia’s front porch. One Tuesday in early June, Georgia shares news that brings their long-standing social hour to an abrupt halt. Over the course of that summer, everything changes for them. A secret drives them apart and an unexpected diagnosis brings them back together again. As these three women share their lives—their past sorrows and fears of an uncertain future—readers will shed more than one tear.