Book picks similar to
Shadow of Shame by Barbara Goss


romance
historical
contemporary
novella

Elise's Journey


Karla Gracey - 2016
    Tragically widowed and with a young son to look out for, she finds herself beholden to her husband's family and their grip is chafing. Having come from Scotland, she knows the mountains and the fresh air will be a tonic for her and her son, Bailey, but will the wilds of Montana be far enough away for her to be free of the Mitchell's clutches? Tom Greening loves his land, loves his cattle, and loves the single life. But, when his housekeeper decides to take matters into her own hands to find him a bride he finds himself intrigued, and even begins to think he might just be the marrying kind after all. But Tom has a secret, and it has haunted him for too long. Will it ruin everything and take from him the family he never knew he wanted?

To Claim Her Heart


Jodie Wolfe - 2018
    Finding property and preaching to the lost are his only ways of honoring his deceased fiancée. He hasn't counted on Elmer (Elsie) Smith claiming the same plot and refusing to leave. Not only is she a burr in his side, but she is full of the homesteading know-how he is sadly lacking. Obtaining a claim in the Cherokee Strip Land Run is Elsie Smith's only hope for survival, and not just any plot, she has a specific one in mind. The land's not only a way to honor her pa and his life, but also to provide a livelihood for herself. She's willing to put in whatever it takes to get that piece of property, and Elsie's determined to keep it. Her bitterness is what protects her, and she has no intentions of allowing that preacher to lay claim to her land . . . or her heart. Written for the General Market (G) (I): Contains little or no; sexual dialogue or situations, violence, or strong language. May also contain some content of an inspirational/religious nature. Similar novels in this genre may be categorized as: historical romance, inspirational historical romance, christian romance, and wholesome historical romance.

Tattered Hearts


Kathleen Ball - 2018
    A caring Civil War captain. Can they overcome reconstruction and his cruel mother to find a loving marriage?Texas, 1867. Georgie O’Rourke left Tennessee after the Civil War took everything from her. But when she answers a mail order bride ad, she never thought her arrival would surprise her new husband. It was the handsome captain’s mother who sent in the ad, and the mentally unstable matriarch may also take Georgie to her breaking point…Captain Parker Eastman’s responsibilities haven’t ended after the Confederate Army surrendered. While he agrees to marry Georgie and welcome her into his ranch, he feels he has no choice but to leave her with his mother so he can stop land grabbers on the range. But over a month away may do more damage to his new wife than he ever anticipated…With Georgie at the mercy of Mother Eastman, she questions whether she’ll survive the war’s aftermath. When Parker returns home, can he somehow regain his wife's trust to reclaim a marriage of admiration and love?Tattered Hearts is the first book in the Mail Order Brides of Spring Water series of historical western romance novels. If you like suspenseful but sweet relationships, Civil War heroes, and twists you won’t see coming, then you’ll love Kathleen Ball’s tale of frontier affection.

Heart of Gold (Hearts of the West #1)


Kate Marie Clark - 2018
    The only problem— a man is after her and will do whatever it takes to rob her of the fortune. Desperate to preserve her life and inheritance, Charlotte travels to Crooked Creek, Colorado in search of her uncle, the only man she believes can help her. Instead, Charlotte finds a young deputy in her uncle’s place, a man with uncommonly upright morals and lovely blue eyes… When Deputy Everett Myers first encounters Old Jez’s niece, he determines she’s nothing but trouble. But for the right price, Everett agrees to act as Charlotte’s protector. His only problem—Charlotte keeps getting in the way and complicating an already dangerous situation. Worst of all, Everett finds himself falling for her dark eyes and unmatched determination...

The Sheriff's Mail Order Rescue


Amelia Rose
    And with her grandmother’s health declining, Clara is living with the weight of the world on her shoulders – but her grandmother isn’t having any of it.Feisty and tenacious, Eugenia isn’t about to let her granddaughter throw her life away – and so she advertises on Clara’s behalf as a mail-order bride.Clara is furious when she discovers her grandmother’s plot, but as Matt’s response catches her eye, Clara warms to the idea of marrying a sheriff and starting over in a new town.Together, Clara and her grandmother set out for Iron Creek. But the journey is long and hard going – and things only get worse as their wagon train crosses paths with a gang of bandits.Clara can only hope that Matt will come for them before it is too late – but with such a rocky start, what hope will be left for their future together?The Sheriff’s Mail-Order Rescue is a thrilling romance that will charm its way into your heart. Will Matt and Clara find a way to be together? Or is their relationship about to end before it has even begun?

The River Girl's Song


Angela C. Castillo - 2015
    With only a mule and a hundred-year-old shotgun, she must fight to protect what’s hers. Countless dangers lurk on the Bastrop Texas riverside. Zillia must rely on the help of her best friends, Soonie and Wylder, to hold her world together. With Zillia’s struggles come unexpected miracles, and proof that God might just listen to the prayers of a river girl.

Alma's Mail Order Husband


Kate Whitsby - 2014
     ** A clean historical novella ** Book 1 of The Texas Brides Series unravels the mystery of Jude McCann. Jude travels to the desolate desert flats along the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass, Texas, to marry Alma Goodkind. The Goodkind Ranch runs just fine since Clarence Goodkind broke his back falling off his horse. His three daughters, Alma, Amelia, and Allegra, manage the herds, guard them in their pastures, brand the young calves, and drive the cattle to the sale yards. They do all the jobs of cattle punching on the ranch without any help from anyone. All of that changes when eldest sister, Alma, decides she wants to get married and orders herself a mail-order husband. Alma and Jude McCann get married in the little adobe church in Eagle Pass. But the minute they come home to the ranch, their plans for happily ever after run off the rails. Jude joins the sisters on the range, and conflicts develop in their approaches to managing the ranch. Alma’s new marriage puts her loyalty to her sisters to the test. At the same time, her bond with her sisters strains her budding romance with Jude. Can their marriage survive, and can the ranch survive so many competing interests and personalities? Worst of all, the sisters’ father, Clarence, instantly detects that Jude is hiding something, a secret that threatens to push this family to its limits and shatter the peace they’ve worked so hard to build.

Hang Your Heart on Christmas


Heather Blanton - 2015
    Marshal Robert “Dent” Hernandez has a gift, if you call specializing in death a gift. Under the auspices of his badge, he tracks and arrests some of the worst criminals Wyoming Territory can spit out. For Dent, the line between vengeance and justice has never been clear. Out there somewhere is the man who killed his father. Dent will find him. When a prisoner transfer goes awry in his hometown of Evergreen, Wyoming, and Dent’s good friend, Sheriff Ben Hayes, is killed in the crossfire, Dent is forced to serve as interim sheriff. Evergreen is the last place he wants to be. Not only does the town hold some bad memories, but Dent should be out on the trail running down vicious killers, not scolding candy thieves. And he most certainly should not be escorting the very pretty, but jittery, schoolteacher around. What is she so afraid of? Turns out a lot of people in Evergreen are keeping secrets. When the bank is robbed and Dent has to do what he does best, choices will be made, lies will be exposed, and hearts will break. It’s going to be an interesting Christmas in Evergreen

My Heart To Keep (The McPhee Clan Book 0)


Jillian Hart - 2016
    Sarah Combs loves being the town schoolteacher, but she's always dreamed of getting married and finding her own happily-ever-after. When Lucas McMillian rides into town to save the day, he wins her heart. Finally, after a lifetime of Mr. Wrongs here is her one true Mr. Right—except for one little problem. He's looking for a convenient marriage and a mother for his adorable daughter—love isn't part of the deal.

Find Me, Save Me


Barbara Gee - 2015
    In an effort to end their standoff and regain control of his lucrative criminal enterprises, Jimmy plots to abduct Tuck’s sister. He hopes to use her to get the tireless agent to finally back off. Although Tuck manages to keep Libby safe from his enemy’s clutches, her best friend pays the price. Now Maddy’s life depends on Tuck. Madison Harper has been fascinated by her friend’s older brother ever since seeing photos of him in Libby’s apartment and learning that he works as a federal agent. Given her close friendship with Libby, Maddy expects she will some day meet Tucker Simon. What she doesn't expect is to need him. When Maddy is accidentally drawn into the dark schemes of Jimmy Callahan, her chances of survival are slim. As she faces almost certain death at the hands of a man bent on revenge, she prays for Tuck to find her. But time is running out, and Jimmy isn't going to make it easy. It should have never come to this—Madison should not have been made to suffer at the hands of his enemy. As Tuck fights to rescue the most courageous woman he’s ever known and keep her safe from further harm, he’s also fighting his own sense of guilt. As she heals and his feelings for her become stronger, Tuck is forced to reevaluate the path of his life. He thought he had it all mapped out, but Madison Harper is changing everything. He can only trust that God will lead him where he is meant to go. He finds her—he saves her—dare he love her? Note: While this is a Christian themed book, the story is also intended to be as realistic as possible. The "bad guy" does swear at times. This is not meant to offend readers.

Love on Her Own Terms


Carol Colyer - 2018
    On her 18th birthday, her parents announce that she has been betrothed to a longtime friend--one she has always known as Uncle Elias. She ponders that fate, but not until she finds out that the betrothal was actually a deal struck in order to save her father's ailing business! As a bold response, she answers a Mail-Order Bride ad for one Dan Gallagher, a ranch owner in Tombstone, Arizona Territory, without knowing what future awaits her...After his late father left it behind, Dan Gallagher struggles to keep the ranch alive, which seems like a difficult feat. His hardships with his brother, and his loneliness lead him to send for a mail order bride, with the expectation to fill his otherwise empty life. He hasn't even seen her, nor has she, which makes it even more difficult for them to meet...Her adventure begins when she leaves Boston, but as it unfolds, she starts to wonder who was the mysterious gentleman she met on the train station. Was it the real Dan Gallagher? Despite the way they meet and all the duplicity around her, who will save whom and, most importantly, will she find love on her own terms?"Love on Her Own Terms" is a historical western romance novel of approximately 80,000 words. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

A Bride To Herd


George H. McVey - 2019
    Put them all together in a house in Bent, Colorado. What could possibly go wrong? Chance Redburn lost his ranch and his only living relative, his Aunt Viola, in the same week. Now he has no choice but to try and make a go of his inheritance., Viola’s matchmaking service. He arrives in town to a shipment of brides to match and no idea how to do so. To make matters worse his aunt kept no records of who her clients were. The only thing he finds is a stack of letters that informs Chance that one of the women expects to be matched to him! Only he never asked Aunt Viola for a bride. Violet Montgomery left her classroom and home in Greenbough Alabama to become the matchmaker’s assistant and hopefully make a match with matchmaker’s rancher nephew. Only when Violet arrives the matchmaker is dead, and the nephew is now running the matchmaking service. Does he know Violet is supposed to be his love match? Can Violet help the clueless man figure out how to match brides to grooms? Why is the town calling him The Bride Herder? Even worse why is Chance checking the women’s teeth and asking their weight? Find out in the first book of the exciting Bride Herder Series: “A Bride to Herd.”

Loving an Outlaw (Lone Star Love Stories Book 1)


Kristen Iten - 2018
    Her plans to join her older brother in Texas are put in jeopardy when he suddenly stops writing. Unsure whether he’s dead or alive, Abigail leaves for the Wild West in search of the truth. Jake Morgan rides to the rescue when things go wrong on the long road to Sweet Creek, Texas. He vows to see Abigail safely to her destination before continuing his own journey to California. When it becomes clear that her life is in danger, Jake decides to stay as long as it takes to make sure she’s safe — even if it costs him his life.When Abigail learns of a dark secret from his past, she realizes that she may have to let go of the man she has come to love in order to save his life. *Loving an Outlaw is a Clean and Wholesome Historical Western Romance.

Lost Fortune


Sandra E. Sinclair - 2016
    After eight years away, she discovers her very existence has been a lie. The people she thought she knew, and those she loved, had kept secrets and lies that could bring scandal and shame if they are discovered. Everything she holds dear could be taken from her. Making matters worse, she is being hunted by a stranger whose sole purpose is to separate her from her inheritance, leaving her in ruin. Left with no other choice, Rilla must flee for her very life. Calvin Dalton has been sent by the Pinkerton Agency to recover a lost fortune. A chance meeting with a beautiful woman on the train into town left him breathless, and unable to get the exotic beauty out of his mind. He is delighted to discover they are staying at the same boardinghouse, even though he knows he has no time to become sweet on the girl. He’d been sent there to do a job, so he’d have to fall in love on his own time. However, when he agreed to take on the job, he had no idea where this journey would lead him, or the lives he’d ruin with his investigation. Calvin’s heart and his job were on a collision course of disaster. What will happen when the mysterious woman he’d met on the train becomes his prime suspect? It appears his heart wasn’t the only thing she’d stolen. “Lost Fortune” is the 1st book in Sandra E. Sinclair’s “Unbridled” historical, western romance series—where the female are all strong, capable and sassy, but most of all…unbridled. If you like escaping into bygone days when the west was wild and women wore big dresses, you will love the “Unbridled” series.

Murder at Black Lake


Anne Patrick - 2015
    Fourteen years later, Jamie returns to Jackson Ridge to settle up the estate of her estranged mother. Soon after her arrival, a note appears on her door: 'I saw you in the woods today.' Now Jamie is questioning if the right man was sent to prison for her father's murder. Helping her to answer that question is childhood friend, Deputy Chief Gage Hansen. He's more than willing to find the truth that will finally bring Jamie peace in her life, but at what cost? A nasty divorce from his cheating wife has made Gage gun-shy when it comes to relationships, especially with beautiful women who use their feminine wiles to get what they want in life. His defenses start to crumble once he learns that most of the stories he's read about the starlet are lies, and that Jamie is basically the same girl he had a secret crush on when they were best friends. They live in two separate worlds, though, and Gage knows he could never fit into her celebrity lifestyle. When it becomes apparent that someone in Jackson Ridge will go to any lengths to get rid of Jamie, the pair risks everything to solve the fourteen-year mystery that's haunted the town.