Emma Rosales is the heiress of the largest ranch in Texas—The Thorn. All the responsibilities of managing a million acres now fall into her fifth-generation hands. A task Emma could handle with her eyes closed…if The Thorn were any ordinary property.

The Thorn is home to many things. Clear, cloudless skies. Miles of desert scrub and craggy mountains. A quiet disrupted only by whispers of the wind. And an ancient web of secrets won’t let Emma out alive without a fight.

The Fifth Daughter of Thorn Ranch is a family saga as large as the state of Texas.

“Julia Daily builds a captivating world by letting her imagination lead the way. The result? A unique story that’s a little Wild West, a little old Mexico, a little ancient history, and a lot rebellious”

“A novel that combines mystery, suspense,
adventure, and a romance that neither hardships nor time can erase between the main characters.” —Debra Holt,award-winning, multi-published Texas author of series such as The Tremaynes of Texas and The Lawmen Series.

“A dignified, passionate, and layered tale in a rugged yet picturesque landscape… This book testifies to the rewards of fighting for enduring connections between family members and home.”
–RECOMMENDED,The US Review of Books

Imagine knowing your destiny from birth. That’s exactly Emma’s life. The Thorn Ranch has been passed down from daughter to daughter for generations and is larger than some states. Everything in Emma’s life is preparing her to take over the ranch. Everyone knows Thorn Ranch and some maybe looking for the angle to be included in this successful enterprise. When Emma comes home for a college break and to oversee the ranch while her parents take their annual European vacation, things reach a peak. Emma decides to head out to camp and re-center herself. What she finds is not peace but an entire community of people living in an era without modern conveniences. She also discovers that this community is not about to allow her to leave and have the world descend on them.

The author gives the reader a lot of time with Emma and her situation to build a base on what she may be experiencing. Then the reader is guided through to see other character’s points of view and what they are going through. This rounds out the story nicely.

Emma’s time with The People is enlightened by the strong character, Chalpa, the chief and wise man of the group. There is a lot of history here that is barely hinted out and I, at some point, would like to learn what his story is.

The devotion and extreme lengths that Emma’s mom, Josie, goes through are easy for any parent to relate to. While Thorn Ranch appears as the main concern in her life – her real life is centered on Emma.

I enjoyed the character Kai, grandson of Chalpa, and his place in the story. He has also spent his life being raised knowing his destiny, and this could have been a connection with Emma, but it is left unexplored. That and a few other dangling ideas have me hoping this is not the end of the story.

On the whole, this was a quick and entertaining read.