Gift of Hope by Shanna Hatfield

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1892 – Oregon

A tender gift given can warm even the coldest heart…

When his affections are spurned by the girl he plans to wed, Graydon Gaffney rides off in the swirling snow, determined to stay far away from fickle females. Then a voice in the storm draws him to a woman and her two sweet children. Despite his intentions to guard his emotions, all three members of the DeVille family threaten to capture his heart.

Giavanna DeVille holds the last frayed edges of her composure in a tenuous grasp. In a moment of desperation, she leaves her sleeping children in her cabin and ventures out into a storm to release her pent-up frustrations where no one can hear her cries. Much to her surprise, a man appears through the blinding snow. He gives her a shoulder to cry on and something even more precious. . . hope.

Can the two of them move beyond past heartaches to accept the gift of hope for their future?

The Piper’s Pursuit by Melanie Dickerson

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1424 – Germany

A plague of rats. A giant beast outside the village walls. A host of missing children. And one young woman determined to save her people.

In 1424 Hamlin, Katerina faces threats from all sides. An outbreak of rats has overtaken the village, a mysterious beast is on a killing rampage of the village’s children, and Katerina’s evil stepfather is a dark presence inside the walls of her own home. Katerina is determined to hunt and kill the Beast of Hamlin herself before more lives are lost.

When Steffan, the handsome but brash duke’s son, comes to town seeking glory and reward, Katerina decides he might be the ally she’s been looking for—even though the only gentle thing about him seems to be the sweet music he plays on his pipe. But there’s more to Steffan than she suspects, and she finds herself drawn to him despite her misgivings.

Together Katerina and Steffan must stop the enemy from stealing the children of Hamlin. But their interference might create an even worse fate for the entire village.

Christmas at the Circus by Joanne Bischof

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1890s – Louisiana

A Short Story from the Greatest Season on Earth

Newlyweds Charlie and Ella Lionheart are spending their first holiday season together within the circus at New Orleans. It’s Ella’s first Christmas away from her mountain home and with thoughts of family and new beginnings, see what surprises the kindhearted lion tamer has in store for her on Christmas Eve.

The Forever Sky by Janalyn Voigt

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1870 – Montana

Can a young widow with no faith in love, hope for a future with the man who broke her heart?

Maisey isn’t about to give Rob another chance to reject her love. Why should she believe that the man who left town without a backward glance three years ago cares about her? Life had taught her all about broken dreams, and she didn’t want to hope again. If only her young daughter would stop adopting Rob as a father, ignoring him—and her own emotions–would be a whole lot easier.

Thoughts of the woman he’d left behind haunted Rob for three long years. It wouldn’t have been fair to ask Maisey to wait while he mined a gold claim. After making his fortune, he’d returned to his family in Montana’s Bitterroot Valley. Rob was ready to settle down, and he’d rather do so with Maisey. But after their first encounter, it was clear that he’d lost her forever.

Circumstances force Maisey and Rob into one another’s company. They learn, through hardship and loss, that the only way to one another is to surrender first to God’s love.

Based on actual historical events during a time of unrest in America, The Forever Sky explores faith, love, and courage in the wild west.

Wings Like a Dove by Camille Eide

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1933 – Indiana

Can the invisible walls that separate people ever come down?

In 1933, Anna Leibowicz is convinced that the American dream that brought her Jewish family here from Poland is nothing but an illusion. Her father has vanished. Her dreams of college can’t make it past the sweat-shop door. And when she discovers to her shame and horror that she’s with child, her mother gives her little choice but to leave. Deciding her best course of action is to try to find her father, she strikes out…hoping against hope to somehow redeem them both.

When Anna stumbles upon a house full of orphan boys in rural Indiana who are in desperate need of a tutor and a cook, she agrees to postpone her journey. But she knows from the moment she meets their contemplative, deep-hearted caretaker, Thomas Chandler, that she doesn’t dare risk staying too long. She can’t afford to open her heart to them, to him. She can’t risk letting her secrets out.

All too soon, the townspeople realize she’s not like them and begin treating her with the same disdain they give the Sisters of Mercy–the nuns who try to help Thomas and the boys–and Samuel, the quiet colored boy Thomas has taken in. With the Klan presence in the town growing ever stronger and danger to this family increasing the longer she stays, Anna is torn between fleeing to keep them safe…and staying to fight beside them.

Oh, that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest…

A Flood of Love by Tracie Peterson

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

Found in paperback in Serving Up Love

1929 – New Mexico

After traveling the West for the past ten years, working as a Harvey House girl, Gretchen Gottsacker learns her next assignment puts her back in the town of her childhood. She quickly forms a friendship with a precocious girl named Katiann, until one of their visits leads her face to face with Katiann’s father–the man who abandoned Gretchen on the eve of what she was sure would be a marriage proposal. Now a widower, Dirk Martinez is intent on gaining her trust and forgiveness. Can she risk getting swept up in their strong attraction once again, or will the danger of an impending flood decide her future for her?

Marisol: Spanish Rose by Elva Cobb Martin

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1740 – West Virginia

Escaping to the New World is her only option…Rescuing her will wrap the chains of the Inquisition around his neck.

Marisol Valentin flees Spain after murdering the nobleman who molested her. She ends up for sale on the indentured servants’ block at Charles Town harbor—dirty, angry, and with child. Her hopes are shattered, but she must find a refuge for herself and the child she carries. Can this new land offer her the grace, love, and security she craves? Or must she escape again to her only living relative in Cartagena?

Captain Ethan Becket, once a Charles Town minister, now sails the seas as a privateer, grieving his deceased wife. But when he takes captive a ship full of indentured servants, he’s intrigued by the woman whose manners seem much more refined than the average Spanish serving girl. Perfect to become governess for his young son. But when he sets out on a quest to find his captured sister, said to be in Cartagena, little does he expect his new Spanish governess to stow away on his ship with her six-month-old son. Yet her offer of help to free his sister is too tempting to pass up. And her beauty, both inside and out, is too attractive for his heart to protect itself against—until he learns she is a wanted murderess.

As their paths intertwine on a journey filled with danger, intrigue, and romance, only love and the grace of God can overcome the past and ignite a new beginning for Marisol and Ethan.

Garnet’s Gift by Kimberly Grist

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1890s – Texas

Twenty-two-year-old Garnet Adams longs to marry and have a houseful of children. Forced to support her widowed mother, she embraces her role as a teacher, although the Carrie Town board of education’s rules for female teachers leave no opportunity for a social life. She contents herself playing the violin at church.

Tall, bearded, and rough around the edges, Deputy Noah Scott would rather hunt than socialize. Garnet thinks he’s a rude, insensitive drifter, and Noah’s sure the last person he’d want to court is a schoolmarm–especially with her unladylike sneeze. As the needs of her students bring them together, opposites seem to attract until a certain Christmas present derails their future.

The More the Merrier by Linda Byler

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1931 – Ohio

It’s 1931, and times are tough for the Miller family, who are raising eight children in the midst of the Great Depression. When Eli Miller passes away unexpectedly, and then a fire destroys their barn, Annie has no idea how she’ll make ends meet. The Amish community rallies around her and the children, as is their custom, but as days turn into weeks and then into months, Annie’s friends and neighbors return to their own routines and seem to expect Annie to do the same. Annie knows she needs to stay strong for the children and figure out a way to keep everyone warm and clothed and fed, but she is heartbroken and exhausted. She reminds herself that God will provide, but every day feels like an uphill battle.

When Annie receives a letter from a widower with six children of his own, she tries to put it out of her mind. Her critical mother reminds her that it’s too soon to start a new friendship with a man, and warns her that blending a family will be complicated. In the weeks and months to follow, Annie must learn to make her own decisions—and accept the consequences, good and bad—face her past, and embark on a new journey that will transform her and her large, complicated family. When life seems especially complicated one summer, she finds herself saying that by Christmas everything will start to come together, but she has no idea the challenges—and ultimately blessings—headed her way.

Mail-Order Misfire by Davalynn Spencer

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1880 – Colorado

Mail-Order Misfire exposes the heart of a widowed lawman when he meets the bride his nine-year-old daughter wrote for without telling him.

Preacher Bern Stidham is a peacemaker—when he’s not carrying one on his hip. His little girl, Gracie, wants a helper for her preacher/sheriff papa and a mama for herself, so she writes their former pastor in Missouri asking for a mail-order bride.

Recently widowed dressmaker Etta Collier is a half-step ahead of the banker who carries a lustful eye for her as well as the note on her home. When her pastor receives a letter from little Gracie Stidham, he sees a solution for everyone’s problem and encourages Etta to answer Gracie’s request.

Running from one man’s lecherous pursuit into the home of another she knows nothing about, Etta Collier risks everything to ease a little girl’s loneliness and perhaps find a second chance at love.

This Healing Journey by Misty Beller

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1880 – Montana

She’s never left her home in the mountain wilderness of the Canadian Rockies—until now. Little did she realize this journey would change her life in every way.

The mountain wilderness of her family’s home in the Canadian Rockies is all Hannah Grant has ever known. Now at the age of twenty-four, she’s on a journey to help her father to find the son he gave up for adoption three decades before. This is Hannah’s chance to discover the life she’s missed out on so far—and hopefully find a husband along the way. But she certainly doesn’t plan to fall for the first man she meets.

Years in the cavalry provided Nathaniel Peak with more than his share of violence and adventure. That life behind him, he wants nothing more than to settle down in the beautiful Montana mountains and raise his own stock—in peace. The last thing he expects is the savagely wounded child who shows up in his barn. Nor the woman he comes to rely on for the girl’s care.

Hannah can’t help but fall in love with the brave Indian child who so desperately needs her, but no matter what, she can’t let herself fall for the man whose past choices go against everything she believes in. As the situation grows worse, Hannah and Nathaniel are forced to make a heart-rending decision to save the girl’s life. Little do they imagine, the choice they make could spell disaster for them all.

Love Protects by Julia David

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1867 – Kentucky

From a desperate yet useful childhood at the Lennhurst Asylum and School for Disabled Children, Anna is married off to a plantation baron, a man old enough to be her father. When he collapses on the frozen pond and drowns, could it be the freedom she’s never known? With barely a day of peace as a young widow, her cold-hearted step sons throw her from their father’s home.
William Gibbs thinks he knows desperation. With the death of their mother, he is left to raise his four younger siblings in their one-room cabin. One deemed a lunatic, who runs from home, he can’t find a moment to keep her safe and work their small tobacco farm. Without the crop, they’ll all be destitute.

On a dark rainy night searching for his missing sister, Will turns to the local reverend for help. Their simple solution is to marry off the woman who has been sheltering in their church. A woman who reports she’s worked with the insane. “A wife will cost you nothing.” The reverend’s wife points out.
Will agrees to take Anna as his wife. Unbeknownst to Will, she wasn’t a paid nurse, but a previous patient at Lennhurst Asylum. Has his desperation and a crowded cabin just gotten worse?

Just as the new family finds care and acceptance for one another, Anna is arrested for the murder of her first husband. Moved with his ever growing feelings for his new wife, Will vows to protect her from the ludicrous charges.

But what about the baby nursing at her breast? It’s not Anna’s first husbands or Will’s baby. And she did not give birth. What kind of hoax is it? Should her past and the innocent babe in her arms sentence her to life behind bars?
Can Will protect her in time?

From a Distance by Diana Brandmeyer

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1880s – Illinois

He wants independence. She longs for safety. Will an orphan girl bring them together?

Beginning a new life, Shanna Becket, secures employment at the Children’s Society Agency. Her first assignment brings her dangerously close to her abusive stepfather. What she didn’t count on is the distraction of a handsome stranger who sends her heart fluttering.

A second son who is second-best, Aidan hopes that his latest venture is his ticket to independence from his overbearing father. His travels bring him in contact with the lovely working-class, red-headed Shanna she steals his heart. His father won’t approve.

When a sick orphan brings them together, Shanna is forced to place her well-being in Aidan’s hands. Finally, a possibility of love for this spinster. But can she trust he is the man he says he is?

Outlaw Heart by Vickie McDonough

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1894 – North Dakota

Deputy Marshal Brett Wickham is ready to retire from law enforcement and settle down.

But when his brother Taylor is killed in a bank robbery, Brett pins his badge back on and goes hunting for the Sallinger gang. Then a bear attack lands him right in the middle of the outlaws’ hideout. Anna McFarland, aka Lottie Sallinger, tends Brett’s wounds. She seems too sweet and innocent to be an outlaw. But looks can be deceiving. When his heart is drawn to Lottie, Brett fights the attraction. Can he do his job when everything within him wants Lottie to be innocent?

Anna McFarland is lonely now that her twin brother has married and moved away. She contemplates moving to Bismarck and looking for work, but when a stranger is wounded while saving her from a bear attack, she has her hands full caring for him. The handsome stranger intrigues her. When he recovers, he accepts a job on the ranch. One day he escorts her to town, and they discover a group of ragtag orphans. Somethings seems off at the home for orphans, and they work together to investigate the situation. Anna quickly falls for Brett, but he sends her confusing signals. When Brett accuses her of being an outlaw, Anna is devastated and loses all hope of winning his heart. Why did God send him to her if they weren’t meant to be together?

A Bride’s Choice in Central City by Diana Brandmeyer

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1872 – Missouri

She’s not who she thought she was…
…And he can’t keep a promise
Will they only disappoint each other?

Annabelle Singleton, a Southern socialite on her way to spinsterhood has her world broken when she discovers her life is a lie. While Annabelle searches for her place in society Thaddeus offers her a glimpse of what things could become. His young daughter grows attached to Annabelle, but is she ready to be a mother when she isn’t sure who hers was?

Despite his intentions, investor Thaddeus Kincaid continues to break promises to his young daughter and late wife. The only way to keep his word is to spend less time managing his company or find a wife. Neither option is viable. Until he meets Annabelle. But she has a secret, and until he finds out what it is, he can’t consider a future with her.

In the end, does the truth make you who you are?

Annabelle will have to decide.

Where the Heart Takes You by Virginia Wise

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1737 – Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania, 1737. Greta Scholtz braved a perilous journey—and the loss of her beloved father—to find religious freedom in America. With two orphan children she’s taken under her wing, she’s trying hard to survive this rugged new world. So she won’t let settlement elders pressure her into marrying reserved widower Jacob Miller. She and Jacob simply can’t agree on anything—even if the unexpected feeling between them is proving an irresistible force . . .

After losing his wife and baby, grief-stricken Jacob keeps everyone at arm’s length. Duty is the only reason he began helping the headstrong Greta make a life for herself and her charges. Yet he’s grown to admire her, especially her strength in the face of obstacles—including him and his wounded ways. But wrenching misunderstandings and a jealous rival could separate them forever. To find harmony—and perhaps even a future together—Greta and Jacob must take a leap of faith and risk opening their hearts . . .

The Homesteader’s Sweetheart by Lacy Williams

Goodreads ~ Amazon

1890 – Wyoming

Penny Castlerock needs a place to hide from an unwelcome suitor. The quiet refuge she finds on her grandfather’s ranch is short-lived when she finds herself roped into helping neighbor Jonas White with his passel of ornery kids. Matchmaking kids. Who seem to think she’s a perfect match for their shy father, a man with secrets she delights in discovering…

The Reluctant Warrior by Mary Connealy

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1868 – Nevada

Union army officer Cameron Scott is used to being obeyed, but nothing about this journey to Lake Tahoe has gone as expected. He’s come to fetch his daughter and nephew, and seek revenge on the people who killed his brother. Instead he finds himself trapped by a blizzard with two children who are terrified of him and stubborn but beautiful Gwen Harkness, who he worries may be trying to keep the children.

When danger descends on the cabin where they’re huddled, Cam is hurt trying to protect everyone and now finds Gwen caring for him too. He soon realizes why the kids love her so much and wonders if it might be best for him to move on without them. When she sees his broken heart, Gwen decides to help him win back their affection–and in the process he might just win her heart as well.

Wagon Train Matchmaker by Linda Ford

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1848 – New Mexico

Mary Mae Clark has learned the hard way not to trust what a man says. Broken promises have made her wary and now she only wants to return to Santa Fe to help her friend Sophia keep her wee son.

Warren Russell has been freighting on the Trail for four years. He likes it that way. No ties. No family. No love. He doesn’t deserve it after his neglect of his wife and small son resulted in their deaths.

But the accidental death of his best friend on the trail leaves Warren as guardian to the man’s ten-year-old niece, Polly. He gratefully accepts Mary Mae’s help with the child but only while they are on the trail. Then he and Polly will move on. Only Polly has other ideas. Matchmaking ideas…

Can Polly match Mary Mae and Warren in time for her to have a family for Christmas?

Wagon Train Wedding by Linda Ford

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1848 – New Mexico

Judith Russel is devastated by the death of her fiancé and vows to never again trust her feelings toward a man.

Gil Trapper is the wagon train scout and owner of several freight wagons. Freighting is going to give him the future he’d thought he lost. He has no interest in love after the woman he intended to marry broke his heart.

Judith and Gil are forced to marry after they spend a night alone together saving a lost child. Their marriage of convenience doesn’t change anything. Judith can’t trust Gil and Gil will never open his heart to Judith. But as they work together to care for the tiny child that needs them, they can’t help growing closer to each other.

Will time spent together facing the challenges of the trail, the joy of the child, and the truth about their past experiences force them to admit their growing love or drive them apart forever?

The Widow’s Plight by Mary Davis

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1893 – Washington

When Lily Lexington Bremmer arrives in Kamola with her young son, she’s reluctant to join the social center of her new community, the quilting circle, but the friendly ladies pull her in. She begins piecing a sunshine and shadows quilt because it mirrors her life. She has a secret that lurks in the shadows and hopes it doesn’t come out into the light. Dark places in her past are best forgotten, but her new life is full of sunshine. Will her secrets cast shadows on her bright future?

Widower Edric Hammond and his father are doing their best to raise his two young daughters. He meets Lily and her son when they arrive in town and helps her find a job and a place to live. Lily resists Edric’s charms at first, but finds herself falling in love with this kind, gentle man and his two darling daughters. Lily has stolen his heart with her first warm smile, but he’s cautious about bringing another woman into his girls’ lives due to the harshness of their own mother.

Can Edric forgive Lily her past to take hold of a promising chance at love?

A Blessed Dream by Danica Favorite

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1852 – California

Newly arrived in Blessings, Louisa Davidson’s only goal is to support her sisters while they search for clues about their father’s murder. However, their neighbor’s unruly children keep disrupting her work and she finds herself longing for a dream she thought lost to her: that of being a schoolteacher. With her father’s murderer on the loose, she cannot think of her own dreams, but of justice.

Jonah Hastings’s dreams died along with his wife. He’s doing the best he can to keep his children out of trouble, but as his family falls apart, the person to save them may also be the greatest threat to walls around his heart. As Jonah and Louisa try to hold the shattered pieces of their hearts together, can letting go be the very thing that saves them all?

Baby on Her Doorstep by Rhonda Gibson

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1884 – Texas

Laura Lee has longed for a child of her own—but she never expected one would suddenly appear on the school steps. With a note begging her to raise the baby girl, the teacher must find a new home since there’s a rule against children in the boardinghouse. Her only option is becoming a temporary live-in nanny for a rancher.

Widowed single father Clint Shepard needs a nanny for his daughter immediately—even if hiring Laura means he’ll have to find someone else in a few months when school starts up. But after spending time with her and the little girl she’s raising, he starts falling for them, and wishing their arrangement could be permanent.

Second-Chance Bride by Linda Ford

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1886 – Dakotas

America was supposed to provide a new life, but Freyda has found only bitterness since making the treacherous journey from Norway. With her husband now deceased, her survival is in her own hands. If she can manage the two stubborn horses her husband left, she can manage the homestead too. But the horses prove unmanageable and she has no choice but to strike a reluctant bargain with her near neighbor. In exchange for his help, she will care for his two little boys.

Ward has known nothing but pain and disappointment in his relationships with women. It makes it difficult to trust his pretty neighbor, but he can clearly see she won’t survive without his help. And even he must admit that his sons need tending while he plants his crop. He never expected to need Freyda’s softness, too.

Freyda wanted to prove that she didn’t need anyone else. The more she is forced to work with Ward, the more she begins to realize that maybe God didn’t intend her to be alone. But Ward’s walls of distrust and past hurts are high–maybe too high for her to scale. Can she, and two little boys, open his heart to love again?

The Rancher Inherits a Family by Cheryl St. John

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1869 – Kansas

The pretty redhead Seth Halloway pulls from a derailed train has surprising news for him. The children she’s accompanied to Cowboy Creek aren’t hers—they’re his, thanks to the last wishes of a late friend. Busy rancher Seth must suddenly cope with three rambunctious boys…and try to ignore his growing feelings for independent Marigold Brewster.

Marigold hopes to start over as the town’s new schoolteacher. She’ll choose her own path, and stay aloof from the adorable Radner boys—and their guardian. But the man who rescued her from a wrecked railcar might just be the one to save her from loneliness…if she dares to let him in.

A Chance at Forever by Melissa Jagears

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1909 – Kansas

In early 1900s Kansas, Mercy McClain, determined to protect Teaville’s children from the bullying she experienced as a child, finds fulfillment working at the local orphanage and serving on the school board. When Aaron Firebrook, the classmate who bothered her more than any other, petitions the board for a teaching position, she’s dead set against him getting the job.

Aaron knows he deserves every bit of Mercy’s mistrust, but he’s returned to his hometown a changed man and is seeking to earn forgiveness of those he wronged. He doesn’t expect Mercy to like him, but surely he can prove he now has the best interests of the children at heart.

Will resentment and old wounds hold them back, or can Mercy and Aaron put the past behind them in time to face the unexpected threats to everything they’re working for?

Montana Groom of Convenience by Linda Ford

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1891 – Montana

Carly Morrison’s father issued an ultimatum: get married or lose her ranch. But while she can rope and ride as well as any man, leading one to the altar is another matter—until newcomer Sawyer Gallagher suggests a marriage of convenience. Their arrangement might be a sensible solution to her predicament, but Carly’s growing feelings are a genuine complication.

Desperate to provide a home for his orphaned sister, Sawyer takes a chance on lassoing himself to headstrong cowgirl Carly. He’s convinced he’s too hardened by life to love anyone…until their union is threatened. Is it too late to turn this practical partnership into a real Big Sky family?

Holding the Fort by Regina Jennings

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1885 – Oklahoma

Louisa Bell never wanted to be a dance-hall singer, but dire circumstances force her hand. With a little help from her brother in the cavalry, she’s able to make ends meet, but lately he’s run afoul of his commanding officer, so she undertakes a visit to straighten him out.

Major Daniel Adams has his hands full at Fort Reno. He can barely control his rowdy troops, much less his two adolescent daughters. If Daniel doesn’t find someone respectable to guide his children, his mother-in-law insists she’ll take them.

When Louisa arrives with some reading materials, she’s mistaken for the governess who never appeared. Major Adams is skeptical. She bears little resemblance to his idea of a governess–they’re not supposed to be so blamed pretty–but he’s left without recourse. His mother-in-law must be satisfied, which leaves him turning a blind eye to his unconventional governess’s methods. Louisa’s never faced so important a performance. Can she keep her act together long enough?

The Gift of Twins by Gabrielle Meyer

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1858 – Minnesota

Finding twin five-year-old boys on his doorstep isn’t the first surprise Reverend Benjamin Lahaye has faced lately. Emery Wilkes, the new schoolteacher the town has hired, turns out to be a very pretty woman—not the man they’d been expecting. And though the twins and Emmy are only boarding with Ben until Christmas, the arrangement feels all too natural.

Emmy has moved to Minnesota to put loss behind her. Marriage would mean forsaking her position and her purpose, and Ben is an honorable man who understands her refusal to wed. But as he gets closer to tracking down the little boys’ father, Emmy realizes just how much she wants their sweet temporary family to become permanent.

Their Mistletoe Matchmakers by Keli Gwyn

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1860 – California

The best Christmas possible—that’s what Lavinia Crowne intends to provide before taking her orphaned nieces and nephew home to Philadelphia. But carrying out her plan may be harder than she expects, with their handsome, stubborn uncle, Henry Hawthorn, insisting on raising the children in rough-and-tumble Sutter Creek, California. Lavinia can’t bear to lose her late sister’s children, though, or go against her father’s demand to bring them home.

Henry believes his nieces and nephew need affection and security more than a lavish lifestyle. But as the children conspire to bring their aunt and uncle together, a new vision fills his head—of future Christmases spent with sweet, determined Lavinia and their growing family. Can three little matchmakers, and the spirit of the season, bring the gift of a very happy beginning?

A Lawman for Christmas by Karen Kirst

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1887 – Tennessee

Committed to her spinsterhood, Isabel Flores isn’t about to trust a man with her hard-won independence or her heart—especially not lawman Ben MacGregor. But when a little boy is abandoned on her property, the so-called “Debonair Deputy” of their small Tennessee town helps her care for the child. And Isabel begins to hope he might be more than just a handsome flirt.

Ben is well aware of Isabel’s aversion to love and has his own secret reasons for avoiding relationships. But as he and Isabel do their best to make the holiday special for their young ward, Ben wonders if he could be a family man after all. Will this Christmas be the first of many for Isabel and Ben’s little instant family?

Mail-Order Christmas Baby by Sherri Shackleford

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1880 – Montana

The “package” is addressed to him, but rancher Sterling Blackwell certainly didn’t order a baby! More scandalous still, he and the town’s pretty teacher are named as parents. With gossip running wild, only a marriage of convenience can protect little Gracie and their reputations until her real family is found.

Heather O’Connor is content to be the spinster schoolmarm of Valentine, Montana…until Gracie’s arrival stirs her heart. She can’t keep the adorable child without Sterling’s help, though she promises not to interfere with his life. But staying aloof from her handsome husband isn’t easy with a tiny matchmaker in tow. A mistake brought them together, but love might just make them a family by Christmas…

A Child’s Christmas Wish by Erica Vetsch

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1875 – Minnesota

The only Christmas gift Oscar Rabb’s four-year-old daughter prays for is one the widower can’t provide: a baby sibling. And when his neighbor’s house burns down, he’s willing to open his home to pregnant and widowed Kate Amaker and her in-laws—but not his heart. Even if his little girl’s convinced Kate’s unborn child is the answer to her wish.

Kate quickly sees the generous but aloof Oscar has little interest in growing closer to his houseguests. Still, she intends to make the coming Christmas a season to remember for his daughter. And as Oscar starts to open up to her, Kate can’t help picturing just how wonderful the holidays—and a future together—might be.

Montana Bride by Christmas by Linda Ford

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1890 – Montana

When preacher Hugh Arness advertises for a marriage of convenience, the single father’s not expecting Annie Marshall to apply. She’s too vivacious—and far too pretty. Yet Annie connects with his withdrawn young son, Evan, and he agrees to a trial period—which her grandfather will chaperone—until Christmas. By then he’ll have found a candidate who doesn’t make him long for more than he feels worthy of…

Security and her own home…Annie wants both, without the heartache love brings. Soon she’s earning little Evan’s trust, eager to show his papa that their partnership can work. She knows that Hugh needs tenderness, too. And maybe this Christmas could mark the end of their practical arrangement…and the start of a true union and real family.

Montana Cowboy’s Baby by Linda Ford

montanacowboysbaby Montana Cowboy’s Baby

1890 – Montana

Conner Marshall knows the baby on the doorstep isn’t his—despite what the note says—but little Ellie needs a protector…and urgent medical care. Turning to the doctor’s daughter and capable assistant, Kate Baker, for help, he keeps the truth to himself. Why should he care if Kate believes the worst of him? The wary rancher can’t afford feelings for a woman who’ll soon be moving east for medical school.

A promise to her dying grandmother decided Kate’s future. She’ll become a doctor and forgo a family of her own. Now, tending to Ellie at the Marshall ranch, she sees just what she’s sacrificing, especially when Ellie’s mother returns. But the littlest matchmakers can sometimes make the biggest dreams come true…