Part of Enduring Hope
First published 2026
Henrietta Maxwell pounds out hard news stories for The Enterprise Daily, but her byline reads Henry Mason. In 1920s Brockton, female reporters need male names to be taken seriously. This deception galls Etta daily. Leo Eriksson fights fires like his father before him and dedicates himself to helping others. When Leo learns that Henry Mason is actually Henrietta Maxwell, the wealthy woman who funds his fire department, he promises to guard her secret. An explosion tears through the Grover Shoe Factory. Leo and Etta join forces to investigate whether this blast connects to other suspicious fires plaguing their city. Their partnership deepens as they chase leads together. Then a rival reporter exposes Etta's true identity after receiving a tip from an anonymous source. Etta wrongly blames Leo for betraying her trust. The accusation destroys their relationship just as Etta realizes she loves him. She must now prove her mistake and win back the man who stood by her when no one else would.
Genres: drama, romance, historical-fiction, 20th-century, mystery, adult-fiction
Vibes: emotional, engaging, fast-paced, romantic, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, forced-proximity, misunderstanding, second-chance-romance, secret-identity
Setting: Brockton, The Enterprise Daily, Grover Shoe Factory
Period: 1920s
Hardcover · Thorndike Press Large Print
Content warnings: sexism