Sweeter than Birdsong by Rosslyn Elliott

No Comments on Sweeter than Birdsong by Rosslyn Elliott

Sweeter than Birdsong (A Saddler’s Legacy Novel)sweeterthanbirdsong

1855 – Ohio

In Westerville, Ohio, 1855, Kate Winter’s dreams are almost within reach. As the first woman to graduate from Otterbein College, she’ll be guaranteed her deepest wish: escape from the dark secret haunting her family. But with her mother determined to marry her off to a wealthy man, Kate must face reality. She has to run. Now. And she has the perfect plan. Join the upcoming musical performance–and use it to mask her flight.

Ben Hanby, Otterbein College’s musical genius, sees Kate Winter as an enigmatic creature, notable for her beauty, yet painfully shy. Then he hears her sing-and the glory of her voice moves him as never before. He determines to cast her in his musical and uncover the mystery that is Kate. Still, he must keep his own secret to himself. Not even this intriguing woman can know that his passionate faith is driving him to aid fugitives on the Underground Railroad.

A terrifying accident brings Kate and Ben together, but threatens to shatter both their secrets and their dreams. Kate can no longer deny the need to find her courage-and her voice-if she is to sing a new song for their future.

Fairer than Morning by Rosslyn Elliott

No Comments on Fairer than Morning by Rosslyn Elliott

Fairer than Morning (A Saddler’s Legacy Novel)fairerthanmorning

1823 – Ohio

Ann dreams of a marriage proposal from her poetic suitor, Eli-until Will Hanby shows her that nobility is more than fine words.

On a small farm in 19th-century Ohio, young Ann Miller is pursued by the gallant Eli Bowen, son of a prominent family. Eli is the suitor of Ann’s dreams. Like her, he enjoys poetry and beautiful things and soon, he will move to the city to become a doctor.
Ann travels to Pittsburgh, accompanying her father on business. There she meets Will Hanby, a saddle-maker’s apprentice. Will has spent years eking out an existence under a cruel master and his spirit is nearly broken. But Ann’s compassion lights a long-dark part of his soul. Through his encounters with Ann’s father, a master saddler, Will discovers new hope and courage in the midst of tremendous adversity.
When the Millers must return to Ohio and their ministry there, Will resolves to find them, at any cost. If Will can make it back to Ann, will she be waiting?

Paradise Valley by Dale Cramer

No Comments on Paradise Valley by Dale Cramer

Paradise Valley (The Daughters of Caleb Bender)paradisevalley

1922 – Ohio to Mexico

An Amish settlement in Ohio has run afoul of a law requiring their children to attend public school. Caleb Bender and his neighbors are arrested for neglect, with the state ordering the children be placed in an institution. Among them are Caleb’s teenage daughter, Rachel, and the boy she has her eye on, Jake Weaver. Romance blooms between the two when Rachel helps Jake escape the children’s home.

Searching for a place to relocate his family where no such laws apply, Caleb learns there’s inexpensive land for sale in Mexico, a place called Paradise Valley. Despite rumors of instability in the wake of the Mexican revolution, the Amish community decides this is their answer. And since it was Caleb’s idea, he and his family will be the pioneers. They will send for the others once he’s established a foothold and assessed the situation.

Caleb’s daughters are thrown into turmoil. Rachel doesn’t want to leave Jake. Her sister, Emma, who has been courting Levi Mullet, fears her dreams of marriage will be dashed. Miriam has never had a beau and is acutely aware there will be no prospects in Mexico.

Once there, they meet Domingo, a young man and guide who takes a liking to Miriam, something her father would never approve. While Paradise Valley is everything they’d hoped it would be, it isn’t long before the bandits start giving them trouble, threatening to upset the fledgling Amish settlement, even putting their lives in danger. Thankfully no one has been harmed so far, anyway.

The Silent Order by Melanie Dobson

No Comments on The Silent Order by Melanie Dobson

The Silent Ordersilentorder

1929 – Ohio

Rural America – 1928. After the murder of his partner, Detective Rollin Wells hides away in an Amish home near Sugarcreek, Ohio, to find out who in the police force is collaborating with Cleveland’s notorious mob. While Rollin searches for answers to his partner’s death,
he befriends an elusive young Amish woman named Katie and her young son. As Rollin learns about Katie’s past, he’s shocked at the secret Katie is hiding – a secret that has
haunted Rollin for eight years.

Bridegrooms by Allison Pittman

No Comments on Bridegrooms by Allison Pittman

Bridegroomsbridegrooms

1898 – Ohio

It Only Takes an Instant for Love to Strike
Tragedy hits the Allenhouse family on a hot summer night in Ohio when a mother of four vanished. Eight-year-old Vada virtually grew up overnight and raised her three younger sisters while her father lost himself in his medical practice in the basement of their home.

Now, Vada is a grown woman, still making her home with her father and sisters. Her days are spent serving as an errand girl for Cleveland’s fledgling amateur orchestra; her evenings with Garrison Walker, her devoted, if passionless, beau.

Dizzying change occurs the day the Brooklyn Bridegrooms come to town to play the Cleveland Spiders and a line drive wallops the head of a spectator. The fan is whisked to the Allenhouse parlor, and questions swirl about the anonymous, unconscious man.

Suddenly, the subdued house is filled with visitors, from a flirtatious, would-be sports writer to the Bridegrooms’ handsome star hitter to the guilt-ridden ballplayer who should have caught the stray shot. The medical case brings Dr. Allenhouse a frustration and helplessness he hasn’t felt since his wife’s disappearance. Vada’s sisters are giddy at the bevy of possible suitors. And Vada’s life is awakened amid the super-charged atmosphere of romantic opportunity.

Where Grace Abides by B. J. Hoff

No Comments on Where Grace Abides by B. J. Hoff

Where Grace Abides (The Riverhaven Years)wheregraceabides

1856 – Ohio

Readers loved Rachel’s Secret, the first book in BJ Hoff’s wildly popular new series, The Riverhaven Years, and are eagerly awaiting the continuing story of young Amish widow, Rachel Brenneman, and Irish–American riverboat captain, Jeremiah Gant.
In Where Grace Abides, the compelling second book in the series, Hoff offers her readers an even closer look at the Amish community of Riverhaven and the people who live and love and work there. Secrets, treachery, and persecution are only a few of the challenges that test Rachel’s faith and her love for the forbidden “outsider,” while Gant’s own hopes and dreams are dealt a life–changing blow, rendering the vow he made to Rachel seemingly impossible to honor.
Many of the other characters first introduced in Rachel’s Secret now find their gentle, unassuming lives of faith jeopardized by a malicious outside influence. At the same time, those striving to help runaway slaves escape to freedom through the Underground Railroad face deception and the danger of discovery.

 

The Carousel Painter by Judith Miller

No Comments on The Carousel Painter by Judith Miller

The Carousel Painterthecarouselpainter

1890 – Ohio

Without the means to support herself after her father dies, Carrington Brouwer receives the opportunity to use her artistic talent at her friend’s father’s carousel factory. But the men at the factory are not happy that a woman has been given the very desirable job of painting the elaborately carved horses. When mishaps occur at the factory and jewelry disappears from the home of the factory owner, accusations swirl. Is the handsome young factory manager truly Carrie’s ally or will he side with those who believe she should be fired? 

Wind of the Spirit by J. M. Hochstetler

No Comments on Wind of the Spirit by J. M. Hochstetler

Wind of the Spirit (The American Patriot Series, Book 3)windofthespirit

1776 – New York

Set in 1776 during the American Revolution, Wind of the Spirit begins just before the Battle of Brooklyn and ends just before the Battle of Trenton. The heroine, Elizabeth Howard, is a high-level spy working for General Washington in New York City, where she socializes with British General Howe and local Loyalists by day and transmits their secrets to the American forces by night.

Family of the Heart by Dorothy Clark

No Comments on Family of the Heart by Dorothy Clark

Goodreadsfamilyoftheheart ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1838 – Ohio

In her silk finery, Sarah Randolph knew she was no more a nanny than the haughty widower before her. She’d made a profound error in judgment. How long would it be before Clayton Bainbridge cast her out? She vowed to pack up her trunks and return to Philadelphia at once. But that city held memories of her lost fiance and sweet little Nora Bainbridge desperately needed some mothering. Sarah might not be an expert in child rearing, but she knew a few things about grief. The pain in Clayton’s stormy blue eyes told her that her journey here must be part of God’s larger plan for them all….

 

Rachel’s Secret by B.J. Hoff

No Comments on Rachel’s Secret by B.J. Hoff

Rachel’s Secretrachelssecret

1855 – Ohio

Bestselling author BJ Hoff promises to delight her many faithful readers with her compelling new series, The Riverhaven Years. With the first book, Rachel’s Secret, Hoff introduces a new community of unforgettable characters and adds the elements readers have come to expect from her novels: a tender love story, the faith journeys of people we grow to know and love, and enough suspense to keep the pages turning quickly.

 When the wounded Irish American riverboat captain, Jeremiah Gant, bursts into the rural Amish setting of Riverhaven, he brings chaos and conflict to the community–especially for young widow, Rachel Brenneman. The unwelcome “outsider” needs a safe place to recuperate before continuing his secret role as an Underground Railroad conductor. Neither he nor Rachel is prepared for the forbidden love that threatens to endanger a man’s mission, a woman’s heart, and a way of life for an entire people.

From This Day Forward by Kathleen Karr

No Comments on From This Day Forward by Kathleen Karr

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1800s – Ohio

What could be more precious than the gift of words–unless it was the man who brought them to her?

Young Maggie McDonald was athirst for knowledge–and books contained knowledge–but Maggie couldn’t read!

Then lively Johnny Stewart burst in to the routine of her life on a warm in Ohio, bringing excitement, and peddling the very thing she craved most in all the world–a McGuffy’s Reader!

The year Johnny taught Maggie to read was the year she fell in love with him, but it would be seven more before they would wed. Then, driven by wanderlust and a desire to share their knowledge of God, they trekked across the face of frontier America with their books and Bibles, leaving behind them strengthened spirits and a rich legacy of love.