Book picks similar to
Destiny and Desire by Kathryn Kramer


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In A Stranger's Arms


Deborah Hale - 2002
    Wed to the Enemy! The War left Caddie Marsh a widow with only a rundown plantation, her children and Southern pride to sustain her. She would do anything to salvage Sabbath Hollow for the sake of her son and daughter, even wed one of the Yankees against whom she’s so bitter. The fact that Manning Forbes bears a disturbing resemblance to her late husband only makes matters worse. It would be easier if her new husband's integrity and kindness didn't stir up feelings he claims not to want from her… Sworn to Protect… Manning Forbes has his own reasons for wanting to protect and provide for the Marsh family. Reasons he is desperate to keep from Caddie. If his beautiful, inquisitive bride discovers his true identity, Manning fears he would lose the family who has captured his heavily-guarded heart!

The Woodcutter's Wife


David Johnson - 2017
    She works alongside her husband William cutting firewood to sell in the city, earning the nickname “The Woodcutter’s Wife.” She kills a bear with her bare hands. And she prefers plowing a field to cooking a meal. The one thing she cannot seem to handle is the melancholy that has enveloped her. Mary lost four children before they were a year old, and the doctor says she will never be able to conceive aga.Mary’s world flies apart when William disappears, leaving her with the arduous task of tending their farm by herself. Using her fierce independent spirit to cope as the war rages around her, she finds help in the form of a freed slave who offers his help. But fate throws her another dramatic curve, forcing her to make the most difficult choice of her life. David Johnson, author of the bestselling Tucker Series, has written another of his signature “Books with Heart."

A Thousand Shall Fall


Andrea Boeshaar - 2015
    The only thing she really fears are the Union soldiers fighting against her Confederate friends. When her youngest sister runs away from home, brave Carrie Ann is determined to find her and bring her back. Disguised as a soldier, she sets off--only to find she's fallen into the hands of the enemy.Her childhood friend Confederate Major Joshua Blevins has warned her against these Yankees: they're all devils, ready to inflict evil on unsuspecting young women. When Colonel Peyton Collier arrests her for her impersonation of an officer, it seems to confirm all her fears.Soon, though, she finds herself drawn to the handsome, gallant colonel. He rescued her, protected her, and has been every inch the gentleman. Carrie Ann discovers that her foe has become her ally--and more than that, someone she could love. But the arrival of Joshua in the Union camp as a spy will test her loyalties. Will she protect someone who has been like family or be loyal to this stranger to whom she wants to offer her heart? When her world is being torn apart around her, whom should she trust?Set against the backdrop of the American Civil War, A Thousand Shall Fall is framed around compelling characters and a very romantic setting in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. Andrea Boeshaar's extensive research guarantees historical accuracy and romance genre enthusiasts and Civil War buffs alike will enjoy the Christian perspectives on actual historical events.

The Match of the Century


Cathy Maxwell - 2015
    Elin Morris just happens to have had one reserved since birth. But postponements of her marriage to London's most powerful peer give Elin time to wonder how she will marry Gavin Baynton when she cannot forget his brother, Benedict.Already exasperated at being yanked from the military to meet "family obligations," now Ben must suffer watching his arrogant sibling squire the only woman he has ever loved. Joining the army saved Ben from sinking into bitterness, but seeing Elin again takes him back to the day they surrendered to their intoxicating desire.As the wedding draws near, Elin tries to push Ben far from her thoughts. When danger brings them together, there is no denying their feelings. But can Elin choose love over duty?

A Stranger on My Land


Sandra Merville Hart - 2014
    Though Carrie is reluctant to take Adam to their cave where her family hides their livestock from both armies, she cannot turn her back on him. But her Aunt Lavinia, bitter over what Yankees have done to their land, urges Carrie to allow Adam to die. Carrie refuses, but cannot remove the bullets. Adam's friendship with Jay softens her heart toward him. It's not long until his gratitude and teasing manner spark a friendship between the young couple. Even though Carrie's father fights for the Confederacy in far-off Virginia, her feelings for the handsome young soldier begin to blossom into love. When Adam's condition worsens, Carrie knows a Union surgeon is needed to save his life. How can she accomplish this and keep her family's hiding place a secret?

Finn's Fortune (The Langley Legacy Book 1)


Kathleen Ball - 2018
    Finding treachery the handsome Irishman must travel further to hide. He joins a wagon train and heads for Oregon. Maureen McDonald leaves Ireland and travels to America in the hope of sending much needed money back to her family. Upon arrival she had no other choice but to become an indentured servant. In trying to protect her virtue she realizes she must run away and ends up owning land in Oregon. Both Finn and Maureen must fight to claim their land, their freedom, and each other. Will they get a chance to build both their amazing love and a lasting legacy- the Langley Legacy? Beare and Forebeare

Benton's Row


Frank Yerby - 1954
    In 1842, Tom Benton gallopes in the Red River Valley, one jump ahead of a Texas posse bent on hanging him. He feared no living thing. He loved danger and laughed at the impossible. He stole his wife from her husband, his land from its legal owner. Not content with lusty Sarah, he took a knife-slinging Cajun's daughter for a mistress. From the day Tom Benton arrived into Louisiana, he and her family ruled the bayou country. Tom sired three children. A daughter, Stormy, as wild and willful as himself. Wade, who inherited all of his father's weakness and none of his strength. And a second son not even Tom dared claim as his own -- a boy who one day would bring destruction and misery to the Benton clan. Devil's spawn they all were. Stormy ran away to the glittering life of a courtesan. Wade delivered his father over to the one man who could kill him. And in Benton's Row people watched, horrified, fascinated, and whispered -- “Every time a damned Benton is born, people should run for cover!”In 1920 his wife Sarah, aged ninety-seven, dies peacefully in her rocker on the veranda of Tom Benton’s sprawling plantation known as Broad Acres, nestled in the exotic and mysterious Louisiana river country. This is a spellbinding story of four brawling generations of Bentons, a family that comes to a violent end caused by its own illicit Negro branch.

One Night for Love


Mary Balogh - 1999
    . . One passionate woman. Enter the world of Mary Balogh—the glittering ballrooms and vast country estates of Regency-era England, where romance, with all its mystery, magic, and surprises, comes vibrantly alive. It was a perfect morning in May... Neville Wyatt, Earl of Kilbourne, awaited his bride at the altar—when a ragged beggar woman raced down the aisle instead. The cream of the ton saw him stare, shocked, then declare that this was his wife! One night of passion was all he remembered as he beheld Lily, the woman he'd wed, loved, and lost on the battlefield in Portugal. Now he said he'd honor his commitment to her—regardless of the gulf that lay between them. Then Lily spoke her mind... She said she wanted only to start a new life—wanted only a husband who truly loved her. She had to leave him to learn how to meet his world on her terms. So Lily agreed to earn her keep as his aunt's companion and study the genteel arts. Soon she was the toast of the ton, every inch a countess fit for the earl, who vowed to prove to his remarkable wife that what he felt for her was far more than desire, that what he wanted from her was much more than... One Night for Love .

Touched with Fire


Christopher Datta - 2013
    The illegitimate daughter of a Georgia plantation owner and a house slave, she learned to hate her own image, which so closely resembled that of her father – the same wiry build, the same blue eyes, and the same lily-white skin.Ellen lives a solitary life until she falls, unexpectedly, in love with a dark-skinned slave named William Craft, and together they devise a plan to run North. Ellie will pose as a gentleman planter bound for Philadelphia accompanied by his “boy” Will. They make it as far as Baltimore when Will is turned back, and Ellie has no choice but continue. With no way of knowing if he is dead or alive, she resolves to make a second journey—South again. And so Elijah Craft enlists with the 125th Ohio Volunteers of the Union Army. She will literally fight her way back to her husband.Eli/Ellie’s journey is the story of an extraordinary individual and an abiding love, but also of the corrosive effects of slavery, and of a nation at a watershed moment.Debut author CHRISTOPHER DATTA is no stranger to civil conflict or the still-extant scourge of slavery. Most recently the acting ambassador to the Republic of South Sudan where he helped end a war in April of 2012, he has spent a distinguished career moving from one strife-torn country to another, including Lebanon, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. A lifelong student of the American Civil War, his research for Touched with Fire is exacting and based in part on a true story.

Deep Summer


Gwen Bristow - 1937
    For his service in the king’s army during the French and Indian War, Judith Sheramy’s father, a Puritan New Englander, is granted a parcel of land in far-off Louisiana. As the family ventures down the Mississippi to make a new home in the wilderness, Judith meets Philip Larne, an adventurer who travels in the finest clothes Judith has ever seen. He is a rogue, a killer, and a thief—and the first thing he steals is Judith’s heart. Three thousand acres of untamed jungle, overrun with jaguars, Indians, and pirates, wait for Philip in Louisiana. He and Judith will struggle with their stormy marriage and the challenges of the American Revolution as they strive to build an empire for future generations. This is the first novel in Gwen Bristow’s Plantation Trilogy, which also includes The Handsome Road and This Side of Glory.

The Demanding Duke Meets His Match


Ginny Hartman - 2016
    A secret outing to Wedgewood Manor to confront the man who broke Charity's heart leaves her with more than she bargained for when she encounters the demanding and arrogant Duke of Eversley instead. Two strong-willed personalities battle each other at every turn as they attempt to unite in a common cause. Giving in to the attraction burning between them leaves them both questioning their true desires. But is attraction enough, and can they lay aside their pride long enough to realize that what they have always wanted may not be what they truly need? Olivia and Maxwell must unravel the confusing matters of the heart as they get drawn into an unexpected adventure that poses more questions than answers. Secret passageways, hidden treasure, and a conniving fiancée pale in comparison to the greatest adventure of all—falling in love.

Beneath the Honeysuckle Vine


Marcia Lynn McClure - 2009
    Everyone had sacrificed—suffered profound misery and unimaginable loss. Vivianna Bartholomew was no exception. The war had torn her from her home—orphaned her. The merciless war seemed to take everything—even the man she loved. Still, Vivianna yet knew gratitude—for a kind friend had taken her in upon the death of her parents. Thus, she was cared for—even loved.Yet, as General Lee surrendered signaling the war’s imminent end—as Vivianna remained with the remnants of the Turner family—her soul clung to the letters written by her lost soldier—to his memory written in her heart. Could a woman ever heal from the loss of such a love? Could a woman’s heart forget that it may find another? Vivianna Bartholomew thought not.Still, it is often in the world that miracles occur—that love endures even after hope has been abandoned. Thus, one balmy Alabama morning—as two ragged soldiers wound the road toward the Turner house—Vivianna began to know—to know that miracles do exist—that love is never truly lost.

Lady of Secrets


G.S. Carr - 2019
    A country divided. His impossible love. Henrietta Wright is a Free Colored woman who teaches reading and writing to anyone who enters her classroom. At least she was, until a drunken night with friends catapults her down a path of intrigue, coded messages, and intelligence operations. All in service of the Union Army. She can’t tell anyone what she’s doing, including the handsome Irishman she knows she shouldn’t want, but can’t seem to resist.Since stepping onto American soil, Elijah Byrne’s only goal has been to survive another day. That is until Henrietta burst into his life and made him want more. She was never meant to be his - her fiancé can attest to that - but she makes him long for things men like him aren’t lucky enough to have. When she asks for his help, he can’t resist tumbling with her into a clandestine expedition that could cost them everything—including their lives.

Heart of Gold


Robin Lee Hatcher - 2012
    But in Grand Coeur, Idaho―the rough-and-tumble place where her father has been called to lead the church―she's not sure where she fits in. Then a critically ill woman arrives, and Shannon knows her place at last: to care for this dear woman and ease her pain.Matthew Dubois is the fastest and most reliable stagecoach driver on Wells Fargo's payroll. But his widowed sister is dying and he's about to inherit his young nephew. So he takes a job at the Wells Fargo express office in Grand Coeur until he can find the one thing he needs to get back to driving: a wife to care for the boy.What neither of them knows is that God is at work behind the scenes―and is lovingly bringing them together to discover the true desires of their hearts.

Fire Eyes


Cheryl Pierson - 2009
    Marshal Kaed Turner understands what the inevitable outcome will be for him: death. But Fate and a war party of Choctaw Indians intervene, delivering him instead to a beautiful angel with the skill to heal him. Jessica Monroe has already lost a husband and a brother to the outlaws who tortured Marshal Turner. As the rugged lawman lies bleeding on her bed, she faces a difficult decision. Can she afford to gamble with her heart one last time? For when Kaed recovers, he is sworn to join the other Territorial Peace Officers in their battle to wipe out the renegade gang once and for all. When vengeance is done, will Kaed keep riding? Or will he return to claim his future with the beautiful woman the Choctaw call Fire Eyes?