In a world of pagan traditions and deeply rooted love, a girl in jeopardy must save her family and community. A transporting historical novel by New York Times-bestselling author Cathy Marie Buchanan.It's the season of Fallow, in the era of iron. In a northern misty bog surrounded by woodlands and wheat fields, a settlement lies far beyond the reach of the Romans invading hundreds of miles to the southeast. Here, life is simple-or so it seems to the tightly knit community. Sow. Reap. Honor Mother Earth, who will provide at harvest time. A girl named Devout comes of age, sweetly flirting with the young man she's tilled alongside all her life, and envisions a future of love and abundance. Seventeen years later, though, the settlement is a changed place. Famine has brought struggle, and outsiders, with their foreign ways and military might, have arrived at the doorstep. For Devout's young daughter, life is more troubled than her mother ever anticipated. But this girl has an extraordinary gift. As worlds collide and peril threatens, it will be up to her to save her family and community.Set in a time long forgotten, Daughter of Black Lake brings the ancient world to life and introduces us to an unforgettable family facing an unimaginable trial.Story Locale: England

ESCAPIST READ: Buchanan immerses the reader in the vivid, natural world of 1st century Britannia (or what it will ultimately become), a time of simple pleasures and tangible threats.UNUSUAL TIME PERIOD: Buchanan's riveting portrayal of 43 A.D. draws readers in the way Jean Auel did so many decades ago with Clan of the Cave Bear. An overlooked period of history, rich with drama.SUCCESS OF PAINTED GIRLS: Cathy Marie Buchanan is the author of the New York Times-bestselling historical novel The Painted Girls. This novel builds off that prior success.STRONG FEMALE CHARACTERS: The mother and daughter characters trade off narrative voices, and both characters are strong women in a world of men.HOPEFUL ENDING: This story takes place at a time when the world (like our own) was rapidly shifting, and the changes felt threatening and foreign, but the story ultimately ends on a hopeful note, embracing both progress and human connection.