Fall in love with the spirited Fitzpatrick family as they find romance in turbulent Civil War-era America. Settle in to enjoy these ten tales of independent American heroines who meet their rebellious matches! The Reluctant Debutante: Ginger Fitzpatrick would rather be rallying for women’s rights than attending the Cotillion Ball—until she sets her eye on Joseph Lafontaine, a half Ojibwa Indian, whom New York society deems her unsuitable to marry. But love knows no such boundaries… The Abolitionist’s Secret: Heather Fitzpatrick falls for young army lieutenant David Whitman, who is tracking the runaway slave she rescued a few nights earlier. Can their attraction survive the coming divide between North and South? Banking on Temperance: Banking heir Basil Fitzpatrick has his pick of the ladies—but it’s impoverished spitfire Temperance Jones, daughter of a circuit-riding preacher, who catches his eye. She’s determined to get to Oregon—does he have the courage to follow? The Tempestuous Debutante: The smart choice says Jasmine Fitzpatrick should choose to charm the Viscount of Foxborough at this season’s Cotillion, but the noble’s stable boy, Parr O’Shaughnessy, may hold the key to her heart. Blinded by Grace: Grace Wagner has loved Halwyn Fitzpatrick since they were teens. When she needs a husband to inherit a trust, will Halwyn’s new glasses help him see her in a new light, or will she take control and propose? The Duplicitous Debutante: Rosemary Fitzpatrick hides her female identity as dime novelist F.P. Elliott, from new publisher Henry Cooper. When her deception begins to unravel at the Cotillion Ball, will deceit cost her the man she’s come to love? Expressly Yours, Samantha: To escape her wicked uncle, Samantha Hughes cuts her hair and joins the Pony Express as a man. Valerian Fitzpatrick’s fleeing life in the family business, but he and Sam fall in love once her secret’s uncovered. But does a future with her mean giving up the freedom he’s always craved? A Widow’s Salvation: Volunteering at the army hospital, widow Pepper Fitzpatrick Brown meets head surgeon Colonel Elijah Williams. It’s hard to find happiness in a war-torn United States, but these two wounded souls stand a fighting chance—if they can save what’s left of their hearts. The Forgotten Debutante: Saffron Fitzpatrick spent her teenage years mourning the dead rather than dancing at her debutante ball, with the exception of one forbidden kiss with soldier Ezekiel Boone. Fate reunites the couple three years later, and they discover unexpected common ground. An Unconventional Courtship: Discover where it all began with this bonus novella featuring the Fitzpatrick parents! When a busybody from back home confronts Charlotte Ashcroft, who’s attending a women’s rights speech in New York City alone, she grabs the man in a jaunty blue hat nearby and introduces him as her escort. What’s an up-and-coming young banker like George Fitzpatrick to do but help a lady out?

All the drama and challenged loyalties of the pre-Civil War era come to life as the warmhearted Fitzpatrick daughters carve out their own lives and find true love. Settle in to enjoy these three tales of independent, passionate, and strong American heroines! The Tempestuous Debutante: The smart choice says Jasmine Fitzpatrick should choose to charm the Viscount of Foxborough at this season's Cotillion, but it's the noble's stable boy, Parr O'Shaughnessy, who may hold the key to her heart. Blinded by Grace: Grace Wagner has been in love with Halwyn Fitzpatrick since they were teens, but now she needs a husband to inherit the trust her father has left for her. Will Halwyn's new glasses help him see her in a new light, or will she take control and propose herself? The Duplicitous Debutante: Writing the popular Harry Hawk dime novels as F.P. Elliott, Rosemary Fitzpatrick is too busy hiding her female identity from her new publisher, Henry Cooper. But Henry is not the typical Boston Brahmin nor the typical publisher. When her deception begins to unravel at the Cotillion Ball, will Henry be able to forgive her, or has deceit cost her the man she loves? Sensuality Level: Sensual

Everything’s coming up roses for an English miss and an American gentleman in this delightful new series from the author of the Cotillion Ball saga! After British soldiers killed his wife and child during the War of 1812, Parker Sinclair vowed to never set foot on English soil. But as Thomas Jefferson’s landscaper, one must sometimes make the ultimate sacrifice. The last thing Parker expects to find is an educated English beauty who can teach him so much more than how to plant a magnificent garden. An expert at cross-pollinating roses, Violet Wilson’s dreams of becoming the first woman recognized by the Royal Horticultural Society are fading because she’s afraid to leave the quiet solitude of her family’s nursery. Distrustful of men after a traumatic encounter, she’s not keen on disrupting her routine to help the American landscaper, but she soon blossoms under his kindness and respect. As they fall in love, can this shrinking Violet take the risk of leaving behind all she knows for a new life with Parker? Or is he considering a different ending altogether? Sensuality Level: Sensual

Christmas in Savannah It had seemed like a very long time since Emma Summers had left Savannah. Morgan sat alone in his home, devoid of any Christmas celebration, and lamented his lot in life. He was nigh on to forty years old, unmarried, a murdering liar and thief, a mean, evil man and he knew it. But knowing and believing were two different things. A man without a conscience could always justify his deeds. The thing that had eaten away at him the most had been that he had not been able to locate Emma Summers. He had spent a small fortune on trying to find her, but his men hadnt come up with a single clue to her whereabouts, although they had searched every major city along the Eastern Seacoast from Savannah to Philadelphia. He hated her for what she had done to him. He would find her. He had to, because she had to suffer if he were ever to know any relief from his own pain. And he needed relief from his own pain badly. He needed his pound of flesh. He needed revenge! Now he would have to sell his spread for enough money to go some place where he could begin again. To Northern cities he was not attracted. The Midwest was certainly not offering him any options. That left open to him the only place he could hope to rebuild his fortune: the mining enterprises out in California, in San Francisco, to be exact.

This volume of The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture addresses the cultural, social, and intellectual terrain of myth, manners, and historical memory in the American South. Evaluating how a distinct southern identity has been created, recreated, and performed through memories that blur the line between fact and fiction, this volume paints a broad, multihued picture of the region seen through the lenses of belief and cultural practice. The 95 entries here represent a substantial revision and expansion of the material on historical memory and manners in the original edition. They address such matters as myths and memories surrounding the Old South and the Civil War; stereotypes and traditions related to the body, sexuality, gender, and family (such as debutante balls and beauty pageants); institutions and places associated with historical memory (such as cemeteries, monuments, and museums); and specific subjects and objects of myths, including the Confederate flag and Graceland. Together, they offer a compelling portrait of the "southern way of life" as it has been imagined, lived, and contested.

What southerners do, where they go, and what they expect to accomplish in their spare time, their "leisure," reveals much about their cultural values, class and racial similarities and differences, and historical perspectives. This volume of The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture offers an authoritative and readable reference to the culture of sports and recreation in the American South, surveying the various activities in which southerners engage in their nonwork hours, as well as attitudes surrounding those activities. Seventy-four thematic essays explore activities from the familiar (porch sitting and fairs) to the essential (football and stock car racing) to the unusual (pool checkers and a sport called "fireballing"). In seventy-seven topical entries, contributors profile major sites associated with recreational activities (such as Dollywood, drive-ins, and the Appalachian Trail) and prominent sports figures (including Althea Gibson, Michael Jordan, Mia Hamm, and Hank Aaron). Taken together, the entries provide an engaging look at the ways southerners relax, pass time, celebrate, let loose, and have fun.