January 11, 2021
Cabot continues her Mesquite Springs historical romance series (following Out of the Embers) with the middling story of Dorothy Clark, who longs for a career as a writer in mid–19th-century small-town Texas. In 1856, Dorothy’s prayers of becoming a reporter appear to be answered when newspaper editor Brandon Holloway arrives in town and hires her to write for the paper. The two immediately clash, though, when Brandon avoids taking a stance on slavery—even though Dorothy wants to publish an abolitionist editorial. Brandon’s stance comes from his father’s death a few years before in a riot sparked by Brandon’s public support for the novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin and his denunciation of slavery. Still full of guilt, Brandon is unwilling to listen to Dorothy’s entreaties. But through her attention and persistence, Brandon rediscovers his courage to champion the values he holds dear. Brandon’s admiration for Dorothy sparks his romantic interest, and Dorothy, afraid to love as a result of losing her own father at a young age, decides it’s worth the risk. While Cabot does a fine job of building the tinderbox local politics of Mesquite Springs, the plotting is predictable and several threads are left disappointingly unresolved. Series fans will hope for a return to form next time.