Life in Serenity is only serene on the surface. It seems the old double standard is alive and well in the little town where Maddie Townsend, soon to be the ex Mrs. Townsend, and her best friends Helen and Dana Sue, dubbed the Sweet Magnolias, grew up. After twenty years of questionable marriage bliss Maddie wakes up to the news that her husband is going to become a father. This time the mother of his child is none other then his nurse, ironically hired by Maddie as she dutifully watched over her husbands practice. Obviously Maddie wasn't looking close enough since the tryst between Bill and Noreen has obviously been going on for quite some time. Now Bill feels the need to move on to a new life with Noreen leaving behind Maddie for damage control with their three children. But Bill isn't moving on too far, in fact he and his new life are going to remain right there in Serenity causing problems for the Townsend children as they react to the breakup of their family. In dealing with worries over her son Ty's problems in school Maddie approaches his baseball coach Cal for some insight. Cal has established strong ties to the school, his team and the town of Serenity. Quite innocently he is now developing strong feelings for Maddie even though the consequences of acting on those feelings could be the end of his coaching days there. The town of Serenity didn't seem to blink over the very public relationship of Bill Townsend and his very pregnant nurse when they appeared at his son's baseball game. But the sight of Maddie and Cal sharing a pizza after a game with the entire team starts the gossip mill grinding and the effects will ripple though all their lives. The question at hand is just how strong is this Sweet Magnolia and will she be able to start a new life for herself and children surrounded by small minded people and a strong minded arrogant ex-husband. Hopefully she will surprise them all and most importantly herself.

STEALING HOME is a surprisingly complex story dealing with some rather harsh realities of life. I have to admit while reading it I found myself reacting strongly to the inequity of how men and women are treated during a breakup of a family. There were times when I sighed, laughed, shook my head in dismay and cursed. I no longer referred to Bill Townsend nicely -- he was simply known as that b....d -- well you get the idea. Woods has written a wonderful story about survival and realizing inner strength. There is no way I can fully do justice to this book in the space allotted. STEALING HOME is a great introduction to a series of books featuring the Sweet Magnolias and I can't wait for the next installment. Enjoy!