Historical romance

More Than Friends eBook Collection Special Sale!

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More Than Friends, a collection of six historical romance eBooks, is on sale for just $.99 for a limited time!

When friendship deepens, love dares to follow.
Six unforgettable romances where bonds of loyalty deepen into lasting love, set against richly drawn historical backdrops of hidden identities, dangerous journeys, and heartfelt sacrifice.

The Marriage Masquerade by Erica Vetsch
A disgraced captain and a runaway heiress hide behind assumed names on a remote island, forming an unexpected friendship that soon blossoms into love. But when long-buried secrets come to light, their carefully crafted masquerade may cost them everything.

Mary’s Redemption by Lena Nelson Dooley
Burdened by family duty, Mary cannot abandon those who depend on her—even for the man who has loved her for years. As Daniel presses for a future together, both must confront whether love is strong enough to withstand sacrifice, loss, and God’s greater plan.

An Uncharted Dream by Abbey Downey
Best friends Leonora and Marcus set out on a perilous expedition in search of answers, each harboring fears and unspoken feelings. When betrayal leaves them stranded, their survival—and their hearts—depend on trusting each other and the faith that guides them.

Legacy of Honor by Renae Brumbaugh Green
Childhood friends Riley and Emma are bound by shared history but divided by expectation and status. As danger rises and loyalties are tested, they must choose between the lives they’ve been given and the love they can no longer deny.

His Grace’s Governess by Jackie Killelea
A reserved governess and a grieving duke form a quiet bond amid loss and responsibility. But as secrets from the past threaten to surface, they must decide if risking their hearts is worth the chance at healing—and love.

A Not So Convenient Marriage by Sandra Merville Hart
A lifelong friendship leads to a marriage of convenience between a grieving widower and the woman who has always loved him. As they navigate loss, family, and unspoken hopes, they must discover whether friendship can truly grow into the love they both need.


These six historical romances explore the tender, transformative journey from friendship to love, where faith, trials, and quiet devotion reveal that the strongest relationships are often built long before love is spoken.

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Spark of the Revolution by Megan Soja

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Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

Harbor of Spies, Book 1

1773, Boston

Patience Abbott leaves England with her brother at their father’s urging after their mother’s death. The siblings board a ship to Boston to reunite with their father, whose job as a sailor had kept him from his wife and children for months and even years at a time. Patience learns the shocking news that her father has remarried. She and Will now have a stepmother and stepsister. Patience wonders if it’s possible to be close to her father again.

Blacksmith Josiah Wagner watches as the Eleanor pulls into the harbor with a cargo of tea. He has no family, yet his active, peaceful membership in the Sons of Liberty for the past four years has given him a greater purpose. He and the other patriots aren’t happy to see another boatload of tea, but meeting Patience searching for someone at the docks is a pleasant surprise. Her lost look reminds him of his arrival in Boston at the age of eleven, an orphan. He shows her the kindness no one showed him, something that impacts both of them.

Her brother soon decides to support the patriots’ cause while Patience struggles to understand all that is happening. Her loyalist father runs a shop that sells tea shipped from England. She believes Josiah sides with her brother. The man her father wants her to marry, Edward Cunningham, shares his views. Who is right?

Both the hero and heroine have suffered significant losses, which give them a deep yearning for family and belonging. I was drawn into their struggles and the gentle romance unfolding, and the story grew to become a page-turner for me.

The author does an excellent job of showing the escalating tensions that divided families and neighbors even before the American Revolutionary War. Readers learn a bit of history as a natural part of the story.

Recommended for readers who enjoy novels set in colonial times and for those who enjoy inspirational historical romances.

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More than a Fleeting Romance by Sandra Lou Taylor

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Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

A Hadley Hope Story

By 1852, Eleanor Foogleman’s family had lived in Indiana for months. Because her mother is bedridden while waiting for her baby’s birth, Eleanor has helped her father build the cabin as well as the household chores. There have been several miscarriages, making Pa angrier by the year. Only Eleanor and her five-year-old sister have survived. When Pa takes Eleanor to town for the first time, he warns her not to catch any man’s eye. Of course not. Pa’s not giving up her free labor for nothing.

The shy girl captures the attention of James Hadley, the town’s blacksmith, but it’s clear that her pa doesn’t approve.

Unbelievable tragedy awaits Eleanor.

The main character has difficulty trusting men because of her father. That is demonstrated very well in this novella. Tragedy, unexpected events, and sympathy for the main character kept me turning pages. Understandable themes are mentioned, yet are not fully developed, themes that would have deepened the story.  

The book can be read in about two hours.

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Avenue of Betrayal eBook Sale!

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Announcing a limited-time sale!

The Kindle version of Avenue of Betrayal, Book 1 in my Spies of the Civil War Series, is discounted to 99 cents for a few days only!

This inspirational romance, set in Washington, DC, Boston, New York City, a Virginia Civil War fort, and Hatteras Island in 1861, the Civil War’s first year, begins the poignant series.

Betrayed by her brother and the man she loves…whom can she trust when tragedy strikes?

Soldiers are pouring into Washington City every day and have begun drilling in preparation for a battle with the Confederacy. Annie Swanson worries for her brother, whom she’s just discovered is a Confederate officer in his new home state of North Carolina. Even as Annie battles feelings of betrayal toward the big brother she’s always adored, her wealthy banker father swears her and her sister to secrecy about their brother’s actions. How could he forsake their mother’s abolitionist teachings?

Sergeant-Major John Finn camps within a mile of the Swansons’ mansion where his West Point pal once lived. Sweet Annie captured his heart at Will’s wedding last year and he looks forward to reestablishing their relationship—until he’s asked to spy on her father.

To prove her father’s loyalty to the Union, John agrees to spy on the Swanson family, though Annie must never know. Then the war strikes a blow that threatens to destroy them all—including the love that’s grown between them against all odds.

Now is a great time to begin the series!

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Pretending to be the Mountain Man’s Wife by Misty M. Beller

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Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

Brothers of Sapphire Ranch, Book 6

Jess McPharland is desperate to escape from her cruel father before he discovers her secret. She’s not sure what his miners dig to find in the mountain’s cave system that is her home—and that’s a good thing. Jess fears the cruel men employed by Mick McPharland. Her father plans to marry her off to a man just like himself. She has one opportunity to escape.

Gil Coulter has been searching for weeks for his brother, Sampson, and for the load of sapphires stolen from them. Jess will only take him to his brother if he agrees to a pretend marriage. Gil’s protective instincts take over. He changes his surname and pretends to have married Jess two months before. Jess hadn’t exaggerated her father’s dangerous nature. The pretense leads them both into increasing peril.

Gil is falling in love with his pretend wife. Then he learns that Jess is pregnant.

I had read an earlier book in this series. It would have been like visiting with old friends to read this book—aside from the escalating danger that kept me flipping pages.

Lovable characters tugged at my heart while formidable enemies made me wonder if any of them would make it out alive. Mick’s right-hand man has been known to kill miners for asking a question.

The author weaves a story filled with a maze of twists and turns. The ending left some important questions unanswered that lead to the next book in the series.

Recommended for lovers of historical romance fiction.

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A Conflicted Betrothal by Denise Weimer

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Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

In 1765, Temperance Scott is only one of the colonists to protest the Stamp Act behind the scenes in Savannah, Georgia. Her near-sightedness results in meeting Ansel Anderson, a King’s Ranger who is now stationed in the city to protect the Governor.

Lieutenant Ansel Anderson learns enough to be suspicious about Temperance’s presence at a tavern where the Sons of Liberty are meeting, but not her name. When he next sees her, she doesn’t remember him—because it’s Tabitha, Temperance’s twin.

Temperance, along with her cousin Frankie, is a Patriot. They are determined to fight against the Stamp Act, as other colonies have done. It’s too bad the handsome Ansel is a King’s man, yet so is her father. Should she continue to stand up for what she believes?

This book is a page turner! The author plops readers into the midst of the turmoil brewing between England and the colonies eleven years before the revolution. There is plenty of American history built into the story. Believable, lovable characters pulled me into the drama from the first page.

I couldn’t put it down!

Recommended for readers of historical romance novels.

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Seeking Simon by Susan Pope Sloan

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Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

Rescued Hearts of the Civil War, Book 4

Daviana Spalding is glad to see the war’s end, yet plenty of soldiers still passed by her rural Georgia home in need of meals, precious food she and her pa could ill afford to share. During the war, some had taken what they wanted at gunpoint. Simon McNeil offered to pay, so Pa agreed. Unfortunately, Simon becomes ill that evening.

At first, Simon regrets that his malaria chose this moment to resurface. The Union soldier isn’t sorry for the opportunity to get to know Daviana. He quickly learns that her pa has reasons for his desire to his daughter married, not the least of which is to protect their Georgia land from seizure by the Freedman’s Bureau. Simon steps up to protect the family by claiming Daviana as his fiancé.

He soon discovers an even greater threat to the beautiful woman whom he’s growing to love…

This book is a page turner! The author weaves a story of unexpected events that propels believable characters we care about into ever-increasing turmoil.

The story takes place in Georgia and Alabama during Reconstruction, giving readers insight into the turmoil of those days in the South. I couldn’t put it down!

Recommended for readers of historical romance novels.

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A Surprise Harvest Bride by Wendy Klopfenstein

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Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

1901, Wyoming

Hope O’Neal travels west to take her friend’s place as a mail-order bride for Patrick Eastland. Emigrating to the United States from Ireland had led to drudgery. She prays that marrying a stranger will finally be the answer to her dreams of a happy life.

Patrick Eastland’s friend had advertised for a nanny for Patrick’s two nephews, but Hope isn’t to blame for his friend’s mistake. He marries her with the promise to annul the marriage after harvesting all the fruit from his apple orchard. That has to be his focus, or he will lose the house and land he inherited from his grandfather.

This short, satisfying story can be read in about two hours. There are hurdles on the path to paying off the hero’s mortgage. The heroine’s attitude won me over early in the story and had me pulling for her and the hero.

I look forward to reading another book by this author.

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A Mountain Christmas Romance by Misty Beller

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Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

Wyoming Mountain Tales, Book 4

Mountain Bluff, Wyoming Territory, 1867

Matthias Bjork searches for his sister in the rugged Wyoming Territory. Both his Viking heritage and family are vital to him, and he hasn’t seen his sister in twenty years.

Opal Boyd’s experiences with men have led her to steer clear of them. That’s why she’s so grateful to have found a job and a home with an older German couple in the Wyoming Territory. Meeting with Matthias, whom her boarding family considers an adopted son, doesn’t change her mind initially, yet the strong man soon captivates her thoughts.

Matthias is equally mesmerized by Opal, yet continues to follow all clues to his sister. Once he finds her, he vows never to live far apart from her again. That promise becomes difficult to keep.

This book was a page-turner for me. The author weaves lots of twists and turns into the story that kept me guessing to the end. Lovable characters touched my heart in this poignant story.

This isn’t the first novel I’ve read by this prolific author, nor will it be the last. Recommended for readers of historical romances.

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Forever Christmas by Cat Cahill

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Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

The Gilbert Girls, Book 5

Crest Stone, Colorado Territory, 1875

After the death of her husband, Elizabeth Campbell spends all her money on a train ticket to the Colorado Territory in search of her brother. Upon learning that he’s in California with his new bride, Elizabeth takes a job as a waitress at the hotel her brother built.

In dread of his next job, Landon Cooper stops at a fine hotel for the night. His waitress at the lunch counter captivates him, but he’s not worthy of a good woman—especially after he completes his new job. Still, he can’t forget her. When she enlists his help in decorating the hotel for Christmas, he extends his stay.

Elizabeth’s marriage had not been a good one. It wouldn’t be wise to marry another cowboy, yet Landon stirs her heart. But what secret is he keeping?

The story captivated my attention from the first chapter as believable characters drew me into their plight. The hero’s decision kept me wondering as the story unfolded.

Characters from earlier novels are introduced seamlessly into the story, making me want to read the whole series.

I will look for more books by this author.

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