Indigo Isle
by
"Storms show up and there ain't a thing we can do to stop them."Sonny Bates left South Carolina fifteen years ago and never looked back.Now she's a successful Hollywood location scout who travels the world, finding perfect places for movie shoots. Home is wherever she lands, and between her busy schedule and dealing with her boss's demands, she has little time to think about the past . . . until her latest gig lands her a stone's throw from everything she left behind.Searching off the coast of Charleston for a secluded site to film a key scene, Sonny wanders onto a private barrier island and encounters its reclusive owner, known by locals as the Monster of Indigo Isle. What she finds is a man much more complex than the myth.Once a successful New York attorney, Hudson Renfrow's grief has exiled him to his island for several years. He spends his days alone, tending his fields of indigo, then making indigo dye--and he has no interest in serving the intrusive needs of a film company or yielding to Sonny's determined curiosity. But when a hurricane makes landfall on the Carolina coast, stranding them together, an unlikely friendship forms between the two damaged souls. Soon the gruff exterior Hudson has long hidden behind crumbles--exposing the tender part of him that's desperate for forgiveness and a second chance.A story of hanging on and letting go, of redemption and reconciliation, and of a love that heals the deepest wounds, from the author of the breakout Southern fiction bestseller Under the Magnolias.This book offers these extra helpful and fun features: Discussion questions--we've got you covered for book club! Recipes A playlist inspired by Sonny and Hudson's love story
The American Queen
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AS SEEN ON GOOD MORNING AMERICA: GMA 15 New Books to Read | 2024 American Fiction Award WINNER for African American Fiction AND Historical Fiction "Miller brings to enthralling life a hidden gem in American history." --Publishers Weekly There is only one known queen who truly ruled a kingdom on American soil. Meet the queen of Happy Land. Transformative and breathtakingly honest, The American Queen is based on actual events that occurred between 1865 - 1889 and shares the unsung history of a Black woman who built a kingdom in Appalachia as a refuge for the courageous people who dared to dream of a different way of life. Over the twenty-four years she was enslaved on the Montgomery Plantation, Louella learned to feel one thing: hate. Hate for the man who sold her mother. Hate for the overseer who left her daddy to hang from a noose. Hate so powerful there's no room in her heart for love, not even for the honorable Reverend William, whom she likes and respects enough to marry. But when William finally listens to Louella's pleas and leads the formerly enslaved people off the plantation, Louella begins to replace her hate with hope. Hope that they will find a place where they can live free from fear. Hope that despite her many unanswered prayers, she can learn to trust for new miracles. Soon, William and Louella become the appointed king and queen of their self-proclaimed Kingdom of the Happy Land. And though they are still surrounded by opposition, they continue to share a message of joy and goodness--and fight for the freedom and dignity of all. The American Queen weaves together themes of love, hate, hope, trust, and resilience in the face of great turmoil. With every turn of the page, you will be transported to a pivotal period in American history, where oppressed people become extraordinary heroes.
An American Immigrant
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CHRISTY AWARD WINNER .A Colombian American journalist tries to save her career by taking an assignment somewhere she never thought she'd go-Colombia-in this heartwarming debut novel about rediscovering our family stories. "A beautiful homage to a mother's bravery and to the grace and grit that is our inheritance."-Alicia Menendez,MSNBC anchor and creator and host of the Latina to Latina podcast International Latino Book Award Gold Winner for Best First Book-Fiction; Silver Winner for The Isabel Allende Most Inspirational Fiction . Tennessee State Book Award Finalist Twenty-five-year-old Melanie Carvajal, a hardworking but struggling journalist for a Miami newspaper, loves her Colombian mother but regularly ignores her phone calls, frustrated that she never quite takes the time to understand Melanie's life. When the opportunity arises for a big assignment that might save her flagging career, Melanie follows the story to the land of her mother's birth. She soon realizes Colombia has the potential to connect her, after all these years, to something she's long ignored- her heritage, the love of her mother, her family, and the richest parts of herself. Colombia offers more than a chance to make a name for herself as a writer. It is a place of untold stories. Inspired by real-life events, An American Immigrant is a story of culture and community, of abiding commitment to family, and of embracing our culture and the generations that have come before.
The Wind Blows in Sleeping Grass
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2024 Selah Award Winner, 2024 Christy Award Winner, and Carol Award FinalistFor the first time in his life, Pete has everything to lose.After years of drifting, fifty-year-old Pete Ryman has settled down with his potbellied pig, Pearl, in the small Montana town of Sleeping Grass--a place he never expected to see again. It's not the life he dreamed of, but there aren't many prospects for a high-school dropout like him.Elderly widow Wilma Jacobsen carries a burden of guilt over her part in events that led to Pete leaving Sleeping Grass decades ago. Now that he's back, she's been praying for the chance to make things right, but she never expected God's answer to leave her flat on her face--literally--and up to her ears in meddling.When the younger sister Pete was separated from as a child shows up in Sleeping Grass with her eleven-year-old son, Pete is forced to face a past he buried long ago, and Wilma discovers her long-awaited chance at redemption may come at a higher cost than she's willing to pay."Katie Powner brings both humor and heft to the page as she celebrates simple pleasures and not-so-simple love."--JULIE CANTRELL, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Perennials
The Warsaw Sisters
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2024 Christy Award Winner A richly rendered portrait of courage, sacrifice, and resilience On a golden August morning in 1939, sisters Antonina and Helena Dąbrowska send their father off to defend Poland against the looming threat of German invasion. The next day, the first bombs fall on Warsaw, decimating their beloved city and shattering the world of their youth. When Antonina's beloved Marek is forced behind ghetto walls, along with the rest of Warsaw's Jewish population, Antonina knows she cannot stand by and soon becomes a key figure in a daring network of women risking their lives to shelter Jewish children. Meanwhile, Helena finds herself drawn into the ranks of Poland's secret army, joining the fight to free her homeland from occupation. But the secrets both are forced to keep threaten to tear them apart--and the cost of resistance may prove greater than either ever imagined.
Of Love and Treason
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2024 Christy Award Winner for Historical Romance!Valentine defies the emperor and becomes a hero . . . and the most wanted man in the empire. Compelled by his faith, he has nothing to lose, until a chance encounter with the daughter of a Roman jailor changes everything.Rome, AD 270.In the wake of the emperor's marriage ban, rumors swirl that there is one man brave enough to perform wedding ceremonies in secret. A public notarius and leader of an underground church, Valentine believes the emperor's edict unjust and risks his own life for the sake of his convictions. But as his fame grows, so do fears for his safety.Iris, the daughter of a Roman jailor, believes regaining her sight will ease the mounting troubles at home. Her last hope rests in searching out Valentine and his church, but the danger of associating with people labeled a threat to the empire is great. Still, as Iris's new friends lead her to faith in God, Iris is drawn to Valentine and they both begin to hope for a future together beyond the treacherous empire.But when a past debt and a staggering betrayal collide, Valentine, Iris, and everyone they love must fight for their lives . . . and wrestle with trusting a God who can restore sight yet does not always keep His followers from peril. Discussion questions for book clubs Retelling of the legend of St. Valentine First Christian historical romance novel set in ancient times by author Jamie Ogle
The Vanishing at Castle Moreau
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2024 Christy Award Winner
A haunting legend. An ominous curse. A search for a secret buried deep within the castle walls.In 1870, orphaned Daisy François takes a position as housemaid at a Wisconsin castle to escape the horrors of her past life. There she finds a reclusive and eccentric Gothic authoress who hides tales more harrowing than the ones in her novels. As women disappear from the area and the eerie circumstances seem to parallel a local legend, Daisy is thrust into a web that could ultimately steal her sanity, if not her life.In the present day, Cleo Clemmons is hired by the grandson of an American aristocratic family to help his grandmother face her hoarding in the dilapidated Castle Moreau. But when Cleo uncovers more than just the woman's stash of collectibles, a century-old mystery and the dust of the old castle's curse threaten to rise again . . . this time to leave no one alive to tell the sordid tale.Award-winning author Jaime Jo Wright seamlessly weaves a dual-time tale of two women who must do all they can to seek the light amid the darkness shrouding Castle Moreau."An imaginative and mysterious tale."--New York Times bestselling author RACHEL HAUCK"Jaime Jo Wright never disappoints, and The Vanishing at Castle Moreau is no exception. With real, flawed characters who grapple with real-life struggles, this gripping suspense novel will draw readers in from the very first page. Good luck putting it down. I couldn't."--LYNETTE EASON, bestselling author of the Extreme Measures series
We Three Kings
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""Star of Wonder" by Crystal Caudill--The Christmas-themed maiden voyage of his familys grand steamer ship was supposed to be Aldrich Weises chance both to instill investor confidence and to romance Celestia Isaacs. Instead, he must foil a criminal and leave his lady love behind forever. "Beauty Bright" by Cara Putman--Lieutenant Charles Weise served as a Monuments Man after World War II and now works to restore stolen art to rightful owners. Captain Lillian Thorsen pairs up with him not only to return treasures but also to fix the war-torn lives around them. "Perfect Light" by Angela Ruth Strong--Essential oils mogul Brendon Wise is drawn to Lacey Foster, the event planner for his huge Christmas lights festival. But when he inadvertently makes a spectacle of her on television, Lacey wants nothing to do with him. Will a chance to give gifts to those in need at Christmas be the key to discovering common ground-and maybe love?"--
In This Moment
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2024 Christy Award WinnerMaggie inherited a gift from her time-crossing parents that allows her to live three separate lives in 1861, 1941, and 2001. Each night, she goes to sleep in one time period and wakes up in another. Until she turns twenty-one, when she will have to forfeit two of those lives--and everyone she knows in them--forever. In 1861, Maggie is the daughter of a senator at the outbreak of the Civil War, navigating a capital full of Southern spies and wounded soldiers. In 1941, she is a navy nurse, grappling with her knowledge of the future when she joins a hospital ship going to Pearl Harbor. And in 2001, she's a brilliant young medical student, fulfilling her dream of becoming a surgeon.While Maggie has sworn off romance until she makes her final choice, an intriguing man tugs at her heart in each era, only complicating the impossible decision she must make, which looms ever closer. With so much on the line, how can Maggie choose just one life to keep and the rest to lose?Gabrielle Meyer's writing captivates with . . ."A page-turning journey through three riveting, interwoven historical timelines."--MIMI MATTHEWS, USA Today bestselling author"Wonderful settings that brim with ethical dilemmas, fabulous twists, and an engaging heroine."--ELIZABETH CAMDEN, Christy and RITA Award-winning author"A time-traveling adventure with timeless appeal."--JOCELYN GREEN, Christy Award-winning author
Sky of Seven Colors
by
In a strange part of the forest, the divide between worlds grows thin. After the accident, Meg would do anything to wake her best friend from his deadly coma. At least, that's what she whispered into the woodland shadows. She never imagined her wish would trap her in a gray other-earth, void of any color. Meg's vibrant humanity is a priceless artifact in the gray kingdom, coveted by the royal court. All she wants to do is find a way back home. Until she discovers the other-earth contains healing powers that can save her friend. But only if Meg becomes what the gray people need--a human bride for Kalmus, the powerful king of the capital city. With her heart torn between earths, Meg's choices may cost more than she knows.
