Posts with the custom taxonomy term 1870s

The Adventuress by Lori Bates Wright

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1870 – Kansas

Nathaniel Wolfe is wanted for murder.

Former Texas Ranger, Nathan Wolfe, bears an infamous reputation as the country’s most prolific gunslinger, El Lobo. Raised in a Spanish mission on the fringes of Cimarron, New Mexico, he knows what it’s like to be an outcast. He’s spent years carving out a name for himself, but someone’s out to destroy him. The only way to stop them is to joins forces with the Pinkerton Agency as an undercover priest. All goes as planned until he crosses paths with the spitfire daughter of Augas Jamison.

Jessa Jamison has a serious aversion to fast guns and is committed to nabbing the ruthless outlaw who killed her father. Certain she’s found an advocate in the tall cleric, she soon struggles with feelings of guilt brought on by her unfortunate attraction to the handsome stranger.

As they inch closer to the truth, they discover corruption in the territory runs deep, and no one is beyond suspicion. When the imposter strikes again, Nathan is captured at the scene of the crime. It’s to Jessa to listen to her heart and prove his innocence before it’s too late.

A Not So Convenient Marriage by Sandra Merville Hart

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1877 – Ohio

A spinster teacher…a grieving widower…a marriage of convenience and a second chance with the man she’s always loved.
 
When Samuel Walker proposes a marriage of convenience to Rose Hatfield so soon after the death of his wife, she knows he doesn’t love her. She’s loved him since their school days. Those long-suppressed feelings spring to life as she marries him. She must sell her childhood home, quit her teaching job, and move to a new city.

Marrying Rose is harder than Samuel expected, especially with the shadow of his deceased wife everywhere in his life. And he has two young children to consider. Peter and Emma need a mother’s love, but they also need to hold close the memories of their real mother as they grieve her loss.

Life as Samuel’s wife is nothing like Rose hoped, and even the townspeople, who loved his first wife, make Rose feel like an outsider. The work of the farm draws the two of them closer, giving hope that they might one day become a happy family. Until the dream shatters, and the life Rose craves tumbles down around them. Only God can put these pieces back together, but the outcome may not look anything like she planned.

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.

A Model of Devotion by Mary Connealy

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1873 – California

She’s finally claimed her independence . . . how far will she go to keep it?

A brilliant engineer, Jilly Stiles has been educated since childhood to help run her father’s lumber dynasty. With the company safe from her stepfather after the marriages of her two sisters, Jilly can now focus on her dream of building a mountaintop railroad–and never marry.

Nick Ryder came into Jilly’s life when he saved her mother from her no-good stepfather, and he’s prepared to protect Jilly from anything that threatens to harm her–as long as he keeps his heart from getting involved.

But when a cruel and powerful man goes to dangerous lengths to make Jilly his own, she must make a decision between her safety and her hard-won independence.

Inventions of the Heart by Mary Connealy

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1872 – California

Her heart seeks safety. But will trouble find her even here?

After her sister’s marriage, Michelle Stiles is left hiding at Two Harts Ranch with the handsome but stubborn Zane Hart. She’s managed to stay one step ahead of her stepfather and his devious plans, but if he finds her, she will no longer be safe.

Zane has problems of his own. Having discovered a gold mine on his property, he must figure out how to harvest it without kicking off a gold rush. Michelle, educated and trained to run her father’s business, wants to manage all aspects of the mine, but Zane thinks for a person so smart she can have some misguided ideas. Running the mining operation will be a dangerous job, and he can’t risk putting her in harm’s way.

But danger finds Michelle anyway when she’s suddenly attacked. If they go to the sheriff, they’ll reveal her location, but if they do nothing . . . their troubles have only just begun.

Sparrow’s Hope by Lisa Prysock

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1878 – Montana

Dr. Ezekiel Knight arrives in Montana Territory after graduating from a medical university in Philadelphia, to set up his first practice in Honey River Canyon. The heir to his family’s steel corporation, Zeke has no shortage of wealth, but his interest lies in helping others achieve good health. He’s drawn to Miss Jacqueline Hayes but clashes with her almost instantly.

Able to shoot better than most men in the Wild West, Jacqueline Hayes is full of spunk, sass, and spitfire. Her main ambition in life is to marry well and never worry again about having a shortage of fine dresses. On a spiritual collision course headed for a wasteland as her destiny, several catastrophes requiring Dr. Knight’s assistance change everything.

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

Cherry Crossing by Lisa Prysock

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1877 – Montana

Jocelyn Hayes and her two younger sisters have inherited the family farm in Honey River Canyon, Montana Territory, after their parents perished in a blizzard. Fast forward to 1877, five and a half years later, Josie is no longer seventeen going on eighteen, trying to survive. At twenty-three, beautiful, vivacious, and independent, she has learned to succeed. She has a strong desire to expand Cherry Crossing into the horse farm Pa had always envisioned, but one man stands in the way, Jacob Hunter. Infuriated, Josie hopes to change his mind, but can she fight a man she finds so infuriatingly attractive?

Jake Hunter arrives from Philadelphia, running from things in his past, shaking his faith. After inheriting his grandfather’s trading post, the mayor’s mansion, and remaining town plots in Honey River Canyon, maybe a fresh start is exactly what he needs. He instantly clashes with Miss Jocelyn Hayes, the belligerent beauty who accuses him of swindling her out of the horse he purchases. Although he never met his grandfather, a man of honor, Jake is no swindler, but convincing Josie otherwise proves challenging and complicated.

When a cattle baron’s son turns up dead, fingers point to Jake, and now he must prove his innocence, win Josie’s heart, live up to his grandfather’s legacy, and carve out a place for himself within the community. In a rock and a hard place, he finds he can’t do any of it without his faith in God.

Gracie’s Surrender by Blossom Turner

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1879 – Virginia

Helping the orphan children in Richmond just might overturn everything Gracie thought she knew, including the value of love.

Gracie Williams has always had an adventurous streak, which led her from her home in the Shenandoah Valley to Richmond, Virginia, where she can devote her life to the orphan children. Though her beauty has brought on the advances of many men, she has no plans to marry, and finds suitors an unfortunate irritation she doesn’t have time for—much to her parents’ chagrin.

When she befriends Matthew Weston, the mature and serious orphanage superintendent, she confides in him and believes he shares her goals. Neither are prepared for the sparks that fly. Tension grows as Matthew falls in love with her, yet realizes he is just another man in the long line of would-be suitors.

A family crisis, an orphan train, and the plight of a sweet orphan named Emma throw the couple together in deep and meaningful ways. But will this be enough for Gracie to embrace a new way of thinking, and the gift of love that only true soulmates can share?

The Element of Love by Mary Connealy

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1872 – California

She mixed danger, desperation, and deception together. Love was not the expected outcome.

With their sharp engineering minds, Laura Stiles and her two sisters have been able to deal with their mother’s unfortunate choice in husband until they discovered his plans to marry each of them off to his lecherous friends. Now they must run away–far and fast–to find better matches to legally claim their portion of their father’s lumber dynasty and seize control from their stepfather.

During their escape, Laura befriends a mission group heading to serve the poor in California. She quickly volunteers herself and her sisters to join their efforts. Despite the settlement being in miserable condition, the sisters are excited by the opportunity to put their skills to good use. Laura also sees potential in Caleb, the mission’s parson, to help with gaining her inheritance. But when secrets buried in Caleb’s past and in the land around them come to light, it’ll take all the smarts the sisters have to keep trouble at bay.

Love’s Fortress by Love’s Fortress

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1875/Present Day – Florida

An Epic Love Story From the Past Brings Closure to Dani’s Fractured Family Roots

Upon receiving word that her long-estranged father has passed away, Dani Sango inherits the former art forger’s entire estate. Among his many pieces of artwork are a series of obviously Native American drawings and paintings, which lead her to research St. Augustine of 1875. White Elk is transported to Florida to join other Cheyenne braves already being held in Fort Marion. Sally Jo Harris is at the fort teaching the Indians. When a friendship develops between them and false accusations fly, it could cost them their lives. Can Dani discover how their story ends and how it shaped her own father’s life?

The Lady’s Mine by Francine Rivers

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1875 – California

When Kathryn Walsh arrives in tiny Calvada, a mining town nestled in the Sierra Nevadas, falling in love is the farthest thing from her mind. Banished from Boston by her wealthy stepfather, she has come to claim an inheritance from the uncle she never knew: a defunct newspaper office on a main street overflowing with brothels and saloons, and a seemingly worthless mine. Moved by the oppression of the local miners and their families, Kathryn decides to relaunch her uncle’s newspaper—and then finds herself in the middle of a maelstrom, pitted against Calvada’s most powerful men. But Kathryn intends to continue to say—and publish—whatever she pleases, especially when she knows she’s right.

Matthias Beck, owner of a local saloon and hotel, has a special interest in the new lady in town. He instantly recognizes C. T. Walsh’s same tenacity in the beautiful and outspoken redhead—and knows all too well how dangerous that family trait can be. While Kathryn may be right about Calvada’s problems, her righteousness could also get her killed. But when the handsome hotelier keeps finding himself on the same side of the issues as the opinionated Miss Walsh, Matthias’s restless search for purpose becomes all about answering the call of his heart.

Everyone may be looking to strike it rich in this lawless boomtown, but it’s a love more precious than gold that will ultimately save them all.

The Nanny Proposal by Tracey Bateman

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1870 – Iowa

Fixing a family wasn’t the plan… But a father and son need her help.

Hazel O’Brien is eager to settle in Iowa and start her mail-order marriage—but her chosen match has picked another bride! Scrambling for a way to support herself, Hazel is forced to take the job no one else in town wants: nanny to six-year-old menace Louie Murphy. Chasing after the pint-size troublemaker is not the future Hazel imagined, but she may be just what Louie and Ezra—his lonely, melancholy father—need…as a nanny, a mother and a second chance at love.

Protecting Annie by Jodie Wolfe

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1876 – Kansas

After twenty years living along the trail as a deputy U.S. Marshal, Joshua Walker takes a job as sheriff in Burrton Springs, Kansas so he can be closer to his sister. Only problem is, she no longer requires his protecting.

After the death of her father, Annie McPherson needs a change. She accepts a position as schoolmarm hoping her past won’t catch up with her. Life is good, except for the pesky lawman who creates confrontations at every turn and continually questions her ability to adjust to life in the west.

When the irritating schoolteacher’s past and present collide, dragging Josh into the turmoil, he has to decide who he’s willing to defend.

Love on the Range by Mary Connealy

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1870 – Wyoming

Falling for someone who doesn’t want to get married is soon be the least of his concerns.

While his brothers and their new wives search for who shot him, Wyatt Hunt is temporarily bedridden and completely miserable. Somehow Molly Garner’s limited skills have made her the most qualified in their circle to care for Wyatt. But by the time he’s healed, she’s fed up with him and the whole ungrateful family. For even worse than his grumpiness were the few unguarded moments when he pulled at her heartstrings, and she has been long determined to never repeat her mother’s mistakes.

When alternate plans of finding her own independent life fall through, Molly volunteers to work for the Pinkertons and help investigate nearby ranch owner Oliver Hawkins. She signs on to be his housekeeper, hoping to find clues to prove his nefarious, and possibly murderous, past. Wyatt refuses to let her risk it alone and offers to act as Hawkins’s new foreman.

But when another Pinkerton agent gets shot, they realize Hawkins isn’t the only danger. The Hunt brothers will have to band together to face all the troubles of life and love that suddenly surround them.

Waiting on Love by Tracie Peterson

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1872 – Great Lakes

She’s made big promises. It’ll take everything she’s got to keep them.

Crisscrossing the Great Lakes onboard her father’s freighter ship, the Mary Elise, Elise Wright has grown up cooking and caring for the crew. It is a life she loves. Unlike her estranged sister, Elise has turned down numerous opportunities for a “respectable life” with their wealthy relatives. And now, because of promises she made to her dying mother, she’s bound to the ship and her deeply grieving father more than ever.

Nick Clark is grateful to be hired on as the Mary Elise‘s first mate as he works to overcome his own guilt and others’ censure for a fatal decision he made captaining another ship. He feels protective of the Wrights and their generous natures, especially when a rough new sailor seems intent on causing serious trouble.

As the sailor’s misdeeds grow, tragedy swells up from another corner. Left to pick up the pieces of the commitments they’ve made to themselves and to each other, Nick and Elise will have to rely on their faith to see them through.

There All Along by Susanne Dietze

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Miss Match—Colorado, 1879

Brainy Grace Perkins applies scientific principles to play matchmaker for the singles in her small town. However, her hypothesis leaves out God’s role and matters of the heart, creating tangled results.

Love’s Reward—California, 1896

It was a joke, offering a monetary reward for the capture of a shy architect’s heart—but the game is on for every female in San Francisco except charity-minded Josie Price, who won’t compete for Daniel Blair’s affections. Just his bank account.

Lucinda’s Defender by Blossom Turner

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1874 – Virginia

Life hasn’t turned out at all like Lucinda expected, but neither is the depth of love one man has for her.

The young and impetuous Lucinda Williams, through a series of bad decisions, is now in a situation she never dreamed conceivable—an unplanned baby and marriage to a man who proves to be far darker than she ever imagined. Pain is a cruel teacher but brings instant maturity.

Joseph Manning, a childhood friend who watched the love of his life leave, is heartbroken to find the bruised waif of a girl he rescues less than a year later. What atrocities did she experience to change the vivacious, bubbly soul into this shell of hopelessness? Broken. Bruised. Beaten. Does love really have the power to heal all wounds?

Lucinda marvels at how Joseph effortlessly whittles his way back into her heart and that of her child with kindness and respect. But she has a secret far too dark to allow the kind Joseph into her life. He deserves so much better than the likes of her. Is love strong enough to break down the barriers of bad choices? Can a second chance at happiness really be possible?

Bluebird on the Prairie by Tasha Hackett

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1879 – Nebraska

A woman determined to hide. A joyful man with the heart of a wanderer.

The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away. For young widow Eloise, all she sees is the taking. Now content to find purpose in raising her baby nephew, Eloise hides from life. If she doesn’t open her heart, it won’t have any reason to break. When a lost traveler tumbles into her solitude, she’s forced to consider if God still has good things in store for her.

Carefree Zeke James searches for fun and adventure. Act now, figure it out later. After weeks of lonely travel, a scandalous chance meeting throws him into the path of an enchanting and aloof woman. Despite his plans to pass through this Swedish town after earning a few dollars, Zeke’s choices tangle him further with the woman whose eyes beg for hope.

When a misguided attempt to defend Eloise’s honor lands Zeke in trouble, he’s left to choose between dreams he’s carried since childhood and the chance to bring light to an aching heart.

Forever My Own by Tracie Peterson

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1871 – Minnesota

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

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

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

A Man with a Past by Mary Connealy

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1870 – Wyoming

Falcon Hunt awakens without a past, or at least not one he can recall. He’s got brothers he can’t remember, and he’s interested in the prettiest woman in the area, Cheyenne. Only trouble is, a few flashes of memory make Falcon wonder if he’s already married. He can’t imagine abandoning a wife. But his pa did just that–twice. When Falcon claims his inheritance in the West, Cheyenne is cut out of the ranch she was raised on, leaving her bitter and angry. And then Falcon kisses her, adding confusion and attraction to the mix.

Soon it’s clear someone is gunning for the Hunt brothers. When one of his brothers is shot, Falcon and Cheyenne set out to find who attacked him. They encounter rustled cattle, traitorous cowhands, a missing woman, and outlaws that take all their savvy to overcome. As love grows between these two independent people, Falcon must piece together his past if they’re to have any chance at a future.

Rescuing Her Heart by Cindy Ervin Huff

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1870 – Kansas

As her husband’s evil deeds haunt a mail-order bride from the grave, can she learn to trust again and open her heart to true love? 

On visitation rounds as a lay preacher, the last thing rancher Jed Holt expects is to be shot at from the barn next to a burned-down homestead. But the soot-covered woman hiding inside needs protecting, and Jed is the man to do it whether she likes it or not. Delilah James’s nightmares began when she came to Kansas as a mail-order bride. Her husband was nothing like his letters. Now that he is dead, she can’t shake his abuse from her heart. Trusting men tops her never-again list and taking a job on the Holt ranch as a housekeeper is a means to save money and bring her parents west. But her attraction to the compassionate former chaplain both angers and confuses her. 

Jed has his own nightmares from a POW camp and understands Delilah better than she knows. Can two broken people form a forever bond?

The Scarlet Pen by Jennifer Uhlarik

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1876 – Ohio

Enjoy a tale of true but forgotten history of a 19th century serial killer whose silver-tongued ways almost trap a young woman into a nightmarish marriage.

In 1876, Emma Draycott is charmed into a quick engagement with childhood friend Stephen Dee Richards after reconnecting with him at a church event in Mount Pleasant, Ohio. But within the week, Stephen leaves to “make his fame and fortune.” The heartbroken Emma gives him a special pen to write to her, and he does with tales of grand adventures. Secret Service agent Clay Timmons arrives in Mount Pleasant to track purchases made with fake currency. Every trail leads back to Stephen—and therefore, Emma. Can he convince the naive woman she is engaged to a charlatan who is being linked a string of deaths in Nebraska?

These Golden Years by Sara Turnquist

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1870s – Arizona

Dorothy “Cook” Miller and “Uncle” Owen Miller are living their best life and marriage. Though it is not without bumps along the way. Join them as they walk through the year together with its measure of mishaps and laughs. This collection of short stories shows that marriage can be fraught with misunderstanding. But also has its share of lighter moments.

An Inconvenient Acquaintance by Sara Turnquist

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1870s – Arizona

Ada Clara Miller is the new schoolteacher in Tombstone. Her desire for independence stems from her brother’s tales of the west. But she never expected to find herself torn between two men—one who promises safety and security, the other’s future is uncertain and offers excitement.

Though Francis “Slim” Dagley is determined that he will not become involved with a woman of privilege, Ada’s fiery personality intrigues him. And draws him. Soon he is vying for her heart with a man he’d rather not trifle with.

Making matters worse, a violent gang skirts the law and makes life difficult for well-meaning ranchers. And their interactions with the Earps create ripples through Tombstone.

Will Slim and Ada find what they seek in each other? Or will they become caught up in a piece of history—the shootout at the O.K. Corral?

A Patchwork Past by Leslie Gould

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1871 – Illinois

When wild child Sophie Deiner–the daughter of an Amish bishop–is forced to return to Nappanee, Indiana, quilt-shop owner Jane Berger is one of only a few who welcome her back. It’s the last place she wants to be, but Sophie’s recent illness requires that she recover for a while.

As Sophie heals, she befriends a group of migrant workers and is appalled to learn of the wretched living conditions they’re forced to endure. Sophie begins advocating on their behalf, but soon finds herself opposed by an ex-boyfriend who is the farm foreman.

Jane begins relating the story of an Amish couple who rescued survivors of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, many of whom were Irish immigrants. And Sophie is more convinced than ever that she needs to fight for the powerless. But when digging deeper makes conditions even worse, has she chosen a fight she can’t win?

Braced for Love by Mary Connealy

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1870 – Wyoming

Left with little back in Missouri, Kevin Hunt takes his younger siblings on a journey to Wyoming when he receives news that he’s inheriting part of a ranch. The catch is that the ranch is also being given to a half brother he never knew existed. Turns out, Kevin’s supposedly dead father led a secret and scandalous life.

But danger seems to track Kevin along the way, and he wonders if his half brother, Wyatt, is behind the attacks. Finally arriving at the ranch, everyone is at each other’s throats and the only one willing to stand in between is Winona Hawkins, a nearby schoolmarm.

Despite being a long-time friend to Wyatt, Winona can’t help but be drawn to the earnest, kind Kevin–and that puts her in the cross hairs of somebody’s dangerous plot. Will they all be able to put aside their differences long enough to keep anyone from getting truly hurt?

Love Finds an Outlaw by Diana Lesire Brandmeyer

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1876 – Kansas

Can a pistol-packing spinster and an adventure-loving reporter find love amidst the mishaps and trials of the Sana Fe railroad’s ill-fated inaugural excursion?

Mary Outlaw has a ticket to ride the Santa Fe train on a sight-seeing excursion from Topeka, Kansas to Pueblo, Colorado.  She intends to live life unrestrained on this trip because it may be her only chance unless she can convince her father to let her choose her own husband. A future of cooking and babies is not the life she wants.

News reporter, Wyatt Cross bought the last ticket for the excursion, hoping one of the 84 women (he knows because he checked before buying his ticket for this scenic tour) would be someone he could love and who would share his sense of adventure. This is a last-ditch effort to keep his father happy and to preserve his inheritance. While waiting to board, he notices a tall, beautiful woman, Mary. The speed her hands move while she speaks fascinates him. Hope sparks inside of him. Maybe the trip will turn out to be more than a scenic ride up the mountain.

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?

In This Hope by Jennifer A. Davids

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1874 – London

No condemnation…

Lady Charlotte Kingsley returns to London after spending a year on the Continent to avoid a vicious scandal. Once dubbed The Manipulative Matron by the press, she hopes the worst has blown over and she can live life on her terms. She also seeks to return to the faith of her youth. But a God who does not condemn her is a hard truth to embrace.

Over two years ago, Thomas Howard left prison. Having reconciled with God and his family, he lives a quiet life. He longs to return to the world of art, but can he re-awaken his talent? And though he is convinced God has forgiven his past, what can persuade the woman he nearly ruined to do the same?

When a chance meeting throws the two together, a friendship forms. But their reputations as social pariahs are too delicious for the scandal-mongers to resist. Their pasts return to haunt them and may ruin more than just their growing feelings for one another. Despite the world’s harsh judgment, can they find hope that in Christ there is now no condemnation?

Her Secret Song by Mary Connealy

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1874 – Colorado

After a rough winter spent alone, Ursula Nordegren realizes she must overcome her fears of the outside world and begins a trek down Hope Mountain. Along the way she finds a badly wounded stranger and realizes God may have used her decision to leave as a way of saving the man.

Wax Mosby was climbing Hope Mountain in part to atone for his terrible choices. He was hired to drive out the Warden family and now knows he was duped. But when he’s wounded during the climb, the last person he expects to rescue him is a beautiful blond woman with the voice of an angel.

As both Ursula and Wax weigh the costs of living new lives, the two find an unlikely bond. And they’re joined by Ursula’s sisters and the Warden family as the final showdown over the family ranch looms with the coming of spring.

A Convenient Escape by Sara Turnquist

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1870s – Arizona

She has nowhere to go. He has nothing to lose.

Lily McAllen has known nothing but hardship and rejection. Her brother, the only person she can lean on, takes a job at the Miller ranch. Now with no ally, she is alone, confined, and vulnerable. Even God has forsaken her. She becomes desperate to get away…by any means necessary.

Despite his best intentions, Daniel Hayworth is drawn into a fatal mishap. He feels responsible. And is prepared to do whatever it takes to ensure Lily is cared for…even if that means proposing marriage.

Complicating matters, Geronimo and his raiding band terrorize the surrounding areas. Troubles mount and tensions challenge the growing attraction between Dan and Lily.

Will they make it to the church? Or find themselves victims of lies, disillusionment, or the ire of an Apache rebel?

The Way of Love by Tracie Peterson

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1879 – Oregon

Faith Kenner is pursuing her dream to become a doctor at Willamette University’s medical college so she can use her gift for healing to help those in need, especially the native populations forced onto reservations and then neglected. When she meets Andrew Gratton, a handsome riverboat captain who has been injured on his ship, she uses her skills to tend his wound, and a friendship grows between them. Andrew admires her strength and willingness to stand her ground, and Faith appreciates his intelligence and compassion. But Faith holds a secret that means their friendship can never become anything more, so she must bury her feelings for Andrew as best she can.

When her fellow students put together lectures to speak out against Oregon’s racist laws and policies, Faith is eager to participate. But some powerful men have other plans for their state, and soon Faith is caught in the middle of a plot to push the local Indian tribes to rebel. As she and Andrew fight for the rights of others, their love for each other grows. Can they trust that God has a way toward love for them, or will her secret stand in the way of their one chance for true happiness?

A Reckless Love by Beth White

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1870 – Mississippi

In the fine tradition established by her Southern grandmama, Aurora Daughtry has recently orchestrated the marriage of her eldest sister and facilitated her middle sister’s engagement. She also rejoices in her part in transforming the family’s dilapidated plantation manor into a luxurious and lucrative resort hotel. Just when it seems there is nothing left to absorb her considerable talent for managing people, in walks federal deputy marshal Zane Sager.

But Zane is not at Daughtry House for a vacation. He’s tracking a killer and collecting two key witnesses to a federal judge’s murder.

Aurora takes it upon herself to disabuse the cynical lawman of his conviction that the world–and God in particular–is out to get him. But just as she’s on the verge of cracking Zane’s defenses, the man he is after reminds him that no one he loves is safe. Ever.

Love’s Silver Bullet by Julie Lessman

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1872 – Nevada

She’s targeting his love. He’s aiming to steer clear. ‘Til true love picks them off in a bull’s-eye of the heart.

Eighteen-year-old Sheridan Donovan has been in love with Jake Sullivan since the age of four, when she used to tag after him and her big brothers on the Silver Lining Ranch. From little on, Jake has been her hero, convincing her brothers to play school and wedding with her whenever she’d begged and cried. From horsey rides and tickle fests to his sweet willingness to be her pretend groom, Jake’s gentleness and affection had nurtured two dreams in Sheridan’s heart—becoming both a teacher and Mrs. Jake Sullivan. Preferably not in that order.

At the age of thirty, Jake figures he pretty much has everything he needs at the moment. A good job as the Assistant Foreman for Silver Lining Ranch, great friends in Blaze and Dash Donovan, and a true mentor in their uncle and owner of the ranch, Finn McShane, the man who’d given him a family to replace the one he lost. But when Finn’s niece, Sheridan—Blaze’s and Dash’s little sister to whom Jake became a big brother as well—turns eighteen, Jake discovers there’s one more thing he needs: distance and lots of it. From pinafores and bows at age six to overalls and dirt till age fifteen, the grown-up Sheridan looks nothing like the little girl who’d once been his constant shadow, now transformed into a young woman who races his heart. Painfully aware that Sheridan is determined to win his love, Jake is equally determined to keep a promise to her uncle, a promise that not only shoots a hole in his well-ordered life, but in his heart as well.