cover image Southern Nights

Southern Nights

Marcia Martin. Jove Books, $4.5 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-515-10302-1

First-novelist Martin maintains the momentum in this steamy contemporary romance by embedding multilevel secrets in the tale's framework. Maggie, a beautiful Yankee with artistic talent and a restlessness rooted in her sense of not belonging anywhere, learns upon her parents' death that she was adopted by them and that she has, inexplicably, been named heir to a graceful South Carolina estate called Foxcroft. Upon arriving at the estate, she discovers that her presence stirs up much animosity among the Charleston gentry. As Maggie tries to unravel the mystery of her identity and parentage, she also finds herself with a major practical dilemma--she must save her inheritance from the auctioneer's block when an enormous property tax bill falls due. Her efforts are complicated by the presence of Mark Fox--a strong-willed Southern rake who fuels her romantic passions as much as he stokes her ire by his staunch opposition to her ownership of Foxcroft. Martin handles her complex plot with ease, and her confident ear for dialogue vivifies her characters and story. (July)