A Lowcountry Bride: A Novel

**A wedding dress designer learns to trust her instincts after returning home to Charleston to care for her ill father in this tender romance.**
**"With superb character development and great emotional depth, Afro Filipina writer Williams stitches together a quietly powerful love story that is beautifully enriched by the deft and insightful incorporation of weighty issues such as grief and medical conditions into the compelling plot and brightly enhanced by glimpses into the vibrant culture and history of Charleston." —** ***Booklist*** **(starred review)**
Maya Jackson has worked for Laura Whitcomb, Inc, a renowned New York City bridal gown brand, for years and dreams of becoming head designer. She has the talent; she just needs a chance to showcase her unique style. Due to an illness, she's always prioritized her career over her personal life until her father fractures his hip and Maya returns to Charleston, South Carolina. While home for only a few months, she's thrilled to find an opportunity at the local bridal gown boutique, never expecting sparks to fly with its owner . . .
A military veteran and widowed father, Derek Sullivan hopes to save Always a Bride from bankruptcy to preserve the legacy of his mother. He also wants to reconnect with his estranged twelve-year-old daughter, who is still recovering from the loss of her mother. The last thing he needs is a relationship with a beautiful, smart, complicated woman who will be leaving soon.
When Derek begins to fall for the lovely Maya, he knows there's no future. But destiny has its own plans, and these two lonely people with big hearts discover that coming home to love is the best gift life can give.
**"I absolutely adore this book . . . love story begins slow—like a delicious lowcountry boil—but heats up to the perfect ending." —Kathleen Y'Barbo, bestselling author of** ***The Black Midnight***
**"Twenty twenty-first is bringing us the Black romances we deserve!" —** ***Essence***
**"With this heartwarming tale, Williams has created a budding family that readers will root for." —** ***Publishers Weekly***