Long and Short Reviews

The Ex-Debutante by Linda Francis Lee
St. Martin’s Press
Contemporary Romance, Comedy
Full length, Sensual
Review by Rose

Carlisle Wainwright Cushing, of the old-moneyed Willow Creek, Texas Wainwrights, is the daughter of larger-than-life Ridgely Wainwright… Cushing-Jameson-Lackley-Harper-Ogden. Given her mother’s predilection for divorce, is anyone surprised that Carlisle became a divorce lawyer, far away in Boston, where no one, including her fiancé, knows she’s an heiress. But now, three years later, Carlisle is lured back to Texas to deal with her mother’s latest divorce which has the whole town talking, and the family-sponsored 100th annual debutante ball which is on the verge of collapse. Suddenly the determined lawyer is weighing the merits of beads vs. crystals on ball gowns and teaching eighteen year olds to balance books on their heads, all the while trying to figure out how to tell her deeply Southern mother that she is engaged to a Yankee. Things go from bad to worse and she’s afraid she’ll never get back to Boston, at least with her reputation intact, especially when good ol’ Southern boy Jack Blair shows up on the opposite side of the divorce court, making her wonder if the man is going after her mother in the proceedings, or her given the pesky little fact that she left him three years earlier.

Her trip home challenges Carlisle’s sense of who she really is and forces her to face the secrets her family has tried to keep, well, secret. Funny and smart, poignant and true, THE EX-DEBUTANTE is a story about the risks one woman must take if she stands a chance of finding herself, real love, and her place in that crazy thing we call family.

♥ ♥ ♥

The Ex-Debutante is an engaging look at Carlisle and her trip back to her family home from Boston. Not a traditional romance, this book focuses mainly on the problems of Carlisle’s family: her mother is going through another divorce; her sister is trying to get pregnant after several miscarriages; her “card-carrying women’s rights activist” sister-in-law, orange-haired niece, and younger children have shown up unexpectedly; the debutante ball her family has sponsored for 100 years is on the verge of disaster; and the symphony they founded is about to go bankrupt. And, Carlisle is expected to fix it all. Never matter that her own debut is still spoken about as one of the worse disasters ever.

Linda Francis Lee tells this story as only an insider can...one very familiar with the ins and outs of society. The characters are richly drawn and three-dimensional, and to see them all grow and develop is one of the pleasures of this novel.

Carlisle finds herself in court against lawyer Jack Blair. Jack is the ultimate “bad boy turned good.” She’s loved him since high school, but there are a couple of pesky details: they are both engaged. What’s a girl to do?

The characters are the best part of this story. The girls Carlisle finally gathers to be her debutantes are as varied as any group of eight girls can be. And the struggles they go through preparing to be the young ladies they need to be are both heartwarming and, at times, heartbreaking. Linda Francis Lee tells this story with humor and a tongue-in-cheek air that is refreshing.

I give The Ex-Debutante four books. And, I look forward to reading more of Ms. Lee’s backlist.

Earn an extra entry into this week's contest to win this hardback novel! Simply fill in the comment form below between 7/8/08 & 7/11/08, and you will be included in the drawing to be held on 7/12/08. Good Luck!!

Comments:

Date: Tue, Jul 8, 2008 at 11:10 AM

Your Name: Vicky C.
Your Comment: I think this book sounds funny and interesting. I would love to read it. It is something different from the books I have read recently.

Date: Tue, Jul 8, 2008 at 11:37 AM

Your Name: Teresa W.
Your Comment: Sounds like a fun read!

Date: Tue, Jul 8, 2008 at 2:00 PM

Your Name: Maureen
Your Comment: I have read Ms Lee\'s historical romances and enjoyed them. This book looks interesting and different.

Date: Tue, Jul 8, 2008 at 3:13 PM

Your Name: Cindi H
Your Comment: Hello, I love the story line of this book. Please enter me in your delightful drawing. Thanks, Cindi

Date: Wed, Jul 9, 2008 at 12:47 PM

Your Name: pearl
Your Comment: This novel sounds unique and appealing. I enjoy reading all of the reviews for your featured books. The books are inviting and enticing. Thanks for this chance.

Date: Fri, Jul 11, 2008 at 2:52 AM

Your Name: Shauna S
Your Comment: Oooh, this sounds good. Please enter me.