About Beautiful House
North Carolina, 1960
Berry Smith saves every penny she earns cleaning houses—but it’s not enough. Not for college. Not for freedom. And definitely not enough for the beautiful house she’s obsessed with one day owning—a place where she can finally belong.
Then Josephine Walker arrives. Headstrong and ambitious, Jo wants the same things Berry does. Their rivalry becomes friendship. Their friendship becomes love.
But the world is dangerous for two Black girls in love. And when tragedy strikes, they’re forced to run—together, then apart.
Alone in a strange city, Berry finds shelter in a rigid religious sect. But safety comes at a cost. And she soon learns that in a world not made for her, she’s the only one who can make her dreams come true.
Spanning fifteen years and two lives forever changed by love and loss, Beautiful House is a powerful coming of age story about friendship, freedom, and building the life you dream of—no matter who tries to stop you.
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Author Bio:
Raye writes historical and fantasy stories with a rag to riches narrative, usually about power hungry people. Raye is unconventional in building plots based around themes. Raye’s first book, Master and Favorite and set in imperial Rome, is written around the theme of patriarchy. The second book, Beautiful House and set in the Jim Crow South, explores the concept of inequality and anxiety.
A third, upcoming book will be based in the Gilded Age. Raye is also working on a fantasy series.