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!
Maddie Townsend might live in a town called Serenity, but
there's been nothing calm or peaceful about her life since
her marriage broke up. This stay-at-home mom has no job
skills, an out-of-control sixteen-year-old son, a talkative
fourteen-year-old who's suddenly gone silent, a six-year-old
daughter whose heart is broken, an ex-husband whose younger
girlfriend is expecting their baby and two best friends who
think she's somehow qualified to help them open a fitness
spa for women.
But if Maddie is a tad on edge with
all that on her plate, it's nothing compared to the chaos
that ensues when she discovers that her son's baseball coach
has feelings for her and the whole town disapproves.
Maddie's faced a lot of challenges lately with strength and
resolve, but Cal Maddox may turn out to be more than she can
handle.
Then again, he could just be the one man in
all of South Carolina who can help her find serenity.
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