A Life Once Dreamed by Rachel Fordham

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1880 – Dakota Territory

Six years ago, a shocking secret sent Agnes Pratt running in search of a new start. She found it in Penance, a rugged town of miners and lumberjacks in the Dakota Territory, where she became Miss Aggie, respected schoolteacher and confirmed old maid. But the past has a way of catching up with people.

When childhood friend and former sweetheart James Harris accepts a position as the town doctor, Aggie’s pleasantly predictable days suddenly become anything but. James wants to know why Agnes left behind the life they had dreamed of creating for themselves–but he is the one person who can never know.

In the shadows of the Black Hills, can a healing light be shed on the past? Or will the secret Agnes can’t seem to outrun destroy her chance at happiness?

Fan-favorite Rachel Fordham brings to life the dusty streets of an 1880s frontier town in this story that affirms where you come from matters far less than where you’re going.

Falling For The Petticoat Physician by Clari Dees

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1887 – Dakotas

She’s a woman in a man’s profession.
Puma Ridge needs a doctor, but they never expected a woman to step off the stagecoach in response to their advertisement, and no one wants to be the first to use her services. Dr. Charlotte “Charley” Adams isn’t afraid of a little skepticism and disapproval, though. She overcame much bigger challenges while becoming a physician, and sooner or later, need will outweigh the townsfolk’s reluctance. So why does the disapproval of one grouchy, gray-eyed stagecoach driver thoroughly rattle her customary composure and resigned heart?

He hates the profession.
Experience is the best teacher, and Cooper Knight has enough of it to know that physicians are bad news. However, his protective instincts won’t let him ignore the pretty tenderfoot when she gets herself into trouble, and before long, he begins to see the woman behind the medical bag. But when an unexpected discovery fractures their developing relationship, will Cooper allow forgiveness to heal them both? Or will the tragic mistakes of the past destroy their future?

Reluctant Bride by Linda Ford

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1887 – Dakotas

Agnes Bland is alone and anxious to keep it that way. She’s learned the hard way just how crushing it can be to trust in someone else. She has a second chance at family when she is made guardian to three little girls. But when the boarding house refuses to rent to them, Agnes and the girls have nowhere else to go.

Nels Hanson has an empty house. Built for his intended–who jilted him and married another–the house sits empty. Until Agnes and the girls fill up the structure–and his life–with their giggles and tears. Nels never expected to feel like this again. Alive. Maybe even in love. When tongues start wagging about Agnes living in his house, he decides a marriage of convenience isn’t the worst thing in the world. Until Agnes rejects his proposal.

Agnes would do anything to keep the girls. Anything but marry Nels. Marriage would make her too vulnerable. She can’t trust Nels with her heart… can she?

Last Chance Wife by Janette Foreman

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1878 – South Dakota

When six-time mail-order bride Winifred Sattler is stranded in Deadwood, Dakota Territory, she’s grateful to find a temporary position at Mr. Ewan Burke’s business until she can return home. Ewan is handsome, but stuffy and serious—her complete opposite. Unlike her new anonymous correspondent, Mr. Businessman, who appreciates her bubbly optimism.

To keep his mining company afloat, Ewan can’t be distracted by Winifred’s vivacious beauty. He needs a no-nonsense wife. Someone like Miss Thoroughly Disgruntled, the only respondent to his recent ad with whom he truly connected. In person, Winifred and Ewan don’t get along, but in their letters they’re falling in love. Will they discover a perfect match in each other?

Second-Chance Bride by Linda Ford

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1886 – Dakotas

America was supposed to provide a new life, but Freyda has found only bitterness since making the treacherous journey from Norway. With her husband now deceased, her survival is in her own hands. If she can manage the two stubborn horses her husband left, she can manage the homestead too. But the horses prove unmanageable and she has no choice but to strike a reluctant bargain with her near neighbor. In exchange for his help, she will care for his two little boys.

Ward has known nothing but pain and disappointment in his relationships with women. It makes it difficult to trust his pretty neighbor, but he can clearly see she won’t survive without his help. And even he must admit that his sons need tending while he plants his crop. He never expected to need Freyda’s softness, too.

Freyda wanted to prove that she didn’t need anyone else. The more she is forced to work with Ward, the more she begins to realize that maybe God didn’t intend her to be alone. But Ward’s walls of distrust and past hurts are high–maybe too high for her to scale. Can she, and two little boys, open his heart to love again?

Abandoned Bride by Linda Ford

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1886 – Dakota

Elin Hanson has traveled across the ocean from Norway as a mail-order bride. But when she arrives in the Dakota Territory, she finds the man she has planned to marry has abandoned her–and left her to care for his young son. Another unwelcome surprise is her betrothed’s partner, who only wants her off the ranch. With nowhere else to go, Elin strikes a bargain: she’ll stay on as housekeeper until her missing groom arrives.

Sam Andrews has his hands full running his ranch and trying to track down the no-good thief rustling his cows. The last thing he needs is a woman and little boy getting in his way. As he gets to know the fiery Elin, a friendship begins to develop. A friendship that could easily turn into something more. But Sam’s past has taught him the dangers of opening his heart, and he hardens his against Elin.

When Elin’s groom-to-be comes home, she must make the choice: settle for a loveless marriage? Or hold out for love?

Frontier Agreement by Shannon Farrington

Frontier Agreement

1804 – North Dakota

When alf–Native American translator Claire Manette joins her mother’s tribe after her father’s death, she’s told she must marry or leave the village. Lewis and Clark expedition member Pierre Lafayette’s offer of a marriage of convenience is enticing. But with her refusal to leave her family behind and his dreams of exploring uncharted territories, it would never work.

Pierre joined the expedition for adventure…and to avoid settling down. So why does he feel compelled to protect a stranger by marrying her? The only thing he’s sure of is that he can’t allow Claire to be forced from the only home she has left. Pierre and Claire are an unlikely match, but amid the wilderness of the West, could his offer of duty become one of love?

Save

A Home for His Family by Jan Drexler

ahomeforhisfamily A Home for His Family

1877 – Dakotas

Nate Colby came to the Dakota Territory to start over, not to look for a wife. He’ll raise his orphaned nieces and nephew on his own, even if pretty schoolteacher Sarah MacFarland’s help is a blessing. But Nate resists getting too close—Sarah deserves better than a man who only brings trouble to those around him.

Sarah can’t deny she cares for the children, but she can’t let herself fall for Nate. Her childhood as an orphan taught her that opening her heart to love only ends in hurt. Yet helping this ready-made family set up their ranch only makes her long to be a part of it—whatever the risk.

Now and Forever by Mary Connealy

nowandforever Now and Forever

1866 – Dakota/Idaho Territory

Shannon Wilde is the middle sister–and the one who loves animals. She’s established her own homestead and is raising sheep for their wool. Things are going fine…until Shannon gets swept over a cliff by Matthew Tucker!

Tucker seizes every opportunity to get away from civilization, but one particular walk in the woods ends with him sprinting away from an angry grizzly and plunging into a raging river, accidentally taking Shannon Wilde with him. Their adventure in the wilderness results in the solitary mountain man finding himself hitched to a young woman with a passel of relatives, a homestead, and a flock of sheep to care for.

As Tucker and Shannon learn to live with each other, strange things begin to happen on Shannon’s land. Someone clearly wants to drive her off, but whoever it is apparently didn’t count on Tucker. Trying to scare Matthew Tucker just makes him mad–and trying to hurt the woman he’s falling in love with sets off something even he never expected.

West for the Black Hills by Peter Leavell

westforblackhills West for the Black Hills

1873 – Dakotas

Philip Anderson keeps his past close to the vest. Not many people in Mitchell, a small town in the Dakota Territory, would understand him living with the Sioux Indians who rescued him as a boy. Haunted by the murder of his pioneer parents as they traveled west in their covered wagon, he knows it wasn’t Indians who killed them, and his many unanswered questions about that night still torment him.

His only desire is to live quietly on his western homestead and raise Arabian horses. Until he meets Anna, a beautiful young woman with secrets of her own. Is it his eery and unusual wolf eyes that draw Anna to him? Romance was not part of his plan. Can Philip open his heart and tell her he’s in love before it’s too late?

With Anna a pawn in the corrupt schemes brewing in Mitchell, Philip is forced to become a reluctant gunslinger even as his inner battle gets in the way. Will Philip’s uncannily trained horses and unsurpassed sharpshooting skills help him free Anna and find out what really happened to his family out there in the frontier wilderness?

Trails & Targets by Kelly Eileen Hake

Trails & Targets

1889 – Dakotas

After their father’s death, the four Darlyn sisters discover the family farm is mortgaged to the hilt. With an unscrupulous creditor proposing indecent solutions to their uncertain future, the girls leave their childhood home—and childhood itself—behind. Soon an unexpected hero finds himself saddled with the slew of sisters and their surprising skills. But only one thing’s for sure: the sharpshooter named Beatrix hits the mark of his lonely heart. Plagued by past failures and forced to make their own way, find out what happens as the Dangerous Darlyns take to the road in Trails & Targets!

Through Rushing Water by Catherine Richmond

Through Rushing Water

1876 – Dakotas

Sophia has her life all planned out-but her plan didn’t include being jilted or ending up in Dakota Territory. Sophia Makinoff is certain that 1876 is the year that she’ll become the wife of a certain US Congressman, and happily plans her debut into the Capitol city. But when he proposes to her roommate instead, Sophia is stunned. Hoping to flee her heartache and humiliation, she signs up with the Board of Foreign Missions on a whim. With dreams of a romantic posting to the Far East, Sophia is dismayed to find she’s being sent to the Ponca Indian Agency in the bleak Dakota Territory. She can’t even run away effectively and begins to wonder how on earth she’ll be able to guide others as a missionary. But teaching the Ponca children provides her with a joy she has never known-and never expected-and ignites in her a passion for the people she’s sent to serve. It’s a passion shared by the Agency carpenter, Willoughby Dunn, a man whose integrity and selflessness are unmatched. The Poncas are barely surviving. When U.S. policy decrees that they be uprooted from their land and marched hundreds of miles away in the middle of winter, Sophia and Will wade into rushing waters to fight for their friends, their love, and their destiny.

Valley of Dreams by Lauraine Snelling

Valley of Dreams (Wild West Wind)

1906 – North Dakota

Addy Lockwood’s mother died when she was little, so Addy traveled with her father’s Wild West Show and became an amazingly skillful trick rider, likened by some to the famous Annie Oakley. When her father died, she continued to work with the show, having nowhere else to go.

Now Addy has discovered that “Uncle” Jason, the show’s manager, has driven the show into debt, and he’s absconded with what little money was left. Devastated, Addy decides to try to find the hidden valley where here father had dreamed of putting down roots. She has only one clue. She needs to find three huge stones that look like fingers raised in a giant hand. With Chief, a Sioux Indian who’s been with the show for twenty years, and Micah, the head wrangler, she leaves both the show and a bundle of heartache behind and begins a wild and daring adventure.

Spring for Susannah by Catherine Richmond

Spring for Susannah

1873 – Dakota Territory

When her parents die suddenly, and no suitors call, Susannah resigns herself to the only option available: becoming a mail-order bride. Agreeing to marry her pastor’s brother, Jesse, Susannah leaves the only home she’s ever known for the untamed frontier of the Dakota Territory.

Her new husband is more loving and patient with her than she believes she deserves. Still, there is also a wildness to him that mirrors the wilderness surrounding them. And Susannah finds herself constantly on edge. But Jesse’s confidence in her-and his faith in God’s perfect plan-slowly begin to chip away at the wall she hides behind.

When she miscarries in the brutal Dakota winter, Susannah’s fledgling faith in herself and in God begins to crumble. Still, Jesse’s love is unwavering. Just when it seems like winter will never end, Susannah finally sees the first tentative evidence of spring. And with it, the realization that more than the landscape has changed.

Save

A Heart for Home by Lauraine Snelling

A Heart for Home

1904 – South Dakota

Astrid Bjorklund is on the Red Bud Indian Reservation in South Dakota trying to stop the horrific epidemic that is ravaging the tribe. The elders are suspicious of her, but when they see some of their people beginning to recover, they allow Astrid to continue caring for the sick and to train others to help. She is overwhelmed by this need so close to home and wonders if this is the mission field God has planned for her.

Joshua Landsverk wants to repair his broken relationship with Astrid, but he is opposed to her present work and refuses to tell her why. When he encounters unexpected adversity, a surprising act of kindness brings healing to the grievous wrong inflicted years ago. Will it be enough to bring Joshua and Astrid together again?

No Distance Too Far by Lauraine Snelling

No Distance Too Far (Home to Blessing Series, Book 2)

1904 – South Dakota

Astrid Bjorklund wants to use her medical training to serve God and feels that He might be leading her in the direction of missionary work. Smarting from a misunderstanding with Joshua Landsverk, the young man she thought she loved, she heads east to a missionary training school, hoping to eventually use her skills in some remote outpost in Africa.

When she is called home unexpectedly to help in a family medical emergency, Astrid learns of a deadly measles outbreak on the nearby Indian reservation. She immediately senses the Spirit tugging her to help the Indians and wonders if her “mission field” is not so far away as she had imagined. But if she follows God’s call, will love pass her by?

A Measure of Mercy by Lauraine Snelling

A Measure of Mercy (Home to Blessing Series #1)

1903 – North Dakota and Illinois

Eighteen-year-old Astrid Bjorklund has always dreamed of becoming a doctor. She had intended to study medicine in Chicago or Grand Forks, but when a disaster wiped out a major portion of her family’s income, Astrid stayed home instead, receiving hands-on training from Dr. Elizabeth.
Joshua Landsverk left Blessing two years ago, but he’s never forgotten Astrid. Returning to town, he seeks to court her. Astrid is attracted to him, and when the opportunity unexpectedly opens for her to go to Chicago for medical training, she finds it difficult to leave. Love blossoms through their letters, but upon arriving back home, she makes a heartbreaking discovery. Will she have to give up love to pursue her dream?

A Claim of Her Own by Stephanie Whitson

A Claim of Her Own

1876 – South Dakota

20-year-old Mattie Flynn is determined to make a fresh start after fleeing from her sinister boss in the gambling house where she was employed as a singer. Mattie travels to Deadwood, South Dakota, in search of her younger brother, who went ahead of her in hopes of making a fortune in the gold mines.
All Mattie wants is a safe and respectable life for the two of them, but that doesn’t seem to be her destiny as she faces more heartache and trials. Will the suspicious bottles of gold dust from her brother’s claim be the key to her future…or does the handsome street preacher, who is always turning the other cheek, truly hold the answers to her deepest longings?

Circle of Blessings by Deborah Raney

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1871 – Dakota Territory

Young Stella Bradford is determined to win the love of James Collingwood, her English professor at the university where Stella is studying to be an architect. But the object of Stella’s affection seems to hide a dark secret from his past, and even if Stella could capture his attention, she is certain her father would not approve of the match. But neither James, nor Stella has an inkling that his secret is woven into her own past in a way that will ultimately bring blessing to them both.

The Long Trail Home by Stephen Bly

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1885 – Dakotas

The second son of Brazos Fortune, Samuel, is somewhat the lost sheep of the Fortune family. After he is run out of Texas, he ends up hiding out with his father and brother. Although he struggles to escape the consequences of his previous lifestyle, he refuses to talk about the past. Brazos has to deal with sending Samuel back to Texas to make amends or allowing him to have a new start in Dakota. To make things even more complicated, Samuel decides to marry a divorced woman with several children and a questionable reputation. Through it all, Samuel never gives up his Christian heritage.

Shadow of Legends by Stephen Bly

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1880 – Dakota Territory

BRAZOS FORTUNE HAS LEFT A TOWERING LEGACY. HIS SON TODD NOW STRUGGLES TO PROVE HIMSELF AND FIND HIS OWN IDENTITY IN THE SHADOWS OF LEGENDS. Life in the shadows. It happens to all of us. We stand so close to a dominant personality that our reflection can hardly be noticed. Someone more famous. More skilled. More powerful. Sometimes they are people we hardly know. Sometimes they are members of our own family. Brazos Fortune has left a towering legacy. His son Todd now struggles to prove himself and find his own identity in the Shadow of Legends. Todd Fortune must follow his father as he takes over the family business with his wife, a fast-paced city girl who’s not willing to settle into a small town lifestyle. A tale of daily hardships and hard-earned victories, Todd struggles to prove himself a committed husband and a courageous frontiersman in the wake of his father’s legacy. Cross-country chases, deadly showdowns, and budding romances weave the story of this second powerful novel in the Fortunes of the Black Hills series.

Beneath a Dakota Cross by Stephen Bly

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1875 – Dakota Territory

IN SEARCH OF A NEW LIFE OUT WEST, BRAZOS FORTUNE FINDS HIS FAMILY ENDANGERED BY THE VERY QUEST HE HOPED WOULD SAVE THEM. With these simple words, Brazos Fortune sets out on his journey in the first of Stephen Bly’s new Fortunes of the Black Hills series. When locals threaten the lives and property of his family. Brazos abandons his Texas homestead for a new ranch in the West he has seen in a dream. Its a war against corrupt lawmen, wild outlaws, and bitter winter weather as Brazos wrestles with his newfound hunger for gold and the burning desire to be reunited with his family. He must test himself against the untamed frontier, confront the greedy miners who try his Christian convictions, and find the new home God showed him Beneath a Dakota Cross.