A strong but poor young Southern Woman, who is determined to become a nurse takes her from her praying and loving God family, Prayed before every meal. Dean knew what a penny meant. This journey up north will test her strenght in herself and life Dean, knew Satan could knock at any time. But not with God's proctiction . Before she leaves she promises to be back to marry the town sheriff. Dean, grew up where you word was the value of your name. It means more than a bank account. Dean, never seen life like she was going to see it. Dean was amazed how life could turn on a dime. Charm and glamour sometimes can with any thing can some times can help you or haunt you.

Sixty-something Southerner MacLaren Yarbrough keeps busy as a county magistrate, a co-owner of Yarbrough’s Feed, Seed and Nursery, and a loving wife and mother. But her penchant for snooping around in other people’s business often lands her up to her neck in murder… In Hopemore, Georgia, good ol’ boy Skye MacDonald lives life large––as a dedicated family man, back-slapping civic leader, and flamboyantly successful owner of a local automobile empire. Very little happens in this cozy town without Skye’s full knowledge and participation. So the whole community is shocked when his body is found in a muddy road, run over by his own car. Judge MacLaren Yarbrough and her husband, Joe Riddley, have known the MacDonalds for years. So they can’t help but get involved in this baffling murder investigation, especially when it produces more questions than answers: Why has Skye’s son skipped town? How many secrets was Skye keeping? And… Who Left That Body in the Rain?

A stranger’s arrival in a small Southern town stirs up old secrets in this “aching, absorbing, yet uplifting read” from the author of The Memory House (Booklist). Renowned yet private, thriller writer Hayden Winters lives a life colored by lies. As he is deeply ashamed of his past, his hunger for an honest relationship and dreams of starting a family remain unsatisfied, and he can trust no one with his secrets. He’s determined to outrun his personal demons, but the charming old Peach Orchard Inn and a woman whose presence is as gentle as a sparrow’s song stops him in his tracks. Carrie Riley is afraid of everything from flying to thunderstorms, and pretty much of life itself. But meeting the enigmatic writer staying at the inn emboldens her to learn everything about him. When they discover a vulnerable boy hiding at the inn, Hayden is compelled to help Carrie protect him. Soon they’re led to a centuries-old mystery that haunts Hayden’s sleep, and his only safe haven is Carrie. As the secrets of the past and present cause their lives to become entwined, all that’s left to come to light is love—if the grim truth doesn’t tear them apart first. “A beautiful tale . . . If you love a bit of mystery, small town stories and having a little hope you will enjoy The Rain Sparrow on a rainy day.” —Fresh Fiction

Charleston, Modern Day: Adeline Miller, a preservationist, gets a call from a Charleston psychiatrist who wants her to restore his Battery Street mansion to its former glory. Thinking this might be her big break, she relocates to Charleston, moves into the third floor of the mansion, and gets to work. As she begins to discover secrets from the past about the family who once lived there, her future begins to get a lot more complicated than she ever expected.Charleston, 1859:Shannon Ravenel, the daughter of wealthy rice planter King Ravenel, is destined to marry into South Carolina's elite planting class. That conclusion is thrown into question when her brother brings home his friend from the Naval Academy, Massachusetts-bred John Thomas Haley. Love aside, can a planter's daughter and an abolitionist's son forge a future in a nation that is ripping apart at the seams, or does fate have other plans for both?

C.1 GIFT. 12-02-2010. $12.99.

Blair Ownes knows there is foul play when Police Chief Cade suddenly disappears.