The First Traditionally Published Romance Novel About Native People by a Native Author

Exhausted from trying to make rent working at a grody bowling alley, Ember is desperate to get a job with benefits and decent pay. She’s so tired of struggling. But when she sends out resumes and fills out job applications checking the “Native” box, she doesn’t really get any interviews. So one day, she decides to check “white.” It’s not a lie exactly. Her dad is white. And she doesn’t EXACTLY have the credentials she listed on her resume. What’s so wrong with some “creative” job applications? And it works!

Her new job as an accounting assistant is everything she imagined. Great benefits, excellent pay—it’s perfect. Plus, Danuwoa, the most gorgeous Cherokee man she’s ever seen, works in IT. Ember and Danuwoa are immediately drawn to each other. But relationships between coworkers aren’t allowed in their workplace. What’s a girl to do?

Ember is a delightful heroine. She’s funny, spunky, and deeply loves her family and friends. She has a complicated family situation. Both of her parents left Ember and her brother Sage when they were just children. She and Sage were raised by their auntie, but Ember always felt like she had to care for her little brother. But when he lands himself in prison, Ember feels like she’s done. She can’t save him from himself. So when Danuwoa enters her life, she feels like she’s finally getting her life together. She NEEDS this job, so why would she jeopardize everything she’s worked for just to have an office romance?

This is a romance novel, we know Ember and Danuwoa get their happily ever after. But to get there, Ember has to get out of her own way. She has to learn to ask for help, to begin healing from the trauma from her childhood. And by taking those first steps, she’s able to come to a place where she’s ready for a relationship with a man who’s more than ready to support her dreams.

Editor’s Note: This post originally described this book as the first traditionally published romance novel by a Native author in error. It is the first traditionally published romance novel by a Native author where the main characters are also Native.