He came South seeking an inheritance. He found a woman who could change his compass forever.

In a town still choking on the ashes of war, Evangeline clings to the one legacy she has left: her family’s struggling print shop and the truth it dares to publish. She’s sworn to keep her paper alive, even if it paints a target on her back.

When Derek arrives from Boston with a shocking proposal - marry him or he loses his inheritance, Evangeline has every reason to slam the door. He’s a stranger, a white man, and his offer smacks of arrogance. However, he also offers protection, resources, and the one thing she cannot print alone: the chance to make justice impossible to ignore.

What begins as a contract forged out of necessity slowly turns into something neither expected, and they must decide if they are willing to fight not only for justice, but for each other.

A marriage of convenience becomes a battle for truth, legacy, and a love powerful enough to upend a town.

Perfect for fans of closed-door, slow-burn historical romance with deep emotion, found family, and two people risking everything for a future neither dared dream.

Themes: historical romance, BWWM romance, interracial romance, slow burn romance, marriage of convenience romance, newspaper heroine, print shop romance, Black heroine romance, southern historical romance, enemies to lovers, reluctant allies to lovers, found family romance, protective hero, strong heroine, forbidden romance, justice and love, interracial marriage historical, social justice romance, Black female lead romance, romantic tension, closed-door romance, emotional slow burn