When Sukie's husband shacks up with her Pilates instructor, her domestic drama becomes the talk of her small Georgia town. Friends from her married life prove fickle, and Sukie hides at home, terrified of encountering the town gossips at the grocery store. Betsy, Sukie's neighbor, invites her to join "Fat Fridays", a weekly gathering at a local café where the women order whatever they crave - no calories counted. Over sausage pizza and sage advice, Sukie gets a grip on her new life and learns to love her freedom.
Judith Keim's warm, funny novel offers moving glimpses into each of the five women's very different lives. As they struggle to deal with cruel exes, frustrating families, and forbidden love, the women offer one another the kind of friendship that is as rich and nurturing as their Friday feasts.
Tiffany Wright never planned to become a torch singer, much less a pregnant and single one. It was only with the help of her Fat Fridays luncheon group of strong women - counting their blessings, not their calories - that she found the courage to leave Beau, her once wonderful husband destroyed by drug addiction.
Now those same women are her supportive audience at Sassy Saturdays, the enchanting evenings when Tiffany belts out ballads at a local club. Things heat up when Kevin Bascombe - tall, dark, and exceedingly handsome - moves in next door...and turns out to be both Beau's new business partner and Tiffany's literal savior in a storm. And when tragedy strikes, Tiffany and Kevin find themselves on the same side of a legal battle, while Tiffany must summon the strength to stand up to her domineering in-laws or risk an unbearable loss.
With blue martinis as their talisman, the Sassy Saturdays friends, each facing familial challenges of her own, unite in support, finding hope in friendship, sisterhood, laughter - and colorful cocktails.
A child can teach us the right words to say…
Following her divorce, Allison Hartwell leaves Maine for California to become a partner in her college roommate’s art gallery. She’s out to prove she can succeed in business, get along without a man and have fun along the way. But things quickly fall apart; the business is financially insecure, and she’s left with the care of her roommate’s eight-year-old daughter, Daisy. When Blake Whiting, owner of Silver Goose Winery becomes involved with Sweet Talk, a wine and chocolate bar Allison opens, things become more complicated even as Daisy teaches her to open her heart to loving again.
A family story with heart… Be sure to read the other books in the series: The Talking Tree, Straight Talk, and Baby Talk.
And check out Judith Keim’s other series – the Hartwell Women, The Beach House Hotel series, the Fat Fridays series, the Salty Key Inn series, the Chandler Hill Inn series, the Desert Sage Inn series, and the Seashell Cottage Books that readers are loving.
A gift from the heart is the best gift of all…
When Marissa Crawford and her husband Brad decide to start a family, Marissa has serious doubts about her ability to be a good mother—she was raised by one of the worst. Torn between telling Brad the truth and hoping she doesn’t get pregnant, Marissa’s life is completely upended when a baby girl is left in a basket on the front porch of her large home in Maine. Caring for the baby given specifically to Brad and her, Marissa must decide what her role in life is all about. Attempting to overcome her past, she’s faced with agonizing decisions. As she opens her heart to those who need her, she is challenged in unexpected ways and discovers a joy greater than she’s ever known.
A family story with heart!
Two women fight to regain the hotel they created, taking it back from the hotel group who bought it...
Ann and Rhonda are fed up with the way the new, majority owners are changing The Beach House Hotel from the small, elegant hotel they once owned and operated into a tacky, South Beach wannabe property. What’s their only recourse? Buy back the property to save it from getting even worse. And with the new management ruining Ann’s daughter’s plans for a Christmas Eve wedding, they have to get to work right away to regain control of the hotel. Facing a number of challenges along the way, including rumors of Vaughn’s dalliance with Ann’s old nemesis, Lily Dorio, Ann and Rhonda work to make it the best-ever Christmas at The Beach House Hotel.
A light, “beach read” with humor sprinkled in for readers’ enjoyment. Be sure to read the next books in the series! Margaritas at The Beach House Hotel, and Dessert at The Beach House Hotel. Or read the earlier books – Breakfast at the Beach House Hotel, Lunch at the Beach House Hotel, Dinner at the Beach House Hotel.
Love and friendship sustain two women who continue to run their upscale, beachside hotel in Florida as life continues to bring unexpected challenges…
The Beach House Hotel, the seaside mansion Ann Rutherford and Rhonda DelMonte converted to an upscale, boutique hotel, continues to be a success. Not only is it the spot for breakfast and lunch, it’s become the “IN” place for dinner. The sudden, unexpected deaths of Ann’s ex and his wife, leave the care of their son, Robbie, to Ann’s daughter, Liz, while she is still in college. Ann and Vaughn decide to relieve Liz of this responsibility by adopting Robbie as Rhonda becomes both a mother and grandmother. Vaughn’s plane disappears on a fishing trip in Alaska at the same time they learn investors want to buy the hotel. Ann and Rhonda are faced with one of the biggest decisions of their lives. The hotel is their baby too—their pride and joy. But they know no matter what the future holds, their love and friendship for each other will endure.
A light, “beach read” with humor sprinkled in for readers’ enjoyment. Be sure to read the next books in the series! Christmas at The Beach House Hotel, Margaritas at The Beach House Hotel, and Dessert at The Beach House Hotel. Or read the earlier books – Breakfast at The Beach House Hotel and Lunch at the Beach House Hotel
Life can bring unexpected challenges...
Samantha Hartwell’s life changes completely when she’s attacked by a client’s boyfriend. She leaves Boston and Straight Talk, her consulting business, and escapes to California wine country to heal and to help her sister and brother-in-law with their vineyard’s growth. But she can’t escape the desire Derek Roberts, a worldwide photographer, had sparked inside her. The two challenge each other in ways they’ve never experienced and end up with more than they ever expected.
Home is where your heart leads you…
Louise “Lulu” Kingsley is thrilled to discover after years of wishing for a sibling, Cami Chandler is her half-sister. When Cami invites her to live at Chandler Hill, Lulu jumps at the chance to leave behind all the heartache in her recent life. Not the spoiled little rich girl the media would like everyone to think, Lulu digs into marketing for the inn and winery, feeling more comfortable there than she ever did in California with her political father. Better yet, her mother is becoming a stronger, happier person and shares the idea of becoming part of a new family. Even though Lulu is aware that Miguel Lopez is the kind of guy who represents everything she’s trying to forget, she’s attracted to him. Following a heartbreaking situation, she steps away from their relationship. Lulu settles in at Chandler Hill, coping the best way she knows—by working hard. But when Cami’s beloved grandfather, Rafe, has a stroke, Lulu realizes life is short and knows she must make things right with Miguel, and learns that home is where your heart leads you.
A love story of a family with heart… Be sure to listen to or read the other books in the series: Going Home and Coming Home.
Three talented women are brought together by a man they all love, becoming his Desert Flowers, who work together to save his hotel from being ruined by the company buying it…
When Rose Macklin is asked to help Alec Thurston, the one man she’s ever truly loved, by coming to Palm Desert, California, she doesn’t hesitate. He’s dying of cancer and needs her help overseeing the sale of his hotel, the Desert Sage Inn, to another hotel group. With her marketing skill and as the owner of a very successful blog, she’s his perfect choice to make the sale a smooth transition while ensuring the new owners will maintain the reputation and image of the upscale property after the sale. She arrives to find Alec has summoned two other women to help with the project. Lily Weaver was once Alec’s assistant, and Willow Sanchez was like a daughter to him. They join forces to help him, lovingly accepting his nickname for them—the Desert Flowers, similar to the well-known Charlie’s Angels of TV fame. When Rose is assigned to work alongside Hank Bowers, an independent consultant to the hotel company’s team, she shudders at his reputation as an outgoing guy who always uses sports analogies and is certain they won’t get along. But Alec counsels her to give Hank a chance and, later, as they work together as a team, Rose is left to wonder if falling for one another is part of Alec’s secret plan even if one of Hank’s grown daughters fights the idea. A series for those who love stories about strong women facing challenges and finding love and happiness along the way.
Family is worth finding and keeping…
Sheena Sullivan Morelli and her sisters, Darcy and Regan, work to complete their Uncle
Gavin’s challenge of turning his rundown hotel into a profitable operation within one year. Winning means earning a share in their uncle’s sizable estate. More than that, it determines how they’ll spend the rest of their lives. Sheena wants to stay on at the hotel, overseeing the hotel operation. But Darcy and Regan want to move on with their lives—Darcy writing a novel and Regan going into the interior decorating business with Mo. But life has other plans for them. And in the end, all three realize that the only thing that really matters is finding—and keeping—family.
A beach read with heart… Be sure to read the other books in the series: Finding My Way and Finding Love. Or read the first book in the series, Finding Me.
One of three sisters, a mother, and a wife, Sheena Morelli re-discovers the woman she really is…
Sheena Sullivan Morelli and her sisters, Darcy and Regan, receive the unexpected news that their Uncle Gavin Sullivan, the black sheep of the family, has left them a hotel on the Gulf coast of Florida. The gift comes with a twist. They must live together for one year at the hotel and prepare the hotel to receive guests within that year. Sheena, eager to escape her role of unappreciated wife and mother, can’t wait for the opportunity to find herself. Dreams of sitting on the beach sipping margaritas are shattered when they see the property is in need of renovation. But they begin their work of meeting the challenge. If they succeed, the bulk of Gavin’s estate will be theirs. Facing the unexpected, working together, the three sisters learn a lot about each other and the gift of family love.
A beach read with heart… Be sure to read the other books in the series: Finding My Way, Finding Love, and Finding Family.
Love sometimes starts at home…
As Regan Sullivan continues to work with her sisters, Sheena and Darcy, to meet their Uncle Gavin’s challenge to make the Salty Key Inn a success, she wonders why she can never find the man of her dreams. Her sisters are happily settled with men they love. Why can’t she do the same? When she’s involved in a motorcycle accident with Brian Harwood, Regan learns to think differently about both her appearance and herself. And as she deals with her injuries and helps Brian recover from the accident she feels guilty about causing, Regan discovers that the love she’s always sought has been there all along.
A beach read with heart… Be sure to read the other books in the series: Finding My Way and Finding Family. Or read the first book in the series, Finding Me.
