Escape with the Prodigal by Danielle Grandinetti

No Comments on Escape with the Prodigal by Danielle Grandinetti

GoodreadsEscape with the Prodigal ~ Apple ~ Author’s Store ~ B&N ~ Google Play ~ Kobo ~ Amazon

1930 – Wisconsin

Only a Christmas miracle will save an unwed mother and the lumberjack protecting her.

Since her late fiancé was killed in a supposed logging accident, Meredith Hughes knows her only safe choice is to keep her unexpected pregnancy hidden, especially from her father. But Supervisor Emyr Hughes, demands his daughter remain at the logging camp with him through the winter, leaving Meri at his mercy.

Patrick Martins has no interest in responsibility and going up to the lumber camp is a chance to get away from Crow’s Nest and his hovering grandmother, nosy great-uncle, and drunk of a father. If only his older brother wasn’t at the camp, too.

Though Patrick doesn’t expect to be taken with his boss’s daughter, when Meri’s volatile father learns of her pregnancy, Patrick refuses to let harm come to Meri and her unborn child, even if he has to sacrifice his life and that of his brother in order to save her.

Her Frontier Sweethearts by Regina Scott

No Comments on Her Frontier Sweethearts by Regina Scott

Her Frontier SweetheartsGoodreads ~ Apple ~ B&N ~ Kobo ~ Amazon

1876 – Washington

A chance for a whole new life?

Ciara O’Rourke learned to bake sweet treats from the best, her older sister. Now determined to step out on her own, she agrees to start the first cookhouse at Wallin Landing, a tiny settlement north of frontier Seattle. But nothing goes as planned, from the local loggers, who seem more interested in courting than being paying customers, to the baby who’s thrust into her arms by a stranger who rides off whispering warnings.

Kit Weatherly sailed away from his controlling family on a tea clipper to explore the world. He’s since found a true family in the Wallin Landing logging crew. That is, until the pretty new cook informs him he’s uncle to a niece he never knew he had! One look in little Grace’s face, and Kit knows he’ll do anything to protect her. And one taste of Ciara’s cooking has him wondering what he’d have to do to convince her to take a chance on them both.

If you like warm, witty historical romances with intelligent heroines, dashing heroes, and well-researched historical details, then you’ll love this frontier romance by an award-winning author.

The Ribbon by Cara Grandle

1 Comment on The Ribbon by Cara Grandle

The RibbonGoodreads ~ Amazon

1847 – Oregon

Life rips away hope and sweeps her along…until she finds a future worth fighting for.

On the day her mother passes away, Heather Keeton weds a neighbor who promises to provide for her. They journey along the Oregon Trail, but tragedy strikes again. Widowed, alone, and far from home in Oregon Territory, Heather needs work. But where? She determines to use her cooking and baking skills at a logging camp to earn enough to remain independent and, eventually, reach her Porcelain Doll sister, Rebecca.

Land surveyor Zeke Bradley misses being part of a family. A surprise inheritance might open the way for him to settle down and begin a courtship, but he tries to come to the aid of an injured man only to be accused of murder. One wrong move, and he could unjustly swing by his neck from a rope. He flees and hides in a logging camp, waiting for his name to be cleared.

Nothing comes easy at Camp 13 Logging Company, where the work is hard and hazardous. Heather hopes to move on soon, and Zeke longs to be free from his worries. Can these two survivors learn to trust each other before their pasts destroy their future?

Lumberjacks and Ladies Collection

1 Comment on Lumberjacks and Ladies Collection

lumberjackandladiesGoodreads ~ Amazon

Lumberjacks and Ladies Work Together to Build America
Struggling to remain independent in the 1800s, four women reluctantly open up to help from lumberjacks—and love.
 
All That Glitters by Candice Sue Patterson
1851—Maine
Winifred finds herself running the family lobstering business when her father and brothers join the California gold rush. Will she stubbornly reject help from a local lumberjack?
 
Winter Roses by Pegg Thomas
1865—Michigan
Elizabeth cooks for a logging crew, determined to escape that life for something better, until reoccurring gifts capture her attention. Will she follow her dreams—or her heart?
 
Not for Love by Naomi Musch
1881—Wisconsin
Widowed, Maggie seeks a husband—in name only—from the logging camps, but the man who answers her letter is a surprise. Can she open her heart to love again?
 
Undercover Logger by Jennifer Lamont Leo
1890—Idaho
Carrie will not sell her timberland and allows the banker’s nephew to sign onto her logging crew to ferret out the reason she is losing money at an alarming rate. Will truth be revealed to her forlorn heart?

Forever My Own by Tracie Peterson

No Comments on Forever My Own by Tracie Peterson

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1871 – Minnesota

In 1871, Kirstin Hallberg arrives in Duluth, Minnesota, to find the city council intent on building a canal and ensuring the city’s rise to greatness. She’s come to care for her elderly grandmother Lena Segerson only to discover Lena very full of life and full of secrets. For when Kirstin opens their front door one day, she finds the brother she long thought dead on the other side. Domar begs his sister to say nothing to their parents, viewing their grief as payment for falsely accusing him of bad behavior years prior and driving him from their Swedish village. Caught between her brother’s wishes and the chance to ease her family’s pain, Kirstin doesn’t know which decision is right.

When Domar’s friend Ilian is hurt in an accident, Kirstin and her grandmother volunteer to care for him. Ilian struggles with his own bitterness toward his estranged father, heightened by his injured leg. He can now never return to logging, but the only other thing he really knows and enjoys is making Mackinaw boats–but that would force him to seek his father’s help.

As he recovers, a natural attraction starts between Ilian and Kirstin, but both are dealing with problems without easy answers. With no clear way forward, can love ever thrive and the past be forgiven?

In a Grove of Maples by Jenny Knipfer

1 Comment on In a Grove of Maples by Jenny Knipfer

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1897 – Wisconsin

Betsy and Edward face the perils of newlywed life and all that comes to divide lovers.

In 1897 newly married Beryl and Edward Massart travel more than one thousand miles from Quebec to farm a plot of land in Wisconsin that they bought sight-unseen. An almost magical grove of maples on their property inspires them to dream of a real home built within the grove, not the tiny log cabin they’ve come to live in.

Misunderstandings and tempers get the better of them when difficulties and troubles arise. Just months after they wed, Edward leaves pregnant Beryl in the midst of the coming winter to tend the farm and animals while he goes to be a teamster at a northern Wisconsin logging camp.

Will Beryl and Edward walk into the future together to build their house of dreams in the grove of maples, or will their plans topple like a house of sticks when the winds of misunderstanding and disaster strike?

Rocky Mountain Revelation by Lisa J. Flickinger

No Comments on Rocky Mountain Revelation by Lisa J. Flickinger

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1890s – The Rocky Mountains

A Rocky Mountain logging camp may be just the place to start her new life.

Widowed at nineteen, Madeline Lamb seeks to find a new husband amongst the crew of the Rocky Mountain log drive. With a baby growing inside her, she has no choice. She signs on as cook’s helper, and it soon becomes apparent her options for a mate are limited. Madeline’s grieving heart wavers between the security an older man offers and the tender feelings a new crew member stirs.     

Will Matheson earned the chance to work the high-paying spring log drive. The boon ensures he can recoup the logging wages stolen by a pretty face with some fast fingers. Frustration builds when the boss pulls him from the river and assigns him the job of camp chore boy. If it wasn’t for the pretty cook’s helper, he’d take the first train home.

When the dangers of the river journey prove more treacherous than anyone expects, the budding attraction between Will and Madeline is put to the test. If they survive the adventure, life as they know it will never be the same.

Rocky Mountain Redemption by Lisa J. Flickinger

No Comments on Rocky Mountain Redemption by Lisa J. Flickinger

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1898 – The Rocky Mountains

A Rocky Mountain logging camp may be just the place to find herself.

To escape the devastation caused by the breaking of her wedding engagement, Isabelle Franklin joins her aunt in the Rocky Mountains to feed a camp of lumberjacks cutting on the slopes of Cougar Ridge. If only she could out run the lingering nightmares.

Charles Bailey, camp foreman and Stony Creek’s itinerant pastor, develops a reputation to match his new nickname — Preach.  However, an inner battle ensues when the details of his rough history threaten to overcome the beliefs of his young faith.

Amid the hazards of camp life, the unlikely friendship growing between the two surprises Isabelle. She’s drawn to Preach’s brute strength and gentle nature as he leads the ragtag crew toiling for Pollitt’s Lumber. But when the ghosts from her past return to haunt her, the choices she will make change the course of her life forever—and that of the man she’s come to love.    

The Logger’s Christmas Bride by Kathleen D. Bailey

No Comments on The Logger’s Christmas Bride by Kathleen D. Bailey

Goodreads theloggerschristmasbride~ Purchase ~ Sample

1846 – Oregon Country

The only life Viola Chivers ever wanted was here in these Klamath Mountains, loving and serving her family. Pa’s ambitions for her were different: go back East and become a lady, in an elegant “finishing school.” But Vi’s already “finished,” and she knows what she wants: a life here with logger Stephen Miller, a man who shares her faith.

Can Vi and Steve find a way to be together, and can she make sure this isn’t her last Christmas in the Oregon Country?

Four Dreams of You by Sondra Kraak

No Comments on Four Dreams of You by Sondra Kraak

fourdreamsofyouGoodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1893 – Washington

Unfulfilled dreams have left Grace Thomas vowing not to let her imagination roam wild again. Resigning herself to the goal of owning a dress shop, she accepts a position as a housekeeper at Monaghan Lumber Camp in order to earn funds. The plan is simple, easy, and safe. But Torin Monaghan is not. The reclusive brother who seems indifferent to her presence is ironically the one stirring up her imagination.

Torin Monaghan will not be deterred from his passion to preserve the beauty of nature. Even if it appears as if he’s going against his family. Even if the quirky and wistful seamstress invading his space is proving a distraction. To his frustration, Grace Thomas is not easily dismissed, and neither are the ways she’s opening his eyes to a different sort of beauty.

When past threats bring new trouble to Pine Creek, Torin and Grace must become vulnerable—to each other and their community—and through risk, discover that reality is more fulfilling than their dreams.

More Than Words Can Say by Karen Witemeyer

1 Comment on More Than Words Can Say by Karen Witemeyer

morethanwordscansayGoodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1896 – Texas

After fulfilling a pledge to a dying friend, Zacharias Hamilton is finally free. No family entanglements. No disappointing those around him. Just the quiet bachelor existence he’s always craved. Until fate snatches his freedom away when the baker of his favorite breakfast bun is railroaded by the city council. Despite not wanting to get involved, he can’t turn a blind eye to her predicament . . . or her adorable dimples.

Abigail Kemp needs a man’s name on her bakery’s deed. A marriage of convenience seems the best solution . . . if it involves a man she can control. That person definitely isn’t the stoic lumberman who oozes silent confidence whenever he enters her shop. Control Zacharias Hamilton? She can’t even control her pulse when she’s around him.
When vows are spoken, Abigail’s troubles should be over. Yet threats to the bakery worsen, and darker dangers hound her sister. Can she put ever more trust in Zach without losing her dreams of independence?

Beneath a Michigan Moon by Candice Sue Patterson

No Comments on Beneath a Michigan Moon by Candice Sue Patterson

Beneath a Michigan MoonGoodreads ~ Amazon

1885 – Michigan

Ava Ryan resides alone at the New Presque Isle lighthouse on the shore of Lake Huron. Her father’s recent passing has made her the temporary lightkeeper. With nowhere else to go and her precarious health making it impossible to start over, she desperately needs to keep the position. She manages the property and the lighthouse duties well, until a handsome logging foreman interrupts her routine–and her peace.

Benjamin Colfax needs to map the best cutting route for his crew, and the best vantage point is from the lighthouse. However, the fiery little lightkeeper won’t allow him access. It’s obvious she’s hiding something, and Benjamin is determined to discover what it is.

When unexpected circumstances force them into marriage, neither is prepared for the challenges that lie ahead. Will they open their hearts and give in to the stormy attraction brewing between them, or will illuminated secrets tear them apart?

A Breath of Hope by Lauraine Snelling

No Comments on A Breath of Hope by Lauraine Snelling

abreathofhopeGoodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1910s – Minnesota

Nilda Carlson has been trying to save enough money to go to America for months, so when a letter from Einar and Gerd Strand arrives, offering to pay her ticket, she jumps at the chance. Her younger brother Ivar accompanies her, and they can’t wait to join their brother Rune and his family in the northern forests of Minnesota.

Signe and Rune Carlson are thrilled to welcome Nilda and Ivar to America, but life on the farm remains a struggle. Though Gerd has softened and grown to love the Carlson family, Einar is still harsh and unforgiving, obsessed solely with felling as many trees as possible. Rune is trying to build a new home for his wife and children, but Einar refuses to help and forbids anyone from the nearby community from stepping foot on his land. What dark secret must lie in his past to have caused him to isolate himself–and anyone living under his roof–in this way? When a tragedy lays the truth bare, the Carlsons and Strands will have to come together like never before and become a true family.

The Sound of Rain by Sarah Loudin Thomas

1 Comment on The Sound of Rain by Sarah Loudin Thomas

soundofrainGoodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1954 – South Carolina

Judd Markley is a hardworking coal miner who rarely thinks much past tomorrow until he loses his brother–and nearly his own life–in a mine cave-in. Vowing never to enter the darkness of a mine again, he leaves all he knows in West Virginia to escape to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It’s 1954, the seaside community is thriving, and Judd soon hires on with a timber company.

Larkin Heyward’s life in Myrtle Beach is uncomplicated, mostly doing volunteer work and dancing at the Pavilion. But she dreams of one day doing more–maybe moving to the hollers of Kentucky to help the poor children of Appalachia. But she’s never even met someone who’s lived there–until she encounters Judd, the newest employee at her father’s timber company.

Drawn together in the wake of a devastating hurricane, Judd and Larkin each seek answers to what tomorrow will bring. As opposition rises against following their divergent dreams, they realize that it may take a miracle for them to be together.

Mail-Order Marriage Promise by Regina Scott

No Comments on Mail-Order Marriage Promise by Regina Scott

Mail-Order Marriage Promisemailordermarriagepromise

1874 – Washington

Stunned that his sister ordered him a mail-order bride, John Wallin insists he’s not the husband Dottie Tyrrell needs. The scholarly logger knows Dottie will make the perfect wife—for some other man. Yet he’s compelled to invite the lovely widow and her infant son to stay with his family…but only until she can find her own way. 

Dreams of true love are for other women. Betrayed by her baby’s father, Dottie just wants a safe home for her precious child. But who could resist a man with John’s quiet strength? When her secret past brings danger to their door, they may yet find this mail-order mix-up to be the perfect mistake…

Save

Save

The Lumberjacks’ Ball by Carrie Fancett Pagels

1 Comment on The Lumberjacks’ Ball by Carrie Fancett Pagels

The  Lumberjacks’ Ball thelumberjackball

1891 – Michigan

A decade after surviving a brutal attack, a mercantile owner’s daughter begins her life anew in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. A gifted craftsman wishes to leave the lumber camp and seeks employment at her new store. When his presence dredges up memories she wishes to suppress, the proprietress must learn to face her past and open her heart. When complications arise, will they overcome adversity in time for The Lumberjacks’ Ball?

A Season of the Heart by Dorothy Clark

No Comments on A Season of the Heart by Dorothy Clark

A Season of the Heartaseasonoftheheart

1841 – New York

Rugged logger Daniel Braynard meets none of Ellen Hall’s husband requirements. Groomed for a prestigious marriage, she already has a choice between two wealthy suitors. She plans to make her decision by Christmas while visiting her hometown. But when tasked with creating the town’s decorations, she and Daniel are forced to work together. And her former childhood rescuer has matured into a man she can no longer ignore. Daniel hardly recognizes the ambitious socialite Ellen has become. Somewhere beneath her airs is the spirited, warmhearted friend he has never forgotten. As Christmas nears, will the chill between them thaw to reveal the gift of a sweet love that was meant to be?

The Fruitcake Challenge by Carrie Fancett Pagels

No Comments on The Fruitcake Challenge by Carrie Fancett Pagels

thefruitcakechallengeThe Fruitcake Challenge

1890 – Michigan

When new lumberjack, Tom Jeffries, tells the camp cook, Jo Christy, that he’ll marry her if she can make a fruitcake, “as good as the one my mother makes,” she rises to the occasion. After all, he’s the handsomest, smartest, and strongest axman her camp-boss father has ever had in his camp—and the cockiest. And she intends to bring this lumberjack down a notch or three by refusing his proposal. The fruitcake wars are on! All the shanty boys and Jo’s cooking helpers chip in with their recipes but Jo finds she’ll have to enlist more help—and begins corresponding with Tom’s mother.

Step back in time to 1890, in beautiful Northern Michigan, near the sapphire straits of Mackinac, when the white pines were “white gold” and lumber camps were a way of life. Jo is ready to find another life outside of the camps and plans that don’t include any shanty boys. But will a lumberjack keep her in the very place she’s sworn to leave?

Rainy Day Dreams by Lori Copeland and Virginia Smith

No Comments on Rainy Day Dreams by Lori Copeland and Virginia Smith

Rainy Day Dreamsrainydaydreams

1852 – Washington

Beloved Christian fiction authors Lori Copeland and Virginia Smith team up once more in the second volume of the Seattle Brides series. When the Burgert family moves to Seattle in 1852, Kathryn is convinced her father has destroyed her life. The backwoods settlement offers none of the comforts and culture she loves in San Francisco. She cares nothing for the new sawmill the townsfolk are so excited about. That is, until she meets Jason, a lumberjack with dreams for a bright future. As she comes to know Jason, Kathryn can’t help catching his vision. But the future they hope for is anything but secure. There are some who see Seattle as a threat and will stop at nothing to make sure the sawmill fails. With the harsh and rugged weather, at times it seems even the land itself is determined to thwart Seattle’s very existence. Kathryn and Jason’s plans for a happy future become entwined with Seattle’s struggle to survive in the midst of adversity, both manmade and natural. A gripping story of love, tenderness, and survival in the rugged Pacific Northwest.

Under a Blackberry Moon by Serena Miller

No Comments on Under a Blackberry Moon by Serena Miller

underablackberrymoonUnder a Blackberry Moon

1868 – Michigan

Just a few days after she gives birth alone in the Northwoods, a recently widowed young Chippewa woman stumbles into a nearby lumber camp in search of refuge and sustenance. Come summer, the camp owner sends Skypilot, his most trusted friend, to accompany Moon Song and her baby on the long and treacherous journey back to her people. But when tragedy strikes off the shore of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula wilderness, Moon Song and Skypilot must depend on each other for survival. With every step they take into the forbidding woods, they are drawn closer together, until the tough questions must be asked. Will she leave her culture to enter his? Will he leave his world to enter hers? Or will they walk away from a love that seems too complicated to last? With evocative descriptions of a breathtaking landscape, Under a Blackberry Moon will sweep readers into a wild realm where beauty masks danger and only the truly courageous survive, even as the sweet love story along the way tightly grips their hearts.

A Bride for Noah by Lori Copeland and Virginia Smith

No Comments on A Bride for Noah by Lori Copeland and Virginia Smith

A Bride for Noah (Seattle Brides)abridefornoah

1851 – Washington

Lori Copeland and Virginia Smith, beloved authors of the Amish of Apple Grove series, team up again in an exciting new series for devoted fans and new readers. It’s 1851, and Evie Lawrence is penniless and heartbroken after a failed romance. When a kind elderly man announces his plan to move west and make his fortune, Evie jumps at the chance to go with him and start a new life. She says goodbye to the only home she’s ever known and sets out for the Northwest. There she meets Noah Hughes, a handsome young man who has gambled everything he owns on the chance to make a fresh start. Living the rugged life of a lumberjack, he too is determined to one day make his fortune. The last thing he’s looking for is a bride…so why can’t he get Evie out of his mind? In this first book of the Seattle Brides series, two people learn what it means to move beyond their expectations and embrace the very best God has for them.

Remember Me When by Ginny Aiken

No Comments on Remember Me When by Ginny Aiken

Remember Me When: A Women of Hope Novelrembembermewhen

1880 – Oregon

Inspired by the biblical story of Abigail in 1 Samuel, a Christian woman stands up for what is right, despite life-threatening consequences. When Faith married her husband Roger Nolan he seemed to be an upstanding businessman, owner of a remote mercantile outside the town of Bountiful, Oregon. But Faith quickly learned the truth-that her husband is dishonest in his business practices and likes his liquor, turning mean when he indulges. When Faith discovers that Roger has yet again failed to deliver critical winter supplies to Nathan Bartlett, owner of the nearby logging camp, she takes the order up the mountain herself. Furious, Roger confronts Faith when she returns, and she is knocked unconscious. When Faith wakes, she finds Roger dead in a pool of his own blood, and she soon stands accused of murder. Having fought in the War Between the States, Nathan has seen enough violence to last a lifetime. He has always admired Faith’s quiet strength and integrity and finds it hard to believe such a gentle woman capable of harming anyone. However, Nathan begins to struggle with his instinct to protect Faith when evidence mounts against her. As more and more people begin to think Faith is guilty, only her trust in God can give her the hope she needs to survive this trial.

Strong and Stubborn by Kelly Eileen Hake

No Comments on Strong and Stubborn by Kelly Eileen Hake

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Samplestrongandstubborn

1881 – Colorado

Ride out west to join the last sawmill bride as she attempts to select her mate. Naomi Higgins isn’t about to settle for just anybody. Carpenter Michael Strode and his son—a chip off the old block—are ready to start a new life. Can they convince Naomi to be a part of their future when problems from the past still haunt Hope Falls? Will secrets sabotage the struggling town—and any hope of romance?

Promise to Love by Serena Miller

No Comments on Promise to Love by Serena Miller

apromisetoloveA Promise to Love

1871 – Michigan

Ingrid Larsen, a young Swedish immigrant, arrives in Michigan in 1871 to search for her brother who has disappeared into the woods to work the dangerous lumber camps. Destitute and barely hanging on to hope, she encounters a newly-widowed farmer who is struggling to raise five children on his own. Marriage would solve both of their problems, and so Ingrid proposes to a man she barely knows. She will fight to protect her new family–but the hardest battle of all will be winning the heart of her new husband.

Unending Devotion by Jody Hedlund

1 Comment on Unending Devotion by Jody Hedlund

Unending Devotionunendingdevotion

1883 – Michigan

Lily Young is on a mission to save her lost sister, or die trying. Heedless of the danger, her searches of logging camps lead her to Harrison and into the sights of Connell McCormick, a man doing his best to add to the hard-earned fortunes of his lumber baron father.

Posing during the day as a photographer’s assistant, Lily can’t understand why any God-fearing citizen would allow evil to persist and why men like Connell McCormick turn a blind eye to the crime rampant in the town. But Connell is boss-man of three of his father’s lumber camps in the area, and like most of the other men, he’s interested in clearing the pine and earning a profit. He figures as long as he’s living an upright life, that’s what matters.

Lily challenges everything he thought he knew, and together they work not only to save her sister but to put an end to the corruption that’s dominated Harrison for so long.

When Love Comes My Way by Lori Copeland

No Comments on When Love Comes My Way by Lori Copeland

When Love Comes My Waywhenlovecomesmyway

1873 – Michigan

As Tess Wakefield wakes from a frightening wagon accident, she discovers she has lost her memories. In her recovery, she loses her heart as well to handsome lumberjack Jake Lannigan. It’s not a two-way street, though. Jake thinks he knows exactly who she is—the spoiled Wakefield Timber heir—but he believes the accident provides the means to show her that she has a responsibility to replant the trees and not to merely invest her inheritance opening another of her silly millinery shops.

Then he slowly he begins to fall in love with her. Jake wants to tell Tess the truth, but before he can her true identity is uncovered, and then both of them find the emotional stakes too high. Will God intervene and show this headstrong couple that only He in His wisdom could have paired them together?

Hazel Creek by Walt Larimore

No Comments on Hazel Creek by Walt Larimore

Hazel Creekhazelcreek

1924 – North Carolina

In the Hazel Creek Valley of the Great Smoky Mountains, Nathan and Callie Randolph, with their five unique daughters, wrestle to maintain their farm, forests, family, and faith against an unforgiving wilderness. An evil lumber company manager is seeking by every means possible to pilfer their land and clear-cut their virgin forest. A cast of colorful characters, including a menacing stranger, gypsy siblings, a granny midwife, and a world-famous writer—even a flesh-and-blood Haint—collide in a gripping struggle of good and evil amid eruptions of violence and tragedy. Our heroine, fifteen-year-old Abbie Randolph, has to help save her family’s farm and raise her sisters while preserving her faith. This important story, based on almost ten years of research and four years of living in the area, captures the speech, ways, and beliefs of these unique pioneers at a crucial and irreversible turning point in this Smoky Mountains community of the Southern Appalachians. With the march of the industrial age, especially commercial lumbering, the traditional life and ways of our southern highlanders in general, and the Randolphs in particular, were about to change forever.

The Green Veil by Naomi Musch

No Comments on The Green Veil by Naomi Musch

The Green Veilgreenveil

1840s – Wisconsin and Michigan

Tucked deep beneath the green veil of Wisconsin’s forests, lumberman’s daughter Colette Palmer has loved timber cruiser Manason Kade since her youth. But over time and distance, her own compassion and circumstances compel her to marry another. Her husband is a driven man who will stop at nothing to crush his enemies, one of which is a young, upstart lumberman named Kade.

As speculators, lumber barons, and mining magnets stretch their grip on Wisconsin’s wild territory, Colette and Manason meet again. Only now she is forced to choose between her first love and her commitment to her marriage vows, while her dreams, her faith, and an empire in pine hang in the balance.

The Measure of Katie Calloway by Serena Miller

No Comments on The Measure of Katie Calloway by Serena Miller

themeasureofkatiecallowayThe Measure of Katie Calloway

1867 – Georgia

The Civil War has ended, but in Katie Calloway’s Georgia home conflict still rages. To protect herself and her young brother from her violent and unstable husband, she flees north, finding anonymity and sanctuary as the cook in a Northwoods lumber camp. The camp owner, Robert Foster, wonders if the lovely woman he’s hired has the grit to survive the never-ending work and harsh conditions of a remote pine forest in winter. Katie wonders if she can keep her past a secret from a man she is slowly growing to love.

With grace and skill, Serena Miller brings to life a bygone era. From the ethereal, snowy forest and the warm cookstove to the rowdy shanty boys and the jagged edges of the saw, every detail is perfectly rendered, transporting the reader back to the time when pine was king, men were made of iron, and rivers were choked with logs on the way to the sawmills. Readers will have a hard time leaving the Northwoods when they turn the last page. 

Rugged and Relentless by Kelly Eileen Hake

No Comments on Rugged and Relentless by Kelly Eileen Hake

Rugged and Relentless (Husbands for Hire)ruggedandrelentless

1886 – Colorado

Roll into Hope Falls, Colorado, where three women are seeking mates to help them establish a sawmill. Evelyn Thompson never dreamed their husbands-for-hire ad would bring so many bachelors to their tiny town. How will she ever figure out which feller to choose? Jacob Granger, a logger-turned-bounty hunter, is hot on the trail of his brother’s killer. When a clue leads him to Hope Falls, he has no choice but to pretend to court Miss Thompson while waiting for the killer to show his hand. Will Jacob’s unexpected adoration of this sweet cook prompt him to speak vows before getting vengeance?

Embers of Love by Tracie Peterson

No Comments on Embers of Love by Tracie Peterson

Embers of Love (Striking a Match)embersoflove

1885 – Texas

The logging industry in eastern Texas is booming, and Deborah Vandermark plans to assist her family’s business now that she’s completed college. Unexpectedly, her best friend, Lizzie Decker, accompanies her back home–fleeing a wedding and groom she has no interest in. Deborah, the determined matchmaker, puts her sights on uniting her brother and dear friend in a true love match.

Deborah soon meets Dr. Christopher Clayton, a much-needed addition to the town. As their lives intersect, Deborah realizes that she has a much greater interest in medicine and science than the bookkeeping she was trained in. But when typhoid begins to spread and Lizzie’s jilted fiance returns, Deborah wonders if true love can overcome such obstacles…for those dearest to her, and for herself. 

Love Finds You in Bridal Veil, Oregon by Miralee Ferrell

1 Comment on Love Finds You in Bridal Veil, Oregon by Miralee Ferrell

Love Finds You in Bridal Veil, Oregonbridalveiloregon

1902 – Oregon

Amidst a backdrop of thievery and murder in historic Bridal Veil, Oregon, a schoolteacher is torn between the memories of a distant love and the man who could be her future. Margaret Garvey had given her heart to Nathaniel, but he left town four years before. Now she’’s giving love another chance, but her decision to build a new life with Andrew is shaken when Nathaniel steams back into Bridal Veil on a riverboat to work at the nearby sawmill. When disaster strikes the town and threatens the welfare of its citizens, Margaret will be faced with the most important choice of her life. 

Dawn’s Prelude by Tracie Peterson

No Comments on Dawn’s Prelude by Tracie Peterson

Dawn’s Prelude (Song of Alaska Series, Book 1)dawnsprelude

1870 – Alaska

Newly widowed Lydia Sellers discovers that through an unforeseen fluke, she is the sole recipient of her husband’s fortune. But instead of granting her security, it only causes strife as her adult stepchildren battle to regain the inheritance for themselves. Lydia, longing to put the memories of her painful marriage behind her, determines to travel to Alaska to join her aunt.

Lydia’s arrival in Sitka, however, brings two things she didn’t expect. One is the acquaintance of Kjell Bjorklund, the handsome owner of the sawmill. Second is the discovery that she is pregnant with her dead husband’s child. What will this mean for her budding relationship with Kjell? And what lengths will her stepchildren go to reclaim their father’s fortune? Lydia soon finds her life–and that of her child’s–on the line. 

A Bride in the Bargain by Deeanne Gist

No Comments on A Bride in the Bargain by Deeanne Gist

abrideinthebargainGoodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1865 – Washington

In 1860s Seattle, a man with a wife could secure himself 640 acres of timberland. But because of his wife’s untimely death, Joe Denton finds himself about to lose half of his claim. Still in mourning, his best solution is to buy one of those Mercer girls arriving from the East. A woman he’ll marry in name but keep around mostly as a cook. Anna Ivey’s journey west with Asa Mercer’s girls is an escape from the griefs of her past. She’s not supposed to be a bride, though, just a cook for the girls. But when they land, she’s handed to Joe Denton and the two find themselves in a knotty situation. She refuses to wed him and he’s about to lose his land. With only a few months left, can Joe convince this provoking–but beguiling–easterner to be his bride?

Save

Moonlight on Millpond by Lori Wick

No Comments on Moonlight on Millpond by Lori Wick

Moonlight on the Millpond (Tucker Mills Trilogy, Book 1)moonlightonmillpond

1838 – Massachusetts

This first book in the Tucker Mills Trilogy from beloved author Lori Wick follows Jace Randall as he leaves his childhood home to help his Uncle Woody Randall run the saw mill in Token Creek. Jace diligently focuses on work until he meets the visiting niece of local storekeepers. Jace pursues her until she finally agrees to attend a picnic with him and take a chance.

But before the relationship has a strong foundation, the couple separates because of gossip fueled by Jace’s sister. Later, when she admits her wrongdoing and shares her testimony of a new faith, the couple must decide whether to try again. Will the sister’s example of faith and transformation be enough to restore broken dreams?