She has found a sense of inner peace through her sewing, crafting, and teaching children online. Jobs that keep her at a distance from everyone but her sisters.Arson inspector Bryce Cambridge has never been shot down so quickly or so curtly as he is by the woman with gorgeous brown eyes selling quilts. Luck is on his side when he runs into her at a bowling alley the next day. He’s intrigued and turned on by her smart mouth. The chemistry is explosive between them, and even though she tries to resist, the spark between them is too hot to ignore.Those blue-grey eyes and charming smile have Gina lowering the wall she’s built around her heart. But as their relationship grows more serious, Bryce wants to see all Gina is hiding. The puckered, scarred skin and the shrapnel buried in her flesh are just the surface layers of the wounds Gina tries to keep hidden. But her deepest, darkest secret may be too repulsive even for someone as strong as Bryce.Because his fears are her reality.

    The last thing she wants, however, is a husband.When her plan to trick the postmaster of the small Californian town of Green Hill Creek into paying her way across the country goes awry, her guilty conscience compels her to stay and find a way to repay him the cost of the train ticket. The trouble is, she's completely unprepared for the effect of Adam Emerson's kindness, charm, wit, and ridiculously blue eyes.As her dream of a new life in San Francisco begins to falter and her past catches up with her, can Amy hold onto the one thing she never thought she'd want, but now can't bear to lose?This uplifting Christian romance will transport you to a time of courageous women searching for a better life and the strong men dedicated to winning their hearts. Buy now and lose yourself in this heartwarming love story.

    Whether you have just a few minutes to enjoy a novelette, or the time to really get immersed in the dust and grit of a western town, there's something here for everyone.Step into a day when outlaws ran free, the land was wild, and guns blazed at the drop of a hat! After the Rain    Rand McCade made a promise to his dying wife to one day remarry. He doesn't want to remarry, but a promise is a promise.   Pressured to marry a violent man, widowed and pregnant Lettie Morgan seeks out an agency which finds brides for men in the west.   Can two hearts, broken and grieving, put their pasts aside and blend their lives into one? A Lady in Defiance    Charles McIntyre owns everything in the lawless mining town of Defiance. When three sisters show up stranded, alone, and offering to open a "nice" hotel, he is intrigued enough to let them stay...especially since he sees feisty middle sister Naomi as a possible conquest.   Naomi wants no part of Defiance or the saloon-owning, prostitute-keeping Mr. McIntyre. It would seem however, that God has gone to elaborate lengths to bring them together. The question is, "Why?" Does God really have a plan for each and every life? Rocky Mountain Oasis    When Sky Jordan hears that his nefarious cousin has sent for a mail-order bride, he knows he has to prevent the marriage. No woman deserves to be left to that fate. Still, he's as surprised as anyone to find himself standing next to her before the minister.   Brooke's new husband turns out to be kinder than any man has ever been. But then the unthinkable happens and she holds the key that might save innocent lives but destroy Sky all in one fell swoop. It's a choice too unbearable to contemplate...but a choice that must be made. Bounty    Luke Jordan's mother's dying words rang in his head. "Take these to your brothers." His brothers? The Jordan gang of outlaws. Why did he have to waste time tracking them down?   Cat Cahill's morning rides are a pleasant diversion from her mother's lectures on marrying a civilized man from the east. Despite her prayers, Cat hasn't found the man she would want to spend the rest of her life with until she runs into Luke.   One town trying to avoid a buyout, one gang worth their weight in gold, bounty hunters intent on taking the Jordan gang in more dead than alive = two in love and a bunch in trouble. Charity's Gold Rush    After Charity saves handsome Gabriel Williams' daughter from being trampled he asks her to marry him. And Charity believes he's the answer to her prayers.   Gabe and Charity agree to a marriage in name only, although Charity is upset that now that she has found a man she could see herself making a life with, he isn't interested in anything more than someone to watch his children, and he's a gambler to boot - just like Pa who got her into this mess.   By the beginning of the following spring, if both parties are in agreement, they'll annul the marriage and part ways.   Neither expects love to interfere with their plans or for God to intervene with a plan of His own.

     Widowed World War I nurse Audra Donaldson returns from France planning to devote her life to helping those suffering the lingering effects of war—effects she knows all too well, as she suffers from them herself. When, staying at the Harwood House Inn on a Christmas visit to her brother, she hears a man in the throes of a violent nightmare, she goes to him without question—and is stunned by a physical attraction as strong as her desire to help. About to embrace the beautiful angel come to save him from the horrors of the battlefield, former soldier Drew Harwood recoils when he realizes Audra is real—and has seen his “weakness.” Brusquely rejecting her offer of help, he intends to avoid her. But more than just her beauty continues to draw him back. Though this compassionate, kind, and giving soul has seen more of war than he has, somehow, talking with her brings him peace--and seems to comfort her, too. If he can just resist acting on the desire she's ignited in him since his first glimpse of her... But someone else was watching, too. After tragedy denied Felicity a future with Drew, her dying wish was that he live his life and be happy for them both. To her sorrow, a year later, her former fiancé is still struggling. Deciding Audra is the perfect lady to heal the wounds of her beloved, this determined ghost resolves to bring Drew and Audra together. Who can resist a love that lasts beyond time?

    And it could be all his if he only married a woman he had never met. Jack Tanner had drifted from job to job. A natural loner, the last thing he ever expected was to end up married to a stranger and owning a beautiful valley. And now, just as he was beginning to put down roots for the first time in his life, someone wanted to take it all away from him. He’d die before he let that happen. Mail-order bride, Jenny O’Neil was coming west to marry Nathanial Parker only to find out he had been murdered. And here was this tall cowboy telling her that Nathanial had left his valley to them. But only if they married. A business arrangement, Mr. Tanner called it. Not a true marriage. But what choice did she have? Penniless, no home to go back to, alone in a different world. She had already committed herself to marry a stranger. Although, she had never imagined marrying a man like this. Tall, rough around the edges, with eyes that touched her soul. Someone has killed and would try to kill again to get their valley. Struggling together, the two of them will fight for what is theirs. All the while, growing closer. Both of them wanting more than a cold business arrangement. Both of them coming to want a true marriage.

    Lord James Whitman is well aware of what others say about him. He has heard his name whispered behind closed doors and learned of his character being maligned without cause. But after his unearned reputation causes Iris to decline his marriage proposal, he is determined to show her the truth and win her love! Without her grandfather's guidance, Iris must decide whether to trust the London gossips or the tune of her own heart. Could she possibly love a man who is as horrid as some say he is? Or should she trust her instincts and what the duke tells her to be true? All Iris knows for sure is that Christmas day grows closer with each passing minute!

    What he needs is someone willing to agree to an arrangement of convenience, and spare him the emotional ties of settling down.Paisley FischerEvicted and broke, she didn’t think things could get worse. Then... they did. With her mother in a coma, and the insurance benefits running out, Paisley will soon be strapped with the financial responsibility of her care. She has no idea how she’s going to provide for both of them until a childhood friend comes to her with an unconventional offer.- Her mother’s care covered.- A Manhattan penthouse.- One million dollars.𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗱, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝟯𝟲𝟱 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀.

    What she doesn’t know is that she is about to become a mail-order bride, too. 1881 Oregon Melissa Eversoll Burgess’s hope of a wonderful life with her first husband went up in smoke the day she married him. Not only was his abuse difficult to take, but she also learned that he was deeply involved in crime—on the very day he died. Now that they’re both widowed, Melissa and her mother are ready to start over in a place called Hope Hollow. When she is introduced to a handsome farmer and informed that she is to be his mail-order bride, she doesn’t know whether to hug him…or slap him. Garret Pearce came to Oregon three years ago to claim land and nurse a broken heart. Though he’s smitten with Melissa from their very first meeting, he’s not about to fall into that trap again. That is, until it becomes obvious she needs his protection. Entering a marriage of convenience may not have been in his plans, but now that he’s got a wife—and a pretty one at that—he realizes that keeping his heart from being torn in two is going to be the challenge of his life. One that he just might lose. Will Melissa and Garret get a second chance at love? Welcome to Hope Hollow, Oregon, a place where hope abounds for the downtrodden and weary, and where peace and love abide amidst life’s trials. ***Warning: sensitive topics such as domestic abuse and familial suicide are mentioned as past experiences for Melissa and her mother in the story, though the author has made every effort to keep the focus on the development of the main characters' relationship with each other in this sweet romance.

    E. AYERS - A CHRISTMAS FAR FROM HOMEFar from home and with love in their hearts, a young Wyoming rancher and the daughter of a Montana railroad businessman learn the true joy of Christmas is in giving.LINDA CARROLL-BRADD - WISHES ON A STARWill a wish on a star foretell the future of a young suffragette and a visiting rancher?MJ FREDRICK - ABIGAIL'S CHRISTMAS ANGELA lonely widow and a lonelier marshal make peace with their past.DEBRA HOLLAND - THE GIFT OF MUSICCan two reserved people overcome their limitations and find love?DEBRA HOLLAND - A FAMILY FOR IKEAn orphaned boy finds an unexpected family.DEBRA HOLLAND - THE JOY OF CHRISTMASThe town banker learns that perhaps some things are more important than money.PATY JAGER - A CHRISTMAS TO REMEMBERIda doesn't remember the last two years, but her husband is determined to find her and reignite their love.JILL MARIE LANDIS - UPON A MIDNIGHT CLEARA spinster discovers it's never too late to embrace love and the surprises life has in store.TRISH MILBURN - A NEW HOME FOR CHRISTMASA woman scarred in face and heart finds love with a cowboy.LINDA MCLAUGHLIN - THE BEST PRESENTA grieving ten-year-old girl anticipating a sad Christmas receives some surprises.BEV PETTERSEN - THE CHRISTMAS CROSSINGWith a little Christmas magic, two searching hearts discover they can bridge much more than a raging river.TORI SCOTT - A PROMISE FOR CHRISTMASFaced with her first Montana winter without her husband, Rachel Tanner and her young son need a miracle.CYNTHIA WOOLF - SUGARPLUM DREAMSJulia Bosworth travels west to fulfill a special dream and finds her heart's desire.

    Schoolteacher Maggie O’Brien comes home for Christmas on a mission--to gather toys for orphans living on poor farms in Kansas. She's made her list, but there's no Santa in sight. Not until a local shopkeeper volunteers his services. Gordon Sumner sets his mind on winning the black-haired Irish beauty, but Maggie’s brother is his fiercest competitor, and O’Brien’s loyal sister gives him the cold shoulder. Undaunted, he comes up with a clever plan. Maggie sees through the fake Santa’s ploy, but with Christmas just around the corner, she’s running out of time to make the holiday happy for needy children. She accepts his help—with a plan of her own. She’ll play matchmaker and find her persistent suitor the perfect bride.

    After escaping a dead-end relationship with a celebrity, she avoids her patient's grandson, a pro football player. When Arturo gradually thaws her frozen heart, can her Christmas wish for family and affection come true? Football is Arturo De La Vega's life, but he returns to his hometown to help his ailing grandfather. Lana challenges Arturo to reach for stars of faith and love. Is Arturo's quest for glory worth crushing Lana's dreams and sacrificing his heart's true desire?

    That’s La Llorona’s doing. She roams the waterways looking for the next generation of girls to baptize, filling them with more tears than any woman should have to hold. And there’s not much they can do about the Weeping Woman except to avoid walking along the riverbank at night and to try to keep their sadness in check. That’s what attracts her to them: the pain and heartache that gets passed down from one generation of women to the next.Mercy knows this, probably better than anyone. She lost her best friend to La Llorona and almost found a watery grave herself. But she survived. Only she didn’t come back quite right and she knows La Llorona won’t be satisfied until she drags the one soul that got away back to the bottom of the river.In a battle for her life, Mercy fights to break the chains of generational trauma and reclaim her soul free from ancestral hauntings by turning to the only things that she knows can save her: plant medicine, pulp books, and the promise of a love so strong not even La Llorona can stop it from happening. What unfolds is a stunning tale of one woman’s journey into magic, healing, and rebirth.CW: assault, domestic violence, racism, colorism

    Since then, guilt and regret have made him impervious to love. But when he rescues a family of would-be homesteaders attacked by the notorious Deckom gang, one of the sisters shines a light on his cold, locked-down heart.The last thing Brady deserves is happiness, and he fights his unwelcome feelings for Belle. Which is fine with her, since she'll never let herself care for another lawman—even one as wonderful as Brady.Heat level 3/5: contains some violence, minor cursing, and not-so-minor kissing.