The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc    by Loraine Despres Order:  USA  Can HarperCollins, 2002 (2001) Softcover, e-Book Read an Excerpt     Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth Rule Number 59 of The Southern Belle's Handbook says 'It's okay for a woman to know her place. She just doesn't have to stay there.' Sissy LeBlanc adds to her handbook whenever an appropriate thought crosses her mind. She is Belle Cantrell's granddaughter. You might have met Belle – she is the heroine of author Loraine Despres' second novel, The Bad Behavior of Belle Cantrell. Though I have read these two books out of sequence, that doesn't diminish the delightful pleasure I got out of each. Both Belle and Sissy rebel at social mores that dictate their behavior. In Scandalous Summer, Sissy rekindles a high school romance after years of marriage to PeeWee LeBlanc. After three children with a frankly boring husband who bows to his father's every wish, Sissy is ready to kick over the traces and change her life. But a dilemma stops her. How can she leave Peewee? When he has been a faithful husband and loving father for fourteen years? Her actions would destroy him. His father would ridicule him at every turn. Not that his father is above reproach. Sissy is a good woman thrust into a situation not really of her choosing. Her Southern Belle's Handbook allows her to vent without any repercussions. How many of us have wished for a different life? How many of us have the verve to act on those wishes? The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc offers an escape of sorts for women in a flagging marriage. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Historical books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews