Book picks similar to
New York Bound by Rachel Wesson


historical-fiction
christian
historical
historical-romance

Everlasting Light


Andrea Boeshaar - 2013
    Did he die in a Yankee prison? Was he buried in a shallow grave on a Virginia battlefield? Or has he turned his back on the specter of death and loss and sought solitude west of the Mississippi River, never to return home again? As Christmas nears, Alaina deflects the advances of a suitor in the neighboring county, choosing to cling instead to hope and her belief that Braeden will return. As winter’s chill settles upon her farm, Alaina cries out to God in one final Christmas Prayer. When loss lingers, love, for it is through heartbreak that God opens doorways to comfort others.

The Mail-Order Bride Carries a Gun


Wanda Ann Thomas - 2016
    The books follow the untamed Haven brothers, the spirited brides they marry, and the struggle to find love and joy amid the rugged wilds of the West. ELLA HUNTER never thought she’d be a mail-order bride. But when she sees a photo in the Marriage Gazette of the man she believes killed her brother, Ella agrees to marry the Civil War soldier turned cowboy. Prepared to confront a cold-hearted killer then return home, she finds all her expectations dashed when her intended husband appears to be a good man. Ella’s loyalties are torn between honoring the memories of her family and her undeniable attraction to Ty Haven. TY HAVEN needs a wife. The ranch he runs in the wilds of Wyoming Territory could use a woman’s influence. Frankly, so could he. So when Ella arrives like a gift tied up in a cornflower-blue hair ribbon, more intelligent, practical, and, yes, beautiful, than he could have imagined, he hopes she will give him and the West a chance. Turns out, he doesn’t just need a wife. He needs Ella. But she has a secret, and it might destroy their marriage almost before it’s begun. Can the unforgivable be forgiven? What will the cowboy ranchman do when he learns why…THE MAIL-ORDER BRIDE CARRIES A GUN?

Celtic Tempest


Ria Cantrell - 2013
     In Fourteenth Century England, landless knights are forced to obey the ruthless monarch without question. Sir Andrew Brandham, knight of the Realm and captain of the Elite Guard of Ragnorsen Keep is called to do just that. When his best friend, Sir Erik Ragnorsen is commanded to nullify his marriage to the beautiful Rhianna Du Montefort because they have yet to produce an heir, Sir Andrew accompanies him to do battle with the will of the king. Erik is being forced to marry the daughter of a Scottish Laird in order to form a tenuous Peace between the Highlanders and England. The idea of divorcing his beloved wife to marry a loathsome Scot is beyond Erik’s vow of obedience and honor. He is imprisoned for his impulsive disobedience and Drew is left to form a scheme to save his friend. When he sees the Scottish lass who has been chosen for Sir Erik, he is instantly drawn to her and while his plan unfolds to aid Erik, Drew forms a friendship with Bronwyn, daughter of the Laird and High Chief of the Clan MacCollum. Bronwyn MacCollum was raised in the Highlands, where the past is steeped in traditions of the “Old Ways”. A long time ago, Bronwyn had a vision of her intended, but realizing he was an Englishman, she vowed to change her destiny. The English were always the enemies of her people and she would not bring danger to her beloved clan. Only, she becomes a pawn in the sadistic game of the King of England and Robert the Bruce and is being forced to marry an English knight after all. Upon seeing the man she is betrothed to, she knew her vision had been false because he looked nothing like the man who had invaded her dreams since childhood. With vehement disregard for the king’s decree, she declares her hatred for Sir Erik Ragnorsen and would rather risk war than to marry him. Only, when she meets Sir Erik’s personal guard, Bronwyn realizes that sometimes you cannot fight what is destined from the start. Sir Andrew Brandham was familiar; more than familiar. He was the man of her visions and nothing she could do could make her deny it. Bronwyn and Drew are filled with distrust and betrayal seeps into both of their hearts. They suffer through many storms that batter their hearts and souls like rocks at the edge of the tempestuous sea. Can their love survive the lies and heartache they are each guilty of? Can Bronwyn escape the Destiny and the pull of the Old Ways and create a path without Drew or will love help them both to embrace the course Destiny has chosen?

Liberty Hill


Sonja Heisinger - 2013
    But in New York City, two young Irish immigrants are fleeing something else. For Evelyn Brennan, an impending marriage she doesn’t want. For Lucius Flynn, the burden of a life in business and trade under his tyrannical father. Brash and adventurous, Lucius decides the only way to be free of his doomed future as a bored tradesman is to risk everything on the burgeoning and dangerous gold fields of California. However, that “everything” that he plans on risking is in fact the dowry of his headstrong bride, Evelyn. The truth that they were once childhood friends is something Evelyn sorely tries to forget as her new husband drags her along the quickest but deadliest path to the California gold rush: the Panama Route. Under the pretense of honeymooning in New Orleans, Lucius and Evelyn board a steamship bound for California, where they bear each other’s company with little grace and frequent bickering. Evelyn’s contempt for Lucius’ adventure is soothed, however, when she meets an Australian named Brock Donnigan. Sharp, handsome, and heartless, Brock sets out to seduce Evelyn just as Lucius finds himself falling in love with her. Through their adventures and misadventures over land and sea, the two men try to win Evelyn’s affections. But as they draw nearer to Panama City, where a mass migration of Argonauts lies in wait for transportation to California, a battle of wits and wills escalates into a war where all fortunes, dreams, and innocence may be lost; where lust demands blood, and love inspires sacrifice.From the black cliffs of Ireland to the streets of New York, from the Spanish fortress of Havana to the beaches of Panama, Liberty Hill is a sweeping historical romance that combines what we love most about the West- guns, saloons, horses, and handsome outlaws- with the tropic heat of Central America.The first young adult fiction in her Western Tide series, Sonja Heisinger molds a fresh and epic literary experience from an old world setting. Liberty Hill awakens the past with the exciting elements of drama, comedy, and action, with the additional zests of forbidden pleasure and unrequited love. This adventure book takes you on a wild journey that anyone looking for an exciting historical fiction will love!

The Last Day of Forever (Catahoula #1)


Lane Casteix - 2015
    Bewildered and afraid, she finds comfort in an unexpected new relationship.In a family caught in the throes of lies, infidelity, death, and eventually the Civil War, Ethan is struggling with changes in his own life, and with his faith. In 1856 he is just beginning his last summer of adolescence at Catahoula Plantation before going off to school at the Virginia Military Institute. Falling in love was not part of his plans—until Rachel came into his life.Spirited and daring, she is unlike any woman he has ever known. He didn’t expect she would turn his world upside down like she does, nor did he anticipate how strongly his father would react to how they feel about each other, or the extremes to which he will go to keep them apart.

Bride of Pretense


Cami Wesley - 2015
    or the hapless Adelaide Delaney!While on a trip to meet her fiance in an arranged marriage, Adelaide Delaney meets Charlotte, a mail order bride who is on her way to marry a rancher. When their bags, along with their train tickets, are accidentally switched, Addie impulsively takes Charlotte's place. Simply wanting to avoid the marriage her father has arranged, Addie never imagines the difficulties of being a rancher's wife, leaving a trail of hilarious catastrophes in her wake. Will there be any truth beneath the pretense? Or will Addie decide that she is a poor substitute for Josh Harding's bride?

Once Upon the Prairie


Lenny Davis - 2014
    Once Upon The Prairie - A Western Romance Novella (The Brides Of Courage, Kansas, Book 1)Married to the meanest rancher in Kansas, unhappy Mina Morlock lives in a golden cage, as her husband is also the richest man in the state.Her husband's foolishness puts him in awful opposition to the charismatic cowboy Jesse Bartleby and his men.Drawn to Jesse, but married to Neville Morlock, Mina does the right thing — and finds a happily-ever-after that she had not dared to dream of.Enjoy this clean sixty-page Western romance by Lenny Davis.The Brides of Courage, Kansas, Series of historical Western Mail Order Bride Romances:"Once Upon the Prairie," Book 1"She Came One Winter," Book 2"A Bride In Spring," Book 3"Heart of Summer," Book 4

Goodbye, Magnolia


Krista Noorman - 2015
    The art of capturing a moment forever in time is magical to her, and she's worked hard to become the best of the best. Week after week, she works with couples as they plan their happily ever afters, but she hasn't been so lucky in love.Behind the camera, it's easy to hide from the pain and rejection of her past. The life she has made for herself is safe and predictable, until the owner of a rival photography studio sets up shop in her small town and comes to her with an unexpected proposal. Suddenly, everything she has worked so hard to build is threatened and her simple, controlled life is thrown into chaos.As she travels the state of Michigan photographing weddings, she struggles to keep her business afloat and the wall around her heart intact. But along the way, she learns more about loyalty and love than she ever imagined.

When It Rained at Hembry Castle


Meredith Allard - 2021
    When the 8th Earl of Staton dies, his eldest son, the unreliable Richard, inherits the title and the family’s home—Hembry Castle. The Earl's niece, the American-born Daphne, is intrigued by Edward Ellis, a rising author with a first-hand knowledge of Hembry Castle—from the servants’ hall. And Edward, though captivated by the lovely Daphne, has his own hurdles he must overcome. Can Richard come to terms with his title before bringing ruin on his family? Will Edward and Daphne find their way to each other despite the obstacles of life at Hembry Castle? When It Rained at Hembry Castle is a page-turning, romantic novel with vivid characters and an engrossing story that will keep you guessing until the end.

Scottish Dream Trilogy: Borrowed Dreams / Captured Dreams / Dreams of Destiny


May McGoldrick - 2012
    This collection includes the complete novels of Borrowed Dreams, Captured Dreams, and Dreams of Destiny. Borrowed Dreams: Driven to undo the evil wrought by her dead husband, Millicent Wentworth must find a way to save her estate and free the innocent people her husband enslaved. Her only hope is a marriage of convenience with the notorious widower, Lyon Pennington, fourth Earl of Aytoun, who just may be the most handsome-and caring-man she's ever encountered. Captured Dreams: May McGoldrick returns with the latest in a trilogy about love-and the birth of a nation... Portia Edwards will go to any length to find the family she's never known. And when she meets merchant Pierce Pennington, a staunch but secretive Son of Liberty, Portia has the perfect chance to ask for his help. But her stubborn pride keeps her silent. That is, until she recognizes her strong attraction to the brave man who, by night, is known as the infamous Captain MacHeath, smuggling arms by sea under the pall of darkness-all in the name of liberty... Dreams of Destiny Wounded by scandal and the unsolved murder of his sister-in-law, David Pennington is outwardly insolent and arrogant. But nothing will stop him from escorting his childhood friend, Gwyneth Douglas, to Scotland-and saving the Scottish heiress from fortune hunters. But with their arrival in Scotland comes terrible danger. Now, if they ever hope to satisfy their desire, they will need to thwart the evil that threatens to destroy both their lives...

Wild West Frontier Brides Boxed Set Vol. 1: Books 1-3


Cindy Caldwell - 2015
    She'd been raised to bake in her parents' bakery, and after their deaths, she had planned to carry on the family tradition. Devastated to find out she was losing her family's business, she needed something to do to support herself. When she received a letter from her twin sister's husband in Arizona Territory, suggesting she come out to be the bride of his best friend who was opening a restaurant, it seemed like the perfect solution to her problems. Tripp had gone to the best culinary school in the country, and he knew exactly how to create the perfect meal. He spent hours and hours coming up with just the right menu for his restaurant, only to be told he couldn't get a loan for it unless he married. When his best friend came up with the solution of sending for his baker sister-in-law, it only made sense. Her ideas of the perfect menu were different than his, though. Would the two be able to stay together long enough to convince the bank he was a good risk? Would Sadie be able to convince Tripp that the two of them belonged together after all? The Wrangler's Mail Order Bride Clara had spent most of her life working in her friend Sadie's bakery in cold, snowy Chicago. Until Sadie lost the bakery and moved to Arizona to marry a man, sight unseen. Soon after, Clara was at a crossroads when her brother announced that he and his wife were moving to New York City and she should go with them. She’d also received a letter from Sadie asking her to be the bride of a friend of theirs, a horse wrangler. As Clara had just had an interesting experience with some horses in the cold, a move to warm Arizona Territory instead of New York City was a more appealing adventure. Hank had spent his life on the open trail, driving cattle across state lines for his father, a gentleman rancher. He’d spent many long days and quiet nights out under the stars, working with horses and molding them to be the best they could be. Now, he was ready to leave the trail and do what he loved—train horses. When his grandfather passed away, leaving him property that would be perfect for horse-wrangling, he thought his problems were solved. There was one catch, though—a big one. He couldn’t inherit the property unless he was married. Clara was suggested as a possible bride and he gratefully agreed. He had no idea his bride knew more about horses than he realized. And about people. When a tragedy threatens his fledgling business, Hank must decide between his father’s wishes that he stay on the trail, or his dream for his own future. Would his father succeed in tearing them apart or would Clara be able to convince Hank that the two of them belonged together after all? The Bartender's Mail Order Bride Nutmeg Archer has had enough of being invisible in a family of six girls—especially since the man she’s pining for doesn’t notice her, either. When she finds out he needs a mail-order bride in a hurry, she hatches a plan to get him to notice her, one way or another. Sam Allen gave up his career ambitions and left New York for Tombstone, Arizona, and a new start. He enjoys his job as a bartender—and is very good at it. But because he knew his mother would not approve, he told a white lie that he never thought would be found out. When his high-society mother unexpectedly decides to make a trip to visit, he needs to make that fib a reality—and fast. Sam is dismayed to discover that he has only one positive response to his ad—and to say that he is surprised by who it is is an understatement.

Quest of Honor


Ellie St. Clair - 2017
    Her destiny is to one day assume command of the ship, continuing her father’s legacy of aiding the poor while eluding the Navy Captain who continues to hunt them. She despises the man for his relentless pursuit and is determined to be free of his chase forever. The naval captain... Thomas Harrington, second son of the Duke of Ware, joined the Royal Navy to escape from his life in society and find the freedom his soul had been searching for. Instead, he has spent three years attempting to bring the elusive pirate Captain Adams to justice. He disdains everything he believes about the pirate life and will stop at nothing to capture the prey that has eluded him for so long. Two worlds collide... The beautiful blonde woman he meets in a tavern haunts Thomas’ daydreams, until he finds her in the unlikeliest of circumstances. The freedom his soul has been searching for and the honor he so upholds clash within him as Thomas and Eleanor fight their desire for one another. As they question everything they’ve ever believed, can they find a way forward together? Quest of Honor is a 41,000-word romance with no cliffhangers, no cheating, and a guaranteed happily ever after! The Kindle version contains one extra story.

The Measure of Katie Calloway


Serena B. Miller - 2011
    To protect herself and her young brother from her violent and unstable husband, she flees north, finding anonymity and sanctuary as the cook in a Northwoods lumber camp. The camp owner, Robert Foster, wonders if the lovely woman he's hired has the grit to survive the never-ending work and harsh conditions of a remote pine forest in winter. Katie wonders if she can keep her past a secret from a man she is slowly growing to love.With grace and skill, Serena Miller brings to life a bygone era. From the ethereal, snowy forest and the warm cook-stove to the rowdy shanty boys and the jagged edges of the saw, every detail is perfectly rendered, transporting the reader back to the time when pine was king, men were made of iron, and rivers were choked with logs on the way to the sawmills. Readers will have a hard time leaving the Northwoods when they turn the last page.

Afton of Margate Castle


Angela Elwell Hunt - 1993
    Schooled in the ways of kings and surrounded by splendor, Afton falls in love with the earl’s son, brave, Calhoun, her childhood protector.But Calhoun’s mother, the Lady Endeline, has much different plans for him than marriage to a villein’s daughter. Suddenly Afton’s world is torn viciously apart. She is cast out of the castle, given to a man she fears and despises as a reward for his loyalty—an all too clear reminder that, for all her dreams, she is nothing but a villein.Now all she has left is a burning desire for vengeance . . .

Seconds to Act


Stephanie Flynn - 2020
    Promised a distraction, April accepts her quirky roommate's dream experiment, but as she's drifting off, she's given a surprising mission: Prevent Sam Hartley's arrest in 1852, otherwise he will be murdered.In 1852 Wisconsin, Sam Hartley wishes to return to blacksmithing, where he could use his hands to create, but until something is done about his tyrannical boss, he's trapped. When an extraordinary woman comes asking for him, escalating threats and her suspicious knowledge force him to keep her close. But too soon he must decide if risking her safety is worth mending his heart.Time's running out, and April must choose between her mediocre boyfriend and 1852, risking her life to save the man who stole her heart.If you love sizzling romance, edge-of-your-seat action, time travel, swoon-worthy heroes, and sassy ladies in a small town setting, you'll love Stephanie Flynn's dramatic historical adventure books. Each is a standalone with guaranteed HEA, but an overarching narrative. Best if read in order.