To Crown with Liberty by Karen Ullo

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1795 – Louisiana

In the wake of the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror, Alix de Morainville Carpentier—a former lady-in-waiting to Marie Antoinette, now married to her gardener—seeks peace and security in the Spanish colony of Louisiana. But her journey into the man-eating swamp called Attakapas reopens the wounds of her old life in France. Alix is forced to reckon with the choices that saved her life at the cost of her honor—and perhaps her soul.

In revolutionary France, the Old World is dying; the quest for liberty, fraternity, and equality has become a nightmare where the price of dissent is blood. In the wilderness of Spanish Louisiana, a new civilization is beginning to emerge—but in this budding New World, the slave trade perpetuates the systems of oppression that sparked the revolution. Caught between old and new, scarred by trauma and grief, will Alix ever find a home where she can truly be free?

The Seamstress by Allison Pittman

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1788 – France

It is the best of times . . .

On a tranquil farm nestled in the French countryside, two orphaned cousins—Renée and Laurette—have been raised under the caring guardianship of young Émile Gagnon, the last of a once-prosperous family. No longer starving girls, Laurette and Renée now spend days tending Gagnon’s sheep, and nights in their cozy loft, whispering secrets and dreams in this time of waning innocence and peace.

It is the worst of times . . .

Paris groans with a restlessness that can no longer be contained within its city streets. Hunger and hatred fuel her people. Violence seeps into the ornate halls of Versailles. Even Gagnon’s table in the quiet village of Mouton Blanc bears witness to the rumbles of rebellion, where Marcel Moreau embodies its voice and heart.

It is the story that has never been told.

In one night, the best and worst of fate collide. A chance encounter with a fashionable woman will bring Renée’s sewing skills to light and secure a place in the court of Queen Marie Antoinette. An act of reckless passion will throw Laurette into the arms of the increasingly militant Marcel. And Gagnon, steadfast in his faith in God and country, can only watch as those he loves march straight into the heart of the revolution.

The Lost Castle by Kristy Cambron

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French Revolution/World War II/Present Day – France

Broken-down walls and crumbling stones seemed to possess a secret language all their own.

What stories would they tell, if she finally listened?

Ellie Carver arrives at her grandmother’s bedside expecting to find her silently slipping away. Instead, the beloved woman begins speaking. Of a secret past and castle ruins forgotten by time. Of a hidden chapel that served as a rendezvous for the French Resistance in World War II. Of lost love and deep regret . . .

Each piece that unlocks the story seems to unlock part of Ellie too—where she came from and who she is becoming. But her grandmother is quickly disappearing into the shadows of Alzheimer’s and Ellie must act fast if she wants to uncover the truth of her family’s history. Drawn by the mystery surrounding The Sleeping Beauty—a castle so named for Charles Perrault’s beloved fairy tale—Ellie embarks on a journey to France’s Loire Valley in hopes that she can unearth its secrets before time silences them forever.

Bridging the past to the present in three time periods—the French Revolution, World War II, and present day—The Lost Castle is a story of loves won and lost, of battles waged in the hearts of men, and of an enchanted castle that stood witness to it all, inspiring a legacy of faith through the generations.

The Widow’s Secret by Naomi Rawlings

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1795 – France

She needs a new beginning, but what if starting again costs more than she can bear?

With five children to care for, Brigitte Dubois struggles to find a way to support herself in order to keep her children out of the dangerous criminal underworld of her late husband’s family. When her father-in-law forces her hand, she’s sent to a farm on the outskirts of Abbeville, France, where she needs to gather information on a former soldier who may have played a role in her husband’s death.

Jean Paul Belanger knows firsthand the suffering that hunger and starvation can bring. That’s why he’s back on his family farm, working to feed the town’s hungry—and avoiding thinking about his past. He knows God has forgiven him for past wrongs, but forgiving himself has proven harder than he thought. When a beautiful, auburn-haired woman appears asking for a job, she and her children prove just the distraction he needs.

Digging up Jean Paul’s secrets isn’t easy. He offers food to all who need it, insists on helping her and the children, disarms her with his kind heart and caring ways—and won’t say a word about his past. But her father-in-law is growing impatient, and if she doesn’t find a way to appease him, the price might be greater than she and Jean Paul can afford to pay.

*Previously published as The Soldier’s Secrets

The Lady’s Refuge by Naomi Rawlings

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1794 – France

Can two people in need of hope find it in the darkest of times?

Isabelle La Rouchecauld wants nothing more than to be safe. A revolution has torn her country apart, costing her not just her home, but also her family. Giving up on the hope she can ever be safe in her beloved France, she resolves to travel to England, but her aristocratic upbringing makes the journey dangerous. When soldiers discover her in the woods near the English Channel, she has little chance of survival.

Michel Belanger has every reason to hate aristocrats. They flaunted money and threw extravagant balls while people across France suffered and starved. But when he discovers an aristocratic woman left for dead in the woods, he finds himself torn. With the French Revolution raging, harboring someone from the aristocracy means danger for both himself and his ailing mother. But his conscience won’t let him leave the woman behind.

As Isabelle heals from her attack, she and Michel discover that though they come from clashing worlds, their differences are no match for the feelings growing between them. But the violence of the revolution lurks even in the scenic countryside, and soon Isabelle and Michel will need to decide how much they mean to each other, and how much they are willing to sacrifice for a future together…

An unforgettable story of redemption, faith, and the powerful strength of God’s love.

Previeously published as Sanctuary for a Lady.

Love’s First Light by Jamie Carie

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Love’s First Lightlovesfirstlight

1789 – France

Christophé, the Count of St. Laurent, has lost his entire family to the blood-soaked French Revolution and must flee to an ancient castle along the southern border of France to survive. But the medieval city of Carcassonne proves more than a hiding place. Here Christophé meets the beautiful widow Scarlett, a complex and lionhearted woman suddenly taken by the undercover aristocrat’s passion for astronomy and its influence upon his faith. Although their acquaintance begins brightly enough, when the Count learns that Scarlett is related to the man who murdered his family, he turns from love and chooses revenge. Heaven only knows what it might take for Christophé to love again, to love his enemy, and to love unconditionally.