Lessons

Alex Hubbard will be going to jail for not paying alimony and his children will be heading for a foster home, unless he can get his sons away from their mentally ill and suicidal mother by taking custody of them. But to do that, he needs a woman!

Where can he find a wife and stepmother who can teach his boys proper values? His only choice is someone he heartily dislikes. He really has no choice, so wedding bells ring for Alex and Shaina. She is thrilled with the challenge of making the ill-mannered boys into gentlemen, but how will she deal with being a wife to Alex?

This being the 1950s, Alex's two sons wanted someone like the mother on "Leave It to Beaver," but they get Shaina instead, a woman with proper grammar and manners who loves a challenge. She sets out to either break the boys or turn them into gentlemen. Shaina doesn't do it with love, but with a haughty self-righteousness that repels the men in the Hubbard family.

Lessons ends up teaching everyone a thing or two, and also reflects on the serious issues that can arise between children and their stepparents.

About the Author

John Moncrief grew up in Brockton, Massachusetts. "I remember how proud Brockton was when Rocky Marciano, my neighbor, knocked down both Joe Louis and Jersey Joe Walcott to become the heavyweight champion of the world." He is working on his second novel.

Publisher's website: http://sbprabooks.com/JohnMoncrief