The Ex-Debutante: A Novel

"Original with fresh sparks of wit, Lee offers a story about the importance of family, unconditional love, and looking beyond the false surface of perfection." —Patti Callahan Henry, bestselling author of Between the Tides

When Carlisle Wainwright Cushing, of the old-moneyed Texas Wainwrights, moved to Boston three years ago to work at one of the city's most prestigious divorce law firms, she thought she had escaped the high society she'd grown up in—after all, no one in Boston, not even her fiancé, knew she was an heiress. But now, Carlisle has been lured back to Texas to deal with her mother's latest divorce and the family-sponsored 100th annual debutante ball, which is on the verge of collapse. She's afraid she'll never get back to Boston, at least with her reputation intact, especially when good 'ole Southern boy Jack Blair shows up on the opposite side of the divorce court, making her wonder if he's going after her mother in the proceedings—or her.

Carlisle's trip home challenges her sense of who she really is and forces her to face her family's secrets. Funny, smart, and poignant, The Ex-Debutante is a story about the risks one woman must take if she stands a chance of finding herself, real love, and her place in that crazy thing we call family.

"I adored The Ex-Debutante and seriously read it in one don't-interrupt-me-on-penalty-of-death sitting. Linda's voice is so lively and vibrant and fun—and the story was completely compelling." —Beth Harrison, bestselling author of Shoe Addicts Anonymous