Book picks similar to
Annabelle's Ruth by Betty Thomason Owens


christian-fiction
historical-romance
tennessee
award-winner-grace

What We Had


Jacalyn Wilson - 2016
    From the foothills of North Carolina to the mountains of West Virginia, Birdie weaves her story with homespun simplicity, creating a tapestry that vibrates with the colors and textures of her life and times, spinning a tale from the years before the Great Depression on up through the end of World War II. Enthralled by her first taste of womanhood, she follows her heart with the man of her dreams, only to find that life is not fair. Or perfect. Or easy. Will she find the courage to risk everything in order to reclaim what she once had?

The Blizzard Brides


Christine Sterling - 2020
    Welcome to Last Chance, Nebraska! When the freak blizzard of 1878 kills most of the men in a small Nebraska town, what does it mean for the surviving women and children?Realizing they need to find men of honor to help rebuild, the women place an advertisement in the Matrimonial Times.Choosing a husband is more difficult than they thought, when there is an overwhelming response to the ad.Will these Blizzard Brides find the second chance at love in a town called Last Chance?This story is loosely based on the Blizzard of 1873 and the Schoolhouse Blizzard of 1888, where many men, women and children died in the unexpected storm.

Billow Creek Bride


Mary Gair Johnson - 2012
    She knows she cannot stay, but she doesn't want to leave her sister behind. Her only hope is to accept an arranged marriage and pray this man, sure to be homely and elderly, will adopt her sister. The striking Thomas Johnson is anything but homely or elderly. He has come to the orphanage expecting to wed a plain, obedient woman who will be as silent as a shadow in his home. The beautiful, intelligent, and independent Maurine is a complete surprise. Maurine realizes he could have had his pick of women, so why did he come to an orphanage? Their first night together on the return trip to his home, she comes to understand he doesn't want her as a wife, but as a governess to his children. Within days, she is falling in love with a man who refuses to get close to her, a man who is hiding something about the death of his first wife. This is a tale of two sisters: Maurine, who yearns to be loved by the man who took her as his bride, and Rebecca who finds love in the arms of the son of a wealthy Cherokee plantation owner. Billow Creek Bride is a careful blend of laughter and tears, sorrows and joys as these two women discover strength within themselves to meet the challenges of life and love in the 1830's, and the event that would change history known as 'The Trail of Tears.'

Kitty's Deputy


Tonya VanWinkle - 2018
    On her own for the first time, will she find the place where she belongs? Being a bounty hunter was all Milo thought he could ever be. Baggage from his past keeps him from the one thing his heart desires; a family. Will Kitty and Milo find common ground? Will the law bring them together or will their pasts and fears keep them apart?

The Stonecutter


Wanda Ann Thomas - 2015
    After her best friend dies in childbirth, Mary decides to escape her painful memories and embark on an idyllic life on the Sea of Galilee. But she rethinks her plan when a strong, quiet stonecutter captures her interest. Cephas isn’t as shy as she first supposed. And he intrigues and challenges Mary in ways no man has before, forcing her to confront her fears or risk losing a lifetime of adventure and happiness with…The Stonecutter.The Stonecutter is a companion novella to The Herod Chronicles Series.

Pearl in the Sand, Sampler


Tessa Afshar - 2013
    Pearl in the Sand tells Rahab's untold story. Rahab lives in a wall; her house is built into the defensive walls of the City of Jericho. Other walls surround her as well-walls of fear, rejection, and unworthiness. A woman with a wrecked past; a man of success, of faith...of pride. A marriage only God would conceive! Through the heartaches of a stormy relationship, Rahab and Salmone learn the true source of one another's worth and find healing in God.

Eastbound from Flagstaff: A Novel


Annette Valentine - 2019
    He abandons roots that are his foundational strength and hides behind his charm, living every moment as if life’s daring him to fail―again. He’s reckoning with his father’s God who could have delivered better outcomes but didn’t.This first installment in an epic trilogy that begins in the 1920’s, unique in its purposeful illumination of the human condition and its ideological indifference to God, asks the question: “Why was God silent when I needed him?” Simon’s return to the notion of forgiveness is the catalyst for a new beginning as it reunites Simon to the place he once thought was the impossible dream. The answer for Simon isn’t blowing in the backwinds of his dream chase; rather, it unfolds in the outstretched hand of a villain.

That Sunflower Summer


Autumn Macarthur - 2020
    Will they allow faith and forgiveness to heal their wounds and learn to love again? BOOK 1 : LEAST EXPECTED Can such complete opposites find a way to make their love work? When Maggie Golding, unconventional and artistic 50-something, agrees to help a friend by working as a window dresser at Pettett & Mayfields London department store, she never expected to fall in love with Edgar Pettett, staid and sensible heir to the business. Nor did she expect that he’d still love her when she revealed her past, the consequences of that long-ago sunflower summer working in Tuscany. Her daughter, Rachel. Between her shaky faith, their huge differences, and his mother’s disapproval, how can they possibly work things out? BOOK 2 : DOLCE VITA (Sweet Life) La dolce vita, a sweeter life of love, awaits Rachel. But can she accept it? Rachel Golding loves her uncomplicated life in Wales, until the trip to Italy to meet her Italian grandmother for the first time stirs unwelcome emotions. Between her cousin’s accusations, her mother’s wedding, and her realisation she feels way more than she should for her best friend Jonathan, Rachel’s organised life is spiraling out of control. Always ready for adventure, especially with the woman he loves, Jonathan Davies gladly accompanies Rach on a return journey to Tuscany. But now she needs his friendship and support more than ever, revealing his love is a risk he dare not take. Not without some sign she wants more. A sign she may never give. In the haze of a sunflower summer, can Rachel learn to surrender her hurts and fears to God and so embrace the life He intends for her? La dolce vita, a sweeter life of love. BOOK 3 : LA RISPOSTA (The Answer) One marriage ends, as another begins. Or can faith and forgiveness bring a troubled couple back together? When the harvest celebrations and a family wedding bring the entire Rossi family back to the villa at summer's end, along with their new loved ones, the final secrets are revealed. But can these secrets be forgiven, healing old wounds and mending broken hearts, or will the mistakes of the past be repeated? The future of a marriage about to crumble depends on the answer! BOOK 4 : INNAMORATA (Sweetheart) Too old for love? Widowed Isabella Rossi is content with her life at the villa. In the past year, all her grandchildren have discovered faith and love, and huge family heartbreaks have been healed. But what about her? When a beau from her teens returns to Tuscany, can the flame of love be rekindled? Or is eighty-something too old for romance? NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR Please be aware that Books 1 & 2 use British spelling and grammar. All four books are previously published. Least Expected is also in my London Loves boxed set, and the remaining three books were part of the A Tuscan Legacy boxed set.

The Pastor's Replacement Bride


George H. McVey Sr. - 2016
    He slips his own letter into the packet before it is mailed out to the churches in Richmond, Philadelphia and Chicago seeking his own bride. When the stage arrives with the brides Joshua finds his didn’t make the trip. However, his heart has chosen another, his intended’s best friend. Can he help her overcome her guilt at stealing her friend's beau, or are they destined for heartache? Can he truly prove he loves her and make her The Pastor’s Replacement Bride? In Chicago, Hattie Long is about to end her indentured service as a cook's helper in one of the upscale brothels in Chi town. The gangster who owns the brothel informs her that when her service is up he will take her under his wing and show her how to please his customers and make her his star attraction. At the advice of her pastor's daughter with the same name as her tells her about a group of women going west to become mail order brides including herself. They arrange for her to join them. But on the day of departure Hattie’s friend is struck down with scarlet fever. When the brides arrive in Sanctuary her friend’s beau, Pastor Joshua Bryce, decides to court her to escape a forced marriage by the deacons. Soon trouble follows and Hattie has to escape her past. Can she finally find her happily ever after as the Pastor’s Replacement Bride?

Coming Home


Jennifer Vander Klipp - 2019
    And avoid Seth Blake. Becca dreads seeing her girlhood crush to whom she confessed her love before she went off to college. Embarrassed by her childish behavior, she can only hope Seth has forgotten and will see her as a woman. She plans to return to school as soon as possible and make a life for herself. Rumors of ghosts, accidents at the camp, and overheard conversations convince Becca that her brother’s death was no accident. Despite evidence that she’s the next target, she puts her own feelings and college aside to stay and uncover the truth. Seth is happy to see Becca, but as a grown woman she’s a stranger to him, stirring up feelings he can’t identify. When he finds a piece of evidence implicating him in Thomas’s death, he struggles with helping Becca find answers while keeping her from learning he could have prevented it. As the stakes get higher, Seth must keep both of them alive long enough to offer a future to this grown woman he’s fallen in love with.

A Scout for Skyler (Mail-Order Mama, #16)


Heather Blanton - 2021
    On his death bed, he announces he’s sending her off to become the mail-order bride of an army captain. His dying wish is that she make the man a good wife, be happy…and wear a dress once in a while.A recent widower, Captain Skyler Corbett is an arrogant Scotsman who believes women should have babies not opinions. Regardless, the last thing he needs is a wife. His daughter is coming of age, however, and friends argue she needs a woman’s influence.When the headstrong, unrefined and unexpected Priscilla Jones shows up, Corbett is not inclined to marry her. Ever. Priscilla agrees, firing back that the snooty Captain Corbett is no prize, either.It seems this arranged marriage is destined for the ash heap. Embers, though, do have a sneaky way of catching fire…

When God’s Light Inspires the Lost Bride: A Christian Historical Romance Book


Chloe Carley - 2021
    

A Desperate Christmas Bride for the Cold Hearted Rancher: Mail Order Bride Historical Romance (The Twelve Mail Order Brides of Christmas Book 3)


Emma Morgan - 2018
    She’s ready to make the best of her new life, but when faced with a gruff, uncaring husband and a lonely ranch in need of repair, she’s not sure she’s up to the task. Abraham knows life on his ranch is hard. In fact, it’s even scared off several brides already. While every man needs a wife to help with the home and children, he’s not sure what woman would want him to share it with. But when Cora's life is in danger, Abe is forced to admit what he knew all along, and find a way to open his heart to this kind and lovely woman.

To Love Someone New (Bridgewood Book 1)


Rubie Hall - 2016
    Three years have passed since his death, and Clara finds herself working at the Bridgewood Mercantile, unable to forget the loss of her first love. Though she spends her days caring for the store owner’s young ward and seeing to the shopping needs of her homesteading community, she has resigned herself to quiet, peaceful nights alone. When Gabe Holt rides into town with two children in the back of his covered wagon, Clara is unnerved by the handsome young farmer’s forthright, flirtatious manner. She prefers to watch the antics of her neighbour, Mrs. Booth, trying to secure Gabe as a husband for her daughter Sadie. But Sadie has other plans, and thinks Gabe would be better suited to a hardworking woman like her friend Clara. As Clara becomes the unwitting victim of Sadie’s matchmaking schemes, she begins to develop romantic feelings for Gabe. With friends pushing them together, and children determined to keep them apart, Clara must ultimately decide if she has room enough in her heart for someone new.

Renewed Love: Love on the Western Trail (Wagon Train Romance Book 5)


Linda Ford - 2021