Brave by Mesu Andrews

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1018 BC – Israel

In the tumultuous world of ancient Israel, Ahinoam–a dagger-wielding Kenite woman–flees her family farm with her unconventional father to join the ragtag band of misfits led by the shepherd-turned-warrior David ben Jesse. As King Saul’s treasonous accusations echo through the land, Ahinoam’s conviction that David’s anointing makes him Yahweh’s chosen king propels her on a perilous journey to Moab and back into Judah’s unforgiving wilderness, only to encounter more hardship and betrayal.

Amid the challenges, Ahinoam forges an unexpected bond with David’s sister and gains respect among David’s army through her knowledge of Kenite metalworking. Though some offer friendship, Ahinoam, scarred by past relationships, isolates to avoid more pain and refuses to acknowledge her growing feelings for the renegade king. As Ahinoam’s heart grapples for footing, King Saul’s army closes in, and Ahinoam must confront the true meaning of love, loyalty, and courage. Is she brave enough to trust new friends and love Israel’s next king?

Hold Her Close by Hannah Currie

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1424 – Fictitious Kingdom

Firstborn of King Lior and heir to the throne of Raedonleith, Lady Rose has always known what was expected of her—marry a prince, bear a child, continue the royal line. None of that involved confirmation weeks before her wedding that she’s barren. Nor her betrothed deserting her at the news. Through years of pain, bleeding and loss, her faith has kept her strong but this last blow strikes deep into her spirit. Rose knew she was broken. Now the rest of Raedonleith will too.

More comfortable amid books than battles, Prince Nicholas of Belairisia is as surprised as anyone when he claims Lady Rose’s hand for himself upon first meeting. In front of every noble in Raedonleith. But neither does he regret it. Though it’s impulsive and out of character for the studious prince, there’s something in Rose’s fragile beauty that captivates Nicholas. She’s the treasure he’s searched his whole life to find. Armed with patience and hope, Nicholas determines to wait as long as it takes to prove his devotion.

But when an attempt on Rose’s life forces King Lior’s hand, the two are thrust into a marriage neither of them are prepared for, and a journey through enemy territory which may end the relationship before it’s barely begun.

New Star by Lana Christian

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4 BC – Persia

Akilah, a highly respected priest-scholar in Magi society, considers all his astronomy discoveries well-deserved stepping-stones to a more fulfilling life. But the appearance of a new star challenges his priorities. As Persia totters on the brink of an undesirable king coming to power, Akilah declines a position that could turn that tide. Instead, he studies a star that doesn’t appear in any almanac or religious writings. Except Jewish.

When he and his colleagues uncover a few Jewish prophecies linking the star to an eternal king, Akilah becomes the target of Persia’s religious and governmental conflicts. Jailed for crimes he didn’t commit, Akilah must rely on questionable resources to free himself and reach Jerusalem.

Persia’s purists aren’t the only ones bent on keeping their country free of Jewish influences. As dangers at home and abroad plunge Akilah and his colleagues into three countries’ religious conflicts and circumstances beyond their imagining, Akilah realizes his knowledge of Jesus could potentially destroy Magi society and its power over Persia’s official religion and government. Untrusting of his Council, a thousand miles from aid, and bound in a potentially career-ending contract, Akilah must decide how far he will go to protect what he knows of Jesus—and whether the cost of his belief is worth the risk.

A Boy Named Rindy by Olivia Talbott

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1968 – Cambodia

Rindy is a young boy of the jungle, but he is hunted. Due to his parent’s divorce in a time of political upheaval, he falls between the cracks as rejection sinks its claws into him. Shuffled around and forgotten, he finds himself at the ruthless mercy of Buddhist monks. Safety and belonging are ever exceeding his grasp. He must learn to grapple with questions of good and evil.

When the shadowy organization known as the Khmer Rouge emerge as the “saviors” of Cambodia, he is thrust into a radical political takeover, which ravages his country. As hopelessness pulls him under, Rindy’s desire to live and his remarkable ability to survive, wavers. In the wreckage, he hears of a God who is rumored to be alive and of a Savior who wants to take his pain instead of inflicting it. If he finds this Savior, will he cease to be prey? Will he be too broken to truly live?

When the Mountain Crumbled by Angela Couch

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1903 – Canada

Discipline and rules are the foundation on which Samantha Ingles has built her life—the life of a spinster schoolteacher in a small mining town in the Canadian Rockies. All that crumbles from her grasp when part of a mountain crashes down on their community.

Constable David Harty has little patience for the strict schoolmarm but has no choice but to leave his three young nieces in her care while he tries to discover the fate of his brother. Already, the girls have lost their mother and a brother to the landslide and require comfort and love while they await the fate of their father, possibly buried in the coal mine.

With the mountain looming over their heads threatening more lives, and the town scrambling to save who they can from the rubble, can hearts find healing—both for their own sakes and the children in their care?

Shield of the Mighty by Connilyn Cossette

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1043 BC – Israel

Captured by the Philistines as a young boy, Zevi has grown into a formidable warrior. As a captain in King Saul’s army, he is assigned a crucial mission: recruit soldiers, gather tribute for the royal coffers, and find talented artisans for the king’s court. But when he is sent to Maresha, the town he was forced to leave as a child, he is dismayed when the elder council rejects King Saul and his campaign, leaving the town vulnerable to retribution and the threat of outside enemies.

Yochana, a widow and skilled woman of business, is captivated by a stranger who enters her perfume shop. Upon discovering he is not only a soldier but a captain responsible for enlisting young men to die in battle, fury and pain from her past loss resurfaces. But when Zevi’s actions in Maresha entangle Yochana in his radical scheme, they’ll be forced to face present dangers while confronting scars of the past.

A Certain Man by Linda Dindzans

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New Testament Times – Israel

Mara is a young Samaritan beginning to discover her love for Samuel—and his for her. Soon she will be deemed mature enough to marry. Her hopes are dashed when her greedy father brokers a match with the cruel son of the wealthy High Priest of Shechem. When her loathsome betrothed is killed, her beloved Samuel must run for his life. Mara and Samuel struggle to survive and reunite during the treacherous and scandalous times of the Bible under the merciless rule of Rome.

Along the way, they are entangled within the snares of such notable figures as King Herod, Herodias, Pontius Pilate, Caiaphas, and Salome.

The heartrending tales of Mara and Samuel are interwoven with their desperate love story. Before either meets Yeshua the Nazarene face to face. Before He sets the political, religious, and spiritual landscape on fire. And before either Mara or Samuel are immortalized in the gospels.

A Matter of Honor by Laura Frantz

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1740 – England

Having grown up at Wedderburn Castle in the serene Scottish Lowlands, Orin Hume is thrust into the dazzling realm of London society and Court circles as Poet Laureate of Britain. But at the height of his fame a former tragedy and his ties to a lass he once loved lead him home to Berwickshire again. When his return is further marred by lost love letters and scheming kin who conspire to keep the pair apart, can Lady Maryn Lockhart, now Duchess of Fordyce, forgive him? Or will the shadows of the past and the complexities of the present rewrite their love story?

Molly by Shanna Hatfield

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1918 – France

She longs to make a difference. He yearns to claim her heart.

After years of managing the Pendleton telephone office, Molly Thorsen answers the call for women to serve as telephone operators during World War I. Upon her arrival in France, she navigates the challenges of working near the front lines and battles the prejudices and skepticism of the men around her. Determined to prove her worth and skill, Molly faces adversity head-on while unexpectedly falling in love with a charming soldier.

Friday Fitzpatrick may not have been eager to engage in combat, but when he is drafted into the American Expeditionary Forces, he embraces the role of a soldier with unwavering determination. While fighting to survive the harrowing battlefield experiences, he clings to his sanity by dreaming about the captivating Hello Girl who has captured his heart. Though his opportunities to see her are limited, she serves as a beacon of hope in the midst of his darkest days.

Through their shared experiences and the trials they endure, Molly and Friday find comfort and encouragement in each other’s company, forging a connection that defies the chaos of a world in conflict. As the war draws to a close and they return home, will civilian life bring them together or pull them apart?

The Sisters of Corinth by Angela Hunt

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60 AD – Greece

When the new provincial governor arrives in Corinth, the esteemed Chief Magistrate Narkis Ligus, father to Mariana and Prima, is delighted. He sees a golden opportunity to propel himself to greater power and fortune by uniting his and the governor’s households through the marriage of one of his beautiful unwed daughters to the governor’s firstborn son.

Yet complications quickly arise in Narkis’s own family. Mariana, his stepdaughter, holds steadfast faith in Yeshua, rendering her hesitant to marry a man devoted to the Roman gods, despite Narkis’s urging. On the other hand, Prima, his daughter by birth, yearns for a life of wealth and status and is willing to go to great lengths to secure a marriage that fulfills her desires–even if it means betraying Mariana to do so.

Tangled Promises by Lynn Watson

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1881 – Germany

Thunderous applause extinguishes her dream and ignites her worst nightmare.

Clara Reinhold’s father publicly pledges her hand to Georg Wolff. His character and arrogance match the stench of his odious cigars, but his lineage offers a suitable alliance for the station of a baron’s daughter.

A charades clue years earlier turned friendship into a promise of forbidden marriage between Clara and family carriage driver, Daniel Becker.

If she refuses Georg and follows her heart, her father disowns her and she loses everything—her loving family, dear friends, and the only home she’s known.

As a tangled web of scandal and deceit unwinds, hidden motives and illicit activities emerge among an unsuspecting ring of players changing everything but nobility’s rules.

How will justice be served?

How will Clara and Daniel overcome obstacles to claim a future beyond that of a charade?

The Wedding Gift by Connilyn Cossette

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BC- Israel

Shalem cherishes visits with his family on the sacred mountain of Kiryat-Yearim, where the Ark of the Covenant has been hidden for many years. Although he and his cousins, Avidan and Gavriel, are not excited about attending a relative’s wedding, they cannot wait to explore the woods together. Since Zevi, an older boy rescued by Shay’s uncle Natan, came to live there a few months ago, the four boys have spent countless hours dreaming of being warriors one day and of defending Israel from the vicious enemies that surround her.

When a caravan of foreign wedding guests arrives on the mountain, carrying a mysterious box that ignites the boys’ curiosity, they are determined to discover what lies inside. However, when the priceless box goes missing and the boys are blamed for its disappearance, they embark on a mission to find it and vindicate themselves.

Darkness Calls the Tiger by Janyre Tromp

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1933 – Burma

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Imperial Japan devours the southern portion of Burma, intent on taking over mainland Asia. Unaware of the coming darkness, Kailyn Moran drifts in her role as the only daughter of a widowed missionary.

As whispers of war snake through the Kachin mountains, Kai’s father is convinced God will protect the mission. He entrusts the village to her and the kind yet inexperienced new missionary, Ryan McDonough, while he makes routine visits to neighboring villages.

War descends like a tempest upon the mountain peaks, and an unbreakable bond forms between Kailyn and Ryan as they unite to provide solace to both villagers and the flood of refugees. Despite their tireless efforts, a brutal enemy shatters almost everything they love, pushing Kailyn to embark on a path of unrestrained vengeance.

Afraid he’s losing the woman he loves, Ryan fights to protect Kai from the deadly consequences of her choices. But in the face of destruction, can he convince her of the power and freedom of forgiveness?

The Magic of Redemption by Jessica Sly

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1916 – Ireland

Can Adelynn and Baze overcome the obstacles and lies that separate them . . . or is redemption just out of reach?

After escaping Ireland’s most sinister criminal, Baze and Adelynn Ford realize they must change tactics if they want to survive, but it’s not an easy task given the rift that’s forming between the couple. Baze’s past traumas are tainting the hard decisions he faces in both his family and career, while Adelynn does the unthinkable: using her gift to plunge into Shay O’Sullivan’s mind. It works—she discovers his hiding place. But it also triggers a string of deadly visions they can’t ignore.

Together, Baze and Adelynn decide it’s time to bring the fight to Shay’s homeland. With Emily Bennett and her young son in tow, they infiltrate Dublin, a city swirling with tension and rumors of rebellion. When Adelynn’s visions begin to come true, their small group must rely on old and new allies to stop Shay before it’s too late.

In this dramatic conclusion, Baze and Adelynn will have to conquer their demons and defeat their enemies before anyone else—including themselves—is lost.

The Nameless Ones by Mesu Andrews

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BC – Biblical Lands

The Nameless Ones introduces us, in short story form, to fictional, yet believable characters who intersect with such famous Biblical people/incidents as: King Solomon’s writing of Ecclesiastes, Elijah battling the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel, and the Assyrian siege on Jerusalem during King Hezekiah’s reign.

Why weren’t 699 wives enough for King Solomon? Did God have some great purpose for The 700th Wife? Could she make an impact on this wise, handsome, and aging king? In this story, you’ll discover the legacy of wisdom, love, and comfort her words may have been to the one called Jedidiah—beloved of the Lord.

Someone had to bring the water to douse Elijah’s sacrifice…why not The Water Girl who serves in the pagan temple of Baal? The three year drought has developed more than her thirst for water. When Yahweh shows His power, will she continue to waver between two opinions or will she find truth, freedom, and life in Him?

He is Judah’s Mole—a digger—and like all moles he’s most comfortable in the dark, away from people. As the Assyrian king, Sennacherib, marches on Jerusalem, only the Mole can save them by tunneling through a mountain to connect a spring outside the city’s wall to an internal cistern. But who will deliver the Mole from his own insecurities—perhaps The Mole’s Wife? Discover how her gift of faith matches her husband’s skill with a shovel, and together they save not only her husband’s dignity but also Hezekiah’s kingdom.

His Treasured Bride by Jody Hedlund and Patti Stockdale

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1863 – Canada

In twenty-four hours, marriage, mystery, and mayhem.

After recently arriving in Vancouver Island on a bride ship, aspiring seamstress Daisy Harper is determined not to rush into a hasty and quarrelsome marriage, a mistake her parents made. To avoid choosing the wrong man, she creates a rigorous list of ten requirements for a potential husband.

Mapmaker Seth Ryann moved to the colony to assist his partially blind brother, a local missionary. They’ll soon return to Ireland, but first, Seth is tasked by a friend to find a treasure of gold hidden in the mountains. Seth has the map to the treasure, but he’s missing the key.

When he discovers Daisy somehow has the key, the two agree to search for the treasure together. They’re left with little choice but to quickly enter a marriage of convenience. As they venture into the wilderness and work together to overcome danger, an undeniable attraction grows. But will they find the treasure only to lose what matters most?

The Lady with the Dark Hair by Erin Bartels

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1879/present – France/Spain

Esther Markstrom and her artist mother have always been proud of their ancestor, painter Francisco Vella. They even run a small museum and gallery dedicated to raising awareness of his scandalously underappreciated work. But when Esther reconnects with her former art history professor, she finds her once-solid family history on shaky ground as questions arise about Vella’s greatest work–a portrait entitled The Lady with the Dark Hair.

In 1879, Catalan orphan-turned-fugitive Viviana Torrens has found sanctuary serving in the home of an aging artist in Southern France. It is in his studio that she meets Francisco Vella, a Gibraltarian merchant who sells artists’ pigments. When her past catches up to her, she is compelled to pose as Vella’s sister and join him on his travels or be deported back to Spain to stand trial. Along the way she will discover that the many parts she has been playing in order to hide her identity have far-reaching implications she never could have foreseen.

More than Conquerors by Carole Towriss

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50AD – Greece

Kassandra’s privileged and pampered life explodes when she meets a woman with next to nothing. When a glimpse into the lives of those less fortunate turns into a mission to help them, her father offers a choice: act like the daughter of a politarch and marry the man he has chosen––or leave home forever.

Unimaginable loss shakes Jason’s world to its foundation, and he struggles to keep his faith in the Jewish God. He faces losing everything generations of his family have built, and one of the city’s elite seems determined to make that happen.

A visiting Jewish preacher shakes up the synagogue⸺and then the town⸺with outrageous claims. Paulos’s teachings fascinate Kassi but contradict everything Jason believes. As pressure amps up on every side, they must decide how much they are willing to risk to follow The Way.

Rip Tide by Lisa T. Bergren

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Time Travel/Medieval – Italy

The trap is set, and time is slipping away.

After narrowly escaping arrest, Luciana Betarrini hurtles back to medieval Italy. Once there, she and her brother, Domenico, must decide how far they’ll go to be part of the family, and if they’re willing to risk their lives to hunt down an assassin.

Meanwhile, Lady Tiliani Forelli’s family has disappeared in enemy territory. Fearing for their lives—and secretly hoping to cross paths with the Fiorentini she loves—Tiliani goes to Firenze intent on either rescue or seeing justice done. Yet a trap is closing around them all.

Together, the Grecos and Betarrinis must find the Forellis’ nemesis and force him to confess to his role in the murders. They assume he has slipped into the serpentine streets of Firenze to evade them. But will they find him in time to save the Forellis?

Seashells in My Pocket by Terri Wangard

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1943 – Brazil

German-Brazilian Isabel Neumann delights in creating seashell art, but it’s her mathematical ability that lands her a job at the American air base in Natal, northern Brazil during World War II. She doesn’t need a calculator to determine the correct weights and balances for the Air Transport Command’s cargo planes.

Daniel Lambert, an American transport pilot based at Natal, endures the taunts of combat pilots that he is “allergic to combat.” His flying skills win him respect, however, and his friendship with Isabel deepens, even as a new source of trouble looms.

Isabel is caught in the crosshairs of a German saboteur who is obsessed with her. He insists that she belongs with him, and demands that she help him sabotage the Allied base. Her growing relationship with Daniel angers the Nazi, who will do anything to get rid of him. What will happen to Isabel if the madman captures her?

To Speak His Name by Tara Johnson

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1816 – Barbados

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

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

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

Lady’s Guide to Marvels and Misadventure by Angela Bell

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1860 – England

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

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

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

The Ark and the Dove by Jill Eileen Smith

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2275 BC – Middle East

Zara and Noah have walked together with the Creator for their entire lives, and they have done their best in an increasingly wicked and defiant world to raise their three sons to follow in their footsteps. It has been a challenge–and it’s about to get much, much harder.

When the Creator tells her husband to build an ark to escape the coming wrath against the sins of humankind, Zara steps out with him in faith. But the derision and sabotage directed their way from both friends and extended family are difficult to bear, as is knowing that everyone she interacts with beyond her husband, her sons, and their wives is doomed to destruction. And when the ark is finally finished and the animals have been shut up inside, Zara and her family embark on an adventure that will test their patience and their faith as they await deliverance and dry ground.

Finally His Bride by Jody Hedlund

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1862 – Canada

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

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

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

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

Lady of Disguise by Melanie Dickerson

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1388 – England

Only the hidden treasure will allow Louisa and her sister to gain their freedom.

All her life, Louisa has dreamed of finding the rumored “Giant’s Treasure,” a collection of ancient, lost riches said to be hidden on a mountaintop in Scotland, guarded by a fierce monster. It’s a story her father used to tell her, and when he dies and she and her younger sister have to go live with their shiftless, greedy uncle, Louisa is determined to find that treasure. It’s the hope that has kept her defying her uncle’s efforts to marry her off to the highest bidder.

After her uncle starts to parade Louisa’s twelve-year-old sister Margaret in front of potential husbands, Louisa realizes she has no time to waste. She disguises herself as a boy and takes off for Scotland. But the road is a harsher place than she’d imagined, and she is relieved to find a friend in the knight, Sir Charles, who goes along with her on her journey.

Charles is intrigued by this young woman who claims her name is “Jack” and is set on going to Scotland. He goes along, pretending to believe she is a boy, in order to make sure nothing bad happens to her. As they meet new friends along the road, and as Louisa comes clean about her identity, the pair find themselves falling in love. But what will happen when they reach Scotland? Will they find their independence and the freedom to marry in the form of a buried treasure, or will the monster from Louisa’s own past keep the young couple apart?

The Irish Matchmaker by Jennifer Deibel

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1900s – Ireland

As daughter of a well-known matchmaker, Catríona Daly is no stranger to the business of love–and sees it as her ticket away from the sleepy village that only comes alive during the annual matchmaking festival. Enter Lord Osborne’s son, Andrew, who has returned to the festival after being disappointed by a rival matchmaker’s failed setup. Catríona seizes the opportunity to make a better match for the handsome man–and for herself!

Cattle farmer Donal Bunratty is in desperate need of a wife after loss left him to handle the farm and raise his daughter on his own. Shy and lacking the finer social graces, he agrees to attend the matchmaking festival to appease his daughter. But when he arrives, it’s not any of the other merrymakers that catch his eye but rather his matchmaker–who clearly has eyes for someone else.

Catríona will have to put all her expertise to work to make a match that could change her life forever. Will her plan succeed? Or will love have its own way?

What I Promise You by Liz Tolsma

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1942/2022 – France

A Family’s History Is Lost to the Ravages of WWII in Southwest France

1942
Noémie Treves, a young, pregnant Jewish woman, had her entire world shattered when she is arrested and taken to the Camp de Rivesaltes transit camp in Southwest France. No sooner does she arrive, though, than she assists in helping two young girls scheduled for transport escape to a nearby maternity hospital. The matron there befriends her and changes her name to help hide her. But nothing goes according to plan, and Hannah finds herself doing the unimaginable to save one precious life.

2022
Caitlyn Laurant is haunted by recent events in her life and hopes becoming a nurse on the mission field will help her forget. While in training, she and her friends travel to France where her grandfather was born. What should have been an easy search for his birthplace turns into anything but and reveals secrets that no one alive has ever heard.

Of Love and Treason by Jamie Ogle

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270 AD – Italy

Valentine defies the emperor and becomes a hero . . . and the most wanted man in the empire. Compelled by his faith, he has nothing to lose, until a chance encounter with the daughter of a Roman jailor changes everything.

Rome, AD 270. In the wake of the emperor’s marriage ban, rumors swirl that there is one man brave enough to perform wedding ceremonies in secret. A public notarius and leader of an underground church, Valentine believes the emperor’s edict unjust and risks his own life for the sake of his convictions. But as his fame grows, so do fears for his safety.

Iris, the daughter of a Roman jailor, believes regaining her sight will ease the mounting troubles at home. Her last hope rests in searching out Valentine and his church, but the danger of associating with people labeled a threat to the empire is great. Still, as Iris’s new friends lead her to faith in God, Iris is drawn to Valentine and they both begin to hope for a future together beyond the treacherous empire.

But when a past debt and a staggering betrayal collide, Valentine, Iris, and everyone they love must fight for their lives . . . and wrestle with trusting a God who can restore sight yet does not always keep His followers from peril.

The Foxhole Victory Tour by Amy Lynn Green

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1943 – North Africa

Vibrant and scrappy Maggie McCleod tried not to get fired from her wartime orchestra, but her sharp tongue landed her in trouble, so an overseas adventure with the USO’s camp show promises a chance at a fresh start. Wealthy and elegant Catherine Duquette signs with the USO to leave behind her restrictive life of privilege and to uncover the truth behind the disappearance of the handsome pilot whose letters mysteriously stopped arriving.

The two women are joined by an eclectic group of performers–a scheming blues singer, a veteran tap dancer, and a brooding magician–but the harmony among their troupe is short-lived when their tour manager announces he will soon recommend one of them for a coveted job in the Hollywood spotlight. Each of the five members has a reason to want the contract, and they’ll do whatever is necessary to claim it. As their troupe travels closer to the dangerous battlefront in Tunisia, personal crises and wartime dangers only intensify, putting not only their careers but also their lives on the line.

Up from Dust by Heather Kaufman

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11AD – Israel

Martha of Bethany is no stranger to adversity. After her mother’s untimely death, Martha shoulders the responsibility of raising her siblings–quiet and studious Lazarus, and wild and rambunctious Mary. She finds solace in friendship and the beginnings of first love, but just as Martha begins to imagine a new future, hardship strikes again and her dreams crumble into dust.

Ten years later, Martha’s friend pleads for the new teacher, Jesus of Nazareth, to come and heal her husband. When Martha discovers that the carpenter-rabbi is connected to her past, she’s not sure she can trust him with her future. But as he continues to perform miracles, the invitation to believe becomes harder to resist, renewing Martha’s hardened heart, even as she faces an unknown future.

The Seamstress of Acadie by Laura Frantz

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1754 – Canada/Virginia

As 1754 is drawing to a close, tensions between the French and the British on Canada’s Acadian shore are reaching a fever pitch. Seamstress Sylvie Galant and her family–French-speaking Acadians wishing to remain neutral–are caught in the middle, their land positioned between two forts flying rival flags. Amid preparations for the celebration of Noël, the talk is of unrest, coming war, and William Blackburn, the British Army Ranger raising havoc across North America’s borderlands.

As summer takes hold in 1755 and British ships appear on the horizon, Sylvie encounters Blackburn, who warns her of the coming invasion. Rather than participate in the forced removal of the Acadians from their land, he resigns his commission. But that cannot save Sylvie or her kin. Relocated on a ramshackle ship to Virginia, Sylvie struggles to pick up the pieces of her life. When her path crosses once more with William’s, they must work through the complex tangle of their shared, shattered past to navigate the present and forge an enduring future.

The Paris Housekeeper by Renee Ryan

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1940 – France

German tanks rumble through the streets of Paris, forcing frightened citizens to flee. But not everyone has the luxury to leave. Camille Lacroix, a chambermaid at the world-famous Hôtel Ritz, must stay to support her family back home in Brittany. Desperate to earn money, Camille also acts as a lady’s maid for longtime guest Vivian Miller, a glamorous American widow—and a Nazi sympathizer.

Despite her distrust of the woman, Camille turns to Vivian when her friend and fellow hotel maid Rachel Berman needs help getting out of Paris. It’s then that Camille discovers that Vivian is not what she seems… The American has been using her wealth and connections to secretly obtain travel papers for Jewish refugees.

While they’re hiding Rachel in an underground bunker under a Nazi’s nose, a daring escape plan is hatched. But as the net grows tighter, and the Germans more ruthless, Camille’s courage will be tested to the extreme…

Trust the Stars by Tricia Goyer

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1943/Present – Historical set in Italy

Olivia Garza, a woman committed to making a difference in the world, thrives in her unconventional, service-oriented life. By day, she helps troubled teens in inner-city Little Rock. By night, she creates a viral docu-series in an attempt to better understand her mother’s desperate decisions by retracing her steps with a camera. So far, Olivia has always been the anonymous narrator, but she’s promised to reveal herself in the last stop on her documentary: Kenya.

Prince Louis, heir to the throne of the small European kingdom of Alloria, is in Kenya to run away from a broken heart—and the media circus that comes with it. When he meets Olivia, he recognizes her voice right away from the docu-series that has stirred his heart. Though they share a magical day on safari, any dreams of happily ever after come crashing down with the flash of the paparazzi cameras when Olivia realizes that he represents everything she most despises in the world.

In World War II Rome, another royal, however, has her own life-changing choices to make. Princess Alessandra Appiani could have chosen quiet safety within the walls of the Vatican, but instead she risks her life—and her family—to save the Jewish children so in need of someone to show them the love of God.

When Olivia is hired to help create a documentary about Alessandra, learning about the sacrifice of a royal who goes from palace to prison forces her to face the hardest questions of all: Should she continue on the path she’s carved for herself or trust God to give her the future she never thought she wanted?

The Juliet Code by Pepper Basham

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1915 – Italy

Newlyweds Lord and Lady Astley Finally Reach Their Honeymoon Destination Only to Encounter a New Mystery in Need of Solving

Frederick and Grace Percy finally make it to Italy to enjoy a delayed honeymoon and explore the beauties of the historic city of Venice. To their surprise, their friend, Detective Jack Miracle, is also in the city, investigating a series of art heists starting at the house of eccentric millionaire, Laraby Covington. Drawn into a world of boat races, mysterious houses, and parties of the rich and unusual in Venice, Frederick and Grace learn of the existence of the Juliet paintings, (Renaissance paintings feature Shakespeare’s tragic heroine) rumored to hold a secret code to an underground vault of similarly treasured artwork assumed lost over the centuries. As Freddie and Grace are pulled deeper into the mystery and their beloved Detective Jack disappears, can they use their wits and work as a team to find the thieves and Jack before it’s too late.

The Fugitive King by Henry O. Arnold

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BC – Israel

One king desperately on the run…One king in vengeful pursuit…One nation in dire turmoil

David is broken off from the realm. The world behind him is destroyed. The world before him is dangerous and unpredictable. He flees from the royal household of King Saul as a fugitive with a death sentence on his head.

In his last days, the prophet Samuel passes the prophetic mantle to his proteges, instructing Nathan and Gad to serve Yahweh and the future king of Israel. But David is king only of caves and deserts, and his subjects are nothing but the dregs of society that flow to the lowest point of the land and stop at his feet. Mercenaries, adventurers, spies—or worse, assassins with no apparent loyalty.

David, who once thought of himself as “an olive tree flourishing in the house of Yahweh,” desperately appeals to the One who can save him: “You are my rock, my fortress. Into Your hands I commit my spirit.”