Wagon Train Baby by Rhonda Gibson

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1860 – Oregon trail

They came together for an orphaned child…Will they stay together for love?

A fresh start, far from the heartache she left behind—that’s all Maggie Porter seeks at the end of the Oregon Trail. But whatever she expected, she never could have imagined finding an orphaned child! Little Lilly May needs a family, and Maggie longs to be a mother. With the help of wagon train scout Adam Walker, that dream finally comes true. As they enter a marriage of convenience to care for the child, dare Maggie hope for the bigger dream of winning Adam’s love?

Dawn’s Untrodden Green by Carolyn Miller

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1812 – England

Not much happens in Theodosia Stapleton’s tiny Northumberland village. Certainly not to her. She has resigned herself to spinsterhood, caring for her ailing mother in the home of her grandfather, known to the locals as “General Contrary.” When her dear friend dies and leaves behind a daughter, it’s simple enough to take the child into her own quiet world. That is, until her ward’s famous uncle unexpectedly arrives and throws Theo’s tidy orbit completely off-kilter.

Fame was the last thing Daniel Balfour sought when he fought in the Peninsular War. But his brave exploits caught the attention of the King, and now the honors he was given hound him everywhere . . . even on his rushed trip to rescue his orphaned niece.

Theo’s quick wit and warm smile reassure him that Rebecca is in good hands, and he finds himself free to swiftly return to London and his responsibilities. But those caring hands are beginning to look like they could also safely hold his heart, and he’s tempted to linger. Unfortunately, marriage is simply not in the cards; the army is spouse enough for him.

Then an accident and a scandal lead both Theo and Daniel to discover that their best-laid plans may not have been what God designed for them after all.

Confessions to a Stranger by Danielle Grandinetti

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1930 – Wisconsin

She’s lost her future. He’s sacrificed his. Now they have a chance to reclaim it—together.

While fleeing for her life, Adaleigh Sirland’s rescue of a child introduces her to a family who provides her safe harbor. When her identity comes under threat of exposure, she must choose between running once more or helping the man who teaches her to hope again.

First mate David Martins is intrigued by the mysterious woman taken in by his grandmother, but she wrestles with a troubled past. When his estranged father is arrested for murder, can David put aside his own struggles in time to discern which secret threatens Adaleigh before it kills them both?

The Husband Dilemma by Jessica Nelson

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Regency – England

She must marry for duty… unless she finds her perfect match

When Lady Ingrid Beauchamp’s parents give her a list of potential husbands, her musical ambitions are plunged into jeopardy. Busy dreaming of studying piano at the Paris Conservatoire, she has no time for marriage. Desperate, Ingrid hires London detective Gideon West to find fault in each suitor. With orphaned children to care for, Gideon is grateful for the fee. But as each name is crossed off the list, could this charming detective be the one man Ingrid might fall for?

Honey from the Rock by Lynnette Bonner

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1898 – Washington

Cora Harrison would like nothing more than to find a godly husband and enjoy the blessing of being a wife and mother. That’s why she’s happy when the new young doctor sets about to ask if he may escort her to dinner. However, the doctor is right in the middle of his request when who on earth should walk in but Kin Davis, Wyldhaven’s rogue traveler. The man she’s fought to forget with every ounce of her being for the past two years. Of course Kin would turn up with that annoying smirk right at this moment! The man is as incorrigible as a rock! So why does the strength in her legs instantly fail and her heart take to flight?

When Kin Davis walks into Dixie’s Boardinghouse and finds the town’s new doctor fawning all over Cora, irritation surges. Despite that, Kin holds no hope of attaining ‘Missionary’ Cora’s interest. She’d never fall for a scoundrel like him. Besides, he has to look after Isaiah Coleman, the kid he rescued from the streets of Seattle. And there’s his law practice to set up. He doesn’t have time to court a woman, no matter how pretty she might be or how pleasurable her company.

That’s what he keeps telling himself until Isaiah’s enemies follow him to town and Cora is put in the crosshairs. It’s then that Kin realizes Cora means more to him than life itself.

Her Frontier Sweethearts by Regina Scott

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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.

Love in the Bargain by Lucette Nel

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1889 – Texas

Driven to rekindle her relationship with her ailing grandfather, Amelia Scott returns to her childhood home. However, her unyielding grandfather is determined to control her future and poses an ultimatum. Marry and inherit the iconic Scott Hotel or return to New York penniless. Amelia is determined to stay, and formulates a plan to ensure proprietorship of her last connection to family. But love is not a part of the deal. She can’t risk another man having control of her.

Ex-convict, now town carpenter, Micah Kelly struggles to raise his deceased sister’s children. When Amelia proposes marriage without love as the answer to both of their problems, he knows better than to say yes. While partnering with his childhood friend may yield an answer to his monetary challenges, he cannot agree to a marriage in name only. His heart is already involved, and that always leads to trouble.

Circumstances put them together, and while they struggle within their new marriage, outside forces are determined to snatch the Scott Hotel from them. Even if it means killing them.

The Welcome Wagon by Jamie Adams

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1867 – Arkansas

When a wagon train is attacked leaving women and children alone and vulnerable, churches throughout the Ozarks take them in. Maggie Lynn and her wards, along with three other women, end up in an out-of-the-way town in Arkansas. Maggie has seen her fair share of loss, but now she’s responsible for raising her orphaned nieces and must find a way to support them.

Sensible small-town sheriff, Owen Sommers, tries to keep the peace when a wagon full of women descends on his city of bachelors, but his principles are challenged when he suspects the ladies have something to hide. His suspicions are confirmed when strangers appear in town looking for what they believe is rightfully theirs.

As tensions rise and hearts become entangled, will Maggie be able to trust Owen with the truth? And what will happen if she does?

Western Brides by Linda Ford

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1898 – Canada

The Bride’s Song
Dora Grant knows what she wants…and what she doesn’t want. She isn’t cut out to be a pioneer and finds the homesteader’s existence unappealing. Her nursing job in a small Canadian town is the life for her. But when a cowboy with bold dreams of heading west becomes her patient, Dora is forced to re-evaluate her dependence on comfort and security. Is love worth the risks?

The Bride’s Joy
Orphaned children, lonely guardians, cautious hearts…can a family be forged from this?

All Harriet has left of the brother she adored is his two little children, his farm…and a neighbor who wants to buy the place. She could manage just fine if only the children weren’t constantly bringing the irritating, handsome man into her sphere.

Kade wants to do what is right for his deceased friend but his plans are derailed by the way Harriet laughs and her gentle way with the children. Can this couple see what’s right in front of their eyes—the chance for love and family?

Unfailing Love by Janette Oke and Laurel Oke Logan

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1900s – Canada

Lillian Walsh and Grace Bennett have learned so much already about caring for children in distress. It hasn’t been easy, but it becomes even more difficult when they suddenly discover that three children have run away. Concerned for the trio’s safety, the sisters will do all they can to find the children.

But the runaways are not the only thing putting the future of the children’s home in question. Lillian is faced with choosing between her dreams with fiancé Walter and her commitment to her sister. Steady Ben Waldin is keen to find where his family settled in Canada and to give little Janie a place to permanently call home. And the sisters receive a pair of surprise visitors that leaves them and their family uncertain.

As all of the people invested in the children’s home seek to determine their paths forward, they begin to realize that sometimes loving well means making difficult choices.

In Honor’s Defense by Karen Witemeyer

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1895 – Texas

He’s Faced Countless Perils on the Battlefield, but Nothing so Dangerous as Falling in Love.

Luke Davenport has been fighting all his life–for respect, for country, and for those unable to fight for themselves. But now that his Horsemen brothers are domesticated, he’s left alone to battle the wildness within. When an opportunity arises to take a job on his own, tracking down a group of rustlers, he jumps at the chance.

Damaris Baxter has mastered the art of invisibility. Plain and quiet, she hides in books and needlework, content to be overlooked. Until her brother dies suddenly, leaving her custody of her nephew. She moves to Texas to care for Nathaniel, determined to create the family for herself that she never thought she’d have and to give him the family he desperately needs.

When Nate finds himself knee-deep in trouble, Luke’s attempt to protect him leaves Damaris feeling indebted to the Horseman. But suspicions grow regarding the mysterious death of Damaris’s brother. And the more questions they ask, the more danger appears, threatening the family Luke may be unable to live without.

Her Guarded Heart by Sharlene MacLaren

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1865 – Ohio

At age twenty-one, Anna Hansen has had more than her share of hardship. Her mother died when she was eleven and her father just passed away under mysterious circumstances, leaving her to care for her ten-year-old brother, Billy Ray. She struggles to hang onto the family farm but it’s facing foreclosure and things are looking grim.

Next door, Jesse Fuller’s drive, work ethic, and skill ensure that his family’s farm is a growing success. His brothers think he should marry Anna to help out her and her kid brother…while also enabling the Fullers to expand their operation. But Jesse has never had romantic feelings for Anna and the idea doesn’t appeal to him.

In the meantime, Horace Blackthorn is hell-bent on acquiring the Hansen farm for reasons of his own. And he’ll do whatever it takes to get it—lie, cheat, steal…even murder.

A Picture of Hope by Liz Tolsma

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1944 – France

A Photojournalist Risks Her Life to Save a Very Special Child

Full of intrigue, adventure, and romance, this series celebrates the unsung heroes—the heroines of WWII.

Journalist Nellie Wilkerson has spent the bulk of the war in London, photographing mothers standing in milk lines—and she’s bored. She jumps at the chance to go to France, where the Allied forces recently landed. There she enlists Jean-Paul Breslau of the French underground to take her to the frontlines. On the journey, they stumble upon a great tragedy, leaving a girl with special needs being orphaned.

Can Nellie and Jean-Paul see the child to a safe haven while being pursued by the Nazis, who are pressed by the advancing Allies and determined to destroy all they can before they flee?

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?

Sustaining Faith by Janette Oke & Laurel Oke Logan

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1900s – Canada

So much has been accomplished. Lillian Walsh has stepped out courageously beyond what she’d ever dreamed of being able to achieve. She and her newly rediscovered sister, Grace, have settled three children from England into new Canadian homes and are prepared to place two more just after the New Year, when it happens–another painful disruption.

A white lie the sisters used to protect some orphans has resulted in an official complaint and a letter revoking the sisters’ permission to manage their little children’s home. And unexpectedly, Walter, the young man who has won Lillian’s heart, departs for a job in the oil industry without leaving any hope for their future, making her confused and lonely.

With more children on their way from England needing caring homes, Lillian and Grace must use every ounce of gumption to keep their mission alive. But when startling information about the past surfaces and a new arrival comes via suspicious circumstances, they’ll have to decide what is worth fighting for and what is better left in God’s hands.

The Seeds of Change by Lauraine Snelling

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1865 – Ohio/Traveling

Larkspur Nielsen is ready for a change. Her parents have passed on, and her older brother is successfully running the family business. She bristles at the small-mindedness that permeates life in her small Ohio community, and she sees little chance of a satisfying future there. She has a little money saved, and after turning the tables on a crooked gambler who had fleeced several locals, including her younger brother, she can stake a new start for herself and her three sisters.

As the gambler’s threats of revenge echo in her ears, she and her sisters head to Independence, Missouri, to join a wagon train bound for Oregon. Knowing that four women traveling together will draw unwanted attention, Larkspur dons a disguise, passing herself off as “Clark” Nielsen, accompanying his three sisters. But maintaining the ruse is more difficult than Larkspur imagined, as is protecting her headstrong, starry-eyed sisters from difficult circumstances and eligible young men. Will reaching their goal prove too much for them?

The Heart’s Charge by Karen Witemeyer

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1894 – Texas

Members of Hanger’s Horsemen, Mark Wallace and Jonah Brooks arrive in Llano County, Texas, to deliver a steed, never expecting they’d deliver a baby as well. Left with an infant to care for, they head to a nearby foundling home, where Mark encounters the woman he’d nearly married a decade ago.

After failing at love, Katherine Palmer dedicated her life to caring for children, teaming up with Eliza Southerland to start Harmony House. From mixed ancestry, illegitimate, and female, Eliza understands the pain of not fitting society’s mold. Yet those are the very attributes that lead her to minister to outcast children. The taciturn Jonah intrigues her with his courage and kindness, but there are secrets behind his eyes–ghosts from wars past and others still being waged.

However, when a handful of urchin children from the area go missing, a pair of Horsemen are exactly what the women need. Working together to find the children, will these two couples find love as well?

Straight for the Heart by Vickie McDonough

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1895 – North Dakota

Orphaned and destitute, Sarah and her two siblings hope to find a home with their uncle.

But when she learns he’s an outlaw, they flee, taking his bag of loot. The children are exhausted, so Sarah leaves them at a hidden campsite, and she takes the gold into the nearby town alone, hoping for a reward. Instead, she’s thrown in jail for being a bank robber. She worries about her younger siblings, and as the days pass, her only hope for release is to marry a man she doesn’t know.

Quinn McFarland comes to town to meet the mail-order bride his grandma sent for, unbeknownst to him. When she doesn’t show, he’s relieved, but he knows Grandma will probably order another bride. The sheriff suggests he marry the gal in his jail so he can drop the charges against her. Quinn balks, but she looks so sweet and innocent that he reconsiders. If he comes home with a bride, he’ll get his grandma off his back about marrying. But when Sarah surprises him with two youngsters, he regrets his decision. And what of the outlaws who are seeking revenge for their loss loot? Maybe this marriage can resolve Quinn’s and Sarah’s predicaments, but can it ever result in true love?

A Groom for Ruby by Laura Ashwood

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1878 – Nebraska

What happens when an abused woman, a broken little boy and an ex-convict come together?

Ruby Fulton has had a tough life, and it isn’t getting any easier after her husband dies. Suffering under his abuse for years, all Ruby wants is independence, peace and a new chance at life. She is barely scraping by herself, and now she’s responsible for one of Last Chance’s orphaned children. The last thing she wants to do is sign herself up for another husband who will make her life miserable. But when the preacher insists that she marry again, what is a woman to do?

Cullen Parker is determined to leave his past behind him and live an honest life. When he hears about Last Chance, Nebraska, he’s sure it is the perfect place to find work. He agrees to work on Ruby’s farm in exchange for room and board, but he definitely isn’t looking for a wife.

It seems like the perfect arrangement, but the town pastor sees a scandal. He insists they get married if Cullen is going to stay. What happens when Cullen offers a marriage of convenience? When Cullen’s criminal past comes calling, the precarious balance of trust and convenience is threatened. Will they—or their marriage—survive?

Could Last Chance hold the answers for both of them?

A Heart’s Blessing by Linda Ford

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1887 – Canada

Two wounded hearts. Two children in danger.

Delcie Morton might be young, but she’s old enough to be responsible for her cousin’s orphaned children. To protect them from their evil uncle, she flees west to Willow Creek. As she settles into her new life running a bakery, she finds it difficult to let down her guard.

Ryder Remington has lost everything. His wife and child are dead. His brother has narrowly missed being hung for a murder he didn’t commit. All he wants is to be left alone so he can forget the past. But when he is wrangled into helping at the cafe, he quickly finds himself in too deep with Delcie and her charges.

When the children are snatched, it is as if Ryder’s past is repeating itself. Can he change the future and earn Delcie’s trust? And more… her heart?

A Bride of Convenience by Jody Hedlund

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1863 – Canada

Unemployed mill worker Zoe Hart jumps at the opportunity to emigrate to British Columbia in 1863 to find a better life and be reunited with her brother, who fled from home after being accused of a crime.

Pastor to miners in the mountains, Abe Merivale discovers an abandoned baby during a routine visit to Victoria and joins efforts with Zoe, one of the newly arrived bride-ship women, to care for the infant. While there, he’s devastated by the news from his fiancee in England that she’s marrying another man.

With mounting pressure to find the baby a home, Zoe accepts a proposal from a miner of questionable character after he promises to help her locate her brother. Intent on protecting Zoe and frustrated by his failed engagement, Abe offers his own hand as groom. After a hasty wedding, they soon realize their marriage of convenience is not so convenient after all.

Journey to Peace by Lyn Cote

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1827 – Texas/Louisiana

Identical twin brothers-stained by an unjust scandal and separated by miles of wilderness~ Two young beauties in jeopardy~Will they learn to trust before it’s too late?

Outcast from his home town New Orleans, Johnny McKuen has taken refuge in Mexican Texas in 1827. He’s still reeling from the aftermath of an engagement gone terribly wrong but trying to build a new life on the frontier. Out of the blue, a friend he considers nearly a brother arrives with Johnny’s neighbor, bleeding and mortally wounded. As he breathes his last, he entrusts his wife to Johnny, a man of honor.

Near to giving birth to another child, the new widow Angel slumps against the bed, her head on her husband’s hand. Her world crumbles. How is she to care for a farm and her children with the birth of a child imminent? And who shot her husband and started to scalp him like a Comanche would? Nothing makes sense.

Keeping the family plantation Beau Rivage going, Callum McKuen alone faces the rejection by New Orleans society.When will his father return from a sojourn East? When will he see his beloved brother again? Has his family abandoned him? Don’t they realize that it’s not just the scandal? Forces resentful of their anti-slavery stand are at work to destroy their livelihood.

On a rare visit to the French Quarter, Callum meets Minette, a lovely young woman who hides her beauty beneath layers of clothing and a hat and scarf. Why isn’t she displaying her beauty in order to find a husband?

Minette also lives under a cloud of unjust scandal. This makes her a target for an unscrupulous man of bad reputation who wants her as his mistress. As the only provider for her grandfather and little sister, she soldiers on even as the scoundrel becomes relentless. Who will free her from this threat?

The twins face these challenges as the gentlemen they were raised to be. Who killed Angel’s husband and why? And how can Callum protect Minette if she won’t trust him? How and when will the twins be reunited? A compelling parallel story you don’t want to miss!

A Cord of Three Strands by Christy Distler

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1756 – Pennsylvania

Born to a French trader and a Lenape woman. Reared by Quakers. As the French & Indian War rages, one man strives for peace–between Pennsylvania and its Indian tribes, and between his own heart and mind.

As 1756 dawns, Isaac Lukens leaves the Pennsylvania wilderness after two years with the Lenape people. He’s failed to find the families of his birth parents, a French trader and a Lenape woman. Worse, the tribe he’s lived with, having rejected his peacemaking efforts, now ravages frontier settlements in retaliation. When he arrives in the Quaker community where he was reared, questions taunt him: Who is he–white man or Lenape? And where does he belong?

Elisabeth Alden, Isaac’s dearest childhood friend, is left to tend her young siblings alone upon her father’s death. Despite Isaac’s promise to care for her and the children, she battles resentment toward him for having left, while an unspeakable tragedy and her discordant courtship with a prominent Philadelphian weigh on her as well.

Elisabeth must marry or lose guardianship of her siblings, and her options threaten the life with her and the children that Isaac has come to love. Faced with Elisabeth’s hesitancy to marry, the prospect of finding his family at last, and the opportunity to assist in the peace process between Pennsylvania and its Indian tribes, Isaac must determine where–and to whom–the Almighty has called him.

A Cord of Three Strands weaves fact and fiction into a captivating portrayal of Colonial-era Quaker life, including Friends’ roles in Pennsylvania Indian relations and in refuting slavery.

Stories that Bind Us by Susie Finkbeiner

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1960s – Michigan

Betty Sweet never expected to be a widow at 40. With so much life still in front of her, she tries to figure out what’s next. She couldn’t have imagined what God had in mind. When her estranged sister is committed to a sanitarium, Betty finds herself taking on the care of a 5-year-old nephew she never knew she had.

In 1960s LaFontaine, Michigan, they make an odd pair. Betty with her pink button nose and bouffant hair. Hugo with his light brown skin and large brown eyes. But more powerful than what makes them different is what they share: the heartache of an empty space in their lives. Slowly, they will learn to trust one another as they discover common ground and healing through the magic of storytelling.

Award-winning author Susie Finkbeiner offers fans a novel that invites us to rediscover the power of story to open the doors of our hearts.

The Damsel’s Intent by Mary Davis

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1893 – Washington

Can Nicole learn to be enough of a lady to snag the handsome rancher?

Nicole Waterby has lived her whole life in the hills away from town due to her grandfather’s mistrust of people. But now he’s passed away, and Nicole is left to care for her two younger cousins. Feeling inadequate to handle the responsibility, she heads down the mountain to fetch herself a husband. She doesn’t realize women don’t wear trousers, buckskins, or carry a gun. She has a lot to learn about being a lady if she’s going to catch a husband. And the quilting circle is just the group of women to help her.

Rancher Shane Keegan has drifted from one location to another to find a place to belong. He longs to have a family of his own but feels doomed to live a life alone. When Nicole crosses his path, he wonders if he can have love, but he soon realizes she’s destined for someone better than a saddle tramp. Even though he knows there’s no future for him with the intriguing mountain girl, he still steps in to help her at every opportunity.

Will love stand a chance while both Nicole and Shane try to be people they are not?

What Momma Left Behind by Cindy K. Sproles

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1898 – Tennessee

Worie Dressar is 19 years old when influenza and dysentery ravage her Appalachian Mountain community in 1898, leaving behind a growing number of orphaned children with no way to care for themselves. Worie’s mother has been secretly feeding a number of these little ones on Sourwood Mountain. But when she dies suddenly, Worie is left to figure out why and how she was caring for them.

Plagued with two good-for-nothing brothers–one greedy and the other a drunkard–Worie fights to save her home and the orphaned children now in her begrudging care. Along the way, she will discover the beauty of unconditional love and the power of forgiveness as she cares for all of Momma’s children.

Storyteller and popular speaker Cindy K. Sproles pens a tender novel full of sacrifice, heartache, and courage in the face of overwhelming obstacles.

Unyielding Hope by Janette Oke and Laurel Oke Logan

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1900s – Canada

As a young girl, Lillian Walsh lost both her parents and a younger sister. Now in her twenties, after enduring the death of her adoptive mother, Lillian must find her place in the world. Just as her adoptive father is leaving for an extended trip to his native Wales, a lawyer appears at the door to inform Lillian that she has inherited a small estate from her birth parents–and that the sister she had long believed dead is likely alive.

When she discovers that her sister, Grace, is living in a city not far away, Lillian rushes to a reunion, fearful that the years of separation will make it hard to reconnect.

When the two sisters meet, Grace is not at all what Lillian expected to find. Though her circumstances have been difficult, Grace has big dreams. Can Lillian set aside her own plans to join her sister in an adventure that will surely change them both?

Blaze’s Hope by Linda Ford

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1886 – Canada

Blaze Hooper has honored the promise he made to his dying mother to take care of his brothers. He’s the responsible one. But sometimes being the responsible one isn’t enough. When he sees Emma for the first time all grown up, it’s as if he’s struck by lightning. The wild, tagalong young girl he remembered is gone. In her place is a woman grown.

Emma came West to find peace after the death of her parents. As she begins to heal and rediscover herself, she realizes how much of her real self she has hidden to try to please others. No more.

Blaze can’t help but be attracted to Emma as she blooms into a confident, independent beauty. When Emma’s former fiance shows up and threatens her safety, Blaze is there to protect her. He just wasn’t expecting to find out that she’s now a wealthy woman—a woman far out of his reach.

Emma desires the things money can’t buy: a home and a family. She thought she might find them with Blaze, but his distance confuses her. Is there hope for their future?

Out of the Embers by Amanda Cabot

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1855 – Texas

Ten years after her parents were killed, Evelyn Radcliffe is once more homeless. The orphanage that was her refuge and later her workplace has burned to the ground, and only she and a young orphan girl have escaped. Convinced this must be related to her parents’ murders, Evelyn flees with the girl to Mesquite Springs in the Texas Hill Country and finds refuge in the home of Wyatt Clark, a talented horse rancher whose plans don’t include a family of his own.

At first, Evelyn is a distraction. But when it becomes clear that trouble has followed her to Mesquite Springs, she becomes a full-blown disruption. Can Wyatt keep her safe from the man who wants her dead? And will his own plans become collateral damage?

Suspenseful and sweetly romantic, Out of the Embers is the first in a new series that invites you to the Texas Hill Country in the 1850s, when the West was wild, the men were noble, and the women were strong.

Jake’s Honor by Linda Ford

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1886 – Canada

Connie has always been the plain one. The responsible one. The dutiful one. She always stood in her beautiful cousin’s shadow, but now her cousin is dead. Connie is left to pick up the pieces and do right by her little niece, Megan, which means delivering the girl to her father. But nothing is as it seems. Jake denies being the father. Worse, the attraction Connie once felt for the enigmatic rancher still exists, though she has always been invisible to him.

Jake Hooper lost his mother, his father, and then his sweetheart, who left him without so much as a word of explanation. When Connie shows up with a child she claims is his, he knows it can’t be true.

Jake determines to take Connie and Megan to Fort Macleod. They aren’t his responsibility. And after all the loss he has suffered, he can’t bear to open his heart again.

But the more time they spend together, the more one charming little girl and her fiery aunt sneak into Jake’s heart. Will he be able to cut ties and leave them on their own? Or will his honor—and his heart—require a different answer?

Wings Like a Dove by Camille Eide

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1933 – Indiana

Can the invisible walls that separate people ever come down?

In 1933, Anna Leibowicz is convinced that the American dream that brought her Jewish family here from Poland is nothing but an illusion. Her father has vanished. Her dreams of college can’t make it past the sweat-shop door. And when she discovers to her shame and horror that she’s with child, her mother gives her little choice but to leave. Deciding her best course of action is to try to find her father, she strikes out…hoping against hope to somehow redeem them both.

When Anna stumbles upon a house full of orphan boys in rural Indiana who are in desperate need of a tutor and a cook, she agrees to postpone her journey. But she knows from the moment she meets their contemplative, deep-hearted caretaker, Thomas Chandler, that she doesn’t dare risk staying too long. She can’t afford to open her heart to them, to him. She can’t risk letting her secrets out.

All too soon, the townspeople realize she’s not like them and begin treating her with the same disdain they give the Sisters of Mercy–the nuns who try to help Thomas and the boys–and Samuel, the quiet colored boy Thomas has taken in. With the Klan presence in the town growing ever stronger and danger to this family increasing the longer she stays, Anna is torn between fleeing to keep them safe…and staying to fight beside them.

Oh, that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest…

Love Protects by Julia David

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1867 – Kentucky

From a desperate yet useful childhood at the Lennhurst Asylum and School for Disabled Children, Anna is married off to a plantation baron, a man old enough to be her father. When he collapses on the frozen pond and drowns, could it be the freedom she’s never known? With barely a day of peace as a young widow, her cold-hearted step sons throw her from their father’s home.
William Gibbs thinks he knows desperation. With the death of their mother, he is left to raise his four younger siblings in their one-room cabin. One deemed a lunatic, who runs from home, he can’t find a moment to keep her safe and work their small tobacco farm. Without the crop, they’ll all be destitute.

On a dark rainy night searching for his missing sister, Will turns to the local reverend for help. Their simple solution is to marry off the woman who has been sheltering in their church. A woman who reports she’s worked with the insane. “A wife will cost you nothing.” The reverend’s wife points out.
Will agrees to take Anna as his wife. Unbeknownst to Will, she wasn’t a paid nurse, but a previous patient at Lennhurst Asylum. Has his desperation and a crowded cabin just gotten worse?

Just as the new family finds care and acceptance for one another, Anna is arrested for the murder of her first husband. Moved with his ever growing feelings for his new wife, Will vows to protect her from the ludicrous charges.

But what about the baby nursing at her breast? It’s not Anna’s first husbands or Will’s baby. And she did not give birth. What kind of hoax is it? Should her past and the innocent babe in her arms sentence her to life behind bars?
Can Will protect her in time?

Mail-Order Refuge by Cindy Regnier

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1889 – Kansas

Rand Stafford isn’t looking for true love. He’d ridden that trail until his fiancée left him with a shattered heart. What he needs now is a wife to help him care for his orphan nieces. Desperate, he sends an advertisement to a Baltimore newspaper and hopes for the best.

Fleeing her former employer who would use her to further his unlawful acts, a newspaper advertisement reads like the perfect refuge to Carly Blair. The idea of escaping the city, the intrigue, and the danger to hide herself on a cattle ranch in Kansas is her best shot for freedom.

But its sanctuary comes with a price–a husband. While marrying a man she doesn’t know or love means sacrificing her dreams, it’s better than being caught by the law.

A Less Convenient Path by Sara Turnquist

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1800s – Old West

Mariena Gu Achi is lost. Her native nation has been ordered to a Reservation but her tribe was attacked en route. She and her young brother are all that remain. Wandering in a wilderness filled with dangerous animals, she doesn’t have a prayer of survival. Until…

Cutie, a hand on the Miller ranch, happens upon them as he is running from his own demons. But will they add to his troubles? Or will Mariena awaken something in him he never expected? Even bring him to believe in himself once more?

A Less Convenient Path is a story of two people without peace. Will they find in each other the very things they are missing?

The Governess of Penwythe Hall by Sarah Ladd

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1811- England

Blamed for her husband’s death, Cordelia Greythorne fled Cornwall and accepted a governess position to begin a new life. Years later her employer’s unexpected death and his last request for her to watch over his five children force her to reevaluate. She can’t abandon the children now that they’ve lost both parents, but their new guardian lives at the timeworn Penwythe Hall . . . back on the Cornish coast she’s tried desperately to forget.

Jac Twethewey is determined to revive Penwythe Hall’s once-flourishing apple orchards, and he’ll stop at nothing to see his struggling estate profitable again. He hasn’t heard from his brother in years, so when his nieces, nephews, and their governess arrive unannounced, he battles both grief at his brother’s death and bewilderment over this sudden responsibility. Jac’s priorities shift as the children take up residence in the ancient halls, but their secretive governess—and the mystery shrouding her past—proves to be a disruption to his carefully laid plans.