SheReads Best Historical Fiction of 2022 Finalist!"Inspiring, heartwarming, and ultimately triumphant." —Lisa Wingate, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Lost Friends"What a remarkable woman—and what an enthralling story!" —Janet Skeslien Charles, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris LibraryMust-read historical fiction for fans of Marie Benedict and Tracey Enerson Wood, based on the real life of Britain's first woman veterinary surgeon.Aleen Cust has big dreams. And no one—not her family, society, or the law—will stop her.Born in Ireland in 1868 to an aristocratic English family, Aleen knows she is destined to work with animals, even if her family is appalled by the idea of a woman pursuing a veterinary career. Going against their wishes but with the encouragement of the guardian assigned to her upon her father's death, Aleen attends the New Veterinary College in Edinburgh, enrolling as A. I. Custance to spare her family the humiliation they fear. At last, sh