It's a steamy June afternoon in Louisiana, circa 1956, and Sissy LeBlanc is sitting on her front porch, wondering -- half seriously -- if she could kill herself with aspirins and Coca-Cola. She's been living in stifling old Gentry since the day she was born and trapped in a sham of a marriage to PeeWee LeBlanc since she was only seventeen. In short, she's fed up, restless, and ready for an adventure. 
Sissy just never imagined temptation would come into her life that breathless summer day as she sat smoking on her porch swing. For although she may have been fixated on the taut muscles of the lineman shimmying down the telephone pole across the street, she hadn't allowed herself to imagine that he'd be none other than her high school sweetheart, Parker Davidson, who left town fourteen years before without so much as a wave good-bye. But suddenly, here he is, leaning in for a kiss that will stir up more excitement than Sissy could ever have imagined...

The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc: A Novel

Literature & Fiction

Despres, Loraine

United States

Harper-perennial

Belle Cantrell felt guilty about killing her husband and she hated that. Feeling guilty, that is. A lady shouldn't do something she's going to feel guilty about later, was a rule Belle kept firmly in mind.
So begins The Bad Behavior of Belle Cantrell, a story of murder, adultery, and regular church attendance, which introduces Belle Cantrell as a beautiful young widow with a rebellious streak, years before she will become grandmother to Sissy LeBlanc, the feisty main character of Loraine Despres's bestselling The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc.
The year is 1920, prohibition is in full swing, women are clamoring for the vote, and a narrow-minded intolerance is on the rise. Life isn't easy for an unmarried woman, not in a little town like Gentry, Louisiana, especially after she's sent to jail for swimming in an indecent bathing costume with a group of suffragists.
It's not as if Belle doesn't know how to behave. She knows the rules. She keeps the Primer of Propriety firmly in mind. But sometimes -- most of the time -- she has to twist the rules a little, or break them, or give them a permanent kink, because they all say the same thing: "Don't."
And a girl has got to live.
After a year and a half of mourning, Belle decides to get on with her life and kicks off a season of tumult that will change her and Gentry forever.
Sexy, sassy, with laugh-out-loud humor and a cast of zany characters you won't forget, The Bad Behavior of Belle Cantrell is a big comic love story and a page-turner. But it delves deeper, as Belle struggles to find her moral center and stand up to forces that are determined to destroy the soul of a town and the people she loves.

The Bad Behavior of Belle Cantrell: A Novel

William Morrow

Belle Cantrell felt guilty about killing her husband and she hated that. Feeling guilty, that is. A lady shouldn't do something she's going to feel guilty about later was a rule Belle kept firmly in mind.
 Welcome to the world of beautiful, irrepressible Belle Cantrell, years before she becomes grandmother to Sissy LeBlanc of Loraine Despres' bestselling The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc. It is 1920, prohibition is in full swing, women are clamoring for the vote -- and in the little town of Gentry, Louisiana, narrow-minded intolerance is on the rise. Sent to jail for swimming in an indecent bathing costume with a group of suffragists, Belle Cantrell knows her behavior broke the rules. But sometimes -- most of the time -- she has to twist the rules a little, because they all say the same thing: "Don't."
A sexy, sassy story of murder, adultery, romance, bigotry, and regular church attendance, with laugh-out-loud humor and a cast of zany, endearing characters you won't forget, The Bad Behavior of Belle Cantrell is a big comic love story . . . and much more.

Humor & Satire

Learn how to navigate life with the effortless savior faire of a true daughter of the South with The Southern Belle's Handbook.
Sissy LeBlanc's rules to live by will teach you how to hook, hold on to, and handle any man as well as conquer any personal situation with the poise and confidence of a sophisticated southern stunner.
And because every woman possesses her own sassy instincts, you can also record your own rules for unstoppable fabulousness and success.

The Southern Belle's Handbook: Sissy LeBlanc's Rules to Live By

Humor & Entertainment

Humor

Learn how to navigate life with the effortless savior faire of a true daughter of the South with The Southern Belle's Handbook. Sissy LeBlanc's rules to live by will teach you how to hook, hold on to, and handle any man as well as conquer any personal situation with the poise and confidence of a sophisticated southern stunner. And because every woman possesses her own sassy instincts, you can also record your own rules for unstoppable fabulousness and success.

The Southern Belle's Handbook: Sissy Leblanc's Rules to Live by

Perennial

The year is 1920, prohibition is in full swing, women are clamoring for the vote, and a narrow-minded intolerance is on the rise. Life isn't easy for an unmarried woman, not in a little town like Gentry, Louisiana, especially after she's sent to jail for swimming in an indecent bathing costume with a group of suffragettes.
It's not as if Belle doesn't know how to behave. She knows the rules. She keeps the Primer of Propriety firmly in mind. But sometimes -- most of the time -- she has to twist the rules a little, or break them, or give them a permanent kink, because they all say the same thing: "Don't."
And a girl has got to live.
Sexy, sassy, with laugh-out-loud humor and a cast of zany characters you won't be able to forget, The Bad Behavior of Belle Cantrell is a big comic love story and a page-turner. But on a deeper level, this is a story about a woman struggling to find her moral center and to stand up to the forces that are determined to destroy the soul of a town and the people she loves.
Performed by Zoe Thomas

The Bad Behavior of Belle Cantrell CD: A Novel

HarperAudio

Rule Number Forty-eight of The Southern Belle's Handbook might state that '°a proper southern belle never lets on how bored she is," but it's the summer of 1956 and Sissy LeBlanc simply can't help herself. She's been living in stifling old Gentry, Louisiana, since she was born, a trapped in a sham of a marriage to PeeWee LeBlanc -- who, to be perfectly honest, makes 1 skin crawl -- since she was only seventeen. In short, she's fed up, restless, and ready for an adventure. Of course she'd never consider cheating on PeeWee, since she vowed back in '4l remain faithful -- but some days she just can't help but pray that some man will come along and lead her into temptation.
Sissy just never expected her prayers to be answered on that breathless summer day as she sat smoking on her porch swing, contemplating suicide by aspirin and Coca-Cola. For although she might have been fixated on the taut muscles of the lineman shimmying down the telephone pole across the street, she hadn't allowed herself to imagine that he'd be none other than her high school sweetheart Parker Davidson! The former football star and toast of Gentry, Parker had left town in a flash fourteen years before without as much as a wave good-bye (not that she could blame him), but now he was back, standing in her very own kitchen, sipping Cokes over cracked ice and leaning in for a kiss. A kiss Sissy wants to resist but returns with passion -- at least until she opens her eyes to see the faces of her three children pressed against the screen door!
A sassy, sexy, and humorous tale featuring a captivating cast of zany characters that leap off the page, The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc is a charming romp that shifts back and forth in time to reveal just how Sissy got stuck in Gentry -- and how she ultimately breaks out in triumph. Irrepressibly lively and audacious, this highly entertaining novel will resonate in the hearts and minds of readers everywhere.

Genre Fiction

The Scandalous Summer of Sissy Leblanc: A Novel

Thorndike Pr

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Despres, Loraine. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Despres, Loraine

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Despres, Loraine. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc: A Novel

The Bad Behavior of Belle Cantrell: A Novel

The Bad Behavior of Belle Cantrell: A Novel

The Southern Belle's Handbook: Sissy LeBlanc's Rules to Live By

The Southern Belle's Handbook: Sissy Leblanc's Rules to Live by

The Bad Behavior of Belle Cantrell CD: A Novel

The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc: A Novel

The Scandalous Summer of Sissy Leblanc: A Novel