The Odds: And Other Stories

Ethel M. Dell's collection from 1922 gathers seven tales of love pushed to its limits. These are stories where the heart refuses to bow to convention, where women must choose between duty and desire, and where sacrifice often masquerades as salvation. In 'The Odds,' a bold heroine in rural Australia finds herself torn between a principled lawman and a dangerous outlaw, her choice complicated by the memory of a man who once saved her life. Other stories explore similar territories: the struggle for autonomy in love, the bitter sweetness of consolation, the high cost of freedom, and the territories between desire and duty that leave characters changed forever. Dell writes with the operatic intensity that made her one of the era's most borrowed library authors, trading in heightened emotions and moral dilemmas that feel both of their time and startlingly urgent. These are romance stories for readers who want feeling to matter, who believe love is worth the price of admission.