For a year she’s been trying to fill her mother’s shoes by taking care of her father and siblings. She quit her job at the bakery so she could have more time to clean and cook at home. Before her mother died, Rachel was positive she wanted to marry Samuel Weaver, but now she can’t think about wedding plans. She blames her father for her mother’s death. If they had installed a phone in their barn or a shanty, her mother might have received medical help in time to save her life. Her mother’s death has made Rachel question if she should be baptized and join the church. She wonders if non-Amish women live longer and have less stress. Maybe her forty-four-year old mother would still be alive had she left the Amish lifestyle like her sister Carrie did. When her Aunt Carrie invites her to go to the beach, Rachel decides the time away will help her to decide whether to join the Amish church or to live in the English world. She is conflicted because she loves Samuel and her family. Instead of a relaxing time away, several disturbing events happen while Rachel’s in Florida. A photographer snaps troublesome pictures of Rachel because of her famous senator uncle, and a handsome and charming college student falls in love with Rachel.

    Running away to New Orleans on a ballet scholarship, Jessica cringes when she thinks about confronting Pastor John and the community church--she doesn't want to talk about God, not after He took Michael, the boy she was going to marry ever since third grade. In the local scene of funky New Orleans, Jessica seeks out Madame LaBlanc, hoping Michael will absolve her of her guilt the night of the car accident in a seance, but the spirit world is silent and she fears the grief will drown her. Finally succumbing to family pressure, Jessica reluctantly returns for Christmas - and the little town of Snow Valley does Christmas BIG. When she visits Michael’s grave in the church yard, Jessica is shocked to meet handsome James Douglas, Pastor John’s nephew, who’s studying for the ministry. No, she is NOT going to be attracted to someone who wants to be a preacher! Definitely not compatible! But James Douglas is unlike any minister-in-training she's ever met. James can not only dish back Jessica’s finely-tuned sarcasm but understands grief all too well, turning Jessica’s world upside down. Can Jessica forgive herself for that terrible, fateful night? Can she take another risk on love? A fast-paced romance with humor, family dynamics, Christmas, and kissing.

    never before released Christian Christmas romances by bestselling inspirational authors! COME TO ME JOYFUL by Leah Atwood: When faced with the possibility of losing a loved one, Kate's insecurities resurface. Will she allow Luke to love and support her or will she push him away? MISTLETOE AND MOCHAS by Lynnette Bonner: After not contacting Chelsea Tan for weeks, Cannon Jones steps into her coffee shop and asks to spend time with her. She’d love nothing more than to remain as frosty as the Seattle air the week before Christmas. The problem is, her heart keeps growing warmer with each mocha he buys. CHRISTMAS STAR SAPPHIRE by Hallee Bridgeman:Christmas is a time of family and tradition, but Joe Westcott has determined to stay alone and single. Madeline Viscolli comes into his life and causes him to start reevaluating what he considers important. A Christmas Eve funeral brings everything to a crest and Joe and Madeline are forced to make a choice that will affect their entire future. A HOME FOR CHRISTMAS by Kimberly Rae Jordan: Over the years, Rose Collingsworth has watched her aunts and uncles fall in love and marry, but now she wants that for herself. Too bad the man she's set her sights on is more interested in keeping his distance. CHRISTMAS BELLS ARE RINGING by Lesley Ann McDaniel: Shelby Hughes finds a bag containing five beautiful hand-painted Christmas bells on the cream and sugar table of her coffee shop. No one comes back to claim it, so she decides to do a little detective work. Does she dare hope that it will lead her to the stranger with the magnetic green eyes? BROKEN HOLIDAY by Ginger Solomon: She takes refuge from a sudden winter storm in his barn. He wants her gone. But they're stuck, just how God planned it. GIFTS OF LOVE by Carol Moncado: Samantha Dean tries to avoid Vince Roberts as much as possible. When he volunteers them to plan the faculty Christmas party - and help out a newly widowed friend - she finds herself spending all her free time with him...whether she wants to or not. POLES APART by Marion Ueckermann: Writer’s block and a looming Christmas story deadline force romance novelist Sarah Jones to Lapland to fuel her muse. Substitute Santa Niklas Toivonen wants to help Sarah write her own happily-ever-after.

    It is the perfect way to escape her agonizingly boring suitor, Roger Gordon. It's also where she stumbles upon two new loves: sailing, and sailing instructor Trip Andrews. But this summer of fun turns to turmoil as her father's gambling problems threaten to ruin the family forever. Will free-spirited Marguerite marry Roger to save her father's name and fortune? Or will she follow her heart--even if it means abandoning the family she loves? Author Lorna Seilstad's fresh and entertaining voice will whisk readers away to a breezy lakeside summer holiday. Full of sharp wit and blossoming romance, "Making Waves" is the first book in the LAKE MANAWA SUMMERS series.

    When an obsessive fan forces Tracy to change her name to Grace Addison and go into hiding, the last thing she wants is to get to know the locals. Now, not one but two men have worked their way into her daily routine, much to the chagrin of jealous local girl Sophia, who insists on prying into Grace’s past and stirring up deadly trouble. Will Grace find love in Madison Falls…or will her stalker find her? Madison Falls. Home of faith, love, peach pie…and a dollop of danger.

     Maggie Golding, unconventional and artistic 50-something window dresser at Pettett & Mayfields London department store, never expected to fall in love with Edgar Pettett, staid and sensible heir to the business. Between her shaky faith, their huge differences, and his mother’s disapproval, how will they possibly work things out? Part of the Love in Store series, set in and around a grand London department store, the events in this story happen over Christmas and New Year, between books 2 and 3. But there's no need to have read the other books in the series to enjoy this stand-alone sweet and clean Christian romance featuring an older couple! Uses British spelling and grammar, and includes British English glossary.

    When her step-grandmother sends for her, Olivia returns with a plan. To marry the town’s wealthiest bachelor, Payton Vance. But things go quickly awry for the self-absorbed, arrogant, and angry woman. Secrets in her past, the devotion of a woman longing to be her grandmother, a destitute family, and Rusty Baker, the guy she humiliated in high school all push Olivia into an emotional battle only a Savior could help her win. Over a short amount of time, Olivia learns she can’t make it alone no matter how independent, ambitious, and stubborn she is. Something spiritual is at play here. Her return to Honey Creek was no random happening. God has chosen this particular time and place to give Olivia a choice. Either trust Him or lose everything.

    He works hard, plays hard, and answers to no one. So when his mother calls on Thanksgiving weekend begging him to come home after his stepfather has a stroke, Rick is more than a little reluctant. He's never liked Art and resents the man's presence in his life, despite the fact that his own father abandoned the family when Rick was just twelve. When what was supposed to be just a couple days helping out at the family bookstore turns into weeks of cashing out old ladies and running off the homeless man who keep hanging about, Rick's attitude sours even more.Still, slowly but surely, the little bookstore and its quirky patrons--as well as the lovely young woman who works at his side each day--work their magic on him, revealing to Rick the truth about his family, his own life, and the true meaning of Christmas. With skillful storytelling, Dan Walsh creates a Christmas story will have readers remembering every good and perfect gift of Christmas.

    At the same time, she is able to accept help and love from a handsome mystery boarder.

    

    Her sanctuary is a horse ranch, where she discovers solace in the breathtaking scenery she paints. But as the attentions of two brothers slowly soften the wall she hides behind, the past she yearns to escape becomes a menacing threat she cannot deny. Will Noelle find courage to give her broken heart to the One whose perfect love casts out all fear? Kristen Heitzmann skillfully creates a story resonating with emotion and a poignant spiritual journey.

    Brett!) so as not to commit career suicide, and keeping the "rewinding time" program secret, so Uncle Sam doesn't turn into Big Brother. Whew!Merrideth Randall’s day job is teaching history at McKendree College. But after hours she turns to her first love, historical research. And she has a tool other historians can only dream of—a computer program that rewinds time! Merrideth makes a virtual visit to the 1780s, hoping to be the first to locate Fort Piggot. Along the way, she gets a first-hand look at the lives of the courageous pioneers of the Illinois Country, who withstood Indian attacks, hardship, and loneliness to settle the rich land. One of the settlers is James Garretson, who risks his life to take the Gospel to the very tribe that wreaked havoc on his family. Merrideth is amazed that he could forgive a crime so huge. And hero or fool, James Garretson is the ancestor of her colleague Brett, a physics professor at McKendree College. With her findings, Merrideth is able to help Brett with his genealogy, but she can’t tell him everything she learned—like that he inherited his black hair and green eyes from James Garretson, or that his aunt’s poetry is eerily similar to the verse Garretson’s wife composed at her spinning wheel. Brett has rock-star status on campus, but amazingly enough, he seems to be pursuing Merrideth—in spite of her firm policy against dating co-workers. She would love to tell him about her amazing program, but he’s not so good at keeping secrets, and she’s determined to keep it safe from those who would exploit it. She has secrets about herself that she’d just as soon Brett didn’t find out either. While discretion is not his strong suit, one virtue he does have is patience, and he’s quite willing to wait for Merrideth to figure things out.

     My name is Rae, and this is my story. Regretfully, it begins on a sad note. Everything was taken from me when my husband died in a tragic car accident. The only person on Earth who could have possibly been hurting more than me was my beloved mother-in-law, Laura, who lost her husband and only sons in the same accident. Laura was forced to leave Arizona and return to New York, and I decided to go with her. I packed my things with no prospects or expectations; all I had was the undeniable urge to remain with her. As a result of becoming a widow at twenty-three, I was in a surreal frame of mind, and making a new start with my mother-in-law seemed like the only logical decision. Less than two weeks after the accident we were on our way to New York. I trusted we'd make it somehow, but never imagined someone greater than us already had a plan in place—a plan as romantic as a fairy-tale.

    With her mom in prison, and her father AWOL, Katie is sent to live with a squeaky-clean family who could have their own sitcom. She launches a full-scale plan to get sent back to the girls’ home when she finds herself in over her head...and heart. When Katie and her new "wrong crowd" get into significant trouble at school, she finds her punishment is restoring a historic theater with a crazy grandma who goes by the name of Mad Maxine. In the midst of her punishment, Katie uncovers family secrets that run deep, and realizes she's not the only one with a pain-filled past. Katie must decide if she'll continue her own family’s messed up legacy or embrace a new beginning in this place called In Between.

    Best-selling authors Gary Chapman and Catherine Palmer team up to show how four married couples, all in different stages in life, experience the joys and hardships of marriage as examined in Gary Chapman's "The Four Seasons of Marriage." In book one, Steve and Brenda face a common problem among middle-age couples: empty nest syndrome. Steve works too much, and with their two children out of the house, Brenda feels lonely and unfulfilled. In order to save their marriage, the two must learn to reconnect. Readers are also introduced to many charming characters, like Cody, the mentally challenged homeless man that shows up on Steve and Brenda's porch; Pete, who owns the Rods 'N' Ends tackle shop; and Patsy Pringle, who owns the Just As I Am beauty parlor, where much of the action takes place.The series is based on the marriage principles found in Gary Chapman's non-fiction book "The Four Seasons of Marriage." Similar in tone and light-hearted, quirky humor as Jan Karon's Mitford series, Fannie Flagg's books or "Steel Magnolias." Each book has a study guide that talks about the four seasons of marriage and the healing strategies depicted in that volume's story.