Books

What do you do when the pain of your past leaves you feeling so unworthy, that any hope of a future crumbles right before your eyes? Since Kristina Talbot can remember, she’s tried to earn the love of men in her life, only to be hurt in the process. On the heels of her abusive husband’s death, Kristina Talbot leaves New York and heads to New Mexico to try and get her life headed down a new road – one that doesn't include a man. Even before she reaches her destination, Nathan McKinley sets up a roadblock to her plan. His charming and gentle personality is no match for her love-starved heart. And when Nathan shows her God in a new light, and how to place her trust in Him and not her circumstances, she begins to hope… When Kristina’s past collides with her present, and tragedy strikes close to Kristina’s heart, her fears and distrust come flooding back, threatening to sweep away her newfound hope. Can Nathan help her hold on to her new relationship with God, or will she allow her dark and troubled past to pluck out the tiny bud of hope that is beginning to blossom within her heart?

Barbara Houlton is a best-selling romance author, known for her achingly sweet love stories. However, her own love-life is nothing to write home about. Raped on the eve of her high-school graduation, she was left pregnant and scarred, both emotionally and physically. She has learned to hide the physical scars, but the emotional scars that taint her soul become harder to hide each day. Sarcasm, avoidance and denial have become weapons to keep her monstrous past at bay. Barbara avoids her home town at all costs. She denies to all those who are concerned for her that there is anything wrong. And those who try to pass her protective boundaries are met with her cutting sarcasm. Her emotional scars make intimacy a frightening thing, and those who try to grasp this beautiful rose are quickly met with her thorns. Instead, she loves through her characters, embracing her romantic dreams with every book she writes, and convinces herself it is enough.

When her father falls ill, she is forced to return home to Hamilton, New Mexico, a small town that comes with big problems, the biggest of which is Steve Meston. Steve has had a crush on Barbara since high school. But he is no longer the awkward, shy boy from her youth. He is now confident, handsome and relentless in his pursuit of her, despite her best efforts to put him off. His patient and steadfast love back her into a corner, and she finds that all her weapons are useless against his sweet love. Now she must stop avoiding and confront her past, or lose the one man who was able to get past her thorns.

Leanne grew up under the steady trickle of the harsh and belittling words of her critical mother, in the shadow of her sisters’ perfection, and under the weight of a dark secret. With her self-confidence all but eroded, and her head hanging down, she is surprised when Mike McKinley notices her. With every kind word, Mike erases a little pain from her past, and for the first time, she feels as if she is standing on firm ground. But seven years into their marriage, she realizes that her foundation is lying on shallow ground. As their marriage and family begin to settle, the cracks appear. Mike McKinley is a fixer. From cars to people, he is the guy to go to when you have something that needs repair. But when their oldest daughter is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, he is sent into a tail spin. As his daughter is struggling to stay afloat in her world, and his wife is drowning in her insecurities, Mike feels helpless to do anything to save them. A wide chasm separates their marriage, and storms threaten to send them crashing through the pit. Can Leanne fight her past, her insecurities and her failing faith to discover the difference between settling for the storm, and striving for the rainbow that comes after?

The horrific death of Holly’s parents left her feeling tainted and unworthy. As she longs to come out from under the stain of their sin, she is held back by the constant whisperings in her mind that never fail to remind her who she is and where she comes from.

Hunter cannot forgive his mother’s adultery and vows never to be like his father - blindly accepted the sins of others. Fearful that they will fall into the same trap as his parents, he tries to control every situation, but his jealousy and judgmental attitude only add to Holly’s feeling of unworthiness. As the years pass, Hunter’s anger and mistrust grow, taking their toll on Holly and Hunter's marriage.

When handsome widower, Seth Hargrove, befriends the couple, he urges Hunter to let go of his anger, and reminds Holly she is more than her parents' sin. Will Seth be the key to reconciling Holly and Hunter and redeeming them from the disastrous path their marriage is on?  Or will his friendship only lead to betrayal?

A knock on the door brings Lauren Ballard news of her husband’s death and his adultery. All at once, Lauren finds herself alone, wounded, widowed and expecting a child. When her strict and demanding father falls ill, Lauren reluctantly heads home. It isn’t long before she finds herself regretting her decision. Her father’s resort places her in constant contact with Kyle Ashcroft, her high school sweetheart who she left without so much as a goodbye. Now that she’s returned, Kyle has questions – questions she's not prepared to answer.

One look at Lauren, and Kyle realizes he's still in love with her, though his wounded pride would have it otherwise. The pastor in him knows he needs to help the broken woman before him, but as the man she betrayed years ago, he wants to scream “serves you right.” When the truth of why she left him all those years ago surfaces, her betrayal cuts deeper than he thought, and has Kyle regretting and questioning every decision he’s ever made.

Will Lauren and Kyle be able to reconcile despite Lauren’s betrayal, or will they be left with nothing but regrets?

Renee Winters has the voice and the face of an angel. She’s the worship leader at her church, runs the Brides for Christ program for young teenage girls, and is the chaste “bride” modeling the gowns for the bridal shop she works at. The problem? It’s all a lie. As a child, Renee's alcoholic mother paraded a slew of men in and out their home. Renee vowed she would never turn out like her, but one broken night, she ran from the nightmare of her home and into the arms of handsome bad-boy Ian McKnight. She tries to erase her moment of weakness with years of faithful service. Yet each time she stands before young girls, preaching about the beauty of remaining pure, she is painfully aware of her broken vows. Then Ian returns—a wounded soldier, a recovering alcoholic, and no stranger to broken vows. Ian knows the truth, and Renee avoids him, unsure if she can trust him—or herself. When the bridal shop hires him to create a website, she realizes she must face the truth. With his camera pointed in her direction, he tries to capture the real Renee, the one behind the veil of lies. Will Ian tempt Renee to break her promises again, or will he help her understand the true nature of her vows?

Wade Blackwell has been running from his past for years. His stepfather is a convicted serial rapist, and the man's sins have cast a shadow over Wade's life that he can't seem to get out from under. So he drifts from job to job, place to place, unwilling to put down permanent roots. His wandering has brought him to Sheridan, Oklahoma, where he meets his new neighbor - Hayden O'Conner, his high school sweetheart who abandoned him after his sister committed suicide. While he has never stopped caring for her, he also finds she's not the girl he remembered. She's got a hard edge to her that has nothing to do with her Army career. Beneath her tough exterior and sharp sarcasm, he sees a broken girl, hurting and in need.
Hayden O'Conner has worked hard for her Army career. But one man has ruined it because she was unwilling to comply with his sexual advances. She's now stationed in Sheridan, Oklahoma, hoping for a fresh start, but her past won't stay there. From Wade, the handsome ex-boyfriend who broke her heart but is now on a mission to save her, to the dark cloud of the sexual harassment complaint that follows her around despite her efforts to break free from it - her life seems to be on a sad, broken down merry-go-round.
As Hayden sinks deeper into her abyss, will Wade be the light that helps her surface from the darkness? Or will Wade keep running, unwilling to face his own past and his fears?

Jamie’s deceased husband has been hailed a hero, but the truth about his death is something she keeps hidden from everyone, especially her son, Patrick. Despite her efforts to put on a brave face, he begins to sink into depression. She returns from deployment to a son she barely recognizes. Her once carefree child is wrapped in a darkness she fears will consume him - just like his father.

Russell Owens is no stranger to loss and pain. Having lost his wife in a tragic accident, he spent years struggling with guilt. He moves to Sheridan, Oklahoma to help his brother-in-law with his organization that helps connect soldiers with service dogs. When he meets his new neighbors, he can readily recognize their pain. As he tries to help Patrick, he develops feelings for Jamie - feelings he tries hard to deny.

Unspoken is a novel of three individuals broken by loss and shackled to their grief. Their heartache is hidden, lying in a corner, screaming to be heard - yet it remains unspoken. Can they learn to shed their self-created armor and allow God to clothe them in His security, truth, and love? Or will their fears leave their true feelings Unspoken

The last thing Caitlin McConnell wanted to do was spend her Christmas in her hometown of Mistletoe, Texas. The town is filled with bad memories and broken dreams. When the woman who took Caitlin in during her father’s incarceration begs her to come home, she reluctantly agrees, also letting it slip that she’ll be coming home with her fiancé. But two days before her departure, her would-be fiancé breaks up with her, and the whole embarrassing ordeal is overheard by Tristan Harding, who comes to her rescue and gets her through the night. Tristan has spent the last year struggling with his very public breakup and struggling to finish his novel. When his agent offers her home in Mistletoe as a refuge to write, he reluctantly agrees. But on his first day into the town, he runs into Caitlin and the two find they are the focus of the town’s attention. When an innocent dinner fuels the rumors circling the them, people mistakenly think Tristan is Caitlin’s fiancé. Word of their engagement gives him a break from the pressure his agent is putting on him to write, and Caitlin provides an enticing distraction to staring at a blank screen. As they agree to keep up the charade, Caitlin begins to wish they were a real couple. Will the Mistletoe mishap lead to love, or just more disappointment for Caitlin?

Colette Hillard and Elliott Ashcroft have been friends for over three years – and each is harboring a secret fondness for the other.Elliot hasn't dated anyone for two years – but that isn't enough evidence to convince Colette he has feelings for her. She hangs back and waits, hopes, and prays for something to happen.It's been three years since Colette's husband died serving his country, and despite her inviting smiles, Elliot refuses to ask her out. He hesitates, wondering if, and when, there will ever be a chance at a new beginning for either of them.Then Colette leads a new Christmas program at their church to bless needy families in the community with dinner and gifts. Individuals will pair up and visit the twelve homes on their list – each visit representing a different story. Before he can second guess himself, Elliot asks Colette to be his partner.As Elliot and Colette discover a wealth of emotions along their twelve visits, will love be among them?

Bethany Petersen is the rightful heir to the Petersen Estate, but her grandmother’s will states otherwise. Instead, it will go to Walker Keane, the murderer of her sister. The only way she can get control of the estate is through marriage to Walker. The idea is absurd to Bethany, and she assumes he will think so, too. Instead of trying to help her find a way around her grandmother’s stipulation, he asks her to marry him. So she hatches a plan to not only to get her inheritance back, but once and for all prove that her sister was murdered by Walker. She agrees to his deal. Marriage, even if it is in name only, and then after one year, they will split the inheritance. The ruse of marriage will give her access to the information she needs to prove his guilt. However, Bethany quickly finds out her plan isn’t as simple as she thought. As the truth begins to unfold, so do her feelings for Walker. Will buried secrets reveal his innocence, or confirm her suspicions that she’s gotten herself into a deadly arrangement?

Miracles in Disguise – Since Kristina Talbot can remember, she’s tried to earn the love of men in her life, only to be hurt in the process. After her abusive husband’s death, she heads to New Mexico trying to get her life headed down a new road. But Nathan McKinley sets up a roadblock to her plan. His charming and gentle personality are no match for her love-starved heart. Could he be the miracle she’s been praying for?

Consider the Thorns - Raped on the eve of her high school graduation, Barbara has learned to hide the physical scars, but the emotional scars are harder to hide. When her father falls ill, she is forced to return home & face Steve, her high school crush. With his patient and steadfast love, she finds that all her weapons are useless. Now she must confront her past, or lose the one man who was able to get past thorns.

I’ll Settle for Love – Leann grew up under the steady trickle of the belittling words of her mother and under the weight of a dark secret. With her self-confidence eroded, she is surprised when Mike McKinley notices her. With every kind word, Mike erases a little pain from her past, and for the first time, she feels as if she is standing on firm ground. But seven years into their marriage, she realizes that her foundation is lying on shallow ground. As their marriage and family begin to settle, the cracks appear. Can Leann fight her own insecurities, her family and her failing faith to discover the difference between settling for the storm, and striving for the rainbow that comes after?