by Pat Murphy
First published 2013
Nadya Ryback transforms into a wolf when the moon calls. Her Polish immigrant parents raised her on the Missouri frontier in the 1830s, teaching her to hide what she truly is. When her suitor discovers their family secret, he kills her mother and father in cold blood. Nadya escapes west toward California, desperate to find land where she can run wild without fear. She meets Elizabeth, a refined woman carrying secrets of her own, and young Jenny, barely past childhood. The three women band together as they cross the dangerous frontier. They dodge rattlesnake strikes and navigate encounters with Native tribes. They discover the grisly remnants left by the Donner party's desperate winter. Elizabeth's carefully controlled desires finally break free, drawing her into Nadya's arms. Together they search for a place where both can live as their true selves.
Genres: romance, american-fiction, historical-fiction, adventure, 19th-century
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: found-family, secret-identity
Setting: California, Missouri, Poland
Period: 1830s, Donner Party
Audio CD · Blackstone Publishing
Content warnings: violence