North of 36

"North of 36" by Emerson Hough is a captivating historical fiction that drops you right into the heart of post-Civil War Texas, where a strong-willed heiress named Taisie Lockhart fights to save her family's sprawling ranch, Laguna del Sol, from crumbling beneath her feet. As she grapples with financial hardship and the chaos of a wild, untamed land, Taisie must win over the respect of her devoted cowhands while facing the harsh realities of the cattle business. The story wastes no time throwing Taisie into difficult choices, such as delivering hard financial truths to her faithful ranch hands, which highlights not only her deep emotional struggles as an heiress suddenly burdened with responsibility, but also the widespread desolation of the shifting Texas landscape; a conversation with her trusted foreman, Jim Nabours, soon reveals the opportunity and peril of unconfirmed cattle markets up north, igniting Taisie's resolve to risk it all in an attempt to revive her ranch and seek retribution for her father's death.