Cera's Place by Elizabeth McKenna

“You should have told me you were with child.”

Ever since walking through the front door of his home in Boston and seeing Martha’s swollen belly, Jake Tanner had repeated those words like the chorus of a favorite song. In that moment, he had never been so angry—or so in love—with his wife. Now, as she lay on their bed fanning herself in the early summer heat, he gave in to the urge to say it again.

Martha turned her head away and sighed. “Now what good would that have done, my love, but to give you a needless worry?”

He tugged her thick, honey blond braid until she looked at him again. “I could have gotten leave sooner, maybe even more than once.”

Title: Cera's Place
Author: Elizabeth McKenna

ISBN: 9781468110272

Publisher: CreateSpace/2011

Pages: 272

Set in the 1800, California. Cera Cassidy owns a saloon where she offers work to any woman who wants honest work. Work other than selling oneself. The women who work there have redeemed themselves. In her saloon, men are offered decent food and whiskey along with having a hand with cards and are offered nothing else. 

Cera discovers that Chinese girls are being kidnapped and sold for prostitution when a Chinese girl who has escaped burst through her saloon doors. She hides the girl who just witnessed her father being killed. Cera vows to protect that girl and take on the bigwigs involved. She has the guts but finds the local cops unhelpful as they have been bribed.

Enter Jack Tanner, an ex soldier in the civil war, who has come to Cera's Place to keep his friend's dying wish. He finds Cera irresistible. He joins her mission to protect/save the Chinese girls even without her asking. In fact, she wants him to go away but he sticks around to protect her. 

The novel reflects the history of those times. And talks of noble people, friendships, relationships. The characters are well etched and are not overshadowed.