Seventeen-year-old Evangeline Frost had a great life, until the car accident that killed her father and turned her mother into a bitter alcoholic. Unable to bear the guilt, Evangeline attempts to take her own life, saved only by the memory of her beloved father. Left with no other options, Evangeline is enrolled in a program for troubled teens at Kindred Hides Wildlife Preserve. There she meets Caster, a keeper as annoying as he is caring; Jett and Lettie, who treat her more like a daughter than troubled teen; and Ruke, a prized giraffe in mourning for his lost mate. Immersed in the preserve with her new friends, Evangeline finally begins to heal. But the haunting memories of the accident and her mother’s unforgiving words threaten to destroy her progress. Only her new friends and their unconditional support, along with her own special connection with Ruke, can save her. Evangeline must learn that there is redemption for her father’s death, and that the bonds between human, animal, and life are not as fragile as she once thought.

“Promise me, little elf.” Evangeline Frost had a plan, once. Attend a prestigious art school, become a renowned painter. It was a dream she shared with her father, one that was ripped away in the car accident that claimed his life. At California’s Kindred Hides Wildlife Preserve, Evangeline thought she had finally grieved for her father and moved on. But now, halfway around the world in Zambia at a new sanctuary for animals, Evangeline finds herself haunted by old memories … and a promise she has yet to fulfill. Nightmares plague her dreams. Caster’s flirtations confuse her. And when poachers invade the preserve, they leave behind a devastation that threatens to break her apart. Now Evangeline lives for a different dream: to save the lives of every animal who calls the preserve home, no matter the cost. A crusade that strains her budding relationship with Caster, a mission taking her further away from dreams of the past ‒ and gives her an orphaned elephant calf to call her own. Evangeline Frost has a new plan. Protect the preserve and keep a promise that will finally heal her heart … or put her very life at risk.