Calder Strong

It’s 1929 and a rugged new generation is taking the helm of Blue Moon, Montana’s most infamous and powerful families. But even as the future burns bright, old rivalries, heartbreaks, buried secrets, and ranching feuds still loom as large as the western sky in a tale perfect for fans of Yellowstone craving western familial sagas. At 25, Joseph Dollarhide is struggling to find his place as the future head of his ranching family. His father, Blake, though disabled in an accident, is as domineering as ever. Joseph’s childhood friend, Chase Calder, has inherited the rival Calder operation, and for both young men, longstanding battles over water and grass continue. But there’s yet another weight on Joseph’s shoulders. Years ago, Joseph abandoned his teenage love, Annabeth, to court glamorous Lucy Merriweather, a seductive trickster. The affair of course imploded, and Annabeth married a farmer, Silas Mosby, and had two children. But now Joseph has spotted Annabeth and her family in town . . . and he has no doubt that her oldest, a boy, is his. Joseph’s love for Annabeth never died—and Annabeth, too, still has feelings for him, though they’re tainted by anger. Learning that Silas is involved in a bootlegging ring leaves Joseph troubled. Seeking advice, he turns to his natural father, Mason, a reformed bootlegger. They’ve been estranged, but perhaps that can change. Meanwhile, Joseph feels pressed to start his own family. The town’s sweet new schoolteacher seems a perfect match. But as the strain of longstanding feuds persist, and Lucy reappears, flush with stolen money and armed with blackmail, Joseph and some others in Blue Moon will find out just how strong they really are. The epic tale of the settling of the American West comes to vivid life in this inspiring saga of love, hope, and endurance.