Book picks similar to
Lily's Sister by Karen J. Hasley


romance
historical-fiction
historical
fiction

On the Winds of Change


Misty Griffin - 2015
    Life in post civil war Iowa was harsh, especially if you were Amish, but this was the only life Hannah Troyer had ever known. Not long after Hannah marries Benjamin Stoltz she and her husband agree to move to the untamed open plains of Kansas to help start a new community. In Kansas, Hannah is faced with dangers and hardships that are foreign to her. When she and one of her brothers are kidnapped by marauding Indians, Hannah is thrust into a nightmare that tests her strength and brings into question the love of those at the very core of her family circle. In the midst of this crisis, Hannah and her little brother discover an unlikely heroine. This heroine's acts of bravery and kindness will forever challenge everything Hannah has ever been taught.Books in this Series1. On the Winds of Change2. Forbidden Heritage

Sacrifice and Reward


Robin Deeter - 2016
    By this time, most of the Kiowa bands have been pushed west by the Lakota, who are on the move southward from the Great Lakes region. These invaders from the north want the game-rich, lush pasture lands of the territory for themselves. However, one small Kiowa band is determined to remain in their early homelands in the region of what will be one day known as eastern South Dakota. These two enemy tribes are brought face-to-face through the vision of a young Kiowa medicine man. Sky Dancer, a beautiful, Kiowa widow, and proud Lakota warrior, Dark Horse, are forced to marry in order to create an alliance between their peoples. Right from the beginning they clash in a test of wills, loathing each other on sight, making a happy marriage seem out of the question. Will the sacrifice that is asked of them save their tribes? Can these two enemies overcome their initial hatred to find love in unlikely place or will distrust keep them from the reward they both crave?

Teton Sunrise


Peggy L. Henderson - 2013
    For six long years, she’s waited and wondered if he would return. After the shocking murder of her parents, her brother is the only family she has left. Refusing to accept a betrothal to a man she doesn’t love, she decides to take control of her destiny and confront her parents’ killer. Growing up, Alexander Walker has known only violence at the hands of his cruel father. After the death of his mother, he embarks on a journey into the uncharted wilderness to test his resolve as a fur trapper and mountain man. When an impulsive decision leads him back to his childhood home, he finds more than he bargained for.Amid the rugged Teton wilderness, fate suddenly throws Alex and Evelyn together. The quiet protective boy she remembers is now as strange to her as the world she’s been forced into. Wary of the hardened man he has become, Evelyn must put her trust in him in order to survive. Alex’s memories of Evelyn are of a pesky little girl, but he can’t deny his growing feelings for the beautiful and spirited woman she is now. His biggest obstacle in winning her heart may not be her uncertainty of him, but a fear that has haunted him all his life. In a primitive and brutal world, can Alex and Evelyn forge a love as solid as the mountains, or will the past come back to haunt them both?

The House of Closed Doors


Jane Steen - 2012
    Yet Nell is determined to elude the duties and restrictions of matrimony. So when she finds herself pregnant at the age of 17, she refuses to divulge the name of the father and even her childhood friend Martin is kept in the dark.Nell's stepfather Hiram sends Nell to live at the Poor Farm of which he is a governor, to await the day when her baby can be discreetly adopted. Nell is ready to go along with Hiram's plans until an unused padded cell is opened and two small bodies fall out.Nell is the only resident of the Poor Farm who is convinced that the unwed mother and her baby were murdered, and the incident prompts her to rethink her decision to abandon her own child to her fate. But the revelations to which her questions lead make her realize that even if she manages to escape the Poor Farm with her baby, she may have no safe place to run to.

Push Not the River


James Conroyd Martin - 2000
    It is then, at the young and vulnerable age of seventeen, when Lady Anna Maria Berezowska loses both of her parents and must leave the only home she has ever known. With Empress Catherine's Russian armies streaming in to take their spoils, Anna is quickly thrust into a world of love and hate, loyalty and deceit, patriotism and treason, life and death. Even kind Aunt Stella, Anna's new guardian who soon comes to personify Poland's courage and spirit, can't protect Anna from the uncertain future of the country. Anna, a child no longer, turns to love and comfort in the form of Jan, a brave patriot and architect of democracy, unaware that her beautiful and enigmatic cousin Zofia has already set her sights on the handsome young fighter. Thus Anna walks unwittingly into Zofia's jealous wrath and darkly sinister intentions. Forced to survive several tragic events, many of them orchestrated by the crafty Zofia, a strengthened Anna begins to learn to place herself in the way of destiny--for love and for country. Heeding the proud spirit of her late father, Anna becomes a major player in the fight against the countries who come to partition her beloved Poland. PUSH NOT THE RIVER is based on the true eighteenth century diary of Anna Maria Berezowska, a Polish countess who lived through the rise and fall of the historic Third of May Constitution. Vivid, romantic, and thrillingly paced, it paints the emotional and unforgettable story of the metamorphosis of a nation--and of a proud and resilient young woman.

More Precious Than Gold


Lynn Dean - 2011
    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.

Seductive Secrets


Carrie James Haynes - 2012
    Shunned from London society for being the daughter of England’s most notorious spy, Alyce Hythe desires only to clear her father’s name. For years, she has been hidden away from all prying eyes, given a new identity and told to forget who she was. But strange things have been happening causing old rumors to once more be whispered.Long has Lord Julian Casvelyn lived with guilt brought on when his brother was murdered by England’s most infamous traitor. But one eventful night has changed everything Lord Julian believed about his brother’s death. Never did he suspect the woman he has just saved from certain harm is the daughter of that man. Now Julian is caught in midst of a conspiracy and desire for that woman.Thrown together by fate, the two search for answers long denied them and along the way discover a love that can free them both.Previously published as Daughter of Deceit under Carrie James Haynes

Mail Order Brides of Texas


Kathleen Ball - 2017
    Enjoy the happiness, love and sorrows of the brides to be and of course there is mystery and mayhem sprinkled in! Cinder's BrideWinner of the 2015 Diamond Lear Award for Best Historical Romance and Rone Award Finalist Shannon McMurphy travels to Asherville, Texas as a mail order bride expecting to marry a rancher. Instead, her intended is a saloonkeeper. Her refusal to marry enrages John Hardy and he slices her cheek with a knife so no other man would want her. She runs into the street and no one helps her until blond, blue-eyed Cinders rescues her. Sexy, rancher Cinders saves Shannon and offers her a job. To protect her reputation he must marry her. They both agree it’s a marriage of convenience. He admires her spunk and willingness to learn everything about surviving the Texas frontier. He waits for her to ask to go home but she never does. They learn a lot about each other through, stolen horses, Indian troubles, a cattle drive and the busybodies of the town. Their attraction for each other grows, but can they learn to trust enough to love? Keegan’s Bride Keegan Quinn watches the passengers disembark wondering where his mail order bride is. All he sees is a woman with a husband and child. Upon approaching the young woman, he discovers she is his bride, and she has a daughter she never mentioned. As they cross the street, the little girl screams for her daddy and points to the man who accompanied them on the stage. Rancher Keegan Quinn is furious. The married woman swindled him into paying passage for her and her child. It was fool hardy to think a mail order bride would want him. He rides out of town as fast as he can, vowing never to look back. It’s a loco dream to think he can have a family while constantly looking over his shoulder. Addy has no idea why Peg calls the new sheriff daddy. It cost her, Keegan, the man she hoped to make a life with. She has many secrets, but the sheriff is not one of them. She needs Keegan to keep her safe from her past in Boston. Once he learns the truth, he’ll send her back, but it’s a chance she’s willing to take.Shane’s Bride Rescued from Indians, Cecily McGuinness suffers from horrendous nightmare; ones that have her running from her lodging into the woods. She’ll never be normal again and most of the townspeople look at her with disdain. All she ever wanted was a family and a place to call home. Sheriff Shane O'Connor is tired of tracking Cecily down each time she takes flight. Finally he makes her an offer to keep his house and help turn it into a farm. Her past doesn’t taint her in his eyes. In fact he finds himself very attracted to her but keeps his distance. She’d suffered enough at the hands of Long Nose. Amid cheating gamblers, old friends who unexpectedly show up and a fire, a closeness develops between them. Cecily believes she isn’t fit to be a wife anymore. Can Shane convince her heart and soul that she is indeed worthy of a great love? Tramps Bride Handsome Cowboy Tramp Hart left his home and friends over a year ago. He's finally back to make amends and take his place on the ranch. That is until he walks into the house he designed and finds a woman living there. He needs a plan to get her out so he can move in. Mail Order Bride Ilene Duffy traveled from New York City to Asherville, Texas only to find out her marriage contract was no longer valid. Rancher Cinders and his wife Shannon offer her an empty house on their land. Ilene has no intentions of getting married.Poor Boy’s Christmas Poor Boy finally comes home. He’s no longer the waif we grew to love; he is very much a man now.

Restless Hearts


Mona Ingram - 2014
    Denied her dream of attending medical school, Sarah Howard is desperate to leave Boston far behind. Determined to prove that she can make it on her own, she poses as a married woman and boards a schooner bound for San Francisco. Stuck working in his family’s merchant bank, Jamie Thompson eagerly accepts the challenge of setting up a branch in San Francisco. He’s been restless for some time now, and barely escaped the clutches of the woman determined to marry him. The attraction between Sarah and Jamie is instant and powerful, yet each has something to prove, if only to themselves. Will their single-minded determination derail a blossoming romance?

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?

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.

Paper Roses


Amanda Cabot - 2009
    Leaving the past behind in Philadelphia, mail-order bride Sarah arrives in San Antonio ready to greet her groom, Austin Canfield, a man she has never met but whose letters have won her heart from afar. But there is one problem--he has died. And Sarah cannot go back East.As Sarah tries to reconcile herself to a future that is drastically changed, Austin's brother, Clay, struggles with his own muddled plans. Though he dislikes working on the family ranch and longs for a different life, Clay is driven to avenge his brother's death. But something between them is growing and neither Clay nor Sarah is ready to admit it. Book 1 of the Texas Dreams series, Paper Roses will sweep readers into the Hill Country with a tale of love and loss, closed doors and beautiful possibilities that will leave them wanting more.

The Calling of Ella McFarland


Linda Brooks Davis - 2018
    But in the male dominated world of 1905, scandal clouds her family name and may limit her to grueling farm labor in Indian Territory. As hope for Oklahoma statehood rises, a new love buds in her heart, and the woman's suffrage debate rages, Ella encounters an abused sharecropper's daughter, forcing her to make decisions she never imagined about her faith, family, and aspirations. What toll will the turmoil demand of Ella's dream? And what call might God lay on her heart?

The Teacher's Bride


Natalie Dean - 2017
    Marston isn’t so sure about this arrangement. Will he finally cave-in…just in time for a Christmas wedding? Greta Samuelson was only fourteen the year Kansas bled, but by the time the Civil War had ended, she was a woman of steel. The war had left only broken pieces of men for single women to comb through, so there wasn’t much for her in Atchison, Kansas. She longs to go west where her brother is. When the wagon train driver arrives in town, he’s got a letter he wants her to see. It’s from a schoolteacher announcing his desire for a wife, primarily asking for a woman of good composure, strong sensibilities and sufficient education to assist him. Greta has not had a great deal of formal education, but she has a good writing hand, and sends back a letter saying she is interested. When Marston first meets Greta, he is disappointed. He had expected a mature, scholarly woman, not a mere slip of a twenty-year-old girl. Greta, however, sets out to prove she is a woman to contend with, even for a thirty-two-year-old teacher. She rolls up her sleeves and takes on the Wild West with as much fortitude as she had shown while living through the Civil War. But can she win Marston’s heart in time to be a Christmas bride? Or will he decide she is too young for him… AUTHOR’S NOTE: Enjoy this clean historical western romance short story! I have plans to turn it into a series to keep you happily reading. Also included are 3 bonus stories! Don’t miss out on this one…it’s one of my best written stories yet!

Kissing the Enemy


Leighann Dobbs - 2016
    As the plain looking older sister, she's practically invisible at social events. Never mind that she has no experience as a spy or that the codebook rests in the possession of one of the most powerful men in England. Freddie has no choice-she's desperate to save her young sister from the lecherous intentions of their guardian and recovering the book is her only option. Tristan Graylocke has never been able to measure up to his brother, the Duke of Tenwick.  But being second best has its advantages. No one pressures him to get married and produce an heir, leaving him to carouse at will-an activity that lends itself perfectly to the brothers’ secret lives as spies. When an alluring enemy spy shows up at the house party planned specifically for the purposes of passing along a code book, Tristan finds himself drawn under her spell. Freddie seems innocent and inexperienced.  Is her innocence is a clever guise, or is she being coerced by someone? Tristan and Freddie soon find themselves engaged in a seductive game of cat and mouse where each will do what they must for their country, especially if it involves kissing the enemy.