Toward the Dawn

Connealy resumes her A Western Light series (after Chasing the Horizon) with the nerve-jangling story of a duo thrown together by chance in the Wild West. Kat Wadsworth and Sebastian Jones have spent all winter holed up in an iced-over Idaho canyon after a benevolent family saved them from desperate circumstances: Kat had escaped from an insane asylum she’d been forced into by an uncle who was after her inheritance, while inventor Sebastian was recovering from a gunshot wound sustained by an unknown attacker. Both are now eager to escape the cave and start new lives. After getting married as a ruse to travel together, they take a train to Cheyenne, Wyo., and buy a homestead. Hopes of a quiet life (and budding romance) are quickly dashed by brushes with danger, including an attempt on Kat’s life. Their efforts to discover the culprit (suspects include Kat’s greedy uncle and jealous inventors eager to steal Seb’s patents) bring them to Independence, Mo., where they attempt to use their wits and God’s guidance to extricate themselves from the mess. By turns tender and funny, the novel sees the slow burn of Kat and Seb’s romance woven seamlessly into a propulsive narrative filled with masked gunmen, greedy manipulators, and enough twists to keep Connealy’s fans on the edge of their seats. Readers will be captivated from first page to last. (June)