Into the Free books in order

The Into the Free series by Julie Cantrell follows Millie Reynolds from Depression-era Mississippi to wartime Colorado in two novels of Southern and inspirational fiction.

Reading order

# Title Published Author Buy on Amazon
1 Into the Free 2012 Julie Cantrell Buy
2 When Mountains Move 2013 Julie Cantrell Buy

The Into the Free series follows Millie Reynolds across two novels. In Into the Free (2012), Millie is a child in Depression-era Mississippi, living with an abusive father and a passive mother. Each spring she watches a band of Romani Travelers pass through town, and one year a friendship among them leads her to a key that unlocks family secrets. The novel hit the New York Times bestseller list and won two Christy Awards.

When Mountains Move (2013) picks up with Millie at seventeen, newly married to a rodeo veterinarian named Bump Anderson. They move to the Colorado Rockies to build a ranch, joined by Millie’s Choctaw grandmother Oka. The trauma of the first book follows Millie into her new life, and the sequel is about whether she can build something lasting out of what she survived.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the Into the Free series?

There are two books in the Into the Free series, published between 2012 and 2013.

What is the first book in the Into the Free series?

The first book in the Into the Free series is Into the Free, published in 2012.

Who is Millie Reynolds?

Millie Reynolds is a young girl of mixed Choctaw and white heritage growing up in Depression-era Mississippi with an abusive, alcoholic father. In Into the Free she searches for a way out of her family’s cycle of violence. In When Mountains Move she is a newlywed building a ranch in the Colorado Rockies during World War II.

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