“Always watch your step or you might land in something you can’t wipe off – Nanny James”
Kansas at the end of the Civil War. It’s her twentieth birthday and Cara Calvinia James is alone after the death of her family. Her wish is about to come true…to go to California and start a new life, but a stranger and a baby enter her life that day and change it forever. What is in store for Cara as she helps a man in need?
Dake Reed, former Union soldier, is going home to Alabama to face his family and friends who call him a traitor. Little did he know that he would be responsible for taking a newborn baby home to Alabama after promising a dying mother he discovered lying on the road. He hoped to find someone to help him care for Anna Clayton’s orphaned child on the way to Alabama, but can Cara, an independent, spirited woman from Kansas help him?
When Cara and Dake find the baby’s relatives they don’t want anything to do him because of his mother’s past, but that’s the least of their troubles. Dake’s older brother, confined to a wheelchair from the war, is murdered and Dake is the chief suspect. Can Cara help him be cleared of the charges, and who is the real murderer?
This is a new digital reprint of Ms. Landis’ first edition print book which came out in 1994. Again, Ms. Landis does not disappoint with another historical romance set during a volatile time in the South with the conflicts between the Ku Klux Klan and freed slaves and between men who fought against brothers and friends. Cara’s spirit and her Nanny James’ quotes are refreshing and Dake’s compassion and sense of duty are commendable after all he has gone through. Another great story for those who like historical romance with a bit of mystery.
Thank you to Ms. Landis, BelleBooks and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to review this book.
Author Bio
Known for the emotional intensity of her stories and the depth of her characters, Jill 
Marie Landis is considered one of the country’s foremost authors of romance and womens’ fiction with her debut historical romance, SUNFLOWER, the first of her many books to earn distinguished awards and slots on such national best seller lists as the USA Today Top 50 and the New York Times Bestsellers Plus. Her books have been translated into several foreign languages and sold worldwide.
A seven time Romance Writers of America Finalist for the RITA Award in both the Single Title Historical and Contemporary categories, she is an RWA Golden Heart as well as a Rita Winner. Jill Marie has also penned five Inspirational Historical Romances and is now writing a mystery series set on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, where she lives with her husband, actor Steve Landis. Her books are not only known for their intense emotion, but characters you’ll remember long after you turn the last page.
