Swamp Rats — Jill Penrod

Growing up, falling in love, avoiding alligators.Princess is only nine when her mother abandons her, leaving her in their swamp home with her absentee dad, who travels to make a living. That same day she meets Cree, the boy two houses down on their tiny patch of dry land. He invites her to dinner with his baby brothers, for Cree, like Princess, has little family to help him.Alone most of the time, Cree and Princess work together to survive and raise Cree's brothers. Occasionally hindered by Cree's abusive father, they learn about life and growing up through her dad's extensive library and things they figure out on their own.Life in a swamp isn't easy for two kids, though. They endure flooding storms, illness, and alligators along the way. Cree longs to care for his brothers -- and the girl he's falling in love with -- by traveling the swamp, but Princess is terrified he'll never return, just like her mother never returned. Tensions between them grow, but without each other, they know they can't survive.In this coming of age romance, follow Cree and Princess as they learn about love, family, and, of course, how to avoid alligators. Book one of the Trilogy on the River. Sweet romance.