The Ladys Mine, by Francine Rivers

Francine Rivers, New York Times bestselling author of Redeeming Love, returns to the California frontier for a sweeping, romantic tale of a displaced New England suffragette, a former Union soldier disinherited by his Southern family, and the town they band together to save.

In 1875, when Kathryn Walsh arrived in tiny Calvada, a mining town cradled in the Sierra Nevadas, falling in love was the farthest thing from her mind. Exiled from Boston from her wealthy stepfather, she has come to claim an inheritance from the uncle she never knew: a defunct newspaper office on a main street overflowing with brothels and saloons, and a seemingly worthless mine. Moved by the oppression of the local miners and their families, Kathryn chose to relaunch her uncle's newspaper, and then finds herself in the midst of a maelstrom, pitted against Calvada's most powerful men. But Kathryn intends to continue to say, and publish, whatever she pleases, especially when she knows she's right.

Matthias Beck, owner of a local saloon and hotel, has a special interest in the new lady in town. He instantly recognizes C. T. Walsh's same tenacity in the beautiful and outspoken redhead, and knows all too well how dangerous that family trait can be. While Kathryn may be right about Calvada's problems, her righteousness could also get her killed. When the handsome hotelier keeps finding himself on the same side of the issues as the opinionated Miss Walsh, Matthias's restless search for purpose becomes all about answering the call of his heart.

Everyone might be looking to strike it rich in this lawless boomtown, but it's a love more precious than gold that will ultimately save them all.