Emma Rosales is the heiress to the largest ranch in Texas-The Thorn. All of the responsibilities of managing a million acres now fall into her fifth-generation hands.
A task Emma could handle with her eyes closed… if The Thorn was any ordinary property.
The Thorn is home to many things. Clear, cloudless skies. Miles of desert scrub and craggy mountains. A quiet disrupted only by whispers of the wind. And an ancient web of secrets that won’t let Emma out alive without a fight.
The Fifth Daughter of Thorn Ranch is a family saga as large as the state of Texas.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from R&R Book Tours.
I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
Emma’s path in life has been set for her even before she could speak her first word. In every generation, the women in her family are in charge of running Thorn Ranch. Thorn Ranch has over 500 horses, 7500 heard of cattle, and crops. It has a million acres (1600 square miles) and spans eight counties. Life on the ranch is never dull. People work hard, but they also have time to “play.” Emma has impressed many people in the county with her shooting and riding skills.
When Emma went missing for two weeks, I expected a search party to be called out. I was perplexed why the workers of Thorn Ranch didn’t call her parents sooner. They waited until Emma had been missing for two weeks. This stunned me. I’ve never lived on a ranch or visited one, so maybe being gone (alone) for an extended time is standard practice.
When Emma stumbled upon a hidden tribe (The People) in the cave cliffs, they didn’t immediately help her home. They feared the outside world because they had lost so much from them in the past. Instead of going home, they informed Emma this would be her new home. Emma never stopped trying to escape, and her attempts caused her bodily harm. As the days progressed, The People became plagued with covid. Yes, the pandemic took root in the homes. Emma didn’t bring the sickness to them. It came from other “city” girls.
Covid brought fear to their tribe, and this fear caused the people to act harshly. You’ll need to read the book to find out the extent of their actions to appease their god.
If you’re a parent, your heart will break with each scene involving Josie searching for her missing daughter. Her tears will become your tears. Her sorrow will become your sorrow.
Will Josie ever smile again? Will her daughter ever come home? Read the book and find out!
Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest)
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About the Author
Julia Brewer Daily is a Texan with a southern accent. She holds a B.S. in English and a M.S. degree in Education from the University of Southern Mississippi.
She has been a Communications adjunct professor at Belhaven University, Jackson, Mississippi, and Public Relations Director of the Mississippi Department of Education and Millsaps College, a liberal arts college in Jackson, Mississippi.
She was the founding director of the Greater Belhaven Market, a producers’ only market in a historic neighborhood in Jackson, and even shadowed Martha Stewart.
As the executive director of the Craftsmen’s Guild of Mississippi (three hundred artisans from nineteen states) which operates the Mississippi Craft Center, she wrote their stories to introduce them to the public.
Daily is an adopted child from a maternity home hospital in New Orleans. She searched and found her birth mother and through a DNA test, her birth father’s family, as well. A lifelong southerner, she now resides on a ranch in Fredericksburg, Texas, with her husband Emmerson and Labrador Retrievers, Memphis Belle and Texas Star.
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“Five Stars. A Wedding and a Killing has lots of action, suspense, murders, mysteries and humor.” – Review by Rhonda Laney, readalot
