The year is 1934. With the country in the stranglehold of drought and economic depression, Ella Barron runs her Texas boarding house with an efficiency that ensures her life will be kept in balance. Between chores of cooking and cleaning for her residents, she cares for her ten-year-old son, Solly, a sweet but challenging child whose misunderstood behavior finds Ella on the receiving end of pity, derision, and suspicion. When David Rainwater arrives at the house looking for lodging, he comes recommended by a trusted friend as "a man of impeccable character." But Ella senses that admitting Mr. Rainwater will bring about unsettling changes. However, times are hard, and in order to make ends meet, Ella's house must remain one hundred percent occupied. So Mr. Rainwater moves into her house...and impacts her life in ways Ella could never have foreseen. The changes are echoed by the turbulence beyond the house walls. Friends and neighbors who've thus far maintained a tenuous grip on their meager livelihoods now face foreclosure and financial ruin. In an effort to save their families from homelessness and hunger, farmers and cattlemen are forced to make choices that come with heartrending consequences. The climate of desperation creates a fertile atmosphere for racial tensions and social unrest. Conrad Ellis -- privileged and spoiled and Ella's nemesis since childhood -- steps into this arena of teeming hostility to exact his vengeance and demonstrate the extent of his blind hatred and unlimited cruelty. He and his gang of hoodlums come to embody the rule of law, and no one in Gilead, Texas, is safe. Particularly Ella and Solly. In this hotbed of uncertainty, Ella finds Mr. Rainwater a calming presence. She is moved by the kindness he shows other boarders, Solly...and Ella herself. Slowly, she begins to rely on his soft-spokenness, his restraint, and the steely resolve of his convictions. And on the hottest, most violent night of the summer, those principles will be put to the ultimate test. From acclaimed bestselling author Sandra Brown comes a powerfully moving novel celebrating the largess and foresight of a great bygone generation. It tells a story that bears witness to a bittersweet truth: that love is worth whatever price one must pay for it. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Bestseller Brown (Smash Cut) brings Depression-era Texas to vivid life in this poignant short novel. At the recommendation of Dr. Murdy Kincaid, Ella Barron, a hardworking woman whose husband deserted her, accepts David Rainwater, a relative of the doctor's, as a lodger at the boarding house she runs in the small town of Gilead, Tex. As the local community contends with a government program to shoot livestock and the opposition of racist Conrad Ellis, a greedy meatpacker, to poor families butchering the meat, Ella grows closer to David. Meanwhile, David becomes a special guardian angel to Solly, Ella's nine-year-old autistic son. Dr. Kincaid has gently suggested Ella put Solly in an institution, but she refuses to do so. Brown skillfully charts the progress of Ella and David's quiet romance, while a contemporary frame adds a neat twist to this heartwarming but never cloying historical. (Nov.) Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

An antiques store owner's explanation of why he won't sell his beloved pocket watch to a yuppie couple is the basis of prolific author Brown's (Smashcut) attempt to entertain readers with a sentimental story just in time for Christmas. Actually, it's a pretty darn good attempt. In 1934 Texas, Ella runs a small boardinghouse while coping with a difficult ten-year-old son. New boarder David Raintree shows a special interest in Ella's son. Raintree is handsome, charming, kind, and sensitive and has some serious health issues of his own. It's a foregone conclusion that he and Ella will become lovers. Some racial overtones are thrown in when a young black minister comes to town, and the story reaches a somber and violent conclusion. Verdict Predictable but pleasant. Fans of Brown's romantic suspense thrillers will be surprised, as this book resembles a Richard Paul Evans or Emily Grayson novel. But multiple copies will be essential, as author recognition alone will spark interest.-Margaret Hanes, Warren Civic Ctr. Lib., MI Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Sandra Brown began her writing career in 1980. After selling her first book, she wrote a succession of romance novels under several pseudonyms, most of which remain in print. She has become one of the country's most popular novelists, earning the notice of Hollywood and of the critics. Forty of her books have appeared on the New York Times bestseller list. There are fifty million copies of her books in print, and her work has been translated into twenty-nine languages. Prior to writing, she worked in commercial television as an on-air personality for PM Magazine and local news in Dallas. The parents of two, she and her husband now divide their time between homes in Texas and South Carolina.

(Publisher Provided) Sandra Brown was born in Waco, Texas and studied English at Texas Christian University. After leaving college, she worked in many different fields including performing in live theatre, managing a cosmetics store and modeling at the Dallas Apparel Mart. She also appeared in television commercials, which led to jobs in weather forecasting and feature reporting on PM Magazine. After being let go from a part-time job, she attended a writers' conference at the University of Houston and decided to become a full time fiction writer.

Her first two books Love's Encore and Love Beyond Reason were published in 1981. She has written over 70 books including Mirror Image; French Silk; The Switch; The Crush; Hello, Darkness; Chill Factor; Play Dirty; Smoke Screen; and Smash Cut. She has also written under the names of Laura Jordan, Rachel Ryan, and Erin St. Claire. She has received numerous awards including the Distinguished Circle of Success from the American Business Women's Association in 1992, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the romance Writers of America in 1998, and the Texas Medal of Arts Award for Literature in 2007.

(Bowker Author Biography) Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.