A Nutcracker Kind of Christmas

A Nutcracker Kind of Christmas

Time to tell you about a fun new story you can expect in time for Christmas of 2024!

I’ve hinted at it here and there, but I’ve yet to give a full peek…because, well, it seemed like a funny thing to talk about in the spring and summer when I was first signing the contract and then writing the book. But with Thanksgiving behind us and Christmas ahead, now seems like the PERFECT time to tell you about . . .

(That designed title is my own imagingings, nothing official, LOL. Just FYI.)

Christmas at Sugar Plum Manor

So here’s the story. Just about a year ago, my editor at Bethany House emailed to ask if I’d be interested in writing a short Edwardian-era Christmas novel.

Um…YES!!!!

As I drove the kids to youth group and continued to mass, I brainstormed what sort of Christmas story I could write. What would be fun? What did I love? What would bring me joy? I knew the answer within hours of asking it.

The Nutcracker.

You see, my daughter was in our local ballet studio’s annual production of The Nutcracker for a decade, from the time she was five until the studio closed its doors a few years ago. We LOVE the ballet. We know its music by heart. Xoe has danced most of the dances and gotten to wear most of the costumes. Every year, this classic Christmas production was a HUGE part of our year.

But one of my favorite memories comes from her first year performing. She was one of the Littles, who only came on stage two or three times. The rest of the time, all those primary schoolers were backstage, in a room above the theater, where somehow one parent was expected to keep a dozen hyperactive little ones who were excited and nervous about the show quiet. Um…yeah.

But I had a plan. After Simon Says lost its luster, I told them all to sit down, and I broke out a book. It was an adaptation of the original story, Nutcracker and Mouse King, that had inspired Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet. This story, written by E. T. A. Hoffman, had backstory we never get in the show, a mystical and magical and far-fetched tale of curses and magical nuts and sworn enemies and unlikely friends. It’s a truly charming tale, and it held those little girls rapt as I read it to them.

So I pitched a Nutcracker-themed romance to my editor–one with a villain more Scrooge-ish than really evil, with happily-ever-afters abounding, but with an imaginative heroine who was misunderstood by her very practical family, and yet whose belief in the power of laughter and joy and yes, even the absurd stories of a child with an overactive imagination, ends up changing them all.

Just before Christmas last year, I got the news that the committee had approved the story idea and that Christmas at Sugar Plum Manor would be slated for publication in September 2024, in time for the holiday season!

My version of the story is set in one of England’s “classic Christmas card villages,” Castleton (which was seriously on postcards and holiday greeting cards), at a fictional estate just outside of town which is officially called Plumford Manor thanks to its plum orchards, but which at Christmas the heroine always dubs Sugar Plum Manor. Each year, she helps the staff turn their dried fruit into her favorite holiday treat–sugar plums (prunes that have been rolled in sugar and baked, then rolled and baked again, and again, until they’re a crystallized delight). But she is, in fact, only the stepdaughter of the Earl of Castleton. He and her mother had no children of their own, which means an heir had to be tracked down…and Cyril Lightbourne is exactly the kind of hero she can imagine falling in love with–if only they can reclaim the joy they had together as children when he came to be introduced to the family and not let the hard realities of society…and a Danish lord set on revenge…get in the way.

I had so much fun picking out some of the key elements of the original story–Nutcracker dolls and a landscape made of sweet treats, a creative heroine whose siblings and parents are far too practical to indulge her fancies, a noble young hero who’d been spurned by a great beauty, and someone to play the part of the Mouse King, of course–and twist and turn them enough to make sense in the “real” world. And of course, a rather mad professor who created magic in his workshop. 😉

I don’t yet have an official cover to show you, but I’m so excited to see what they come up with!

AND…another fun thing. I’ll be publishing a new adaptation of that original Nutcracker and Mouse King story too! Many of us today don’t even know the original story, only the ballet, and that’s a real shame, because it’s so much fun! This companion edition will include historical sidebars, definitions, recipes, craft ideas, and more to help you bring this classic children’s Christmas story to life for a whole new generation! Stay tuned for more info on that and the novel as it all comes together in the next year!

~*~

Are you familiar with the original story about brave Nutcracker? With the ballet? Do you have other favorite classic Christmas stories?

An Invitation to the World of the Awakened

An Invitation to the World of the Awakened

An Invitation to the World of the Awakened

Where the magic is in the meeting of those who should never be friends…

Imagine a world thousands of years in the future, where the Lord has tarried in His return…

A world where a great cataclysm has struck,
sending a portion of the population beneath the sea
in search of safety. Imagine a people who learned
to thrive and survive beneath the waves.

They are still men. But they are also mer.
And they will not be dictated to by land-dwellers.

Imagine a world that cried out to God for help…and He answered.

A gift from God…combined with the technology of men.

“Magic,” they call it, knowing it is truly
science and faith combined.
But it doesn’t show up just anywhere.

Magic only comes in the meeting.
The meeting of worlds,
where enemies find a way to become friends.

And magic must be Awakened.
Awakened by the blood of another with this Gift.

King Seidon

In that world, King Seidon rules the tidal kingdom of Daryatla. He is the latest–and perhaps last–in a line of powerful half-mer rulers whose “magic” helps him control water, especially the sea. He is the strongest monarch since the days of the evil first Sea King, who tried to subjugate the mer. Seidon is a man of faith and conviction, and during his 200 years of rule, he has grown his power more and more, so that he can bring prosperity to lands all up and down the continent and extending ever farther inland.

He brings rain when it is needed, holds it off when it would flood. He calms storms and keeps the rivers in their courses, keeps a hand on the tides and can change them at will. It is a dangerous power–but one that he knows is kept in check by the Lord. If ever the Triada’s favor is revoked, all his people will know it. The Waters of Mercy won’t surge their blessing in the great cathedral, and his power will be given to whoever arises as worthy of it. He must seek God above all, always.

The stronger he grows, the longer his life stretches out before him…but Seidon is alone. His friends age and die while he grows only younger. And never, in all his years, has he been able to find the thing he craves most: a family, children to raise to take his place.

And now, the mer kingdom off his shores is in uproar…
and war is looming for them all.

Arden never expected to be called upon to help her kingdom.

Arden Bleu

She still remembers the lonely years, when her father, Guardian of the Barrier Banks–one of the king’s most trusted men–waited for her mother to come back and prove herself alive. She’d said she was dying and must return to her people before she did…but Arden doesn’t even remember her mother. She only remembers the haunted look in her father’s eyes, and how it all changed when he finally admitted his first wife was gone forever, fell in love with Sapphire, and married her, giving Arden a little sister and a best friend–Jade.

Jericho Bleu, Guardian of the Barrier Banks

Sapphire Bleu, Artist

They were inseparable as children, they’re inseparable still as adults, even though Jade is so beautiful that it surely means magic waits in her veins to be Awakened. Arden has always known Jade is special–so special that one of the Great Golden Sea Hawks circles them every day, and has ever since the day Jade was born. Arden doesn’t even know what her own dreams are, only that she can’t imagine what she’ll do when Jade leaves. After their Awakening ceremony, she’ll surely be swept into service by the king, or she’ll chase her dreams into a position as ambassador to the mer…and Arden will no doubt still be here. On her father’s island. Alone, always the outcast. It’s enough to make her hate the king she’s never met, who has been away from his capital city all her life.

But then the unthinkable happens.
Jade is kidnapped by the mer.

 

And not just any mer…
it seems the mysterious Black Tails have returned.
And where there are Black Tails, there is war between mer and men.

Jade Calimore

Arden will do anything to save her stepsister, even appeal to the king she hoped never to meet, the king who could have taken her father from her at any moment, the king who would surely have seen Jade’s potential too and called her into service. With her cousin, Storm, who her father has been training to be a member of the king’s Elite Guard–and who is in love with Jade–she goes to the palace to make her appeal, on the day of the biggest celebration Daryatla has seen in a century:

The king’s 275th birthday and 200th coronation anniversary ball–The Blue Ball.

Together, Arden and Storm beseech King Seidon for his aid.

But Seidon knows that more than the fate of one of his oldest friends’ stepdaughters is at stake. He knows that the mer would not have kidnapped Jade unless they thought she possessed strong magic.

 

Storm Bleu, Guardian in Training

Magic like he sensed in the water when she was taken. Magic that may just be strong enough to match his own.

Magic that could finally make a way for a future for Daryatla…if only he can rescue her from the mer.

Beneath the waves, Jade finds a kingdom on the brink of revolution.

Her kidnappers, the elusive Black Tails, are fighting for their very survival. When the Crown Princess ascends to the throne in a few months, she has sworn to kill all other Awakened, thinking it will strengthen her own power enough to challenge Seidon. But her siblings, cousins, and the other magical mer aren’t about to give up without a fight.

Prince Finn Sael

Prince Finn is the leader of the rebellion, but he knows that alone, and even with the help of his comrades, may not be strong enough to defeat his sister once she holds the power of the crown. So when his cousin, a priest of the One, tells him a prophecy foretells someone with Sky Magic, and that he thinks he’s found her, Finn agrees to kidnap Jade…and secure her powers for his purposes.

Electra is none too pleased with the plan, but she goes along because Finn is her best hope of survival. When she’s charged with training Jade, though, Jade isn’t sure if she is an ally…or the most dangerous enemy.

Electra, Black Tail Warrior

Librus, Priest of the One

Electra’s brother, Librus, the priest advising Finn, takes Jade under his wing…and reveals to her a magic no one on land knows. A magic that could well challenge Seidon and threaten everyone she loves. A magic she can’t convince him she doesn’t share, no matter how she tries.

What neither Arden nor Seidon could know is that more than Jade is waiting to be found.

Jade’s guardian hawk soon swoops down to help in the search, but even that isn’t the biggest surprise. What neither king nor guardian’s daughter could have expected was the quick connection they find in each other. No one ever took the time to know Arden at all, as long as she was in Jade’s shadow…and no one looks beyond the king to see the man beneath the fearsome powers and strength of the crown.

Ora, the Great Golden Sea Hawk

But in order to save Jade and all of Daryatla, they’ll have to be willing to sacrifice everything…and be willing to trust God to do the impossible.

The Tidal Palace

If you’ve read this far, then you may be interested in exploring new worlds with me–or rather, a vision of what our own world could become if God so ordained it. A world in which the hearts of His people must still seek Him, and seek unity with each other, to unlock our true potential. A world of romance and royalty, mermaids and giant sea birds, rivalries and friendships in unexpected places.

This is a story that has nourished my mind and heart and spirit over the last few months as I’ve developed it…but obviously a far cry from my usual historical romances. Oh, there’s still much the same–deep characters, swoon-worthy heroes, heart-racing romance, and an invitation to look deep into your own heart and soul. But this time, it’s on a backdrop of my own making, a future earth, instead of a world of centuries past. (Don’t worry though, historical romance fans! I’m still writing that too!)

I don’t want to bore my historical romance readers with news and updates of this story if you’re NOT interested in joining me on this adventure as it unfolds…but I definitely DO want to invite along anyone who thinks this story world sounds like a place they’d like to spend some time. I envision it eventually unfolding as a series, exploring the various regions of this new version of the world and what this God-given “magic” looks like in different kingdoms. First though, of course, is this book. I’m about halfway through the first draft.

In the next several months, I want to call upon YOU, you readers who are interested in joining me here, to help me decide on a title, on the cover, and so on. I’ll share images like the ones I’ve created (with AI) for this post, bits and pieces as I write, and what my plans are as they develop. I want to make sure the story I’m telling is one you want to hear. So if you’re interested in being part of my new core of royal fantasy readers, please let me know!

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It’s Release Day! A Beautiful Disguise

It’s Release Day! A Beautiful Disguise

Welcome to the Launch Day Celebration for A Beautiful Disguise!

If you’ve been hanging out with me much online in the last couple months, you likely know how excited I am for the beginning of this new series, The Imposters. The concept is just so…much…FUN.

I mean, two aristocratic siblings forced to become private investigators to make ends meet after their father leaves them all but bankrupt? Who have special skills from the performers who had peoples their childhoods…and on whom their father had wasted all that money? A retired circus family now filling in as servants on the estate, with their exotic animals taking up the stalls in the stables?

YES. ALL THE YES. =)

Live Event!

Join me for a Facebook Live video tonight, Tuesday August 22, at 7 pm Eastern! (You can watch it afterward too, and I’ll try to answer any questions in the comments!)

  • Behind the scenes
  • Fun facts
  • Short author reading
  • What’s coming next

And I couldn’t be more excited to welcome you all into that Imposters world with book 1, A Beautiful Disguise! This book is primarily about the older sister of the two siblings, Lady Marigold, and their latest, too-noble client, Lieutenant Colonel Sir Merritt Livingstone.

Marigold is known among society for her ostentatious, haute couture fashions. But it’s all just intended to mask the real her, so that she can learn things for their cases. People are so used to just noting her hat or dress that they fail to look at her or pay any attention to what she’s doing. Handy thing for a PI.

Sir Merritt earned his knighthood serving among the Coldstream Guards in the Boxer Rebellion, where he rescued a family of missionaries that remain some of his closest friends. He landed behind a desk thanks to pneumonia, and now he’s tasked with helping in the formation of England’s first unified intelligence force, combining the divisions of the army, navy, and police. But he soon discovers something that looks like treason…and which he’s too ill to investigate alone. He calls on the Imposters for help.

And their lives change forever. =D

Introducing Lady M’s Fabulous and Frugal Fashion Column!

Marigold has a secret though–her high fashions don’t come from Chanel in Paris. They come from her own attic. She uses the dresses that were her mother’s and grandmother’s, remakes them for current cutting-edge trends, and dyes or bedecks them. Basically, she creates new looks for next to nothing.

And Lady M has brought her fabulous and frugal advice to the blog! (With the help of a few wonderful ladies you can meet when you follow the link below.)

You can read the advice up already and check back regularly for new fashion tips, because Lady M has a lot to share with you! You can even write to her with your questions, requests, and suggestions!

More from the world of the Imposters

There’s So Much to Explore!

Learn more about the Edwardian circus that defined the Imposters’ childhood, get fashion tips from Lady M, explore the theater of the day, meet the team, pet the animals, go behind the Top Secret stamp to learn about intelligence in the early 20th century, train yourself to be a private investigator, and dive into some fun and games!

Shop the Imposters Collection

Spy gadgets, handmade vintage style bags, peacock stationery, and more!

Giveaway

US entrants, enter to win a copy of A Beautiful Disguise
(or another book of your choice) + a $25 gift card to my shop!

International entrants, enter to win a copy of any of my books, shipped from your usual online retailer.

Release Day for Yesterday’s Tides!

Release Day for Yesterday’s Tides!

The Story Behind the Story

I feel like I say this a lot, LOL, but this is one of those books that has traveled with me for a loooong time. I first wrote this story over the summer of 2004, in the months following my college graduation. This was the first story to ever wake me up in the middle of the night and NOT LET ME GO. There was just something about Louisa and Rem…something about the Outer Banks setting…something about the idea of love blooming where it shouldn’t that held me in its grip.

That original story, which was only about Louisa and Rem and not at all the time-slip it has turned into, was a contemporary. Louisa was still the handy-woman daughter of an innkeeper in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Rem was still in intelligence, but was an analyst for the CIA. His mom was still a piece of work. 😉 But what made me love these characters and their story so much was, I think, their hearts. Louisa would give up anything, anything for love of her family. She would take any risk, make any sacrifice if it was for the good of those she loved. Rem was a man of deep intelligence, deep faith, and deep heart who wanted to give Louisa her dreams but was afraid he’d stand in the way of them instead.

That first version, written nearly two decades ago, was called Unrequested, Unrequited. I eventually decided that was a bit of a mouthful, LOL, and when I rewrote the book to pitch it to editors back in the 2010s (still as a contemporary romance), I retitled it Yesterday’s Tides. And once again, when I pulled the manuscript out, it held me fast and wouldn’t let me go.

But then I began to get contracts for historicals. My genre was set, my brand began to develop. So what would I ever do with this story that was off-brand, these characters that I thought of every…single…year when my family vacationed in the Outer Banks? It was my best friend/critique partner, Stephanie Morrill, who eventually said, “Make it a historical! Set it during the First World War or the 1920s or something!”

Stephanie is brilliant. 😉

So I planted Remington Culbreath in Room 40, and I waited. I waited for my chance to tell his story.

During another vacation, I found myself flipping through a book on the islands and reading some of the WW2 history, and I thought to myself, “Why did all the interesting stuff happen here during the Second World War? That’s not ‘my’ war!” Then it hit me–TIME-SLIP!!! I could not only write Louisa and Rem’s story in the WW1 setting I’d already created for them in my mind, I could also tell another story that had come to me over the years, the story of Evie and Sterling, at the same time, but set in WW2.

Cue the confetti!!

So while this story is, in many ways, vastly different from that book I first feverishly typed out in 2004, it is also, in some ways, more the story I held in my heart, the one that held my heart. So I threw everything I had at it.

This story is what I call my “key to all mythologies.” (Bonus points if you get the Middlemarch reference, LOL.) In short, there was a character searching for a key that would link every world mythology together. Well, this is the story that combines ALL my stories! We’ve got the Culper Ring, the Ladies of the Manor, the Shadows Over England and Codebreakers worlds. We’ve got a reference to the Secrets of the Isles. We’ve got it ALL, my friends! And I couldn’t be more pleased with how this story turned out.

The cover. The time-slip. The edits. The characters. Be still, my heart!

Or rather, go ahead and race! Because finally, FINALLY Yesterday’s Tides is more than just a story carried around in my heart and mind. It’s one I get to share! This calls for some serious celebration!!!

My Wonderful Readers

I have been blessed with incredible readers and launch team members! Search #YesterdaysTides on social media to see all of their wonderful creations! You can find a few below.

The Official Back Cover Copy

In two world wars, intelligence and counterintelligence, prejudice, and self-sacrifice collide across two generations.

In 1942, Evie Farrow is used to life on Ocracoke Island, where every day is the same–until the German U-boats haunting their waters begin to wreak havoc. And when special agent Sterling Bertrand is washed ashore at Evie’s inn, her life is turned upside down. While Sterling’s injuries keep him inn-bound for weeks, making him even more anxious about the man he’s tracking, he becomes increasingly intrigued by Evie, who seems to be hiding secrets of her own.

Decades earlier, in 1914, Englishman Remington Culbreth arrives at the Ocracoke Inn for the summer, but he doesn’t count on falling in love with Louisa Adair, the innkeeper’s daughter. When war breaks out in Europe, and their relationship is put in jeopardy, will their love survive?

As Evie and Sterling work to track down an elusive German agent, they unravel mysteries that go back a generation. The ripples from the Great War are still rocking their lives, and it seems yesterday’s tides may sweep them all into danger again today.

Bestselling and award-winning author Roseanna M. White whisks you away to two periods fraught with peril in this sweeping and romantic dual-time tale.

What People Are Saying

Visit Robin’s website HERE.

Visit Carrie’s website HERE.

Visit Sarah’s website HERE.

Visit Kristy’s website HERE.

FACEBOOK LIVE

In honor of release day, I’ll be doing a Facebook Live tonight at 7 pm EST! Join me then for more behind the scenes, some fun facts, a bit of the history behind the story, hear me read a short excerpt, be entered into a BONUS giveaway just for commenters, and ask any questions you have!

SEA GLASS PRAYER JEWELRY

What is sea glass prayer jewelry? Well, in the story, the WW2-line heroine, Evie, takes daily walks along the shore. She prays, and she collects sea glass and shells. Each item she picks up becomes linked in her mind with whomever she’s praying for at the time. Later, in her studio, she turns those pieces of glass and shell into jewelry…and every time she wears it or works on it, she yet again remembers to pray for the person. Often, rather than keeping it, she’ll give the jewelry to the person in question or their family.

I loved this idea so much when I came up with it, that I immediately went in search of some sea glass jewelry to put in my shop. I love the designs of this jeweler, and I printed up little cards to explain the “prayer jewelry” aspect. Each one you purchase comes with the card and is just waiting to be linked in your heart and mind with a prayer request, so that its vibrant colors can remind you of it each time you wear it!

And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for…the giveaway!

To celebrate this long-awaited release, I will be giving away THREE prizes to US-addressees and ONE prize to an international winner!

PRIMARY GIVEAWAY:
Three lucky winners will receive a signed copy of the book PLUS a piece of sea glass prayer jewelery!

INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY:
One winner will receive a copy of Yesterday’s Tides via BookDepository.

Giveaway – Worthy of Legend Release Day!

Giveaway – Worthy of Legend Release Day!

It’s release day for Worthy of Legend! Thank you for joining me on this journey as we explored the Isles of Scilly together. I hope you enjoyed this adventure as much as I did. Read on for some reader fun and GIVEAWAY!

About the Book

1906

After a summer of successful pirate-treasure hunting, Lady Emily Scofield and her friends are forced to hide the unprecedented discoveries they’ve made, thanks to the betrayal of her own family. Horrified by her brother who stops at nothing to prove himself to their greedy father, Emily is forced to take a stand against her family—even when it means being cut off entirely.

Bram Sinclair, Earl of Telford, is fascinated with tales of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table—an interest he’s kept mostly hidden for the last decade. But when a diary is unearthed in the islands that could lead to a secret artifact, Bram is the only one able to piece the legends together.

As Bram and Emily seek out the whereabouts of the hidden artifact, they must dodge her eager family and a team of archeologists. In a race against time, they must decide what makes a hero worthy of legend—is it fighting valiantly to claim the treasure . . . or sacrificing everything in the name of selfless love?

My Wonderful Readers

I have been blessed with incredible readers and launch team members! Search #worthyoflegend on social media to see all of their wonderful creations! You can find a few below.

Instagram Challenge

Exclusive IG Challenge! Shout out to @elizabethdmarie who created this INCREDIBLE Instagram Challenge for Worthy of Legend! Share your posts and use #EDMpages2022. You can jump in any time.

Bookish Things

Facebook Live Video Tonight!

Join me for a release day live video (it will be available afterward too!) at 7 pm Eastern!

Giveaway

Enter the giveaway via the form before or the link HERE. Open to US mailing addresses only. Void where prohibited. Giveaway open 9/13/22-9/20/22. One (1) winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter and will be notified via the email provided. See roseannamwhite.com for more information.

  • The Secrets of the Isles series (signed paperback)
  • $25 Gift Card to Bookish Things

Cover Reveal! Yesterday’s Tides

Cover Reveal! Yesterday’s Tides

It’s one of my favorite days in the life of a book–the day I get to share the cover with the world! And I am SO, SO excited to share this one with you!

Yesterday’s Tides is a book that has been with me since the summer after I graduated college (so, you know…a little while. Ahem.) I’d originally written it as a contemporary, but as I dove into my historical world, my best friend/critique partner suggested I rewrite it in “my era,” and I loved the idea so much that I planted my hero, Rem, into my world of Room 40 in The Codebreakers series. =)

Then I got the idea for making it not only a story set in the First World War, but one that also included a storyline set in World War 2. I absolutely adore how the two lines worked together, and I was very curious as to what they’d decide to focus on for the cover. The answer: the World War II line, which doesn’t surprise me at all.

So whenever I get an email with a cover, I have to click to download the file before I can see it, and on this one, I literally squeezed my eyes shut and prayed, “Please be gorgeous, please be gorgeous, please be gorgeous.” And oh…oh my. Prayer answered.

Are you ready to see it?? Here it is, then scroll down to get my reation and share yours! Ready?

3
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.
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2
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.
.

1
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.

Voila!

Isn’t it beautiful?!?!

The first thing that struck me, of course, was the color. I love that shade of teal! And the sea grass and dunes leading out to the water is absolutely PERFECT for the setting of Ocracoke, North Carolina, in the Outer Banks. I love seeing the 1940s heroine, Evie Farrow, from behind like that. And her dress! Perfect! She runs an inn so always makes sure she looks nice, but that she can still work in whatever she’s wearing. And of course, we have the ship and plane there to nail the era at a glance.

Overall, I am just in love with this cover and hope you’re as excited for the book as I am! This is the one that meshes ALLLLLLLL my story worlds! We’ve got the Culpers AND my English world in here. Codebreakers, spies, nobility, Southern charm, all rolled up into two storylines and one book. Gah! Just so excited!

Here’s the official blurb:

In 1942, Evie Farrow is used to life on Ocracoke Island, where every day is the same–until the German U-boats haunting their waters begin to wreak havoc. And when special agent Sterling Bertrand is washed ashore at Evie’s inn, her life is turned upside down. While Sterling’s injuries keep him inn-bound for weeks, making him even more anxious about the man he’s tracking, he becomes increasingly intrigued by Evie, who seems to be hiding secrets of her own.

Decades earlier, in 1914, Englishman Remington Culbreth arrives at the Ocracoke Inn for the summer, but he doesn’t count on falling in love with Louisa Adair, the innkeeper’s daughter. When war breaks out in Europe, and their relationship is put in jeopardy, will their love survive?

As Evie and Sterling work to track down an elusive German agent, they unravel mysteries that go back a generation. The ripples from the Great War are still rocking their lives, and it seems yesterday’s tides may sweep them all into danger again today.

Bestselling and award-winning author Roseanna M. White whisks you away to two periods fraught with peril in this sweeping and romantic dual-time tale.