To Speak His Name by Tara Johnson

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1816 – Barbados

Avalina is a woman trapped in silence. Stolen from her home in Ireland and sold as a slave to a Barbados plantation owner, the trauma of her past has left her mute, wrapped in a prison of loneliness and isolation amid an island of beauty. Though she longs to be free from the cruelty of her overseer, her heart yearns for a greater freedom…something just beyond her grasp.

Josiah Holland has been born into a South Carolina slave-holding family but all it takes is one trip to the island of Barbados to open his eyes to the ugly cruelty that abounds beyond the confines of his plantation. With the aid of fiery abolitionist Benjamin McGee, Josiah forges a new future, fighting the very ideals he was once a part of.

When Avalina and Josiah’s lives entwine, will their spark engulf them in destruction, or ignite a revolution?

Lady’s Guide to Marvels and Misadventure by Angela Bell

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1860 – England

Miss Clara Marie Stanton’s family may be eccentric, but they certainly aren’t insane.

When Clara’s ex-fiancé begins to spread rumors that her family suffers from hereditary insanity, it’s all she can do to protect them from his desperate schemes, society’s prejudice, and a lifetime in an asylum. Then Clara’s Grandfather Drosselmeyer brings on an apprentice with a mechanical leg, and all pretense of normalcy takes wing.

Theodore Kingsley, a shame-chased vagabond haunted by the war, wants a fresh start far from Kingsley Court and the disappointed father who declared him dead. Upon returning to England, Theodore meets clockmaker Drosselmeyer, who hires him as an apprentice, much to Clara’s dismay. When Drosselmeyer spontaneously disappears in his secret flying owl machine, he leaves behind a note for Clara, beseeching her to make her dreams of adventure a reality by joining him on a merry scavenger hunt across Europe. Together, Clara and Theodore set off to follow Drosselmeyer’s trail of clues, but they will have to stay one step ahead of a villain who wants the flying machine for himself–at any cost.

Finally His Bride by Jody Hedlund

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1862 – Canada

A new world. A new hope. An unexpected love.
What life awaits these brides?

With the cotton mills closed and hunger rampant in Manchester, England, Willow Rhodes’s family encourages her to join the bride ship bound for the Pacific Northwest, where she is assured of employment. Willow agrees to go with the hope that eventually she can save enough money for her family to join her.

Rebellious knuckle-boxing champion Caleb Edwards loves Willow more than life itself. But Willow has been adamant that she sees him as a friend and nothing more. Unable to watch her sail away, Caleb uses his prize money to pay for passage to Vancouver Island to be with Willow.

After arriving, Willow finds work as a maid and Caleb is a farmhand on the same property. As Caleb struggles to keep his feelings for Willow from growing, he’ll do anything for her, even take the blame for a theft to keep her safe. As the crime catches up to them, they’re forced to make choices that could finally rip them apart forever.

Never Hire a Hero by Regina Scott

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1825 – England

Three children and a marriage of convenience may be his biggest challenge yet

A former elite soldier, Stephen Roth was trained to be ruthless as he served as bodyguard for kings and princes. So why would his English patroness, Lady Belfort, and her cat, Fortune, arrange for him to take a position as the tutor to the heir of Alldene Castle and the boy’s siblings? And why does the children’s mother, Lady Alldene, look at him with shining eyes, as if he could be some sort of hero? This was not the sort of challenge he bargained for!

A peer in her own right, Thea, Countess of Alldene, was raised in Alldene Castle and taught how to rule over it. But nothing prepared her for the death of her husband and the villainy of the man he appointed as guardian for her children. If a tutor with a razor-sharp gaze will prevent that man from taking her sons away from her, she’s willing to put up with Roth’s rough-shod ways.

But the castle holds a secret that may prove Thea’s undoing. When danger threatens, she turns to the one man who might be able to keep them all safe. Could a marriage of convenience over Christmas prove that heroes can turn up in the least likely places?

The Lamp by Edwina Kiernan

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1849 – England

Will God hear their cries and grant them a future together, or will deadly occurrences tear them apart forever?

Beatrice Beckwith is an orphaned young lady living with her aunt. On the brink of her deepest wish coming true, her plans unexpectedly collapse. Then, a startling discovery and an outbreak of cholera set in motion a series of catastrophic events, plunging her into even bleaker darkness.

Isaac Taylor is forced to leave Miss Beckwith just as he’s arranged a meeting to propose. His deceased great-uncle’s derelict house needs restoration. But dust is not his only enemy, and a web of secrets soon entangles him.

Kept apart against their wills, Beatrice and Isaac must navigate deadly illness, family deception, and scheming neighbours, yearning for the time they’ll be reunited. But as they each face their darkest moments, they’ll endure more devastation than ever before.

Can joy once again be found, or will dangerous circumstances extinguish its light—and their very lives?

Children of the Shadows by Erica Vetsch

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1816 – England

Detective Daniel Swann and debutante Juliette Thorndike once again team up to solve a dangerous mystery–while trying to keep their growing romance secret.

Someone is preying upon the street children of Regency London. They seem to think no one will notice when urchins go missing–and even if they are noticed, who will care?

Daniel needs to do something about the missing children. But with recent revelations about his past and an unexpected, somewhat unwelcome inheritance to deal with, this is a terrible time to dive back into the seedy underbelly of the crime world. Nevertheless, he’s still a Bow Street runner, and his partner Lady Juliette is sensitive to the plight of these wayward youngsters. They’re on the case, searching shadowed alleys and coal-drenched streets to find the missing.

But the tangle of expectation and the dynamics of power cannot be easily ignored, even if there are children in danger. When Daniel’s past threatens to overwhelm his future, he will need a miracle and the help of his friends to both apprehend the villain and unravel his tangled family web. And it may be that his new responsibilities demand that he leave the children of the shadows to their terrible fate–or lose everything.

Garden of the Midnights by Hannah Linder

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1809 – England

She begged him once more to meet in the garden at midnight.
“If you love me,” said the letter.
 
But if he loved her, he would not come at all. 

The accidents are not a matter of chance. They are deliberate. As English gentleman William Kensley becomes aware of the danger at Rosenleigh Manor, he pleads for the truth of his past from the only man he can trust—until that man is murdered. 
 
As the secrets unfold into scandal, William’s world is tipped into destitution, leaving him penniless and alone. His only comfort is in the constant friendship and love of Isabella Gresham. If he does not have their nonsense at the seashore, their laughter, their reckless adventures, has he anything at all?
 
He should have known that would be ripped from him too. When a hidden foe arises from their acquaintances and imperils Isabella’s life, William may be the only one willing to risk his life to rescue her. But even if he frees Isabella from her captors, will he still have to forsake her heart? 

Some sacrifice everything for love. Others sacrifice love for everything else. In this haunting tale of rigid social prejudices and heart-aching regrets, the greatest decision of their life will be determined in the garden of the midnights. 

Brilliant by Lisa Richardson

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1838 – Turkey

A recent graduate of England’s most exclusive—and unusual—boarding school, Lady Portia Blythe has been accepted into the Praetorienne—though not without reservations from those who head the queen’s all-female secret guard. Determined to prove herself as part of Queen Victoria’s protection detail on a diplomatic mission to Constantinople, Portia stumbles into a secret arms auction. She discovers Jack Harding working a case, and he joins her in uncovering the purveyors of this devastating weaponry as well as a sinister plot to assassinate the queen and start a war.

With trouble at every turn, Portia draws on her training, marvelous gadgets, and her courage. Though troubled by self-doubt, she protects the royal entourage, leads their flight across Europe, and thwarts assignation attempts. She must trust in allies—former and new—and her prayers for God’s help to escape the threats, prevent full-blown war, and safely escort the queen home for her coronation.

Never Admire an Adventurer by Regina Scott

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1825 – England

A pretend engagement puts her life and his heart on the line

Kristof Tanner grew up dreaming of glorious adventures far beyond the little kingdom of Batavaria. He’s followed his king and crown prince across Europe to England, but he never expected his first position there to be guarding the daughter of a wealthy businessman, who doesn’t seem to have a care in the world. Still, it’s hard not to see adventure calling in Julia Hewett’s warm brown eyes.

Julia has been fretting under her father’s demands for years. She won’t allow him to dictate a husband, especially when he insists no less than a duke will do. So, when her father refuses to listen to her pleas, she concocts the most unsuitable engagement she can imagine—to her bodyguard. If the charming Tanner plays along, they might both get what they want.

But it soon becomes apparent that someone is stalking Julia, intent on her downfall. Tanner and Julia must work together to uncover the culprit and save her reputation and his. In doing so, they may discover that the greatest adventure of all is falling in love.

The Prince’s Pier by Lisa Prysock

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1811/1911 – Canada

Will an inheritance and destiny ruin everything, or make room for love?

Miss Margaret Wright, fondly called Maggie, grew up on King’s Crossing near Prince Edward Island in a comfortable farmhouse near Raleigh Point Castle. The daughter of the master farmer tasked with managing the farmland for the royal family at the turn of the century, she and her sister have reaped the benefit of a good education, fine tutors, piano lessons, and ultimately, finishing school.

While some part of Maggie has longed to find acceptance among the nobility who frequent the glamorous Prince’s Pier, she has largely remained content with her lot in life, taking in sewing for ladies of noble birth, destined to marry a farmer like her father. Will stunning news received on her twentieth birthday along with unexpected events change everything as she meets the man of her dreams and finds herself swept into a crisis of not only the heart, but turmoil and subterfuge surrounding her identity

Man of Shadow and Mist by Michelle Griep

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1890 – England

Vampires are alive and well in North Yorkshire, leastwise in the minds of the uneducated. Librarian Rosa Edwards intends to drive a stake through the heart of such superstitions. But gossip flies when the mysterious Sir James Morgan returns to his shadowy manor. The townsfolk say he is cursed.

James hates everything about England. The weather. The rumours. The scorn. Yet he must stay. His mother is dying of a disease for which he’s desperately trying to find a cure—an illness that will eventually take his own life.

When Rosa sets out to prove the dark gossip about James is wrong, she discovers more questions than answers. How can she accept what she can’t explain—especially the strong allure of the enigmatic man? James must battle a town steeped in fear as well as the unsettling attraction he feels for the no-nonsense librarian.

Can love prevail in a town filled with fear and doubt?

When Tomorrow Came by Hannah Linder

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1801 – England

They Waited Their Whole Lives for Their Papa to Return
 
Nan and Heath Duncan, siblings abandoned by their papa and abused by their guardian, have no choice but to survive on the London streets. When a kind gentleman rescues Nan from such a life, the siblings are separated and raised in two vastly different social worlds. Just when both are beginning to flourish and years have healed some of their wounds, their long-awaited papa returns and reunites them—bringing demands with him. Nan is expected to marry a rich suitor she’s never liked, and Heath is expected to forsake his gentle spirit and become the hardened man his father always was.

Dangers unfold, secret love develops, fights ensue, and murder upsets the worlds Heath and Nan have built for themselves.

They’ve waited their whole lives for their papa to return, for tomorrow to come—but now that it has, will they be able to see through to the truth and end this whirlwind of a nightmare before it costs one of their lives?   

Never Beguile a Bodyguard by Regina Scott

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1825 – England

Ordered to guard, forbidden to love

When elite soldier Finn Huber was released from his duties to his king and crown prince to start a new life in Regency England, he never dreamed his first position would be bodyguard to a governess whose sweet nature calls to him. He fell for a lady he was guarding years ago, with devastating consequences. He learned the hard way that bodyguards must be vigilant, valiant, and in control, always. Loving who they guard is strictly forbidden.

Governess Abigail Winchester beguiles her charges with warm smiles and gentle words, but her composure is hard won. Someone knows about her connection to a family scandal and is bent on destroying her. How kind of her benefactress, Lady Belfort, to hire Finn to keep her safe as she hides at the lady’s country estate. He is everything a lady might admire, but she cannot give in to her growing feelings for him. Finn’s honor and her past can never be reconciled.

But Lady Belfort and her cat, Fortune, are renowned for making matches—in employment and in romance. With their help, Finn and Abigail must uncover who is threatening her and stop the villain before it’s too late. In the end, will honor or love prevail?

The Heir’s Predicament by Lorri Dudley

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1831 – Antigua

He controls the answers to her past and future, but she threatens his inheritance and his heart.

Maggie Prescott may not know her real name, the circumstances of her birth, or her father’s identity, but based on a song her shipwrecked birthmother taught her before she died, Maggie’s certain the answers lie on the island of Antigua. Unbeknownst to her beloved adopted family, she sends her maid to finishing school in her stead and convinces her uncle, Captain Anthony Middleton, to sail her to the Leeward Islands. Time is of the essence to discover her heritage before the next family gathering exposes her duplicity.

Lord Samuel Fredrick Harcourt Granville was groomed to inherit the Cardon title and lands, but the possession of his father’s temper has put Samuel’s future in jeopardy. After discovering his fiancée cavorting with his so-called friend, the ensuing altercation lands Samuel in court before of the House of Lords. As an example, for all aristocratic sons to quell their hedonistic living, the House of Lords banishes Samuel to the island of Antigua until he can prove he’s worthy of his privileged birth.

On the island, Samuel works to rein in his temper and revive a dying sugar plantation. Still, his return to England and all his efforts are threatened when a mysterious woman breaks into his island home, claiming to be the true heiress of the sugar plantation. Guilt, resentment, and fresh yearnings sizzle under the island sun as Maggie’s search uncovers a much greater treasure than either of them expected.

All the Lost Places by Amanda Dykes

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1807/1904 – Italy

When all of Venice is unmasked, one man’s identity remains a mystery . . .

1807
When a baby is discovered floating in a basket along the quiet canals of Venice, a guild of artisans takes him in and raises him as a son, skilled in each of their trades. Although the boy, Sebastien Trovato, has wrestled with questions of his origins, it isn’t until a woman washes ashore on his lagoon island that answers begin to emerge. In hunting down his story, Sebastien must make a choice that could alter not just his own future, but also that of the beloved floating city.

1904
Daniel Goodman is given a fresh start in life as the century turns. Hoping to redeem a past laden with regrets, he is sent on an assignment from California to Venice to procure and translate a rare book. There, he discovers a city of colliding hope and decay, much like his own life, and a mystery wrapped in the pages of that filigree-covered volume. With the help of Vittoria, a bookshop keeper, Daniel finds himself in a web of shadows, secrets, and discoveries carefully kept within the stones and canals of the ancient city . . . and in the mystery of the man whose story the book does not finish: Sebastien Trovato.

Holding the Line by Jennifer Delamere

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1881 – England

Can she find the strength to heal the wounds of her past–and open her heart again?

A widow at just thirty years of age, Rose Finlay is determined to put all ideas of marriage and family behind her and pursue an independent life. But when she notices a young woman about to be led astray by a roguish aristocrat, bitter memories from her past arise, and she feels compelled to intervene. The unintended consequences of her efforts will ultimately force Rose to reexamine her life in a new light.

As the guardian of his two widowed sisters’ financial and domestic affairs, John Milburn carries heavy responsibilities for a single man. But he’s faced with his biggest challenge when his headstrong niece falls prey to the attentions of a powerful man who could ruin both her and her family.

When Rose and John join forces to protect his niece, they put everything they hold dear–including their growing attraction–in jeopardy.

A Return to Hawthorne House Collection by Kristi Ann Hunter

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1811 – England

Always a Lady

Despite the fact that her daughter is not cooperating, Caroline, Duchess of Riverton is determined to ensure every one of her children marries someone they love as much as she loved their late father. William, the widowered Earl of Blackstone, is delighted to have his days of escorting daughters approaching an end. The last thing he expects is to find himself drawn to a woman who is just starting such a journey. Are they each too set in their ways to grasp this chance to have a second love?

 

The Lady’s Maid

When Lydia Smith began her career as a parlor maid, she knew love and marriage wasn’t likely in her future. Dreaming about the boy next door as she dusted seemed harmless until he started working as the new valet under the same roof. When Finch needs her help with a special project, will it give them a chance to defy expectations and find love or ruin their happiness forever?

A Daughter’s Courage by Misty M. Beller

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1817 – Canada

Her quest to repair what’s been broken leads to imminent danger–and soon it’s more than her own life on the line.

After accidentally destroying the intricately carved chalice her people have treasured for over a hundred years, Charlotte Durand sets out in search of a skilled artisan who can repair the damage. What she expected to be a two-day trek becomes much more daunting when a treacherous snowstorm sets in.

Searching for solitude and respite from his troubling past, the last thing Damien Levette needs in the middle of a mountain blizzard is to tend to another person, but he can’t leave behind the mysterious woman he finds half frozen at the edge of a mountain lake.

As they battle both the elements and their distrust of each other, Charlotte and Damien must work together to survive the peril of the mountains–or it could be the downfall of them both.

The Sugarplum Ladies by Carrie Fancett Pagels

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1867 – Canada and Michigan

When Canadian barrister Percy Gladstone finds his aristocratic British family unexpectedly descending upon him for Christmas, he turns to American social reformer Eugenie Mott and her fledgling catering crew, The Sugarplum Ladies, for help. Little does Percy, AKA Lord Kent, realize that this Christmas may start entirely new traditions. And little does Miss Eugenie Mott, to her chagrin, realize that the British idea of Christmastide extends through Epiphany! This Christmas is one to remember.

 

Lost Melody by Joanna Davidson Politano

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1886 – England

When concert pianist Vivienne Mourdant’s father dies, he leaves to her the care of an adult ward she knew nothing about. The woman is supposedly a patient at Hurstwell Asylum. The woman’s portrait is shockingly familiar to Vivienne, so when the asylum claims she was never a patient there, Vivienne is compelled to discover what happened to the figure she remembers from childhood dreams.

The longer she lingers in the deep shadows and forgotten towers at Hurstwell, the fuzzier the line between sanity and madness becomes. She hears music no one else does, receives strange missives with rose petals between the pages, and untangles far more than is safe for her to know. But can she uncover the truth about the mysterious woman she seeks? And is there anyone at Hurstwell she can trust with her suspicions?

The Christmas Promise by Gabrielle Meyer

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1899 – England

Lady Ashleigh Arrington is hosting a Christmas house party when her childhood foe, Christopher Campbell, unexpectedly arrives from America with a mysterious marriage agreement signed by their late mothers.

The only way out of the distasteful agreement is if one of them is married or engaged by Christmas Eve. But which one will sacrifice their hopes and dreams to escape marriage to each other? And when they realize a match between them isn’t quite so distasteful, will it be too late?

Ingenious by Lisa Karon Richardson

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1837 – England

Lady Portia Blithe’s life really started when she was offered admission to Saint Scholastica’s, England’s most exclusive boarding school. Graduates of Saint Scholastica are always selected to serve as ladies-in-waiting to the queen. Unbeknownst to the rest of the world the school teaches more than deportment. Alongside dancing and conversational French, students are trained to guard the queen’s life. They are the Praetorienne.

On the cusp of graduation, Portia and her classmates are introduced to Princess Victoria, the next in line for the British throne. Everyone knows the elderly king will not live much longer, and for the first time in three centuries, England will have a female monarch. It’s a heady opportunity for princess and Praetorienne alike. But when it appears there is a plot afoot to kidnap the princess, Portia has to make certain that Victoria lives long enough to claim her throne.

Anchored at Mackinac by Carrie Fancett Pagels

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1895 – Canada

Two women, Sadie Duvall, a young maid, and Ada Fox, the mature housekeeping manager, at the Grand Hotel must make life-changing decisions involving their work and the men in their lives. As 1895 comes to a close, will hearts be broken when choices are made—or will all hoped-for wishes be fulfilled?

With her father missing and her mother dead, impoverished Sadie scrabbles to provide for her sisters. She has known wealthy bachelor Captain Robert Swaine most of her life–he’s her best friend’s young uncle. When he returns to the island, she doesn’t believe his interest in her is sincere, despite all the assistance he’s given her and her sisters because he’s frequently in the company of a beautiful actress staying at the hotel. Sadie wishes to pursue her own path–a position as a nursing student at a new asylum in the Eastern Upper Peninsula.

Having endured a traumatic early childhood, Ada Fox entered into marriages with very successful, wealthy, much older men after the mother of her first, and only true, love sends her away from the nearby Poor House and to a secretarial school. Secretly the wealthiest woman in the world, Ada Fox has taken on a Housekeeping Manager position so that she can be closer to her first love, widower and innkeeper Peter Welling.

The Sun Still Shines by Linda Ford

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Late 1800s – Canada

Duty is cold comfort for Bessie.

She wants to live in Toronto, but it’s her duty to accompany her ailing husband to live on the Alberta prairie, where it was hoped the clear air and sunshine would make him well. She’s horrified at the primitive living conditions, but it’s her duty to make the best of it. If she carries a heavy burden of guilt and despair, it’s her duty to hide her feelings and behave like the well brought up lady she was taught to be.

But where can she find a reason to carry on when her husband dies? How can she rid herself of crushing feelings of guilt? Is it possible that her big, kindly neighbor Joe Robertson has the answers? Is it possible that God cares about her? Could it be that He will grant her her heart’s desire?

 

 

The Marquis’s Pursuit by Lorri Dudley

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1830 – Caribbean

She’s desperate to keep her secret hidden, but he’s a determined Marquis.

As the son of a duke, Maxwell Oliver Weld, Marquis of Daventry, is allowed entry into the finest of London’s ballrooms, access to political figures, and advice from the best physicians. Yet, his wealth and contacts won’t heal his friend, Charlie, who’s dying from consumption. Hopeful for a miracle, Max persuades Charlie to sail across the Atlantic to stay in the Artesian Hotel on the island of Nevis and bathe in its famous healing springs. Max’s optimism is washed in doubt as the truth unravels about the hotel, its hot springs, and the beautiful caretaker.

The blaze of Evelyn Mairi Sheraton’s fiery side has long since been snuffed out. Hunted by a vengeful man from her past, only fortitude and the island’s sanctuary have kept Evelyn alive. She will do whatever it takes to keep her precious secret safe, even work for the demeaning Artesian Hotel owner, Edward Rousseau. However, when a jaunty marquis and his ailing friend arrive, sparks ignite, but Evelyn fears the revealing of her secrets will burn her to ash.

The elusive Evelyn may tend to Charlie’s well-being, but she stirs Max’s protective nature. He’d like nothing more than to remove her from the wretched employment of Edward Rousseau, yet that might endanger Charlie’s health even more. Refusing to give up on a miracle, Max waters her guarded heart, certain beauty will rise out of ashes. But when her secrets come to life, will love be worth the price?

Carry Me Close by Dorothy Adamek

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1879 – Australia

Coming first won’t ruin you. Longing for it will.

Born to replace the little girl her parents lost, feisty Australian botanical artist, Viola Buckley, knows the impoverishment of being loved in the shadow of the darling who came before her. Only a first-place win for her art will secure freedom from the heartaches of a second-place childhood.

When Viola’s mother requires seaside therapy, they retreat to Phillip Island’s Blue Wren House for Rest Cure, a cruel Victorian Era remedy promising restoration at a price Viola cannot afford… or ignore. Neither can she ignore visiting American, woodworker, Silas Swift.

Widowed, quick-witted yet guarded, Silas will lose his family carpentry business unless he reclaims a long-abandoned treasure, hidden in the pieces of a kit home, now fashioned into the island guesthouse. He’s not hunting romance, no matter how beguiling his entanglements with Viola.

And she will not be burned twice, by falling into a heart that’s already loved another. Still, Phillip Island holds more than healing winds and buried treasures. For brave souls willing to face the firestorms of love, it offers second chance

Wilderness Wife by Delores Topliff

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1810 – Canada

How do you continue living when life collapses around you in a single day?

Marguerite Wadin MacKay believes her 17-year marriage to explorer Alex MacKay is strong—until his sudden fame destroys it. When he returns from a cross-Canada expedition, he announces their frontier marriage is void in Montréal where he plans to find a society wife—not one with native blood. Taking their son, MacKay sends Marguerite and their three daughters to a trading post where she lived as a child. Deeply shamed, she arrives in time to assist young Doctor John McLoughlin with a medical emergency.

Marguerite now lives only for her girls. When Fort William on Lake Superior opens a school, Marguerite moves there for her daughters’ sake and rekindles her friendship with Doctor McLoughlin. When he declares his love, she dissuades him from a match harmful to his career. She’s mixed blood and nine years older. But he will have no one else.

After abandonment, can a woman love again and fulfill a key role in North American History?

Song for the Hunter by Naomi Musch

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1808 – Canada

Tragedy brought them together. Now truth might tear them apart.

Wed to a trading company partner to escape life in Montreal under her harsh father’s thumb, Camilla Bonnet finds herself widowed and pregnant in the Upper Country frontier. When her brother fails to return for her from Fort William, she is cast on the mercy of the trading post owner’s family. She also draws comfort from Bemidii Marchal, a Métis hunter who soothes away her misgivings as he finds his own refuge on Lake Superior’s Madeline Island.

Bemidii’s thoughts of courting a maiden are cut short when he raises his knife against a company man at Fort William’s Great Rendezvous. No one will believe he killed to protect his sister—least of all the beautiful Frenchwoman on Madeline Island who stirs his affections—not when she learns that her brother is dead and Bemidii stands accused of his murder. As the sharp blade of truth divides them, will Bemidii survive the justice of powerful men who are a law unto themselves?

Austin by Linda Ford

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1887 – Canada

Austin Wagoner is a gunman on the right side of the law. As a deputy, he tracked down some bank robbers and in the following shoot out, his bullet killed Colin Martyn, the brother of Mae Martyn, the girl Austin was in love with. Knowing she would never be able to forgive him, he rides out of her life.

Five years later, Mae and her niece and nephew are headed to the new teaching position at the Circle A Ranch. Mae has had custody of the children since her brother’s death. His widow gave up on life and died shortly afterwards. Mae has had a number of teaching jobs but they never lasted. Too many parents and board members felt she couldn’t be impartial with children of her own in the classroom. She hopes all this will change at the Circle A. She didn’t know it was Austin who shot her brother and has nursed a broken heart at the way he rode out of her life.

Austin is headed back to his mountain cabin when he discovers a stagecoach being robbed and, to his shock, learns Mae and the children are on it. He is shot by one of the robbers and stays at the Circle A Ranch to recover. His attraction to Mae has never wavered but he doesn’t expect her to forgive him for killing her brother.

When Mae learns the truth about her brother’s death, everything she felt about Austin is challenged. Can she love the man who shot her guardian? Can Austin forgive himself?

Behind Love’s Wall by Carrie Fancett Pagels

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1895/Present – Canada

The Grand Hotel Slowly Reveals Her Secrets

Two successful women, a hundred-and-twenty-years apart, build walls to protect their hearts. Modern-day Willa, a successful interior decorator, is chosen to go to Mackinac Island and consult for the Grand Hotel’s possible redesign. During work on a room, she discovers a journal detailing the struggles of a young woman, Lily—which reveals dark secrets. The renowned singer wasn’t who she pretended to be.
 
As Willa reaches out to Lily’s descendant, a charismatic and prominent landscape artist, she lets down her guard. Should she share the journal with him—revealing hidden history—or once again erect a wall as she struggles to redesign both the Grand and her life?

Pete by Linda Ford

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1887 – Canada

Pete has been rejected many times because of his swarthy skin. So when she sees red-headed, freckle-faced Eva rejected because of her looks, he offers to marry her and take her back to the Circle A Ranch. With nothing left but the trunk containing her few belongings Eva doesn’t feel she has much choice. They both understand this is a marriage in name only. But as they spend time together, an unexpected attraction grows. Both realize they want more from the marriage than what they have but the words don’t quite come. They can only hint at the dream buried deep in each heart. Out-spoken Eva is about to confess her feelings when she discovers a letter Pete has written to a mail-order bride and realizes he has given his heart to another. Can this pair confront their fears in order to embrace a future full of love?

A Midnight Dance by Joanna Davidson Politano

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1833 – England

All theater romances are tragedies. Ella Blythe knows this. Still, she cannot help but hope her own story may turn out different than most–and certainly different than the tragic story of the Ghost of Craven Street Theater. Yet as she struggles to maintain her tenuous place in the ever-shrinking ballet company, win the attentions of principal dancer Philippe, and avoid company flirt Jack, Ella cannot deny the uncanny feeling that her life is mirroring that of the dead ballerina.

Is she dancing ever closer to the edge of her own tragic end? Or will the secrets that are about to come to light offer release from the past?

A Warrior’s Heart by Misty Beller

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1814 – Rocky Mountains

Her heart longs for peace, but peace won’t keep them safe.

Brielle Durand is still haunted by the massacre that killed her mother a dozen years before. Vowing to never let it happen again, she’s risen to be the key defender for her people’s peace-loving French settlement living in hidden caves in the Canadian Rockies. When a foreigner wanders too near to their secret home, she has no choice but to disarm and capture him. But now, what to do with this man who insists he can be trusted?

Hoping to escape past regrets, Evan MacManus ventured into the unknown, assigned to discover if the northern mountains contain an explosive mineral that might help America win the War of 1812. Despite being taken prisoner, Evan is determined to complete his mission. But when that assignment becomes at odds with his growing appreciation of the villagers and Brielle, does he follow through on his promise to his government or take a risk on where his heart is leading him? Either choice will cause harm to someone.

Brielle and Evan must reconcile the warring in their hearts to have any hope of finding peace for their peoples.

Adam by Linda Ford

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1887 – Canada

Grace knows her brother Sam, left her in the orphanage for noble reasons—so she would be adopted. And she was. Her adoptive family is kind and loving. But she’s never forgotten her brother. He has written to her regularly, his letters full of wonderful descriptions of the ranch and the people there. She heads to the Circle A and her first reunion with her brother in seven years.

Sam is away getting a horse when news comes that his sister is arriving. Adam’s heart thumps hard. The letters Grace has received all these years were written by Adam. What is he going to do? He knows he can’t reveal the truth until he can talk to Sam. In the meantime, he means to show Grace the country he has told her so much about and enjoy the company of the young woman he has grown very fond of through their correspondence.

Sam returns and Adam insists on Sam telling the truth. But when Grace learns the truth she is hurt and angry. Everything she thought was true is not. Can’t she trust anyone? She flees to her childhood home. When Adam discovers her whereabouts and comes after her, is she ready to hear the truth that he has fallen in love with her while he was writing to her? Is she willing to trust the feelings that have been growing in her heart?

Noah by Linda Ford

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1887 – Canada

Two wounded and wary hearts. Both wanting what the other can help them attain if only they can get past the pain of their pasts.

Twenty-three year old Noah Murray, is not interested in his boss’s plan to see all the cowboys of Circle A happily married. But the boss sweetens the plan by offering him the piece of land he has always admired. A home almost like the one he lost when his widowed mother remarried and his step-father kicked him and Adam off the place. His dream of following in his father’s footsteps still lives at least as far as owning a bit of land but not the part about sharing it with a woman he loves. He will never trust a woman again. Not after what his mother did and what he has seen of other women.

Lainie Ellis has the responsibility of her two young siblings and the task of fulfilling her father’s wishes to buy land in the west. To her shock, she discovers the land she bought is not for sale and does not have the promised house on it. She is a squatter. She has learned the folly of trusting a man to say or do the right thing. She is determined to make it on her own.

Can two disillusioned, heart-weary people find the love they secretly yearn for or will their past experiences continue to drive them apart?