The Brave One: An Ashby Lake Novel - Softcover

Zima, Tasha

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1069893404 ISBN 13: 9781069893406

Publisher: Ashby Lake Publishing House, 2026

Synopsis

A quiet upstairs apartment, a grocery store where no one rushes, and streets that move at a slower rhythm—everything she needs to start over. What she doesn’t expect is how quickly the small town begins to seep under her skin, offering comfort she didn’t know she craved.

Then she meets Liam Thatcher—steady, patient, and kind in ways she’s forgotten how to trust. He’s the local handyman with a soft heart and a stubborn streak, the kind of man who fixes more than what’s broken. But letting someone in means risking the walls she’s spent years building.

As autumn settles over Ashby Lake and the town glows with harvest lights and laughter, shadows from Leana’s past begin to stir. To claim the peace and love she longs for, she’ll have to decide if she’s willing to be more than a survivor.

She’ll have to choose to be the brave one.
Perfect for readers who love:

• Emotional, small-town slow burns

• Found family & quiet resilience

• Consent-driven, trauma-informed romance

• Healing that feels real, not performative

About this title

About the Author

Tasha Zima grew up trading romance novels with her mom like sacred artifacts, rereading dog-eared paperbacks until the spines gave out. She never expected to write one herself-until a small-town girl with too much pride and not enough sleep marched into her head and refused to leave. That girl became Katie, and However Much or Little, her first novel, poured out like a love song she didn't know she'd been humming for years.

Edition details

• Publisher: Ashby Lake Publishing House
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1069893404
• ISBN 13: 9781069893406
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 460