First novel in the spellbinding Landry family series; The only family Ruby Landry has ever known are her loving grandparents. Although her mother is dead and she has never met her mysterious father, Ruby is grateful for all she has, especially when her attraction for handsome Paul Tate blossoms into a wonderful love. But Paul's wealthy parents forbid him to associate with a poor Landry, and when Ruby's grandmother dies, she is forced to seek out the father she has never known in his vast New Orleans mansion. There, in a house of lies, madness and cruel torment, a shameful deception comes to light, and Ruby must cling to her memories of Paul: for only their love can save her now.
Fate whisked Ruby from a simple life in the Louisiana Bayou. But her new riches bring more treachery than happiness... Even after a year as a Dumas, Ruby still wonders at the splendor of the family's New Orleans mansion, and rejoices in the love of the father she had never known. But true happiness in her new home is as elusive as d swamp mist. Ruby must carefully avoid a venomous enemy: her stepmother, Daphne, who cringes and sneers at her backwater upbringing. And Ruby's every effort to befriend her twin sister, Gisselle -- especially since Gisselle's crippling accident -- is answered with bitterness and vicious backstabbing. So idyllic Greenwood -- the exclusive girls' boarding school that her father has chosen for his daughters' senior year -- seems to promise some peace from the conniving Daphne, and maybe even a fresh start with Gisselle. But Ruby's kind isn't welcome at Greenwood, and the legendarily strict headmistress, Mrs. Ironwood, plots with her stepmother to make her life miserable. Meanwhile, Gisselle is on a mission to break every school rule, leaving Ruby to suffer the humiliating punishments. But Ruby doesn't lose hope -- until a terrible tragedy leaves her alone in a world that never really wanted her. Ruby will have to summon every last ounce of her Cajun strength to reclaim her home, her future, and the happiness she once knew....
One of the most popular storytellers of all time, V.C. Andrews ( Flowers in the Attic , My Sweet Audrina ) continues an astonishing saga of psychological suspense with this third book of the Landry Family series—s oon to be a Lifetime movie! Driven from the ornate Dumas Mansion back to her beloved bayou, Ruby struggles to begin her life anew in this atmospheric and thrilling novel. Living again in a humble shack, Ruby is determined to make a secure and happy home for her precious daughter, Pearl. At her side once more is Paul Tate, her first love, now a man of dazzling wealth. Whisked away to his grand house, it seems Ruby can forget the shocking reason she and Paul must wed in secret and remain husband and wife in name alone. But the grand walls of Cypress Woods cannot shut out the cold eyes of Paul’s mother. And when Ruby’s venomous twin sister, Gisselle, arrives to taunt her with news of Pearl’s secret father, the twisted lengths to which Ruby will go for love surprise even her. To save her family and her heart, she ally with her greatest enemy to do the unthinkable.
Raised in a New Orleans mansion filled with kindness and laughter, Pearl dreams of becoming a doctor. With all the finest families wishing her well, her high school graduation party is almost as festive as Mardi Gras itself. But the sultry Louisiana heat only seems to intensify her family’s sinful legacy and when a cruel accident befalls one of Pearl’s twin brothers, her tormented mother flees back to her Cajun roots. Pearl’s faith in her mother abides, but she cannot hold back tears when her other brother falls deathly ill, and her father retreats into his own bourbon-soaked world. As her dreams of success swirl away with the hurricane winds, Pearl journeys to the swamps in search of her mother and the shocking truths of her heritage. Luckily, she discovers a blessed refuge in the warm embrace of a gentle Cajun man. But, until the storm clouds clear, Pearl cannot savor the springtime sweetness that always, always seems beyond tomorrow.
In this captivating prequel to the mesmerizing Landry series, travel to the sultry Louisiana bayou and discover the twisted beginnings of the Landry family. Growing up in Louisiana, Gabriel’s young life is a happy one, despite the growing rift between her mother and her conniving, whiskey-drinking Daddy. Her dreams for a bright future as an artist are cut short, however, when her innocence is shattered by the rich cannery owner Octavious Tate. Pregnant and desperate to spare her mother the scandal, Gabriel agrees to a shocking plan that will allow Octavious’s wife Gladys to claim the baby as her own and will net Gabriel’s father a huge payoff. Hiding in a tiny abandoned playroom in the Tate mansion, Gabriel is miserable. Her only visitor is her mother, whose mission as a Cajun healer gives her an excuse to treat Gladys Tate’s supposed pregnancy. But nothing prepares Gabriel for the wrenching moment when her baby is taken away forever. Returning home to the swamp, Gabriel drifts in a world of gloom, brightened only by chance glimpses of her son. But as her father’s reputation as a swamp guide grows, a hunting party brings handsome, gentle Creole millionaire Pierre Dumas to the bayou. Falling desperately in love, Gabriel will not heed the voice warning that her new joy may bring her more grief than she can bear.