Martha’s Vineyard Series

Miracles happen where you least expect them.

No one captures the tides of a woman’s heart quite like Jean Stone. Set on New England’s celebrated Martha’s Vineyard, this novel brings together three courageous women whose struggles reveal startling truths and ultimately change their lives.
 
The women begin as strangers: Rita has a past that cannot stay hidden for long; Katie, the vibrant rock star, must choose between saving her own life and the life of her unborn child; Hannah, a selfless housewife, finds herself abandoned by her friends just when she needs them most; and Faye, the wealthy executive, thinks she’s already survived the greatest fight of her life. Before the summer ends, these women will form a lasting bond—in a season when old hurts are finally healed, love is rekindled, and life begins anew.

Jean Stone, the bestselling author of Off Season, weaves the extraordinary story of three cousins bound forever by the family fortune they share–and the family secrets they don’t dare reveal….

Mary Beth, Nikki, and Gabrielle have little in common except the vast Atkinson fortune they inherited. Growing up amidst the splendor of Manhattan town houses and summers on Martha’s Vineyard, they’ve all learned the hard way that money can buy everything–except happiness. Marked by a summer tragedy they’ve all tried to forget, each woman has struggled to find her own way to cope with the secrets of her past.

Now Mary Beth is a pillar of the New York social scene, buying designer clothing and priceless jewels that even she cannot afford. Nikki searches for peace on the Vineyard, pouring her inheritance into endless charity work. And Gabrielle hoards her money in a Swiss bank account, safe from the husband who knows nothing of her wealth. But when their trusted executor disappears with their money, the cousins come together once again to find him. For each woman, regaining her fortune has a different meaning–and will come at a different price. And in the end they’ll learn that no one’s secrets can stay hidden forever–not even the truth of what really happened that terrible day so many summers ago….

Jean Stone is a gifted writer of romantic tales that capture the unique feel of New England while introducing characters who live in readers’ hearts forever. Her latest novel is her most moving work to date, the story of a woman who gave up everything she had for the man she loved — but must now find the strength to stand by him during his darkest hour….

Once Jill McPhearson had a life any woman would envy: a successful career as a television anchorwoman and a handsome fiance. But she gave up everything to start anew in her childhood home of Martha’s Vineyard.

For Jill, carving out a new, lower-profile career on the island is a struggle. But falling in love — and then marrying — local carpenter Ben Niles feels natural and seamless. It feels right. Steady, rugged Ben…the man who makes Jill feel she has it all — or at least all she really needs.

But when Ben is accused of a shocking crime, Jill’s world turns upside down — and everything she thought she knew is called into question. The small-town island life Jill loves is suddenly unbearable, as Ben and Jill try to hide their terrible secret from everyone they love. And now Jill must ask herself: how do you recapture a life that may never have existed in the first place?

She made a life with one man–but always loved another at…The Summer House.

Jean Stone captured readers’ imaginations with the "graceful prose, vivid imagery and compassionately drawn characters" (Publishers Weekly) of novels like Tides of the Heart and Places by the Sea. Now, in her latest novel, she reveals the public scandals of a family destined for political greatness–and the private secrets of a woman who traded her childhood dreams for a role she was born to play….

As a young girl, Liz Adams always knew that her father, Boston power broker Will Adams, had big plans–dreams and schemes that would bring Liz’s older brother all the way to the White House. But when fate deals the family a tragic blow, Will is forced to change his picture-perfect plans–and place the family’s political future squarely on Liz’s shoulders.

Two decades later, Liz has married the man her father molded into the perfect presidential candidate. But weeks before the election, tragedy strikes again–and this time Liz can’t hide the pain of a life lived by someone else’s rules. Seeking refuge at her family’s home on Martha’s Vineyard, Liz finds only painful memories of the past–and the long-lost love she let slip away. Now, as her family’s darkest hour looms, the woman torn between two men will finally discover what her heart has known all along….

Some promises can never be forgotten….

The author of the bestselling Birthday Girls and Places by the Sea, Jean Stone is a gifted storyteller in the tradition of Barbara Delinsky.  In this deeply enthralling novel of friendship and family, a woman must face the secrets of the past before she can confront the future….

I am your baby–the one you gave up.  Isn’t it time we met?

The unsigned letter, postmarked Martha’s Vineyard, arrives like a thunderbolt out of the blue, instantly sweeping Jessica Bates back thirty years.  It was 1968 when young Jess went to Larchwood Hall, a home for unwed mothers, and gave up her beautiful baby girl for adoption.  Jess’s past still haunts her–especially since she learned that her daughter died in a tragic childhood accident.

But now the letter has raised the fragile hope that there was a terrible mix-up, that Jess’s daughter is still alive somewhere.  Hoping for answers, Jess makes a determined pilgrimage out to the Vineyard, out to those who know the truth about what really happened to her daughter.  There, surrounded by sand and sea and memories of lost love, she must make a choice that will change the course of her life forever….

There are some places you must return to.

In the bestselling tradition of Barbara Delinsky, Jean Stone weaves an enthralling, emotionally charged novel of friendship and betrayal, forgiveness and love.
 
Jill McPhearson leads a charmed life—with a hugely successful TV show, two beautiful children, and a fiancé who just happens to be her sexy prime-time co-host. Just when all Jill’s dreams seem to be coming true, her past beckons her back to her childhood home on Martha’s Vineyard and to a life she wants only to forget. But returning to the island will also give this savvy reporter her biggest break—the chance to go after the story of a lifetime: her own. For a dark family secret is about to be revealed, one that could help Jill face painful memories or destroy everything she’s hoped to become.

In Jean Stone’s moving novel of what might have been, four very different women with one very powerful thing in common are reunited—with one another, and with the children they gave up for adoption.
 
Jess has led a charmed life, but now that her beautiful teenage daughter is pregnant, all she can think of is the baby she gave away. Susan lost one child years ago, and now, as a divorced college professor, she’s terrified of losing another. P.J. overcame an unwanted pregnancy to become a high-powered art director, but her whirlwind life is halted by an unsettling discovery. Ginny makes an unlikely Hollywood wife, but men, money, and four marriages can’t erase the horrors of her past—or satisfy her need for love.
 
Twenty-five years ago, they met in a home for unwed mothers. At the time, all they had to hold on to was one another. Now Jess, Susan, P.J., and Ginny must find the courage to face the past: The date is set for a reunion with the children they have never known. And no matter what happens, their lives will never be the same.

Jess’s story continues in Jean Stone’s Tides of the Heart!
 
Includes a special message from the editor, as well as excerpts from these Loveswept titles: Trying to Score, Long Simmering Spring, and Scarlet Lady.