A Captain for Laura Rose by Stephanie Grace Whitson

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A Captain for Laura Roseacaptainforlaurarose

1867 – Missouri

Laura Rose White’s late father taught her everything he knew about piloting a Missouri River steamboat. He even named their boat after her. Despite that, it seems that Laura will forever be a “cub pilot” to her brother Joe, because in 1867, a female riverboat captain is unheard of. That is, until tragedy strikes and Laura must make the two month journey from St. Louis to Fort Benton and back in order to save her family’s legacy, her home, and the only life she’s ever known. The only way for her to overcome the nearly insurmountable odds is with the help of her brother’s disreputable friend Finn MacKnight, a skilled pilot with a terrible reputation. Laura loathes having to accept MacKnight as her co-pilot, especially when she learns she must also provide passage for his two sisters. Straight-laced Fiona has a fear of water, and unpredictable Adele seems much too comfortable with the idea of life in the rough and tumble environment of the untamed river and the men who ply it. Though they are thrown together by necessity, this historic journey may lead Laura and the MacKnights to far more than they ever expected.

Love’s Sweet Beginning by Ann Shorey

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Love’s Sweet Beginninglovessweetbeginning

1868 – Missouri

It wasn’t Cassie Haddon’s fault that she had managed to reach the age of twenty-five without possessing any useful skills. Until the war, she had always had servants to wait on her. Since then, she and her widowed mother had moved from place to place, relying on family to care for them. Now she’s forced to find work to support them both. What isn’t in her plans is falling for Jacob West, a local restaurateur and grocer. She needs a job and he needs help. But what they both need is love. With her signature sweet romance, Ann Shorey weaves a tale of two people from very different backgrounds finding common ground and the hopes of a bright future together.

Love by the Letter by Melissa Jagears

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1858 – Missouri

 
Dex Stanton has never had much time for book learning. He’s been too busy helping to provide for his family. Now that he’s heading west, Dex is hoping to start a family of his own. However, his attempt to acquire a mail-order bride fails miserably when the lady writes back ridiculing his terrible spelling. Rachel Oliver may be the last person he wants to know what a dunce he is, but she’s also the smartest woman in town–and it’s clear he needs her help. Rachel Oliver has lingered in town for three years secretly mooning over Dex Stanton, but now she’s done. If the fool wants to write to a mail-order bride company, so be it. Once she begins giving Dex lessons, however, Rachel realizes she may not be prepared to give up just yet. As their time together runs short, can two of the most stubborn people in town set aside their pride long enough to find love?
 

Keeping Faith by Hannah Alexander

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Keeping Faithkeepingfaith

Missouri to Kansas

The wagon train ride from Missouri to Kansas territory is rife with perils. But there are bigger obstacles for Dr. Victoria Fenway than cholera or creek floods. Years ago, she and wagon-train captain Joseph Rickard were deeply in love. Now, Victoria is tracking the man who killed her late husband, and she is determined to continue his work rescuing slaves. She can’t allow herself to fall for Joseph again—not when he abandoned her once before. Joseph told Victoria he’d love her forever, and he’s been as good as his word. Misunderstanding led to her marrying another man. But with dangerous slavers on their trail, he’ll do anything to keep her safe until they reach a new home—and a second chance.

Unrivaled by Siri Mitchell

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unrivaledUnrivaled

1910 – Missouri

Lucy Kendall always assumed she’d help her father in his candy-making business, creating recipes and aiding him in their shared passion. But after a year traveling in Europe, Lucy returns to 1910 St. Louis to find her father unwell and her mother planning to sell the struggling candy company. Determined to help, Lucy vows to create a candy that will reverse their fortunes.

St. Louis newcomer Charlie Clarke is determined to help his father dominate the nation’s candy industry. Compromise is not an option when the prize is a father’s approval, and falling in love with a business rival is a recipe for disaster when only one company can win. Will these two star-crossed lovers let a competition that turns less than friendly sour their dreams?

When the Heart Heals by Ann Shorey

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Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1867 – Missouri

Courageous and unconventional, Rosemary Saxon served as a nurse during the Civil War, a service that has caused most women in town to regard her as unfeminine and downright vulgar. Although she would like to put her experiences as a nurse behind her, she must support herself. She takes a position with Dr. Elijah Stewart and a mutual attraction begins to develop. But when a sophisticated woman arrives in town claiming to be Elijah’s fiancée, a heartbroken Rosemary decides to leave Noble Springs and start fresh. Can Elijah convince her of the mystery woman’s deception before he loses her forever?

With tenderness and grace, Ann Shorey invites readers back to the town of Noble Springs, Missouri, for an engrossing story of love’s tentative first steps and fragile future in the face of opposition. Readers will find in Rosemary a sympathetic but strong woman determined to thrive in a world that doesn’t always understand.

All for a Song by Allison Pittman

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allforasongAll for a Song

1920s – Missouri

Dorothy Lynn Dunbar has everything she ever wanted: her family, her church, her community, and plans to marry the young pastor who took over her late father’s pulpit. Time spent in the woods, lifting her heart and voice in worship accompanied by her brother’s old guitar, makes her life complete . . . and yet she longs for something more.

Spending a few days in St. Louis with her sister’s family, Dorothy Lynn discovers a whole new way of life—movies, music, dancing; daring fashions and fancy cars. And a dynamic charismatic evangelist . . . who just happens to be a woman. When Dorothy Lynn is offered a chance to join Aimee Semple McPherson’s crusade team, she finds herself confronted with temptations she never dreamed of. Can Dorothy Lynn embrace all the Roaring Twenties has to offer without losing herself in the process?

Where Wildflowers Bloom by Ann Shorey

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Where Wildflowers Bloomwherewildflowersbloom

Post Civil War – Missouri

The War Between the States stole a father and brother from Faith Lindberg– as well as Royal Baxter, the man she wanted to marry. With only her grandfather left, she dreams of leaving Noble Springs, Missouri, and traveling west to Oregon to start a new life, away from the memories that haunt her. But first she must convince her grandfather to sell the family’s mercantile and leave a town their family has called home for generations.

When Royal Baxter suddenly returns to town, Faith allows herself to hope that her dreams might come true. Does he truly love her? Or could another man claim her heart? Will she find that following her dreams may not mean leaving home after all?

A Most Unsuitable Match by Stephanie Whitson

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Most Unsuitable Match, AA Most Unsuitable Matchamostunsuitablematch

1869 – Missouri to Montana (Travel)

An unlikely attraction occurs between two passengers on a steamboat journey up the Missouri River to Montana…

She is a self-centered young woman from a privileged family who fears the outdoors and avoids anything rustic. He is a preacher living under a sense of duty and obligation to love the unlovable people in the world. She isn’t letting anything deter her from solving a family mystery that surfaced after her mother’s death. He is on a mission to reach the rejects of society in the remote wilderness regions of Montana. Miss Fannie Rousseau and Reverend Samuel Beck are opposites in every way… except in how they both keep wondering if their paths will ever cross again.

Light to My Path by Erica Vetsch

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lighttomypathGoodreads ~ Purchase

1885 – Missouri

When Sam discovers the truth about his money-grabbing fiance, he breaks off their engagement and makes plans to head back to Colorado alone. Disillusioned, he determines never to get caught by a woman again. But then, Aunt Tabitha asks a favor of him, and he couldn’t turn her down. Eldora Carter, jobless, homeless, and family-less, finds herself suddenly in charge of escorting three orphaned children across country on the train from Missouri to Colorado. What should have been an easy job, however, quickly becomes a nightmare as each child presents their own crisis. If it wasn’t for Sam Mackenzie, they’d all have been put off the train long ago. When an avalanche halts their progress, Sam and Eldora both must learn to trust God like never before. Life, health, safety, security … even family and love. Can God be trusted to put things together when, despite all their efforts, they’ve failed so miserably?

Stealing Home by Allison Pittman

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Stealing Homestealinghome

1905 – Missouri

It’s 1905 and the Chicago Cubs are banking on superstar Donald “Duke” Dennison’s golden arm to help them win the pennant. Only one thing stands between Duke and an unprecedented ten thousand dollar contract: alcohol. When Duke is whisked away to the one-horse town of Picksville, Missouri, to sober up in anonymity, he bides his time flirting with Ellie Jane Voyant, who would rather hide herself in the railway station ticket both than face the echoes of childhood taunts.
Ned Clovis, the feed store clerk, has secretly loved Ellie Jane since childhood, but he loves baseball and the Duke almost as much–until he notices Ellie Jane may be succumbing to the star’s charm.
Then there’s Morris, a twelve-year-old Negro boy, whose only dream is to break away from Picksville. When Duke discovers his innate talent for throwing a baseball, Morris might just have found his way out.
Four individuals, each living in haunted isolation, each harboring a secret passion. Providence brings them together. Tragedy threatens to tear them apart. Will love be enough to bring them home?

The Edge of Light by Ann Shorey

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The Edge of Light (At Home in Beldon Grove, Book 1)theedgeoflight

1838 – Missouri and Kentucky

She’s determined to make it–and she doesn’t need a man’s help to do it.

It is the summer of 1838 in St. Lawrenceville, Missouri, and Molly McGarvie’s life is about to change forever. When her beloved Samuel succumbs to cholera, Molly is heartbroken but resolves to take care of herself and her children.

When Samuel’s unscrupulous brother takes over the family business and leaves Molly to fend for herself, she knows she must head out on her own. It is a dangerous journey, and along the way she must face the loss of another family member. Somehow she must find a way to make a living, restore her family, and fend off some overeager suitors. 

Hideaway Home by Hannah Alexander

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Hideaway Homehideawayhome

1940s – Missouri

Soldier Red Meyers had looked forward to the day he could return to Hideaway, Missouri, and to his sweetheart, Bertie Moennig. But his dreams were shattered when he was wounded in the last stages of World War II in Europe. Bertie was beautiful inside and out–she deserved a whole man. Red was determined to keep his distance.
But a tragedy on the home front brought the couple face-to-face for the first time in years, and now a dangerous mystery threatened both their lives. As they fought for survival in their tiny Ozark town, Red had to summon the faith and courage to protect the woman he’d never stopped loving.

My Heart Remembers by Kim Vogel Sawyer

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My Heart Remembersmyheartremembers

1886 – Missouri

United by blood, divided by time, will three orphan train siblings ever find one another again?

Orphaned in a tenement fire, three Irish-immigrant children are sent to Missouri to be adopted. Despite eight-year-old Maelle’s desperate attempts to keep her siblings together, each child is taken by a different family. Yet Maelle vows that she will never stop searching for her brother and sister…and that they will be together one day in the future.

Seventeen years later, Maelle is still searching. But the years have washed away her hope… and her memories. What are Mattie and Molly doing now? Where has life taken them? Will she ever see her brother and sister again?