Widower Joey Fuller fights for the Union, leaving his four rambunctious children with nannies…who keep quitting. Joey’s solution? Advertise for a temporary wife to take care of his family until he musters out. Faith Haviland is desperate to escape heartbreak and a brute whose intentions are clearly wicked. Joey’s “Wife Needed” ad seems to be the answer to a prayer. Will Faith live up to her name when Joey’s children torment her with their mischief? And is this strange marriage part of God’s plan?
When John Evans is tragically killed while skiing, his brother, Jason, looks after his widow, Rachel, and her children. Will their long-ago love be rekindled?
Levi Albright rebelled against his Quaker roots to fight for abolition in the Union army in the first year of the Civil War. Two years later, 19-year-old destitute orphan Josephine Winters, with chopped hair, boy’s clothes, and new name, “Snipp,” enlists in the Union army out of sheer desperation. Just over five feet tall and barely weighing as much as a newborn calf, Snipp seems to Levi to be barely old enough to hold "his" gun. But despite being teased by the regiment, Snipp quickly earns admiration for skill with a musket and unequaled bravery. When Levi explains one night that he is a Quaker leading a regiment, it leads to a late-night discussion of faith and a developing friendship. But Snipp’s secret can only be hidden for so long. After an injury forces Josie to reveal her real identity, Levi is angered by her deception. Worse, Josie is marched out of the company without a chance to explain—or even say goodbye. Will their friendship survive? Or will the hatred saturating the war-torn nation affect even the heart of a peace-loving Quaker? // "Finely detailed secondary characters add realistic depth to the story, making the world where the Albrights live feel dangerous and alive. Fans of MacLaren will be delighted with this first book in the Forever Freedom series." —Publishers Weekly review of Summer on Sunset Ridge
At age twenty-one, Anna Hansen has had more than her share of hardship. Her mother died when she was eleven and her father just passed away under mysterious circumstances, leaving her to care for her ten-year-old brother, Billy Ray. She struggles to hang onto the family farm but it’s facing foreclosure and things are looking grim. Next door, Jesse Fuller’s drive, work ethic, and skill ensure that his family’s farm is a growing success. His brothers think he should marry Anna to help out her and her kid brother…while also enabling the Fullers to expand their operation. But Jesse has never had romantic feelings for Anna and the idea doesn’t appeal to him. In the meantime, Horace Blackthorn is hell-bent on acquiring the Hansen farm for reasons of his own. And he’ll do whatever it takes to get it—lie, cheat, steal…even murder.
Mercy Evans has known a great deal of heartache and hardship in her twenty-six years. She lost her mother at a young age and was only sixteen when her father was killed in 1880, in a brawl sparked by a family feud spanning several generations. Yet Mercy never doubts the presence and provision of her heavenly Father. When a house fire claims the lives of her two best friends, leaving their two young sons as orphans, Mercy offers to be their guardian. It seems simple enough, until the judge mandates that the boys be placed with a married couple. Samuel Connors is a man adrift. Despite the success of the blacksmith business he inherited from his father, he senses a void unaffected by material rewards. All he knows is that he’s ready to move out from under his manipulative mother’s roof. When the lovely Mercy Evans advertises for a husband, he finds himself strangely inclined to respond. But what would she want to do with the man whose father is now serving a life sentence for the murder of hers? Mercy is determined to do whatever it takes to win custody of the Watson boys. But marry a mortal enemy of the Evans family? God alone can give her the heart to go through with it.
Two years after the Civil War, Lydia Albright, 27, is an established teacher in Boston when she senses God’s call to leave the comfort and security of her job and go south. She accepts a position to teach in a school for former slaves in Charleston, South Carolina. A church there that's affiliated with the American Missionary Association offers support, along with room and board at the parsonage. The Ku Klux men are hell-bent on seeing that the new school fails. Lydia’s life is threatened, and the parsonage, church, and school are vandalized. But they haven't contended with a strong, determined woman like Lydia before. It also helps that she has a couple potential suitors on her side. A Love to Behold is a tale of people who grow strong in the face of adversity and a church that learns love, compassion, and acceptance, even in the face of cruelty and hatred.
Brought up on a Quaker farm near Philadelphia at the brink of the Civil War, plainspoken Rebecca Albright is expected to be charitable, peace-loving, and submissive. But she is feeling anything but. A feisty abolitionist, Rebecca is determined to aid the Underground Railroad no matter the cost, until her path collides with slave-catcher Sheriff Clay Dalton who's grimly fighting battles of his own. When tensions between the North and South escalate, the two find themselves propelled on a journey to discover just who God has called them to be—and whether friendship needs a common enemy.
Joy Westfall seems too young to be jaded, but the twenty-eight-year-old has already weathered more hardship and sorrow than most people twice her age. She moves home to Paris, Tennessee, with her three-year-old daughter—the only good thing to have come from her mistake of a marriage—and sets up housekeeping, as well as her tailoring business, in a tiny abode she inherited from her aunt. She doesn’t much mind living on the outskirts of town, especially since the residents of Paris seem disinclined to welcome a divorcée. The same is true of the congregants of the church next door. Just as well. Joy doesn’t need their sympathy. Lucas Jennings feels blessed to be shepherding his own congregation so early in life. Since his arrival, attendance at Paris Evangelical Church has swelled—of course, it can’t hurt that he’s an eligible bachelor. Single women flock to the church from all over Henry County, yet none of them—not even the most pious—manages to capture his attention quite like the newcomer next door, who is hungry for the gospel but unwilling to admit it. A spark ignites between the “scandalous” divorcée and the upright pastor, but Joy’s rocky past has made her wary of male attention, and her feelings of failure, not to mention her disbelief in a God of love, drives an even deeper wedge between them. Moreover, Lucas puts the brakes on their budding friendship when his congregants begin to question his intentions. When an unforeseen danger threatens Joy and her daughter, will the tight-knit town stand by and watch? Or will they open their hearts to the God of mercy and allow Him to do an unexpected work?
Struggling through the loss of their child, Maddie and Jeff Bowman experience the immense pain caused by a broken heart and a strained marriage. Will life ever be normal again?
Ever since her parents died in a tragic train wreck, Sofia Rogers has worked a job, managed a household, and brought up her little brother, Andy—all on her own, because she prizes her independence. But that’s not to say it’s been an easy road. As if she didn’t have enough burdens to bear, through circumstances beyond her control, Sofie gets pregnant—and becomes an overnight pariah. Worse than the whispers and stares of others is the bewilderment she feels, knowing she may not be able to provide for her baby.Dr. Elijah Trent moved to Wabash to take over the medical practice of his grandfather, “Doc” Trent, as he is affectionately called by the locals. Moved by a sense of compassion, Eli maintains a hectic schedule, striving to meet all his patients’ needs. Just when he feels as if he’s bitten off a bit more than he can chew, he meets Sofie Rogers—and his world is turned upside down by this enchanting yet perplexing young woman, who rejects any apparent acts of charity.Even more frustrating, Sofie refuses to participate in an investigation that might bring her attacker to justice and thereby restore her reputation. Never one to mind his own business, Eli gets involved, anyway—and a world of troubles ensues, from arson to death threats. Nevertheless, Eli is determined to break down the wall of silence behind which Sofie hides her deep, dark secret, and to make her realize that trusting him—and her heavenly Father—is the only thing that makes sense.
Cristina Stiles is left to fend for herself and her two young children while her husband goes off to fight in the Confederate army. She also has to deal with two rogue Yankee soldiers who’ve beaten her, stolen her food, and keep coming back to cause more trouble. Jack Fuller is a God-fearing Christian fighting for the Union. During a surprise encounter, he shoots and kills a Rebel soldier. In his final breaths, the Rebel asks Jack to deliver a letter to his wife—and he agrees. But when he arrives at Cristina’s small farm in West Virginia, she assumes Jack is one of the Yankee trouble-makers, trains her rifle on him, and fires. As he lies on the ground bleeding, he explains the purpose of his visit, and out of a sense of obligation, she decides to nurse him back to health. What will happen when Cristina discovers Jack is the one who made her a widow? Will her rebel heart forgive him—or finish him off?
The last thing Callie needs in her life is another man, so she's less than thrilled when Dan Mattson moves into the apartment across the hall. Will Dan and Callie be able to get past their baggage and give love another chance?
It was a leap of faith for Grace Fontaine to bid farewell to her beloved fianacé, Jess Quinn, and send him on a four-month stint on the transatlantic luxury liner the Lone Star. But the trip from Boston to London and back again would increase his salary five-fold and would bring the couple that much closer to realizing their dream of marrying and starting a family. When Grace learns that the ship was captured by pirates, her hope deflates—and it eviscerates entirely at the news that the pirate ship was destroyed, with no survivors reported. Two years later, Grace receives word from a doctor in Paris, Tennessee, that her wealthy great-aunt, Iris Brockwell, is on her deathbed and requires round-the-clock care. Grace volunteers, figuring there is nothing left for her in Boston. It isn’t long after her arrival in Paris that she meets a charming, driven lawyer named Conrad Hall, who wastes no time sweeping her off her feet and soon proposes marriage. Given his promises to love, protect, and care for her and her great-aunt, how can Grace refuse? Weeks before the wedding, an unexpected guest shows up and threatens to throw a wrench in the plans. Will Grace go through with her marriage to Conrad? Or will an unforeseen turn of events change her mind?
It’s 1955, when scandalous affairs are never talked about, divorce is rare, a wife is a “homemaker” more often than not, and every Christian home displays its family Bible front and center. Certainly, a well-respected pastor in the conservative city of Muskegon, Michigan, would never be caught in the middle of a heinous secret that could ruin his career and break up his beautiful marriage and family. Or would he? When Henry Griffin was stationed in occupied Japan in the mid-1940s, he met Rina Hamada, a Japanese woman who fell head over heels for him. Despite having a young wife and baby daughter waiting at home in the States, Henry had too much to drink one night, and one thing led to another… He knew it was wrong. He struggled with guilt and expressed his resistance, but she professed her love and continued to pursue him. Now, ten years later, a letter from Japan arrives and threatens to upend Henry’s world. What to do and how to tell his wife are just the beginning of his troubles. Tough questions about faith, redemption, and preserving his reputation bring us here, under the shade of The Mercy Tree.
Two years ago this Christmas, Sadie Bennett’s beloved husband was killed in a tragic accident at the local sawmill. What was once her favorite time of year now haunts her, with its cheerful trappings a cruel reminder of the love she lost. The young widow would like nothing more than to hibernate until the festivities are over. When she finds herself assigned to the committee tasked with picking a Christmas tree for the town square of Little Hickman, Kentucky, she begrudgingly agrees but determines to fulfill her duties to the bare minimum. As the search for a suitable tree gets under way, Sadie is dismayed to learn that one of her fellow committee members is a man she’s worked hard to avoid. Reed Harris owns the local livery, and while he’s friendly enough—good-looking, too—Sadie isn’t ready to invest in another relationship. In fact, she may never be ready, unless a Christmas miracle manages to thaw her frozen heart.
Life is far from a breeze for Olivia Beckman, owner of Livvie’s Kitchen, a favorite of locals in Wabash, Indiana. The widowed mother of two is struggling to make ends meet—no simple feat, especially when her cook turns in his resignation. Yet she’s determined to pull through on her own, just as she did when God failed to save her beloved Frank. Newly released from a ten-year prison sentence, Will Taylor is ready for a fresh start. With harmonica in hand—the only possession he values, aside from his Bible—he makes his way to Wabash, where a late-night meal at Livvie’s Kitchen turns into a job opportunity when the outgoing cook learns about his restaurant experience. What he doesn’t know is that the “restaurant” was a prison cafeteria. But Will became a new man behind bars, thanks to a Christian friend, and he credits God’s providence with landing him a job he loves. Soon, he cooks and bakes his way into the stomachs of his customers—and the heart of his employer. Both are hesitant, though, still healing from past hurts. A recipe for love between them will require sharing secrets, braving dangers, and believing God for a bright future.
Ellie Booth was never the type to run away. But she’s witnessed her stepfather commit a heartless crime, and, knowing he’ll stop at nothing to keep her quiet, she has no choice but to flee. Soon, she finds herself in Wabash, Indiana, scrambling for a cover identity. She answers an ad for a wife/housekeeper/nanny, praying that her lack of experience won’t be obvious.With four children between the ages of two and ten, Gage Cooper needs a reliable nanny, yet each one he’s hired has thrown up her hands and deserted her post. When an attractive, spirited young woman applies for the “job,” he knows he should pray about the matter, but his desperation for help propels him headlong into a marriage of convenience.Soon, the “marriage of convenience” becomes less of a business arrangement as husband and wife yield to an attraction neither one had expected. When secrets of the past and dangers of the present arise in their lives, their marriage is put to the test, and God alone knows what will become of their union.
When Liza Jane Merriwether rode into town, her first thought was, Oh, Lord, what have I done? But she knew God had led her here for a reason. She just may find that with God, all things are possible.
Hannah Grace Kane has her life planned out in an orderly, meaningful way-or so she thinks. But her world turns upside down when the new sheriff comes to town.
Emma Browning has experienced a good deal of life in her young age. Though many men would like to get to know the steely, hard-edged, yet surprisingly lovely proprietor, none has truly succeeded. That is, not until the new pastor comes to town...
Ever since her parents died in a tragic train wreck, Sofia Rogers has worked a job, managed a household, and brought up her little brother, Andy—all on her own, because she prizes her independence. But that’s not to say it’s been an easy road. As if she didn’t have enough burdens to bear, through circumstances beyond her control, Sofie gets pregnant—and becomes an overnight pariah. Worse than the whispers and stares of others is the bewilderment she feels, knowing she may not be able to provide for her baby.Dr. Elijah Trent moved to Wabash to take over the medical practice of his grandfather, “Doc” Trent, as he is affectionately called by the locals. Moved by a sense of compassion, Eli maintains a hectic schedule, striving to meet all his patients’ needs. Just when he feels as if he’s bitten off a bit more than he can chew, he meets Sofie Rogers—and his world is turned upside down by this enchanting yet perplexing young woman, who rejects any apparent acts of charity.Even more frustrating, Sofie refuses to participate in an investigation that might bring her attacker to justice and thereby restore her reputation. Never one to mind his own business, Eli gets involved, anyway—and a world of troubles ensues, from arson to death threats. Nevertheless, Eli is determined to break down the wall of silence behind which Sofie hides her deep, dark secret, and to make her realize that trusting him—and her heavenly Father—is the only thing that makes sense.
At age twenty-one, Anna Hansen has had more than her share of hardship. Her mother died when she was eleven and her father just passed away under mysterious circumstances, leaving her to care for her ten-year-old brother, Billy Ray. She struggles to hang onto the family farm but it’s facing foreclosure and things are looking grim. Next door, Jesse Fuller’s drive, work ethic, and skill ensure that his family’s farm is a growing success. His brothers think he should marry Anna to help out her and her kid brother…while also enabling the Fullers to expand their operation. But Jesse has never had romantic feelings for Anna and the idea doesn’t appeal to him. In the meantime, Horace Blackthorn is hell-bent on acquiring the Hansen farm for reasons of his own. And he’ll do whatever it takes to get it—lie, cheat, steal…even murder.
Brought up on a Quaker farm near Philadelphia at the brink of the Civil War, plainspoken Rebecca Albright is expected to be charitable, peace-loving, and submissive. But she is feeling anything but. A feisty abolitionist, Rebecca is determined to aid the Underground Railroad no matter the cost, until her path collides with slave-catcher Sheriff Clay Dalton who's grimly fighting battles of his own. When tensions between the North and South escalate, the two find themselves propelled on a journey to discover just who God has called them to be—and whether friendship needs a common enemy.
Cristina Stiles is left to fend for herself and her two young children while her husband goes off to fight in the Confederate army. She also has to deal with two rogue Yankee soldiers who’ve beaten her, stolen her food, and keep coming back to cause more trouble. Jack Fuller is a God-fearing Christian fighting for the Union. During a surprise encounter, he shoots and kills a Rebel soldier. In his final breaths, the Rebel asks Jack to deliver a letter to his wife—and he agrees. But when he arrives at Cristina’s small farm in West Virginia, she assumes Jack is one of the Yankee trouble-makers, trains her rifle on him, and fires. As he lies on the ground bleeding, he explains the purpose of his visit, and out of a sense of obligation, she decides to nurse him back to health. What will happen when Cristina discovers Jack is the one who made her a widow? Will her rebel heart forgive him—or finish him off?
Levi Albright rebelled against his Quaker roots to fight for abolition in the Union army in the first year of the Civil War. Two years later, 19-year-old destitute orphan Josephine Winters, with chopped hair, boy’s clothes, and new name, “Snipp,” enlists in the Union army out of sheer desperation. Just over five feet tall and barely weighing as much as a newborn calf, Snipp seems to Levi to be barely old enough to hold "his" gun. But despite being teased by the regiment, Snipp quickly earns admiration for skill with a musket and unequaled bravery. When Levi explains one night that he is a Quaker leading a regiment, it leads to a late-night discussion of faith and a developing friendship. But Snipp’s secret can only be hidden for so long. After an injury forces Josie to reveal her real identity, Levi is angered by her deception. Worse, Josie is marched out of the company without a chance to explain—or even say goodbye. Will their friendship survive? Or will the hatred saturating the war-torn nation affect even the heart of a peace-loving Quaker? // "Finely detailed secondary characters add realistic depth to the story, making the world where the Albrights live feel dangerous and alive. Fans of MacLaren will be delighted with this first book in the Forever Freedom series." —Publishers Weekly review of Summer on Sunset Ridge
Joy Westfall seems too young to be jaded, but the twenty-eight-year-old has already weathered more hardship and sorrow than most people twice her age. She moves home to Paris, Tennessee, with her three-year-old daughter—the only good thing to have come from her mistake of a marriage—and sets up housekeeping, as well as her tailoring business, in a tiny abode she inherited from her aunt. She doesn’t much mind living on the outskirts of town, especially since the residents of Paris seem disinclined to welcome a divorcée. The same is true of the congregants of the church next door. Just as well. Joy doesn’t need their sympathy. Lucas Jennings feels blessed to be shepherding his own congregation so early in life. Since his arrival, attendance at Paris Evangelical Church has swelled—of course, it can’t hurt that he’s an eligible bachelor. Single women flock to the church from all over Henry County, yet none of them—not even the most pious—manages to capture his attention quite like the newcomer next door, who is hungry for the gospel but unwilling to admit it. A spark ignites between the “scandalous” divorcée and the upright pastor, but Joy’s rocky past has made her wary of male attention, and her feelings of failure, not to mention her disbelief in a God of love, drives an even deeper wedge between them. Moreover, Lucas puts the brakes on their budding friendship when his congregants begin to question his intentions. When an unforeseen danger threatens Joy and her daughter, will the tight-knit town stand by and watch? Or will they open their hearts to the God of mercy and allow Him to do an unexpected work?
Mercy Evans has known a great deal of heartache and hardship in her twenty-six years. She lost her mother at a young age and was only sixteen when her father was killed in 1880, in a brawl sparked by a family feud spanning several generations. Yet Mercy never doubts the presence and provision of her heavenly Father. When a house fire claims the lives of her two best friends, leaving their two young sons as orphans, Mercy offers to be their guardian. It seems simple enough, until the judge mandates that the boys be placed with a married couple. Samuel Connors is a man adrift. Despite the success of the blacksmith business he inherited from his father, he senses a void unaffected by material rewards. All he knows is that he’s ready to move out from under his manipulative mother’s roof. When the lovely Mercy Evans advertises for a husband, he finds himself strangely inclined to respond. But what would she want to do with the man whose father is now serving a life sentence for the murder of hers? Mercy is determined to do whatever it takes to win custody of the Watson boys. But marry a mortal enemy of the Evans family? God alone can give her the heart to go through with it.
Two years after the Civil War, Lydia Albright, 27, is an established teacher in Boston when she senses God’s call to leave the comfort and security of her job and go south. She accepts a position to teach in a school for former slaves in Charleston, South Carolina. A church there that's affiliated with the American Missionary Association offers support, along with room and board at the parsonage. The Ku Klux men are hell-bent on seeing that the new school fails. Lydia’s life is threatened, and the parsonage, church, and school are vandalized. But they haven't contended with a strong, determined woman like Lydia before. It also helps that she has a couple potential suitors on her side. A Love to Behold is a tale of people who grow strong in the face of adversity and a church that learns love, compassion, and acceptance, even in the face of cruelty and hatred.
Ellie Booth was never the type to run away. But she’s witnessed her stepfather commit a heartless crime, and, knowing he’ll stop at nothing to keep her quiet, she has no choice but to flee. Soon, she finds herself in Wabash, Indiana, scrambling for a cover identity. She answers an ad for a wife/housekeeper/nanny, praying that her lack of experience won’t be obvious.With four children between the ages of two and ten, Gage Cooper needs a reliable nanny, yet each one he’s hired has thrown up her hands and deserted her post. When an attractive, spirited young woman applies for the “job,” he knows he should pray about the matter, but his desperation for help propels him headlong into a marriage of convenience.Soon, the “marriage of convenience” becomes less of a business arrangement as husband and wife yield to an attraction neither one had expected. When secrets of the past and dangers of the present arise in their lives, their marriage is put to the test, and God alone knows what will become of their union.
The last thing Callie needs in her life is another man, so she's less than thrilled when Dan Mattson moves into the apartment across the hall. Will Dan and Callie be able to get past their baggage and give love another chance?
It was a leap of faith for Grace Fontaine to bid farewell to her beloved fianacé, Jess Quinn, and send him on a four-month stint on the transatlantic luxury liner the Lone Star. But the trip from Boston to London and back again would increase his salary five-fold and would bring the couple that much closer to realizing their dream of marrying and starting a family. When Grace learns that the ship was captured by pirates, her hope deflates—and it eviscerates entirely at the news that the pirate ship was destroyed, with no survivors reported. Two years later, Grace receives word from a doctor in Paris, Tennessee, that her wealthy great-aunt, Iris Brockwell, is on her deathbed and requires round-the-clock care. Grace volunteers, figuring there is nothing left for her in Boston. It isn’t long after her arrival in Paris that she meets a charming, driven lawyer named Conrad Hall, who wastes no time sweeping her off her feet and soon proposes marriage. Given his promises to love, protect, and care for her and her great-aunt, how can Grace refuse? Weeks before the wedding, an unexpected guest shows up and threatens to throw a wrench in the plans. Will Grace go through with her marriage to Conrad? Or will an unforeseen turn of events change her mind?
Widower Joey Fuller fights for the Union, leaving his four rambunctious children with nannies…who keep quitting. Joey’s solution? Advertise for a temporary wife to take care of his family until he musters out. Faith Haviland is desperate to escape heartbreak and a brute whose intentions are clearly wicked. Joey’s “Wife Needed” ad seems to be the answer to a prayer. Will Faith live up to her name when Joey’s children torment her with their mischief? And is this strange marriage part of God’s plan?
Emma Browning has experienced a good deal of life in her young age. Though many men would like to get to know the steely, hard-edged, yet surprisingly lovely proprietor, none has truly succeeded. That is, not until the new pastor comes to town...
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