Ruth Appleby

Life for Ruth Appleby has never been easy - burying her mother at 12; a meagre existence as the daughter of a Victorian millhand; hard work as a glorified mother and housekeeper at home. Longing to escape the bleak Yorkshire moors and desperate for adventure, she seizes the opportunity to venture on her own to America - a land on the brink of Civil War - to build the life she wants for herself. Can she rise to the challenges America throws at her and find the life and love she has always desired? [goodreads.com]