Posts with the custom taxonomy term 1929-1939 (US Great Depression)

Had to Be You by Lyn Cote

No Comments on Had to Be You by Lyn Cote

hadtobeyouHad to Be You (Formerly titled Bette)

1930s/40s – Maryland

Coming of age in the deep Depression, Chloe’s daughter, Bette faces a troubled world. Her mother and father have taken in Gretel, a Jewish girl her same age sent by her family from Nazi Germany. In the KKK South this is met with animosity. As she finishes high school, Bette falls in love with a young man who applauds her family’s decision. The two become informally engaged and Bette dreams of a future as a wife and mother with him, clipping recipes and living the quiet life.

But Hitler and others who seek world domination interfere with her plans. As her fiance attends college in Georgetown, she works as a secretary in the War Department. And that job leads her into the murky world of espionage. The US, Canada and England have banded together to foil German spies working to gain American military secrets. Bette never considered being a spy even in her wildest dreams. But she will do anything to stop these enemies, those who are persecuting Gretel’s family. But after swearing an oath, she can tell no on–not even the man she loves.

The Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor. War crashes over them all and again Bette and her love are separated. Another man has entered her life, one who works with her to foil Hitler. A man she resists but who won’t take no for an answer. When the war ends, which will she choose–the young man she fell in love with as a girl or the man who taught her how to be a spy?
The Carlyle Women-four generations, 
each facing the challenges of her time 
and each harboring her own painful secret~

Maggie’s Treasure by Sandra Waggoner

No Comments on Maggie’s Treasure by Sandra Waggoner

maggiestreasureGoodreads ~ Purchase

1930s – Kansas

Maggie Daniels is haunted by the accident. She sees it when she closes her eyes, and she hears it in her father’s words: “Maggie should’ve come and gotten me.” They are constant reminders of the tragic event. Her mama is gone and Maggie is to blame.

When her daddy marries another woman, it’s a chance for a fresh start. But Maggie can’t let go of the past. She clings to a few precious mementos—all she has left of her mother. They become secret treasures, her only link to a past filled with tenderness and joy. She focuses on these items, closing herself off to everyone who cares for her.

But when a second tragedy threatens to tear her world apart, will Maggie’s treasure be enough to sustain her? Or will she finally turn to God, and to the people who have tried so hard to love her?

There is a Wideness by Mark McAllister

No Comments on There is a Wideness by Mark McAllister

Goodreads ~ Purchase

1937 – Texas

History and fiction merge seamlessly in the 1937 oil-town setting of New London, Texas. When a gas-leak explosion kills more than 300 school children, teachers, and visitors, young Luke Robertson loses his little sister, and Russ Smith loses his mind—at least for a while.

Years later, fate mysteriously brings these two men together again, provoking them to seek answers to the questions that have haunted them. Join them on the dusty back roads of Texas as they discover the wideness of God’s mercy. Based on a true story!

Beneath a Harvest Sky by Tracie Peterson

No Comments on Beneath a Harvest Sky by Tracie Peterson

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1931 – New Mexico

As a Harvey tour guide, Rainy Gordon spends her days in the magnificent landscape of New Mexico. Having already fled a tainted past, Rainy is alarmed when she becomes a suspect in an investigation of stolen Hopi Indian artifacts. The man she loves has been secretly asked to assist the law enforcement groups in finding the thief. When all evidence points in her direction, will the truth be revealed in time?

Across the Years by Tracie Peterson

No Comments on Across the Years by Tracie Peterson

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1929 – Arizona

The last ten years have been difficult for Ashley Reynolds–first her parents disowned her because of her choice of spouse, war tragically took his life, then she discovered she would bear his child. Living with her grandfather and raising her daughter, Ashley Reynolds has finally found an element of peace while working as a Harvey Girl in Winslow, Arizona. When a crew of architects come to build a massive resort hotel, bringing a mysterious man into her life, her world unexpectedly changes.

All the Way Home by Ann Tatlock

No Comments on All the Way Home by Ann Tatlock

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1930s/1960s – California/Mississippi

From a rough section of Los Angeles during the late Depression years, to the civil rights struggles of the 1960s in the South, this novel is a searing portrayal of one family trapped by alcoholism and another living the typical middle class life. A true American story told through the eyes of two girls, best friends, separated by the internment camps of World War II.

Hidden Places by Lynn Austin

No Comments on Hidden Places by Lynn Austin

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1931 – US

A deep yearning for home had led Eliza to Wyatt Orchards ten years ago. Now widowed with three young children, she faces mounting debts and the realization it is all up to her. But she has no idea how to run an orchard alone. When a stranger appears at her doorstep, Eliza guesses he is no different than the other out-of-luck characters searching for work during the Depression. But the familiarity with which Gabe tends to the farm raises unanswered questions. With a vulnerable heart, she is unwittingly drawn to his gentle ways. But Eliza also fears that Gabe hides a past and motives that could jeopardize all she has fought to attain for herself and her children….This Christy-Award winning novel is now a Hallmark Channel Original Movie!

Wednesday’s Child by Linda Chaikin

No Comments on Wednesday’s Child by Linda Chaikin

Goodreads ~ Purchase 

1929 – Texas

For Gemma Alcott, daughter of business tycoon Burgess T. Alcott, III, the summer of 1929 is a season for picnics, sailing parties, and romance. But life becomes difficult when the Alcott wealth is lost in the Wall Street crash known as Black Tuesday. Gemma and her younger sister, Melody, are suddenly destitute. In their time of need, Kace Morgan, a distant relative appears and Gemma realizes she still has choices. But can she handle the loss of all she has known and a new life that is far from the sheltering wealth she has grown up with?

Wednesday’s child might have woe, but life is never so dark that God cannot deliver His own into paths of light. Book 3 in the series.

The Shepherd’s Voice by Robin Lee Hatcher

No Comments on The Shepherd’s Voice by Robin Lee Hatcher

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1934 – Idaho

Gabe Talmadge languished in prison for ten years, convicted of a horrible crime. Now free, he’s unable to find work in the midst of the Great Depression. In desperation, he returns home to Ransom, Idaho, hoping his uncaring father will give him food and shelter, if not love. But the prodigal isn’t welcomed home. Hudson Talmadge, who virtually owns the town, despises his son as much as ever, and Gabe is as powerless as an adult as he was as a child to win his father’s approval.

Hungry and hopeless, Gabe is rescued by the owner of a sheep ranch south of Ransom. Incredibly, Akira Macauley gives him a place to live and work to do. More than that, she gives him hope that he can receive forgiveness of his past – and perhaps even love. But when tragedy strikes Ransom once again and Gabe’s life begins to unravel, he must either sink into an abyss of hopelessness or cling to a faith, hope, and love stronger than any he has ever known.