Frank Carlson Library

When Paula Woodley has had enough of the broken bones and shattered self-esteem caused by her abusive husband, she turns to the women of the Sisterhood, an organization where women right wrongs and bring about justice, for help.

Celie is a poor black woman whose letters tell the story of 20 years of her life, beginning at age 14 when she is being abused and raped by her father and attempting to protect her sister from the same fate, and continuing over the course of her marriage to "Mister," a brutal man who terrorizes her. Celie eventually learns that her abusive husband has been keeping her sister's letters from her and the rage she feels, combined with an example of love...

"From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Wish comes a poignant love story about risking everything for a dream--and whether it's possible to leave the past behind. Colby Mills once felt destined for a musical career, until tragedy grounded his aspirations. Now the head of a small family farm in North Carolina, he spontaneously takes a gig playing at a bar in St. Pete's Beach, Florida, seeking a rare break from his duties at home. But...

"When Nell Channing arrives on charming Three Sisters Island, she believes that she's finally found refuge from her abusive husband--and from the terrifying life she fled so desperately eight months ago ... But even in this quiet, peaceful place, Nell never feels entirely at ease. Careful to conceal her true identity, she takes a job as a cook at the local bookstore cafe and begins to explore her feelings for the island sheriff, Zack Todd. But there...

For years Myra Rutledge and Annie de Silva, founding members of the Sisterhood, have funded an underground network run by former Supreme Court Justice Pearl Barnes to help women escape abusive relationships. When two of Pearl's clients fail to report for their weekly check-in, the Sisterhood and their allies begin a search for French model Amalie Laurent and her one-time maid, Rosalee Muno. Amalie's estranged husband, Lincoln Moss, is a distant cousin...

From the outside looking in, Lauren Delaney has a life to envy - a successful career, a solid marriage to a prominent surgeon and two beautiful daughters who are off to good colleges. But on her twenty-fourth wedding anniversary Lauren makes a decision that will change everything. Lauren won't pretend things are perfect anymore. She defies the controlling husband who has privately mistreated her throughout their marriage and files for divorce. And...

A nurse escapes her abusive husband, a New York policeman, taking their son with her to Florida. She assumes a new identity and even finds romance, but there is a price, the 10-year-old boy misses his father and she lives in constant fear the father will find them, which he does. The novel analyzes why abused women wait so long to make their break.

"The eldest of five siblings, Quinn Mannion has always found success--head altar boy, valedictorian of Honeymoon High, big-city lawyer. Until he gave it all up. Walking away from his lucrative career and returning to Honeymoon Harbor to reopen the old family pub wasn't as tough as he thought. Not nearly as tough as meeting the woman who was meant to be his forever. But loving a married woman is a line Quinn won't cross. Despite Amanda Barrow's attempts...

Clare Burke's life took a devastating turn when she tried to protect her sister, Anne, from an abusive and controlling husband and ended up serving prison time for assault. The verdict largely hinged on Anne's defense of her spouse, all lies, and the sisters have been estranged ever since. Nearly twenty years later, Clare is living a quiet life in Manhattan as an urban birder and nature blogger, when her niece, Grit, turns up on her doorstep. The...