About the Book

Book: Embers of Truth

Author: Avrie Swan

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release date: April 15, 2025

A fiery heroine teams up with a gruff detective to catch a thief, but the real danger may be trusting each other.

With her family nearing destitution and her home on the brink of foreclosure, Carina Clarke has little left to lose. Yet in one fateful evening, the 1871 Peshtigo Fire destroys the last of all she holds dear and separates her from her sister and friend. Carina vows to find them—even if it means moving to a different city and taking up work at a textile mill while she searches.

Oliver Ramhurst is determined to make his father proud of his work as a Pinkerton detective. His assignment to capture a thief at a textile mill in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, could be the opportunity he needs—if the feisty Miss Clarke will stay out of his way. When the clever woman offers to help him ferret out the culprit, Oliver reluctantly agrees. But does she want more from him than she’s saying?

As the danger grows and they draw closer to discovering the true identity of the thief, Carina and Oliver realize that nobody is who they seem. Carina must decide who can be trusted and who may be a villain in disguise—for when the hour grows dark, trust may be the only thing that can save her.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Avrie Swan is a Christian author and avid reader with a love for all things historical. Having grown up exploring antique stores and museums, she eventually decided to combine her interest in history with her love for writing and began working on her first full-length novel at the age of fourteen. She especially enjoys writing stories that focus on themes of family, faith, and growth through difficult times.

When Avrie is not writing, she is watching old movies, collecting antique books, and hunting for agates. A native Wisconsinite, she enjoys spending the cold winters indoors with her cat on her lap and a good book in her hand.

More from Avrie

Hello, folks!

What do you do when you run out of your favorite type of book at the local library? Well, in the case of sixteen-year-old me, you sit down and try to write one yourself. Thus was born the first iteration of Embers of Truth, followed shortly thereafter by the second and third. After countless revisions and many cups of coffee, I finally achieved what I wanted—a book filled with mystery and action, with a main character tenacious enough to weather the storms I tossed her way. Carina’s story was a joy to write, and I know sixteen-year-old me would be happy to read it if she could.

In this first book of The Peshtigo Fire Chronicles, I decided to explore the theme of trust and learning to accept help. Carina has difficulty trusting others, an issue born out of past experiences. However, as she comes to learn, we cannot let bad experiences affect the way we see others. Have you ever unjustly judged someone because of something that happened to you, even if it was unintentional? I have. It’s easy to do!

In addition to exploring themes of trust, Embers of Truth also examines what it means to put our goals before helping others. Oliver is determined to impress his father, and while he takes the mill case to help the workers there, he also secretly hopes it will finally make his father approve of his occupation. Putting our needs above others is a part of human nature, but that doesn’t mean we can’t change. Watching Oliver realize this is one of my favorite parts of the story.

Much like Oliver, I also realized several things while writing Embers of Truth. The first was that I would never handwrite a novel again, a decision my right wrist thanked me for. The second was that God is incredibly, incredibly gracious. The third and final thing I realized was that I would have made a terrible Pinkerton detective. I’m much more suited to sitting bundled up under warm blankets with a book than going undercover to find a criminal!

I encourage you, dear reader, to follow along with Oliver and Carina as they traverse snowy Milwaukee and decide whether you could be a detective. Make sure to curl up with a nice cup of coffee or tea and a blanket as you enjoy this intriguing, romance-filled story. God bless you!

Sincerely,

Avrie Swan

My Impressions

“…you are not nothing. You are a child of God, and if you keep that fact at the front of your heart and mind, there will be no circumstance you cannot face.”

Avrie Swan has produced a historical romance set around the Peshtigo fire, with two socially mismatched main characters. What makes the story work well for me is the fact that although society doesn’t claim the same divisions today, people always have a way of dividing themselves into groups they believe superior to others. Oliver, son of a prominent Chicago judge, is a Pinkerton detective tasked with discovering the thief at a textile mill in Milwaukee. He meets spunky, alert, loom girl Carina there. Carina is working at the mill to earn money as she searches for her sister following the Peshtigo fire. Somehow, Carina twists Oliver’s arm into allowing her to assist in his factory investigation.

I enjoyed this constant action, tense story. Swan provides a good feel of the dangers and hopelessness of the common laborer in a mill job. She also brings forth elements of humor in Mrs. Fields ( I can just see her twinkling eyes) and contrasts the love of family that Carina once enjoyed and Oliver never knew. I appreciated the faith emphasis, whether it was about forgiveness (“There’s always a chance for forgiveness. You simply have to ask for it.”) or about giving every aspect of our lives over to God. (“Every once in a while, I find myself trying too hard to control the circumstances of my life. It’s then that I have to stand back and let God take over.”- Mrs. Fields) Relationships between characters are a crucial part and driving force of this novel.

The romance between Carina and Oliver surely begins on a very rocky note. Definitely enemies to lovers trope. And there were times I cringed at the duo as a detective partnership! When the guilty party is discovered, I realized I would have made a horrible agent. No, I would not have put up with the cost that Carina and Oliver must pay to ferret out the truth.

While the Peshtigo fire does play an important part in the story, most of the story takes place in Milwaukee.

Loose ends at the story’s finish beg for more books in the series, which are expected. I’ll be waiting!

Notable Quotables:

“In the end, we are all the same, regardless of money or status. What defines us isn’t the clothing we wear or the manner in which we speak. It’s the way we treat others that truly shows who we are inside.” – Pastor Lane

“did Jesus judge all men based on the actions of one? Did He not forgive even the ones who wronged Him?”- Mrs. Fields