TOMORROW'S FIRST LIGHT

Rawlings launches a new historical fiction series about a cattleman and his bride in 1880s Texas.

Raised in an orphanage, Sam Owens has always yearned for a family. At last, in 1885, he owns a house, land, and a herd of cattle, and it seems a good time to finally meet the mail-order bride with whom he’s planned a future, and bring her to his hometown of Twin Rivers, Texas. Bride-to-be Ellie Spritzer travels from Eagle Harbor, Michigan, and shows up at the train station with a surprise. Instead of bringing only three siblings with her, as she’d indicated in a letter, she arrives with all eight of them. Sam and Ellie’s early relationship is rocky in other ways, too. Ellie, who’s hiding a secret about her family, feels unworthy of her husband’s love—and God’s. Meanwhile, Sam knows little about managing others’ emotions and must somehow obtain extra food for his household, even though he’s strapped for cash. Worst of all, Sam may lose the land that was willed to him by a wealthy businessman. Later, Ellie supports Sam by making a grueling trip with him on horseback to far-off Austin to see his lawyer friend. A run-in with unscrupulous cattle rustlers also reveals to the couple just how strong their relationship has become. Rawlings handles her characters sensitively; thrown into a relationship with a stranger, Ellie initially stiffens “as hard as sandstone” at awkward physical affection, and Sam unhappily eats Ellie’s unsweetened porridge, afraid to admit he detests it. Sam’s friends, such as the kind sheriff, Daniel Harding, also receive nuanced portrayals, as does the landscape itself: Texas’ Chihuahuan Desert seems arid and inhospitable, a place where no fruit grows for Ellie’s pies, but Rawlings gives the setting a sense of beauty. Glimmering behind the Bofecillos Mountains, sun illuminates the scrubby terrain with a “bright gold brush.” Christian themes permeate, but don’t overwhelm, this carefully planned and engaging tale.  

A likable cast of characters and strong plotting distinguish this romance set in the Gilded Age.