Mary Alice Monroe

Charlotte Godowski was used to the horrified stares she received from strangers. She'd learned to accept her facial deformity, until one cruel incident compels her to have the surgery that changes her life for ever.

Charlott Godfrey is beautiful beyond compare. In Hollywood, where such beauty is power, her rise is meteoric. Suddenly she has everything she could want: acceptance, a future and a love she believes can see to the true beauty within.

Charlotte Godowski and Charlotte Godfrey are two sides of the same woman – a woman who can trust no one with her secret. But when fate forces Charlotte to deal with the truth – about her past, about the man she loves, about herself – she discovers that only love has the power to transform a scarred soul.

ER nurse Ella Majors has seen all the misery that she can handle. Burned–out and unsure of her next step, she accepts the temporary position as caregiver to Marion Henderson a frightened five–year–old who suffers from juvenile diabetes. But Ella soon realises there is more sorrow in Marion's home than the little girl's illness can account for.

Harris Henderson, a single father, seems better able to deal with the wild birds he rehabilitates in his birds–of–prey sanctuary than with his own daughter.

Then something magical begins to happen the timeless beauty of the South Carolina coast and the majestic grace of the wild birds weave a healing spell on the injured hearts at the sanctuary. But a troubled mother's unexpected return will test the fragile bonds of trust and new love, and reveal the inherent risks and exhilarating beauty of flying free

Old hurts and one tragic event have driven the Blakelys apart and now fate could be dealing them the final blow. But could this loss be their redemption?

Sweetgrass has been home to the Blakely family for eight generations. But now Sweetgrass– named for the indigenous grass that grows in the area– is in trouble. Bulldozers are levelling surrounding properties, and the Blakelys could be forced to sell the one thing that continues to hold their disintegrating family together. For some of the Blakelys, the prospect of selling Sweetgrass is bittersweet– for others, it is completely unimaginable.

As they find the strength to stay and fight, they realise their bond as a family is all they need to stay together.

Toy Sooner has dealt with enough rough waves in her troubled past. It's only been through the enduring love of a close–knit group of women on this tiny island that she's finally started to find her footing. But as new challenges in her career arise for this young single mother, the choices and demons of her past will catch up to her. Soon Toy will learn that, like the steadfast sea turtles she cares for, a mother must find the strength within herself to make it safely to shore.

Caretta Rutledge thought she'd left her troubled family behind. But an unusual request from her mother just as her own life is spinning out of control has Cara heading back to the scenic island of her childhood.

Before long, the rhythms of the island opens her heart, as she repairs the family beach house. But it's in reconnecting with her mother that she will learn life's most precious lessons true love involves sacrifice, family is forever and the mistakes of the past can be forgiven.

On the surface, it's a monthly book club. But for five women, it is so much more. For Eve, whose husband's sudden death cheats her of every security she had planned on, the club is a place of sanctuary. For Annie, a brilliant attorney intent on starting a family late in life, it is the chance to finally let down her guard and dream of other possibilities. For Doris, it is her support group as she acknowledges her dying marriage and finds the ultimate freedom in her husband's betrayal. For Gabriella, the 'perfect' wife, mother and friend who offers support to everyone but is afraid to ask for it herself, it is a sense of community. And for Midge, an artist who has always lived her life against the grain, it is a haven of acceptance.

They are five women from different walks of life, embracing the challenge of change. As they share their hopes and fears and triumphs, they will hold fast to the true magic of the book club – friendship.

Her husband's suicide left Nora MacKenzie alone, and his shady Wall Street dealings left the Manhattan socialite penniless. By a miracle she's held on to their mountainside farm – and she'll keep holding on, no matter what. The property is Nora's one chance to wring some dignity out of the sham she's been living.

The Vermont locals think she's a city girl on a nature kick, but she's not afraid to get her hands dirty. Nora's serious about learning the farming business… if she can figure out where to begin. Against the locals' skepticism, she has only one ally: Charles 'C.W.' Walker.

C.W. is hardworking, gentle with animals and a patient teacher of the hundreds of chores Nora needs to learn. Slowly she starts to believe she'll survive in her new life, even flourish. She might even be willing to open her heart again. But she won't return to a life of lies…and the truth about C.W. may be more than Nora's fragile heart can bear.