Historical Fiction
Date Published: July 24th, 2025
Publisher: Acorn Publishing
What’s left of a man’s soul when everything he loves is taken from him?
It’s 1864, and Gabriel Cooper couldn’t care less about the civil war raging around him. Framed for crimes he didn’t commit, he’s been sentenced to a Confederate chain gang, where swampland justice rules and alligators prey on the unwary.
So when Colonel Robert Tremont rides into camp offering freedom in exchange for fighting on the front lines, Gabriel jumps at the opportunity. He thrives as a soldier, but the end of the war leaves him adrift.
Gabriel ends up in New Orleans, where he meets Simone Livingston, a fiercely independent woman with hidden scars of her own. Kept on a tight rein by her overbearing father, Simone only wants freedom—and the enigmatic Gabriel.
But Gabriel has unfinished business and a mind for vengeance. Will he be able to create a peaceful life with Simone or will his greed and thirst for retribution keep them trapped in a dangerous web of deceit—a web Gabriel fears can only be untangled with murder.
She kept thinking he would come back for her. She spent her days wondering when he would arrive. She didn’t know how long she waited, but when the summer cooled, she began to fear that she was wrong. Simone was moving about now, still clinging to the hope that Malcolm would come when Dr. Irving dropped by one day. He looked pleased at her progress, smiling at her. “Stay away from bullwhips the next time you’re in a stable.”
“Pardon me?”
“Your accident. Your father told me all about it. The next time you decide to surprise Otis, make sure he’s not holding a bullwhip.”
“Otis?”
The doctor took her pulse. “Your pulse is racing. Perhaps the recollection is too much for you.”
“My father told you about this?”
“Yes, how you surprised Otis as he was cracking a whip to control a rearing horse. The tip of the whip accidentally caught you.”
“Oh, Holy Mother of God.”
“Not to worry, Miss Livingston. Your father bears no animosity toward Otis for this mishap. Truly, a Christian in his kindness.” The doctor frowned. “You’re very pale. You should save your strength for when you go home.”
Holy Mother of God . . .
That evening, Simone approached Otis as he was eating dinner, “Otis, please help me. Help me find my . . . friend. I need to know where he is.”
The look on Otis’ and Frannie’s face spurned her on. “I can’t go back to my father, he hates me. And I hate him. And my friend loved me. We loved each other. Otis, please.” A sob escaped her. “You helped my father, now you have to help me!”
Otis pushed back his chair. “We be goin’ after curfew; y’all need ta dress yoself as a boy. Frannie, ya got some o’ widow’s son’s clothes from before he got grown?”
Frannie stared at him. “The two of you’s is askin’ fer more trouble.” She turned to Simone. “Ain’t y’all been through enough, Miss Simone? What you think yer gonna find out there in the dead o’night?”
“Maybe someone who loves me.”
About the Author
As the quintessential queen of “what if,” Jean Kravitz channeled her active imagination to pen her debut novel, Scars of Sand and Soil. However, achieving her childhood dream of being a published writer was not a straightforward path.
Jean earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in human development and aging from the University of California, San Francisco. She went into clinical research in pharmaceuticals, but left her career when her children were born. Then, she picked up writing again, honed her craft, published articles in a small newspaper, and passionately immersed herself in historical research.
Jean has many interests, including reading, gardening, needlepoint, and learning new languages. She lives in Southern California and has a husband, two daughters, and two cats, Lenny and Penny.
Contact Links
Purchase Links
This looks like a very enjoyable read. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete