Book picks similar to
Upon Destiny's Song by Mike Ericksen
fiction
first-reads
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The Illegal Gardener
Sara Alexi - 2012
Her boys have grown and she has finally divorced her bullying husband. This is her time now.Whilst making her new home habitable, Juliet discovers she needs a sturdy helping hand with the unruly and neglected garden. Unwilling to share her newfound independence with anyone, but unable to do all the work by herself, she reluctantly enlists casual labour.Aaman has travelled to Greece from Pakistan illegally. Desperate to find a way out of poverty, his challenge is to find work and raise money for the harvester his village urgently need to survive.What he imagined would be a heroic journey in reality is fraught with danger and corruption. Aaman finds himself in Greece, and with each passing day loses a little more of himself as he survives his new life as an immigrant worker; illegal, displaced, unwanted and with no value. Hungry and stranded, how will he ever make it back home to Pakistan?In what begins as an uncomfortable exchange, Juliet hires Aaman to be her gardener, but resents the intrusion even though she needs the help. Aaman needs the work and money but resents the humiliation.In spite of themselves, as the summer progresses, they get to know one another and discover they have something in common. Pieces of their lives they have kept hidden even from themselves are exposed, with each helping the other to face their painful past.Will Juliet and Amaan finally let each other in? And what will be the outcome of this improbable conjoining of two lost souls?
Chasing Sunsets
Eva Marie Everson - 2011
A divorced mother of two, Kim resents her ex-husband for moving on with his life and living it up while she struggles to understand what went wrong. When her sons end up spending five weeks of summer vacation with their father, Kim's own father suggests a respite in the family vacation home on tiny Cedar Key Island. As Kim revisits her childhood memories and loves, she soon discovers that treasures in life are often buried, and mistakes--both past and present--become redeemable in God's hand.Readers will be swept away to an island retreat where they walk alongside Kim as she discovers that God's answers may not come easily, but they do come.
Lost Lady of Laramie
Robert Vaughan - 2015
A wife abandoned to the savage Sioux...a bold young beauty fights against two worlds of powerful men in search of love and fulfillment.
Soldier's Heart
Michele McKnight Baker - 2015
Young as they are, both must become the men of their families when their fathers are called to battle. When the war comes to their hometown of Carlisle and nearby Gettysburg, will they survive? An historically authentic, fast-paced, multicultural family saga, Soldier's Heart takes place over a fifteen-year period, culminating on April 9, 1865: Junior Thompson's twelfth birthday, and also the day General Lee will surrender, formally ending the Civil War. Though the victory of the war may be at hand, this unforgettable story reveals how the private battles of the heart rage on. Soldier's Heart is inspired by the untold true story of the Thompsons, a black family, and the Hendersons, a white family, who lived as neighbors in Carlisle, PA. The author is their direct descendant.
What's Done in The Dark: Season 1
Solae Devhine - 2011
Not only is he different but his wife, sister, brother, and best friend have changed.The only thing they have in common are their secrets and their need to hide them. They soon find out that all things will be brought to light… one way or another.This is the Complete First Season of the Best Selling Saga What's Done in the Dark.(27,136 Words) Revised Edition
The Final Salute
Kathleen M. Rodgers - 2008
In this business of flying fighter jets, the odds of staying alive are stacked against him. Haunted by the memories of dead friends killed in air mishaps, this Vietnam vet and father of three must deal with a devious commander, an animal-crazed neighbor, whose husband hates pilots, a beautiful, but suspicious wife and a rebellious teenage daughter. The last thing he needs is another war.But when Iraq invades Kuwait in the middle of a muggy Louisiana summer, duty calls. Tuck and the other pilots in his squadron head to the Middle East. Back in Louisiana, Gina Westerfield and other military wives learn that war is hell on the home front, too. Later, when tragedy strikes, everyone at Beauregard Air Force Base must pull together and live on or forever be consumed with grief. “The story pulls you in from the very beginning. The novel's climax and its aftermath are one of the most moving and satisfying I have ever read.”Dwight Jon Zimmerman, New York Times #1 bestselling author of Lincoln's Last Days “A realistic yet heartwarming and reaffirming assessment of life and love and dedication by the very people who guard our own lives.” Parris Afton Bonds, New York Times bestselling author & cofounder of Romance Writers of America.
Witch Myth (Yew Hollow Mystery #0)
Alexandira Clarke - 2017
When the coven falls mysteriously ill, Gwenlyn embarks on a quest for a cure with the dubious help of her dead sister, but can the duo accomplish their task before the witches run out of time?
Love Thine Enemy
Nora Fountain - 1998
Paris has always been one of her favourite places, but as she walks down the street on her first day and sees a tall stranger with cornflower blue eyes and hair the colour of wheat, she is hit by what the French call un coup de foudre, and her life is changed forever. Maximilian von Engelberg is a German, but despite being proud of Germany, he is against the Nazis, unlike his brother Herman, who is with the SS. He, too, hopes war can be averted, but knows it is a matter of time. He also knows he should stay away from Helen Latimer, but he can’t help himself. Christian Meursault is the Count of Clemenceau, and owns a chateau in Normandy. He has his friends for a weekend, including Helen and Max, and as they play in the pool and eat fabulous food, no one can imagine war. But soon, Hitler invades Poland, and war is inevitable. As Helen’s brother Charles calls her home, Max’s brother Herman insists he return to the Fatherland as well. But when Helen discovers she is pregnant, Max decides they will marry, and escape to Portugal, a country that is neutral. But fate has other plans for them, and Max ends up in Germany. Soon they are both married to other people, as war rages around them. But despite impossible odds, this is not the end of the story for Max, who ends up based in Normandy, and Helen, who starts to work for the French Resistance when her beloved brother Charles is shot down over the English Channel. With so much death, who knows who will survive, and at what cost? Rich in history and filled with the joy of life, Love Thine Enemy is a satisfying read brimming with romance and love during a very dark time. Praise for Nora Fountain ‘Love conquers all in this moving historical romance’ – Holly Kinsella Nora Fountain is a professional novelist and translator. Her short stories have been published in many magazines in the UK and abroad. She writes both contemporary and historical romance, and loves to paint. Nora has served on the committee of the Romantic Novelists Association and is a member of the Society of Authors and the Chartered Institute of Linguists. She lives in Dorset, where she finds Thomas Hardy country and the people who live there, an inspiration.
Cavendon Hall
Barbara Taylor Bradford - 2014
Cavendon Hall is home to two families, the aristocratic Inghams and the Swanns who serve them. Charles Ingham, the sixth Earl of Mowbray, lives there with his wife Felicity and their six children. Walter Swann, the premier male of the Swann family, is valet to the earl. His wife Alice, a clever seamstress who is in charge of the countess's wardrobe, also makes clothes for the four daughters. For centuries, these two families have lived side-by-side, beneath the backdrop of the imposing Yorkshire manor. Lady Daphne, the most beautiful of the Earl's daughters, is about to be presented at court when a devastating event changes her life and threatens the Ingham name. With World War I looming, both families will find themselves tested in ways they never thought possible. Loyalties will be challenged and betrayals will be set into motion. In this time of uncertainty, one thing is sure: these two families will never be the same again. Cavendon Hall is Barbara Taylor Bradford at her very best, and its sweeping story of secrets, love, honor, and betrayal will have readers riveted up to the very last page.
The Fifth Doll
Charlie N. Holmberg - 2017
She’s diligent in her chores and has agreed to marry a man of their choosing. But a visit to Slava, the local tradesman, threatens to upend her entire life.Entering his empty house, Matrona discovers a strange collection of painted nesting dolls—one for every villager. Fascinated, she can’t resist the urge to open the doll with her father’s face. But when her father begins acting strangely, she realizes Slava’s dolls are much more than they seem.When he learns what she’s done, Slava seizes the opportunity to give Matrona stewardship over the dolls—whether she wants it or not. Forced to open one of her own dolls every three days, she falls deeper into the grim power of Slava’s creations. But nothing can prepare her for the profound secret hiding inside the fifth doll.
John Yancey
Morris Fenris - 2014
John Yancey, Pinkerton agent. Right now John has been hired by Noah Harper to locate a thieving half-sister. According to Noah, Cecelia Powell made off with part of his inheritance after their father died unexpectedly in a carriage accident, and Noah wants it back. John’s acceptance of the case takes him from her connection with an exclusive boarding school in Switzerland to a Boston madam’s bawdy house to the 1860 gold fields of California. San Francisco, to be exact. But all is not as it seems. For one thing, pretty Miss Powell doesn’t fit anyone’s image of a criminal. For another, she is apparently living far too respectable a life, as owner and headmistress of an Academy for Girls. Just how much of what Noah has claimed is actually true? Still, delving into the young woman’s background reveals that she was, indeed, born in a bordello; and she has become the owner, whether legally or not, of controlling interest in a gold mining conglomerate. Further investigation finds that she is sharing residence with an older man, Gabriel Finnegan, while at the same time becoming betrothed to one of the city’s pillars of society, insipid and ineffectual Josiah Kingsley. Josiah is neither too insipid nor ineffectual, however, to demand complete financial and emotional control over his vacillating bride-to-be upon their marriage. The lady herself is proving to be an enigma. Finished with what he can, John sends his report, per arrangement, to Noah Harper via Pony Express. San Francisco’s attractions beckon, and he is able to explore the area, getting acquainted with townspeople and businesses. Nice enough, he decides. Maybe he’ll relocate here, settle down, start his own agency. Meanwhile, he has dealt with any complications arising from the Powell case and considers it closed. Until Noah Harper unexpectedly shows up, armed with all of John’s information and spoiling for a fight. That’s when the complications really begin. ***** Taking the High Road is a series of 10 books detailing the adventures and exploits of the Yancey Brothers.
Three Daughters
Consuelo Saah Baehr - 1988
Uprooted by war, Miriam enters a world where the old constraints slip away with thrilling and disastrous results. Miriam’s rebellious daughter, Nadia, is thrilled with the opportunity for a modern life that her elite education provides. But when she falls in love with an outsider, the clan reins her back with a shocking finality. Nijmeh, Nadia's daughter, is an only child and the path her father, the sheik, sets for her is fraught with difficulties, yet it prepares her for her ultimate journey to America, where she finds her future.Each woman, in her own time and in her own way, experiences a world in transition through war and social change...and each must stretch the bounds of her loyalty, her courage, and her heart.
The Pursuit of Lucy Banning
Olivia Newport - 2012
Expected to marry an up-and-coming banker from a respected family, Lucy fears she will be forced to abandon her charity work--and the classes she is secretly taking at the newly opened University of Chicago. When she meets an unconventional young architect who is working on plans for the upcoming 1893 World's Fair, Lucy imagines a life lived on her own terms. Can she break away from her family's expectations? And will she ever be loved for who she truly is? Readers will love being swept away into a world of mansions, secrets, and romance as they follow Lucy through the streets of the Windy City during one of the most exciting times in the city's history. From opulent upper-class homes to the well-worn rooms of an orphanage, Olivia Newport breathes life and romance into the pages of history--and everyone is invited.
Shooting Star
Patricia M. Clark - 2013
One phone call unravels that tidy world when she is summoned to the bedside of her critically ill mother, whose dying declaration stuns her. She is the adopted daughter of a murdered prostitute with an entire family she’s never met. After her mother’s funeral, Joal decides to stay in Indiana to figure out who she really is and poke around the edges of her birth family. As an investigative reporter, Joal has unraveled hundreds of sordid business deals and personal relationships. Eventually someone reveals the truth, but her mother’s murder isn’t the cliché “prostitute killed by pimp.” The answer may lie with the only witnesses. Her grandmother, the matriarch who tries to keep the family together. Her two brothers, one now a supremely optimistic minister and the other an overly pessimistic doctor. Or the murderer himself, now incarcerated in an Indiana prison.From the homey heartland of Indiana to the humid jungles of Vietnam, Joel follows two stories riddled with criminal acts and hidden agendas. Her work sends her overseas to follow a homebuilder Ponzi scheme while at home she widens the net to include some more colorful members of her family. Unwittingly, they all provide little pieces to a puzzle that begins to come together revealing a conspiracy of silence that has been suppressed for over three decades.Shooting Star is first and foremost the story of a woman trying to reclaim her shattered identity. Only by uncovering the essential truths about the mother she never knew can she put some kind of stability back into her life. Solving a thirty year old murder and finding her place in a family she never knew existed are just added bonuses.
The Legend Begins
S.A. Ferkey - 2013
The Jailer's Son: The Legend Begins is Book #1 of The Jailer's Son series of action adventure westerns. Maxwell Beck is no average boy. Thanks to his Pa’s insistence, he’s a sharpshooter, sleight of hand artist, acrobat, and cardsharp. These are handy, yet highly unusual skills for the son of a traveling salesman. Even so, Max thinks he's living a normal life, until one fateful day when he inadvertently sets a chain of monumental events in motion. Just days after his Ma dies, Max accidentally shoots his Pa. It's then that Max learns a secret about his past that will change his life forever, and maybe even chase him to the ends of the earth. Max's Pa might be dying, but he's insistent that they reach the Old West town of Deadwood before he leaves this earth. Max does as he asks only to find himself face to face with an uncle he never knew existed. Uncle Chase "Turtle" Beck, the sheriff of Deadwood, is not pleased to see his dying "no good" brother, nor his son. Turtle's displeasure seems to linger even after Max's Pa dies. However, as Max rides out of Deadwood, his uncle intercepts him and offers him a job at his ranch. It isn't clear what Turtle's intentions are -- Max saved him from being shot in the back by two outlaw brothers shortly after riding into Deadwood, or maybe it's because he's kin -- but Max decides to give ranch life a try. His uncle has only one request: that Max keeps his special skill set to himself. It's an easy adjustment for Max. He enjoys the company of the other cowboys, and meets Patience, a sassy-mouthed blond who he believes is destined to be his wife. It turns out this happy time in Max's life is only the quiet before the storm. When an outlaw gang savagely attacks Turtle and threatens to strip Max of all he holds dear, he is forced to break his promise to his uncle. As Max sets out to stop the evil that has the power to destroy all he loves, he tries to put the events his birth mother predicted for him out of his mind -- even as they come true, one by one. The ensuing battle of good against evil gives birth to a legend for the ages: the legend of the jailer’s son. Like westerns with action and intriguing characters? Scroll up and click the BUY button now to begin your adventure!