In
Under the Mango Trees
, the first volume of
The Coral Series
, Coral, a neglected 12-year-old from a trailer park, meets Rosella, her eccentric, retired neighbor, an unlikely and heartwarming friendship ensues. But as Coral comes of age she discovers there is more to Rosella than meets the eye-and a past she is reluctant to discuss. As Coral unravels the mystery of Rosella's past she discovers a deep grief that mingles with an even deeper sense of joy and peace in the older woman, and eventually comes to regard her as family.
Along the Forgotten Coast
, the second volume of
, picks up the story with Coral as a young college student traveling to Carrabelle, Florida, with Rosella and her grandson Matt to spy out her newly discovered father. Coral fears he'll be the same kind of loser as all her mother's old boyfriends. Romance blooms with Matt as they explore the Forgotten Coast, but her developing affection for the father she never knew turns to hatred when she overhears snippets of a conversation. But when Matt presses her to hear the rest of the story, will she reject Matt along with her father?