What Passes as Love

A young woman pays a devastating price for freedom in this heartrending and breathtaking novel of the nineteenth-century South.

1850. I was six years old the day Lewis Holt came to take me away.

Born into slavery, Dahlia never knew her mother—or what happened to her. When Dahlia’s father, the owner of Vesterville plantation, takes her to work in his home as a servant, she’s desperately lonely. Forced to leave behind her best friend, Bo, she lives in a world between black and white, belonging to neither.

Ten years later, Dahlia meets Timothy Ross, an Englishman in need of a wife. Reinventing herself as Lily Dove, Dahlia allows Timothy to believe she’s white, with no family to speak of, and agrees to marry him. She knows the danger of being found out. She also knows she’ll never have this chance at freedom again.

Ensconced in the Ross mansion, Dahlia soon finds herself held captive in a different way—as the dutiful wife of a young man who has set his sights on a political future. But when Bo arrives on the estate in shackles, Dahlia decides to risk everything to save his life. With suspicions of her true identity growing and a bounty hunter not far behind, Dahlia must act fast or pay a devastating price.




Genre: Historical

"What Passes as Love is a remarkable story that paints a vivid picture of the antebellum South through the eyes of the courageous and relatable Dahlia Holt. She is a woman whose cunning and beauty allow her to hide in plain sight—within the folds of a society willing to sacrifice its own truths for pleasant appearances. Filled with realistic and picturesque details, I was transported into a sweeping narrative that read so much broader than historical fiction and commanded my attention even late into the night. I couldn’t stop reading. This was a story as complex as it was gorgeous—one of unconquerable love, of secrets and lies, of finding one’s voice and discovering meaning in a life worth the risk of freedom. Bravo, Trisha R. Thomas. Bravo!" - Jayne Allen

"What Passes as Love is a rapid page-turner that will leave book lovers of any genre satisfied. Trisha R. Thomas weaves a literary tapestry that skillfully unmasks each character. Her protagonist, Dahlia Holt, takes readers on an unexpected pursuit of freedom, identity, and love. Bravo for a beautifully written account of courage, faith, and human spirit." - Norma L Jarrett

"Trisha R. Thomas’s What Passes as Love is a fiery story of romance, resilience, and resistance, even amidst the evils of slavery. In antebellum Virginia, her daring heroine, Dahlia Holt, enslaved and yearning for liberty, exploits the ignorance and lies of her captors to protect herself and her beloved. Her weapons? Beauty and deception, education and daring. Dahlia’s dazzling escapes, her selfless passion, her dogged determination, and the risks she takes for love and freedom will keep readers turning pages in suspense." - Kate Manning

"In What Passes as Love, Trisha R. Thomas has…so brilliantly…written a powerful, thought-provoking, truly cinematic historical novel that will have you turning pages well into the wee hours of the morning. Her story is simply wonderful." - Kimberla Lawson Roby