This series is written as a six-part serialization and should be read in the following order:
~ On the Wings of a Whisper, Episode 1
~ Lay Down Your Heart, Episode 2
~ Made Perfect in Weakness, Episode 3
~ A Walk through the Waters, Episode 4
~ The Trail of Chains, Episode 5
~ The Joy of the Morning, Episode 6
Stone Town, Zanzibar,
Early 1866
RyAnne Hunter is determined to stop her father from leaving for the continent of Africa, where he plans to start a mission station. And she only has until morning. Tonight at the Harcourts’ Annual Ball will be her last chance to change his mind. She must succeed! Papa’s health, and her future, depend on her success. But, as if her task isn’t difficult enough, now the insufferable Captain Dawson has agreed to guide Papa along the way!
After spending six months at sea, Captain Trent Dawson only wants to think about rest and relaxation. However, when he’s recruited by a British naval officer to help put an end to a slave smuggling ring, the perfect opportunity presents itself in Dr. Hunter, who needs a guide to the Interior. Now if he can just help the doctor without spending too much time with the man’s troublesome and flighty youngest daughter.
A thrilling historical romance from the time of missionary explorer David Livingstone.
Indian Ocean, Off the Coast of Zanzibar, Early 1866
RyAnne Hunter is shocked, and rather put out, that Papa refuses to turn back to Zanzibar. All her carefully wrought plans have come to nothing! Now, with Papa’s health much worse than she first feared, her only option is to accompany him into the heart of the Continent so he won’t die alone. But Papa insists she abandon her skirts and don men’s trousers and boots! And to make matters worse, the irritating captain has decided she must learn to shoot a gun! In the face of all that, she’s not giving up on her attempts to convince Papa to return to Zanzibar.
Captain Trent Dawson is most displeased to discover Miss Hunter stowed away on his ship. He’s even more displeased when her father refuses to return her to Zanzibar, where she belongs. But when a slave woman is attacked by a crocodile and RyAnne puts herself in danger to save her, he begins to wonder if there isn’t another side to the spoiled little heiress. Perhaps even a side he could admire?
A thrilling historical romance from the time of missionary explorer David Livingstone.
Rovuma River, Headed Inland, Mid-1866
Resigned to the fact that Papa has made up his mind and will not return to Zanzibar, RyAnne determines to make the best of it. She won’t leave her papa to die alone. But with the arduous journey they face, Papa might not even make it a few days down the trail, much less the weeks it will take to reach the village where he’s determined to build his mission station. What will she do if he passes away before they arrive? Recently she’s seen a softer side to Captain Dawson, but can she trust the man to get her home?
The closer Trent Dawson comes to proving the identity of the slave runners, the more he fears for the Hunters’ lives. He can’t help but admire RyAnne’s determination to do right by her father. But he can’t let any of that admiration show, because the men he’s after won’t hesitate to protect their own hides—and that means danger to anyone close to Trent. He just needs to get his charges safely to the village, and then he can get on with his business. The problem is…the little lioness, RyAnne Hunter, just might have sunk her claws deeper into his heart than he realized.
A thrilling historical romance from the time of missionary explorer David Livingstone.
Chief Banda’s Village, Lake Nyasa
When the wife of a neighboring chief goes into labor, and the baby is breech, the village doctor orders the woman and child be left to die. To prevent a war, RyAnne must safely deliver the baby. Her success breaks some of the grip the medicine man holds over the people, and more and more attend Papa’s chapel. But when RyAnne confides in a couple of the women that her grandmother was from their tribe, she has no way of knowing the far-reaching consequences of her revelation.
For months Trent Dawson has kept his distance from RyAnne in order to keep her safe from those who would harm anyone close to him. But now a relationship with him might be the only protection she has. He’d thought it would be easy to get her to return home once her father passed away, so what is he to do now that she stubbornly insists she must stay in the village?
A thrilling historical romance from the time of missionary explorer David Livingstone.
Captured and Chained, While Chief Banda’s Village Burns
Captured and bound for Bagamoyo only moments after the captain was shot, RyAnne is tempted to despair. The journey along the trail of chains would be difficult enough, but severe heat, fire, and a rogue lion threaten at every curve in the path. Only her need to keep watch over little Moyo keeps her from giving up all together. That and her determination to carry on Captain Dawson’s mission to find out who the slave trader, Khalifa, is working for.
Trent Dawson wakes to find June and Kako working to save his life. The village is gone. And only one thing weighs on his mind. He must find and rescue RyAnne before the slave caravan reaches the port of Bagamoyo. There is no time for rest, yet his gunshot body demands it. If only his frail flesh wasn’t failing him just when he needed it to be strong!
A thrilling historical romance from the time of missionary explorer David Livingstone.
Bagamoyo, East African Coast, Late 1866
RyAnne can hardly believe she’s been rescued. And yet there is the Captain, kneeling before her and asking her to be his wife. But before returning to Zanzibar, they hope to find Khalifa’s partners in illegal slave trading and bring them to justice.
Upon reaching Bagamoyo, Trent makes sure RyAnne is tucked away safely in an inn as he pursues the criminals. Before long, he’s trailing an unexpected suspect in the thriving slave entrepôt that holds perils he couldn’t have foreseen.
When RyAnne stumbles across a vital piece of evidence in Khalifa’s missives from his wife, she goes in search of Trent and rushes headlong into danger. Danger that this time might be too much to overcome.
A thrilling historical romance from the time of missionary explorer David Livingstone.