Book picks similar to
An Unexpected Family by Zoe Matthews


romance
historical-romance
historical
western

The Edge of Light


Ann Shorey - 2009
    And when Samuel's unscrupulous brother takes over the family business, Molly must head out on her own, leaving her old life behind. It's a dangerous journey, but somehow she must find a way to make a living, keep her family together, and fend off some over-eager suitors.

Lone Star Trail


Darlene Franklin - 2011
    So when the Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas (the Verein) attempts to colonize a New Germany in his country, he takes a stand against them.After Wande Fleischers' fiancé marries someone else, the young fraulein determines to make a new life for herself in Texas. With the help of Jud's sister Marion, Wande learns English and becomes a trusted friend to the entire Morgan family.As much as Jud dislikes the immigrant invasion, he can't help admiring Wande's character. She is sweet and cheerful as she serves the Lord and all those around her. Can the rancher put aside his prejudice to forge a new future?  Through Jud and Wande, we learn the powerful lessons of forgiveness and reconciliation among a diverse community of believers.

The Promise of Jenny Jones


Maggie Osborne - 1997
    Though she and the six-year-old Graciela get off to a rocky start, Jenny will do everything in her power to keep her promise, even with the child's cousins in hot pursuit. Then she is mysteriously drawn to the handsome cowboy Ty Sanders, and though neither know it yet, their purpose is the same.

Beautiful Bandit


Loree Lough - 2010
    Even more shocking than the heist itself is that the ringleader looked like a woman!Weeks later, when Josh is on the trail, a lost and confused woman stumbles upon his campsite. He agrees to take "Dinah" to Mexico, but soon their journey is hampered by harsh weather and wild animals. When Dinah breaks her ankle, Josh takes her to his ranch to heal.As the two grow closer, Josh realizes he's fallen in love, even as he learns the truth about Dinah. But does he know the whole story? And, after the truth comes out, will he put his life at risk to keep her with him?

Breathe


Lisa Tawn Bergren - 2009
    A publishing heiress is on the brink of life.and death. Her beautiful, younger sister is called to the forbidden stage. Her brother and troubled guardian is raging inside. A veiled treasure map leads to a hidden silver mine while a threatening villain hovers in the shadows. And a hero is bent on saving his bride.JUST BREATHE.

A Dangerous Road to Salvation


Lorelei Brogan - 2019
    He is good-humored, charming and married to a beautiful young woman, whom he adores. Everything goes perfect in his life, until a dramatic incident changes it all... After finding his wife dead, and being accused for her murder, John will have to run away, change his identity and find the real killer. But in order to stay alive he will need something more than his own powers... Will he find the right person in the right moment or will he get lost in the dangerous road for redemption?Ardelia is young, full of life and craving for life experiences. Bored of the mundane-hosting endless teas, she's suffocating in the lifestyle her class is imposing on her. But when a terrible truth about her family comes to light and a malicious man keeps making her suffer, she will make the crucial decision to escape from it all. She will then board in despair on a ship to America in order to meet her future husband as a mail order bride, hoping for a better life. Are things going to be the way she was dreaming of there or will she get trapped into a new circle of lies and deception? As new secrets will be revealed and Arelia will start wondering if she can ever really trust anyone, John will have to make difficult choices... Will he let his wife to aid him with her affection and make himself complete once again? And is their emerging love enough to keep them safe during their risky pursuit of justice?"A Dangerous Road to Salvation" is a historical western romance novel of approximately 80,000 words. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

Blinded By Love


Leah Wyett - 2014
    She lives in a small town on a farm in Ohio, where nothing new or exciting ever happens. She has survived this long by reading books about exotic places and using her imagination, or what her Ma has termed, her “Magical Thinking.”Will a simple mail order bride ad placed by a cattle rancher in Texas named Heath Key change Hazel’s life for the better? Or will the secret that Heath is hiding threaten to ruin both of their lives? Will the man who has been by Heath’s side as his best friend since childhood bring them closer or come between them in the end?Follow Hazel on her journey to adulthood as she discovers that sometimes you have to close your eyes to really be able to see.

Marrying Stone


Pamela Morsi - 1994
    But though her life was simple, she was always sure that someday her prince would come. J. Monroe Farley arrived with his Edison listening box to record the traditional music of the Ozarks, determined to focus all his attention on his studies. But there, in this remote mountain hamlet, he found something he never expected--the princess of his dreams...

Burgundy Gloves


Julia David - 2017
    Temperamental Allison Kent finally finds a chance to soar into her dreams of adventure. Except… In the spring of 1880, one tragic moment changes everything. Allison's planned future comes to a devastating halt when she is found at the bottom of a ravine, left for dead. Levi Graham is a strong independent backwoodsman, who stumbles upon the injured young woman. Good Samaritan, he’s finding out the hard way, is not his best strength. In addition to caring for this helpless, confusing woman, he encounters a robbery, a fire, visits from relatives, and the cabin’s previous owners, all disrupting his former peaceful life of solitude and trapping. Clutching her mother’s Burgundy Gloves, Allison can only hope time will awaken her from this awful nightmare. Strange people, strange ideas and a strange young man looking long and wanting at her. How can she convince him she has nothing to give when she no place to call home? Will she rouse from the dark fog before she’s left to fend for herself? Will her heart heal before she breaks his to pieces? See below for a look at the Burgundy Gloves Short Video Clip.

The Last Renegade


Jo Goodman - 2012
    With all of the good men dying at the hands of a local rancher and his three sons, Raine hires a shootist to be the town’s protector. But her handsome new employee is more than a hired hand; he’s a man who keeps his guns close and his secrets closer. BUT NOTHING COULD PROTECT HER HEART After a chance encounter on a train, Kellen Coltrane travels to the Pennyroyal to carry out a dying man’s last wish. But once he meets the hotel’s fiery-haired proprietor, Coltrane finds himself assuming the role of the shootist’s accomplice and agrees to protect Bitter Springs. And as he learns more about Raine’s own tragedy, Coltrane can’t deny his growing desire for the courageous widow, or the urge to protect her from the threat that draws near…

The Endearment


LaVyrle Spencer - 1982
    to become Karl Lindstrom's mail-order bride in the beautiful, treacherous Minnesota wilderness.Karl forgave Anna for her deceptions--but there was still one shameful, burning secret that she had to hide from him, knowing its revelation would destroy the love that had become her very life!

Dark Warrior: To Tame a Wild Hawk


Lenore Wolfe - 2010
    But Hawk is no ordinary cowboy. He carries a powerful secret. A secret that leads to betrayal.Dark Warrior: To Tame a Wild Hawk is the first book in the Dark Cloth Series. It was 3rd in Amazon's Free Top 100 and was Amazon's paid Top 100 for over 3 weeks running.

Hearts of the West


Leah Atwood - 2015
    Whether you have just a few minutes to enjoy a novelette, or the time to really get immersed in the dust and grit of a western town, there's something here for everyone.Step into a day when outlaws ran free, the land was wild, and guns blazed at the drop of a hat! After the Rain    Rand McCade made a promise to his dying wife to one day remarry. He doesn't want to remarry, but a promise is a promise.   Pressured to marry a violent man, widowed and pregnant Lettie Morgan seeks out an agency which finds brides for men in the west.   Can two hearts, broken and grieving, put their pasts aside and blend their lives into one? A Lady in Defiance    Charles McIntyre owns everything in the lawless mining town of Defiance. When three sisters show up stranded, alone, and offering to open a "nice" hotel, he is intrigued enough to let them stay...especially since he sees feisty middle sister Naomi as a possible conquest.   Naomi wants no part of Defiance or the saloon-owning, prostitute-keeping Mr. McIntyre. It would seem however, that God has gone to elaborate lengths to bring them together. The question is, "Why?" Does God really have a plan for each and every life? Rocky Mountain Oasis    When Sky Jordan hears that his nefarious cousin has sent for a mail-order bride, he knows he has to prevent the marriage. No woman deserves to be left to that fate. Still, he's as surprised as anyone to find himself standing next to her before the minister.   Brooke's new husband turns out to be kinder than any man has ever been. But then the unthinkable happens and she holds the key that might save innocent lives but destroy Sky all in one fell swoop. It's a choice too unbearable to contemplate...but a choice that must be made. Bounty    Luke Jordan's mother's dying words rang in his head. "Take these to your brothers." His brothers? The Jordan gang of outlaws. Why did he have to waste time tracking them down?   Cat Cahill's morning rides are a pleasant diversion from her mother's lectures on marrying a civilized man from the east. Despite her prayers, Cat hasn't found the man she would want to spend the rest of her life with until she runs into Luke.   One town trying to avoid a buyout, one gang worth their weight in gold, bounty hunters intent on taking the Jordan gang in more dead than alive = two in love and a bunch in trouble. Charity's Gold Rush    After Charity saves handsome Gabriel Williams' daughter from being trampled he asks her to marry him. And Charity believes he's the answer to her prayers.   Gabe and Charity agree to a marriage in name only, although Charity is upset that now that she has found a man she could see herself making a life with, he isn't interested in anything more than someone to watch his children, and he's a gambler to boot - just like Pa who got her into this mess.   By the beginning of the following spring, if both parties are in agreement, they'll annul the marriage and part ways.   Neither expects love to interfere with their plans or for God to intervene with a plan of His own.

Hearts Awakening


Delia Parr - 2010
    But Jackson Smith quickly realizes that Ellie's presence may solve his own problems--both the rearing of his young boys and the scandal that surrounds his first marriage.When a marriage of convenience is offered, Ellie is initially humiliated. Though she is past the age most women marry, she has more pride than to agree to his outlandish suggestion. Yet what options does she have? To marry would mean a home and stability. So despite the rumors circling Jackson and his first wife, Ellie accepts this unlikely proposal...

The Cactus Creek Challenge


Erica Vetsch - 2015
    At least that was what Cassie Bucknell thought before she pinned on Ben Wilder’s badge and took to patrolling the streets of Cactus Creek, Texas. Cassie has been in love with Ben since primer school, but Ben treats her like a little sister. When they are picked to swap jobs for a month as part of the annual Cactus Creek Challenge in their Texas hometown, the schoolhouse is thrown into an uproar, the jail becomes a temporary bank vault, and Cassie and Ben square off in a battle of wills that becomes a battle for their hearts.