The Caretaker

In a town divided by prejudice, one girl's future—and two hearts—hang in the balance.

New York State, 1841. Charley Lovejoy has weathered storms on the Erie Canal, but none like the one that arrives in the form of Hetty—his runaway teenage sister with a sword on her hip and trouble at her heels. Desperate to keep her safe, Charley delivers her to the only refuge he can find: a daring new boarding school where Black and white girls learn side by side.

There, Rose Chisholm has traded the fog of Glasgow for the promise of America, pouring her heart into a school the town is eager to see fail. While she's happy to take on a new student, the last thing Rose needs is Hetty's hulking, disconcertingly kind brother upsetting her fragile order.

But as escalating tensions in town threaten to close the school, Charley and Rose find themselves drawn into each other's orbits—bound by their fierce protectiveness of Hetty and by a pull they can neither explain nor ignore.

Rich with vivid historical detail, The Caretaker sweeps readers into an America on the brink, where love and conviction are tested, and family is both a burden and a salvation.

" ...meticulous historical research, gorgeous prose, deftly sketched characters, and a deeply satisfying love story. I loved every page." - Reader review
 

The Caretaker is the first book in the Love and Liberation Series, although all of the books in the series can be read as standalones. It contains themes which may be disturbing to some readers, and several spicy open-door scenes.