Returning home after a bad breakup, Jordan Wood is eager to prove she can run her family’s store. Setting up a partnership with Declan Porter’s struggling adventure business might do the trick. But the handsome single dad is set in his ways—in business and in love. Can winning his—and his son’s—heart help them all heal?
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading Winning His Trust, set in a small town in Arkansas. Jordan has returned to her home town to work in the family store after being betrayed by her former boyfriend and best friends. She is looking for purpose in her life, and questions if God thinks she’s a failure. Jordan offers to help Declan, who she knew from high school, improve the financial viability of his outdoor adventure business.
Declan has an adorable five year old son, River, who loves dinosaurs. River’s mother abandoned him, and left Declan with all the parenting and financial responsibilities. Declan needs his business to thrive, and a fun romance develops as Declan and Jordan get to know each. Jordan has a soft spot for River from the moment she first meets him while working in her family store.
Declan and Jordan have many obstacles to overcome on their journey to happily-ever-after. I loved the outdoor adventure aspects of the story, including hiking and fishing, and seeing Jordan step outside her comfort zone. I recommend Winning His Trust to contemporary romance readers who like single dad romances with a relevant faith element in the story.
Many thanks to the author for the advanced reader copy.
Billionaires get a lot of requests for money, but when my great-grandmother asked me to set up a scholarship at her alma mater, I was happy to oblige. Anything to make my GG smile.
But I made the mistake of mentioning that the Bible college where she met her one true love was gearing up for their annual Easter play. GG’s response? Stay in Kansas and lend a helping hand.
Such a terrible idea. Not only is it challenging to run a billion-dollar business remotely, it also means spending more time with Wendy Hall—the beautiful young widow who makes me want to help with more than just the play. So I’ll do my part at the concessions stand, and I’ll see what I can do about the secrets bringing Wendy down.
Easter is a time for new beginnings. A second chance at love might be the last thing Wendy wants, but I’m here to show her it’s exactly what she needs.
Can once upon a time turn into a happily ever after?
Letty Stanton might live in Gilead, but Heavenly Brew is her home. After all, home is where the heart is. Letty has spent a decade running from a past she never wanted to face and keeping at arms’ length all the people who hold her close to their hearts. When a handsome stranger blows into town, though, he upsets the calm and comfortable life she’s worked so hard to cultivate.
Dawson Bauer is new to small-town life. From the four-year-old who couldn’t whisper if her life depended on it to the middle-aged man who only speaks in grunts and glares, Gilead is filled with quirky people who think privacy is a mythical creature. Not to mention that everybody is obsessed with Easter, and he’d be happy to never hear that word again. Then there’s the enigmatic woman who runs the town’s coffee shop. There’s something about her…
What happens when a guy who mostly means well and a girl with mile-high walls collide? Sparks fly, secrets come to light, and everybody in Gilead has an opinion.
Her best friend from high school, Sasha Kennedy, has invited her to Trinity Lakes, Washington State, to be part of her wedding party. South Australia to Trinity Lakes is literally the other side of the world, so Alanah has a full schedule of adventure planned while she’s away. A summer camp counsellor; a trip to Canada; Sight-seeing in New York and Boston; and avoiding Sasha’s twin-brother, Caleb.
But a silly accident puts Sasha out of commission for all the planned adventures, and Caleb is sent to retrieve his former high school sweetheart from the airport. Eleven years should be enough time to have cooled the love Alanah and Caleb once shared. Should be, but apparently not. This is not a great thing to acknowledge considering Caleb has just announced his engagement to someone else.
Six months of avoiding Caleb—worse—avoiding feelings about Caleb—is going to be a long time.
Can two lonely hearts find their way to each other…and God?
Chris Morgan is the black sheep of the family. He’s leaned into the title, finding as many ways as he can to distance himself from his perfect parents and siblings. When he receives shocking news that rocks his perception of his sinful lifestyle, he needs help. Fast.
Brandi Blakely knows exactly what kind of person Chris is. When he comes to her begging for help, she agrees to marry him with one caveat. The marriage will have an expiration date. As the two work together to get custody of the little girl he has just learned about, lines blur, and hearts become involved. Brandi refuses to let Chris in and shatter her fragile heart.
When tragedy strikes, can Chris hold onto the tenuous changes he’s made, and can Brandi let go of the ugly scars from her past to see herself as a new creation in Christ?
When empty nester Mallory Farrell inherits her grandmother’s run-down tourist shop in Seaport, Oregon, it seems the only sensible thing to do is to sell it. But when her former secret crush, Grayson Matthews, wants to buy the property in order to complete his plans to redevelop the funky town’s business district into a soulless, cookie-cutter outdoor mall, Mallory digs in her heels and decides to renovate the property herself.
With a lot of hard work and a little bit of help, Mallory makes incredible progress turning the store into an eclectic home décor shop called Romancing the Home–all while trying to ignore the depressing and decrepit apartment she’s living in on the second floor. When the shop catches the eye of a popular renovation TV show producer, Mallory is thrilled–until it becomes clear that her apartment is to be part of the segment as well.
She’s tempted to abandon her dreams and the town under a cloud of shame. But perhaps there’s more to Grayson than meets the eye. Can he swallow his pride, change his plans, and help Mallory romance her own home–and possibly her life?
From the bestselling author of The Convenient Groom (now a beloved Hallmark Original movie) comes a sweet and sizzling story of a romance writer surprised by her own happily ever after.
When novelist Sadie Goodwin is forced to stop writing westerns and charged with penning a contemporary romance novel to rescue her lackluster sales, there’s only one tiny problem: She’s never been in love.
Desperate to salvage her career, Sadie begins devouring romance novels. Knowing she must devote herself to this confounding genre, she accepts an invitation to hole up at her friend’s beach duplex for the summer. Where better to witness love in bloom than on the beautiful North Carolina shore?
However, once ensconced in the charming ocean-front home with her sweet maltipoo Rio, she finds many ways to procrastinate. First there’s the beach, right outside her backdoor, with all its interesting visitors (research). Then there’s the free library she decides to build and set up by the back deck (She has to do something with all those romance novels). To say nothing of Sam Ford, the grumpy neighbor on the other side of the duplex . . . who she can’t seem to stop annoying.
A social butterfly by nature, Sadie soon gets to know all the beach regulars—sunbathers, walkers, and surfers alike. The free books draw a crowd right up to the house for nice little book chats, which further irritates her reclusive neighbor, to break up her “writing.” But things take an unexpected turn when Sadie opens a recently-placed novel to find a secret compartment—and tucked inside is a beautiful engagement ring. To whom does the ring belong? Sadie is convinced she needs to find the owner and save the man’s proposal from certain doom.
She draws a reluctant Sam into the project, and slowly their connection begins to develop. Are these weird fluttery feelings the first stirrings of love? Has Sadie managed to stumble upon the very subject about which she must write—and wouldn’t Sam make the perfect alpha hero?
Will Sadie find the ring’s rightful owner? And will she manage to pen a career-saving romance novel by summer’s end?
She doesn’t believe in love, but a marriage of convenience with her best friend might change her mind.
Colt has been in love with Remi for years, but she friendzoned him a long time ago. When tragedy strikes, Remi comes up with a plan to help–she’ll marry him so he can get custody of his niece and nephew. All the odds are stacked against him, but Remi’s crazy proposal just might work.
Remi wants nothing to do with relationships, but when she sees how determined Colt is to help his niece and nephew, she can’t stand by while they’re taken from him. Her painful childhood might be locked up in the past, but she has a chance to give these sweet kids the life she always wanted. Marriage doesn’t have to mean risking her heart, right?
Being married to Remi is Colt’s dream come true, but the hurts of her past keep her at arm’s length. Can he show her that love is the path to healing?
Better Together is a sweet friends to more romance and the fourth book in the Wolf Creek Ranch series.
After her parents die in a horrific car accident, Sydney Moomaw is thrust into running their guest ranch in eastern Washington. She soon discovers that her parents were keeping secrets. Why is the ranch in serious debt? Why did her parents allow the insurance to lapse? Why didn’t they tell her about it? And where are their wills? Sydney needs to figure out a way to save the ranch she loves before her sister sells it.
Photographer Trey Hardy arrives at the ranch the same day Sydney’s parents are killed. His working-vacation plans change when he decides to help Sydney save her ranch. But, his offers to help are met with resistance. Her stubbornness and independence are both maddening and alluring.
Amid the tangle of finances, tensions with her sister, and her own grief and anger, Sydney begins receiving threatening notes. They must be from her abusive ex-husband, but he’s in jail. Isn’t he? When a teenager appears at the ranch insisting she is Sydney’s daughter, Sydney finally realizes she’s going to have to start trusting people to help her. Will Trey’s plan work? Can they save her beloved ranch? Can she really have the life she’s dreamed of?
Could a muddied history she is desperate to clear up lead them to a brand new tale that neither one had truly hoped to find?
She loves a good romance–but doesn’t believe it happens in real life.
Sage Greene loves a good story, especially if it has a dashing and romantic hero. But her family’s legacy of broken relationships has convinced her that romance is strictly for fiction. Take her great-grandfather Harold Teller, for example—a selfish drunk who rejected his wife and son. But if that were so, why would he leave his house and property to her? Sensing there’s more to his story, Sage heads to Big Prairie determined to discover the truth for herself. Not even a quixotic encounter with a handsome stranger will sway her from her purpose.
He has stopped looking for love–it just isn’t out there for him.
As a counsellor, Grant Hillman knows what makes for a healthy relationship, but he’s certain that he’s a long way from being anyone’s romantic hero. Quiet, observant, and slightly fastidious seems to translate to boring, quirky, and too different, and he’s given up on finding love. So he shouldn’t be surprised when the one time he rescues a damsel in distress, it turns out she didn’t need a hero and she isn’t looking for romance.
Despite their inauspicious meeting—or perhaps because of it—Sage determines she and Grant will become the closest of friends. As they work together to learn the truth about Grandpa Teller, Sage discovers there’s more to Gramps than the bitter, grumpy old man everyone sees. And the more time she spends with Grant, the more she begins to wish she believed in romance after all. But Grant knows that the maxim “opposites attract” doesn’t mean “opposites will have a lasting, healthy relationship.” Especially when one of them doesn’t believe in romance to begin with.
As Sage and Grant work to untangle the threads of Grandpa Teller’s story, is it possible they could unravel a few assumptions of their own and write the beginning of another story altogether?
Clay is messy and so is Sabrina’s life sometimes, but will God mold it into a work of art?
Sabrina Wheeler, single mom and business owner, won a scholarship to expand her pottery studio on Luamua Island. Now, she can finally have the career and life she’s been praying for. The scholarship includes a mentor, and Sabrina is anxious to make a good impression.
For Chad Berkley, an impromptu business trip to the Suamalie Islands couldn’t have happened at a worse time. Aside from it triggering his OCD personality, he also has important obligations in Yorkshire, and being absent for a month was not in his plans. The new assignment is an honor, however, and a huge step up in his career. He can’t risk disappointing his boss now.
But then he sees Sabrina. After their brief meeting at the business conference, he hasn’t stopped thinking of her. How had he missed that she is the business owner he’s been sent to mentor? Talk about distractions on his first big assignment. Will he be able to push his personal feelings aside and keep his focus on business?
Take a trip to the Suamalie Islands where palm trees sway, the sand and sea pulse with life, and the people will steal your heart.
What if two damaged souls fall hard for the other, but fear stops them from revealing their flaws?
Emily aches for a place to belong. Her fiancé left after discovering she couldn’t offer him the perfect life, a secret she holds close. She isn’t looking for a new man nor does she expect the electricity that crackles at a first meeting in front of a church bulletin board.
Jacob closed himself off when his wife left him, demanding perfection he couldn’t provide. And now, Jacob finds it impossible to stay away from Emily and her bright light that shines into his damaged heart. Still, he hides behind their nine-year age difference, fearing Emily will leave when she learns of his inability to give her a family.
While preparing for a mission trip to Guatemala, Jacob and Emily’s relationship blooms, and they gain a glimpse of the happiness they always craved. But when Jacob’s fears take hold, will he retreat, leaving them both tattered and torn?
Will Jacob and Emily overcome their fears and find the happily-ever-after they desire?
Home to care for his ailing father, former minister Matthew Rivers intends to spend his time contemplating his future—until he discovers an infant left in the back of his truck. Handing off responsibility to nurse Parker Smythe, the woman he once rejected, should be easy. But as the baby brings them closer together, will Matthew leave as planned…or open his heart to a new possibility?
Can an escape from her present… Become the future she’s always wanted?
When her doctor prescribes fresh air and sunshine, Eva Miller turns her Florida getaway into a chance to gain some independence. Only, working part-time for Amish shop owner Tanner Dawson is hardly a vacation. The overprotective single father reminds Eva of her own strict upbringing. But as she begins to see beneath his gruff exterior, can she trust Tanner—and her heart—enough to stay?
A short-term arrangement… Might change everything.
Sam Tiernan is convinced his bachelor ways make him a better firefighter. Then his theory is put to the test when a family tragedy leaves him caring for his two nieces. With help from social worker Fiona Shay, Sam sees the life he’s been missing out on. And as he and Fiona grow closer, there’s a chance their temporary family could turn into something more permanent…
Moving back to her Alaskan hometown was an easy decision for soon-to-be-single mom Autumn Hines. It’s the perfect place to raise her baby. When her path crosses that of her old flame, widowed fisherman Judah Campbell, new sparks are ignited. There’s just one thing standing in their way: Autumn has a secret. Revealing it could set them free, but can she find the courage to speak the truth?
She’s found a new start for her boys. Has she found new love, too?
Becoming the chef at her aunt’s small-town inn is exactly the new beginning single mom Lindsey Judd needs. But balancing her job with her twin boys proves harder than she thought, especially when she discovers that lawyer Donovan Ainsworth wants to buy the inn for his own reasons. As Donovan starts to fall for Lindsey and her boys, will her little troublemakers become matchmakers as well?
When an act of arson claims the life of a hiker, Yosemite Park Ranger Livy Chatham is the only witness—putting her right into the path of determined criminals. Only rock climber Hayden Bryant can protect her from the killers destroying all evidence of their crimes. But can Livy and Hayden outrun the danger that’s as hot on their heels as the fires blazing through Yosemite?
Family secrets have Felicia Tennison, and the sister she never knew existed, on the run. Someone is after them, and Felicia will have to turn to someone she never wanted to see again for help—her ex. Sheriff Jude Duke vows to protect them as they race to uncover why the little girl is a target. But the search to find the answers could cost them their futures.
After her twin is abducted and mistaken for her, former army helicopter pilot Aggie Newton must move fast. She has to find her sister and figure out why’s she’s become a target—even if it means working with her ex. But Detective Bronson Young knows these criminals will do anything to stop their investigation. Can they dodge deadly attacks long enough to save Aggie’s sister and expose the kidnappers?
A K-9 Unit has a child to protect… and a murderer to catch.
A double murder and an attempted kidnapping of a baby in a national park have Officer Danica Hayes and her K-9 partner on high alert. She’ll have to protect Luke Stark and his nine-month-old son while tracking the person who murdered his sister. Danica and Luke face a battle for their lives to keep from becoming the next victims.
A decades-old mystery. An extensive cover-up.This investigation could turn lethal.
When the search for her birth parents is met with a threat to leave town, Brynn Evans turns to private investigator Avery Thorpe — and leads armed assailants to his door. With no clue why she’s a target, Brynn and Avery rush to unfold her family’s secret…and to stay alive. But when the truth reveals a decades-long conspiracy, can they survive a killer’s plan to cover it up?
Ryder Lewis is sure his sister knew her killer ten years ago—and that her roommate gave the prime suspect a false alibi. But he is stunned to discover that Kristy Kendall can’t remember all of that night…and is desperate for answers. Will their tentative trust finally uncover the truth—or prove an insidious murderer’s deadliest weapon?
Cold Case Unit supervisor Phillipa Stevenson is willing to investigate an unsolved murder for her ex-fiancé—without his help. Detective Kyle Rossi broke her heart years ago, but she’ll find justice for his sister-in-law. Only, the victim isn’t who they thought she was. And working with Kyle becomes Phillipa’s best chance. As they follow a decade-long trail of betrayal and murder, Phillipa must put aside her heartache to uncover the truth…about the victim’s past and their own.
USSS Special Agent Zane Thacker has landed his dream assignment protecting the president of the United States. When the president plans a fundraiser at the exclusive estate of a political supporter in Raleigh, Zane is thrilled to be working again with Special Agent Tessa Reed, his best friend–and the woman he desperately wishes could be more.
Though Tessa almost lost everything, she battled her demons and came out on the other side healthy and healed. But when her role as the liaison between the Raleigh office and the president’s protective detail wrenches her past back into the present, her greatest failure threatens to come to light.
Zane refuses to let Tessa go through this alone. But can he stand by the woman he loves and protect the president from a mounting threat at the same time?
Sparks fly as award-winning romantic suspense writer Lynn H. Blackburn closes out her Defend and Protect series with this explosive tale of secrets kept, lies exposed, and relationships restored.
Childhood best friends find unexpected romance on board a cruise ship. But a well-organized mercenary group takes over the ship and threatens their very lives
Cruise ship entertainer and event coordinator Olive Carter didn’t realize she held romantic feelings for her childhood best friend Gerry until she saw him come on board her ship.
When the former medic of his Special Forces team appoints the team’s sniper Sergeant Gerald McBride to serve as his best man, Gerry realizes the ship that will host the wedding is the very ship where Olive works. He hopes seeing her outside of their hometown will make her see him in a different light.
When they meet on the decks at sea it goes exactly as he had planned. A romantic love replaces the friendship love they’d always shared. They both hate the years they wasted not together. Gerry secretly vows that he will never leave her side again.
When motivated and highly organized weapons dealers and mercenaries execute a well-planned action to take over the entire ship, Gerry and his team go into action. They must save the lives of all the passengers, even if they must sacrifice everything along the way.
Vanguard CEO Clare Juarez wants a Benson PD contract for her company. When the police commissioner hands her the case file for a rash of local armed robberies, she puts her people to work…and lands right in the middle of a hostage situation. She needs to take care of her fallen friend’s daughter, because safeguarding Selena is her chance to make amends for what happened during her time in the army. But solving this case might give her everything she wants, and repair her painful history.
A SWAT team that’s falling apart.
Lieutenant Gage Deluca has no family, just SWAT. But the brotherhood is coming apart at the seams and he’s got to hold it together. When they’re ordered to work with Vanguard, Gage has to contend with the woman who left him years ago—taking a secret with her. Those days of teenage romance might be behind the years they’ve lived since, and the lives they’ve built. But can they chance opening the wound long enough to trust God to heal everything?
Working together to identify this dangerous crew, Clare and Gage have to confront their past—and the love they never let go of. Love that might set them free.
Each Benson First Responders book is a stand-alone Christian Romantic Suspense.
Deputy Kyleigh Finnegan has always admired ADA Baxter Scala’s determination to bring criminals to justice. But his upcoming trial proves to be the most dangerous one yet. When gunfire rings out, missing him by inches, Kyleigh is assigned to protect him. Yet her goal to keep him alive is more difficult than she could have imagined.
Bax refuses to let anything, even a few attempts on his life get in the way of sending a famous musician to jail for murder. Having beautiful Kyleigh Finnegan as his protection detail, though was not part of the plan. She’s skilled and smart, but having a woman throwing herself in the line of fire for him, doesn’t sit well. He should be protecting her, not the other way around. Yet the more time he spends with Kyleigh, the more he realizes he doesn’t want to let her go. If he can survive long enough to bring a murderer to justice, his next task will be to convince her to stick close to his side, permanently.
As a firefighter, Bryce Keyes is no stranger when it comes to running into a burning building. What he didn’t expect was coming face-to-face with the woman he loved years ago. Getting her out safely is one thing, but when it looks like she was the arsonist’s target, Bryce realizes he can’t just let her walk away again. Especially not while her life is in danger.
She’s desperate to escape.
For Megan Bristow, returning to Destiny, Texas was about saying a final goodbye to a dysfunctional family and the memories she’s tried hard to bury. She planned to go in, help her mother tie up loose ends, and get out again. When someone makes an attempt on her life, Megan realizes those loose ends are only the beginning of a tangled web, and she’s been drawn right into the center of it.
They’ll have to put the past behind them.
Only by working together will they be able to figure out who’s hunting her and why – before it’s too late.
“What I am looking for—what I desperately need, Mrs. Weiss—is a spy.”
Adolf Hitler is still a distant rumble on the horizon, but a Jewish spymaster and his courageous spies uncover a storm of Nazi terror in their own backyard.
In the summer of 1933, a man named Adolf Hitler is the new and powerful anti-Semitic chancellor of Germany. But in Los Angeles, no-nonsense secretary Liesl Weiss has concerns much closer to home. The Great Depression is tightening its grip and Liesl is the sole supporter of two children, an opinionated mother, and a troubled brother.
Leon Lewis is a Jewish lawyer who has watched Adolf Hitler’s rise to power—and the increase in anti-Semitism in America—with growing alarm. He believes Nazi agents are working to seize control of Hollywood, the greatest propaganda machine the world has ever known. The trouble is, authorities scoff at his dire warnings.
When Liesl loses her job at MGM, her only choice is to work with Leon Lewis and the mysterious Agent Thirteen to spy on her friends and neighbors in her German American community. What Leon Lewis and his spies find is more chilling—and more dangerous—than any of them suspected.
Code Name Edelweiss is based on a true story, unknown until recent years: How a lone Jewish lawyer and a handful of amateur spies discovered and foiled Adolf Hitler’s plan to take over Hollywood.
Sometimes the hardest battles take place in the heart.
Poverty and abuse at the hands of her drunkard father leaves Hannah Bane trapped and alone. Without hope, she prays for a miracle just on the off-chance God will hear her. Will the handsome new deputy, who seems to be watching her every move, be Hannah’s one chance to escape the only life she’s ever known?
For as long as he can remember, John Mark Eliason has wanted to be a deputy sheriff. When a job opens in the nearby town of Poplar Springs, he eagerly accepts, but finds his greatest mission won’t be tracking down criminals and bringing justice to the ruthless Wyoming town, but saving a beautiful young woman he barely knows.
Will an unexpected answer to a difficult situation show how love can endure—and even thrive—in an unconventional situation? Or will fear and uncertainty keep two hesitant hearts apart?
A handsome deputy sheriff. A woman in search of freedom. An unconventional situation.
In the sequel to Forgotten Memories, author Penny Zeller weaves a tender tale of faith, romance, and humor in a memorable story that reminds us God hears every prayer and has a plan for every life.
They both want a new start, but nothing prepared them for this treacherous journey.
Finally on the right side of the law, Aaron Long expected his life to take an upward turn. Instead, he ends up with a bum leg and driving a freight wagon through the wild Rocky Mountains. At least he has the joy of his newfound faith in God. The last thing he expects in the middle of an urgent delivery to Settler’s Fort is to discover a woman begging him to take her the opposite direction. She’s heavy with child, so he can’t leave her, but neither can he take her where she wants to go.
Katie Barlowe has never had control of her life. Especially not when her parents married her off to a successful businessman who was determined to start a ranch in the faraway Montana Territory. Now she’s a widow left on her own in these breathtaking but treacherous mountains. She’s determined to forge a better future for herself and the new life growing inside her. To do so, she needs to get back to civilization before the babe is born. When she finally finds a freighter to take her the first leg of the journey east, all seems to be falling into place. Then the driver is killed and she’s left with a stranger who’s unwilling to take her farther than a tiny mining town, far from Fort Benton and the steamship she’d hoped would carry her home.
When Aaron and Katie set out through the mountain winter, the journey ahead will change their lives more than they could have known.
Bestselling author Jocelyn Green sweeps you away in a dazzling novel of secrets, betrayal, and romance within one of New York City’s most esteemed museums.
For years her explorer father promised Dr. Lauren Westlake she’d accompany him on one of his Egyptian expeditions. But as the empty promises mounted, Lauren determined to earn her own way. Now the assistant curator of Egyptology for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Lauren receives two unexpected invitations.
The first is her repentant father’s offer to finally bring her to Egypt as his colleague on a new expedition. The second is a chance to enter the world of New York’s wealthiest patrons who have been victims of art fraud.
With Egyptomania sweeping the city after the discovery of King Tut’s tomb, Detective Joe Caravello is on the hunt for a notorious forger preying on the open wallets of New York’s high society. Dr. Westlake is just the expert he needs to help him track the criminal. Together they search for the truth, and the closer Lauren and Joe get to discovering the forger’s identity, the more entangled they become in a web of deception and crime.
From the Yukon to Seattle, the hope of a new beginning waits just around the corner.
Addie Bryant is haunted by her past of heartbreak and betrayal. After her beau, Isaac Hanson, left the Yukon, she made a vow to wait for him. When she’s sold to a brothel owner after the death of her father, Addie manages to escape with the hope that she can forever hide her past and the belief that she will never have the future she’s always dreamed of.
Years later, Addie has found peace in her new life as a photographer, training Camera Girls to operate and sell the Brownie camera. During the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Expo in Seattle, Addie is reunited with Isaac, but after the path her life has taken, she’s afraid to expose the ugliness of her former life and to move toward the future they had pledged to each other.
When her past catches up with her, Addie must decide whether to run or to stay and face her wounds in order to embrace her life, her future, and her hope in God.
When Abigail Greenwood and her cousins settle in for their annual summer retreat at the stunning and impressive Sagamore Resort in the Adirondacks, all she wants is to spend as much time as possible plunking out stories on her typewriter. But when her cousins insist she join them in the tradition of choosing a beau to adore from a distance during their stay, she reluctantly plays along, setting her sights on a mysteriously quiet and aloof guest. What started as harmless fun soon changes as Abby finds herself captivated by debonair—and handsome—Jackson Gable. Who is he, and why does his arrogant amused smile exasperate her so much?
When a series of events causing mayhem and mischief begin to occur at Sagamore, journalist Jackson Gable is determined to get to the bottom of it, since his father is an investor of the resort. Jack has a nose for mysteries, but he may have to use his recently earned law degree and some of his posh family connections to sleuth out the culprit. Are the events connected? Why are they happening? And why can’t he get the beautiful Abby off his mind?
They were North and South ~ Faithful and Faithless
After suffering disabling burns during the fall of Richmond, Adelaide Hanover awakens in a hospital alone and destitute, escalating her already stanch hatred for Yankees. When the Union soldier who freed her from the rubble begins paying her visits, she wants nothing to do with him … or his faith. Yet, his persistent kindness penetrates her resolve and forges a much-needed friendship. But after a dangerous man threatens Addie, she flees Richmond, intent on solving the mystery to her aunt’s dying wish before he does.
Haunted by a tragic failure in his past, Corporal Luke Gallagher takes Adelaide’s plight on as his own. Though his strong beliefs collide with his growing feelings for her, he offers his family’s home as a place to convalesce. Adelaide’s initial rejection, followed by her sudden willingness to accept his benevolence, hints there’s more to the decision than a mere change of heart. When trouble follows her, endangering her safety, as well as his family’s, Luke must lay his life and his convictions on the line to save them.
Full of intrigue, adventure, and romance, this series celebrates the unsung heroes—the heroines of WWII.
After the Nazis started the bombing blitz of England, Beryl Clarke puts her college on hold to return to Leeds, care for her mother, and work as a secretary at the Waddington game company. While she endures the war at home, her brother James fights the enemy in the air. When he is shot down, injured, and captured, James reunites with a former college friend American POW Kenneth Bordelon, and they plan to escape the Nazi prison camp. Beryl knows there is a board game with escape plans being delivered to POWs by the Red Cross. But how can she let them know about the game’s secret without revealing the information to the enemy?
He’s sworn off love, but she has his heart in her sights and doesn’t intend to miss.
Stained by his wastrel father’s legacy, Jackson Spivey lives on the fringes of society. Townsfolk tolerate him since he keeps the local hotel supplied with fresh game, but mothers coach their daughters to avoid him. After tasting consistent rejection, Jackson spurns all attempts at courtship. The only things he can count on are his guns and his God.
Tessa James has been secretly in love with Jackson for ages, but trying to gain his favor only pushes him further away. When she learns Annie Oakley is traveling through Texas, Tessa seeks lessons from the famed markswoman. If Jackson’s life revolves around guns, taking up shooting might help her engage his interest. Too bad she can’t hit the broad side of a barn.
When Annie loans Tessa a custom pistol, however, things begin to change. The lore behind the mysterious weapon fosters hope that Tessa might finally hit the target of Jackson’s heart. But when danger threatens, she might be forced to use the pistol for something other than finding love.
She’s lost her future. He’s sacrificed his. Now they have a chance to reclaim it—together.
Wisconsin, 1930—While fleeing for her life, Adaleigh Sirland’s rescue of a child introduces her to a family who provides her safe harbor. When her identity comes under threat of exposure, she must choose between running once more or helping the man who teaches her to hope again.
First mate David Martins is intrigued by the mysterious woman taken in by his grandmother, but she wrestles with a troubled past. When his estranged father is arrested for murder, can David put aside his own struggles in time to discern which secret threatens Adaleigh before it kills them both?
Welcome to Crow’s Nest, where danger and romance meet at the water’s edge.
Murder. Even the word sounds ugly. Almost as ugly as the corpse on the shore.
Dallas, Texas, 1948
Opal Stedman enjoys caring for old Mrs. Farnesworth. But keeping her sister Ruby out of trouble, well that is another issue entirely. Especially now that Ruby has stepped into high society with her new beau. A dubious man. Maybe even duplicitous.
Even the handsome security guard warns her sister about him.
When a body is dragged onto the shore of the lake that borders their home, rumors and worries over the new man become assurances. But why has he involved her household in these gruesome shenanigans?
And why are Opal’s loved ones suddenly having “accidents”?
Loosely based on the little-known fairy tale of “Snow White and Rose Red” this mystery twists its way all along the banks of White Rock Lake during its heyday.
An old photo, a twister, and a friend being stalked …
A tornado rips through town, and Campbell McBride and her dad take shelter. Afterward, they try to help others who were hard hit, and a body is discovered in the debris of a cottage near their friends’ home. Was the man dead before the twister struck? The owners of the ruined cottage hire True Blue Investigations to help identify the victim and find out how he got on their property. Meanwhile, among the volunteers, Campbell meets her mother’s old school friend, Jackie. It seems Jackie married her mom’s former boyfriend—and now she has eyes on Campbell’s widowed father.
What do a legendary creature, a graduating senior, and a crate full of money have to do with murder?
Connie B. Wright is intent on finding out!
PollyAnna Reagan can’t wait to take her always-put-together, ultra-professional sister out into the boonies. But when they encounter what they thought was a mythical creature, they might both become sticks in the mud.
Of course when they find a body, a stiff in the mud, Connie shifts into deduction mode. Was the deceased somehow scared to death or possibly attacked by what should be imaginary?
Or are there other, more human and certainly more vicious, intentions at play?
Match wits with The Visitor as she faces an unexpected and frightening reality.
Welcome back to Hope Street Church, where friendships are formed, fresh starts are encouraged, and mysteries are solved . . .
The Hope Street Community Theater is staging It’s a Wonderful Life as a fundraiser, and Cooper and the Bible study group are all taking part. They’ve also managed to land the help of a famous Broadway director who’s trying to clean up his image after a scandal, and he travels to Richmond along with his star actress and staff. But the director’s entourage epitomize the worst of theater personalities, with petty grievances and jealousies stirring up more drama off the stage than on. And when the assistant director is found murdered in her hotel suite, the list of possible suspects is longer than a red carpet.
Unwilling to stand by with a murderer in their midst, Cooper and her friends get to work ferreting out clues and surveilling the staff, including a dangerously inept set technician as well as the director’s current and former love interests. Despite inexplicable and terrifying stage “accidents” threatening to derail their investigation and the play, the intrepid amateur sleuths know the show must go on. Their only prayer is to set a trap and successfully catch a killer before it’s curtains for Cooper . . .
Includes heavenly recipes from Magnolia Lee’s kitchen!
Walter was eighty-two when he died–the first time. His visit to Heaven was glorious as he reunited with his wife, daughter, and other family and friends, relationships that a full life had nourished. But God tells Walter that he can’t stay in Heaven, that Walter has more to do on Earth before he returns Home for good. Leaving those he loves, as well as the love of God, seems unbearable.
The Lord tells Walter that he will return to his earthly existence right away with renewed health and pain-free. God explains to Walter that He will relay messages to him, words that he might not understand but that are intended for the betterment of the recipient.
Walter awakens in his hospital bed feeling like a man of twenty but wondering if he’d dreamed the entire ordeal. When he begins to hear God’s messages for others, he follows through, although his own doubts and fears lead him to worry whether he is handling the callings correctly. As a series of events unfold, Walter is happy when things come together for the strangers he seems to have helped, but he starts to become bitter. The two most important people in his life are hurting, and God isn’t helping either one of them.
As Walter’s faith is tested, will his own bitterness block the voice of God that carries with it a special message for Walter’s loved ones?
If you make a deal with evil, be prepared for the consequences.
When a metal dragon kidnaps Alice, Hatter gathers the troops and charges off to rescue her. If only things were so uncomplicated. In the Ivory Kingdom, they find upheaval of the worst kind and all heading to civil war spearheaded by a man known as the Bandersnatch.
Turmoil and the terror of fighting against a giant wolf, the Bandersnatch is bad enough, but when the Ivory Queen’s secrets are exposed, Hatter and Alice face off in a battle of wills and points of view. How can Alice trust a woman who deceived them? Why can’t Hatter see the bigger picture? If they don’t reconcile their differences, more could be at risk than the Ivory Kingdom.
More questions than answers bombard them in their quest for truth and freedom for all. Who is stealing children? What dark secret overshadows the Ivory Kingdom? Can they avoid the Bandersnatch’s clutches? And most important of all, who can they trust?
Join forces with Alice, Hatter, old friends and new, and be prepared to discover that trust and risk are often two sides of the same coin in this next Beyond Wonderland novel.
In a society where everyone’s DNA determines their destiny, being a Natural means automatic relegation to the gritty and dangerous Outskirts. With the harnessed power of gene-editing, the ability to create a super-human race has transformed the world and offered the opportunity of a genetically enhanced life. But only to those who can afford it.
Born a Natural, Lee Urban was adopted into the Enhanced high society of the Asian Federation and forced to conceal her genetic roots. When her dream of attending Peking University becomes a reality, she is determined to go despite a warning from a mysterious source.
Targeted by a hacker bent on exposing her true DNA, Urban faces off with an Artificial Intelligence Game that puts her—and her lies—to the test. What was supposed to be a dream come true turns into a lethal gamble of hide-and-seek with her genetics. Can Urban continue the act, or will the cracks in her story expose her and endanger her family?
The Year of Jubilee is a lyrical coming-of-age novel set against the backdrop of the turbulent South in the early 1960s.
The Mockingbird family has always lived peacefully in Jubilee, Kentucky, despite the divisions that mark their small town. Until the tense summer of 1963, when their youngest child, Isaac, falls gravely ill. Middle sister Grace, nearly fourteen, is determined to do whatever it takes to save her little brother. With her father and mother away at the hospital, Grace is left under the loving but inexperienced eye of her aunt June, with little to do but wait and worry. Inspired by a young teacher’s mission for change, she begins to flirt with danger—and with a gifted boy named Golden, who just might be the key to saving Isaac’s life. Then the unthinkable happens, and the world as she knows it shifts in ways she never could have imagined. Grace must decide what she believes amid the swirling, conflicting voices even of those she loves the most.
From gifted songwriter Cindy Morgan comes this lyrical, tender tale of a girl standing at the threshold of adulthood, learning the depths of the human heart and the bonds of family that bend, break, and bind together over and over again.
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I loved reading The Year of Jubilee, a powerful and inspiring young adult coming of age novel from debut author Cindy Morgan. The story is set in the summer of 1963 in the small town of Jubilee, Kentucky.
Grace is thirteen years old and her family background is complicated. She adores her father and seven year old brother, Isaac, but has difficult relationships with her mother, who she thinks of as Virginia rather than mama, and her older sister, Sissy. As the story unfolds, and we meet the extended family, we gain an understanding of the complex family relationships and past tragedies that have shaped the lives of Grace and her family.
I admired the courage of Grace’s English teacher, Miss Adams, who stood up for her beliefs and convictions despite potentially dangerous opposition and retribution. Grace’s aunt June was a breath of fresh air in her family, and a practical help when Grace’s parents were focused on Isaac’s care needs. Isaac’s journey is beautiful and heart breaking, and his strong faith touches the lives of many people.
Religious hypocrisy is explored in the story, and there were characters who said all the right Christian words and Bible quotes, but their attitudes, actions, and behaviour weren’t consistent with the good Christian image they presented to the world. The turbulent social change and political events taking place in 1963 impacted everyone who lived in Jubilee.
I loved Grace’s close relationship with her brother, and her desire to find solutions that would heal Isaac. Rojo, their pet rooster, was adorable. I recommend The Year of Jubilee to readers who like young adult coming of age Christian novels that deal with hard issues, including grief and loss, and have strong redemption and forgiveness themes in the story.
Many thanks to Tyndale for the Advanced Reader Copy.
I shared a fun interview with Cindy at the Australasian Christian Writers blog.
When empty nester Mallory Farrell inherits her grandmother’s run-down tourist shop in Seaport, Oregon, it seems the only sensible thing to do is to sell it. But when her former secret crush, Grayson Matthews, wants to buy the property in order to complete his plans to redevelop the funky town’s business district into a soulless, cookie-cutter outdoor mall, Mallory digs in her heels and decides to renovate the property herself.
With a lot of hard work and a little bit of help, Mallory makes incredible progress turning the store into an eclectic home décor shop called Romancing the Home–all while trying to ignore the depressing and decrepit apartment she’s living in on the second floor. When the shop catches the eye of a popular renovation TV show producer, Mallory is thrilled–until it becomes clear that her apartment is to be part of the segment as well.
She’s tempted to abandon her dreams and the town under a cloud of shame. But perhaps there’s more to Grayson than meets the eye. Can he swallow his pride, change his plans, and help Mallory romance her own home–and possibly her life?
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading Second Time Around by Melody Carlson. Mallory is a divorced interior designer with grown children. Her youngest daughter has recently married, and Mallory inherits her Grandma Bess’ tourist shop and the rundown upstairs apartment in Seaport on the Oregon Coast. Mallory is an empty nester, and she travels to Seaport to claim her inheritance and work out what she wants to do next in her life.
Seaport is like a character in the story. When Mallory was younger, she spent her summers with Grandma Bess. Grayson was the cute teenage lifeguard at the Seaport pool. He’s now a widower with grown children who owns a construction firm in Seaport. Grayson is interested in buying Grandma Bess’ shop, in a prime location on Main Street, and rejuvenating the town.
The romance thread in the story is low key, and the main focus is on Mallory’s journey as she navigates her inheritance situation. Grayson and Mallory are both independent people who don’t need to be in a relationship to enjoy their lives. They have raised their families and are looking toward the next stage in life.
I appreciated seeing a side character redeemed, and Mallory extending grace to that person. I recommend Second Time Around to contemporary fiction readers who like small town Christian fiction novels with mature characters and a second chances romance thread in the story.
Many thanks to Revell and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.
I’m excited to share my new book, Never Find Another You, is releasing today. The ebook is available from Amazon Kindle and the paperback is coming soon.
Here’s the Book Description:
Her heart belongs in Trinity Lakes.
Hannah Gilbertson has deep roots in her small East Washington home town, including a lake named after her family. Sporty and hard working, she loves running the rowing club and supporting the town’s water recreation tourism. She’s determined to avoid dating and becoming entangled in her mother’s matchmaking schemes, and she wants to prove to her successful father that she’s worthy of carrying on his legacy.
Joel Manning left behind his life in Sydney, Australia, and a broken heart, to start over in Trinity Lakes. A tiler by trade, he’s embarking on a year long working vacation adventure, and he’s not looking for love.
The handsome Aussie captures Hannah’s interest when she hires him to do repair work at her rowing club. Joel is drawn to the beautiful American, and values spending time with her. Their shared faith and love for kayaking lays the foundation for their friendship to become something more.
A shocking secret combined with family upheaval leads to more questions than answers, and threatens to push Joel and Hannah apart to faraway shores. Can their love overcome the miles between them?
A fish out of water, opposites attract, small town contemporary Christian romance. Visit Trinity Lakes and meet the fun and quirky characters who value family, faith, and happily-ever-after.
“What I am looking for—what I desperately need, Mrs. Weiss—is a spy.”
Adolf Hitler is still a distant rumble on the horizon, but a Jewish spymaster and his courageous spies uncover a storm of Nazi terror in their own backyard.
In the summer of 1933, a man named Adolf Hitler is the new and powerful anti-Semitic chancellor of Germany. But in Los Angeles, no-nonsense secretary Liesl Weiss has concerns much closer to home. The Great Depression is tightening its grip and Liesl is the sole supporter of two children, an opinionated mother, and a troubled brother.
Leon Lewis is a Jewish lawyer who has watched Adolf Hitler’s rise to power—and the increase in anti-Semitism in America—with growing alarm. He believes Nazi agents are working to seize control of Hollywood, the greatest propaganda machine the world has ever known. The trouble is, authorities scoff at his dire warnings.
When Liesl loses her job at MGM, her only choice is to work with Leon Lewis and the mysterious Agent Thirteen to spy on her friends and neighbors in her German American community. What Leon Lewis and his spies find is more chilling—and more dangerous—than any of them suspected.
Code Name Edelweiss is based on a true story, unknown until recent years: How a lone Jewish lawyer and a handful of amateur spies discovered and foiled Adolf Hitler’s plan to take over Hollywood.
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I loved reading Code Name Edelweiss, a historical fiction spy novel set in Hollywood in 1933. Based on a true story, this fabulous book challenged me to think about the massive and horrifying potential implications of what was happening in 1933 around the globe, particularly in Europe and the United States, when Hitler gained control of Germany.
Being an Aussie, Hollywood and Germany are a long way from home. That said, Hollywood films in the 1930’s were played in cinemas around Australia. If the Friends of New Germany propaganda machine in Los Angeles had taken control of the Hollywood studios, who knows how many more people, especially Jewish people, would have perished as a consequence of Hitler’s indoctrination activities during his evil reign of terror.
The stakes are high, and Liesl is drawn into a dangerous world working undercover as a secretary in the heart of the Friends of New Germany organisation. Agent Thirteen is also spying for the Jewish lawyer who employed Liesl. He has infiltrated the organisation, and is unaware of Liesl’s true identity.
I read this book quickly, and couldn’t put it down. I was awake until 2am, close to the end, and I finished reading the book when I woke in the morning.
I enjoyed reading Stephanie Landsem’s debut novel, In a Far-Off Land, and Code Name Edelweiss exceeded my expectations. I recommend Code Name Edelweiss to historical fiction readers who like intriguing spy novels with romantic elements, suspense, and faith themes woven beautifully into a story set in 1930’s Hollywood.
Many thanks to Tyndale and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.
Redemption and second chances abound in this small-town, single-mom romance with a former bad boy set at Easter.
Connor Hamelin’s Kansas farm boss offers wages through the winter if he’ll try out for the annual passion play. Connor’s been drifting, but sticking around sounds good. Figuring he can channel Judas, he auditions… and is cast as Jesus. Ugh, but maybe he’ll finally understand all the religious nuts in his life.
Single mom Zoey Matthews helps in the wardrobe department for the local passion play as well as participating in crowd scenes with her young daughter. Zoey might be intrigued by the unlikely guy cast as Jesus in this year’s production, but she’s not looking for romance, especially not with an unbeliever too similar to her bad-boy ex.
Connor doesn’t deserve a chance to make amends for his past nor another chance at love. He definitely doesn’t deserve the forgiveness of the Savior he’s portraying… but God is a God of redemption and second chances.
Her heart longs for a hero. He’s no one’s idea of a champion.
Visit Gilead, Kansas, and enjoy five romances behind the scenes at the town’s annual passion play! Five beloved authors of Christian contemporary romance have teamed together to present Easter in Gilead. Read all five for a rich experience.
Hannah Gilbertson has deep roots in her small East Washington home town, including a lake named after her family. Sporty and hard working, she loves running the rowing club and supporting the town’s water recreation tourism. She’s determined to avoid dating and becoming entangled in her mother’s matchmaking schemes, and she wants to prove to her successful father that she’s worthy of carrying on his legacy.
Joel Manning left behind his life in Sydney, Australia, and a broken heart, to start over in Trinity Lakes. A tiler by trade, he’s embarking on a year long working vacation adventure, and he’s not looking for love.
The handsome Aussie captures Hannah’s interest when she hires him to do repair work at her rowing club. Joel is drawn to the beautiful American, and values spending time with her. Their shared faith and love for kayaking lays the foundation for their friendship to become something more.
A shocking secret combined with family upheaval leads to more questions than answers, and threatens to push Joel and Hannah apart to faraway shores. Can their love overcome the miles between them?
A fish out of water, opposites attract, small town contemporary Christian romance. Visit Trinity Lakes and meet the fun and quirky characters who value family, faith, and happily-ever-after.
Returning home after a bad breakup, Jordan Wood is eager to prove she can run her family’s store. Setting up a partnership with Declan Porter’s struggling adventure business might do the trick. But the handsome single dad is set in his ways—in business and in love. Can winning his—and his son’s—heart help them all heal?
Millionaire Hudson Conrick doesn’t know what to make of Melody Hammond on their blind date. He’s used to women who chase after him because of his family name and fortune. So when she turns him down for a second date, he is more than curious about the pretty ministry director at The Village of Hope. His interest prompts him to make a bid on the women’s shelter expansion at The Village of Hope. When Conrick Construction wins the bid, he hopes he’ll get to know her better.
Melody leads a cautious life because of her painful past, and she wants no part of Hudson’s adventuresome, risky lifestyle. She has let fear rule her life. Can she let trust in God drive out that fear? Can Hudson convince her that his reckless ways are behind him—and that he’s the perfect man for her?
The Village of Hope: A community built on service and love
Toni Wakefield may be a talented artist, but past choices means this single mother never feels the equal of those around her—especially her brother’s best friend, investment funds manager Matt. Matt long ago fell in love with his best friend’s younger sister, and try as he might, he just can’t fall out of it. And between his crazy working hours and the fact she’s now settled two hours away in beautiful Muskoka it seems they never have any time together. How can he persuade her to consider to give him a chance, when she’s sworn the only man she can care about is her baby boy?
After surviving a trauma several years back, Remy Reed relocated to a cottage on one of Maine’s most remote islands. She’s arranged her life just the way she wants it, spending her time working on her wood sculptures and soaking in the beauty of nature. It’s quiet and solitary—until the day she spots something bobbing in the ocean.
Her binoculars reveal the “something” to be a man, and he’s struggling to keep his head above water. She races out to save him and brings him into her home. He’s injured, which doesn’t detract from his handsomeness nor make him any easier to bear. He acts like a duke who’s misplaced his dukedom . . . expensive tastes, lazy charm, bossy ideas.
Remy would love nothing more than to return him to his people, but he has no recollection of his life prior to the moment she rescued him. Though she’s not interested in relationships other than the safe ones she’s already established, she begins to realize that he’s coming to depend on her.
Who is he? What happened that landed him in the Atlantic Ocean? And why is she drawn to him more and more as time goes by?
There’s no way to discover those answers except to walk beside him down memory lane.
Travel to the rocky coast of Maine for “opposites attract” banter, witty humor, a fascinating mystery, and destiny-changing love. This sweet contemporary romance kicks off Becky Wade’s new Sons of Scandal series!
Romance at Register Five (Amy R Anguish) – Mack McDonald isn’t happy about the Grocerease app coming to his grocery store. But he’s committed to the sixty-day trial period, and braces himself to lose money. Kaitlyn Daniels loves how the Grocerease app helps her make ends meet so she can assist her mom, the reason she moved to small Sassafras, AR. Mack and Kaitlyn struggle to overcome differing opinions on the perks of the app. But if they don’t, it could keep them from something even better.
Where Love is Planted (Sarah Anne Crouch) – Ivy Aaronson is surrounded by family at their flower shop in West Texas-just the way she likes it. But she’s given up hope on ever finding a man who understands her choices. When attorney Grant Keller orders flowers for his mother, Ivy wonders if maybe there are indeed some considerate men left in the world until she learns Grant’s relationship with his parents is less than ideal. How can Ivy ever find love when every man she meets puts career over family?
Sweet Delivery (Heather Greer) – After winning Cake That, Will Forrester thinks his Pastry Perfect Baking Dreams have come true. The sweetness fades when a chain bakery moves to town, and Will must adjust his plans to keep his customers. Hiring Erica Gerard is one of those changes. As they work together, Erica challenges Will and offers new ideas to improve the bakery. Soon, Erica and Will start bringing out the best in each other. But Erica harbors a secret, and if it’s discovered, Will might never be the same.
The Mermaids, the Ex and USSS (Rachel Herod) – Braig Sanborn is the most loyal employee the United States Shipping Service has ever seen, which is why he agreed to transfer across the country with only a few weeks’ notice. Ella Morrison is so busy planning a friend’s wedding, she didn’t expect to fall for the carrier who delivers packages to her house. When they both find themselves in too deep, will they agree the relationship was doomed from the start?
When sparks begin to fly, can a friendship cast in iron be shaped into something more?
Mariah Stover is left for dead and with no memory when the Deadeye Gang robs the stagecoach she’s riding in, killing both her father and brother. As she takes over her father’s blacksmith shop and tries to move forward, she soon finds herself in jeopardy and wondering–does someone know she witnessed the robbery and is still alive?
Handsome and polished Clint Roberts escaped to western Wyoming, leaving his painful memories behind. Hoping for a fresh start, he opens a diner where he creates fine dishes, but is met with harsh resistance from the townsfolk, who prefer to stick to their old ways.
Clint and Mariah are drawn together by the trials they face in town, and Clint is determined to protect Mariah at all costs when danger descends upon her home. As threats pursue them from every side, will they survive to build a life forged in love?
Two stories…thirty years apart. Will solving the mystery of the past provide the key to the present?
Scott Connelly arrives in the Suamalie Islands determined to acquire property for his father and leave as soon as possible. But he doesn’t count on the animosity of the residents, the fascinating local legend of a sunken Spanish treasure ship, or the highly unavailable waitress who comes to his rescue. The fabled treasure promises to buy his freedom, but even seeking it may be a dangerous risk.
News of her father’s death precedes Tavia Connelly’s arrival in the Suamalie Islands. Despite the hatred of the island residents, Tavia’s determined to settle her father’s affairs and return immediately to assume her role as head of the family company. But her father’s wishes require her to find out what happened long ago, given only Scott’s mumbled clues, crazy rumors, and a centuries-old fable.
Tavia should be safe after all those years, but her presence attracts a lot of resentment, and the ghosts of Scott’s enemies may still lie in wait for someone to come searching for a treasure that may have never existed.
But what if it did?
Take a trip to the Suamalie Islands where palm trees sway, the sand and sea pulse with life, and the people will steal your heart.
A princess who avoids the public eye. A photoshoot in crisis. What will her choice to help cost her?
Castles & Courtships Book 2 Royals of Eyjania
Princess Gabriella Quatremaine would prefer to live a quiet life in the country.
She’s pretty sure it doesn’t even need to be her own country.
As long as it’s somewhere she can indulge her introvert, homebody, tendencies to her heart’s content. For that, her new home outside Trumanville, Missouri will work just fine
Getting sucked into a photoshoot was not on her agenda, but a friend asked for a favor, and she caved.
In the process, she might have met her happily ever after – a guy with a dazzling smile and palpable chemistry between them.
Too bad he wants a life in the public eye.
When the pictures go viral, she finds herself in the middle of a propaganda firestorm.
Her brother, King Benjamin, calls her back to Eyjania for damage control, and Gabriella does the unthinkable – refuses the summons.
She wants nothing more than to hide out in her home, but accusations emerge that it was all a publicity stunt. She has to make a choice – the quiet life she’s always wanted or succumb to the pressure to be the Picture Perfect Princess?
Valentine’s Day is perfect for a wedding. If only the bride will agree.
Being part of the military is not just a job for Fergus Rafferty, it’s a calling. He’s worked his way up the ranks and doing what he loves best: flying Apache helicopters. The only thing that will make his life complete is marrying Celeste. After he transfers to a unit scheduled to deploy in three months, he’s thrilled at the idea of marrying before he leaves so they can start their new life. Except Celeste wants to wait until he returns. Can he convince her to wed before he leaves?
Celeste Hardwicke has just opened her law practice when she finally accepts Fergus’s marriage proposal. Not to worry. She has plenty of time to set a date, then plan the wedding. Until she doesn’t. But a quickie wedding isn’t what she has in mind. Besides, why get married when the groom will ship out after the ceremony? When she stumbles on her great-grandmother’s diary from World War II, she discovers the two of them share the same predicament.
At an impasse, Celeste and Fergus agree to call into WDES’s program No Errin’ for Love. Will DJ Erin Orberg’s advice solve their dilemma or create a bigger divide? One they’ll both regret.
Convinced he caused his best friend’s death, rodeo cowboy Wyatt Nelson will do whatever it takes to look after widow Laura Fisher and her infant twins—even propose to her. A marriage of convenience is the perfect solution to keep custody from Laura’s overbearing in-laws. But as Wyatt begins to fall for the little family, will he let guilt get in the way of his heart?
Crab fisherman Gus Colman is just trying to make a living for his daughter. But when his fishing boat capsizes, he’s injured and stranded in Hearts Bay, Alaska, where he comes face-to-face with Mia Madden—his late best friend’s fiancée. As she helps him recover, he works hard to prove he’s changed. But could Mia ever love another man who risks his life at sea?
Fighting his way back from a troubled past, handyman Angus “Witt” Wittenbauer needs refuge. When dog sanctuary owner Maddie McNeill needs someone to fix her kennel’s roof, it seems like the answer to his prayers, especially when he’s reunited with his long-lost dog, Ranger. His growing friendship with Maddie hints at the promise of something more, but will Witt ever feel deserving of love again?
A theme park trip turns devastating when Rebecca Salmon’s son is abducted. Now Rebecca must solve a series of clues planted throughout the park to retrieve what the kidnappers want, but she needs help. Aided by FBI agent Jake Foster, she finds deciphering the clues is only half the battle. The real puzzle is how to survive…and bring her son home.
Narrowly surviving an intentional hit-and-run, Sawyer Blackwood hires his unexpected rescuer to guard his niece. Bodyguard Everly Honor will do anything to protect a child, even if it means working with her ex. But, as attacks escalate, how can she accomplish her mission to keep them safe when Sawyer is keeping secrets from her…and she’s concealing the truth about her own past?
Partnered with her air-scent dog and Sheriff Dennis Monroe, marriage and family therapist Charlotte Bradley is desperate to put an end to a black-market baby smuggling ring in Anderson County. Who is kidnapping the pregnant girls she counsels and taking their babies? As Charlotte searches for answers, she and Dennis must dodge gunfire and deadly attacks. But the sinister agenda they uncover just might include her.
Someone has erased profiler Gabe Buchanan’s identity…and now they’re trying to kill him. And although Chief Warrant Officer Hannah Austin betrayed him in the past when she was undercover investigating his friend, now she’s his only hope to stay alive and restore his name. With the clock ticking down, can they track down the killer who wants to silence him permanently?
After surviving a sudden avalanche, mountain survival expert Jayla Hoyt and her search-and-rescue K-9 discover that it was no accident—someone deliberately triggered the mountain explosion. To uncover the culprit, she’ll have to partner with Alaska park ranger Bryson Clarke, a man she doesn’t trust. But when the investigators become targets, can they capture the criminal mastermind…before they’re buried alive?
Deep in the Kentucky hills, three women have been found brutalized and murdered. But the folks in Night Holler have their own ways and their own laws. And they’re not talking…
Led to an isolated Appalachian Mountain town by a trail of disturbing murders, FBI special agent Violet Rainwater’s determined to catch a serial killer with a twisted agenda. With locals refusing to reveal their secrets, Violet’s only ally is Detective John Orlando. But even John has an ulterior motive—he’s convinced this case is connected to his wife’s murder.
As they dig deeper, Violet uncovers a link to her own unresolved past. For years she’s worked the cold case of her mother’s abduction, which had led to her birth. The need to look into the eyes of the sinful man who fathered her consumes Violet. Until she can, she’ll never have peace. Because she’s terrified she might be exactly like him.
In this chilling novel, when the present collides with Violet’s mysterious past and John’s tragic loss, they must unravel the warped, sinuous connections before the killer strikes again. But solving the case might not be nearly as terrifying as the possibility that Violet’s finally found her roots…
Rain Jordan doesn’t know what really happened during her troubled brother’s final days. But someone is hunting her and her dog, Maple, through a ferocious mountain blizzard. Rain’s only hope is her firefighter ex, David Hernandez, who’s determined to protect his heart this time. Together, they must battle killer conditions and lethal surprises…even if survival threatens to separate them for good.
Police Chief Autumn Long is fighting to keep her job in the quiet Alaska town of Shadow Gap when an unexpected string of criminal activity leaves her with a wounded officer, unexplained murders, and even an attack on her own father. Despite her mistrust of outsiders, she turns to Grier Brenner, a newcomer who seems to have the skills and training Autumn needs to face this threat to her community.
Grier is in Alaska for the same reason so many others are–to disappear–when Chief Long enlists his help. He emerges from the shadows and proves his mettle, but his presence in her life could be a deadly trap for them both. If his secret is exposed, all will be lost. And he’s not sure even Autumn could save him.
As the stakes rise and the dangers increase, Autumn and Grier must rely on each other to extinguish the deadly threats.
A good deed turns into a search for a missing woman.
When Isana Thomas finds a smartphone among the cherry trees, her life is put in jeopardy. Isana discovers the phone belongs to Lillian Hillam, whose son, Cyrus “Cy” Hillam, works at The Heritage Museum with Isana. But Lillian is missing, and someone doesn’t want the pair to find her.
Cy can’t believe his mother would disappear without telling him, not after his father’s suicide when he was a child. Then kidnappers claiming to have Lillian contact him, asking to exchange her life for a list of names. Cy and Isana must delve deep into his parents’ past to find the list and save his mother’s life.
But someone doesn’t want them to succeed and will do anything to stop their search. Will Cy and Isana uncover the truth about the list before their lives are snuffed out?
Prioritizing career over family cost Brooke Metcalfe Mulroney everything—her relationship with her siblings, her marriage, her children. Written off by her family, she delves deeper into her work. Until a life-altering moment offers a chance at something she didn’t know she wanted—redemption. But her self-centered ways nip at her heels as she goes on the lam to do what she knows is right.
Former Special Forces operator and founder of MiLE, Cord Taggart wages war on human trafficking by taking the violence to the wicked, determined to never again let an innocent die because he did nothing. But maybe he’s bitten off more than he can chew this time as he works to track down New York City high-powered attorney Brooke Metcalfe, who is MIA. Then there’s her brothers who have threatened to chase him into the afterlife should he fail.
Tricky are the hours as Cord negotiates many battles: freeing the captives, demolishing the Trench that has made millions off the skin-trade industry, and his growing, deep-rooted feelings for the bombshell in her highfalutin tower. Brooke must put her life—and heart—in the hands of the thick-skulled operator.
When she crosses paths with a killer from her past, can she survive long enough to step into her future?
Ever since she and thirteen other models were kidnapped years before, Summer Lake has fought to ensure that she can protect herself. But when her job as a bodyguard brings her into contact with a man she believes masterminded her kidnapping, her first urge is to run, terrified of being taken again. Instead, she follows the stranger, determined to bring him to justice.
Bodyguard Grant Wright fell in love with Summer the instant he saw her, a fierce protector standing in front of the other endangered young women he’d come to rescue. Years later, Summer still sees him as barely more than a coworker. Grant bides his time, sticking close in an effort to keep her safe and hoping she’ll eventually open her heart to him. When her life is threatened, he’s not about to allow her to fight her enemies alone. He’ll stay by her side whether she wants him or not.
But Summer and Grant have an enemy whose global smuggling organization is so powerful, so pervasive, that it’ll be a miracle if either of them emerges from this battle alive.
After facing a terrible loss, pediatrician Joanna Miles hopes to find healing and a new beginning by moving away. But will this decision be the last one she makes?
She agrees to cover an infant and maternity pediatric clinic in the mountains of New Mexico for three months while that physician is on leave, before starting her new position in California.
An escape artist of a horse and a Great Pyrenees pup the size of Texas are all the family she needs now—or so she thinks. So why is she drawn to a rancher who couldn’t be more wrong for her? Especially after a little pink bundle left on his doorstep convinces her just how irresponsible he is. He’s definitely not her type.
But when a stranger begins threatening both her and the clinic, dangers mount. Will she be able to keep her patients–and herself–safe? And who can she turn to for help?
A heartwarming story of honor, love of family, and ties that bind through generations, even through life’s most difficult challenges.
When Joy Munson confronts Detective Tarin Finnegan about reopening her brother’s case, she doesn’t expect to be shot at by an unknown assailant. And when the gunman strikes three more times in less than twenty-four hours, she and Tarin are forced to accept the truth. Her brother hadn’t committed suicide, he’d been murdered.
Tarin’s promise to keep Joy safe isn’t easy to keep. It seems as if the gunman knows their every move. Unwilling to trust anyone but his family, Tarin and Joy go completely off-grid. Uncovering the truth is just as difficult as ignoring their mutual attraction. Will they find justice for Joy’s brother, and a possible future for themselves, before it’s too late?
He lost his memory… Mackenzie Steele has been instrumental in keeping Steele Guardians afloat, working long hours for months. Nearing burnout, her family encourages her to take a vacation, and she reluctantly agrees. She needs solitude and quiet, and a vacation rental home in the Oregon desert is just the ticket. But she’s no sooner unpacked her bags when a man lands on her doorstep. A man who can’t remember his identity or why he’s there. All they know is that the name Owen seems familiar to him.
But will finding it bring a killer to her doorstep. Mackenzie shouldn’t trust this man, but something about his earnestness draws her to him, and she agrees to help him determine his identity. When her rental home is bombarded with bullets, she knows she’s accepted a task that could turn deadly, and she should walk away. But by this time, her deepening connection with the stranger keeps her firmly rooted at his side, and she can only pray that she won’t regret her potentially life-altering decision.
For as long as she can remember, Rose Galway has been a captive, controlled by one man or another. To her, though, God is the one holding the keys, refusing to set her free despite the desperate pleas she has sent heavenward.
Detective Laken Jones has known hardship too, including the daily trauma of racism. Still, nothing he has gone through compares to what Rose has endured. He wants nothing more than for her to experience hope and healing and maybe even happiness in her life.
But first he has to find her.
Laken is willing to risk everything to set Rose free. And to help her find her way to God. Even if that means letting go of her—and the future he envisions for the two of them—forever.
Junior Morrison walked away from her to start a life with the military.
Now he works at a special ranch to help rehabilitate victims of human trafficking. When his boss is challenged to fix his one regret, he passes that challenge on to all his men. Junior wants to see Gabby again, but how can he explain that he’s not the man he was before?
Gabby Loftens abandoned her girlhood dreams of marrying Junior and went off to school to be a counselor, convinced she could help others heal where she couldn’t help herself. Her life is not full, but she gives wherever she can.
When Junior calls her to come help with a patient, Gabby is skeptical. Why call her? Especially when the ranch is an hour away and he hasn’t talked to her in ten years. She can’t deny she’s curious and what she finds at the ranch draws her in. She wants to help, but more than that, she wants to know what she did to make Junior walk out of her life. Because she wants him back, if he’ll accept her.
When Gabby unwittingly leads a victim back to her trafficker, Junior and Gabby, along with the team at Wayside Ranch, must keep her protected. If they don’t, their ranch, and all the people safely living there, could have to face their worst enemies all over again.
Fraser Marshall is pretty sure his career as a Spec Ops fighter is over. Yes, he’s gone into private security, working for Jones, Inc, but his last gig ended with him wounded and taken captive. And those wounds just won’t heal. The last thing he wants to do is stick around his family’s winery pressing grapes. But what choices does he have?
The answer comes via a panicked phone call from his kid brother, Creed.
Help, Fraser. I’m in over my head…
Yeah he is, because he’s run away with a princess, with her bodyguard hot on the trail. And said bodyguard, Pippa Butler is going to hunt them down, no matter the cost.
Even if she has to join forces with a bossy, arrogant former American SEAL. But Pippa has her own set of lethal skills, and if Fraser gets in the way, she’ll leave him on the side of the road. Still, maybe he’s not a terrible side-kick. He is handsome, and he makes her laugh…
No, no, bad Pippa! She has no room for a man—an American—in her life. And Fraser hasn’t ever considered slowing down. Even if Pippa has him wondering if there is a different future ahead.
But there’s more to the story than a Romeo-and-Juliet runaway romance. Princess Imani has seen a murder, and the perpetrator isn’t going to let her get away. Will Fraser and Pippa find the couple first?
And if they do, can they work together to keep them safe?
It’ll be tough if their hearts get in the way…
Dive into book one of the epic, romantic, globe-trotting suspense of the Minnesota Marshalls!
Urgent intel warns of terrorist cells planning coordinated attacks throughout Europe. Special Agent Jacob Coulter of Brussels Interpol is assigned to find the terrorist financiers supporting these groups and shut down their funding operations.
An opera singer’s life and career hang in the balance.
The Queen of the Night’s vocal pyrotechnics have launched many a soprano’s international career. But Riley Williams, Jacob’s fiancée, is terrified of heights, and her Antwerp Opera debut as the evil queen requires her to sing from a hydraulic lift forty feet above the orchestra pit. When newspapers cite Riley’s recent unmasking of an international terrorist plot and the lift malfunctions, Jacob suspects terrorist sabotage.
He encourages Riley to accept her BFF’s invitation to stay the Savoy Hotel in London where she’ll be out of danger. Or so he thinks …
A series of murders connected to a notorious terrorist financier known as the Priest leads Jacob across Europe. When the victims’ deaths point to London, his Interpol partner convinces him London is a haven for terrorist financiers.
But the clock is ticking, and what Jacob uncovers is more devastating than anything he could have imagined.
The FBI might’ve buried the truth, but she’ll find it.
Private Investigator Kenna Banbury walks into a courtroom—and finds herself in the middle of a case. She’s looking for a missing young woman no one seems to know and hunting an elite organization that held an entire town in its grip. Something quite different is happening in Hatchet, New Mexico, and Kenna doesn’t have much time to untangle how it all fits together.
Before a deadly killer strikes again.
When someone close to her is threatened, Kenna signs on for a protection detail that quickly turns into a deadly game. She vowed not to let anyone else die for this case. This shadowy organization has already taken too many lives, and she’ll face losing even more before this is over.
Two sets of sisters, generations apart—can one big sister’s sacrifice teach the other about love and forgiveness?
1963: Twenty-year-old Annie dreams of managing the dance studio where she has trained since childhood and of marrying her high-society boyfriend. But when her younger sister with special needs gets pregnant, Annie is forced to set her dreams aside for the sake of family.
Present Day: Missy Robbins has always lived in her younger sister’s shadow. When given the opportunity, Missy steps out of her comfort zone as stay-at-home mom of four to prove she’s as good a singer as Erica. Missy’s new pursuit puts her on a path to self-discovery and reclaiming her discarded faith. Until she discovers her grandmother has a sixty-year-old secret.
Will Missy conceal Grandma Annie’s deception or will she be forced to reveal the hidden truth.
Clue meets Indiana Jones with a fiction-loving twist only Grace Percy can provide.
Newlyweds Lord and Lady Astley have already experienced their fair-share of suspense, but when a honeymoon trip takes a detour to the mystical land of Egypt, not even Grace with her fiction-loving mind is prepared for the dangers in store. From an assortment of untrustworthy adventure-seekers to a newly discovered tomb with a murderous secret, Frederick and Grace must lean on each other to navigate their dangerous surroundings. As the suspects mount in an antiquities’ heist of ancient proportions, will Frederick and Grace’s attempts to solve the mystery lead to another death among the sands?
The Cairo’s Curse is a delightful sequel to The Mistletoe Countess by Pepper Basham in the Freddie and Grace Mystery series.
Can this undercover agent save the woman he loves–or is her heart as counterfeit as the money he’s been sent to track down?
After all that Grandfather has sacrificed to raise her, Theresa Plane owes it to him to save the family name–and that means clearing their debt with creditors before she marries Edward Greystone. But when one of the creditors’ threats leads her to stumble across a midnight meeting, she discovers that the money he owes isn’t all Grandfather was hiding. And the secrets he kept have now trapped Theresa in a life-threatening fight for her home–and the truth.
After months of undercover work, Secret Service operative Broderick Cosgrove is finally about to uncover the identity of the leader of a notorious counterfeiting ring. That moment of triumph turns to horror, however, when he finds undeniable proof that his former fiancée is connected. Can he really believe the woman he loved is a willing participant? Protecting Theresa and proving her innocence may destroy his career–but that’s better than failing her twice in one lifetime.
They must form a partnership, tentative though it is. But there’s no question they’re both still keeping secrets–and that lack of trust, along with the dangerous criminals out for their blood, threatens their hearts, their faith, and their very survival.
Combining rich history, danger, suspense, and romance, Crystal Caudill’s debut novel launches this new historical series with a bang. Fans of Elizabeth Camden, Michelle Griep, and Joanna Davidson Politano will be thrilled to find another author to follow!
Brianna Kelly was abandoned at Ballymacool House and Boarding School as an infant. She has worked there since she was a wee girl and will likely die there. Despite a sense that she was made for something more, Brianna feels powerless to change her situation, so she consoles herself by exploring the Ballymacool grounds, looking for hidden treasures to add to the secret trove beneath the floorboards of her room.
When Michael Wray, the son of local gentry, is sent to Ballymacool to deal with his unruly cousin, he finds himself drawn to Brianna, immediately and inescapably. There is something about her that feels so . . . familiar. When Brianna finds a piece of silver in the woods, she commits to learning its origins, with the help of Michael. What they discover may change everything.
Fan favorite Jennifer Deibel invites you back to the Emerald Isle in the 1930s for this fresh take on the Cinderella story, complete with a tantalizing mystery, a budding romance, and a chance at redemption.
Two women–bound by blood, torn apart by circumstance–find together that true strength comes in many forms.
In 1911, Mabel MacGinnis is Europe’s strongest woman and has performed beside her father in the Manzo Brothers Circus her entire life. When he dies unexpectedly, she loses everything she’s ever known and sets off in the company of acrobat Jake Cunningham in hope of finding the mother she thought was dead.
Isabella Moreau, America’s most feted aerialist, has given everything to the circus. But age and injury now threaten her security, and Isabella, stalked by old fears, makes a choice that risks everything. Then her daughter Mabel appears alongside the man who never wanted to see Isabella again, and she is forced to face the truth of where, and in what, she derives her worth.
As Mabel and Isabella’s lives become entangled beneath the glittering lights and flying trapeze of Madison Square Garden, their resiliency and resolve are tested as they learn the truth of what it means to be strong.
With danger drawing ever closer, their only hope of saving their futures lies in each other.
As a midwife, Catherine Remington is successful in bringing new life into the world, but she’s failed one too many times in finding true love. When she’s accused of a murder she didn’t commit, she’s forced to flee to Colorado to honor a patient’s dying wish by delivering a newborn infant to his father.
The repentant prodigal Dylan McQuaid is finally back in Fairplay. As sheriff, he’s doing his best to prove to the town he’s a changed man and worthy of their trust. When a woman shows up with an infant son he didn’t know he had, Dylan is left with only complicated choices on what to do next.
Having grown attached to Dylan’s son, Catherine doesn’t want to part ways with the infant, but what she doesn’t bargain for is how easily she’ll fall for the charming sheriff, or how quickly the past will catch up with her and put their love and lives in danger.
Walk through Doors to the Past via a new series of historical stories of romance and adventure.
Elise Malvern has a habit of letting people down. Her former boyfriend who hoped she’d be his bride. Her grandfather who hoped she’d take over the family’s auction company. But mostly she’s disappointed herself. What’s the point of pursuing her passion as a violinist, if she is too scared to audition for a seat in the Pittsburgh Symphony? Her internship at the elegant Heinz Hall places her in the wings of the stage, but never on it. By accident, she discovers an old stage prop. Her instincts tell her there’s more to the paste necklace than meets the eye. Whether a good idea or not, she accepts help from a childhood friend, who happens to be country music megastar—Pierson Brooks. Pierson and Elise share a history; one she doesn’t care to repeat. The more involved they become in the mystery, the more things get tangled, including her heart.
A century earlier… Sophie Walters longs for center stage, her name on the marquee, and all that jazz, but climbing her way into an acting career is more difficult than she imagined. Having spoiled all her chances in Hollywood, she returns to Pittsburgh, accepting an insignificant role in a popular production. She watches her dreams pass by from behind the curtain at the illustrious Loew’s Penn Theatre. She finally gets the coveted spotlight, but not for her talent. No, her surge to fame is all one terrible mistake. Somehow, she’s suspected to be a notorious jewel thief known around Pittsburgh as The Mirage. The man she pleads for help is none other than the man she jilted at the altar five years before, Sterling Monroe.
When the Germans march into Denmark, Baron Henrik Ahlefeldt exchanges his nobility for anonymity, assuming a new identity so he can secretly row messages for the Danish Resistance across the waters to Sweden.
American physicist Dr. Else Jensen refuses to leave Copenhagen and abandon her research–her life’s dream. While printing resistance newspapers, she hears stories of the movement’s legendary Havmand–the merman–and wonders if the mysterious and silent shipyard worker living in the same boardinghouse has something to hide.
When the Occupation cracks down on the Danes, these two passionate people will discover if there is more power in speech . . . or in silence. Bestselling author of more than a dozen WWII novels, Sarah Sundin offers pens another story of ordinary people responding to extraordinary circumstances with faith, fortitude, and hope for a brighter future.
In the second installment of Patricia Raybon’s critically acclaimed mystery series, amateur detective Annalee Spain races the clock to solve the murder of a handsome young pilot before she is framed for the crime—and before his dashing twin falls head over heels for her, tempting her promised heart.
On a cold spring night in 1924, Annalee Spain offers her new fancy lace handkerchief—a gift from her pastor boyfriend Jack Blake—to a young woman crying in a Denver public library. But later that night, when police find the handkerchief next to the body of the young woman’s murdered husband, Annalee becomes the number one suspect, and her panic doubles when she learns that Jack has gone missing.
With just days to solve the murder before the city’s Klan-run police frame her for the crime, Annalee finds herself hunting for clues in the Colorado mountain town of Estes Park. She questions the victim’s wife and her uncle, a wealthy Denver banker, at their mountain lodge, desperate for leads. Instead, she finds a household full of suspects and even more burning questions. Who keeps threatening her, why can’t she find Jack, and will a dangerous flirtation be her undoing? Her answers plumb the depths of the human heart, including her own, exploring long-buried secrets, family lies, even city politics—all of which could cost the young detective her fledgling love . . . and perhaps even her life.
Sometimes freedom and family are found in unexpected places.
Inanna, an Amorite chieftain’s daughter, craves to be free as the eagles that fly above her hometown. Utu, her loyal twin, just wants to keep his wayward sister out of trouble. Neither succeeds, and their dreams are uprooted as they’re sold into slavery. During their forced travels, they encounter nations they’d only known from stories, palaces beyond description, and fickle kings claiming to be all-powerful deities. Yet when serving the wandering household of Avram and Sarai from Ur, they encounter a mystery god intent on upturning national boundaries, calling new loyalties, and directing the eyes of his followers to dreams vaster than the star-filled sky. But what has this god of unexpected paths and promises to offer two Amorite slaves?
The first time she opens her eyes, Eve gazes on One whose beauty nearly blinds her, whose breath is in her lungs. Her Creator takes her hand and gives her to one like her and yet different. Together, she and Adam experience pure joy as they explore Eden. But her favorite moments are when the Creator comes to walk with them, day after day.
Until everything changes. With one act of disobedience, Eve finds that her world is no longer a friendly place. With remorse in her heart, she must face the unknown future–the births, the deaths, the sacrifices, the loss of the one home she has ever known. Perhaps worst of all is the loss of trust, not only with her Creator but with the man who shares her life. How will they ever survive out of Eden?
Bestselling biblical fiction author Jill Eileen Smith imagines the life of the first woman to ever live, unspooling a story of love, loss, and the promise of redemption.
War is brewing. New threats have emerged in Keledev. The watchmen of Thousand Falls and the Windhold find goblin tunnels in the slopes of the mountain barrier that may hold many dangerous creatures. At the same time, scouting missions into the Dragon Lands confirm that the dragons are building an army of tortured Aladoth villagers to destroy the Liberated Land.
To protect Kara Orso, the young woman Connor and Lee rescued, the headmaster sends them to the Second Hall to face the intrigues of the Assembly in her place. Far to the south, the two cadets learn of an old weapon designed to end the war between the dragons and the Liberated Land forever. To restore the honor of his family and renew the hope of his people, Connor believes he must find the weapon and use it to destroy the dragon leader.
While Connor, Lee, and an assemblyman’s daughter scour the Dragon Lands for the weapon, Kara and Tiran are drawn north into the Forest of Horrors on a mission of their own—to find and save one tortured man. To succeed, both parties must face their fears and lean on the peace and strength of the Rescuer.
Joel Bennett has always known Serena Hayes as his sister’s gregarious best friend. In the three years since Lacey began college, Serena became a regular houseguest, but lately, she’s absent more than not. When Joel discovers she’s in an abusive relationship, protectiveness from within roars to life.
With only a part-time job to support her and nowhere to go, Serena fears leaving her current relationship would jeopardize her chances of graduating college. After a brutal attack leaves her no choice, she courageously moves out. On her journey toward regaining confidence, self-worth, and independence, Joel falls in beside her, encouraging her. The way he emulates Godly love and compassion draws her close—not just to him, but to the God who can satisfy her longing for love better than any man,
Attraction sizzles between them, but events from their pasts cast shadows of doubt. When the unthinkable happens, can Serena open her heart to a second chance at love, or is she destined to be alone?
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading A Worthy Heart, set in Sacramento, California. Serena is in her final year of college, and she recently left her Dorm to move in with her boyfriend. The boyfriend love bombed her at the start of their relationship, and it wasn’t until Serena was living in his house that she realized she’d unknowingly put herself in a domestic violence situation. Serena isn’t a Christian at the start of the story and, being a student, money is tight.
Joel is Serena’s best friend’s brother. He’s a Christian who works as a bank teller and shares his home with his sister, Lacey. The story opens with Serena driving to Lacey’s birthday party in the city. Serena is involved in a car accident that wasn’t her fault. Joel is travelling behind her, sees the accident, and stops to help Serena. He drives Serena home because her car needs to be towed, and that’s when Joel witnesses Serena’s boyfriend physically hitting her.
I loved how Serena and Joel’s friends to more romance unfolds in the story. It’s not a love triangle. Serena breaks off the relationship with her abusive boyfriend before anything has the potential to happen between her and Joel. Past decisions impact their present relationship, and I liked how Serena’s new faith didn’t automatically fix all the issues they needed to address.
Joel has his own issues to work through, including his relationship with his father. The faith element is strong and an organic part of the story, and includes redemption and forgiveness themes. The story is a clean read and realistically addresses difficult situations with sensitivity. I recommend A Worthy Heart to contemporary romance readers looking for a compelling friends to more and best friend’s brother romance with a strong faith element and tough issues, including domestic violence, addressed in the story.
Police Chief Autumn Long is fighting to keep her job in the quiet Alaska town of Shadow Gap when an unexpected string of criminal activity leaves her with a wounded officer, unexplained murders, and even an attack on her own father. Despite her mistrust of outsiders, she turns to Grier Brenner, a newcomer who seems to have the skills and training Autumn needs to face this threat to her community.
Grier is in Alaska for the same reason so many others are–to disappear–when Chief Long enlists his help. He emerges from the shadows and proves his mettle, but his presence in her life could be a deadly trap for them both. If his secret is exposed, all will be lost. And he’s not sure even Autumn could save him.
As the stakes rise and the dangers increase, Autumn and Grier must rely on each other to extinguish the deadly threats.
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading Cold Light of Day, the first book in Elizabeth Goddard’s Missing in Alaska romantic suspense series. Autumn is the police chief in a sleepy Alaskan town with a low crime rate. Dead bodies start turning up, and her role as police chief is in jeopardy. At the start of the story we learn that Autumn’s mother drowned in the Caribbean during a family vacation, and her father is the retired police chief who’s also an alcoholic. Autumn is under pressure to prove herself and keep her town safe.
Grier is an intriguing hero, and a man of mystery who’s hiding out in Shadow Gap. He sees a woman in the icy lake water at risk of drowning, and he rescues her. Grier has professional diving skills, and he agrees to help Autumn with ongoing police investigations.
Autumn and Grier are drawn to each other, but he’s an outsider and she’s slow to trust. Grier refuses to talk about his previous life, which complicates their relationship. A lovely friends to more romance develops as they’re pushed together due to their lives being in danger. Secrets from the past threaten to tear them apart as they work to solve the mystery deaths in Shadow Gap.
The suspense plot intensifies the tension to the story. I kept turning the page, wanting to know what happens next, and I didn’t pick how the ending would unfold. The Alaskan scenery is stunning, and I loved experiencing Alaska with Autumn and Grier. I recommend Cold Light of Day to romantic suspense readers who like fast paced stories with many twists and turns combined with a satisfying romance and a light faith element in the story.
Many thanks to Revell and Net Galley for the Advanced Reader Copy.
Award-winning photographer Mason Montgomery is back in Pine Valley, Kentucky. Hopefully, for good, if his business proposal is accepted. On paper, he’s the perfect buyer for Forget-Me-Not Photography. Too bad the seller, Ol’ Man Rowe, doesn’t see it that way. He’s looking for a family man to take over, and Mason’s bachelor status doesn’t fit the bill.
For shy Lily Anne Dawson, life has not turned out the way she’d hoped. Working at her mother’s bakery and editing for the local newspaper is a far cry from her journalistic dream. She’s a failure. A lonely failure worrying about infertility with no romantic prospects in sight.
That all changes when a decade-old promise to marry on Valentine’s Day pushes the two together at their high school reunion. The impromptu proposal offers a solution to their problems. But marriage requires honesty—and both have secrets. Secrets that could make or break their budding love.
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading The Valentine Proposal by Beth Pugh, set in a small town in Kentucky. Mason had a crush on Lily Anne during high school. She ran the school newspaper, he was the photographer, and they made a crazy promise. If they’re both still single in ten years time, they’d get married on Valentine’s Day.
Fast forward ten years, and Lily Anne is back in town working in her mother’s bakery. She dreams about getting a national syndication journalism job, but instead has moved home after being retrenched from her job at a Lexington newspaper. Mason is a successful photographer who has travelled the world, and his family owns an Inn in town. He wants to buy a local photography business, but the owner rejects Mason’s offer because he’s not married. At their high school reunion, Mason gets down on one knee and proposes, Lily Anne says yes, and suddenly they’re planning a wedding.
The story has some fake relationship elements because both Mason and Lily Anne had reasons to marry that were more for their own convenience than love. Lily Anne’s mother insists they do marriage preparation meetings with their pastor, which challenges Mason and Lily Anne to consider why they’re getting married.
A fun romance develops as they explore whether or not old feelings can be rekindled and evolve into a love that lasts a lifetime. I recommend The Valentine Proposal to contemporary romance readers who like high school reunion romances with a relevant faith element in the story.
