Bulls Island

When New York executive Betts Barrett is offered a plum assignment in her hometown of Charleston, South Carolina, she can't say no, although the trip will unravel her finely tailored life. A big snag is J.D. Langley, Betts's former fiancÄ, who is integral to her business. The novel's point of view alternates between that of Betts, narrated by Julia Gibson, and that of J.D., narrated by Joey Collins. Gibson gives Betts a toned-down Southern accent while her best friend, Cela, drawls with Charleston's finest. Collins gives J.D. a voice as sultry as a summer day. Both deliver believable tones for J.D.'s shrieking wife and pretentious mother and Betts's mobster beau. Frank tosses in mystery, scandal, and tragedy before setting Betts and J.D. on a new course. J.J.B. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

March 10, 2008
Will romance triumph over the feud between the aristocratic Langleys and the slightly lower-in-social-pecking-order McGees in Frank’s latest Southern charm–filled romp? Though the answer is obvious from the get-go, the author fills this spirited tale with well-drawn characters, not the least of whom is formidable Charleston doyenne Louisa Langley. Betts McGee and J.D. Langley are uneasily headed to the altar—Louisa has a hard time with her son dating down. When Betts’s mother dies in a car wreck, a generations-old grudge—abetted by Louisa—flares up, and Betts flees to Manhattan. There, she raises her son (J.D. didn’t know she was pregnant when she left) solo and thrives in the distressed property turn-around business for a good 20 years until an assignment sends her back to Charleston to help develop a former wildlife refuge. The local partner in the venture is none other than J.D., who is now unhappily married and childless. Frank steers through several terrains with great aplomb as the story unfolds from both Betts’s and J.D.’s points of view. Frank shines as Betts finds out if there’s really no place like home.