Ruth Wilson came to heal the living. The coast gave her a man the sea refused to drown. 1921. Prohibition has turned the New England coast into a hunting ground. Smugglers slip across black water, lawmen lie in wait, and those caught between risk everything. When Ruth Wilson takes work as a private nurse in a house perched above the sea, she expects convalescence and quiet. Instead, she finds herself entangled in Captain John Stewart's dangerous world of rum running, secrets, and shadows. Trust is as scarce as daylight, yet the pull between them is undeniable. But every tide carries betrayal. As violence rises with the waves, Ruth must decide whether she is willing to risk not just her future, but her heart, in a house where every window looks out on danger and ghosts rise up in the mist. Rum Runners is a story of love, whispered deals, and the cost of survival when loyalty collides with desire. This is the second book in the Cliff House Trilogy. I originally said the first and seconds books in the trilogy, Cliff House and Rum Runners, were standalone reads. I no longer believe that. They should be read in order, and all three should be read, or the emotional impact is lost. You can buy each one separately, or you can buy The Rum Runner: The Legend of Captain John Stewart. It is a three-volume omnibus edition. It is more cost effective to purchase the trilogy in one volume rather than in three. That definitive edition is the way the story was meant to be read. Thanks.