First published 2014
Jessica Wyndham was born into wealth and influence in 1830s South Carolina, but she refuses to play the part of a proper plantation daughter. While her father Carson expects her to marry well and stay quiet, Jessica speaks her mind about justice and challenges the slavery that built their fortune. Her rebellious nature disappoints Carson, who sometimes wishes his questioning daughter had been born male instead. Jessica's defiance puts her at odds with her powerful father and the society that shaped them both. When she joins the determined Silas Toliver and stubborn Jeremy Warwick on a journey to the untamed territory of Texas, Jessica faces a choice between the security of her birthright and the uncertain promise of a new world. Her struggle to forge her own path while testing the limits of her father's love becomes a test of who she truly wants to become.
Genres: romance, american-fiction, historical-fiction, 19th-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water
Setting: South Carolina, Texas
Period: 1830s
610 pages · Hardcover · Grand Central Publishing
Content warnings: slavery