by
When her second tour in Iraq ends in tragedy, Army veteran Sara Randolph returns home to Arkansas a wounded woman. While her physical scars have begun the fade, the emotional ones are as fresh and raw as ever. Because for Sara, the battle still hasn’t ended. She is haunted by the shame of bad choices and naivety, by the memory of her dead squadmates, and by the guilt for having caused the ambush that got them all killed.
Diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, home is where she hopes to heal, but even her father, a Vietnam War vet, can’t find the right words to help her. In an effort to push through the trauma and find a new normal, Sara returns to the one place that feels right—the White River, where she grew up fishing. It’s here that she finds peace, as well as Arkansas Conservation Officer Luke Matthews, who could be the key to opening her heart. It’s also where she finds an abandoned young runaway who seems to understand her struggles better than anyone.
As Sara holds on to her sanity with all her strength, she’s faced with more adversity—bullies who don’t appreciate a woman on a man’s river and the small-town Arkansas version of a drug kingpin who thinks her military training might benefit his criminal operation. They all pale in comparison to the most vicious enemy of all, though—herself. Between the flashbacks, the nightmares, and her own horrific self doubt, every step forward comes with two steps back. Can she come to terms with the past and forgive herself? Or will the memory of her dead comrades drive her to the one place she can never return from?
