Anthologies

Spend Christmas in the Old West with six unconventional women who take on Texas-sized challenges—and unexpected romance. Bridget falls for a man opposed to her teaching Indian orphans. Polly is trying to hold her family together when her childhood love returns to town. Rugged rancher Charlsey is inexplicably attracted to a tenderfoot accountant. Vivian shuns marriage until meeting a nomadic photographer. Lacey’s cooking draws a quiet blacksmith out of his shell. Tracker Bessie Mae helps a ranger hunt down a villain.

Ride onto the open range alongside cowboys and cowgirls who embrace the adventures of living in the Old West from Kansas to New Mexico, Colorado to Texas. Whether rounding up cattle or mustangs, training horses, fending off outlaws, weathering storms, competing in rodeos, or surviving drought these cowboys work hard each day. But when hardheaded men have their weaknesses exposed by well-meaning women will they stampede away or will a lasting love develop? Find out in this exciting collection of nine historical romances.

Join the fun and feel the romance in various historical communities from Massachusetts to Florida, Missouri to Texas. Meet ladies who take firm stands for their work in mills, orphanages, churches, schools, hospitals, and the like as they dance through courtship with their beaus. Can the nine couples develop lasting loves under the watchful eyes of their neighbors?

Seven women seek husbands to help them rebuild a Kansas town. Meet seven of Turtle Springs, Kansas’, finest women who are determined to revive their small town after the War Between the States took most of its men. . .and didn’t return them. The ladies decide to advertise for husbands and devise a plan for weeding out the riff raff. But how can they make the best practical choices when their hearts cry out to be loved? Abigail’s Proposal by Cynthia Hickey When her father never returned from the war, Abigail Melton stepped into his role as town mayor. The town needs men, and she needs a husband—and she has a big idea how to find both—but her first duty is to hire a sheriff. And drifter Josiah Ingram will do just fine. The Kidnapped Groom by Susan Page Davis Riding through the Flint Hills on his way to Dodge City, cowboy Sam Cayford finds himself the kidnapping victim of two children. When he meets their lovely mother, Maggie Piner—whom the kids insist he should marry—Sam starts to question God’s plans versus his own. A Clean Slate by Susanne Dietze Schoolmarm Roberta “Birdy” Green won’t marry any of the prospective grooms flocking to town. After losing her fiancé in the war, the only love her broken heart can bear is for her students. But then she takes on a new pupil—Drew Cooper, one of the gentlemen drawn to Kansas by the advertisement for grooms. Sunshine of My Heart by Darlene Franklin Debbie Barker longs to bring beauty to her new home on the prairie, where her family moved after the war, and seeks a husband to help her father run the ranch. Zack Gage returned home from the war to a life in ruins—family dead and business bankrupted. He answers the mail-order husband ad to seek a fresh start. But neither Debbie nor Zeke know what they are doing when it comes to ranching. . .or love. Come What May by Patty Smith Hall Chardy Stevens is at the end of her rope. Between running her late father’s store and tending to her four younger brothers, she barely has time to breathe, much less look for a husband to help her. The boys scare off most of her prospects and throw Chardy together with her childhood friend Luke, a disabled veteran who seeks her happiness above his own. Dime Novel Suitor by Carrie Fancett Pagels Widow Caroline Kane is the proprietor of a restaurant and inn—and responsible for her five teenaged siblings. But she has no plans of finding a mail-order groom. Britisher Barden Granville IV is on a “cowboy holiday” when he finds himself flat broke in Kansas.  When he answers an old “help wanted” ad, Caroline misconstrues Barden is there as a potential husband. Will the beautiful and fiesty widow cause the new vicar to make Kansas his home? Louder than Words by Gina Welborn After years of writing abolitionist pamphlets and chronicling soldier life during the war, J.R. Lockhart is bored and jumps at the opportunity to investigate an advertisement for husbands for an article in Godey’s Lady’s Book. Jane Ransome would like to help the charming-but-oblivious-to-life-out-West man chronicle the courtships developing in town, but she has her own husband to find—one who will fit perfectly in her picket-fenced Kansas home.

Stroll back in time to savor the slow-paced wonderment of Christmas in these seven heartfelt stories. Linger under the lamplight’s glow with greens draping the mantle and the Yule log burning slowly to set the mood for romance. How perfect to turn back the hands of time at Christmas! Christmas in Stoney Brook by Joi Copeland Driven by revenge for a wrongful deed, Austin Birch relents to Stoney Brook, Colorado, where his path collides with Addison McClave and facing amends opens the door for romance. Christmas at Mercy’s Gate by Sadie and Sophie Cuffe While prospects appear grim for Christmas at Mercy’s Gate during the depression, resident teacher Martin discovers a rekindling of spirit when Ollie and her uncle drop off a passing train and enliven the town. The Christmas Candle Caper by Darlene Franklin Bobina, the town spinster, is enmeshed in her best friend’s scheme to get her noticed by Holmes, the new lawyer in town, but having her arrested and brought to trial begins to backfire, until the whole town gets involved in the caper to put their romance back on the right track. A Family for Christmas by Christina Rich When Eliana Sims returns home for Christmas she tries to ignore Doctor Benjamin Northrop, the man she'd left standing at the altar nearly two years before, but when she receives an urgent letter, the secret she's been keeping from him is bound to come to light. Can the doctor convince her of his love and have a family for Christmas? Love Blooms at Christmas by Martha Rogers Florence Middleton works at Oak Dale Bible College and has admired Professor Joel Fowler from a distance for years, but when they team up to put on the orphanage’s Christmas play, their societal separation dissolves under the simple charms of the holiday to let love bloom. A Place of Grace by Darlia Sawyer Devotion to duty mars Sheriff Drake West’s relationship to his beloved wife Noel, but her vulnerability to the flirtatious banker poses a threat that only a Christmas miracle will remedy.

Four historical romances of Christmas long past when lives were simple and love strong.HOME LIGHTS BURNINGGeorgina Lord hasn’t seen Leonard Grover since the day her father banned him from the house because he had Indian blood.A dozen years, two marriages, four children, and two deaths later, Georgina and Leonard meet again as her brother’s wedding approaches.The old sparks soon fly, but has Georgina truly accepted Leonard’s heritage, as well as that of his children? And can Leonard rediscover his first love for Christ? The holly and the ivy will help them learn how.REFLECTION IN GLASSIn 1775 Prudence Ainsworth of Maryland Province is about to be married to her lifelong friend, Oliver Duke. The happy couple’s dreams are shattered when conflict between the struggling new Colonies and the Crown of England erupts in war. Four women left alone in a world gone mad. One dog and a handful of servants try to keep them safe from people Prudence should be able to trust.Where do other people’s allegiance lie? Will each of them survive the conflicts thrown at them and learn to trust in Providence for their hopes and dreams or will the dangers and the passions of others, deprive them of the love and union that every couple longs for?A WILLIAMSBURG CHRISTMASChristmas 1955 - Trent jilted Holly. Should she give him a second chance? Has too much time elapsed and is too much fire quenched for this romance to rekindle?Holly falls in love with the sights, sounds, and scents of Christmas in Colonial Williamsburg during her first months living there. She’s a widowed mother raising 8-year-old twin boys by working as a waitress in a famous Colonial Williamsburg Inn.Trent disappeared from Holly’s life ten years ago. Now he’s back and wants to marry her. Santa’s matchmakers complicate Holly’s decisions by bringing new men into her life. Will the competition prove too much for Trent?CHRISTMAS AT PINE COTTAGEWest Virginia 1906Ana Popesque arrives at Miss Ellwood's boarding house in Pine Glen to find she's boarding with a couple of very chatty housemates. The constant laughter and gossip make it difficult to focus on her violin practice for her upcoming Christmas Symphony. It's not until the other girls leave for Christmas break that Ana is left with the peace quiet of Pine Cottage. But in that silence, she hears beautiful violin music coming from the boarder downstairs. Before long, her heart strings are so drawn by his melodious ballads, she's compelled to discover what lies behind such sweet, sorrowfully beautiful music.A feel good Christmas story of love, acceptance, and joyful reunions

Four stories where historical women from our world's past are featured or play a role in romance. Come sit a spell and dive into history.HIS FRENCH WAR BRIDEJune 1944. Despite her determination to be in Paris to welcome her father home when he escapes from a prison camp, interpreter Christine Arnette must obey when the French Resistance sends her on a secret D-Day mission to Normandy. When her cover story falls apart, the Allies start asking questions. Can she trust them with the truth?When Lieutenant Harry Dean discovers their beautiful French interpreter lied about her reasons for coming to Carentan, it’s up to him to discover her identity. His gut tells him to trust her, but orders are orders. Is she really a spy? Will his heart allow him to stand by and watch if she’s arrested? PHANTOM LOVE NO MOREIn order to have a future, she must let go of the past.Frieda Dearing returns to the Grand Canyon a shadow of her childhood self. She dreams of working with renowned architect Mary Colter on Phantom Ranch. Even more, she hopes to build a new life after the devastations of the Great War.Until she encounters a childhood friend who challenges everything,ON THE TRAIL BEYONDWas Louisa Cody a nagging shrew, as Buffalo Bill Cody claimed when he twice tried to divorce her? Or was this beautiful, dark-haired French woman a saint, enduring her husband’s long absences, recklessness with money, indulgence of liquor and relationships with other women?Shrew or saint? I’ll let you the reader decide.IN HER FOOTSTEPSMany women have made significant contributions to the medical field. One such person is Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell. In the late 1840s, inspired by the dying words of a friend who urged her to become a doctor, Elizabeth started her education at Geneva Medical College. What she didn’t know was that the only reason she was admitted to Geneva was because the first-year class was polled and voted yes as a joke. But when she showed up, the joke was on them.It’s ten years after Dr. Blackwell graduated from Geneva College, and now Daniela Burke longs to attend the same school with her boyfriend, Ryan. But Geneva hasn’t admitted another female since Dr. Blackwell. As Daniela sees it, the only way to realize her dream of becoming a doctor is to disguise herself as a male in order to attend the college. Will she be able to maintain her ruse for three years? How will her disguise affect her relationship with Ryan?

Six Mysteries Are Brewing in Small-Town Kansas The coffee shop on the corner of First and Main in Oak Grove, Kansas, seems to attract a series of mysterious events. Or perhaps it is the six women who frequent the shop for book club who are magnets for trouble. . . . Morgan Butler , owner of the Coffee Perk, finds a project worker hanged at her shop. Penny Parson finds a gun in one of her beehives. Evelyn Kliff discovers a dead church meal organizer. Jo Anderson shares hazelnut coffee creamer, sending a woman into anaphylactic shock. Harper Daggett is being stalked for an antique jade owl she bought. Baker Jeanine Gransbury ’s charity event money goes missing. Join them as they unravel six unexplained events that have the potential to ruin business and spoil friendships if not handled with care.

From the dusty chaos of the land run to the present day, these are the tales of loves and legends of people who lived in a small house in Guthrie, Oklahoma. Oh, the stories these walls can tell. . .

Four Women Fight for the Right to Life and Love Love Charm by Cynthia Hickey Ozark Mountains, 1868 Bound by a common bond of wanting to help the Missouri hill people they ve grown to love, Phoebe Hudson, socialite-turned-midwife, and Luke Morris, the schoolteacher, find themselves mediators in a family feud. Love s Rebirth by Darlene Franklin Denver, 1871 Dr. Vaughan Strahan, a war veteran, wants to work with expectant mothers so others don t die like his wife and child, but there is already a midwife working in the old mining district whose approval he is determined to win. If Not For Grace by Patty Smith Hall New York City, 1889 After her friend s death in childbirth, Grace Sullivan converts her family home into a haven for immigrant families preparing for the birth of a child. But when the city threatens to close her down, her only hope is to ask for help from an unlikely source her former fiancé, Patrick O Leary. Between Two Worlds by Marilyn Turk New Orleans, 1890 Camille Duval confronts Madam Lafleur, the local voodoo queen, when she attends one of her first births since moving to New Orleans. How can Camille convince the young mother to trust her instead of voodoo for the health of her baby? Can Camille enlist the support of the young family physician, Julian Charbonnet who doesn t seem interested in women s affairs ?

A tea shoppe along the coast of Maine is connected to a year’s worth of mysterious deaths. Starting one winter day, Georgina finds the mayor poisoned by a plate of petit fours. That spring, Evie’s favorite customer and recipe tester is killed. While out delivering scones for her summer job, Ashley discovers a crime scene to practice her student training in forensics. Against a backdrop of vibrant fall foliage, Ladessa discovers a corpse at table number four. How can one small shoppe’s employees be connected to so many deaths, and will the business ever recover?