A Reluctant Belle

A woman in Reconstruction-era Mississippi launches a secret campaign to establish a school for black children in the gratifying finale to White’s Daughtry House series (after A Rebel Heart). Joelle Daughtry teaches freed slaves to read and write, but some in her small town—and in her church—want to restrict their education. Joelle’s childhood friend, Shuyler Beaumont, isn’t thrilled with Joelle’s budding relationship with a local preacher, but the murder of Shuyler’s father, a progressive political candidate, has forced him to search for answers the police seem unwilling to find. Secretive gatherings, church burnings, and violent reprisals against Joelle’s liberal practices prompt Shuyler to return from the capital to protect her and her students. In the chaos, they turn to each other and to their deepening faith, believing justice would stand firm against the hatred and bigotry overwhelming their community. Featuring flawed characters desperate to fight for equality, this intense historical romance will make readers wrestle—as Joelle does—with questions of what the Christian faith says about freedom, truth, and justice. [em](June) [/em]