The Light Always Breaks

Eva Cardon has never taken the easy path through life, but she's never faced a challenge like this. In 1947, few women own upscale restaurants in Washington, DC. Fewer still are twenty-four, Black, and wildly successful. But Eva Cardon is unwilling to serve only the wealthiest movers and shakers, and she plans to open a diner that serves Southern comfort to the working class. A war hero and one of Georgia's native sons, Courtland Hardiman Kingsley IV is a junior senator with great ambitions for his time in DC. But while his father is determined to see Courtland on a path to the White House, the young senator wants to use his office to make a difference in people's lives, regardless of political consequences. When equal-rights activism throws Eva and Courtland into each other's paths, they can't fight the attraction they feel, no matter how much it complicates their dreams. For Eva, falling in love with a white Southerner is all but unforgivable--and undesirable. Her mother and grandmother fell in love with white men, and their families paid the price. Courtland is already under pressure for his liberal ideals, and his family has a line of smiling debutantes waiting for him on every visit. If his father found out about Eva, he's not sure he'd be welcome home again. Surrounded by the disapproval of their families and the scorn of the public, Eva and Courtland must decide if the values they hold most dear--including love--are worth the loss of their dreams . . . and everything else. The author of When Stars Rain Down returns with a historical romance about all that has--and has not--changed in these United States.

About the Author :
Angela Jackson-Brown is an award-winning writer, poet, and playwright who is a member of the graduate faculty of the Naslund-Mann Graduate School of Writing at Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky. In the fall semester of 2022, she will be joining the creative writing program at Indiana University Bloomington as an associate professor. Angela is a graduate of Troy University, Auburn University, and the Spalding low-residency MFA program in creative writing. She has published her short fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry in journals like the Louisville Courier Journal and Appalachian Review. She is the author of Drinking from a Bitter Cup, House Repairs, When Stars Rain Down, and the upcoming novel The Light Always Breaks. When Stars Rain Down is a highly acclaimed novel that received a starred review from Library Journal and glowing reviews from Alabama Public Library, Buzzfeed, Parade magazine, and Woman's Weekly. It was also a finalist for the David J. Langum, Sr. Prize in American historical fiction. Audie-nominated narrator Neill Thorne brings a storyteller's heart and a conversational style to his narration, whether it is delivering the exciting action of a space adventure, exhibiting the snarky sarcasm of a wise-cracking detective story, or conveying emotional intensity in a modern drama. A native Southerner who has studied five languages, Neill has a knack for accents, giving authenticity and depth to his reading. Joniece Abbott-Pratt has narrated many audiobooks for children, young adults, and adults. She has won several AudioFile Earphones Awards and in 2021 was a finalist for the prestigious Audie Award for Best Fantasy Narration. She earned an MFA degree in acting from the University of Iowa and has performed on regional theater stages across the country, including the Public Theater in New York City. She has also appeared on television shows, including The Good Fight, Law and Order: SVU, Luke Cage, and Orange Is the New Black, and has voiced commercials and projects for US Bank, Johnson & Johnson, and others.