Stardust by Carla Stewart

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Starduststardust

1952 – Texas

Shortly after burying her unfaithful husband, Georgia Peyton unexpectedly inherits the derelict Stardust motel from a distant relative. Despite doubts from the community and the aunt who raised her, she is determined to breathe new life into it. But the guests who arrive aren’t what Georgia expects: Her gin-loving mother-in-law; her dead husband’s mistress; an attractive but down-on-his-luck drifter who’s tired of the endless road; and an aging Vaudeville entertainer with a disturbing link to Georgia’s past.

Can Georgia find the courage to forgive those who’ve betrayed her, the grace to shelter those who need her, and the moxy to face the future? And will her dream of a new life under the flickering neon of the STARDUST ever come true?

Revealing Fire by Connie Stevens

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revealingfireGoodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1884 – Iowa

Pearl Dunnigan is in her September years, well beyond the age when most women fall in love. She married her childhood sweetheart years ago. Now as a widow, she operates the only boardinghouse in Willow Creek, Iowa, and is content with  life. . .until Hubert Behr convinces her to dream again.

Hubert’s estranged son arrives in town, and his anger and scorn threaten to undo Hubert’s and Pearl’s plans. When all the truth is revealed, will their love be destroyed or refined by fire?

 

Bandit’s Hope by Marcia Gruver

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Bandit's Hope (Backwoods Brides)Bandit’s Hope (Backwoods Brides)banditshope

1882 – Mississippi

Stream on down to Mississippi, the setting of Marcia Gruver’s second book in the breathtaking Backwoods Bride series. Reddick “Tiller” McRae is tired of the outlaw life, even more so when he falls for a respectable innkeeper’s daughter. Will he face the gallows before he can win her hallowed heart? Maria Bell is tired of waiting for God to bring her a husband and protector. Taking matters of the law and love into her own hands, she sets a trap to catch a thief and a husband. What will she do when she finds out they are one and the same?

A Bond Never Broken by Judith Miller

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A Bond Never Brokenabondneverbroken

1917 – Iowa

For many years, Ilsa Redlich has helped her parents run a hotel in South Amana, but as the United States enters the Great War, she can feel her world changing. The residents of the towns surrounding the Amana Colonies used to be accepting of their quiet, peaceful neighbors, but with anti-German sentiment running high, the Amana villages are now plagued by vandalism, threats, and insults. Things get even worse when Ilsa finds out her family won’t be allowed to speak German in public–and that Garon, the childhood friend she’s long been smitten with, has decided to join the army.

Jutta Schmidt is shocked when several members of the Council of National Defense show up on her family’s doorstep. Sure, the Schmidts once lived in the Amana Colonies, but that was years ago. She’s even more surprised when the council demands that she travel to Amana and report back on any un-American activities. Not daring to disobey the government agents, Jutta takes a job at the South Amana hotel, befriends the daughter of the owners, and begins to eavesdrop every chance she gets.

When Jutta hears Ilsa making antiwar remarks and observes Garon assisting a suspicious outsider, she is torn at the prospect of betraying her new friends. But what choice does she have? And when Garon is accused of something far worse than Jutta could imagine, can the Amana community come to his aid in time?

Maid to Match by Deeanne Gist

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Maid to Matchmaidtomatch

1898 – Carolinas

From the day she arrives at the Biltmore, Tillie Reese is dazzled–by the riches of the Vanderbilts and by Mack Danvers, a mountain man turned footman. When Tillie is enlisted to help tame Mack’s rugged behavior by tutoring him in the ways of refined society, the resulting sparks threaten Tillie’s efforts to be chosen as Edith Vanderbilt’s lady’s maid. But the stakes rise even higher when Mack and Tillie become entangled in a cover-up at the town orphanage. They could both lose their jobs…and their hearts.

The Anonymous Bride by Vickie McDonough

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The Anonymous Brideanonymousbride

1886 – Texas

Three mail-orders brides arrive in Lookout, Texas, each expecting to marry the local marshal. But—he didn’t order a bride. When a contest ensues to discover which bride will make him the best wife, there is a surprise fourth entry–an anonymous one. Mayhem occurs as the whole town tries to figure out who the anonymous bride is, and the mayor pressures the marshal to pick a bride or lose his job. Will Marshal Davis tuck tail and run for the hills? Or will he lose his heart and his bachelorhood?

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Hearts Awakening by Delia Parr

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heartsawakeningHearts Awakening

1840 – Pennsylvania

With no means to support herself, Ellie Kilmer agrees to work as a housekeeper for the young widower who lives on Dillon Island, hopeful she can obtain a proper reference. But Jackson Smith quickly realizes that Ellie’s presence may solve his own problems–both the rearing of his young boys and the scandal that surrounds his first marriage.

When a marriage of convenience is offered, Ellie is initially humiliated. Though she is past the age most women marry, she has more pride than to agree to his outlandish suggestion. Yet what options does she have? To marry would mean a home and stability. So despite the rumors circling Jackson and his first wife, Ellie accepts this unlikely proposal…

Heart of Stone by Jill Marie Landis

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heartofstoneHeart of Stone: A Novel (Irish Angel Series)

1874 – Texas

She had the darkest of pasts. And he had everything to lose by loving her. Laura Foster, free from the bondage of an unspeakable childhood, has struggled to make a new life for herself. Now the owner of an elegant boardinghouse in Glory, Texas, she is known as a wealthy, respectable widow. But Laura never forgets that she is always just one step ahead of her past. When Reverend Brand McCormick comes calling, Laura does all she can to discourage him as a suitor. She knows that if her past were discovered, Brand’s reputation would be ruined. But it’s not only Laura’s past that threatens to bring Brand down—it’s also his own. When a stranger in town threatens to reveal too many secrets, Laura is faced with a heartbreaking choice: Should she leave Glory forever and save Brand’s future? Or is it worth risking his name—and her heart—by telling him the truth?

Courting Emma by Sharlene MacLaren

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Courting Emma (Little Hickman Creek Series #3)courtingemma

1896 -Kentucky

Twenty-eight-year-old Emma Browning has experienced a good deal of life in her young age. Proprietor of Emma s Boardinghouse, she is mother to an array of beefy, unkempt, often rowdy characters. Though many men would like to get to know the steely, hard-edged, yet surprisingly lovely proprietor, none has truly succeeded. That is, not until the town s new pastor, Jonathan Atkins, takes up residence in the boardinghouse, affecting not only her with his devout faith and strong convictions, but her clientele as well. Emma clings desperately to her stubborn ways, refusing to acknowledge God s love until all of Little Hickman witnesses a miracle the conversion of her abusive and alcoholic father, Ezra! Only then will Emma begin to experience God s transforming power at work.

Bayou Dreams by Kathleen Y’Barbo

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Goodreadsbayoudreams ~ Purchase

1940s – Louisiana

Amalie leaves her Louisiana home against her parents’ wishes. Hollywood in the 1940s isn’t what she expected, but even a mugging fails to dim the starlight in her eyes. When acting roles seem hard to get, she takes a job as a waitress. Rob Tratelli, son of a famous movie producer, hates the emptiness of the Hollywood lifestyle. To help a friend, he takes on the job as cook in a diner, and there he meets a lovely Southern girl. As he loses his heart to Amalie Breaux, Rob fears his real identity could cause her to love him for the wrong reasons. Can she make things right at home and in her heart? Will Amalie trust God to fulfill her Bayou Dreams?