Virtuous Intentions
Within each virtuous intention lies a secret
Available Now!
E-book and paperback
Praise for Cedar Grove
Ms. Addams does an outstanding job with her characters, especially Uranie. She is the girl we root for, cheer for, have the slight crush on, and cheer her on for her bravery, scream out loud, when she makes a wrong decision. I found myself in many ways, wanting to be her side. - 5 Stars - Amazon Reader
I liked everything about this book! The history was right on and the characters true to life! This war was tragic for our Country. So much loss, not only in human life, but destruction in every way possible, especially in the Southern states, I have read that the South has never recovered.
I had many mixed feelings while reading this book. It is very descriptive and written with truth. I wish I would have had the book as a resource when I was teaching American History! - 5 Stars - Amazon Reader
The storyline is realistic, the characters very believable, the book well edited. The research was thoroughly done and the info well conveyed to the reader. If you enjoy stories about the Civil War or the history of our country during that era, you will love this book. - 5 Stars - Barbara270 on Amazon
Lord, where do I begin? I could go on forever because this story was so thorough and very emotional. I am African-American so I felt this story to my core. I didn't learn anything new, but this story was so detailed - like watching a movie. Also, reading about the Yankees' takeover of Cedar Grove was amazing. Turning the house into a makeshift hospital for the Yankees and the slave quarter's men's dorm into one for the Confederates. Wow . . . Uranie was amazing throughout all of this story. Thank you for a great Summer read!! - 5 Stars Book Babe on Amazon
Strength is her weakness. Weakness is her weapon.
Creole beauty Uranie Delacroix has spent her entire life on Cedar Grove, a prosperous sugar plantation downriver from New Orleans. There, she was raised an equal to her half-sister, and together, they’ve lived the life of privileged Southern belles, with all the refinements afforded members of the Louisiana planter society.
Rumblings of war usher in Ranie’s nineteenth birthday, and while her sister fantasizes about the sisters marrying and raising their children on Cedar Grove, Ranie faces the reality that the law forbids her to marry a white man and all black men of Ranie’s acquaintance are enslaved. This truth, among many others, draws focus to the vast disparity that their isolation at Cedar Grove had protected, but that always existed between her and her sister.
When the War Between the States threatens the stability of the South, Ranie’s father can no longer insulate her from the realities of the world. As one by one the Southern states secede, he’s forced to accelerate his well-placed, albeit reluctant intentions for her. In doing so, he must reveal a secret life that confuses, yet somehow comforts her.
Her determination drives her to do things she’d thought herself incapable. Her strength enables her to do what others refuse to do, and to stand up to those intent upon causing harm to her family, even as she openly opposes the very institution for which the South so vehemently fights.
