Heartbreak Cafe

A touching novel full of Southern comfort for fans of Joshilyn Jackson and Fannie Flagg.

Dell Haley's mama always said there were two things a man couldn't get enough of: good cookin' and good lovin'. Well, Dell knows she's got the cookin' down pat, but her husband is getting more than his fair share of lovin'-in another woman's bed. And when he dies there, Dell's predictable life comes to a screeching halt. Short on money and education, Dell turns to the one thing that has never let her down: her cooking. For the first time in her life, Dell takes a huge risk and opens a restaurant in a derelict diner on the west end of town. The cafe gradually becomes a gathering place for a motley crew of people who become Dell's family. And yet, even as her life becomes more solid, Dell is plagued by the memory of her husband's betrayal-but the answers she seeks may have a higher price than she's willing to pay.

Penelope J. Stokes was born in Mississippi and attended Mississippi University for Women. She holds a PhD in renaissance literature and taught both writing and literature at the college level. Stokes has published several works including The Amber Photograph, Delta Belles, and Heartbreak Café. She resides in North Carolina.