Dawn Comes Early by Margaret Brownley

Dawn Comes Early (The Brides Of Last Chance Ranch Series)

1895 – Arizona

Disgraced dime novelist Kate Tenney fled the city that banned her latest novel for the emptiness of the desert. Answering an ad to be “heiress” to a vast cattle ranch in the Arizona Territory, Kate hopes ranching turns out to be as romantic as she portrayed it in her novels.
But what awaits her is a life harder than the one she just left. There is no room for mistakes on a working cattle ranch, and Kate is ill-prepared for her new life. She quickly learns that dawn comes early. But she is tenacious.
Having been abandoned by a string of men, Kate has no intention of ever marrying. But she didn’t expect to meet Luke Adams, either. Luke awakens feelings inside Kate she doesn’t recognize, and his steady presence is a constant distraction. She has only written about love in the past, never known it herself. But her feelings for Luke stand in the way of all she has to gain if she is chosen as the heir.
Perhaps God brought Kate to the barrenness of the desert to give new life to her jaded heart.

Song of My Heart by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Song of My Heart

1895 – Kansas

Sadie Wagner has always been devoted to her family. So when her stepfather is injured and can’t work, she decides to leave home and accept a position as a clerk at the mercantile in Goldtree, Kansas. Goldtree also offers the opportunity to use her God-given singing talent–though the promised opera house is far different from what she imagined. With her family needing every cent she can provide, Sadie will do anything to keep her job.

Thad McKane comes to Goldtree at the request of the town council. The town has been plagued by bootlegging operations, and Thad believes he can find the culprit. After he earns enough money doing sheriff work, he wants to use it to pay for his training to become a minister.

Thad is immediately attracted to the beautiful singer who performs in Asa Baxter’s unusual opera house, but when he hears her practicing bawdy tunes, he begins to wonder if she’s far less innocent than she seems. And when Sadie appears to be part of the very crimes he’s come to investigate, is there any hope the love blossoming between them will survive?

Winter Promise by Martha Rogers

Winter Promise (Seasons of the Heart)

1890 – Texas

A painful past has left Doctor Elliot Jensen uninterested in love.

Until he meets Abigail.

Single, educated, and looking for a new start, Abigail Monroe decides to join her brother and his wife in Portersville, Texas. Near her twenty-fifth birthday and without a suitor, she fears she will become a spinster if she stays in Briar Ridge, Connecticut.

A sprained ankle sends Abigail to the new doctor in town, Elliot Jensen. He is smitten, but tragedy in his past has left him bitter, guilt ridden, and afraid to fall in love again.

When the town’s deputy sheriff rescues Abigail after a robbery, Elliot’s feelings for her get stronger. He is jealous of the attention Abigail is getting, but he fears he can’t compete with the handsome deputy sheriff and his heroic deeds.

Has he waited too long to share his feelings for her? Or will Christmas bring them both the gift they seek?

Long Trail Home by Vickie McDonough

Long Trail Home (The Texas Trail Series)

1896 – Texas

The Long Trail Home is third in a six-book series about four generations of the Morgan family living, fighting, and thriving amidst a turbulent Texas history spanning from 1845 to 1896. Although a series, each book can be read on its own.When Riley Morgan returns home after fighting in the War Between the States, he is excited to see his parents and fiancee again. But he soon learns that his parents are dead and the woman he loved is married. He takes a job at the Wilcox School for the blind just to get by. He keeps his heart closed off but a pretty blind woman, Annie, threatens to steal it. When a greedy man tries to close the school, Riley and Annie band together to fight him and fall in love.But when Riley learns the truth about Annie, he packs and prepares to leave the school that has become his home and the woman who has thawed his heart. Will he change his mind and find the love he craves’ Or will stubbornness deprive him from the woman he needs’ Through painful circumstances, Riley and Annie learn that the loving and sovereign hand of God cannot be thwarted.

Once Upon a Thanksgiving by Linda Ford and Winnie Griggs

Once Upon a Thanksgiving

1890 – Montana and Texas

Season of Bounty by Linda Ford
At first glance, privileged Kathleen Sanderson and cowboy Buck Donahue couldn’t be more different. Yet the bond between Buck and his adopted son awakens a wish in Kathleen for a family of her own—and a future they can build together.

Home for Thanksgiving by Winnie Griggs
All that stands between Ruby Anne Tuggle and a fresh start is an escort to Tyler, Texas. Rancher Griff Lassiter is too kind to refuse, but too wary of being hurt again to offer anything but friendship. Then a fever forces an unexpected detour and a chance to find the place they both belong…

Hailee by Penny Zeller

Hailee (Montana Skies V3)

1893 – Montana

For years, orphan Hailee Annigan was just a ragamuffin in the Cincinnati streets, stealing food to keep her two younger brothers fed. Her thievery landed her in a home for delinquent youngsters, where her life was changed, thanks to her teachers. Now, nineteen-year-old Hailee excitedly heads to Montana to be a teacher, yet she’s still plagued by her shameful past and the fear of never seeing her brothers again.

Based on his upbringing in high-society Boston, no one would have guessed that Maxwell Nathaniel Adams Jr. would attend seminary and become a church pastor in rugged Montana. Even now, Nate’s parents refuse to put aside their own plans for his future and accept his calling.

When their paths converge, an immediate attraction draws Hailee and Nate together, even as the pressures and demands of others pull them apart. Can the unlikely pair come to terms with their pasts and face the future together?

A Whisper of Peace by Kim Vogel Sawyer

A Whisper of Peace

1898 – Alaska

Ostracized by her tribe because of her white father, Lizzie Dawson lives alone in the mountains of Alaska, practicing the ways of her people even as she resides in the small cabin her father built for her mother. She dreams of reconciling with her grandparents to fulfill her mother’s dying request, but she has not yet found a way to bridge the gap that separate her from her tribe.

Clay Selby has always wanted to be like his father, a missionary who holds a great love for the native people and has brought many to God. Clay and his stepsister, Vivian, arrive in Alaska to set up a church and school among the Athbascan people. Clay is totally focused on this goal…until he meets a young, independent Indian woman with the most striking blue eyes he’s ever seen.

But Lizzie is clearly not part of the tribe, and befriending her might have dire consequences for his mission. Will Clay be forced to choose between his desire to minister to the natives and the quiet nudging of his heart?

A Biltmore Christmas by Various Authors

A Biltmore Christmas

1890s – North Carolina

Explore the luxuries of America’s largest home through the eyes of the fiction Bradford sisters. Having been orphaned, they each secure work and lodging at the Biltmore estate. Charity, a laundress; Peggy, an assistant cook, Selma, a chambermaid; and Melissa, a stable “boy” each experience adventures in employment and romance that culminate at Christmastime when the Vanderbilts’ hospitality is at its grandest level.

Belonging by Robin Lee Hatcher

Belonging (Where The Heart Lives)

1897 – Idaho

In the high desert town of Frenchman’s Bluff, Idaho, Felicia Kristoffersen has set out to create a future for herself that is better than her painful past. Alone in the world with only her faith to sustain her, she must prove herself as this tiny community’s new school teacher. She cannot, must not, fail. But, there are those who never wanted her there to begin with. Five years after the death of his wife, local merchant Colin Murphy cares about just one thing: raising his daughter, Charity. Colin wants to give her the educational advantages he never had. The new schoolmarm’s inexperience doesn’t sit well with him, and if this teacher up and marries like the last one did, Charity’s heart will be broken once again. A woman who hasn’t known love. A man who lost the love he had. In the midst of the wide, sage-covered plains, each is about to discover that life’s bitterest circumstances truly can work together for good.

Love Finds a Home by Wanda Brunstetter

Love Finds a Home

Bestselling author Wanda E. Brunstetter brings you three historical stories of finding room for love. Glenna Moore is desperate after she watches her gambling father jump hurriedly from the back of a moving train. Will a young reverend bring stability and love back into her life? Judith King’s life as a new schoolteacher takes an unexpected turn when a widowed father begins to captivate her thoughts. Will she muster enough courage to seek his love? Bev Winters’s job is an answer to prayer until her boss complicates her widowed life. Will her pride allow love after loss?

Gold Rush Baby by Dorothy Clark

1898 – Alaska

She didn’t come to Alaska for its gold. Viola Goddard is seeking something much more precious—a fresh start. Now, entrusted with the care of an abandoned baby girl, Viola is finding new purpose and joy. And when missionary Thomas Stone is injured while saving little Goldie, Viola insists on nursing him back to health. What she mustn’t do is confess her growing regard for his strength and gentle compassion. Her shameful secret could destroy his ministry. Unless this little gold rush town can give them both a chance to heal, to hope and to trust.

Hawaiian Crosswinds by Linda Lee Chaikin

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1892 – Hawaii and California

Amid the looming spiritual and political crisis in Hawaii, Rafe Easton and Eden Derrington are thrust into a conflict that will forever change their beloved Hawaii.

Hawaii, home of the early missionaries, becomes an empire of sugar and pineapple built by their children and grandchildren. By 1892 the Treasure of the Pacific is caught in a political revolution between those supporting Queen Liliuokalani, and the new Hawaiians determined to see the Stars and Stripes waving over Iolani Palace.

Rafe Easton hears the dark news that Townsend Derrington is in San Francisco prowling about the house on Nob Hill belonging to Parker Judson, Rafe’s partner in the pineapple plantation. Rafe’s mother, Celestine, is keeping out of sight with baby Kip inside the house. The news is dire enough to convince Rafe to alter his near-term plans in Honolulu. Having come to an agreement with his fiancée, Eden Derrington, to allow her to work for a year on Molokai at her father’s medical clinic while meeting her dying mother, a leper, Rafe makes swift plans to take a steamer to San Francisco to hunt down Townsend who is guilty of Rafe’s father’s death, and now stalking Celestine and Kip.

Too Rich for a Bride by Mona Hodgson

Too Rich for a Bride (The Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek)

1896 -Colorado

With a head more suited to bookkeeping than a bridal veil, Ida’s dreams include big business- not beaus.

Ida Sinclair has joined her sisters, Kat and Nell, in the untamed mining town of Cripple Creek, Colorado for one reason: to work for the infamous but undeniably successful businesswoman, Mollie O’Bryan. Ida’s sisters may be interested in making a match for their determined older sister, but Ida only wants to build her career.

Under Mollie’s tutelage, Ida learns how to play the stock market and revels in her promising accomplishments. Fighting for respect in a man’s world, her ambition leaves little room for distractions. She ignores her family’s reservations about Mollie O’Bryan’s business practices, but no matter how she tries, she can’t ignore the two men pursuing her affections—Colin Wagner, the dashing lawyer, and Tucker Raines, the traveling preacher.

Ida wants a career more than anything else, so she shrugs off the suitors and pointed “suggestions” that young ladies don’t belong in business. Will it take unexpected love—or unexpected danger—for Ida to realize where her priorities truly lie?

An Unlikely Suitor by Nancy Moser

anunlikelysuitor An Unlikely Suitor

1895 – Rhode Island

Lucy Scarpelli, an Italian dressmaker from New York, befriends socialite Rowena Langdon as she’s making her summer wardrobe. It’s an unlikely friendship, but one that Rowena encourages by inviting Lucy to the family mansion in Newport, Rhode Island. Grateful for Lucy’s skill in creating clothes that hide her physical injury, Rowena encourages Lucy to dream of a better future. One day Lucy encounters an intriguing man on the Cliff Walk, and love begins to blossom. Yet Lucy resists, for what man will accept her family responsibilities? Rowena also deals with love as she faces a worrisome arranged marriage to a wealthy heir. And Lucy’s teenage sister, Sofia, takes up with a man of dubious character. All three women struggle as their lives, and those of each unlikely suitor, become intertwined in a web of secrets and sacrifice. Will any of them find true happiness?

Finally A Bride by Vickie McDonough

Finally a Bride

1896 – Texas

Noah Jeffers returns to town determined to make up for past misdeeds. Will reporter Jacqueline Davis uncover his secrets before Noah can capture her heart? With nowhere else to go, ex-con Carly Payton returns to the Lookout boardinghouse. Garrett Corbett is looking for an upstanding wife, not some jailbird. What will he do when overpowered by Carly’s unassuming appeal? Be on the lookout for romance in Lookout, Texas.

The Daughter’s Walk by Jane Kirkpatrick

The Daughter’s Walk

1901 – Multiple State Traveling

Based on a true story. In 1896 a mother and daughter walk from Spokane to New York City to earn a wager that would save their family farm. They followed the railroad tracks and succeed…but are two weeks late. Upon their return, the daughter changes her name and separates herself from her family for 20 years. This is a book about family schisms, grace and reconciliation between mothers and daughters on the road that takes us home.

The Snowflake by Jamie Carie

1897 – Alaska

Christmas – Ellen Pierce and her brother are determined to reach the Alaska gold rush. But when ice stalls their steamship, all seems lost, until Buck Lewis makes a decision: he’ll lead all who dare to follow on foot toward Dawson City. Buck is determined to leave behind a heartbreaking past. No amount of ice or weather will stop him. But he never counted on a woman joining a dangerous wilderness trek–or on falling in love with her. As their journey unfolds and Christmas approaches, Ellen and Buck discover that the greatest gift of all can’t be wrapped in paper and tied with a bow. It comes from, and is received in, the heart.

Making Waves by Lorna Seilstad

1895 – Iowa

When spunky Marguerite Westing discovers that her family will summer at Lake Manawa in 1895, she couldn’t be more thrilled. It is the perfect way to escape her agonizingly boring suitor, Roger Gordon. It’s also where she stumbles upon two new loves: sailing, and sailing instructor Trip Andrews. But this summer of fun turns to turmoil as her father’s gambling problems threaten to ruin the family forever. Will free-spirited Marguerite marry Roger to save her father’s name and fortune? Or will she follow her heart–even if it means abandoning the family she loves?

Serendipity by Cathy Marie Hake

1893 – Arkansas

Todd Valmer should have known better. A farmer who’s been through several disasters, he travels to Virginia to fetch his widowed mother to cook and help him around his Texas farm…or that was the plan until she keels over on the train and they get kicked off. Maggie Rose barters for a living and also makes soaps, lotions, and perfumes with a special rose recipe passed down from mother to daughter for generations. She hasn’t wanted to marry…until that handsome Texan shows up. Her heart skips a beat, and when he proposes, a hasty marriage follows.

What ensues, however, is a clash of culture and a battle of wills–and it’s clear they both mistook instant attraction and infatuation for love. As their marriage loses its sparkle and fills with disillusionment, Todd and Maggie must determine what is worth fighting for. He dreams of a farm. Maggie wants to fulfill the family tradition with her rose perfumes. Todd’s mother, however, has entirely different plans for her son that do not include Maggie. In light of their hasty marriage and mistaken dreams, is there any hope of recapturing their love and building a future together?

Still House Pond by Jan Watson

Still House Pond

1896 – Kentucky

Lilly Gray Corbett loves living on Troublesome Creek, but she would much rather play with her best friend than watch her little brother and the twins. Her mama, Copper, is often gone helping to birth babies, and Lilly has to stay home. When Aunt Alice sends a note inviting her to visit in the city, Lilly is excited to go, and Copper reluctantly agrees to let her. Later, when they hear the news that the train crashed, Copper and her husband, John, rush to find out if their daughter is injured . . . or even alive.

Maid to Match by Deeanne Gist

1898 – Carolinas

From the day she arrives at the Biltmore, Tillie Reese is dazzled–by the riches of the Vanderbilts and by Mack Danvers, a mountain man turned footman. When Tillie is enlisted to help tame Mack’s rugged behavior by tutoring him in the ways of refined society, the resulting sparks threaten Tillie’s efforts to be chosen as Edith Vanderbilt’s lady’s maid. But the stakes rise even higher when Mack and Tillie become entangled in a cover-up at the town orphanage. They could both lose their jobs…and their hearts.

A Love of Her Own by Maggie Brendan

A Love of Her Own

1896 – Montana

She has everything her heart desires . . . except the one thing money can’t buy
Still cautious after a broken engagement, April McBride fully intends to guard her heart when she travels to Lewistown, Montana, to attend her brother’s wedding. One look around the small mining town convinces April that doing so won’t be difficult–just a bunch of dusty shops, bad service, and ill-bred cowboys. But a run-in with horse trainer Wes Owen opens up vast possibilities for frustration, embarrassment, friendship, and . . . love?
Can April and Wes see past their differences to envision a future together? Or are they destined to live the rest of their lives alone?

Two Brides Too Many by Mona Hodgson

Two Brides Too Many

1895 – Colorado

Kat and Nell Sinclair are headed west—away from the manicured lawns of Maine to the boisterous, booming mining town of Cripple Creek, Colorado to start new lives for themselves as mail-order brides.

Aboard the train, romantic dreamer Nell carries a photo of her intended close to her heart and imagines an exciting and love-filled future, while her pragmatic older sister Kat resigns herself to marriage as a duty, not a delight.

But when the ladies disembark at the train depot, neither fiancé Patrick Maloney or Judson Archer awaits them with open arms. The well-bred Sinclair sisters find themselves unexpectedly alone in the wild, frontier town—a place where fire threatens to reduce the buildings to rubble, the working women strut the streets, rogues will gamble for the shoes on one’s feet, and God’s grace is found amongst the most unlikely of folks.

Morning For Dove by Martha Rogers

Morning for Dove

1897 – Oklahoma

When Luke Anderson falls in love with Dove Morris, he is aware of her Native American heritage. What he is not prepared for is the prejudice suddenly exhibited by his parents against Dove. Luke struggles with the feelings until a wildfire on the prairie threatens Morris Ranch. Luke joins the battle to stave off the fire as it approaches and risks his life to save Dove. Will his parents see that love knows no boundaries of race or culture when it is rooted in God’s love for His people?

Gold Digger by Lena Nelson Dooley

1890 – New Mexico

All that glitters is not gold.

It’s 1890, and Golden, New Mexico, is a booming mining town where men far outnumber women. So when an old wealthy miner named Philip Smith finds himself in need of a nursemaid, he places an ad for a mail-order bride—despite the protests of his friend Jeremiah. Hoping to escape a perilous situation back East, young Madeline Mercer answers the ad and arrives in town under a cloud of suspicion. But just as she begins to win over Philip—and Jeremiah himself—the secrets she left behind threaten to follow her to Golden…and tarnish her reputation beyond redemption.

The Spoils of Eden by Linda Chaikin

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1891 – Hawaii

Amid the looming spiritual and political crisis in Hawaii, Eden Derrington and Rafe Easton are thrust into a conflict that will forever change their beloved Hawaii and threaten to derail their future marriage.
When Eden, representing the Hawaiian Board of Health at Kalihi Leper Hospital is sent to Rafe’s plantation to take baby Kip to Kalihi to quarantine him indefinitely, an emotional volcano of suspected betrayal threatens to turn their love relationship to ashes.

Someone has alerted the Board that the baby Rafe saved and brought to Honolulu came from the Kalawao leper colony.
Since the law strictly forbids children born of lepers from being adopted, Kip’s future seems destined toward tragedy. And what of Eden and Rafe after their engagement is broken? When Eden’s father, Dr. Jerome, returns to open a clinic at Kalawao, she joins her father, leaving Rafe to run for the legislature and attempt to change the children’s law.

Bridegrooms by Allison Pittman

1898 – Ohio

It Only Takes an Instant for Love to Strike
Tragedy hits the Allenhouse family on a hot summer night in Ohio when a mother of four vanished. Eight-year-old Vada virtually grew up overnight and raised her three younger sisters while her father lost himself in his medical practice in the basement of their home.

Now, Vada is a grown woman, still making her home with her father and sisters. Her days are spent serving as an errand girl for Cleveland’s fledgling amateur orchestra; her evenings with Garrison Walker, her devoted, if passionless, beau.

Dizzying change occurs the day the Brooklyn Bridegrooms come to town to play the Cleveland Spiders and a line drive wallops the head of a spectator. The fan is whisked to the Allenhouse parlor, and questions swirl about the anonymous, unconscious man.

Suddenly, the subdued house is filled with visitors, from a flirtatious, would-be sports writer to the Bridegrooms’ handsome star hitter to the guilt-ridden ballplayer who should have caught the stray shot. The medical case brings Dr. Allenhouse a frustration and helplessness he hasn’t felt since his wife’s disappearance. Vada’s sisters are giddy at the bevy of possible suitors. And Vada’s life is awakened amid the super-charged atmosphere of romantic opportunity.

She Walks in Beauty by Siri Mitchell

She Walks in Beauty

1891 – New York

For a young society woman seeking a favorable marriage in the late 1890s, so much depends on her social season debut. Clara Carter has been given one goal: secure the affections of the city’s most eligible bachelor. Debuting means plenty of work–there are corsets to be fitted, dances to master, manners to perfect. Her training soon pays off, however, as celebrity’s spotlight turns Clara into a society-page darling.

Yet Clara wonders if this is the life she really wants, especially when she learns her best friend has also set her sights on Franklin De Vries. When a man appears who seems to love her simply for who she is, and gossip backlash turns ugly, Clara realizes it’s not just her heart at stake–the future of her family depends on how she plays the game.

Love Finds You in Homestead, Iowa by Melanie Dobson

Love Finds You in Homestead, Iowa

1894 – Iowa

Times are hard in 1894. Desperate for work, former banker Jacob Hirsch rides the rails west from Chicago with his four-year-old daughter, Cassie. When a life-threatening illness strands the pair in Homestead, Iowa, the local Amana villagers welcome the father and daughter into their peaceful society. Liesel, a young Amana woman, nurses Cassie back to health, and the Homestead elders offer Jacob work. But Jacob’s growing interest in Liesel complicates his position in the Amanas. Will he fight to stay in the only place that feels like home, even if it means giving up the woman he loves? Or will Liesel leave her beloved community to face the outside world with Jacob and Cassie at her side?

Becoming Lucy by Martha Rogers

Becoming Lucy: Winds Across the Prairie Book 1

1896 – Oklahoma

After her parents’ deaths, seventeen-year-old heiress Lucinda Bishop flees to Barton Creek, Oklahoma in 1896 as the ward of Amelia and Ben Haynes, her mother’s sister and brother-in-law. She finds life on a working ranch to be nothing like she had imagined, especially when she encounters Jake Starnes, a drifter now employed by her uncle who holds a dark secret from is past. With Jake, she faces emotions she’s never before experienced. But can he get his life together before someone else claims her hand or her life?

Although a historical, the story involves conflicts and situations not uncommon in modern days. Lucinda Bishop learns to cope with the death of her parents, start a new life in unfamiliar surroundings, and learn about love and forgiveness. When the young hero becomes a Christian, he realizes he must face his past and whatever consequences may result, even if it means he will lose the one girl he loves.

Set in Oklahoma Territory before the days of statehood, the story is one of how love and forgiveness can overcome even the most difficult obstacles when God is in control. When one’s heart is attuned to God’s leading, the greatest of sins can be forgiven and a new life begun.

Love Finds You in Lonesome Prairie, Montana by Tricia Goyer

lfylonesomeprairiemontana Love Finds You in Lonesome Prairie, Montana

1890 – Montana

Julia Cavanaugh has never left New York City. But in 1890, the young woman must head west to ensure that the orphans under her care are settled into good families. After her final stop in Montana, she plans to head straight back east. But upon arriving in the remote town of Lonesome Prairie, Julia learns to her horror that she is also supposed to be delivered—into the hands of an uncouth miner who carries a bill of purchase for his new “bride.” She turns to a respected circuit preacher to protect her from a forced marriage but with no return fare and few friends, Julia’s options are bleak. What is God’s plan for her in the middle of the vast Montana prairie?

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The Jewel of His Heart by Maggie Brendan

The Jewel of His Heart

1896 – Montana

Their future is as wide open as the Montana sky Juliana Brady is alone in an 1890s Montana mining town, with few prospects for making a living. But she is determined not to be dependent on the charity of others. Josh McBride is trying to scrape up a living from his sheep herd while he builds his ranch. But when he discovers some rare stones on his property, he’s tempted by the prospect of fast money. When their paths cross, Juliana and Josh must make a choice–the world’s riches and promises, or the eternal value of love.

The Carousel Painter by Judith Miller

The Carousel Painter

1890 – Ohio

Without the means to support herself after her father dies, Carrington Brouwer receives the opportunity to use her artistic talent at her friend’s father’s carousel factory. But the men at the factory are not happy that a woman has been given the very desirable job of painting the elaborately carved horses. When mishaps occur at the factory and jewelry disappears from the home of the factory owner, accusations swirl. Is the handsome young factory manager truly Carrie’s ally or will he side with those who believe she should be fired?

A Surrendered Heart by Tracie Peterson and Judith Miller

surrenderedheart A Surrendered Heart (Broadmoor Legacy, Book 3)

1899 – New York

At twenty-one, Amanda Broadmoor had the right to make her own way in life, but her father and mother hardly saw it that way. Women working in the medical field were still frowned upon, and Amanda had been reared to marry and produce heirs, not tend the sick. And especially not those suffering from cholera.

“And Mama can be such an alarmist,” Amanda whispered.

At the first report of cholera in Rochester, Amanda’s mother had suggested the entire family take refuge at their summer estate on Broadmoor Island in the St. Lawrence River. However, that idea had been immediately vetoed by her father. Father had said his work would not permit him to leave Rochester, and for once, Amanda had agreed with one of his decisions. After devoting so much of her time and energy to medical training at Dr. Carstead’s side, she couldn’t possibly desert her work–not now, not when she was needed most.

That Certain Spark by Cathy Marie Hake

That Certain Spark

1892 – Texas

Gooding, Texas, is about to gain a double blessing–a veterinarian and a doctor. But when siblings Enoch and Taylor Bestman arrive, the discovery that Taylor is a lady doctor has the town up in arms. Especially Karl Van der Vort, the town blacksmith, who becomes the first patient…against his will.

Though hesitant to believe in Taylor’s doctoring skills, Karl finds himself oddly protective of this surprising woman who dares to drive about town on her own, wearing the color red, for heaven’s sake! Taylor, on the other hand, wants only to prove that doctoring is her life’s calling, despite the town’s opposition. The result? Pride meets attraction head-on, and sparks begin to fly.