A Girl with a Knife: Hearts and Sails Book 1 - Adventurous Historical Fiction

A Girl with a Knife follows Ella Parker, who loses her mother and suffers a cruel attack from her father before deciding that dishonesty serves her needs. She escapes her wealthy but lonely life and meets an eccentric ship surgeon who, impressed by her quick-thinking and empathy, allows her to assist during surgery. Compelled by Ella's intelligence and interest in medicine, the doctor prepares her for a medical career. However, in early 19th century England, women cannot attend universities. To pursue her dream of becoming a doctor, Ella disguises herself as a young man. Under her new identity, she performs dissections, conducts experiments, and cares for patients. She tutors a struggling fellow student named Oli but must remain isolated to avoid discovery. As Ella excels in her studies and saves a patient's life, she becomes a top contender for an apprenticeship with a renowned professor. Facing constant fear of exposure, she must choose between truth and lies, and determine who she can trust, before her disguise is revealed. This debut novel won the Illinois Soon To Be Famous Author Contest and was a finalist for the Goethe Award in Late Historical Fiction.