Dark history, treacherous intrigue, and deep class divides feature in this evocative and steamy third-installment of Deborah Small’s Dear One series that begins with My Dear One, an Edwardian-era set novel inspired by real events, and recognized by KOBO as one of Canada’s best debut books of 2018.
The most harmful lies are the ones we tell ourselves …
1914. Georgia, USA. Twice widowed, Margaret Sweeney swears off of love and marriage, and assumes control of Sugar Hill, the tobacco plantation left her by her latest, late husband. Not everyone approves of her decision, and at least one person is going to dangerous lengths to compel her to sell up and leave town. She will not be run off. Sugar Hill was entrusted to her, and she’ll see it, and the people who call it home prosper. But when her decision to stay, and her increasing fondness for Sugar Hill’s tenured overseer and his daughter threatens everything she’s pledged to protect, Margaret must admit the very thing she wants so desperately to deny…
For a decade, Joe Banner devoted himself to two things: his daughter, Maisie, and Sugar Hill. But when Sugar Hill’s new owner arrives and upends his quiet and private existence, Joe begins to question every decision he’s ever made, including to remain aloof from love. Worse than his unprofessional interest in Margaret – and their secret tête-à-têtes – is his daughter’s growing adoration for the woman, and her sudden interest in knowing more about her own mother. But the past is complicated. Nothing so simple as the lie Joe has let circulate for all of Maisie’s young life. To protect his daughter’s heart if not his own, Joe must pack up Maisie and leave Sugar Hill for good. But how can he go when someone out there is bent on destroying the land, and more importantly the woman he loves?
Old ghosts, faceless foes, and legal woes conspire to complicate Margaret’s and Joe’s personal and professional lives as they work together to keep Sugar Hill and its residents safe, all the while struggling to keep each other at arm’s length. In public, at least. But when Maisie ends up in the crossfire of adult grudges and greed the couple must confront hard truths, and make life-altering decisions with far-reaching consequences, not only for themselves, but for Maisie, and everyone else at Sugar Hill…