Ever since her mother abandoned her family when she was ten, Sami has watched her father grow cold and bitter from a broken heart. The one question she cannot shake is: Where is God through all this? To her wounded heart, the only answer she can find is: He is not. As Sami gets to know Chase, her walls start to come down, which frightens her. Can she trust this man who seems so sincere? Or will he abandon her just like her mother did?After hearing rumors about Sami, Chase Townsend expected a “man-eater” of a woman, especially with a nickname like “Wild Cat.” Instead, he is stunned by the beauty with the sparkling blue eyes. However, Chase quickly figures out that something has happened to Sami, and he has to decide if he is willing to try to help her overcome her bitterness or if he should just let the “Wildcat” be. Because of Chase’s deep trust in God, and his strong perseverance streak, he makes it his mission to show Sami that God loves her and, only He can heal her broken past. Now that Chase has made it his business to witness to Sami, he finds himself falling in love. Will his heart be broken when Sami pushes him away?

    She'll show the good-looking lawman he's wrong, even if it means setting out on a risky race across Texas to catch the real killer. Rett doesn't want to convict an innocent man. But he can't let the Boston beauty sway his senses to set a guilty man free. When Elizabeth follows him on a dangerous trek, the Ranger vows to keep her safe. But who will protect him from the woman whose conviction and courage leave him doubting everything—even his heart?

    Quite by happenstance, she's introduced to the Hawthorne family and their close family friend, Anthony, the reformed marquis of Raeburn. They welcome her into their world, but just as she's beginning to gain some confidence and even suspect she may have caught Anthony's eye, she's blindsided by an unexpected twist in her situation accompanied by nasty rumors. Will she lose her reputation when the world that has only just accepted her turns its back on her, or will she rest in the support of the friends who've become like family and the man who's shared his faith and captured her heart?A Lady of Esteem is an e-only novella that gives an exciting introduction to Kristi Ann Hunter's new Regency romance series about the aristocratic Hawthorne family! Includes an extended excerpt of Kristi's debut full-length novel, A Noble Masquerade.

    Now a world-renowned portrait painter, her life is filled with laughter and friendship, including being a mother to her orphaned niece. Life is perfect, so why can’t she forget her first love? Thomas Bradford has come a long way from being the Hathaway family’s carriage boy. A veterinary degree, ambition and hard work have made him one of Chicago’s most sought-after bachelors. If only he could forget those stolen moments with Allie, Thomas might be able to enjoy his success. The Great Quake of 1906 stuns the nation and Allie’s art studio burns to the ground, destroying years of valuable work. She’s forced to return to Chicago with little Janey, the only spark of hope in a life reduced to ashes. Her faith is crushed by her tragic reversal of fortune.Thomas knows better than to fall for the beautiful young painter again, but he’s never been very wise around Allie Hathaway. The carriage man’s son is all grown up and Allie doesn’t expect a second chance at a love that was refused eight years ago. Her life is in shambles and she has a child to support, so why won’t her heart accept the truth?Once their love was torn apart by circumstance, but Thomas and Allie must decide whether to forge a future of hope together. This is the first book in the Colors of Faith, a Christian historical romance series by Virginia Carmichael. The next, Pockets Full of Gold, will be released in August 2013.Virginia was born near the Rocky Mountains and although she has traveled around the world, the wilds of Colorado run in her veins. A big fan of the wide open sky and all four seasons, she believes in embracing the small moments of everyday life. A home schooling mom of six young children who rarely wear shoes, those moments usually involve a lot of noise, a lot of mess, or a whole bunch of warm cookies. Virginia holds degrees in Linguistics and Religious Studies from the University of Oregon. She lives with her habanero-eating husband, Crusberto, who is her polar opposite in all things except faith. They've learned to speak in short-hand code and look forward to the day they can actually finish a sentence. In the meantime, Virginia thanks God for the laughter and abundance of hugs that fill her day as she plots her next book.

    Ciara Rome doesn’t need God, and she doesn’t need a man. Her entire life is a proud testament to that declaration, and her master’s thesis is merely a culmination of what she has learned. So when she discovers her new neighbors include a single dad and his three rambunctious sons, she is delighted to have first-hand corroboration of her theory. Luke Weston is fascinated by his new neighbor. Ciara’s open admission that she intends to use his family in support of her wild theory is unsettling, but Luke decides to let his life speak for itself—and he turns the issue over to God. But he finds himself increasingly drawn to this lovely young woman whose goals and beliefs are so opposed to his own. Only God would bring these two together, and only His love can break through walls that have taken years to build.

    For Florence Peterson, it was to leave her teaching position in Missouri or have her life relegated to the same thing day in and day out. On a lark, she sent a letter to a school in Oregon, never dreaming they’d answer! Now all she has to do is decide if she should take the position. Because it’s one thing to dream, another to have it come to life. Alton Cutter had made the trip West more often than he’d like. Montana was fresh and new, and his brother was already there. With his wagons readied, the families in his wagon train readied too, all was well. Except for the crazy schoolmarm that had it in her head she could just “tag along.” He’d been planning this for too long to let some slip of a woman put a hitch in his plans. Let alone, his heart …

    Clinging to her battered faith, she heads west to escape her grief and runs headlong into the man who caused it. Tall and headstrong, Eliza expected to remain an "unclaimed treasure." Devastated in the wake of the war, she sets out for New Mexico's Sangre de Cristo mountains in search of peace and new purpose but finds that the western frontier is a wild place where former enemies--Yankees and Rebels, Freedmen and Indians--square off in the quest for land and gold. Eliza must confront her prejudices and fears, and Jacob Craig embodies that conflict. The mountain man wins her trust with his gentle strength, but he harbors a secret. As a Union sharp-shooter, he met her fiance on the field of battle and cost him his life. Eliza must learn that she will not find purpose or peace anywhere until she finds in God a faith more precious than gold. A real ghost town comes to life in this award-winning story of love, forgiveness, and the sovereignty of God.

    Through God’s leading, she finds herself accepting a newspaper marriage proposal from a God-fearing young rancher in the Montana Territory. But when Leah arrives at the mountain ranch, she learns her intended husband was killed by a grizzly, leaving behind a bitter older brother and a spunky younger sister.Gideon Bryant has lost too many people to the wild elements of these mountains—his parents, his wife, and now his brother. His love for this untamed country will never die, but he’s determined not to open his heart to another person, especially this beautiful Easterner who shows up on their doorstep.But when an accident forces Leah to stay at the ranch for several months, can Gideon guard himself from a love he doesn’t want? Will Leah find God’s true direction for her life?

    A jilted bride, a wayward sheriff, a small boy, outlaws, and a gallows provide plenty of action, romance, and hope. Liberty Longstreet was left at the altar, but that wasn’t the worst of her day. She awakens to the fact that she needs to declare independence from her controlling mother. Wanting her freedom and to find a man of her choosing, Libby leaves home for faraway Denver. She just doesn't count on being robbed, falling for a wayward sheriff, or being accused of murder. Sheriff Wade Calder throws down his badge in a quest for revenge. Instead, he takes responsibility for his enemy’s young son. Wanting only to be free, Wade runs into Libby, and she wins what is left of his heart. Unfortunately, he has nothing to offer her until he picks up his badge. His honor is restored, but it may cost Libby her life. Together they learn the cost of freedom and the wealth of forgiveness.

    Born to severe destitution, she claws her way up from the pit of family shame and secrets. She avoids close friendships - even with the likable, persistent Paulie Giorgi... A WOMANDespite her own agonizing emotional pain, childless Emmeline Kinner reaches out to a young woman so far beneath her. She could never have known whom else God would set in her path through her friendship with Grace...A MOTHERLong ago, Sarah Picoletti resigned herself to a loveless, abusive life - and she believes that her daughter Grace must inherit the same fate. Yet Sarah's own soul cries out for the blessed peace and hope of which the radio minister speaks...

    Wary, self-reliant Sophie is caught off guard when meeting a kind, but meddling and handsome minister at the local mercantile. In 1900, Reverend Ian McCormick is determined to start anew in Stone Creek, Michigan, believing he has failed God and his former flock. He works harder than ever to forget his mistake, hoping to prove himself a most pleasing servant to his new congregation and once again to God. While Sophie seeks acceptance for the child and a measure of respect for herself, the rumors swirl about her sordid past. Should Ian show concern for Sophie plight, he could risk everything - including his position as pastor of Stone Creek. Now the pair must choose to trust God and forgive those who slander and gossip, or run. Will the scandals of their pasts bind them together forever, or drive both deeper into despair?

    Determined to carry out his promise to care for Owen's relatives in America and his younger sister, Annie, in England, Michael works hard to strengthen the family's New Jersey garden and landscaping business. Annie Allen doesn't care what Michael promised Owen. She only knows that her brother is gone--like their mother and father--and the grief is enough to swallow her whole. As Annie struggles to navigate life without Owen, Michael reaches out to her through letters. In time, as Annie begins to lay aside her anger that Michael lived when Owen did not, a tentative friendship takes root and blossoms into something neither expected. Just as Michael saves enough money to bring Annie to America, WWI erupts in Europe. When Annie's letters mysteriously stop, Michael risks everything to fulfill his promise--and find the woman he's grown to love--before she's lost forever.

    And avoid Seth Blake. Becca dreads seeing her girlhood crush to whom she confessed her love before she went off to college. Embarrassed by her childish behavior, she can only hope Seth has forgotten and will see her as a woman. She plans to return to school as soon as possible and make a life for herself. Rumors of ghosts, accidents at the camp, and overheard conversations convince Becca that her brother’s death was no accident. Despite evidence that she’s the next target, she puts her own feelings and college aside to stay and uncover the truth. Seth is happy to see Becca, but as a grown woman she’s a stranger to him, stirring up feelings he can’t identify. When he finds a piece of evidence implicating him in Thomas’s death, he struggles with helping Becca find answers while keeping her from learning he could have prevented it. As the stakes get higher, Seth must keep both of them alive long enough to offer a future to this grown woman he’s fallen in love with.

    The Battle of Saratoga, a turning point of the Revolutionary War, encourages the American Continental Army with their first great victory. But there seemed little to celebrate for one patriotic woman forced to nurse wounded British soldiers right in their war camp. Thrust into deception by a cruel Loyalist uncle, Abigail is forced to lie in order to survive, all the while dealing with fears that challenge her faith. Danger stalks her everywhere, yet her salvation springs from an unexpected source.Then …Two hundred years later, on the anniversary of the Battle of Saratoga, thousands arrive from Europe and the United States to celebrate the event -- including descendants from the war. One young American, Abby, meets the offspring of a British soldier. When her life is threatened, Abby turns to the only person she knows at the event -- her British ally. Can she trust him with her life? Or will he betray her in the same way loyalist spies betrayed her ancestors? Perhaps letters from long ago will reveal the truth.

    Heartbroken and ashamed of being jilted, Chris Beth welcomes the perils of frontier life and intends to face every crisis as she has all others - alone. Then, thrown together with a small band of settlers in a place ravaged by Indian uprisings, Chinook winds and devastating floods, she learns to lean on God and others in good times and bad. You will laugh and cry with her and she discovers a 'new commandment', that never-failing love is a gentle stranger.