Jaime Stryker‘s new romance novel Two Spirit Ranch sounds at first plot-glance like pretty standard genre fare. A successful female lawyer flees Manhattan for the quieter confines of Montana, where she meets and falls in love with a local sheriff.

But the heroine of this one  is actually a transgendered female. The title of LA based Stryker’s book is derived from an old Native American belief that some tribe members could assume the identity of the opposite sex and “still be accepted and respected by their community.” From the book’s official website:

“Popular art reflects culture, and the past year brought trans issues to the forefront,” says Stryker. “It was simply time for a romance that also touched upon gender issues.”

From a marketing point of view, it’s intriguing that the cover of the book in no way tips its cowboy hat as to what transpires in the tale of one Terri Lawson. Romance novel fans who pick this up at a store without reading the jacket copy could be in for Big Sky size surprise.