Call Of The Prairie by Vickie McDonough

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Call Of The Prairie calloftheprairie

1873 – Kansas

A Young Woman Dreaming of Freedom…

Sophie Davenport feels like a prisoner in her own house. In her twenty–two years, her overprotective parents have taken every possible measure to keep her from anything that might exacerbate her asthma–in other words, just about everything but reading and needlework. Yet Sophie longs for adventure…and for love. She corresponds clandestinely with a would–be suitor, until they meet and her wheezing scares him off. It seems her fragile health just might sentence her to a lifetime of monotonous inactivity.

A Young Man Dreaming of a Family…

Josh Harper is far more bookish than his brawny brothers. The middle child, he enjoys helping at his family’s stagecoach stop in Kansas, where he spends a great deal of time crafting furniture and other items out of wood. But, before long, his book smarts draw him to the nearby city of Windmill, where he begins work as manager of his uncle’s bank. He also looks after his niece and nephew, who spend their weeks in town to attend school. The change of scenery is welcome, but Josh yearns for a family of his own. Too bad eligible females are not plenteous on the prairie.

A Reality That Seems to Stand in the Way…

When Sophie’s aunt, a resident of Windmill, falls ill and requires help, Sophie volunteers. Despite his hesitation, her father finally relents and lets her go, as there is no other option. Her new role brings her into contact with the children boarding at her aunt’s home–and with the handsome uncle of two of them. Is there a larger purpose in her coming to Windmill? Or will Josh Harper reject her, if not for her frail health, then for the rocky nature of their relationship?

Jewel of the Pacific by Linda Chaikin

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1892 – Hawaii

Torn between family loyalties, political ambition, and their commitment to each other, Rafe and Eden must fight to protect the place they care about so deeply.

The year is 1892 and the small island nation of Hawaii is in turmoil. Rafe Easton and a small but influential band of patriots are quietly pursuing annexation to the United States out of concerns that the monarchy will fall to a less noble power. But Rafe is not the only one with secrets. And as political tensions mount, some of the island’s most prominent families are faced with revelations that could unravel everything—the future of the country–and Rafe’s future with his beautiful fiancé, Eden Derrington.

Just as the enemy of righteousness stalks his prey, danger prowls Hawaii’s beaches and pineapple plantations. The man who murdered Rafe’s father now threatens his mother and adopted son. And Eden is compelled to join her father in the noble yet dangerous work of medical research among a shunned leper community—a community that shelters the mother she never knew.

Among all the turmoil, will their own love survive?

Highland Sanctuary by Jennifer Hudson Taylor

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Highland Sanctuaryhighlandsanctuary

Medieval – Scotland

Gavin MacKenzie, a chieftain heir who is hired to restore the ancient Castle of Braigh, discovers a hidden village of outcasts who have created their own private sanctuary from the world. Among them is Serena Boyd, a mysterious and comely lass, who captures Gavin’s heart in spite of harboring a deadly past that could destroy her future.

The villagers happen to be keeping an intriguing secret as well, and when a fierce enemy launches an attack against them, greed leads to bitter betrayal. Then, as Gavin prepares a defense, the villagers unite in a bold act of faith, showing how God’s love is more powerful than any human force on earth.

Rocky Mountain Homecoming by Pamela Nissen

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Rocky Mountain Homecomingrockymountainhomecoming

Colorado

The Prodigal Daughter’s Return

When Ivy Harris left Boulder after her mother’s death, she never planned to return. But six years later, her father’s illness brings her back to the place she’s sure won’t ever feel like home again. Her one source of comfort is Zach Drake, her childhood friend and protector, now foreman on her father’s ranch.

After years of living in his brothers’ shadows, Zach Drake has become a man to be reckoned with—a man determined to stand on his own. Yet Ivy can still move his heart in ways that no one else ever could. Perhaps they’ll find the home they didn’t know they sought, safe in each other’s arms.

Hawaiian Crosswinds by Linda Lee Chaikin

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1892 – Hawaii and California

Amid the looming spiritual and political crisis in Hawaii, Rafe Easton and Eden Derrington are thrust into a conflict that will forever change their beloved Hawaii.

Hawaii, home of the early missionaries, becomes an empire of sugar and pineapple built by their children and grandchildren. By 1892 the Treasure of the Pacific is caught in a political revolution between those supporting Queen Liliuokalani, and the new Hawaiians determined to see the Stars and Stripes waving over Iolani Palace.

Rafe Easton hears the dark news that Townsend Derrington is in San Francisco prowling about the house on Nob Hill belonging to Parker Judson, Rafe’s partner in the pineapple plantation. Rafe’s mother, Celestine, is keeping out of sight with baby Kip inside the house. The news is dire enough to convince Rafe to alter his near-term plans in Honolulu. Having come to an agreement with his fiancée, Eden Derrington, to allow her to work for a year on Molokai at her father’s medical clinic while meeting her dying mother, a leper, Rafe makes swift plans to take a steamer to San Francisco to hunt down Townsend who is guilty of Rafe’s father’s death, and now stalking Celestine and Kip.

A Heart for Home by Lauraine Snelling

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A Heart for Homeaheartforhome

1904 – South Dakota

Astrid Bjorklund is on the Red Bud Indian Reservation in South Dakota trying to stop the horrific epidemic that is ravaging the tribe. The elders are suspicious of her, but when they see some of their people beginning to recover, they allow Astrid to continue caring for the sick and to train others to help. She is overwhelmed by this need so close to home and wonders if this is the mission field God has planned for her.

Joshua Landsverk wants to repair his broken relationship with Astrid, but he is opposed to her present work and refuses to tell her why. When he encounters unexpected adversity, a surprising act of kindness brings healing to the grievous wrong inflicted years ago. Will it be enough to bring Joshua and Astrid together again?

Her Healing Ways by Lyn Cote

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1868 – Idaho

A female physician with an adopted black daughter? The townsfolk of Idaho Bend will never accept Dr. Mercy Gabriel—even when faced with a deadly cholera epidemic. But all Mercy needs is one man willing to listen…and to trust.

Four years of war command turned Lon Mackey into a footloose gambler who can’t abide attachments. Yet he can’t help getting riled by the threats Mercy keeps receiving. Her trailblazing courage could reignite his faith and humanity. And his loyalty could make her dream—for the first time—of a family of her own….

Embers of Love by Tracie Peterson

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Embers of Love (Striking a Match)embersoflove

1885 – Texas

The logging industry in eastern Texas is booming, and Deborah Vandermark plans to assist her family’s business now that she’s completed college. Unexpectedly, her best friend, Lizzie Decker, accompanies her back home–fleeing a wedding and groom she has no interest in. Deborah, the determined matchmaker, puts her sights on uniting her brother and dear friend in a true love match.

Deborah soon meets Dr. Christopher Clayton, a much-needed addition to the town. As their lives intersect, Deborah realizes that she has a much greater interest in medicine and science than the bookkeeping she was trained in. But when typhoid begins to spread and Lizzie’s jilted fiance returns, Deborah wonders if true love can overcome such obstacles…for those dearest to her, and for herself. 

Eleventh Guest by Brock and Bodie Thoene

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Eleventh Guest (A. D. Chronicles)11thguest

30s – Middle East

The lepers in the Valley of Mak’ob hear rumors that a miracle worker is walking the earth. Ten are chosen to search for him, knowing that outside the Valley lies almost certain death. Could this healer be the Messiah they long for? And will they find him in time? You will be touched by the stories of these broken, weary travelers searching for the Messiah.

The Spoils of Eden by Linda Chaikin

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1891 – Hawaii

Amid the looming spiritual and political crisis in Hawaii, Eden Derrington and Rafe Easton are thrust into a conflict that will forever change their beloved Hawaii and threaten to derail their future marriage.
When Eden, representing the Hawaiian Board of Health at Kalihi Leper Hospital is sent to Rafe’s plantation to take baby Kip to Kalihi to quarantine him indefinitely, an emotional volcano of suspected betrayal threatens to turn their love relationship to ashes.

Someone has alerted the Board that the baby Rafe saved and brought to Honolulu came from the Kalawao leper colony.
Since the law strictly forbids children born of lepers from being adopted, Kip’s future seems destined toward tragedy. And what of Eden and Rafe after their engagement is broken? When Eden’s father, Dr. Jerome, returns to open a clinic at Kalawao, she joins her father, leaving Rafe to run for the legislature and attempt to change the children’s law.

No Distance Too Far by Lauraine Snelling

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No Distance Too Far (Home to Blessing Series, Book 2)nodistancetoofar

1904 – South Dakota

Astrid Bjorklund wants to use her medical training to serve God and feels that He might be leading her in the direction of missionary work. Smarting from a misunderstanding with Joshua Landsverk, the young man she thought she loved, she heads east to a missionary training school, hoping to eventually use her skills in some remote outpost in Africa.

When she is called home unexpectedly to help in a family medical emergency, Astrid learns of a deadly measles outbreak on the nearby Indian reservation. She immediately senses the Spirit tugging her to help the Indians and wonders if her “mission field” is not so far away as she had imagined. But if she follows God’s call, will love pass her by? 

Love Finds You in Homestead, Iowa by Melanie Dobson

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Love Finds You in Homestead, Iowahomesteadiowa

1894 – Iowa

Times are hard in 1894. Desperate for work, former banker Jacob Hirsch rides the rails west from Chicago with his four-year-old daughter, Cassie. When a life-threatening illness strands the pair in Homestead, Iowa, the local Amana villagers welcome the father and daughter into their peaceful society. Liesel, a young Amana woman, nurses Cassie back to health, and the Homestead elders offer Jacob work. But Jacob’s growing interest in Liesel complicates his position in the Amanas. Will he fight to stay in the only place that feels like home, even if it means giving up the woman he loves? Or will Liesel leave her beloved community to face the outside world with Jacob and Cassie at her side? 

In the Arms of Immortals by Ginger Garrett

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In the Arms of Immortalsinthearmsoftheimmortals

1347 – Italy

The Black Death sweeps through a Sicilian village in Book Two of Ginger Garrett’s unforgettable Chronicles of the Scribe series
 
It starts when a strange ship docks in the village harbor. That night an old man falls ill…then the baker’s wife…then a street urchin. By morning half the townspeople are dead and more are dying—horribly. And no one in town has a clue how to stop it. Not the local priest. Not the rich baron or his powerful knight. And not the three women at the heart of this book: the baron’s proud daughter, Panthea, the outcast healer Gio, and Mariskka, an unwilling visitor from another time. This fast-moving, richly imagined tale is a sure winner for lovers of historical fiction.

Breathe by Lisa T. Bergren

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Breathebreathe

1883 – Colorado

Devastated by the loss of four sons to tuberculosis and his wife in childbirth, a Philadelphia patriarch sends his three living children west in 1883 to make a new life in the clean mountain air of Colorado Springs. Odessa is struggling to survive consumption; Moira is beautiful and dangerously headstrong; and pugnacious Dominic is charged with establishing a new arm of the family business a business he doesn’t want. Readers will love The Homeward Trilogy, in which the St. Clair siblings struggle to follow where the heavenly Father leads them.

In Breathe, Odessa arrives at a famous sanitarium seeking a cure for the disease that killed her brothers. While Moira and Nic establish themselves in Colorado Springs society, Dessa inches her way back to health – and into love with a softspoken fellow patient, rancher Bryce McAllan. When she witnesses a murder in the very hospital where she is recuperating-and other patients begin to die, Dessa struggles to breathe again. She’d always expected to die young, but now that she has a reason to live, can she hold on to her fragile health to solve the mystery?

From A Distance by Tamera Alexander

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From a Distance (Timber Ridge Reflections, Book 1)fromadistance

1875 – Colorado

What happens when the realization of a dream isn’t what you imagined… and the secret you’ve spent a lifetime guarding is finally laid bare?
Determined to become one of the country’s premier newspaper photographers, Elizabeth Westbrook travels to the Colorado Territory to capture the grandeur of the mountains surrounding the remote town of Timber Ridge. She hopes, too, that the cool, dry air of Colorado, and its renowned hot springs, will cure the mysterious illness that threatens her career, and her life. Daniel Ranslett is a man shackled by his Confederate past, and he’ll do anything to protect his land, and his solitude. When an outspoken Yankee photographer captures an image that appears key to solving a murder, putting herself in danger, Daniel is called upon to repay a debt. He’s a man of his word, but repaying that debt could reveal secrets from his past he would prefer remain buried.
Forced on a perilous journey together, Daniel and Elizabeth’s lives intertwine in ways neither could have imagined when first they met from a distance.

Till Morning Is Nigh by Leisha Kelly

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1932 – Illinois

It is December of 1932, just one year after the Worthams and the Hammonds lost Wilametta Hammond and Emma Graham in one terrible night. The Christmas spirit seems largely absent again this year. George Hammond has disappeared, and Julia Wortham’s house is filled to overflowing with the Hammond children, several of whom are coming down with a mysterious illness. As Christmas nears, the children’s homemade nativity scene takes on a life of its own, bringing comfort in the midst of uncertainty and hard times.

Dawn in My Heart by Ruth Axtell Morren

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dawninmyheartDawn in My Heart (Regency Series #2)

1814 – England

Called home to Regency London after his brother’s death, Tertius Pembroke, Earl of Skylar, must marry quickly and produce an heir. Lady Gillian Edwards seems the ideal bride: young, beautiful and innocent. But Sky is no ideal husband, having returned from the Indies gaunt, ill and plagued by a darkness that he dare not reveal even to his betrothed. Lady Gillian had promised Sky her hand in marriage but cannot give him her heart, not when she gave it to another man three years ago. Afraid of repudiation, Gillian buries her secret so deep inside herself, no one will every know, or so she hopes.

Through lies and deceit, their marriage slowly unravels. Then Sky becomes deathly ill, and his new found faith offers two virtual strangers a second chance at becoming husband and wife.

The Color of the Soul by Tracey Bateman

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1860s/1948 – Georgia

A Pandora’s box opens when reporter Andy Carmichael, too light skinned for acceptance by blacks and too dark skinned for acceptance by whites, is sent to Georgia to interview Miss Penbrook, an icon of Southern literature. From her deathbed, the mysterious Miss Penbrook gives Andy journals that reveal a surprising twist – her story and his own meld into one.

Go Down to Silence by Greg Belliveau

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1940/Present Day – Belgium/Ohio

Jacob Horowitz, a worn and bitter business tycoon, has never spoken to anyone about his experience of Nazi persecution during World War II — not even his recently deceased wife, Liza. Suddenly stricken with terminal cancer, the aging Jew receives an invitation from his old friend Pierre, a Gentile Christian and former Belgian underground operative, to pay him one last visit in Belgium. Jacob accepts, and determines to take along his estranged son Isaac. In this fast-paced, vivid historical account set alternately in war-torn Europe and today’s United States, the consequences of war become clear. Momentous events push the hardened Horowitz toward reconciliation with his youngest son, with his past, with God, and with himself.

For Whom the Stars Shine by Linda Chaikin

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1891 – Hawaii

As the family of the last queen of Hawaii fights for their rights to the monarchy’s vast properties, one granddaughter, Eden Derrington, returns, only to discover family secrets that will greatly change the course of events on her beautiful island.

*This novel re-released in a series (The Dawn of Hawaii):

The Spoils of Eden

Hawaiian Crosswinds

Jewel of the Pacific