"In the shadowed hollers of the early-twentieth-century Appalachian Mountains, Lizzy Haney is on the run.
She's been falsely accused of murder and is desperate to reunite with her brother, River, whose unforgettable green eyes haunt her. The secret in her past is a stinging wound, but it motivates her toward her goal: freedom.
But nine-year-old River, sent through the United States Post Office to his late mother's friend in Knoxville, never arrived. Lizzy's dream of finding him and starting a new life away from their alcoholic and abusive father is ripped away.
Her hope rekindles as she finds an unexpected confidant to help her dodge the law and save the missing youngin'. As she finds herself trusting him, she discovers the truth of the old adage her momma repeated: And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
"How long is a body expected to keep a secret?
When Minerva Jane Jenkins was just fourteen years old, she married a man who moved her to the mountains. He carried with him a small box, which he told her held gold. And when he died fifty years later, he made her promise to tell no one about the box or the treasure it contained.
Now at ninety-four, Minerva is nearing the end of what has sometimes been a lonely life. But she’s kept her promise. Even so, rumors of hidden gold have a way of spreading, and Minerva is visited by a reporter, Del Rankin, who wants to know more of her story.
As an unlikely friendship develops, Minerva is tempted to reveal her secret to Del.
But the truth of what’s really buried in the box may be hidden even from her."
"In the face of overwhelming obstacles, she’ll need courage, grit, and a tender heart
Worie Dressar is seventeen years old when influenza and typhoid ravage her Appalachian Mountain community in 1877, leaving behind a growing number of orphaned children with no way to care for themselves. Worie’s mother has been secretly feeding several of these little ones on Sourwood Mountain. But when tragedy strikes, Worie is left to figure out why and how she was caring for them.
Plagued with two good-for-nothing brothers—one greedy and the other a drunkard—Worie must fight to save her home and the children now in her begrudging care. Along the way, she discovers the beauty of unconditional love and the power of forgiveness as she cares for all of Momma’s children."
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