WILD RAIN

After the Civil War, a woman rancher in Wyoming rescues a visiting newspaperman from back East and her life changes forever.

Spring Lee had a rough beginning, losing both of her parents, being thrown out by her grandfather at the age of 18, and prostituting herself to a White rancher and his son in order to avoid starving. Now Spring has found contentment, if not peace. She owns a ranch and breaks wild mustangs for a living. But life is still hard for a Black woman in Paradise, Wyoming, during the Reconstruction era. When she finds Garrett McCray, a greenhorn in new boots, limping along in a blizzard after being thrown from his horse, she’s wary about taking him home with her. But she knows if she doesn’t, he’ll die. Garrett is a Black man from Washington, D.C., come to interview Spring’s brother for a newspaper article. Although Garrett stands up for Spring when an old enemy insults and attacks her, he’s a milder hero, willing to stand back and let Spring take care of herself. This is part of what makes Jenkins’ novel so refreshing. It’s a tale of the American frontier that is lacking in the usual misogyny, anti-Indigenous racism, and idealization of White settlers that plague fiction about this era. Although it’s the second book in Jenkins’ Women Who Dare series, it’s also a crossover to her Old West series, incorporating characters from Tempest (2018). This book has all the hallmarks of Jenkins’ fiction—meticulous historical research, a frank look at social conditions for Black people of the time, masterful pacing, and complex, likable characters.

Jenkins' story reminds us that true love doesn’t require sacrificing our independence. You shouldn’t miss it.