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Summary

The stories of heirlooms, whose secrets connect the past to the present, told in the lolling cadence of a Southern storyteller. 

Stats

Genre: Adult dual time (one past, one present)

Series length: Three books

Violence: Nothing explicit, though several references to racially motivated violence.

Magic/Supernatural: None 

Romance: Lightly moderate, clean, though with implied sex between husband and wife. 

Christian/spiritual element: Moderate, explicit

Recommendation: Historical and women's fiction readers who want complex characters and a story to linger in. 

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Opening Lines: 

Charleston, South Carolina, 1860
 
The candlelight sent a shadow of Rose up against the wooden wall. From the shadow, Rose looked taller. Stronger. Funny thing about shadows. They made even the smallest things into monsters or fairies or whatever folk wanted. 

Even a caterpillar could have the wings of a butterfly. 

The Dress Shop on King Street
(Heirloom Secrets, Book 1)
by Ashley Clark

Harper Dupree has pinned all her hopes on a future in fashion design. But when it comes crashing down around her, she returns home to Fairhope, Alabama, and to Millie, the woman who first taught her how to sew. As Harper rethinks her own future, long-hidden secrets about Millie's past are brought to light.

In 1946, Millie Middleton--the daughter of an Italian man and a Black woman--boarded a train and left Charleston to keep half of her heritage hidden. She carried with her two heirloom buttons and the dream of owning a dress store. She never expected to meet a charming train jumper who changed her life forever . . . and led her yet again to a heartbreaking choice about which heritage would define her future.

Now, together, Harper and Millie return to Charleston to find the man who may hold the answers they seek . . . and a chance at the dress shop they've both dreamed of. But it's not until all appears lost that they see the unexpected ways to mend what frayed between the seams.

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Opening Lines: 

December 1861
Longitude Lane, Charleston South Carolina

Not a day went by she didn't think about her daughter.

Where she may be, if she was safe . . . who'd bought her. 

Paint and Nectar
(Heirloom Secrets, Book 2)
by Ashley Clark

In 1929, a spark forms between Eliza, a talented watercolorist, and William, a charming young man with a secret that could ruin her career. Their families forbid their romance because of a long-standing feud over missing heirloom silver. Still, Eliza and William's passion grows despite the barriers, causing William to deeply regret the secret he's keeping . . . but setting things right will come at a cost.

In present-day Charleston, a mysterious benefactor gifts Lucy Legare an old house, along with all the secrets it holds--including enigmatic letters about an antique silver heirloom. Declan Pinckney, whom Lucy's been avoiding since their disastrous first date, is set on buying her house for his family's development company. As Lucy uncovers secrets about the house, its garden, and the silver, she becomes more determined than ever to preserve the historic Charleston property, not only for history's sake but also for her own.

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Opening Lines: 

Charleston, 1860
Ashley
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Mama thought I was asleep the night 'fore I was sold. I wasn't. I was looking at the patterns of the shadows on the wall, but she couldn't see my eyes from where she sat. ​

Where the Last Rose Blooms
(Heirloom Secrets, Book 3)
by Ashley Clark

​Alice runs a New Orleans flower shop alongside her aunt, but thoughts of her mother, who went missing during Hurricane Katrina, are never far from her mind. After getting off on the wrong foot with a handsome yet irritating man who comes to her shop, Alice soon realizes their worlds overlap--and the answers they both seek can be found in the same place.

In 1861 Charleston, Clara is known to be a rule follower--but the war has changed her. Unbeknownst to her father, who is heavily involved with the Confederacy, she is an abolitionist and is prepared to sacrifice everything for the cause. With assistance from a dashing Union spy, she attempts to help an enslaved woman reunite with her daughter. But things go very wrong when Clara agrees to aid the Northern cause by ferrying secret information about her father's associates.

Faced with the unknown, both women will have to dig deep to let their courage bloom.