Miriam Ryder wasnât looking for loveâjust survival.
A chain-smoking, sharp-witted, transgender woman and below-the-knee amputee, Miriam has been forced into witness protection after a near-fatal run-in with a powerful crime family. Jasper Hillâa quiet Appalachian townâis supposed to be her fresh start, a place to rebuild and finally embrace her true self. But small towns remember, and some secrets refuse to stay buried.
She isnât in Jasper Hill long before she meets someone who shatters her expectationsâa woman who challenges her, understands her, and sees past the armor sheâs built around herself. What begins as a simple encounter quickly becomes something more. But while sheâs letting down her walls, someone else is watching. The past she thought she escaped is closing in, and soon, itâs not just her identity at stakeâitâs her life.
As threats escalate and old enemies resurface, Miriam must make an impossible choice: disappear again, or stand and fight for the fragile new world sheâs buildingâand the woman who makes her want to stay.
đ„ Reborn In Shadows is a high-stakes thriller with an intense, passionate LGBTQ+ romance, where survival isnât just about staying aliveâitâs about finding something worth fighting for.
Miriam Ryder wasnât looking for loveâjust survival.
A chain-smoking, sharp-witted, transgender woman and below-the-knee amputee, Miriam has been forced into witness protection after a near-fatal run-in with a powerful crime family. Jasper Hillâa quiet Appalachian townâis supposed to be her fresh start, a place to rebuild and finally embrace her true self. But small towns remember, and some secrets refuse to stay buried.
She isnât in Jasper Hill long before she meets someone who shatters her expectationsâa woman who challenges her, understands her, and sees past the armor sheâs built around herself. What begins as a simple encounter quickly becomes something more. But while sheâs letting down her walls, someone else is watching. The past she thought she escaped is closing in, and soon, itâs not just her identity at stakeâitâs her life.
As threats escalate and old enemies resurface, Miriam must make an impossible choice: disappear again, or stand and fight for the fragile new world sheâs buildingâand the woman who makes her want to stay.
đ„ Reborn In Shadows is a high-stakes thriller with an intense, passionate LGBTQ+ romance, where survival isnât just about staying aliveâitâs about finding something worth fighting for.
Miriam took a long, final drag from her cigarette before putting it out. She slowly turned onto the small dirt road and crossed the solidly constructed wooden bridge that spanned the creek. This is it, she thought to herself. My new life begins now.
As the dirt and gravel crunched beneath the tires, her chest tightened. A fresh start, theyâd called it. But how do you start fresh when the memories still cling to you like a second skin? Her fingers absentmindedly brushed against the tender scar on her thigh beneath her jeansâa ghost of a night that had stolen so much from her.
She pulled into the driveway of the two-story house, trying to focus on its charm: the wraparound porch, the sturdy brick foundation, the towering trees. But her mind began to wander as she turned off the car and stared at the house.
For a moment, she wasnât there. She was back in that dingy apartment; the smell of smoke and blood filled her nostrils, and Alexâs voice echoed in her ears.
Miriam could still hear him, clear as day. âLet me talk to Leo! He can sort all this out!â Alex had said, his voice calm but desperate, his hands raised in surrender. And thenâ
The sound of the gunshot tore through her memory. Miriam flinched, gripping the steering wheel tighter as if bracing herself. Alexâs body crumpled to the floor, lifeless, before her brain even registered what had happened.
Sheâd been frozen in her chair, her heart pounding as the lead attacker turned his attention to her. âNo witnesses,â heâd snarled before the crowbars swung. The searing pain in her leg, the crack of her bones, and the metallic taste of blood were still vivid. Sheâd tried to crawl, to move, but her body wouldnât listen.
Her breathing quickened. Miriam squeezed her eyes shut and inhaled deeply, forcing herself to anchor back to the present. Itâs over. Thatâs not who you are anymore. Youâre here now. You survived.
The soft rustle of the wind brought her back. Miriam opened her eyes and stepped out of the car, letting the cool air fill her lungs. She looked at the house again, this time with more clarity. This place was hers. She wasnât the same person lying broken on that floor anymore. Sheâd chosen to be Miriam Ryder, and that meant something.
She took a deep breath. Fresh air. Wow, that is some seriously fresh fucking air. She reached into her purse, withdrew a fresh cigarette and lighter, and then lit it.
The movers should be here soon. She thought to herself as she inhaled and made her way up the steps to the porch. A wooden porch swing at the far end called to her, compelling her to sit as she took her phone out of her purse. It was 11:37 a.m. She was actually early. Thatâs rare, she thought. Iâm constantly running late.
She scrolled through her phone, not really knowing what to look at. She didnât have any social media accounts or use any messaging services. Miriam just looked at various news websites and was instantly disturbed by the current events happening around the country.
âDamn these politicians,â she muttered, exhaling her smoke abruptly before placing her phone back into her purse. Another bathroom bill, she raged internally. When are these assholes going to get it through their heads that we just want to fucking pee?
She put her cigarette out, got up, and walked to the front door. Time to take a walk-through. She entered the lock code into the keypad the homeâs previous owner had left with Rachel: 1-1-2-8. Miriam heard an audible click, and she breathed a sigh of relief as she opened the door and stepped into her new home for the very first time.
The first room the front door opened into was obviously going to be her living room, as it had signs of clearly being used as such before. Directly to her right was a large open archway leading to another room. Dining room? Hobby room? Iâll figure it out.
Both the living room and the dining room featured large open archways leading to the spacious kitchen. The wall behind the island on the right was painted black, serving as an accent wall in opposition to the kitchenâs white walls. She let out an audible squeal. I love this fucking kitchen! She had a dishwasher! There was a large wooden hanging door with glass window panes to the right in front of her. She slid it open to the right on its track to a cavernous pantry.
I love this place so much already, she declared to herself. There were three shelves lining the opposite wall, a small metal table to the left with a microwave, and a large wooden buffet cabinet to the right that seemed to be built into the pantry.
She turned, walked out of the pantry, and looked to her left. French doors with glass panels opened into a large deck in the backyard. A metal-framed gazebo with a canvas top and zipping screened sides was affixed to the deck. Some wicker chairs and a side table, and hereâs my reading area. Itâs perfect.
She closed the doors and walked back into the kitchen, going down the hallway leading past the living room. A periwinkle blue bathroom was on the right, and she paused to glance at her reflection in the mirror above the sink.
Miriam was tall for a woman, standing at 5â11â. She was a curvy, very busty, thick woman, and could be described as plus-sized. Her long, wavy, auburn-brown hair complemented her warm hazel eyes well, framing her face with a natural elegance. She had a commanding presence, carrying herself with a confidence that softened into warmth when she smiled. Her style often leaned toward comfortable yet flattering outfits, accentuating her curves while reflecting her vibrant personality. She smiled at herself and returned to explore the rest of the house.
The utility room was just beyond the bathroom on the right, housing a sleek matching washing machine and dryer with metallic black finishes. At the end of the hallway was another door leading to the side of the house, emptying underneath the sun deck and onto the wraparound porch.
She returned to the living room, where she had her first pause. The stairs leading upstairs needed a handrail. Thatâs definitely going to have to be rectified quickly. She looked up, braced herself with her left arm, and carefully proceeded up the stairs.
Aside from being a chain smoker, Miriam was also an amputee. She only had three inches of shinbone below her knee, and she only recently began walking with her new prosthetic leg. She was less than one year removed from the incident that caused her to lose fifteen inches of leg.
People donât realize how much more energy amputees expend on mundane tasks. Her physical therapist told her that a below-the-knee amputee like herself spent forty percent more energy than the average non-disabled person. Climbing stairs was worse. Fourteen stairs? Fuck me!
By the time she reached the top, Miriam was out of breath. The doctors and nurses told me it would take at least a year minimum to regain my former strength. If it ever comes back. She doubted that she would ever recover that level of strength. Her medications would see to that.
Not only was Miriam a chain-smoking amputee, she was also transgender. Having recently started hormone replacement therapy, she noticed she had already lost some strength in her body. Estrogen is truly amazing, but damn if it hasnât weakened me, she thought as she braced herself at the top of the stairs.
The second floor started with a door to the left leading outside to the sun deck and one long hallway. First on the left was a smaller room, not much larger than the pantry. Craft room, maybe? Or was this once used as a sewing room? I like this eggshell color on the textured walls. The next room on the left was the master bathroom, and it was painted a goldenrod yellow. Across the hall from the bathroom was the first of three large bedrooms.
Each bedroom was painted a very light gray and featured a lace-patterned wall texture. What am I going to do with so much space? She limped down the hall to check out each bedroom, each quite spacious and having large, walk-in closets. She then became aware that her prosthetic was starting to hurt her. She struggled after a few hours of wearing it and still hadnât gotten her gait down. As a result, she walked with a prominent limp.
She carefully made her way back downstairs and out the front door. I love that this house has hardwood floors throughout. It will make it easier to sweep. She glanced at her phoneâ11:56 a.m. The movers were due at noon. She sat down on the porch swing, awkwardly removed her prosthetic, and began massaging her stump with her right hand while rifling through her purse for another cigarette and her lighter.
âItâs not even noon, and Iâm already fucking exhausted.â The silence rang loudly in her ears. She noticed how peaceful it was. The only sounds were the rustling of the leaves as the wind blew through the trees, the creaking of the porch swing chains, and her boot scraping back and forth on the wooden porch.
Peace⊠Absolute peace. I can definitely be happy here. Itâs a welcome change. If Alex could see me now. I wonder what he would think of this place.
As she took another puff on her cigarette, she could see the moving truck turning into the driveway. The day was just getting started.
The premise of Reborn in Shadows: From the Ashes by Maya Fisher is intriguing, and in current times, #OWNVOICES are especially important. Miri is a character dealing with so much adversity, and the hook of her transitioning during witness protection from the mob grabbed my attention immediately.
While it is clear the author did a ton of research on WITSEC, at times things get too detailed and throttle the plot a bit. Most readers will be familiar enough with the basics of witness protection that the dialogue will be a bit flat. Also, while detailing what someone made for breakfast once can be endearing, there's a lot of detail here at mealtimes that could be skimmed over or cut. Likewise, the extensive detail of Ava's assignment to her class is an example of overdoing irrelevant details.
Even though Miri's handlers are attentive and detailed in their instructions, Miri jumps into social and political activism, challenging the transphobia of the local police chief and his son (also an officer). While I applaud the character's moxie, her willingness to immediately lead a major effort to get the chief ousted in the next election isn't realistic, especially given the trauma she's experienced. At times, Miri's stubbornness is at odds with the fear and caution she should be feeling.
At the end of the book, we learn that this is Miri's second placement since being released from the hospital after her amputation and the beginning of her transition. This leads the reader to wonder why she left Bend, Oregon, and what her first few months there were like. Perhaps this is what led to her being less careful when she moved to her new town, but her fatigue with being in WITSEC needs to be well-established from the beginning.
The book is a mashup of several genres. It is billed as a thriller, but it quickly becomes a romance novel. While the love story between Miri and Ava is fun, their relationship feels rushed. Also, after one date, Miri is "tired" of lying to Ava, and she demands to be able to tell the truth about who she is.
Overall, this is an interesting debut, but there are some growing pains. As the series continues, I look forward to the thriller aspect being in the forefront and more development of the complex psychology of a person in witness protection.