What do you think?
Rate this book
Ruby's Flame: The Crystal Sisters Series - Book One
Return to Crystal Hollow… where grief lingers, secrets wait, and love refuses to stay buried.
When Ruby Sinclair returns home after her mother’s sudden passing, the last place she expects to find herself is standing in the doorway of the Crystal Emporium—the heart of her family, and the life she once left behind.
But Crystal Hollow hasn’t forgotten her.
Neither has Noah Callahan—the man she loved, the man she left, and the one person who still sees through every wall she’s built.
As Ruby and her sisters gather to honor their mother’s legacy, long-buried truths begin to surface—woven into letters, memories, and the quiet magic their mother left behind. And with each revelation, Ruby is forced to confront the choices that drove her away… and the feelings that never truly let her go.
But some returns come with a cost.
Because healing means opening old wounds.
Love means risking everything.
And staying might require Ruby to become someone she’s not sure she’s ready to be.
In a town where the past and present intertwine, Ruby must Will she run again…or finally choose the life—and the love—waiting for her at home?
When Ruby Sinclair returns home after her mother’s sudden passing, the last place she expects to find herself is standing in the doorway of the Crystal Emporium—the heart of her family, and the life she once left behind.
But Crystal Hollow hasn’t forgotten her.
Neither has Noah Callahan—the man she loved, the man she left, and the one person who still sees through every wall she’s built.
As Ruby and her sisters gather to honor their mother’s legacy, long-buried truths begin to surface—woven into letters, memories, and the quiet magic their mother left behind. And with each revelation, Ruby is forced to confront the choices that drove her away… and the feelings that never truly let her go.
But some returns come with a cost.
Because healing means opening old wounds.
Love means risking everything.
And staying might require Ruby to become someone she’s not sure she’s ready to be.
In a town where the past and present intertwine, Ruby must Will she run again…or finally choose the life—and the love—waiting for her at home?
189 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 16, 2026
About the author
C. Deanne Rowe
55 books40 followersC. Deanne Rowe is a bestselling author of small-town romance, romantic suspense, and heartfelt women's fiction. She's published over forty novels across five series — Puckerbrush, Cowboy Temptation, Valley, Shattered Walls, and Stiletto Girls. Thirteen of the novels were with The Stiletto Series alongside the Stiletto Girls.
Her thriller, Manuscript For Murder, was named a finalist in the 2025 MasterClass Write With James Patterson Contest — a milestone in her shift toward suspense alongside the small-town love stories her readers already know her for.
Born in southwest Oklahoma and raised on small-town stories, Deanne has called Iowa home for over thirty years, where she lives with her husband, their two children and spouses, and five grandchildren. Before retiring in 2018 to write full-time, she spent over twenty years at MidAmerican Energy scheduling natural gas on the interstate pipelines — a career, she'll tell you, that taught her plenty about plotting.
These days she writes, plays a little organ, and shares her writing space with Kendell, the rescue French bulldog who joined the family three years ago. Kendell carries on a tradition started by Allie — the teacup toy poodle and undisputed hero who sat through more chapters than Deanne can count.
Her thriller, Manuscript For Murder, was named a finalist in the 2025 MasterClass Write With James Patterson Contest — a milestone in her shift toward suspense alongside the small-town love stories her readers already know her for.
Born in southwest Oklahoma and raised on small-town stories, Deanne has called Iowa home for over thirty years, where she lives with her husband, their two children and spouses, and five grandchildren. Before retiring in 2018 to write full-time, she spent over twenty years at MidAmerican Energy scheduling natural gas on the interstate pipelines — a career, she'll tell you, that taught her plenty about plotting.
These days she writes, plays a little organ, and shares her writing space with Kendell, the rescue French bulldog who joined the family three years ago. Kendell carries on a tradition started by Allie — the teacup toy poodle and undisputed hero who sat through more chapters than Deanne can count.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
No one has reviewed this book yet.