North House

First in flight. Fierce in basketball. Divided by barbecue. And stubborn about everything. North Carolina has never been easy to pin down. It dragged its feet on secession yet sent more soldiers to die for the Confederacy than any other state. It boasts of being “first in freedom” while clinging to old hierarchies. It gave the world pirates, bootleggers, moonshine-fueled stock car races, and barbecue feuds so fierce they could outlast most wars. In this sharp and funny history, Jordan Blake Carter takes you on an irreverent ride through four centuries of contradictions.

Maddie arrives in the winter wonderland ready to defeat the claim of Jordan’s mystery relative. Instead, she finds surprising struggles and diversions in the idyllic town during the Christmas season when her ex-boyfriend, attorney Stewart Dunham, shows up to represent the interloper. Maddie sharpens her legal skills in outwitting him and a greedy mining enterprise bent on changing Starlight forever. She and Jordan form an alliance, and the ensuing legal battle leaves her emotionally vulnerable until Trevor Kirk, a geologist, focuses her mind back to what is important.