Finalist, Regional Fiction, 2013 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist, Multicultural Fiction, 2013 Next Generation Indie Book Awards "thought-provoking" BOOKLIST "suspenseful...engaging...relevant for all generations" FOREWORD "an enticing blend of mystery and romance...much recommended reading" MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW For readers of historical novels and thought-provoking fiction, here’s a new mystery and romance with a wholly original plot, set just prior to the Civil War, from the author of two award-winning novels. When a visionary inventor threatens the entrenched powers of the Old South, the result is murder. Tom Edmunton, the science-minded son of a cotton planter, has designed a prototype tractor in antebellum Louisiana. He foresees a new age of mechanized farming that will empty the fields of men and supplant the South’s slave system. But the planters of his town don’t like his big ideas about changing their world or the intensity with which he’s pursuing them. As Tom hears the call of the new age, he also feels the pull of two women. Rachel, a senator’s daughter, loves him, but will she break with her family to stand by his side when the town rebukes him? Solo is the unbridled grassland filly, the feisty mulatto slave who despises Tom, along with every other man from the race that binds her. Rachel is free, but is her spirit chained? Solo is chained, but is her spirit free? Tensions between Tom and the planters peak, and the tractor is stolen. “Then a shocking murder sets into motion inextricably linked events and revelations that will change life as they know it for Tom, Rachel, and Solo” (BOOKLIST). Set at a crossroads for the United States, with an old epoch tumbling and the modern age gaining ground, this novel portrays the power struggles and clashing visions for the future of the people caught in the tumult. This is a haunting tale of the Old South, with its sweeping fields of white-gold cotton, its majestic plantations, its elegant gentry, and its embattled slaves. Capturing the turbulent lead-up to the Civil War, this gripping work of historical fiction is a tribute to the timeless call of freedom that sounds in every person's heart. A ringing maverick spirit gives the novel widespread appeal beyond its historical genre. As it delves into the souls of those who want to harness nature and those who want to harness other men, the novel poses questions for our own age: Which camp is on the rise today? Will it save us or destroy us? PRAISE FOR A DREAM OF DARING: “Grab your seat for a tumbling ride back to the high-stakes, hoop-flying, tumultuous time when cotton was king. Gen LaGreca takes you for a jaunt in her carriage through fields of fragrant words, luscious descriptions, and panoramic views. . . .”--Barry Farber, host of The Barry Farber Show “I thoroughly enjoyed the plot twists and turns, the passionate interracial romance, the delicious rebellion against convention, and the challenge to subjugation of all kinds.”--Marsha Familaro Enright, President, Reason, Individualism and Freedom Institute “This is a heroic and inspiring novel that’s also packed with rich insights, lessons—and warnings—for today. . . .”--John Blundell, author of LADIES FOR LIBERTY AWARDS FOR GEN LAGRECA'S FIRST NOVEL, NOBLE VISION: ForeWord Book of the Year Finalist Writer’s Digest Book Awards Finalist Midwest Book Awards Finalist A DREAM OF DARING STRONGLY APPEALS TO READERS OF: Historical mysteries and romance, Interracial romance, United States history and Civil War novels, Libertarian spirited books A DREAM OF DARING inspires the spirit through the enchantment of fiction. SEE THE REVIEWS! Scroll down to see the Editorial Reviews for this exciting novel. DON'T FORGET TO LOOK INSIDE! Scroll up and click on the LOOK INSIDE feature by the book cover to read the first pages.