Mary Alice Monroe doesn't just bring the low-country to life in "The Beach House", she actually takes you to it. During this novel I laughed, cried and actually could feel my feet digging in the sand while watching the story unfold.

Lovie adores her beloved Loggerhead turtles - and will do anything to protect them. Too bad that wasn't the case for herself and her children who lived with an abusive father.

Caretta "Cara" Rutledge resented her mother for years for not protecting herself and her children from an abusive father. But after losing her job in Chicago, and learning of her mother's illness, she returns to the low-country.

While she and her mother patch up the old Beach House, they mend the wounds in their relationship as well.

Cara also finds passion - for love, the beach and even for the Loggerheads - along the way.

Monroe does what some call "Southern Fiction" well by keeping true to the soul of the low-country while bringing you in to a heartwarmingly funny and sometimes sexy novel.

Plus you'll learn so much about the Loggerhead with snippets at the beginning of each chapter, you may actually want to go help them out yourself - or at least be careful not to leave your porch light on if you rent a beach house this season!

So whether you're looking for a book to read at the beach, or just one that will transport you there, check out The Beach House.

If you enjoy the Beach House, I'd also recommend the low-country series by Dorothea Benton Frank including the following:

Sullivan's Island

Plantation

Isle of Palms

Shem Creek

Pawley's Island

Full of Grace