When Carlisle Wainwright Cushing, of the old-moneyed Texas Wainwrights, moved to Boston three years ago to work at one of the city's most prestigious divorce law firms, she thought she had escaped the high society she'd grown up in - after all, no one in Boston, not even her fiance, knew she was an heiress. But now, Carlisle has been lured back to Texas to deal with her mother's latest divorce and the family-sponsored 100th annual debutante ball, which is on the verge of collapse. She's afraid she'll never get back to Boston, at least with her reputation intact, especially when good 'ole Southern boy Jack Blair shows up on the opposite side of the divorce court, making her wonder if he's going after her mother in the proceedings--or her.

Carlisle's trip home challenges her sense of who she really is and forces her to face her family's secrets. Funny, smart, and poignant, "The Ex-Debutante "is a story about the risks one woman must take if she stands a chance of finding herself, real love, and her place in that crazy thing we call family.

Former Junior Leaguer Linda Francis Lee has crafted a scandalously delicious novel that takes you deep into the heart of Texas blue-blood society.
The Junior League of Willow Creek, Texas, is "tres" exclusive. Undesirables need not apply. Fredericka Mercedes Hildebrand Ware (Frede to her friends) is a member beyond reproach...until her life begins to unravel. When her husband betrays her, steals her money, and runs off to places unknown, it's something Frede would prefer to keep under wraps. The last thing she needs is to become fodder for the JLWC gossip mill. And to make matters worse, there's only one person in town who stands a chance at helping her get revenge--Howard Grout, a tasteless, gold-chain-wearing lawyer who has bought his way into Frede's tony neighborhood. But there's a price: She has to get his tacky, four-inch-stiletto-and-pink-spandex-wearing wife, Nikki, into the Junior League.
The creme de la creme of Southern royalty should sit up and take notice, and hang on tight for this irresistible tale of getting in and getting even.

It's not easy being a dog in New York City. Emily and her husband Sandy Portman seemed to live a gracious if busy life in an old-world, Upper West Side apartment in the famous Dakota building. But one night on the way to meet Emily, Sandy dies in a tragic accident. The funeral isn't even over before Emily learns she is on the verge of being evicted from their apartment. But worse than the possibility of losing her home, Emily is stunned when she discovers that her marriage was made up of lies. Suddenly Emily is forced on a journey to find out who her husband really was . . . all the while feeling that somehow he isn't really gone. Angry, hurt, and sometimes betrayed by loving memories of the man she lost, Emily finds comfort in a scruffy dog named Einstein. But is Einstein's seemingly odd determination that she save herself enough to make Emily confront her own past? Can he help her find a future - even after she meets a new man? More than that, can Einstein help Sandy Portman find a way to save himself.

"A man who doesn't deserve a second chance. A woman who finds one where she least expects it. And the lovable dog named Einstein who shows them the way..."

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Emily Portman is an up-and-coming New York City editor whose life is everything she imagined it would be. She has a job she loves and a beautiful Upper West Side apartment with her husband, Sandy. But everything changes in one night, when Sandy dies in a tragic accident, and Emily is stunned to discover that her marriage was made up of lies. Suddenly, she is forced on a journey to find out who her husband really was . . . all the while feeling that somehow he isn't really gone. Angry, hurt, and sometimes betrayed by loving memories of the man she lost, Emily's only comfort is a mysterious, scruffy dog named Einstein, who comes into her life at just the right moment - and stands by her side as she uncovers surprising truths about Sandy and her own family.
But is Einstein's seemingly odd determination that she save herself enough to make Emily confront her past? And when a new man arrives at her apartment, can she allow love through the door? Linda Francis Lee's "Emily and Einstein "is a heartwarming novel about truth, love, and second chances that has captivated readers and critics alike.