Joseph Tharnen wanted only peace. He buried his sword, married Rose — a legendary Valkyrie — and together they
carved a ranch from the dust.

But when Marigold Rowan returns with news that their sisterhood is bleeding and Valkyries are vanishing, Rose must choose between her husband and the life she left behind. And the trail goes deeper than she knows.

Every fire begins with a spark. This fire will ignite a world.
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Blood & Dust is now complete.

Volume II, Blood & Iron, continues the Tharnen Saga.

Read Volume II here:
https://jadavidsonwrites.substack.com/
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Joseph and Rose’s marriage has weathered silence, loss, and secrets too heavy to name — but together they have endured. Now Marigold’s return brings a call Rose cannot ignore: sisters vanishing, bound in chains, crying out for freedom. To stand with them is to risk the life she built, and the man who has always chosen her.

But the Valkyries’ freedom is only the beginning. Their chains do not end with the sisterhood. The chains that bind the Valkyries reach deeper, back two thousand years ago, where humanity itself was first broken — when the Angels came in flame. They shattered nine billion souls, and from their ruins rose the Church: keeper of the glyphs and warden of forbidden knowledge.

For Joseph, there is no choice at all. He has made one vow: wherever Rose goes, he will follow. Even if it means taking up the sword he swore never to wield again. Even if it means walking into the shadow of the Angels themselves.

Because Joseph Tharnen is not just a quiet rancher. Beneath his calm exterior lies a force they will never see coming — relentless, unstoppable, and willing to burn the world itself if that is what it takes to save his Rose.

Blood and Dust is a slow-burn, character-driven saga of family, legacy, and violence remembered. Set in a post-technological world where ancient science is mistaken for magic, it blends the grit of frontier Westerns with the mythic undertow of a fallen world. For fans of Louis L’Amour, The Road, and The Last of Us.

≋ © 2026 J.A. Davidson | Blood & Dust ≋
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