First published 2019
Diana Cooke stands in the grand halls of Saratoga, the largest estate in Virginia, knowing her family faces ruin. Born in 1900 to old Virginia gentry, she possesses legendary beauty but little else. Her parents own magnificent land yet lack money to maintain their ancestral home, which has welcomed society's elite and Hollywood stars for five generations. The mysterious Captain Copperton arrives with deep pockets and no pedigree. He sees nineteen-year-old Diana and decides he must have her. Diana recognizes that marriage to this vulgar, cruel man would save Saratoga and restore the Cookes' fortune. She despises Copperton but bears the weight of her family's legacy. Duty wins over desire. She marries him, sacrificing her chance at true love. Fortune smiles when her marriage ends quickly, leaving her with a beloved son named Ashton. Years pass peacefully until grown Ashton returns from college with his roommate. Their arrival sets tragedy in motion, threatening everything Diana fought to preserve.
Genres: romance, american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: duty-over-desire, sacrifice, second-chance
Setting: Saratoga, Virginia
Period: 1900s
288 pages · Paperback · HarperPb
Content warnings: death