Among the Fair Magnolia’s

July 28th, 2015. Filed under: Tuesday's Tempting Reads.

Among the Fair Magnolias

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In the most turbulent decade of our nation’s history, four Southern women—destinies forged by birth, hearts steeled by war—face near impossible choices on their journeys in life . . . and in love.

To Mend a Dream by Tamera Alexander

Savannah Darby would do almost anything to revisit her family home. So when new owner, Aidan Bedford, a Boston attorney and former Union soldier, seeks to redecorate the house for his fiancée, Savannah jumps at the opportunity. But the clock is ticking. Can she find the box her father supposedly hid there during the war before her assignment is completed? And before she sees yet another battle lost on the home front. This time, one of the heart.

An Outlaw’s Heart by Shelley Gray

When Russell Stark returns to Fort Worth, he’s determined to begin a new life. But when he arrives at his mother’s homestead, he discovers she’s very ill, and the woman he loved is still as beautiful and sweet as he remembered. With time running out, Russell must come to terms with both his future and his past.

A Heart So True by Dorothy Love

Abigail knows all too well what is expected of her: to marry her distant cousin Charles and take her place in society. But her heart belongs to another. A terrible incident forces Abby to choose between love and duty.

Love Beyond Limits by Elizabeth Musser

Emily has a secret: She’s in love with one of the freedmen on her family’s plantation. Meanwhile, another man declares his love for her. Emily realizes some things are not as they seem and secrets must be kept in order to keep those she loves safe.

ISLAND BREEZES

In To Mend a Dream we return to Savannah Darby’s life after To Win Her Favor. She lost the home she loved and is trying to support her younger brother and sister. Now she’s going to have a chance to once more see the inside of her former home. Due to her skill in sewing and decorating, she’ll be working for the new owner of Darby Farm.

She’s also going to have the opportunity to search for the box her father hid before going off to fight in the war. After too many near misses, will she finally get caught? And what’s she going to do about falling in love with someone else’s fiance’?

In An Outlaw’s Heart, Russell returns to Broken Arrow, Texas after nearly a seven year absence. He fled his home, his mother and his girl and rode with a gang of outlaws. Now he’s back and he’s not sure why. He returned to a broken down house and barn and a broken hearted mother.

What can he do? He has no dreams left. He just wants to see his mother and maybe find out about Nora. Has she married and moved on with her life? Partialy. Se is finally seeing a man who may not be all he appears to be. Maybe Russell still has a chance with her.

In A Heart So True we’re taken back to Pawleys Island and Charlotte Fraser from Carolina Gold. The Frasers are at their summer home on the island and preparing for their annal barbeque. Mr. Fraser is interested in obtaining political office so it’s an even bigger deal this year. The governor will be attending, so everything must be perfect (including Charlotte’s behavior).

Charlotte wants to marry Dr. Wade Bennett, but her father wants her to marry Charles Kittridge. Which engagement will be announced at the party?

In Love Beyond Limits Emily lives in a sorry time in our nation’s history. She is teaching how to read to the freedmen and their families who live on her father’s plantation. Many do not take kindly to the freeing of the slaves nor to their learning to read.

This is the time of the Klan and their vicious torturing and killing of the blacks. Emily’s love and allegience puts her, her family and the freedmen in danger. And as a topper, she finds out that the man she finally agreed to marry belongs to the Klan. You’ll find a bit of a surprise at the ending.

These novellas were penned by four talented ladies. I thoroughly enjoyed each novella, but I especially enjoyed the two which took me back to follow up on a character from a novel I had read. I’m looking forward to more from these ladies.

A bonus – recipes and discussion questions in the back of the book.

***A special thank you to litfuse for providing a review copy.***

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Tamera Alexander is the best-selling author of numerous books including A Lasting Impression and The Inheritance. Tamera is a two-time Christy Award winner, two-time RITA winner, and a recipient of the prestigious Library Journal Award. A native of west Tennessee.

Dorothy Love makes her home in the Texas hill country with her husband and their golden retriever. An award-winning author of numerous young adult novels, Dorothy made her adult debut with the Hickory Ridge novels.

Shelley Gray is the author of The Heart of a Hero series. Her Amish novel (written as Shelley Shepard Gray), The Protector, recently made the New York Times best seller list.

Elizabeth Musser, a native of Atlanta, Georgia now living in France, is a novelist who writes what she calls ‘entertainment with a soul.’ For over 25 years, Elizabeth and her husband, Paul, have been involved in mission work with International Teams.

 

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