Most Popular Books by Mary Alice Monroe

For five women whose lives are in transition, their regular book club meeting provides them a place of comfort, support, and sanctuary.

In this next novel in the Lowcountry Summer series, New York Times bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe returns to the charm and sultrybeauty of Sullivan''s Island, South Carolina, and the Muir family--three half sisters bound by love for their grandmother and the Carolina lowcountry--in an unforgettable tale of family bonds and love as strong and steady as the tides.

"The coming of Spring usually means renewal, but for Linnea Rutledge, Spring 2020 threatens stagnation. Linnea faces another layoff, this time from the aquarium she adores. For her--and her family--finances, emotions, and health teeter at the brink. To complicate matters, her new love interest, Gordon, struggles to return to the Isle of Palms from England. Meanwhile, her old flame, John, turns up from California and is quarantining next door. She tries to ignore him, but when he sends her plaintive notes in the form of paper airplanes, old sparks ignite. When Gordon at last reaches the island, Linnea wonders--is it possible to love two men at the same time? Love in the time of the coronavirus proves challenging, at times humorous, and ever changing. Relationships are redefined, friendships made and broken, and marriages tested. As the weeks turn to months, and another sea turtle season comes to a close, Linnea learns there are more meaningful lessons learned during this summer than opportunities lost, that summer is a time of wonder, and that the exotic lives in our own back yards ... Linnea and the Rutledge family continue to face their challenges with the strength, faith, and commitment"--

Includes readers group guide with discussion questions.

When a woman trades facial deformity for marquee beauty, she embarks on a “painful and illuminating journey of self-discovery” in this heartfelt novel (Nora Roberts). Born with a facial deformity, Charlotte Godowski was used to the horrified stares she received from strangers. She’d learned to accept her appearance and the effects it had on others. Then came the cruel incident that compelled her to undergo a life-changing surgery. Now she is Charlotte Godfrey, a woman of beauty beyond compare. In Hollywood, where such beauty is power, her rise is meteoric. Suddenly she has everything she could want: acceptance, fame, a bright future, and a love who can see her 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.

While recovering from breast cancer in a remote cabin in North Carolina, Mia Landan finds the journal of Kate Watkins, a 1920s fly fisher, and, inspired by Kate''s example, learns to fish and uncovers many secrets around her.

Jake, Macon, and Lovie fight to survive at sea in this third high-stakes adventure in the middle grade, New York Times bestselling The Islanders series by Mary Alice Monroe! Jake Potter’s biggest dream finally comes true: he gets his very own boat! And it’s just in time for another summer of fun on Dewees Island with his best friends, Macon and Lovie. But on their very first fishing trip, the engine dies, and the three friends find themselves adrift at sea. When a storm carries them to a small, uninhabited island far from Dewees, the kids must use every ounce of their strength, courage, and knowledge to survive as they wait for rescue. Will their friendship survive the ultimate test?

A mother''s journal of a summer spent with her daughter on an island among loggerhead turtles.

"New York Times bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe returns to her beloved Beach House series with this novel about one family''s summer of new beginnings in old places"--

Wedding season has arrived in New York Times bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe’s fourth novel in the “distinct, complex, and endearing” (Charleston Magazine) Lowcountry Summer series, set against the romantic, charming Carolina lowcountry. Nothing could be more enchanting than a summer wedding—or two!—in storied Sullivan’s Island. A centuries-old plantation, an avenue of ancient oaks dripping moss, a sand dune at sunset… it’s all picture perfect, and half-sisters Dora, Carson, and Harper, and their grandmother Marietta “Mamaw” Muir couldn’t be more excited. Wedding dresses are picked, venues booked, and delectable cakes tasted. What could possibly go wrong? The answer, the Muir clan is soon to find out, is everything. Carson loves Blake, but struggles with giving up her independence. Harper questions if a prenuptial agreement will help or hurt the future of her marriage, and a newly unfettered Dora is uncertain whether she really wants to walk down the aisle again. Just when it seems things couldn’t get more complicated for the Muir sisters, a stranger arrives bearing a long-held family secret that has the potential to upset even the most carefully laid-out wedding plans. With the weddings mere weeks away, the invitations sent out, and the family in tumult, Mamaw and her Summer Girls discover the enduring and powerful bonds of family, and realize that, no matter how different each bride might be, she can still have her perfect wedding.

A wounded warrior and his younger brother discover the true meaning of Christmas in this timeless story of family bonds--a poignant continuation of Monroe''s beloved Lowcountry Summer series, winner of the Southern Book Prize. HC: Gallery Books.

Together for the first time in one valuable box set, three compelling stories of family and friendship from the New York Times bestselling author of The Beach House, Mary Alice Monroe. The Book Club On the surface, it is a monthly book club. But for five women, it is so much more: everything from an escape from daily responsibilities to the sense of community and security it provides. They are from different walks of life, embracing the challenge of change. And as they share their hopes and fears and triumphs, they will hold fast to the true magic of the book club—friendship. The Four Seasons The Season sisters have gathered for the funeral of their younger sister. Her death, and the legacy she leaves them, will trigger a cross-country journey in search of a stranger with the power to mend their shattered lives. As the emotions of the past reverberate into the present, the three search for the girls they once were, in hopes of finding what they really lost: the women they were meant to be. Skyward When burned-out ER nurse Ella Majors can take no more misery, she accepts a temporary position caring for a little girl. Harris Henderson, a single father, seems better able to deal with the creatures 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 all their injured hearts.

The New York Times–bestselling author paints an intimate portrait of a family’s struggle to come together and protect their historic South Carolina home. Sweetgrass is a historic tract of land in South Carolina that has been home to the Blakely family for eight generations. But Sweetgrass—named for the indigenous grass that grows in the area—is in trouble. Taxes are skyrocketing. Bulldozers are leveling the surrounding properties. And the Blakelys could be forced to sell the one thing that continues to hold their disintegrating family together. When Preston Blakely suffers a stroke, his son Morgan returns from Montana to help run the property. Morgan’s mother, Mary Jane, has been estranged from Preston for years. But now she must take a hard look at the past. In Sweetgrass, Mary Alice Monroe shares a poignant tale of a family that must learn to unravel old patterns and weave together a new future.

Now in paperback from "New York Times"-bestselling author Monroe, the story of four very different women who embark on a transformational journey following the migrating monarchs across the United States.

Jake Potter is back on Dewees Island for another summer with his beloved grandmother, and to cheer his dad and his friends up he decides they should try and find a special treasure box hidden somewhere nearby.

Originally published in hardcover in 2013 by Gallery Books. Reprinted in paperback 2014 with a readers group guide and an excerpt from the author''s forthcoming novel: The Summer Wind, book two in the Lowcountry Summer trilogy.

A South Carolina bird sanctuary is home to a single father, his ailing daughter and the caregiver who joins their family in this novel of love and healing. Burned-out and unsure of her next step, E.R. nurse Ella Majors accepts a position as caregiver to Marion Henderson, a frightened five-year-old with juvenile diabetes. But Ella soon realizes there is more sorrow in the isolated 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.

From the New York Times Bestselling Author of On Ocean Boulevard! Caretta Rutledge thought she’d left her Southern roots and troubled family far behind. But an unusual request from her mother—coming just as her own life is spinning out of control—has Cara heading back to the scenic Lowcountry of her childhood summers. Before long, the rhythms of the island open her heart in wonderful ways as she repairs the family beach house, becomes a bona fide “turtle lady” and renews old acquaintances long thought lost. But it is 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. The perfect summer read!

"Late August is a beautiful time on the Southern coast--the peach trees are ripe, the ocean is warm, and the sweet tea is icy. It''s the perfect time to enjoy the rocking chairs on the porch. But beneath the calm surface bubbles a threat: it''s also peak hurricane season. When a hurricane threatens the coasts of Florida and South Carolina, an eclectic group of evacuees flees for the farm of their friends Grace and Charles Phillips in North Carolina: the Phillips''s daughter Moira and her rescue dogs, famed equestrian Javier Angel de la Cruz, makeup artist Hannah McLain, horse breeder Gerda Klug and her daughter Elise, and island resident Cara Rutledge. Strangers to all but the Phillips, they must ride out the storm together. During the course of one of the most challenging weeks of their lives, relationships are put to the test as the evacuees are forced to confront the unresolved issues they have with themselves and with each other. But as the storm passes, they realize that what really matters isn''t what they brought with them to the mountains. Rather, it''s what they''ll take with them once they leave."--Amazon.com

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.

Last Light Over Carolina Every woman in the sultry South Carolina low country knows the unspoken fear that clutches the heart every time her man sets out to sea. Now, that fear has become a terrible reality for Carolina Morrison. Her husband, shrimp boat captain Bud Morrison, is lost and alone somewhere in the vast Atlantic fishing grounds, with a storm gathering and last light falling. Over the course of one terrifying, illuminating day, Carolina looks back across thirty years of love and loss, joy and sorrow: How she rejected a well-to-do upbringing to marry Bud and embrace his extraordinary lifestyle by the sea . . . how hard times and loneliness have driven them apart . . . and how, with one mistake, she may have shattered their once-unbreakable bond forever. While their the close-knit community rallies together to search for one of its own, Carolina knows their love must somehow call him home, across miles of rough water and unspeakable memories. New York Times bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe explores a vanishing feature of the southern coastline, the mysterious yet time-honored shrimping culture, in a compelling tale of a strong woman struggling to prove that love is a light that never dies.

Rediscover this moving tale of second chances and self-reinvention by New York Times bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe. 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 the 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. Originally published in 2010

Get swept up again in this heartfelt family drama from New York Times bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe. They are the Season sisters, bound by blood, driven apart by a tragedy. Now they are about to embark on a bittersweet journey into the unknown—an odyssey of promise and forgiveness, of loss and rediscovery. Jillian, Beatrice and Rose have gathered for the funeral of their younger sister, Meredith. Her death, and the legacy she leaves them, will trigger a cross-country journey in search of a stranger with the power to mend their shattered lives. As the emotions of the past reverberate into the present, Jillian, Beatrice and Rose search for the girls they once were, in hopes of finding what they really lost: the women they were meant to be. Originally published in 2001

"The colorful flowers in Mama''s garden reveal a strange-looking creature. "What is it? Does it sting, does it bite?" Join in this photographic journey as the young girl and her mother care for the caterpillar. Watch as it transforms into a chrysalis and then emerges as a beautiful monarch butterfly. How can the young girl "claim" the butterfly as her own but still let it go free?"--

The New York Times bestselling author and “skilled storyteller who never lets her readers down” (Huffington Post) returns to her beloved Beach House series with this “authentic, generous, and heartfelt” (Mary Kay Andrews, New York Times bestselling author) tale of new beginnings, resilience, and one family’s enduring love. Cara Rutledge returns to her Southern home on the idyllic Isle of Palms. Comforting in its familiarity, it is still rife with painful memories. Only through reconnecting with family, friends, and the rhythms of the lowcountry can Cara let go of the past and open herself to the possibility of a new career and love. Meanwhile, her niece Linnea, a recent college graduate with an uncertain future, leaves her historic home in Charleston, with all its entitlement and expectations, and heads to her aunt’s beach house. On the island, she is free to join the turtle team, learn to surf, and fall in love. Remembering the lessons of her beloved grandmother, Lovie, the original “turtle lady,” Linnea rediscovers a meaningful purpose to her life and finds the courage she needs to break from tradition. In “this tender and openhearted novel of familial expectations, new boundaries, and the power of forgiveness” (Booklist), three generations of the Rutledge family gather together to find the strength, love, and commitment to break destructive family patterns and to forge new bonds that will endure long beyond one summer reunion.

A tale set in the 1970s American South shares the story of Lovie Rutledge, who reflects on a summer during which a beach vacation to escape her unfaithful, disdainful husband culminates in a fateful romance with a handsome biologist.

Get swept away to the beautiful and breezy Isle of Palms with New York Times bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe’s return to her “exceptional and heartwarming” (Publishers Weekly) Beach House series, set in South Carolina’s lowcountry. Two women. One summer. One very special beach house. Cara Rutledge rents her quaint cottage on Isle of Palms to Heather Fordham for the entire summer. As beautiful as the Isle of Palms is, Heather’s anxiety keeps her indoors with her caged canaries as she paints birds for postage stamps. Eventually, however, the shore birds—and a man who rescues them—lure her outside. As the summer progresses and Heather begins to blossom, Cara’s life reels with sudden tragedy. She wants only to return home but Heather refuses to budge from her sanctuary. As everything around the ladies is coming apart, they discover they can only rely on each other. Now, the two women who don’t really know each other are forced to live together and support each other as they navigate the next chapter of their lives. Featuring Monroe’s signature “lyrical, emotional, and gripping” (RT Book Reviews), Beach House for Rent demonstrates the power and strength of female friendships.

Sometimes fairy tales do come true! As a single mother of two, Faye O''Neill has no time for fairy tales. She''s not even certain she believes in luck. Practical, smart and desperate to escape a shadowy past, Faye takes a job at a top advertising firm in London where she hopes she and her children can find a fresh start. When she finds the beautiful two-story flat for rent in a stately old Victorian complete with a neglected but tumbling English garden, she can scarcely believe her good fortune. But it''s not long before Faye realizes everything in the old home may not be as peaceful as it seems. A strange light begins to appear in her children''s rooms at night, and then there''s the reclusive elderly tenant her landlady warned her to steer clear of, the woman who spends her evenings spying on Faye''s children from her garret-room window. To make matters worse, Faye, who has sworn off men, discovers her downstairs neighbor Jack is a disturbingly handsome professor with a talent for charming women and children alike. Before she knows it, Faye has embarked upon a whole new adventure into a world where anything might be possible, where broken hearts can be healed by a kiss, and where Neverland may not be a place of fables, but a forgotten land one can still find if they are only brave enough to follow the second star to the right.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! In this warm and moving anthology, a group of bestselling authors and writers pay tribute to legendary, larger-than-life New York Times bestselling author Dorothea Benton Frank and her literary legacy. Inspired by the title Dorothea Benton Frank planned for her next book—Reunion Beach—these close friends and colleagues channeled their creativity, admiration, and grief into stories and poems that celebrate this remarkable woman and her abiding love for the Lowcountry of her native South Carolina—a land of beauty, history, charm, and Gullah magic she so brilliantly brought to life in her acclaimed novels. From Elin Hilderbrand, #1 New York Times bestselling author, a sequel to Summer of ’69. From Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author, comes a heartwarming, humorous interview from the hereafter with Pat Conroy and Dorothea Benton Frank, two beloved icons of Southern literature. From Patti Callahan, bestselling author of Becoming Mrs. Lewis and Surviving Savannah, comes The Bridemaids, a story about a trip to the South Carolina beach. From Mary Alice Monroe, New York Times bestselling author, Mother and Child Reunion, a heartwarming story set under the warm South Carolina sun. Reunion Beach also features letters, short stories, poems, and essays from: Mary Norris, New York Times bestselling author and staff writer for The New Yorker Cassandra King Conroy, bestselling and award-winning author of Tell Me A Story Nathalie Dupree, James Beard Award-winning cookbook author Marjory Wentworth, former Poet Laureate of South Carolina Gervais Hagerty, author of In Polite Company Jacqueline Bouvier Lee, Peter Frank, Victoria Peluso, and William Frank Infused with Dorothea Benton Frank’s remarkable spirit, Reunion Beach is a literary homage and beautiful keepsake that keeps this dearly missed writer’s flame burning bright.

Spending the summer with his grandmother on South Carolina''s Dewees Island, eleven-year-old Jake finds two friends who are also struggling with family issues and together they try to save a sea turtle nest from predators.

Four exceptional novels together in one box set! The Book Club by Mary Alice Monroe For five women, their monthly meeting is a place of sanctuary and community. These women from different walks of life are each embracing the challenge of change in their own circumstances. And as they share their hopes and fears and triumphs, they will hold fast to the true magic of the book club—friendship. The Kommandant’s Girl by Pam Jenoff In Poland at the outbreak of the Second World War, Emma Bau takes on a new identity and a job as assistant to a high-ranking Nazi official. Urged by the resistance to use her position to access details of the occupation, Emma must compromise her safety—and her marriage vows—in order to help the cause. As the atrocities of war intensify, Emma must make choices that will risk not only her double life, but also the lives of those she loves. Come Away with Me by Karma Brown Tegan Lawson is consumed by grief and anger after a devastating accident that changes her life in ways she could never have imagined. But then her adoring husband, Gabe, reminds her of their Jar of Spontaneity, a collection of their dream destinations and experiences, and so begins an adventure of a lifetime. Together they explore the world and search for forgiveness, possibly to find hope. The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick Sixty-nine-year-old Arthur Pepper lives a simple, orderly life. But on the one-year anniversary of his wife’s death, he discovers in her possessions a gold charm bracelet that he’d never seen before. Arthur embarks on a life-changing adventure to find the truth about his wife’s life before they met, a journey that leads him to find hope, healing and self-discovery in the most unexpected places.

Laurel Carrington always followed her father''s play-it-safe plans for her future. Yet as she stands on the brink of womanhood, she faces the emptiness in her life and longs for passion, adventure, and love. When an unexpected invitation arrives inviting her to apprentice for the renowned but reclusive painter Maybelle Starr, Laurel impulsively grabs at the chance. Laurel soon finds her orderly life turned upside down by the artist''s unusual lifestyle and her feelings for the enigmatic Dane. When harsh realities threaten their fairy tale deep in the woods of Fallingstar, Vermont, Laurel is forced to choose between what is real and what only happens on one summer''s night...