First published 2022
Kathryn Walsh steps off the stagecoach in Calvada, California in 1875 with nothing but a letter about her inheritance. Her wealthy Boston stepfather has banished her, and the uncle she never knew has left her a shuttered newspaper and a worthless mine in this Sierra Nevada mining town. The main street teems with saloons and brothels while miners and their families struggle under the boot of powerful men who control the town. Kathryn decides to restart the newspaper and publish the truth about their suffering. Her crusade puts her directly in the crosshairs of Calvada's elite, who will kill to protect their interests. Matthias Beck owns the local saloon and hotel. He knew Kathryn's uncle well and recognizes the same fierce determination in this red-haired suffragette from New England. As a former Union soldier cut off by his Southern family, Matthias understands what it means to stand alone. When he finds himself supporting Kathryn's cause, his aimless existence suddenly gains direction. Two outcasts discover that fighting for justice can lead to something more valuable than any gold strike.
Genres: romance, american-fiction, historical-fiction, american, 19th-century
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Calvada, California, New England, Sierra Nevada
Period: 1875
450 pages · Hardcover · Tyndale Fiction