Among the Fair Magnolias

Among the Fair Magnolias

Novella Collection  Thomas Nelson  During the most turbulent decade of our nation's history, four Southern women---their destinies forged by birth and heritage---face nearly 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 the new owner Aidan Bedford seeks to redecorate the house for his fiancée, Savannah jumps at the opportunity. But 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, a battle of the heart. An Outlaw's Heart by Shelley Gray Seven years ago Russell Champion was betrayed by the two most important women in his life. Now Russell returns home, but is it too late to make amends with his mother and find closure with his true love? A Heart So True by Dorothy Love Abigail Clayton hopes to reconcile with Dr. Wade Bennett and become his wife. But her father insists she marry her distant cousin Charles Kittridge so the plantations of the two families will be joined. With her wedding looming, Abby must choose between duty to her family and the yearnings of her own heart. Love Beyond Limits by Elizabeth Musser Emily Derracott loves her childhood friend Thomas McGinnis, but she cannot marry a man who doesn't share her strong convictions about the freedmen. Besides, she harbors a secret love for someone else. But the prospect of becoming his wife is not only improbable---it is completely impossible. Includes Recipes and Discussion Questions

Meet the Authors

Tamera Alexander is the best-selling author of numerous books including A Lasting Impression and The Inheritance. Her richly-drawn characters and thought-provoking plots have earned her devoted readers worldwide. Tamera is a two-time Christy Award winner, two-time RITA winner, and a recipient of the prestigious Library Journal Award. Tamera and her husband recently returned to her Southern roots and now make their home in Nashville. Visit her website at www.tameraalexander.com Facebook: tamera.alexander Twitter: @tameraalexander       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. A native of Texas, she earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in Colorado and taught school for ten years. She and her husband have two children and live in Southern Ohio. Visit her website at www.shelleyshepardgray.com Facebook: ShelleyShepardGray Twitter: @ShelleySGray 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. Visit her online Facebook: dorothylovebooks Twitter: @WriterDorothy Elizabeth Musser writes 'entertainment with a soul' from her writing chalet-tool shed-outside Lyon, France.  Elizabeth's highly acclaimed, best-selling novel, The Swan House, was named one of Amazon's Top Christian Books of the Year and one of Georgia's Top Ten Novels of the Past 100 Years (Georgia Backroads, 2009).  All of Elizabeth's novels have been translated into multiple languages. Two Destinies, the final novel in The Secrets of the Cross trilogy, was a finalist for the 2013 Christy Award. For over twenty-five years, Elizabeth and her husband, Paul, have been involved in missions work with International Teams.  The Mussers have two sons, a daughter-in-law and three grandchildren.  Visit her website at www.elizabethmusser.com Facebook: pages/Elizabeth-Musser Here's my review of this enjoyable anthology: First, I would like to extend a heartfelt “Thank you” to Tamera Alexander, Shelley Gray, Dorothy Love and Elizabeth Musser and their publisher for sending me a copy of "Among the Fair Magnolias" to review for them. I am truly grateful for this generosity. I really appreciate the time, effort and expense it takes to make a reviewer copy available to me. “Among the Fair Magnolias” by Tamera Alexander, Shelley Gray, Dorothy Love and Elizabeth Musser is an enjoyable anthology of four heartwarming novellas.  There are five must-try Southern recipes and a list of discussion questions to get your reading group off to a good start. ***Dorothy Love begins this enjoyable collection of stories with “A Heart So True”.  This is a love story triangle where Abby’s father wants her to marry her cousin, Charles, to strategically keep the family lands within the family.  But Abby’s heart belongs to Wade, a doctor she wants to marry.  Love’s tale is thick with Southern charm and actually offers some cultural understanding. ****“To Mend a Dream” by Tamera Alexander follows.  Savannah anxiously jumps at the chance to revisit her past when she accepts a position to redecorate her former childhood home for the new owner and his fiancée.  Secretly she is looking for a mysterious box hidden by her father on the property.  What a sweetly suspenseful read of another love triangle. ***In yet another love triangle, Elizabeth Musser entertains and enchants with her contribution to the anthology:  “Love Beyond Limits”.  Emily loves two men.  Her childhood friend, Thomas, doesn’t share her strong political beliefs, but he is the man pursuing her.  She is secretly in love with Leroy, a freedman on her family’s plantation, but Emily knows that a future with him would be impossible.  This story is steeped in history and very thought-provoking. ****Shelley Gray’s offering, “An Outlaw’s Heart”, is a hopeful story of second chances.  Russell Champion returns home after a seven-year absence that began with the betrayal of his own mother and the woman he loved.  This is a thoroughly satisfying read that makes the reader believe that it’s never too late to make things right and sometimes we have to seek out those who’ve wronged us.