Caretta Rutledge thought she’d left her Southern roots and troubled family far behind. But an unusual request from her mother—coming just as her own life is spinning out of control—has Cara heading back to the scenic Lowcountry of her childhood summers. Before long, the rhythms of the island open her heart in wonderful ways as she repairs the family beach house, becomes a bona fide “turtle lady” and renews old acquaintances long thought...

"Toy Sooner kept her vow to her beloved mentor, the original turtle lady of the Isle of Palms. She left behind an abusive, dysfunctional lifestyle to become a strong single mother and an aquarist at the South Carolina Aquarium. But success has taken its toll, leaving Toy fearful of change and risks. It's only been through the enduring love of a close-knit group of women that she's finally started to find her footing. The turtle season begins the day...

"When Ann Rutherford's husband dumps her for the bimbo in his office, unfairly leaving her without a home or a job, she reluctantly joins forces with Rhonda DelMonte to convert Rhonda's Florida seaside estate into the small upscale hotel it once was. Ann, quiet and reserved, is no match for brash, bossy Rhonda, who left the family's New Jersey butcher business after she won the lottery. Amid their struggles to succeed, The Sins of the Children, a...

"Ann Rutherford's and Rhonda DelMonte Grayson's lives continue to be full of surprises as they run The Beach House Hotel, their small, upscale hotel on the Gulf Coast in Southwest Florida. Things heat up when Tina Marks (Valentina Marquis, a famous young movie star) is sent to the hotel in secret to lose twenty-five pounds in eight weeks for her next starring role. As much as Ann and Rhonda want to help Tina succeed, the hotel is known for its delicious...

"When Cara Rutledge rents out her quaint beach house on Isle of Palms to Heather Fordham for the entire summer, it's a win-win by any standard: Cara's generating income necessary to keep her husband Brett's ecotourism boat business afloat, and anxiety-prone Heather, a young artist who's been given a commission to paint shorebirds for postage stamps, has a quiet space in which to work and tend to her pet canaries uninterrupted. It isn't long, however,...

"Cara Rutledge returns to her Southern home on the idyllic Isle of Palms. Everything is comfortingly the same, yet each detail is rife with painful memories. Only through reconnecting with family, friends, and the rhythms of the lowcountry can Cara release the hold of the past and open herself to the possibility of a new love, career, and hope for the future. Meanwhile, her niece Linnea, a recent college graduate who doesn't know where her life will...

An upscale hotel like The Beach House Hotel sometimes attracts surprise guests ... Ann and Rhonda continue overseeing their Beach House Hotel along the Gulf Coast of Florida and providing guests with a lovely experience of good eating, relaxation, and the privacy many of them require. When Vice President of the United States, Amelia Swanson, asks them for a favor, Ann and Rhonda agree without realizing it means protecting Amelia's sister from an abusive...

"Against their better judgment, Ann and Rhonda agree to help a young girl in distress at the request of the vice-president of the United States, Amelia Swanson. After almost losing their lives because of an earlier request of hers, they plan on being more careful. Amanda Rogers was an intern for Senator Worthington's office when she was drugged at a staff party and got pregnant. Now, alone without parental support, she and her friend, Jax Thomas,...

"Ann and Rhonda continue their work at The Beach House Hotel, always striving to make their upscale property the best on the Gulf Coast of Florida. As they've learned, not all guests are easy. When they receive a request from Hilda Hassel, a member of the Bavarian royal family, for a two-week stay at the hotel in January, demanding the best room and high tea every afternoon, Ann is uneasy. Other Hassel family members canceled a large, fancy wedding...