Ours to Keep

Some bridges are held up by names. When fog rolls into the East Tennessee town of Hollis, the ridge remembers every voice it's ever stolen—and tries for more. Avery Harlow, a young keeper who carves truth into stone, has finally learned to anchor the town's people with bells, salt, and the vow that changed everything: I am mine. Caleb—the man she loves, bound to a riverstone and thinned by every rescue—can still cross the distance to her… but every breath they give away has a cost. As iron bridges start acting like mouths and doorways learn to whisper in dead men's voices, Avery and a stubborn, lovable town turn names into planks and vows into wire. Sheriff Nix rings the off-beat, Wren chalks handholds where small hands can find them, and even old enemies learn to speak themselves whole. To keep Hollis, Avery must teach the valley to keep itself—without spending the last fragile thread that binds her to Caleb. A fierce, intimate Southern-gothic about thresholds, found family, and consent as magic, Ours to Keep delivers slow-burn romance, small-town grit, and an ending that feels like a bell rung in the dark. Perfect for readers who love: romantic fantasy • Southern gothic • small-town paranormal • found family • protective, practical heroines • low-steam, high-ache romance Series: Whispers of the Ridge — Book Two