Southern Fiction Family

This profound portrait of family life takes listeners inside the hearts and minds of members of the Quick family, whose raw-edged emotions are stirred up by a visit home. An inexplicably violent death and painful confrontations leave every family member forever changed. Rich in insight and psychological entanglements, A Southern Family is a masterful tale of anger and pain, of love and hatred, and ultimately of healing, understanding, and wisdom.

From USA TODAY and Amazon Charts bestselling author Lauren K. Denton comes her beloved debut novel, a heartfelt Southern story of family secrets, small-town charm, and the power of second chances. Perfect for fans of Patti Callahan Henry and Karen White, The Hideaway captures the spirit of the...

In the South, we believe in being polite, even if it kills us. So, when we just can't fight the urge to say something nasty, we follow it up with a "bless her heart" just to make us feel better. "Look at that poor woman trying to jog around that track. Her rear-end is dragging a trail, bless her heart." Youngblood and Poole talk about the ins and outs of nosy neighbors, sibling rivalry, and why every Southerner worth her salt feels the need to offer advice.

Joseph Lazare grows up believing his black hair and olive skin come from a Spanish grandmother, and he’s shocked to learn she was an enslaved African. At 13, Joseph allows racial prejudice to limit his future and chooses the seminary. At 23, he is ordained “a priest forever”. When he meets Tessa Conley, a devout Irish immigrant who shares his passions for music and botany, Joseph’s ordered world cracks at its foundation. He must conceal his true feelings as Tessa marries another man—a plantation owner who treats her like property.

When Meg shows up at her mother's door, she has no idea how to break the news to her. She's come home from France, pregnant. At just nineteen years old, this wasn't where she saw her life going. Now, trying to hide her growing belly and figure out her next decision, she moves in with her mother, sister and aunt on Seabreeze Island. But, how long can she keep her pregnancy a secret, and what happens if another surprising person shows up at the front door of Julie's house?

No one knows why Dixie’s son is standing there, on Christmas Day, no less. And he doesn’t look happy. Dixie is keeping a big secret that will shake up everyone around her. Julie’s daughter, Colleen, is coming home for a visit, but she’s not alone. Janine makes a new friend, but nobody is thrilled about it. Julie and Dawson question their budding relationship. Will they move forward or decide that being friends is the best way to go? There’s so much happening on this little island, including the return of Julie’s ex husband and a shocking surprise at the end.

Hannah Hudson has had a rough start to the year. Returning home to London from her magical holiday in Norway, still on a high after meeting the wonderful Kristine, her newfound happiness is dealt a crushing blow when she discovers that her ex has been stealing from her and she is going to lose her business. A letter from an American lawyer throws her an unexpected lifeline, informing her that she’s inherited a house and a restaurant in Presley, Louisiana, from her biological mother who gave her up for adoption at birth.

Minnie leaves boarding school to spend the summer at The Big House, her cherished Grandpa's home. She enjoys adventure, but she also learns of the dangers posed by the land and a river that can seduce the unwary. The arrival of Minnie's great-grandmother provides her with a fearless female role model as well as tales of the elderly woman's antebellum past and how she survived the Civil War.

In 1928, Minnie's mother, Nora, arrives at her nursing college after abandoning her a few years ago as a child. What does Nora want? An unexpected visit to Grandpa and Marie at the Big House offers Minnie shelter and refuge, but no longer the carefree days of her youthful experiences there. She discovers secrets. Shrewd and hidden manipulations of power ensure the survival of the Big House in this small Southern town, where a smile can mask suppressed rage and hostility.

By late 1936, the worst years of the Great Depression are over. Wealth has created new opportunities for Minnie: a beautiful home in California, a luxury car, the yearning desire by a handsome lieutenant, and the family’s summer retreat, which draws her like a magnet. Secrets abound. A hidden bohemian community of writers, poets, artists, and escapists is scattered across the shifting coastal dunes near the cottage.

Book three of the ongoing Big House saga erupts against the backdrop of the violent, strife-torn Arkansas Delta during the Great Depression. Terror, deception, and intrigue test Minnie's and her mother Nora's determination to return to the roots of their heritage. Though scorned by men of all classes who have the misguided notion that women cannot run a plantation, Minnie and Nora's grit is unyielding. Bound to the women's desire to save the land is their vow to settle the score against those who viciously attacked their family.

"Grace Helena Walz has taken her place among such treasured Southern novelists as Dorothea Benton and Anne Rivers Siddons." --Mary Kay Andrews, NYT bestselling author "This is a positively charming debut from a stand-out new voice. Add it to your TBR list immediately!" --Kristy Woodson Harvey...

Sometimes you have to forget all that you know...to learn how to love again. The player in the family, Jaxson goes through girlfriends faster than a hot knife through butter. A near fatal accident with a familiar face might be the very thing to give this cowboy a fresh take on love and loyalty. Jaxson locked his heart a long time ago and has no intention of opening it back up for anyone. Sure, he was heartbroken once when his ex-girlfriend Lemon betrayed him, but that was a lifetime ago. He has long since moved on. Then, why is he seeing Lemon? Was it her at the rodeo?

A headstrong woman goes against her wealthy family’s wishes in this stunning prequel to Roses, perfect for fans of Gone with the Wind. Born into the most influential family in 1830s South Carolina, Jessica Wyndham is expected to look appealing, act with decorum, and marry well. However, her...

AN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR From the Pulitzer Prize winner and best-selling author, a hilarious, sharply drawn send-up of local politics A novel about a dark-horse candidate who risks his personal happiness for a career in the Texas House of Representatives "Required reading in...

Law school student Vivian Lynn Alexander could no longer fight the undeniable truth that she had to end her three-year love affair with her college sweetheart Carlton Andrews to have the career as a lawyer she dreamed about. Nor could she deny a growing interracial passion that she felt for former basketball icon Chuck Montgomery...that is, until she met his best friend Derrick “Dunk and Jam” Jackson, who was an even bigger star than Chuck.

Mississippi River, 1879. Delta Jarrett is desperate to end the recurring dreams that haunt her: disturbing, passionate dreams about her ancestor, pirate Anne Bonny, and Anne's lover, Calico Jack. In need of distraction, Delta agrees to serve as a reporter for her brother-in-law Hollis's...

From a New York Times bestselling author ("One of our wisest storytellers"), a story collection that is funny and tragic in equal measure, about crimes large and small (Rebecca Makkai, author of The Great Believers). Beloved author Jill McCorkle offers an intimate look at the moments when a...

When the Butler sisters learn they’ve inherited their beloved grandma Betty’s beach house in South Carolina, they have mixed emotions. To put it mildly. Successful Lana seems to have it all. Nobody needs to know that her marriage and finances are falling apart. For her there’s no other option but to sell the beach house. Overburdened Yvonne already has priorities—including being her mother’s sole caretaker. Her advice: put it on the market and move on. Then there’s sentimental Tami. She can’t let her sisters just unload their past without at least one last trip to the Sea Islands.

After their father dies in a tragic accident, heiresses Evelyn, Georgia and Olivia Belle are left with a massive hole in their finances. With the world's media and National Crime Agency looking on, their family home, cars, and other assets are sold at auction, leaving the sisters penniless, homeless, and jobless. Shunned by their celebrity friends, the sisters must learn to fend for themselves for the first time in their lives.