Ashley Farley

Set in the South Carolina Lowcountry. Packed with Southern charm and memorable characters Her Sister's Shoes is the story of three sisters--Samantha, Jackie, and Faith--who struggle to balance the demands of career and family while remaining true to themselves. Samantha Sweeney has always been the glue that holds her family together, their go-to girl for love and support. When an ATV accident leaves her teenage son in a wheelchair, she loses her carefully constructed self-control. In the after-gloom of her dreaded fiftieth birthday and the discovery of her husband's infidelity, Jackie realizes she must reconnect with her former self to find the happiness she needs to move forward. Faith lacks the courage to stand up to her abusive husband. She turns to her sisters for help, placing all their lives at risk. In the midst of their individual challenges, the Sweeney sisters must cope with their mother's mental decline. Is Lovie in the early stages of Alzheimer's, or is her odd behavior normal for a woman her age? No one, including Lovie, understands her obsession with a rusty key she wears around her neck. For fans of Dorothea Benton Frank, Her Sister's Shoes is a contemporary women's novel that explores and proves the healing power of family.

Her Sister's Shoes

A reunion between an estranged mother and daughter opens a world of secrets in a poignant novel by the bestselling author of Magnolia Nights. Julia Martin grew up wealthy, but it wasn't until she met her husband, Jack, that she knew true happiness. He made her feel worthy and loved. Their marriage was also an escape from her sister's bullying, her father's scrutiny, and her chilly and enigmatic mother. But when tragedy strikes on the night she gives birth, Julia's happiness is shattered. She has no choice but to return home to her family's South Carolina mansion, where the grief and guilt buried in her mother's past await her. As a young woman trapped in a bitter marriage, Julia's mother, Iris, once needed her own means of escape. In Lily, she found a best friend. In the flower shop they opened, she discovered independence. Then came a transgression--unforgivable, unforgettable, and unresolved--that changed Iris's life forever. Now, in Iris's most desperate hour, her only hope is to regain the trust of the daughter she loves--and to share the secrets of the heart that could rebuild a family's broken bonds.

A Novel

Only One Life

It's a surprising second act for two women who decide to rewrite their lives in this enriching novel of friendship and starting over from the bestselling author of Only One Life. After thirty years, college friends Lena Browder and Olivia Westcoat have met again by chance at an unexpected crossroads: an airport lounge in Atlanta. Lena is running away from home and her demanding family. Olivia is trying to find her way after a painful divorce. With their old selves in the rearview, they toast to a new beginning--and it starts with a spontaneous dare. Agreeing to trade houses for a month of rediscovery, Lena will stay in Olivia's Charleston condo. Olivia's retreat? Lena's isolated river cottage in the Northern Neck of Virginia. Two perfect getaways. Thirty-four days to reset. With fresh new perspectives and the renewal of a heartening friendship, Lena and Olivia find their passions, reinvent themselves, and reclaim what they've lost. When unexpected romance blooms and careers take new detours, it's also a time for courage and risk. Now they'll have to make hard choices to follow through on their promise for a second chance and finally have the lives they dream of.

Life on Loan

One young woman's journey of self discovery. Ada’s world is torn apart when she discovers the man who raised her isn’t her biological father. To make matters worse, Daniel’s illegitimate daughter, Casey, has taken Ada’s place in his life. Faced with losing everything, Ada searches her dead mother’s belongings for answers. What she discovers will change her life forever. The more Casey settles into her new life, the more unsettled she feels. She’s grateful to her father for welcoming her into his life. For buying her a fancy sports car, building her a house, and setting her up in a cushy job. But she soon learns his generosity comes at a price. Her freedom. Does Casey have the courage to stand up to him? Burdened by her troubled past, Ollie must confront her demons in order to control her anger. When she undergoes extensive counseling, she discovers the men in her life aren’t the people she thought they were. Is it possible her arch enemy could be the man of her dreams?

Blind Love

A missing young woman. A grieving mother. An investigative journalist determined to find answers. From the bestselling author of Sweet Tea Tuesdays and Only One Life comes a suspenseful story of three women who, in search of freedom from the lies that bind them, experience personal growth, discovery, and forgiveness. On a snowy morning in December of 2009, Reese Carpenter disappeared from the scene of a single-car accident that claimed her father’s life. First responders to the accident saw no evidence of her, and she’s been neither seen nor heard from since. A decade later, Reese’s mother, Eva, who holds out hope that Reese is still alive, confides in her new across-the-street neighbor, Maggie, about her missing daughter. When her husband’s controlling behavior turns abusive, Maggie, an investigative journalist, uses the search for Reese as an opportunity to get out of town. In this captivating novel, Maggie takes readers on a roller-coaster ride of emotion as she travels from Virginia to a college campus in Ohio to Washington DC, unraveling the secrets of the dysfunctional family that drove a young woman to a desperate act of survival.

Lies that Bind

From the author of the bestselling Sweeney Sister Series and Sweet Tea Tuesdays comes a new novel of passion, intrigue and redemption.Ellie Pringle has spent endless hours and countless dollars working with a therapist to remember the lost years of her childhood. She¿s baffled and more than a little intrigued when the grandmother she hasn¿t seen in thirty-four years dies and leaves her a fortune. The time has come to face her past in person. Still reeling from a recent breakup of a long-term relationship, and with nothing to keep her in San Francisco, Ellie packs her meager belongings and boards a plane for the South Carolina Lowcountry.Standing in the entryway of her grandmother¿s antebellum home on South Battery Street in Charleston, Ellie faces the first of many ghosts who will soon haunt her. On her first night in the creepy, creaking mansion, as she¿s perusing the titles in a dusty bookcase, she comes across her deceased mother¿s leather-bound journal. Her mother¿s words create more unanswered questions and send her on a quest to find more journals. As Hurricane Lorene bears down on the South Carolina coast, Ellie encounters Juan Hagood, a handsome architect who has the talent to restore her dilapidated mansion and the charm to mend her broken heart. But as Ellie reads her mother's diaries, they dislodge a stone in the wall that safeguards her memories, causing her world to come crumbling down. Revelations about her childhood lead Ellie on a harrowing journey of discovery that will hold spellbound until the dramatic conclusion.

Magnolia Nights

Life is sweet for Katherine Langley. A freshman at the University of Virginia, she is free from the drama of her parents' dysfunctional marriage and ready to focus on studying to become a nurse. Her brother, Ben, belongs to the hottest fraternity on campus, and her new roommate, Emma, is beautiful and charming, a party girl whose answer for a hangover is happy hour. She is also a psychopath. When Katherine's obsessive-compulsive overprotective brother succumbs to Emma's charms and falls dangerously off-track, Katherine must save Ben from himself. Lives are threatened and someone disappears on New Year's Day. The only evidence left: a single set of footprints in the snow. From the university campus to a cozy cottage on Carter's Creek, Virginia, Saving Ben is a haunting tale of love and loyalty, anger management, substance abuse, and betrayal.

Saving Ben

Three best friends met every Tuesday for twenty-six years. And then they stopped. From the author of the bestselling Sweeney Sisters Series comes a novel of friendship, family, and hope. When new next-door neighbors Georgia, Midge, and Lula first assembled on Georgia's porch in Charleston for sweet tea, they couldn't have known their gathering was the beginning of a treasured tradition. For twenty-six years they have met on Tuesdays at four o'clock, watching the seasons change and their children grow up, supporting each other in good times and in bad. With their ambitions as different as their personalities, these best friends anticipate many more years of tea time. And then, one Tuesday, Georgia shares news that brings their long-standing social hour to an abrupt halt. And that's only the beginning as unraveling secrets threaten to alter their friendship forever.

Sweet Tea Tuesdays

Jolie Hogan likes coffee black, panties lacy, and tequila neat. She’s a cop, turned journalist, turned private investigator. People say she’s ballsy. Truth is, her courage is a recklessness that stems from her troubled past. Jolie is currently in a mess of trouble. She’s been set up for murder by a powerful criminal attorney. The murder victims are the attorney’s wife and Jolie’s husband, Lucas. Jolie will do whatever it takes to clear her name. Including selling her soul to the devil. In Jolie’s case, the devil is a wickedly hot detective who brings the past back to haunt her.

On My Terms

A nearly tragic accident leads to a discovery that rocks the Sweeney family's world. Some families never resolve conflicts. Not so with the Sweeneys. Their sense of family, their love for one another, and their willingness to forgive have always triumphed and brought them back together. Until now. The latest crisis threatens to tear the family apart and crumble the foundation that has always proved itself rock solid. At the heart of the matter are sixteen-year-old Annie Bethune and her boyfriend, Cooper. At stake are their dreams for the future. As to these dreams, no one in the family holds back when asserting an opinion. Annie soon begins to feel like a puppet on strings with all those she loves telling her what to do. When those strings become tangled and a family feud develops, Annie, unable to bear the pressure, runs away. Straight into the arms of danger.

Tangle of Strings

'Tis the season for chaos. Wedding bells will soon be ringing in the Lowcountry. All Sam Sweeney wants is to marry her man on Christmas Eve surrounded by family and friends. But emerging complications, some humorous and some not so humorous, threaten to converge and derail the best-laid plans during the busy stretch between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Amidst the chaos--dealing with real estate, planning a wedding, running a seafood market, honoring traditions, and contending with teenagers--even the weather rears its head when the weatherman forecasts a white Christmas. Never has family support been more needed, but will it be enough to restore order and save the day? Escape to the Lowcountry this Christmas where romance, intrigue, and holiday merrymaking await you.

Boots and Bedlam

When one young woman summons the courage to take a chance on life, she discovers the career and man of her dreams. Stella Boor’s biological father is a nameless, faceless sperm donor. At least, that’s what her parents have led her to believe. Imagine her surprise when she learns he’s none other than rock legend Billy Jameson, and that Billy has died and left Stella a historic inn on a sprawling farm in the mountains of Virginia. A city girl at heart, Stella can’t imagine living anywhere but New York. Her first inclination is to sell the property. But the terms of Billy’s will stipulate she manages the inn for three years before putting it on the market. Stella considers what’s really keeping her in New York. Her hotel management career is off to a rocky start; she's lost three jobs in less than a year. She's grown apart from her best friend, and her so-called boyfriend is only interested in late-night booty calls. Something is missing from Stella's life. On impulse, she hops on the next train headed to Virginia hoping to find happiness. When she sees the dilapidated state of the inn, Stella realizes she’s in over her head. But the more she learns about the fascinating Jameson family, the more she wants to know. Why did her mother keep Billy Jameson a secret? Were her biological parents in a relationship, or was she the result of a one-night stand? And why did her father wait until after his death to bring Stella to Virginia? On her journey to discover answers, Stella learns to have faith in herself and take a chance on love. Join an unforgettable cast of characters in the first installment of the Hope Springs Series.

Dream Big, Stella!

A heart-stirring novel of family and forgiveness from bestselling author Ashley Farley. In her grand home in Charleston, Willa Bellemore raised two girls during the tumultuous 1970s. One was her daughter, Lady. The other was Lady's best friend, Nell--adopted after the sudden, heartbreaking death of her mother, the Bellemores' beloved maid. Willa showered Nell with love and support, all the while ignoring the disdainful whispers of her neighbors. After all, they were family. Nell and Lady were sisters at heart--sisters who vowed to never let anything come between them. Then, on the night of Lady's sixteenth birthday, something went terribly wrong, sparking painful secrets and bitter resentments that went unspoken for three decades. Now Willa is dying, and Lady and Nell--each with a teenager of her own--are brought together after all these years. It's Willa's last wish. The time has come to confront what happened on that fateful night. But it may take a tragic twist of fate to reconcile the past and come to terms with the true meaning of family.

Nell and Lady

Escape to the South Carolina Lowcountry for a tale of true love and southern family dysfunction. Lillian Alexander has never understood her twin sister’s animosity toward her. Their problems stem from childhood, from the traumatic day their mother died twenty-seven years ago. But Lillian remembers nothing about that day. Until their father dies and she encounters ghosts from her past who stir those long-suppressed memories. Why, if her mother’s death was an accident, does Lillian harbor guilt, as though she were somehow to blame? When the Stoney twins learn the family fortune is gone, Lillian fights to save her ancestral home on Charleston’s prestigious East Battery. Desperate to resolve her money problems and get answers to her questions about the past, she tears her father’s study apart in search of clues. She discovers a thumb drive in a hollowed-out hardback copy of For Whom the Bell Tolls. The thumb drive, marked For Lillian in his handwriting, contains her father’s memoir. Secluded in the family’s cottage on Wadmalaw Island, she immerses herself in her father’s account of his stormy relationship with her mother. What she learns sets her on a journey of self-discovery. “. . . the story is endlessly intriguing, with enough plot turns that readers who predict one or two may still be surprised . . . The ending befits this realistic portrayal of love, family, and all the complications those two often engender . . . An absorbing fusion of a searing family drama with an unusual love story.” --Kirkus Reviews

Tangled in Ivy

Scent of Magnolia

Three friends pick up the pieces of their lives after a devastating hurricane ravages their small town. Lizbet gives no warning and offers no explanation when she walks out on her husband of only two years. As a hurricane howls through their quaint lowcountry town, Lizbet seeks refuge in the familiar embrace of her childhood home in Charleston. Seven months later, she’s still living with her sister, flat broke with her fertility problem unresolved. If she tells Jamie the truth, she risks losing him forever. Jamie's marriage is on the brink of collapse. With no communication from Lizbet for months, he fears a divorce is looming. To complicate matters, a charming property developer enters the picture, stirring Jamie's emotions and leaving him confused. Will he choose to honor his vows or pursue a new love? Sean’s restaurant owes much of its success to Carla, his brilliant head chef. However, Carla’s personal life is in turmoil because of her son’s anger management issues, which she struggles to control. To ease her burden, Sean invites Carla and her son to move in with him at his parents’ stunning waterfront estate. But Sean’s twin brother, Cooper, resents her presence and tension soon rises. Will Sean be able to keep the peace, or will this dilemma tear his family apart?

After the Storm

Long Journey Home

After testifying against her husband in a harrowing human trafficking case, Julia Becker is thrust into the secluded world of Witness Protection. Faced with a future in isolation, she manages a daring escape, seeking refuge in a quaint small town in South Carolina's lowcountry. But rather than the serene haven she’d envisioned, Julia stumbles upon a new kind of peril. Will Darby is his own worst enemy. His anger management issues have gotten into a world of trouble that could land him in prison for life. He’s under investigation for the tragic boating accident that claimed his wife’s life. His in-laws are seeking custody of his two young daughters. And an independent journalist is determined to tarnish his reputation. Amidst the chaos, he befriends an intriguing young woman who’s is grappling with her own shadows. She holds the power to either alleviate his legal troubles or become his damning witness.

Echoes of the Past

Thirty years ago, Savannah’s child was taken from her shortly after giving birth. The next day, she ran away to the Pacific Northwest where she’s been living ever since. But her circumstances have changed. The tavern where she bartends is closing and her landlord is selling the house she rents. Now seems like the right time to go home to South Carolina, but does she have the courage to face her past? Upon her mother’s death, while searching for funeral instructions, Harper comes across a sealed envelope containing a worn scrap of yellow flannel, an address in a small town she’s never heard of, and her adoption papers. Everything about her life suddenly makes sense, including why she and her mother were so very different. Determined to find her birth mother, Harper embarks on a journey of discovery to the South Carolina Lowcountry.

Ashley Farley

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