Compared to an arranged marriage to the odious Bernard Regent, a prairie schooner on the Oregon Trail doesn't seem like such a bad trade to Amethyst Kent. When desperate Martha Davis reveals her need for a mother's helper on the trail, Ami decides to up and leave the pampered life she's always known for a land of freedom. But trail life is hardly a tea party, and Ami must draw from the deepest wells of her faith to survive. With the sunset always before her, and Shiloh Talon, a handsome trail scout, guiding the way, she might just make it through.

    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.

    Rosemary Jackson has traveled all the way to the frozen tundra of North Dakota territory to visit her twin sister, Rachel. It's been three long years since Rachel left Kansas with her new husband for this wild place. But after months of anticipation, Rosemary arrives to find only a grave, a grieving brother in- law, and an underfed baby. She has no choice but to stay and see the child through the long winter. Finn Tate has just buried his beloved wife, and he cannot seem to take care of himself, his home, or his infant daughter. He needs help. But he cannot stand the sight of Rosemary, who reminds him so much of her sister, standing at his cook stove. Rosemary comes to love Finn, but she knows he will never return her love. When the wildflowers arrive with the spring, she will have to leave Finn, her niece, and her heart in Wildrose, North Dakota.

    But when her sister dies tragically in a dreadful accident, she has to go west and pick up her nephew, the only survivor. And even though her plan for inexplicable reasons is to avoid being in close contact with him, she will find herself moved by the sheriff asking her to reconsider and let the boy stay with him instead. Soon enough Lyla will become confused by her conflicting emotions, but will she find the courage to face secrets from the past and eventually follow her heart? James, the local sheriff of Wheatberry, has forgotten what happiness means since his wife died in an unexpected manner. But when he suddenly witnesses a horrifying accident, he is quick to run to an orphaned little boy’s aid. All the more, what he would never expect is that he would end up loving and becoming attached to him. When the boy’s aunt - a beautiful troubled woman - arrives in town, he will do his best to convince her to let him raise the child. Will he succeed in changing her mind and finally creating the loving family he never had the chance to make?Just when Lyla and James come closer and start trusting and loving each other more and more, ghosts from their past will arrive to haunt them... Will this dreadful situation tear the couple apart? How much are the heroes willing to sacrifice so as not to give up on each other?

    Though the town has a rough element, Carina is determined that it is the place her dreams will come true. Early on, two men vie for her trust, but neither is what he seems. Will Carina discern the truth in time to prevent tragedy?

    Note: each book can be read as a stand-alone. Flora Kinsley has always been a red-headed rebel who delights to ride madly across the country. After being orphaned at age four, she has always had an insatiable desire to run. But when her wild riding leads her into trouble, she finds herself lost and stranded in a snowstorm. She takes shelter in the home of a bachelor rancher. Kade Thomas has lost enough loved ones because of foolish choices and risky behavior. The last thing he needs is to be involved with a wild rebel. But being stranded unchaperoned with Flora for two nights gives her preacher father plenty of reason to insist they marry. Knowing that if he forces Flora into marriage against her wishes, it would make for a miserable situation, he begs for a chance to persuade Flora she wants to marry him. Will this pair find that love is awaiting them? Or will the truth destroy any chance of love? Read more books by award-winning author Linda Ford: Love on the Santa Fe Trail: Wagon Train Baby Wagon Train Wedding Wagon Train Matchmaker Wagon Train Christmas Dakota Brides series: Temporary Bride Abandoned Bride Second-Chance Bride Reluctant Bride War Brides series: Lizzie Maryelle Irene Grace Wild Rose series: Crane’s Bride Hannah’s Dream Chastity’s Angel Cowboy Bodyguard Big Sky Country series: Montana Cowboy’s Baby Montana Bride by Christmas Montana Cowboy Daddy Montana Cowboy Family Montana Groom of Convenience Montana Lawman Rescuer

    But what if they want only to be loved--without an enormous price tag attached? When one daughter pursues a desirable marriage, she secures for herself a comfortable and glamorous life. But among the duties of privilege, will she also find the happily-ever-after she seeks? Her sister rejects the trappings of wealth, choosing instead to build a new life on the still-untamed frontier. Will she find happiness in independence or discover that she's left her heart behind in New York's glittering society? Set in the opulent world of the Gilded Age, each woman discovers that being an heiress just might cost her everything--including the chance for true love.

    May - each shade is a different genre of the fantasy, paranormal and romance – all from different series! Rae of Hope – The Chronicles of Kerrigan, Book 1 How hard do you have to shake the family tree to find the truth about the past? Fifteen year-old Rae Kerrigan never really knew her family's history. Her mother and father died when she was young and it is only when she accepts a scholarship to the prestigious Guilder Boarding School in England that a mysterious family secret is revealed. Will the sins of the father be the sins of the daughter? As Rae struggles with new friends, a new school and a star-struck forbidden love, she must also face the ultimate challenge: receive a tattoo on her sixteenth birthday with specific powers that may bind her to an unspeakable darkness. It's up to Rae to undo the dark evil in her family's past and have a ray of hope for her future. Seventh Mark - Part 1 – Hidden Secrets, Book 1.1 Like most teenagers, Rouge is trying to figure out who she is and what she wants to be. With little knowledge about her past, she has questions but has never tried to find the answers. Everything changes when she befriends a strangely intoxicating family. Siblings Grace and Michael, appear to have secrets which seem connected to Rouge. Her hunch is confirmed when a horrible incident occurs at an outdoor party. Rouge may be the only one who can find the answer. An ancient journal, a Sioghra necklace and a special mark force life-altering decisions for a girl who grew up unprepared to fight for her life or others. All secrets have a cost and Rouge’s determination to find the truth can only lead to trouble…or something even more sinister. Shadow of Doubt - Part 1 – Shadow of Doubt, Book 1What happens when you fall for the one you are forbidden to love? Erebus is a bit of a lost soul. He's a guy so he should be out to have fun but unlike the rest of his kind, he is solemn and withdrawn. That is, until he meets Aurora, a law student at Cornell University. His entire world is shaken. Feelings he's never had and urges he’s never understood take over. These strange longings drive him to question everything about himself. When a jealous ex stalks back into his life, he must decide if he is willing to risk everything to be with Aurora. His desire for her could destroy her, or worse, erase his own existence forever. Radium Halos: Part 1 – The Senseless Series, Book 1Everyone needs to be a hero at one point in their life. The small town of Elliot Lake will never be the same again. Caught in a sudden thunderstorm, Zoe, a high school senior from Elliot Lake, and five of her friends take shelter in an abandoned uranium mine. Over the next few days, Zoe’s hearing sharpens drastically, beyond what any normal human being can detect. She tells her friends, only to learn that four others have an increased sense as well. Only Kieran, the new boy from Scotland, wasn’t affected. Their senses develop into stronger, supernatural powers. Fashioning themselves into superheroes, the group tries to stop the strange occurrences happening in their little town. Muggings, break-ins, disappearances, and murder begin to hit too close to home. It leads the team to think someone knows about their secret – someone who wants them all dead. An incredulous group of heroes. A traitor in their midst. Some dreams are written in blood. Courage Runs Red – Excerpt, from The Blood Red Series, Book 1 What if courage was your only option? When Kallie lands a college interview with the city’s new hot-shot police officer she has no idea everything in her life is about to change. The detective is young, handsome and seems to have an unnatural ability to stop the increasing local crime rate.When a raging blood feud between vampires spills into her home, Kallie gets caught in the middle.

    Either stay on the land they thought they’d bought or heed the lure of free land in the faraway wilderness of a new Republic. Rife with peril and hardship, three families knit together by blood and friendship head out with a widowed man, daughter, and his slave, gambling everything they own on the prospect of land ownership and working it together. Does friendship pave a way to marriage? Can puppy-love survive through a harrowing journey to blossom into a forever love? With duress at every turn, can the clan stay together all the way to Texas and accomplish their goals?

    GrayAvery Nichols knows how to wear the mask. Perfect student, perfect daughter and perfect friend. Nobody would ever guess that inside, Avery is a prisoner to her own self loathing. Then she meets him…and everything changes. Handsome, charming and self assured, Jake Matthew sweeps Avery off her feet in an effortless fashion. Avery knows that Jake is everything she needs and all she has ever wanted. She would destroy herself to be loved by him…until he walks away.Broken and lost, Avery meets Parker. His genuine, caring nature reaches past the mask and the shattered pieces her heart begin to slowly heal. But just when Avery starts to feel whole again, she realizes the impossible.Jake never really left.

    Which is why Clyde Baxter, a West Point cadet on the verge of graduation, presents a problem. Their attraction is instantaneous, but it threatens Evelyn's lifelong dream of going to college. Clyde's brilliance in the new field of electrical power has him poised for a promising career in the Army's Corps of Engineers. The one thing he never anticipated was Evelyn White, a woman whose soaring ambition matches his own. As they fall in love over the course of one magical summer, they believe dreams are enough to weather any challenge. But when they are tested by forces neither saw coming, will the fragile bonds forged during those dream-filled summer days be strong enough to survive the storm?

     Next, she’s duped into boarding a Texas-bound ship. When she arrives in Texas, she discovers Mr. Walker has been hoodwinked, as well. The tall, handsome rancher is furious when he discovers the deception, and vows to send Abigail home as soon as the next ship sets sail. Abigail is certain that she doesn’t belong in Texas. Boston has always been home. But as the weeks pass, Mr. Walker’s anger softens. He makes a startling confession – he’s read her letters a hundred times, or more. His lingering gaze, his gentle banter and slow tender smile play upon her heart. She resists the gruff cowboy’s charms. Barely. But how can she not love his nephew, an orphaned infant? As the day of departure looms, the small, motherless baby might unravel the last of her fragile defenses. Abigail dares to hope… that home is where the heart is.

    Daughter of the British lieutenant governor of the Virginia Colony and a darling of fine society in a rugged land, she is anticipating an advantageous marriage. That her betrothed is a rake and love is lacking is of little consequence—or so she tells herself.Though her own life seems in order, colonial Williamsburg is a powder keg on the verge of exploding, and her fiancé's cousin Noble Rynallt carries the flame of revolution in his heart. Those with connections to the British nobility are suspected as spies, and Liberty soon finds herself left with a terrible choice. Will she stay true to her English roots? Or side with Noble and the radical revolutionaries?

    And now granddaughter Virginia faces the test of her young life. Caught in the difficult period between childhood and adulthood, feeling that she doesn't fit in, Virginia struggles against what she considers to be unreasonable restrictions and expectations. A new girl at school represents the daring and freedom that Virginia thinks she wants -- until one fateful day . . .

    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?