Synopsis:

In 1911, Mabel MacGinnis is Europe’s strongest woman and has performed beside her father in the Manzo Brothers Circus her entire life. But at his unexpected death, she loses everything she’s ever known and sets off in the company of acrobat Jake Cunningham for America in hope of finding the mother she’s just discovered is still alive.

Isabella Moreau, the nation’s most feted aerialist, has given everything to the circus. But age and injury now threaten her security, and Isabella, stalked by old fears, makes a choice that risks everything. When her daughter Mabel appears alongside the man who never wanted to see Isabella again, Isabella is forced to face the truth of where, and in what, she derives her worth.

In this evocative novel from Kimberly Duffy, the meaning of strength takes center stage as the lives of three circus performers become entangled beneath the glittering lights and flying trapeze of Madison Square Garden.

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What To Expect:

This historical romance is a unique and gritty novel that revolves around themes of body acceptance, parental relationships, and post-partum depression. It features a marriage of convenience romance.

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Content Warnings:

Language: None to Mild

Sexual Content: Closed door – A couple has steamy kisses and a fade to black sex scene. One character offers her body sexually for favors

Violence: Mild

Substance Use: Mild – Casual drinking + alcoholism

Prejudices: Moderate – Body shaming, sexism

Religious Themes: Very subtle Christian message

Other Topics: Post-partum depression + grief (heavy), suicide attempt, parental abandonment

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