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Against the Odds
Series · 2 books · 2004-2013

Books in series

Trouble Don't Last Always book cover
#1

Trouble Don't Last Always

2004

Desperate to escape her abusive marriage, Lilly Crawford files for divorce, then slips away from her small east Texas hometown with little more than the clothes on her back. She points her twelve-year-old car east, hoping to find a new beginning. When her car breaks down in Louisiana, Lilly finds unexpected employment as the caregiver for a wealthy neurosurgeon named Adam Wakefield, who lost his sight in a recent carjacking. At first, this handsome, brooding man reminds her too much of the angry husband she left behind and she reminds him of how far he has fallen from the self-assured man he once was. But as the two spend long days together, an unexpected bond develops—-one that will be deeply tested. For Lilly must confront her violent husband before she can ever hope to move on and truly discover a second chance at life and love. This stunning story is gripping and unforgettable tale told with Francis Ray's trademark emotion and passion.
Somebody's Knocking at My Door book cover
#2

Somebody's Knocking at My Door

2013

Kristen Wakefield grew up the privileged, beloved daughter and sister of a wealthy family...yet she felt eclipsed by the achievements of her older brother, Adam, a renowned neurosurgeon. In New Orleans, Kristen believes she now has the opportunity to prove herself and forget a rather disastrous past relationship. But life is much harder than she expected in the Big Easy. Then she meets a man from her past, Rafe Crawford...a man battling his own demons and keeping his own secrets. The beautiful, but down-to-earth Angelique Fleming has always had to fight to get what she wanted in a world dominated by men and she has the chip on her shoulder to prove it. Which is why she takes great pleasure working at a local strip club, hoping to expose a few naughty little secrets of the community's upstanding men. But before she gets all the dirt, she's going to find out a few things about life, men, and forgiveness she thought she already knew. Claudette Thibodeaux Laurent comes from old New Orleans money and had always adhered to the family honor above all else. But she shocks polite society when she marries a man much younger than herself, a man everyone suspects is only after her money. Claudette has done her duty to her family and now she wants a little happiness for herself. And yet doubts eventually begin to creep in and she isn't sure which Maurice loves her or her money, as his desire for the finer things in life become more and more lavish. Just exactly how much is her happiness is going to cost her? Told with Francis Ray's trademark emotion and passion, Somebody's Knocking at My Door is a powerful story of betrayal and forgiveness, love and healing.

Author

Francis Ray
Francis Ray
Author · 43 books

Francis Ray was a New York Times and USA Today bestselling African-American writer of romance novels. Her literary fiction series – Taggart and Falcon, the Invincible Women, Grayson Family of New Mexico, and Grayson Friends – have consistently made bestseller's lists. She was born in Richland, Texas, and studied nursing, receiving a bachelor's degree from Texas Woman's University in 1967. She began writing in 1987, while continuing to work as a nurse, and had her first book published in 1992. AWARDS Romantic Times Career Achievement EMMA The Golden Pen The Atlantic Choice Romantic Times 2008 Reviewers' Choice Award Winners for AFRICAN-AMERICAN ROMANCE Reviewers' Choice Awards – Best Books Not Even If You Begged, St. Martin's Griffin (February 2008) Borders 2008 Bestselling Multicultural Romance Award for Nobody but You Written's 2010 Readers Choice Book of the Year for If You Were My Man

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Against the Odds