New Release

Spying for Love – New Wild Heart Books eBook Collection Released Today!

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Spying for Love: Five Espionage Historical Romance Novels, released on September 16, 2025.

            Sandra’s novel in the collection: Byway to Danger

Love blooms in the shadows of history’s most pivotal moments as five extraordinary couples risk everything for duty, honor, and love.

Spark of the Revolution by Megan Soja

Patience Abbott has long felt unsettled and anxious to leave behind her painful memories in England for a fresh start in America. As tension grows in her new home of Boston, so does the distance between Patience and her estranged father. So when Josiah Wagner walks into her life, it finally feels like she’s not alone. His patriotic leanings put him at odds with her father’s loyalties.

Josiah Wagner yearns for a true home and family, something he works toward forging tools as a blacksmith, and forging plans with the Sons of Liberty. With the destruction of tea in Boston Harbor, Josiah finds himself drawn into its tumultuous wake, pulling the woman he loves along with him.

A Conflicted Betrothal by Denise Weimer

As a King’s Ranger, Ansel Anderson loves his independent life. He’s also a second son, which means he’ll need the favor of someone influential to secure a land grant to settle his future. What better way to win support than by marrying the daughter of a member of the Governor’s Council?

When Savannah erupts into riots and intrigue following the passage of the Stamp Act, Ansel is tasked with identifying a spy passing sensitive information to the Liberty Boys and the author of anonymous letters threatening those loyal to the governor. And as suspicions focus on the Scott family, which is he prepared to sacrifice—love or loyalty?

Petticoat Spy by Elva Cobb Martin

When Anna Grace Laurens’s parents are murdered and plantation burned, she seizes her only option for escape—a desperate leap into the Cooper River. She’ll do anything to survive…and get revenge.

John Cooper Vargas is used to danger as he sails his sloop upriver through war-torn colonies, but seeing a woman plunge into the river amidst Tory gunfire is something he wouldn’t have thought possible. Until now.

Rescuing her draws him into a web of intrigue, but he can’t let her fight the British on her own. As the American Revolution closes in around them, it may take a miracle for them—and their love—to survive.

The Sword and the Secret by Jan Davis Warren

Lord John Stanton is the last male heir of his royal lineage. He has the responsibility to marry and carry on the family name, but a secret vow to God could change his future from royal heir to humble servant of the church. His journey to the monastery to become a monk is interrupted when he meets a dangerous, but beautiful, woman who has secrets of her own.

Raised as property of the Crown, Julianna Westerfield longs to be free to pursue love and have a family of her own. Trained to be a spy and assassin, she has a chance to earn her freedom by completing a mission to uncover a murderous plot and the identities of the Black Guard. Now the assassins are after her. To survive she must depend on a handsome monk and his cantankerous donkey.

Byway to Danger by Sandra Merville Hart

Meg Brooks didn’t stop spying for the Union when her job at the Pinkerton National Detective Agency ended, especially now that she lives in the Confederate capital. Her job at the Yancey bakery provides many opportunities to discover vital information to pass on to her Union contact.

Cade Yancey knows the beautiful widow is a spy when he hires her, and he has secrets of his own. The more his feelings for the courageous woman grow, the greater his determination to protect her by guarding his secrets. Her own investigations place her in enough peril.

Five complete novels in one collection, each a sweeping tale of intrigue, faith, and romance set against the backdrop of America’s most defining conflicts.

Amazon

Announcing the Release of Love Stitched in Blue and Gray

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by Sandra Merville Hart

Exciting news!

This month, my publisher, Wild Heart Books, surprised me with the news that my book, Avenue of Betrayal, is part of a newly-released a five novel-length Kindle collection called Love Stitched in Blue and Gray!Books by talented authors Tamera Alexander, Misty M. Beller, Susan Pope Sloan, Sherry Shindelar are also in the collection.

The eBook was released on May 27th.

Here’s a bit more about each novel in the collection:

5 Full-Length Civil War Romance Novels Where Love Bridges Every Divide!

From Texas ranches to Washington’s political circles, and from Georgia cotton mills to Comanche territory, experience the transformative power of love during America’s most turbulent era in these five captivating Christian historical romances.

The Rancher Takes a Cook by Misty M. Beller

When their South Carolina home burns to the ground, Anna Stewart’s only choice is to move with her younger brother to the wilds of a Texas ranch. Their prospects are beginning to look better, until the rancher’s son, Jacob O’Brien, shows up with his alarmingly blue eyes to put a kink in Anna’s well-controlled plans.

Colors of Truth by Tamera Alexander

Irish immigrant Catriona O’Toole arrives in Franklin, Tennessee in 1866, searching for her twin brother Ryan, a conscripted Confederate soldier. With only her spitfire little sister and Ryan’s last cash gift in tow, she catches the attention of Wade Cunningham—a former Federal soldier now secretly investigating counterfeit rings for the U.S. Secret Service. When the money in Catriona’s possession proves counterfeit, Wade must choose between his duty and his growing feelings for the woman he’s supposed to prosecute.

Rescuing Rose by Susan Pope Sloan

When the Union Army marches into Roswell, Georgia, and burns down the cotton mill where Rose Carrigan worked, not only is her livelihood destroyed but she’s also taken prisoner and shipped northward with the other workers. Only the unlikely kindness of one of her guards makes the trip bearable.

Union Captain Noah Griffin hates the part of his job that requires him to destroy the lives of innocent civilians, but at least he’s able to protect these women he’s been ordered to transport to Louisville, Kentucky.

But when two fugitives arrive and complicate matters between Rose and Noah, only faith can help them find love in the midst of so much tragedy.

Avenue of Betrayal by Sandra Merville Hart

As the Civil War looms over Washington City, Annie Swanson discovers her beloved brother has joined the Confederate cause, betraying their mother’s abolitionist beliefs. When Sergeant-Major John Finn—who fell for Annie at her brother’s wedding—is tasked with spying on her banker father’s loyalty to the Union, their budding romance becomes entangled in a web of family secrets and divided loyalties that could destroy them both.

Texas Forsaken by Sherry Shindelar

Seven years ago, Maggie Logan (Eyes-Like-Sky) lost everything she knew when a raid on a wagon train tore her from her family. As the memories of her past faded to nothing more than vague shadows, Maggie adapted—marrying a Comanche warrior, having a baby, and rebuilding her life. But in one terrible battle, the U.S. Cavalry destroys that life, and she is taken captive again, this time by those who call themselves her people. Forced into a world she wants nothing to do with, Eyes-Like-Sky’s only hope of protecting her child may be an engagement to the man who killed her husband.

Five compelling stories of faith, courage, and love that prove God’s power to heal even the deepest wounds of war.

I’m thrilled that Avenue of Betrayal, Book 1 in my Spies of the Civil War Series, is part of this eBook collection with four other talented authors.

I hope you enjoy all the stories!

Amazon  

Announcing the Release of Tides of Healing!

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by Sandra Merville Hart

It’s Release Day for Tides of Healing!

Savannah’s and Travis’s story is the sixth and final book in the Spies of the Civil War Series. While writing it, I felt as if I’d written the entire series to tell this story—and reading each book in order will give readers the greatest impact.

Readers often wonder what inspired a book or series. The inspiration for Books 4-6, set in Vicksburg, has been a long time in the making. Huge, important battles in Gettysburg and Vicksburg ended in a Northern victory on the same day. I had studied the Battle of Gettysburg before writing A Rebel in My House.

A few years later, the Battle of Vicksburg captured my imagination.

The Confederate army lost both its army and the city at the Civil War Battle of Vicksburg. They surrendered on July 4, 1863. I learned that Vicksburg citizens didn’t celebrate Independence Day for about one hundred years.

What made that experience so terrible that the city couldn’t celebrate the independence of the United States for a century?

I had to discover what those citizens endured. It took three books to write their story. From 1861-1863, through mainly fictional—and a few historical—characters, Books 4 – 6 transport readers to a small Southern city on a bluff beside the Mississippi River, one that the Union was as determined to conquer as the Confederacy was to protect.  

I visited Vicksburg twice to discover its Civil War history. The battlefield there is beautifully maintained and well worth a visit!

Here’s the back cover blurb:

A Southern belle fights to reclaim her home, but will her spying destroy the Union officer she never meant to love? 

Savannah Adair has endured the unimaginable, hiding in a cave while her beloved Vicksburg was under siege. With the city now occupied by Union soldiers, Savannah cannot stand by and do nothing. So when one of the gaunt, half-starved Confederate prisoners asks her to spy for the South, she can’t refuse the chance to take back her home. 

First Lieutenant Travis Lawson takes pride in the Union army’s hard-fought victory, but he quickly realizes that the challenges of rebuilding and reconciliation are just beginning . . . and not everyone is appreciative of changes he’s making. Namely, the fiery and alluring Savannah Adair. Despite their differing loyalties and the societal divide between them, Travis cannot deny the growing feelings he has for her. When he is tasked with finding Southern spies in Vicksburg and he captures a female spy, Travis is forced to consider that the woman he’s beginning to love may be the enemy. 

Amazon

Announcing River of Peril, Book 5, Releases Today!

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River of Peril, Book 5 in my Spies of the Civil War Series, releases today, October 15th!

What endorsers are saying about the book:

Sandra Merville Hart is skilled at taking readers into the hearts and lives of the common people during the Civil War. ~Cindy Thomson, Author of the Ellis Series and the Daughters of Ireland Series

River of Peril is filled with romance and intrigue! ~Deborah Sprinkle, Award-winning author of the Trouble in Pleasant Valley Series and the Mac and Sam Mystery Series

With her meticulous level of research, her proven ability as a natural storyteller, and her ability to weave all these elements into a riveting narrative, Sandra has again crafted a book you won’t be able to put down. ~Kevin Spencer, Historian—ON THIS DAY in North Carolina History

What reviewers are saying about the book:

Well researched and worth a read!

River of Peril is a page-turner story of love and loss, faith and hope amidst life’s trials, including war.

I especially liked how the story focused not only on the characters’ daily lives but on the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi as a whole. It was a very hard time for all the residents there, not just the soldiers. You really get a feel for all that was happening in that time period. An excellent story and one filled with emotion, forgiveness and danger.

Remembering can be worse than forgetting!

The author keeps a good balance of hope throughout the story, because even in war, there is hope in God. The details are clear and engaging to the point you feel like you are there, feeling everything along with the characters – the good and bad.
I enjoy studying history, and this novel delivered for me. I look forward to the next in the series.

The extensive research done by this author shines clearly in this historical novel which is both informative and very engrossing.

Back cover blurb:

Amnesia stole his memory, and now he’s fighting for the wrong side.

Orphaned and alone at sixteen, Felicity has found solace in serving others as a volunteer nurse. When she discovers her Confederate soldier beau, Luke Shea, among the wounded in her ward, her worst nightmares come true. Luke’s shrapnel wound has stolen his memory, leaving him with no recollection of their love or his past. As Felicity struggles with the loss of the man she once knew, she turns her attention to the service of her broken country. But the more she learns about the brutal war, the more she realizes she can no longer stay silent. She becomes a Union spy, plunging herself into danger.

When Luke Shea awakes in a hospital with no memory of the last five years, he’s shocked to learn he’s been fighting against the Union he once so strongly supported. And when he learns of his past courtship with his nurse, Felicity, he struggles to understand the man he was and what happened in those missing years. Determined to atone for his Confederate past, Luke also joins the Union cause as a spy.

As danger lurks at every turn, only a Divine hand can not only protect their lives, but give them a second chance for love and the future they both crave.

Pick up your copy today on Amazon!

Once you read it or any other of my other books, I’d appreciate a review!

And you won’t have long to wait for Tides of Healing, Book 6, where you will read the story of Savannah and Travis. It will release on February 11th

Announcing Release of Book 2 in Second Chances Novel Series!

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by Sandra Merville Hart

I wanted to share some exciting news with you!  A Not So Persistent Suitor, Book 2 of my “Second Chances” series, releases February 14, 2023! My newest historical romance releases today, on Valentine’s Day!

A Not So Persistent Suitor, Book 2, is set in Cincinnati in 1883—84. Some important events happen in the city at that time and are included in the novel. I loved sharing about locations that modern readers will recognize in this novel. 😊

Here’s a bit about A Not So Persistent Suitor:

He’s fighting for his career…She’s bent on achieving her own goals…Will their love survive a second chance at happily ever after?

Cora Welch dreams of a future teaching kindergarten, which is in its infancy, and marriage to Ben Findlay, her beau and her twin brother’s best friend. But she returns to college from summer break to learn of Ben’s unwise choices in pursuit of his career—choices that destroy her trust in the man she thought she knew and loved.

Ben is working hard toward his dream to become the best reporter in the city. He’s no stranger to fighting for a goal against all odds, ever since he was orphaned at age thirteen. Even though Cora has captured his heart, he makes the mistake of escorting the boss’s daughter to a fancy banquet to further his career—with far-reaching repercussions. Now he’s hurt Cora and botched his career goals.

Winning Cora’s trust again proves harder than Ben expects, especially as they both face struggles of their own. When events spiral out of their control, catapulting them into hardship and even danger, only God can restore their dreams—though the outcome may look far different than either of them planned.

Please pick up your copy today on Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, and Books 2 Read!

Announcing Release of Byway to Danger!

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by Sandra Merville Hart

I’m thrilled to announce the release of Byway to Danger, Book 3 of my new “Spies of the Civil War” today, July 19, 2022!

Though the series is about a fictional family, there are actual historical spies who touch the stories.

Byway to Danger is set in the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia, in 1862. Because Richmond was the capital of the Confederacy, the Union army was often threatening the city. One might suppose that all of Richmond’s citizens supported the Confederacy, yet there were a lot of Union supporters and Union spies in the capital.

Here’s a bit about the book:

Everyone in Richmond has secrets. Especially the spies.

Meg Brooks, widow, didn’t stop spying for the Union when her job at the Pinkerton National Detective Agency ended, especially now that she lives in the Confederate capital. Her job at the Yancey bakery provides many opportunities to discover vital information about the Confederacy to pass on to her Union contact. She prefers to work alone, yet the strong, silent baker earns her respect and tugs at her heart.

Cade Yancey knows the beautiful widow is a spy when he hires her only because his fellow Unionist spies know of her activities. Meg sure didn’t tell him. He’s glad she knows how to keep her mouth shut, for he has hidden his dangerous activities from even his closest friends. The more his feelings for the courageous woman grow, the greater his determination to protect her by guarding his secrets. Her own investigations place her in enough peril.

As danger escalates, Meg realizes her choice to work alone isn’t a wise one. Can she trust Cade with details from her past not even her family knows?

Order your copy today on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, and Books 2 Read!

Announcing New Christmas Book Release!

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I’m thrilled to announce my newest book release! This collection of Christmas stories is called “Christmas Fiction Off the Beaten Path” and contains stories with an unexpected twist.

I’ve always wanted to be in a Christmas collection. The story that I’ve written for the collection, Not This Year, is very close to my heart.

Here is the back blurb:

Not your Granny’s Christmas stories …

Step off the beaten path and enjoy six stories that look beyond the expected, the traditional, the tried-and-true.

Inspired by the song, Mary Did You Know?— a mother’s memories of events leading up to and following that one holy night. MARY, DID YOU KNOW?

A young woman seeking her own identity searches for the man who tried to kill her and her mother on Christmas Eve twenty years before. A ROSE FROM THE ASHES

Princess, tower, sorceress, dragon, brave knight, clever peasant — combine these ingredients into a Christmas-time story that isn’t quite what you’d expect. RETURN TO CALLIDORA

Anticipating tough financial times, the decision not to buy or exchange presents leads to some painful and surprising revelations for a hardworking man and his family. NOT THIS YEAR

Years ago, a gunman and a store full of hostages learned some important lessons about faith and pain and what really matters in life — and the echoes from that day continue to the present. THOSE WHO STAYED

A community of refugees, a brutal winter, a doorway to another world — a touch of magic creating holiday joy for others leads to a Christmas wish fulfilled. CRYSTAL CHRISTMAS

Pick up your copy today on Amazon!

Trail’s End set in Wild Western Town of Abilene, Kansas

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Before I ever dreamed I’d pick up a pen again, my family took a vacation to Kansas to visit my brother and his family. We visited Abilene one afternoon. I learned a bit about the history of that wild western town … enough that I wanted to know more.

My sister-in-law has family ties to Abilene—another reason for my fascination. In fact, one of her ancestors was a friend of Wild Bill Hickok, who was marshal of Abilene in 1871, the year after our story. In 1870, Marshal Tom Smith insisted that the cowboys be disarmed. Storekeepers, saloon-keepers, and hotel owners were asked to post a sign and collect the guns of their customers. Marshal Smith knew what he was doing. He made the town a safer place. Sadly, he was killed later that year.

Stuart Henry’s Conquering Our Great American Plains was a great resource for my story. Henry lived in Abilene from 1868-1872 as a boy. I love finding treasures like this author’s book that allow me to take my readers back to 1870 Abilene, Kansas. What a gift.

When my editor approached me about writing a cowboy story set in the West, it did not take long for my imagination to take me back to Abilene. Who’d have guessed that a family vacation that took place before I decided to pursue a writing career would lead to a story?

I hope you enjoy traveling back to the Wild West with me as much as I love taking you there.

–Sandra Merville Hart, from the Author’s Note in the book

This book is a collection of four novellas by Jennifer Uhlarik, Linda W. Yezak, Sandra Merville Hart, and Cindy Ervin Huff.

Sandra’s story in the collection is called Trail’s End. Here’s a bit about the story:

Trail’s End Blurb

Wade Chadwick has no money until his boss’s cattle sell, so he takes a kitchen job at Abby’s Home Cooking. The beautiful and prickly owner adds spice to his workday. Abby Cox hires the down-and-out cowboy even though the word cowboy leaves a bad taste in her mouth. Just as she’s ready to trust Wade with her heart, money starts to disappear … and so does her brother.

 

Available on Amazon 

Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas  Save money and use coupon code SandraMHart for a 20% discount on Lighthouse Publishing books!

 

The Cowboys Releases Today!!!

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I’m thrilled to announce my latest release!

This is my first western book. I’m in Smitten Historical Romance Collection “The Cowboys” with three other talented authors—Jennifer Uhlarik, Linda W. Yezak, and Cindy Ervin Huff. How exciting!

 

 

Here’s a bit about our stories:

Healing Hearts by Cindy Ervin Huff

Lonnie Holt’s external scars remind him of his failures, his internal scars torment him. Genny Collins seeks safety at the ranch once owned by Lonnie’s uncle. When Lonnie and his brother arrive, sparks fly and distrust abounds. While Lonnie and Genny fight the love growing between them, his past haunts him, and her past pays them a visit.

Becoming Brave by Jennifer Uhlarik

When Coy Whittaker stumbles upon a grisly scene littered with bodies, he wants nothing more than to get his boss’s cattle out of Indian Territory. But when a bloodstained Aimee Kaplan draws down on him, his plans—his heart—screech to a halt.

Trail’s End by Sandra Merville Hart

Wade Chadwick has no money until his boss’s cattle sell, so he takes a kitchen job at Abby’s Home Cooking. The beautiful and prickly owner adds spice to his workday. Abby Cox hires the down-and-out cowboy even though the word cowboy leaves a bad taste in her mouth. Just as she’s ready to trust Wade with her heart, money starts to disappear … and so does her brother.

Loving a Harvey Girl by Linda W. Yezak

Eva Knowles can’t imagine why the local preacher doesn’t like Harvey Girls—women who work serving tables instead of finding a husband and falling in love. But if Eva can get the handsome and wayward cowboy Cal Stephens to join her in church, maybe the reverend will accept the girls. Or maybe she’ll forfeit her job for a husband, hearth, and home!

Pick up your copy today!

***For my newsletter recipients, the town of Abilene hired Tom Smith as marshal in 1870. Good luck in the drawing!

Reviews are always welcome!

 

 

Civil War Romance Novel Releasing Today!

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Releasing Today!!!

Sandra Merville Hart’s third Civil War romance, A Musket in My Hands,  follows two sisters as they disguise themselves as soldiers and join the men they love in the Confederate army—just in time for the war to grow progressively difficult for Southern soldiers.

Tough marches lead them to the Battle of Franklin. How can anyone survive?

There are about four hundred known cases of women serving as Civil War soldiers on either side. What are some reasons that women chose to fight? What challenges  did they face? They feared discovery and rightly so.

Find out what two sisters faced on their dangerous journey leading to a fearsome battle, the Battle of Franklin, in A Musket in My Hands.

Back Cover Blurb

Can I count on you in times of great need?”

 Callie Jennings reels from her pa’s decision that she must marry his friend, a man older than him. Her heart belongs to her soldier hero, Zach Pearson, but Pa won’t change his mind. Callie has no place to hide. Then her sister, Louisa, proposes a shocking alternative.

Zach still hears his pa’s scornful word—quitter. He’s determined to make something of himself as a soldier. He’ll serve the Confederacy until they win the war. If they win the war.

Callie and Louisa disguise themselves as soldiers and muster into the Confederate army in the fall of 1864. Times are tough and getting tougher for their Confederacy. For Callie, shooting anyone, especially former countrymen, is out of the question—until truth and love and honor come together on the battlefield.

Available on Amazon

Endorsements for A Musket in My Hands:

I don’t always read Civil War novels, because I’m not into graphic battle scenes. Sandra Merville Hart’s A Musket in My Hands is a wonderful book. The characters grab your heart right from the beginning and they take you through a unique story line right into battles, where I followed willingly. The book isn’t battle-driven. It’s character driven, and the reader becomes intimately acquainted with these people who had to face things they never dreamed about happening. This is my favorite Civil War novel. I highly recommend it.

Lena Nelson Dooley – bestselling, multiple-award-winning author of Great Lakes Lighthouse Brides. 

Sandra Hart, author of the acclaimed A Stranger on My Land and A Rebel in My House has done it again with her third and best novel to date, A Musket in My Hands.  In this brilliant historical fiction, Sandra has sat against the backdrop of Confederate General John Bell Hood’s Tennessee Campaign a study of the little known but genuine phenomenon of women masquerading as men to serve and fight in the opposing armies of the Civil War.  An excellent and well-researched read, this is one of the first books I’ve read to put a touchingly human face on the horrendously bloody Battle of Franklin. 

Kevin Spencer – author of “ON THIS DAY in North Carolina History”

“A Musket in My Hands shines with Sandra Hart’s talent for historical romance. Vivid historical details highlight the romance and adventure, excitement and heartache of those desperate to survive the Civil War, while an endearing collage of characters evaluates their own allegiances to God, country, and their fellow man.”

Carrie Del Pizzo – Del Pizzo’s Pen Editing “Words have value … use them well”

What would make two sisters escape the only home they’ve ever known to join the Confederate Army, disguised as men? Prompted by both love and fear, Callie and Louisa are caught up in the War between the States in a way they never imagined. It soon became a nightmare they couldn’t possibly foresee.

In “A Musket in my Hands,” author Sandra Merville Hart has penned a thrilling, well-researched novel set in the latter months of the Civil War. Her characters are believable, likeable, and, at times, frustrating in their decisions. But readers will find themselves rooting for the protagonists and anxiously awaiting resolution, not just in the fighting field, but in the battleground of their souls.

Inspiring and exciting, this novel will capture your heart as well as speed up your heartbeat. A historical romance well worth the read!

Elaine Marie Cooper – Author,  Saratoga Letters

Through A Musket in My Hands, Sandra Merville Hart brings to life the last months of the Confederacy as experienced by two Tennessee sisters who become soldiers for the South. Detailed research contributes to the realism in a tale of courage and strength during a tumultuous time in America’s history. I was moved by the despair and deprivation yet inspired by the characters’ resolve. A captivating read for historical fiction fans!

Sandra Ardoin – author of the award-winning historical romance A Reluctant Melody