Even the Longest Winters Must Thaw

In 1968, as the Civil Rights Movement blazed across America, another war raged in the shadows—a battle of the soul, more destructive than any fought in the streets. Florence Witkins spent her life fighting for a future the world refuses to grant her. She passed the bar exam, worked tirelessly, yet found herself trapped in a storm of discrimination, shackled to menial tasks at the law firm where she should be practicing law. Across town, Ben Mayfield, raised in privilege but burdened by expectation, had long abandoned the idea of love, choosing instead to focus on a quiet rebellion—stealing his father’s law firm from under him and reshaping it for a new era.

When their paths crossed, it wasn’t a love story. It’s something messier. Riskier. They were two people on opposite ends of power, pulled by something tender and dangerous. Florence didn’t know how to be loved without shrinking. Ben didn’t know how to love without saving. Florence, trapped in the storm of her past, wondered if love was even possible when she’s never learned how to love herself. Ben, for all his ambition, realized he couldn’t save a princess who wished to remain in her tower.

Will their love be strong enough to weather the forces determined to tear them apart? Irehide is a tale of forbidden love, resilience, revealing what it truly means to love against all odds. This is not a fairytale. It’s a reckoning. And maybe, if they’re brave enough—a beginning.

DeAndrea Pete is a bold new voice in literature and the founder of MistressDLLC, a brand born from her commitment to women's empowerment, resilience, and unapologetic self-expression. At 24, she holds a degree in Animal Science and lives a life enriched by travel, advocacy, and the loyal companionship of her four beloved animals. Irehide is her powerful literary debut—a fearless exploration of survival, self-reclamation, and truth-telling that signals the beginning of a vibrant new journey in authorship.