Full of Grace: A Novel

A moving story of the power of love and the miracles of life—chock full of Southern wit, sass, and charm

Grace is an intelligent, (struggling-to-be) independent 31-year-old single woman living (in sin!) with the man she’d marry if they both weren’t so commitment phobic. Michael is a doctor and a scientist and Grace has a good idea that he’s also an atheist. Over the years, this dutiful Catholic girl has become ambivalent about her faith. But her family is as devoutly old-fashioned as it gets.

The stage is set for a major showdown that might just change Grace’s outlook on life, family,and the South itself.

Hilton Head, a South Carolina retirement heaven -- at least it's supposed to be, but for Big Al and Connie Russo, the move from New Jersey to this southern paradise has been fraught with just a few complications. Especially for their daughter, Grace.

Well, that's what she likes to be called. Her family insists on Maria Graziella. Seriously, enough with the Neapolitan. That might have been okay in New Jersey, but now it's just plain silly, and Grace at thirty-two is, horror of horrors, still unmarried. No wonder her family drives her crazy. Well, that and the fact that she's living with the man she would marry if they both weren't so commitment phobic. Michael is a doctor and a scientist and Grace is pretty sure he's also an atheist. Over the years, Grace has become a bit ambivalent about her faith, but her family is as old-fashioned Italian as they come. The stage is set for a major showdown that just might change Grace's outlook on life, family, and the new South.

“Frank’s absorbing narrative manages to feel both authentically Southern and universally empathetic.” - Publishers Weekly on Pawleys Island

“One heck of a beach book . . . Frank keeps you reading compulsively.” - Charlotte Observer on Sullivan's Island