A Promise Made — Marianne Mitchell

In the summer of 1884, sixteen-year-old Petra comes home to find her mother has died. A note from her mother urges her to flee the controlling stepfather who has made their lives miserable. With few resources and no skills, Petra's only choice is to head west to Denver in search of her cousin, Fina. Her quest leads her up Clear Creek to a small mining town at the end of the rail line. Silver Plume is a town on the cusp of change, trying to shed its rough and tumble image to one more centered on business and tourism. It's a place where Petra can escape the cruel realities of her former life and start over. All this is possible â€" until someone from her past threatens to shatter her dreams and the town erupts in fire.

Marianne Mitchell smoothly blends well-researched historical facts and fictional characters. She weaves a tale that shows the conflicts faced by single girls in the 1880s and the concept that ‘family' can be found anywhere.