First published 2012
Amelia runs from her violent family in Fort Wicked, a brutal mining settlement. She carries nothing but determination to build something better. The frontier offers little mercy to a woman alone. Work proves scarce. Safe shelter remains elusive. Her dark past clings to her like dust from the mines. Then a smooth-talking ranch hand appears with promises of employment. Amelia faces an impossible choice. She can trust this stranger and risk everything on his word. Or she can return to Fort Wicked and the family that drove her away. The decision will determine whether she breaks free from her history or remains trapped by it. This story follows one woman's battle to claim her independence in America's harsh western territories.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, adventure, 19th-century
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: coming-of-age, fish-out-of-water
Setting: Fort Wicked
Period: 19th-century
234 pages · ebook · Open Road Media
Content warnings: abuse, violence