Forbidden love. Family secrets. A twist of fate. The stunning generational saga from Belinda Alexandra, bestselling author of Tuscan Rose and White Gardenia.

In New Orleans - the city of genteel old houses and ancient oak trees covered in Spanish moss, of seductive night life, of Creole culture, voodoo and jazz - two women separated by time and tragedy will find each other at last.

Amanda, orphaned as a child and suffering the loss of her beloved grandmother, has left Sydney in search of a family she never knew.

Ruby, constrained by the expectations of society and class, is carrying a lifetime of secrets. Amanda's arrival sparks revelations long buried: a double life, a forbidden love, and a loss that cannot be forgotten.

Southern Ruby is a sweeping story of love, passion, family and honour. Alternating in time between the 1950s and the eve of Hurricane Katrina, it is also a tribute to a city heady with mystery, music, and superstition, which has borne the tumults of race and class and the fury of nature, but has never given up hope.

PRAISE FOR SOUTHERN RUBY:

'This is a big, bold novel with an evocative sense of place that will captivate Alexandra's many fans' Canberra Weekly

'For a book with such deep themes, Southern Ruby is an easy read, told in an entertaining narrative that draws us along like a conversation with a close friend. It is a thought-provoking novel that should leave the reader feeling satisfied as well as entertained.' Newtown Review of Books

'Unforgettable ... intrigue, passion, betrayal - all the ingredients for a must-read novel. And that is this author's specialty' Woman's Day

'A passionate and powerful family saga' Australian Women's Weekly

'Filled with glamour, heartbreak, drama and suspense' The Age

'Totally enthralling' Herald Sun