Gone South. A Novel

The charm of the South drew her back to her family's roots. But when the town's old resentments turn the sweet tea bitter, can Tish find a welcome anywhere?Tish McComb never imagined that she would leave frosty Michigan for the Deep South, but an opportunity to buy her great-great-great-grandparents' Civil War era home beckons Tish to Noble, Alabama, a Southern town in every sense of the word. She wonders if God has given her a new dream, since her dreams of marriage and family were dashed five years earlier in a tragic accident: the old house filled with friends, her vintage percolator bubbling on the sideboard. When Tish discovers that McCombs aren't welcome in town, she feels like a Yankee behind enemy lines.
Only George Zorbas, the local antiques dealer, seems willing to give her a chance. So what's a lonely outcast to do but take in Noble's resident prodigal daughter, Melanie Hamilton, and hope that the two can find some much needed acceptance in each other. Problem is, old habits die hard, and Mel is quite set in her destructive ways. With Melanie blocked from going home, Tish must try to manage her incorrigible houseguest as she attempts to prove her own worth in a town that seems to have forgotten that every sinner needs God-given mercy, love and forgiveness.