Publisher: Bethany House
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 02/01/2013
ISBN-13: 9780764210433
ISBN-10: 0764210432

Fantasy. Errol Stone may be Callowford's town drunk, but he knows the area around the gorge better than anyone. So, when a churchman arrives on horseback with "the most important messages in half a century" intended for the hermit priest who lives in the hills around the gorge, Errol acquires himself an easy-enough job. But his simple task quickly becomes treacherous when assassins attack; now Errol has to shape up fast and travel with the hermit and others on a dangerous quest to try to save the kingdom they call home...even as Errol discovers his own God-given destiny. In a starred review, Library Journal calls this 1st in a planned trilogy "a winner" and says the characters are "fully drawn and endearing."

Publisher: Bethany House
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 03/01/2013
ISBN-13: 9780764209147
ISBN-10: 0764209140

Historical. After her parents died, Ruthy MacNeill went to live with the abusive and lazy Reinhardts. Now, heading west with them in October 1868, she hopes to get away -- thus avoiding a planned marriage to their son -- once they reach California. But her freedom comes early when a swollen river washes her far downstream. Luke Stone, headed to Texas to avenge his father's death and get his family ranch back from a conniving villain, fishes Ruthy out of the water and, with no other options, brings her along with him. As Stone, Ruthy, and some of Stone's fellow Civil War veterans travel together, dedicated Stone and hard-working Ruthy find themselves swept away by love. Readers who enjoy lighthearted, laugh-out-loud funny Western romances will appreciate this 1st in award-winning author Mary Connealy's newest series.

Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 02/12/2013
ISBN-13: 9781595542021
ISBN-10: 1595542027

General Fiction. It's not easy to forgive as Julia Bennett knows all too well. But living in Manhattan, painting and teaching, she's sometimes able to forget that her college best friend, Marney, broke up her parents' happy marriage the summer before their senior year and married her father. Forget, that is, until four years after her dad's death, when widowed 40-year-old Marney shows up at Julia's door asking for help. She needs surgery for lung cancer and there's no one to care for her young kids. Julia, feeling she has no other choice, returns to South Carolina's low country. Coming home after close to 20 years away stirs up strong emotions, and spending time with her half-siblings (one of whom has selective mutism) opens her eyes to their troubled world. This evocative, well-written tale will appeal to those who enjoy the mainstream low country novels of Pat Conroy and Dorothea Benton Frank.

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Publisher: Howard Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 02/05/2013
ISBN-13: 9781451683769
ISBN-10: 1451683766

Biblical Fiction. Who was Judas? Jesus called him "friend" and named him one of the 12 disciples, but the Bible tells us he returned this affection by betraying him. Why? Bestselling author Tosca Lee, who's co-written books with Ted Dekker, attempts to answer these questions while providing a sympathetic and thought-provoking look at Judas' life. Portraying him both as an innocent young child, who lived when Herod and the Romans terrorized the Jews, and as an adult, who was baptized by John and loved Jesus before becoming unhappy with his agenda, Lee evocatively brings Judas to life in this book that Library Journal calls "brilliant," and Kirkus Reviews says is "intelligently imagined."

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Publisher: Bethany House
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 07/01/2005
ISBN-13: 9780764200724
ISBN-10: 0764200720

Historical Romance. Colonial America needs women. So, British women (usually prisoners) are sent there to be sold off as "tobacco brides" in the 1640s. It is Lady Constance Morrow's bad luck that she's captured by an unscrupulous captain while visiting a ship to say goodbye to a beloved uncle. When the ship arrives in Virginia, Lady Constance finds no one believes her story. Thinking that a hastily arranged wedding to a kind-hearted farmer is her only reasonable choice, she marries Drew O'Connor. But their marriage of convenience becomes most inconvenient when the feisty Constance, who can't cook or sew, proves much different than Drew expected. Luckily, the two fall deeply in love in Christy Award-winning author Deeanne Gist's first novel.

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Publisher: Bethany House
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 02/01/2012
ISBN-13: 9780764209901
ISBN-10: 0764209906

Historical Romance. In this 1878-set love story based on the biblical tale of Ruth, a young Mexican widow, Rosa Garner, travels with her also-widowed mother-in-law, Louise, back to Louise's home in Texas. There, they discover back taxes due on the run-down family ranch and only three months to pay it. Even though the exotic and beautiful Rosa struggles to fit in, the two women set to work doing what they can to earn money, by raising chickens, shearing sheep, etc. One person who could help is Louise's nephew, wealthy and honorable Weston Garner, but a strong attraction between him and Rosa complicates things. Publishers Weekly says this debut novel paints "a lovely picture of God's provision, forgiveness, and love."

Publisher: WaterBrook Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 06/02/2009
ISBN-13: 9780307444981
ISBN-10: 0307444988

Chick Lit. A self-described "hopeless romantic," 34-year-old Jessie Stone, who's been a bridesmaid 11 times, dreams and dreams of marriage. After filling journal after journal (109 to be exact) with husband and wedding details, she's now become so determined to find a man that she's doing everything she can -- and accuses God of doing nothing. But things change when God shows up...in the flesh, in her living room. He's determined to help her -- but control-freak Jessie isn't sure God really knows what is best. If only she can let go and trust God, maybe she'll find happiness at last. (Of course, she also has to keep others from thinking she's crazy as she talks out loud to a God they can't see.) Witty and breezy yet thought-provoking, this book will be perfect for women questioning God's plans for them.

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Publisher: Bethany House
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 04/01/2010
ISBN-13: 9780764205132
ISBN-10: 0764205137

Historical Fiction. In 1872 St. Louis, 16 troubled women believe that they are about to make new starts as homesteaders in frontier Nebraska. But when they arrive in the small town of Cayote, they discover that they have been misled by a land speculator -- one who'd created the Ladies Emigration Society in order to get them west with the hope that they would accept marriage proposals from male residents shortly after their arrival. Southern belle Caroline, divorcée Sally, insecure Ella, and the 13 other ladies are going to need all of the courage and faith they can muster if they're going to find a saving grace in all of this mess. You won't want to miss this story of friendship and hope on the American frontier.