The Uncertain Season — Ann Howard Creel

After the Hurricane of 1900 devastates Galveston Island, the lives of three women will never be the same.

Nineteen-year-old Grace's golden age is just beginning. She and her mother live a privileged life. Beautiful and talented, Grace is looking forward to a pleasant summer celebrating her engagement to a wealthy young gentleman.

But when her lovely, charming, and disgraced cousin Etta arrives, Grace finds her place in society -- and in her mother's heart -- threatened. Etta enchants everyone as she maneuvers to secure a station in Galveston's upper echelons. Grace, in a reckless moment, reveals Etta's scandalous past, and as punishment, she's sent to work in Galveston's back alleys, helping the poor. There, a silent waif known only as Miss Girl opens Grace's eyes to new love and purpose. She's determined to save this girl who lost her entire family in the hurricane and now slips along the shadows of the unfinished seawall with a mysterious resolve.

Soon, the lives of the three young women will converge as betrayal, mistaken identity, and a family secret sweep them toward a future that defies all expectations.