Helen Decatur was the obsessive, compulsive member of the
group of three friends, Maddie, Helen & Dana Sue commonly
referred to as the Sweet Magnolias. Her life revolved around
her career as a lawyer specializing in divorce and
settlement cases. As far as family life was concerned she
was very content with her role as doting aunt to her best
friends children after all she could spoil them rotten and
then send them home to their parents. Helen was a strong
advocate for the abused or cheated wife left to carry on and
support a family sometimes in the face of violence. Her
picture of married life was somewhat colored by what she
witnessed day after day and cemented her choice to remain
single. What she didn't count on -- what didn't make it onto
one of her many lists -- was turning 43 and having her
biological clock start ticking -- rather loudly too. She
became obsessed with the idea of having a child of her own
and started to implement a plan to make it happen. But as
with all plans -- obstacles present themselves and for Helen
this obstacle had a name Erik Whitney. As relationships go
Helen and Erik were very happy with their mutually agreed
uncommitted passionate affair. But Erik was unaware of
Helen's desire to have a child and adamantly against
marriage and children. This presents quite an ethical
dilemma for attorney Helen Decatur. Does she trick Erik into
getting her pregnant knowing full well that will be the end
of their friendship or give up on her dream of having a
child? Either way she will lose something that has become
very important to her.
FEELS LIKE FAMILY is the final installment of the Sweet
Magnolia series and it revolves around the importance of
family and how differently families are defined. The story
about Helen brings forth a disquieting atmosphere amongst
these friends. Friends may seem to love unconditionally but
when their trust is in question a chasm may develop that
seems to be insurmountable. Helen's family has always been
her friends, their children and spouses as well as her many
clients. She readily notes the influence her actions have
had on her client's lives. Now she has to evaluate her own
actions and the effect it will have on her future with her
Serenity family. Woods created a well thought out closure to
this fine series on life in a small town whose inhabitants
were anything but small in fact many of them were larger
then life and that's what made these stories so intriguing.
Sherryl Woods weaves a thoughtful and intelligent tale.
Enjoy them all!
Helen Decatur spent a lifetime setting goals—getting
through college and law school, opening her own practice,
becoming financially secure and establishing herself as one
of the most highly respected matrimonial attorneys in the
state of South Carolina. Achieving those goals was a breeze
compared to the one she's faced with now.
The most driven—and cynical—of the Sweet Magnolias, Helen
is forty-two, single and suddenly ready for the family
she's put on the back burner for all these years.
Unfortunately, having a child at her age comes with lots of
complications, not the least of which is the absence of a
serious relationship in her life.
But Helen's not the type of woman to wait around for fate
to step in. Taking charge of her own destiny puts her at
odds with her two best friends, sets sparks flying with a
man who doesn't want a family, and leads her straight into
the most unexpected complication of all…love.
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