A 3,000-mile voyage. A stowaway running from the law. A deadly secret.

The year is 1830.

After the death of her grandmother, there’s nothing left for Rose in England. She’s sold her house and packed her money and possessions in a single canvas bag, and now a six-week voyage across the Atlantic is all that stands between her and a new life in America.

Emily has been accused of a crime she hasn’t committed, and a fair trial is not on the cards.

Options are scarce, but if she can escape London, she might be able to build a new life somewhere else.

On the packet ship Merryweather, Rose discovers Emily, a feisty but guarded young woman, stowed away and harboring more than enough problems for the both of them.

Drawn to Emily, Rose faces a hard decision.

Does she risk everything to help her new friend? Or does she leave the girl to fend for herself in the dark hold of the ship?

As the two women fall for one another, things become more complicated when they learn Rose isn’t the only person who’s aware of Emily’s presence aboard the Merryweather.

And there are outside forces which pose an entirely new and dangerous threat to them both….

The lives of two very different women become entangled in this story about loyalty, grit, resourcefulness, and love.

WARNING: While this story does have a happy ending, it also covers sensitive topics such as prostitution and vengeance, and there are dark moments which some listeners might find upsetting. This story is not a straight-up romance, and has strong themes in the thriller genre.

Set around 90 years after Like the Down of a Thistle, The Dawn of the Rose is the story of Katherine Scarth’s great-granddaughter, Rose.

Filled with adventure, drama, and suspense, this story will transport you to a world of secrets, romance, and danger, and will keep you on the edge of your seat to the end.

Like the first book in the series, this story features very strong female characters who have to overcome incredible challenges during a time when women faced a high level of discrimination and adversity.

The Dawn of the Rose is book two in the Love and Thorns Series, but it can be enjoyed as a stand-alone novel.