Still spry at ninety-three, Theodora has lived long enough to see her family grow into an insufferable bunch of truculent knuckleheads. Having finally gathered the whole bickering brood together for the holidays at her South Carolina home, the grand matriarch pines wistfully for those extravagant, homey Christmases of her childhood. How she misses the tables groaning with home-cooked goodies, the over-the-top decorations, those long, lovely fireside chats with Pearl, her grandmother's beloved housekeeper and closest confidante. These days, where is the love and the joy . . . and the peace?

But this is, after all, a magical time. Someone very special has heard Theodora's plea--and is about to arrive at her door with pockets full of Gullah magic and enough common sense to transform this Christmas into the miracle it's truly meant to be.

Her despicable husband left her for a lingerie model who's barely more than a teenager, and her kids are busy with their own lives. But before Miriam Elizabeth Swanson can work herself up into a true snit about it all, her newest tenant, Liz, arrives from Birmingham with plenty of troubles of her own. Then Miriam meets a man named Harrison, who makes her laugh, makes her cry, and makes her feel like a brand-new woman.

It's almost too much for one Manhattan quasi-socialite to handle--so Miriam's escaping to the enchanted and mysterious land of Sullivans Island, deep in the low country of South Carolina, a place where she can finally get her head on straight--and perhaps figure out that pride is not what's going to keep her warm at night . . .

Leslie Anne Greene Carter is The Last Original Wife among her husband Wesley's successful Atlanta social set. His cronies have all traded in the mothers of their children--who they promised to love and cherish 'til death did them part--for tanned and toned young Barbie brides.

If losing the social life and close friends she adored wasn't painful enough, a series of setbacks has shaken Les up and she's had enough of playing the good wife. Now, she's going to take some time for herself--in the familiar comforts and stunning beauty of Charleston, her beloved hometown. In her brother's historic home, she will reclaim the carefree girl who spent lazy summers sharing steamy kisses with her first love on Sullivans Island. Along Charleston's cobblestone streets, under the Lowcountry's dazzling blue sky, Les will indulge herself with icy cocktails, warm laughter and bittersweet memories. Daring to listen to her inner voice, she will realize what she wants . . . and find the life of which she's always dreamed.

Theodora is the matriarch of a family that has grown into a bunch of truculent knuckleheads. While she's finally gotten them all together in South Carolina to celebrate, this Christmas looks nothing like the extravagant, homey holidays of her childhood.

What happened to the days when Christmas meant tables groaning with home-cooked goodies, over-the-top decorations, and long chats in front of the fire with Pearl, her grandmother's beloved housekeeper and closest confidante?

Luckily for Theodora, a special someone who heard her plea for help arrives, with pockets full of enough Gullah magic and common sense to make Theodora's Christmas the love-filled miracle it's meant to be.

Dorothea Benton Frank presents a refreshingly honest and funny novel about friendship, family, and finding happiness by becoming who you're meant to be. Catapulted from her home, her marriage and her children, artist Rebecca Simms has come to Pawleys Island, South Carolina, to hide herself from herself. Little does she know that on this "arrogantly shabby" family playground, she'll encounter three people who will change her life: a wise and irresistible octogenarian who will pry her secrets from her, a gallery owner who caters to interior decorators and heaven save us, tourists, and a retired attorney from Columbia who's complacent in her fat and sassy life until Rebecca's stormy advent...

The New York Times bestseller--in paperback for the first time

Set in the steamy, stormy landscape of South Carolina, Sullivan's Island tells the unforgettable story of one woman's courageous journey toward truth.
Born and raised on idyllic Sullivan's Island, Susan Hayes navigated through her turbulent childhood with humor, spunk, and characteristic Southern sass. But years later, she is a conflicted woman with an unfaithful husband, a sometimes resentful teenage daughter, and a heart that aches with painful, poignant memories. And as Susan faces her uncertain future, she realizes that she must go back to her past. To the beachfront house where her sister welcomes her with open arms. To the only place she can truly call home.

When fireman Jimmy McMullen is killed in the line of duty, his wife, Jackie, and ten-year-old son, Charlie, are devastated. Trusting in the healing power of family, Jackie decides to return to her childhood home on Sullivans Island--a place of lush green grasslands, the heady pungency of Lowcountry Pluff mud, and palmetto fronds swaying in gentle ocean winds.

Thrilled to have her family back, matriarch Annie Britt promises to make their visit perfect. Over the years, Jackie and Annie, like all mothers and daughters, have had differences of opinion. But her estranged and wise husband, Buster, and her best friend, Deb, are sure to keep Annie in line. She's also got the flirtatious widowed physician next door to keep her distracted. Captivated by the island's natural charms, mother, daughter, and grandson will share a memorable, illuminating summer.

"Happy birthday? My pig-farmer boyfriend was in absentia, the county sheriff was the current cause of some very naughty thoughts, my drunk sister-in-law was passed out at my kitchen table, and my dead mother had sent balloons. What else could a girl want?"

On the occasion of her 46th birthday, Caroline Wimbley Levine is concerned about filling the large shoes of her late, force-of-nature mother, Miss Lavinia, the former Queen of Tall Pines Plantation. Still, Caroline loves a challenge--and she simply will not be fazed by the myriad family catastrophes surrounding her. She'll deal with brother Trip's tricky romantic entanglements, son Eric and his mysterious girlfriend, and go toe-to-toe with alcoholic Frances Mae and her four hellcats without batting an eye, becoming more like Miss Lavinia every day . . . which is not an entirely good thing.

Return with New York Times bestselling author Dorothea Benton Frank to the South Carolina Lowcountry--as a new generation stumbles, survives, and reveals their secrets by the banks of the mighty Edisto River.

Beloved New York Times bestselling author Dorothea Benton Frank returns to the enchanted landscape of South Carolina's Lowcountry to tell the story of the next generation of Hamiltons and Hayeses.

Newly graduated from college, Beth Hayes must put all her grand ambitions on hold when the family elders elect her to house-sit the Island Gamble, ghosts and all. Instead of conquering new worlds, Beth will rest and rejuvenate while basking in memory and the magic of white clapboards and shimmering blue waters. But there is much about life and her family's past that she does not yet understand--and her simple plans begin unraveling with the intrusion of developer Max Mitchell. Still, everything here happens for a reason--and disappointment, betrayal, even tragedy are more easily handled when surrounded by loving family and loyal friends.

Pat Conroy called Dorothea Benton Frank's debut, Sullivan's Island, "hilarious and wise," while Anne Rivers Siddons declared that it "roars with life." Here, Frank evokes a lush plantation in the heart of modern-day South Carolina-where family ties and hidden truths run as deep and dark as the mighty Edisto River.

Folly Beach, South Carolina, with its glistening beaches, laid-back Southern charm, and enticing Gullah tradition, is the land of Cate Cooper's childhood, the place where all the ghosts of her past roam freely. Now, thanks to a newly deceased husband whose financial and emotional perfidy has left her homeless and broke, she's returning to this lovely strip of coast.

Once, another woman found comfort here: an artist, writer, and sometime colleague of the revered George Gershwin. With her beloved husband, DuBose, Dorothy Heyward enjoyed the greatest moments of her life at Folly. Though the Heywards are long gone, their passion and spirit linger in every ocean breeze.

To her surprise, Cate is about to discover that you can go home again, for Folly holds the possibility of unexpected fulfillment--not just the memories of the girl she was, but the promise of the woman she's always wanted to become. . . .

The move from New Jersey to Hilton Head, South Carolina, wasn't easy for the Russo family--difficult enough for Big Al and Connie, but even harder for their daughter Maria Graziella, who insists on being called Grace. At thirty-one and still, shockingly, unmarried, Grace has scandalized her staunchly traditional Italian family by moving in with her boyfriend Michael--who, though a truly great guy, is agnostic, commitment-phobic, a scientist, and (horror of horrors) Irish

Grace adores her parents even though they drive her crazy--and she knows they'd love Michael if they got to know him, but Big Al won't let him into their house. And so the stage is set for a major showdown--which, along with a devastating, unexpected crisis and, perhaps, a miracle or two, just might change Grace's outlook on love, family, and her new life in the new South.

New York Times bestselling author Dorothea Benton Frank takes readers on a rollicking ride in this Lowcountry tale about a woman whose unconventional friends and family show her the real meaning of unconditional love. Anna Lutz Abbot considers herself independent and happy-until one steamy summer when her collegiate daughter comes home a very different person, her wild and wonderful ex-husband shows up on her doorstep, and her flamboyant new best friend takes up with Anna's father. And the already hot temperatures are cranked up another ten degrees by Anna's own fling with Arthur, who is, heaven help her, a Yankee. Now Anna must face the fact that she isn't as in control of her life as she'd thought. And she must find a way to deal with the whole truth-not just the comfortable parts.

"New York Times" bestselling author Dorothea Benton Frank returns to the Carolina lowcountry with a soul-satisfying tale of chance, honor, and star-crossed love, infused with wit, grace, and Southern charm

It has been years since Elizabeth "Betts" McGee has returned to her once-adored Bulls Island in the Carolina lowcountry--ages since tragic fate coupled with nasty rumor ended her engagement to fabulously wealthy Charleston golden boy J. D. Langley. Having successfully reinvented herself as a top New York banking executive, Betts is now heading up the most important project of her career. But it'll transform the untouched island she loved in her youth into something unrecognizable. And it's forcing her to return to the bosom of her estranged family, where she may not be welcomed with open arms--and uniting her with ex-flame J.D., who's changed . . . but perhaps not enough.

'Poignant' Liane Moriarty 'A great storyteller' Adriana Trigiani Lisa St Clair knows a thing or two about weathering storms. A dedicated nurse with a great sense of humour, she single-handedly raised her daughter Marianne after her ex walked out twenty-four years ago, sending only a lottery ticket once a year as support. Then he reappeared and persuaded their daughter to support his business venture. Now mother and daughter aren't speaking. So when Kathy Harper, Lisa's favourite patient, loses her battle with cancer, Lisa finds herself drawn to Carrie and Suzanne, the devoted friends who were always by Kathy's side. They talk about family, and share problems but somehow their conversations always return to the enigma of Kathy. Did they really know her at all? Gradually, as they uncover the truth about Kathy's life and unfurl plans to secure their own futures, fate steps in to show them that being single doesn't mean you are alone and that friendship is as powerful as the turning tide of the beach they walk together.

"The strong pull of friendship, the leisurely pace of a tiny, waterfront Southern town, and the steady buildup of romance help buoy Frank's well-drawn, memorable characters" (Publishers Weekly) in this New York Times bestseller. Meet Linda Breland, single parent of two teenage daughters-one of whom is headed off to college. Between that and the married men, the cold New Jersey winters, her pinched wallet, and her ex-husband who married a beautiful, successful woman ten years younger than she is-let's just say Linda has seen enough to fill a thousand pages. Now she's bound for Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, the magical landscape of her ancestors. Welcomed by the help of her advice-dispensing sister and an intriguing ex-investment banker turned restaurant owner, Linda slowly begins to find her way and realize that she, too, is entitled to a second chance....