In a world where water is power, truth is the deadliest weapon.

Centuries after the world crumbled, sandstorms scour the American West and survival depends on secrets. In the desert town of Sagebrush, Marshal Cunningham controls every drop of precious water—and every life that depends on it.

Jo Mason has spent years watching the marshal’s cruelty destroy her family and community. When her chance for revenge finally comes, she discovers an unlikely complication: the marshal’s rakish son Clayton, the reluctant heir who never wanted his father’s blood-soaked legacy to begin with.

Forced into an alliance neither wanted, Jo and Clayton uncover lies that run deeper than Sagebrush’s hidden springs. As buried truths surface and loyalties shift, Jo must choose between the vengeance she’s craved and a future she never dared imagine.

But in a world where water means survival, some secrets are worth killing for and others are worth dying to protect.

This gritty tale of survival, betrayal, and hard-won love launches the soul-stirring Forgotten Lands series, where hope blooms in the harshest soil.

Suggested Reading Order:

Dust and Shadow

Earth and Ember

Tide and Tempest

Borne of Sand and Scorn (Prequel Novella)

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