A Hearth of Ash and Iron

About this book

In the soot-choked alleys of 1888 London, Silas Abernathy is a ruthless debt collector who survives by a singular rule: look out for yourself. Hardened by a youth spent surviving the treacherous streets and the brutal betrayal of his own kin, Silas operates as the feared enforcer for the city's most vicious crime syndicate. But when a routine eviction leads him to cross paths with a brilliant, twelve-year-old street forger named Clementine, his cold facade cracks. Instead of turning her over, he hides her in a dilapidated boarding house run by Rosalind, a widowed fence with a sharp tongue and a hidden heart. Soon, this accidental sanctuary draws in other broken souls—a disgraced, opium-addicted former surgeon and a mute, bare-knuckle giant. Told through a fractured timeline that weaves between Silas's brutal coming-of-age and his present-day struggle to protect his newfound dependents, the novel explores the arduous journey of outcasts forging a family. As his crime boss grows suspicious of his divided loyalties, Silas must decide whether to revert to the solitary survivor he once was, or risk everything for the only true home he has ever known.

Book details

Genres:

Found Family, Historical Fiction, Gritty Drama

Language:

en

Published:

2026-04-16

Content rating:

R