It is the late 1960s and the family enjoy an idyllic life in the Vale of Kashmir, despite the area being riddled with conflict and poverty. But after a devastating earthquake wipes out her entire family, Jaya is taken into the care of relatives in Delhi, who attempt to marry her off and keep secret from her the possibility that Tahir, her younger brother, has survived the earthquake. After escaping from the arranged marriage Jaya is put through medical training in Scotland, as she had always dreamed, and where she develops feelings for her foster family’s eldest son, Alastair, who is engaged to someone else. In the meantime, Tahir has been abducted by a band of Kashmiri freedom fighters, who have made him one of their own. Jaya finally returns to her troubled homeland to find him and come to terms with the loss of her family. Alastair, who arrives in Kashmir to announce his love for Jaya, is kidnapped by the freedom fighters, forcing her to risk everything to get him back.

    Life isn't easy for widowed George Vannin and his young daughter, but somehow George has raised the child alone and Ellan adores her father. Ellan is ten years old when the shaft at Foxdale Mine collapses, and her father never comes up. From then on she lives with Aunt Maud, a dour woman with a quick temper. Her husband had died in a mining accident too, and she never forgave the family at the Big House for their part in the tragedy. When Ellan is offered a chance to better herself at the Big House, Aunt Maud savagely forbids it. Ellan's chance is yet to come, but she has a long way to go before she finds the happiness she deserves...

     But there is more to Alexander Armstrong than meets the eye. When it becomes clear his intentions are pure, she is determined to help him on his quest. But will the looming threat of the Second World War ruin everything... or will Greta finally find love?

    The day after the troupe arrives in tiny Morgan’s Crossing, the manager takes all the money and leaves town. By opening a dressmaker shop, Cinnia hopes to make the home she’s always wanted, but Nola, the older sister who has made the decisions for the orphaned sisters, disagrees. Leather worker Nicolai Andrusha is living in hiding as Nic Andrews until the patent on his family’s tanning process is approved. Although he’s under a mandate to keep a low profile, he’s intrigued by the red-haired performer. Controversy arises when miners claim they paid the manager for private appointments with the female performers. Will Nicolai defy his family obligation to help the stranded beauty who has caught his eye?

     Rose couldn’t wait to meet her husband, only she didn’t realize that he had never wanted a wife. Tired of playing servant to her father, Rose Johnson decides to become a bride. She had been corresponding with William Dunn for the past six months and couldn’t wait to join him in Hope Creek to become his wife and mother to his twins. When she steps off the train in the strange frontier town, Rose realizes William Dunn isn’t who he proclaimed himself to be. Arriving on William’s ranch, Rose realizes the lies have been far flung.  In a hopeless situation, the only light in Rose’s life is the twins. She soon falls in love with them, knowing that she couldn’t leave no matter what the circumstances. When she happens upon an injured man late one winter’s night, her instinct is to cry out for help. But something in the stranger’s eyes settled her and she takes to caring for him in his time of need instead. Only a week before Christmas, Rose doesn’t have the heart to turn him out in the cold. Besides, time with him warms her heart. Who is the stranger in the barn? Which way will Rose turn? Does she follow her heart? Can she leave the children she has grown to love? Will Christmas become a magical moment for Rose?

    But when he rode to the family home, he made two shocking discoveries: his family was gone, and he had been declared dead by the army four years earlier. He left to cross the plains of Nebraska to find his family, but would find so much more.

    Just when she thinks the nightmare can’t get any worse, her father is charged with the crime. Rachel will do anything to prove his innocence, but her loyalty is tested to the limits when she crosses paths with Nicholas Hunter, the ruthless prosecutor bent on sending her father to prison… Nick Hunter is thirsty for justice, a man made cynical by the horrors he experienced in childhood. He shows mercy to no one…until he encounters Rachel Calloway, the first woman ever to make him question his convictions. From the moment they meet, a forbidden attraction sizzles between them that neither can ignore.As danger lurks in the shadows, Rachel soon finds herself in the biggest fight for her heart…and her life.Ghosts of Fire is a 97,000 word romantic suspense novel that was originally published in 2002.Praise for the Romantic Suspense Novels of Maureen Smith“…a haunting, suspenseful story that documents Maureen Smith as a writer of considerable promise and ability” — Midwest Book Review on Ghosts of Fire “Few authors pen work that is so thoroughly engrossing the characters leave a lasting impression” — Romantic Times on With Every Breath“…keeps you guessing and hoping that these two will get together and find the perpetrators responsible…one of the best romantic suspense stories I’ve read in a long time” — The Romance Readers Connection on A Heartbeat Away“With a deft touch and solid cast of characters, Smith gives equal credence to spicy romance and nail-biting suspense on her way to an explosive conclusion” — Publishers Weekly on Whisper My Name“Smith weaves a captivating tale of mayhem and murder…a romantic suspense thriller that will stay with you long after you turn the final page” — San Antonio Express-News on Whisper My Name“…a tense page-turner that will further enhance Smith’s reputation in the romantic suspense genre—a reputation that is well deserved” — Romantic Times on Like No One Else

    Caught in the crossfire, it’s everything Lucius and Boz can do to save Ruby from the slaughter and bring her back alive. Only thing is, they have to save themselves first . . .“A writer who can tell a great adventure with authority and wit.” —John S. McCord, author of the Baynes Clan novels“One of the top writers of Westerns working in the genre today.” —Peter BrandvoldAbout the Author:J. Lee Butts is the author of 22 published books and numerous magazine articles and short works. His book Brotherhood of Blood was runner-up for the Western Writers of America Spur Award in 2005. He’s worn many hats over the years (teacher, administrator, pool manager, IBM supervisor, and western author), and he and his late wife lived everywhere from Los Angeles to Dallas. Currently he’s hanging those hats back in White Hall, Arkansas.

    So when years later her husband dies, leaving her penniless and with three young children to support, Caroline's first thought is to head for the place she has envisaged as home: Dept Ford. But to her horror, she finds that Dept Ford is not the country village she'd imagined, but in the middle of London, a huge, teeming city the likes of which she's never seen.Luckily a kindly passer-by takes pity on her weary children and puts them on the tram to a place where she might find lodgings which, as it turns out, is in Rotherhithe, not Deptford. And so it is Culver Road that becomes her true home, where Carrie - as her neighbours call her - and her family, helped out by the irrepressible Flo and her soft-hearted docker husband Alf, find themselves battling through times both good and bad. And it is in Culver Road that Carrie meets Jim, the enigmatic sailor who is to change her life ...

    Along the way, they will find unexpected babies, kidnappings, and even love. If you’re a fan of clean western romance, you will love this collection of four stories. This collection of story of sweet western romance stories includes the complete Texas Brides series plus the first book in the Wyoming Brides and Babies series. Included Stories: A Bride for the Widowed Rancher with a Baby Girl - After tragedy strikes Roxie’s family in New York, she is forced to go West as a mail order bride. On the way to her betrothed, she gets stuck in Alanreed, Texas where she soon learns God may have other plans for her. Rescuing Little Rena - Faced with extreme adversity, Augusta and Lee will have to quickly learn to trust each other…and the Lord…if they hope to survive and ultimately start a happy family. A Bride for the Wandering Missionary - He is searching to share God’s word. She’s been living among the Comanche. Together, they can share the Love of God and just might find love themselves. A Bride for the Wealthy Rancher with a Baby - Libby travels all the way to Wyoming to find love and start a family as a mail order bride. When she arrives, things don’t work out as planned, but she is determined to find love and start a new family.

    But he knows there are some things money can’t buy, like Kendra Shepherd’s heart. Can a rough-and-tumble cowboy and a ladylike divorcée find lasting love? Crazier dreams have come true under the vast Montana sky. Bad News Cowboy by Maisey Yates If Kate Garrett could choose her dream man, he wouldn’t be her older brother’s best friend, Jack Monaghan. Sexy and shameless, Jack is the kind of trouble you don’t tangle with unless you want your heart broken. But when Kate lassoes him into giving her some flirting tips, the two of them get caught up in the kind of trouble he’s spent his life avoiding. Can Kate convince Jack that love is the best risk of all?

    To escape that lifestyle, Ruby answers a mail order bride ad of a man in Waterhole, Texas looking for someone with upstanding morals to help clean up his town.When Ruby arrives in town, dressed in a saloon gown and toting her younger brother, Timmy, Seth thinks he's been duped and the last thing he wants is a child in his life, having recently lost his own.Will time spent together prove to him that Ruby is who she said she was and can Seth learn to love again?

    

    In Tanners Alley in Bermondsey, Ruby Neal gives birth to a son, Paul. On the edge of a paddy field in Eastern China, a young woman dies giving premature birth to a girl. A travelling trader takes pity and takes the tiny child to the Anglican mission to be cared for. He becomes the child's guardian and names her Mei Li Ching.By the time Paul and Mei Li reach their twenty-first birthdays, they could not have had more different lives. And it is only as a consequence of war that they ever meet. Instantly attracted to each other, they are soon to discover the problems their cultural differences - and family prejudices - will bring.

    His dreams come crashing down around him when he learns that his secret courtship with Millie Benson has resulted in the news that she is with child. The young couple struggle with this new reality, and though Benjamin had already proposed to her before they learned the news, the wedding must now be rushed, at the insistence of their parents.A tragic accident threatens both their lives and that of their unborn child, forcing Benjamin to truly grasp what's most important in life; family and love. Despite numerous challenges, the young couple faces an uncertain future; turning away from dreams to deal with the demands and responsibilities of life. Will Benjamin be forced to choose between his aspirations and his love for Millie? Can his father forgive him for his mistakes? Will tragedy bring the young couple closer together or rip them apart? Benjamin learns the true meaning of love after an accident changes his life and future forever. With the support of family and friends in Aspen Falls, he turns to the future – and toward the hope that everything will work out. Historical western romance short story series.