Corporate attorney Hannah DuPont-Lowell always pictured herself returning to New Orleans to retire just not yet. But after her Manhattan company abruptly lays off its staff, there's no better place to figure out a next move than the porch of her plantation-style home. Nestled in the stunning Garden District, the DuPont House has been in Hannah's family for two centuries. With its eighteen rooms and two guesthouses, it's far more home than widowed Hannah needs. Still, it could make a wonderful inn, especially if she can convince her friends and former coworkers Tonya, Jasmine, and Nydia to join in the venture. But in the meantime, Hannah has a high school reunion to attend. College professor St. John McNair, Hannah's one-time classmate, is still the finest guy in any room. Between Hannah's willowy, blonde beauty, and his uncanny resemblance to Marvin Gaye, they make a striking pair. And gradually, their rekindled friendship moves toward romance. Still, Hannah is too bruised by her late husband's infidelities to trust a man again. But her friends' arrival and encouragement just might show her a path through uncertainty straight to a vibrant, joyful new life . . .

Bestselling author Rochelle Alers welcomes readers back to romantic New Orleans in her warm and sexy series about four very different women embarking on a new adventure . . . Sometimes you go in search of a new beginning. Other times, it finds you. Tonya Martin enjoys her job as a professional chef for a Wall Street bank, her East Harlem walk-up, and the freedom to live and love by her own rules—right up until the day she finds herself suddenly downsized. But a spontaneous trip to New Orleans opens up a new opportunity. With time on her hands and her daughter soon graduating college, Tonya has the chance to reach for her own long-cherished dream—opening a restaurant on her friend Hannah’s beautiful Garden District estate. While Hannah and her new husband work on transforming the DuPont House into a luxury inn, Tonya explores local cuisine, taking an apprentice role at famed restaurant Chez Toussaints. Gage Toussaint’s mix of Creole, Cajun, and African ancestry is deeply attractive, and the sexy chef clearly wants their friendship to become much more. Drawn to him yet hesitant given their previous unhappy marriages, Tonya wonders if it’s too late to leap into love again. Could Gage be just the ingredient she needs to make this delicious new life complete?

Check into the national bestselling author’s Innkeepers series with “a sweet story which offers a long, slow look at taking a second chance on love” ( All About Romance ). New Yorker Jasmine Washington had a successful interior design business, a high-powered marriage, and a chance at motherhood—until her perfect husband betrayed her big-time. Now starting from scratch, the Asian and African-American stunner is tackling a lifetime co-managing her friend’s new luxury inn about to open in the Garden District. The last thing Jasmine needs is romance. New Orleans’ most eligible bachelor, investment banker Cameron Singleton, begs to differ. Cameron challenges Jasmine’s cautious ways, teases her back into having real fun—and makes one sexy, utterly irresistible Mr. Right Now. But their passionate nights soon result in a surprise bonus . . . Even though Cameron insists on being there for Jasmine, can she really believe his love is the real thing? Can she shake the past and design a completely new life? And is there really only one way to find out? Praise for the Innkeepers series “Late-in-life love in vibrant New Orleans . . . [a] female bonding romance series like the Bride Quartet by Nora Roberts.”— Kirkus Reviews “The ambiance and flavor of New Orleans are on full display.”— RT Book Reviews (4 stars)

Bestselling author Rochelle Alers’ returns to romantic New Orleans in this uplifting series featuring four very different friends embarking on the dream of a lifetime . . . With her besties in the Big Easy, Nydia Santiago is second-guessing staying behind in New York City. So when Jasmine Washington calls with the exciting news that she’s getting married, Nydia happily rushes to New Orleans to be her maid of honor. Once she visits the lovely Garden District estate her friends are transforming into a luxury inn, she’s wistful to join them in their venture. Then she meets the sexy engineer in charge of the renovation. With his seductive Southern drawl, Lamar Pierce could make her believe in love again . . . Lamar is confident, responsible, and settled—everything her ex, an aspiring Latin music singer, wasn’t. But Lamar is also a widowed father to a pre-teen girl in need of a mother, something Nydia’s not ready to be. When her ex makes a very public proposal, suddenly Nydia is running from the paparazzi—straight into Lamar’s arms. But is she ready to take the leap from singlehood to wife and mother?. . .