Dr. Dinah Wyatt accompanies her pregnant twin sister Naomi to the Montana Territory. Naomi was responding to a mail-order bride advertisement from Jericho Coulter. Once her sister is settled, Dinah plans to open a clinic in one of the few towns nearby, regardless of its reputation for wild behavior among the men. They’d hardly bother a female doctor determined to treat their illnesses, right?
Jericho Coulter doesn’t trust the sisters—or any strangers, for that matter. He didn’t advertise for a bride. What did they really want? His brother’s accident requires a doctor’s care. Begrudgingly, he allows them to stay a few days. He must protect his siblings…and the hidden treasure.
I fell in love with both families and they drew me into the story. The lovable main characters possess believable, relatable flaws. This story had many surprising twists that kept me turning pages from the beginning.
I’m already hooked on this series! I can’t wait to read the next book.
Recommended for readers of inspirational historical romances.
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.
1972—June Turner took a summer job at the new national park at her great-aunt Marion’s prompting. Her leg brace and crutch are constant reminders to others of her childhood bout with polio, yet she hopes she can do all the job requires. When she learns that her boss has hired Adam to replace her, she sets out to prove herself. She’s used to this treatment, having endured it all her life.
1923—Nurse Marion Baker spends the bulk of her free time fighting to establish a national park along with others in the Save the Redwoods League. She has loved the giant trees since childhood and can’t bear to see loggers cut any more of them.
Frank Duncan tries to make up for past mistakes with his father, but the stern timber baron is as unmovable as the trees that irritating nurse loves so passionately. He manages to keep his identity a secret from her. After they begin dating, he worries how his family will accept her—and how she will accept his family.
Loveable, believable characters make mistakes that affect their future and the future of the Redwood Forest. Past heartache rises up to affect the present.
The author has woven a beautifully redemptive story. Readers are pulled into the challenges faced by each character, making us care on so many levels. A myriad of twists and turns in both time periods kept me riveted to this well-written book.
This book will stay with me for a long time.
I will look for other books by this author. Highly recommended.
Lucinda Gillespie’s father has kept her confined since her mother’s death eleven years before. He’s ashamed of her illness, which keeps her in constant pain. Her mother was the one who’d ever loved her. Her embittered, cruel father blames Lucinda for his wife’s death. She has lived with shame and abuse from the age of seven and sees no end in sight.
William Cole, a lonely hunter, carries his own guilt. Yet when he learns that Lucinda’s father plans to gamble her away on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, he can’t leave her fate in the hands of the drunken victor. He searches for her and tells her of her father’s plans.
She hasn’t left the cabin in over ten years but she must trust God and this stranger who hides his face from her. Their dangerous journey west to Kentucky also fills her with wonder and a sense of freedom she’s never known.
Both main characters struggle with a sense of self-worth. Lucinda clings to the Christian faith her mother had instilled in her. William searches for his faith that a heart-wrenching loss stole from him.
This story tugged at my heart. I was quickly pulled into their plight. It was a page-turner for me.
1753—When Rose sets out on a wagon train with her parents and sister, she has no idea how much the journey will change her life. The trail is fraught with danger yet Daniel, the half-Cherokee wagon scout, makes her feel protected.
Rose’s beauty and courage draws Daniel’s attention like no other, even Rebecca, his childhood friend whom it was generally expected to marry someday, though he’d never proposed. Surprisingly, his dog also befriends Rose. Unfortunately, Daniel knows someone like Rose will never reciprocate his feelings.
This story was a page-turner for me. The protective hero is also vulnerable. The compassionate heroine has many instances to call upon her own courage. Lovable, believable characters drew me into the story from the beginning. Violence is realistic to the era.
Unexpected twists kept me turning pages. I’m so glad this is a series because I can’t wait to read the next book.
KD Holmberg, my dear friend and award-winning author, brought an amazing beef brisket to a writing retreat earlier this year. She had baked it ahead of time, and it only required reheating for a hearty and delicious supper. It was such a generous portion that it provided two meals! Not only is KD a talented author, but she is also an amazing cook.
The barbeque sauce she brought was the perfect complement to the beef dish. She graciously permitted me to share both recipes with you.
I’ve been chomping at the bit to make a big meal. When family members came for supper, I jumped at the chance.
4 ½ – 5 lb. beef brisket
1 tablespoon Liquid Smoke
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 ½ teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
The brisket needs to marinate overnight or up to 24 hours.
I used a glass 13×9 dish for my 5-pound brisket.
Combine the ingredients in a bowl. Rub the blended marinade over both sides of the brisket. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Remove from the fridge at least a few minutes before baking. (I allowed mine to sit out for about an hour. Some recipes suggested allowing the meat to return to room temperature.)
I used a glass 13×9 dish to bake my 5-pound brisket. Aluminum foil was arranged along the bottom and sides, with enough to cover the meat while cooking. Spray lightly with cooking spray.
Bake according to the following schedule:
First two hours at 250 degrees
Second two hours at 275 degrees
Last two hours at 300 degrees
After 6 hours of baking, KD’s recipe called for the brisket to be grilled over medium coals, while slathering with barbeque sauce. My husband is our grill master and he was entertaining guests while I cooked, so I compromised. Instead of grilling, I opened the aluminum foil to allow it to continue baking with the brisket exposed. The purpose of grilling is to achieve a “crust” on the outside and it usually takes 10-15 minutes.
I added another 15 minutes to achieve the fork-tender quality I love. Also, I didn’t slather on the barbeque sauce while it baked because my husband likes plain brisket.
After retrieving it from the oven, I tented the aluminum foil over the top and allowed the meat to rest for 30 minutes before slicing.
Everyone loved the brisket! It was so tender that my husband sliced it a little thicker to keep the slices together. The barbeque sauce drizzled over the slices made for a mouth-watering, delicious main dish.
Pictured above is leftover brisket for our second meal. Everyone was in such a hurry to eat—me included!—from the delicious aromas that I forgot to snap a photo. 😊
Thanks, KD, for sharing your wonderful recipes. She’s an awesome cook, as I’m certain you will agree once you make this dish.
Emmet O’Connor loves his job as construction engineer on the beautiful castle and inspects every stone that’s laid, every nail that’s pounded to insure its precise placement. He falls in love with Madison and dreams that their friendship will blossom into much more—until tragedy strikes.
Both Madison and Emmet try to clear the web of lies entangling everyone but the danger escalates.
I loved this well-written, poignant story! Loyalty, scars from the past, grief, danger, jealousy, and courage are challenges faced by lovable, believable characters.
I was transported back to another era to small islands in the St. Lawrence River. Heroic characters tugged at my heart and drew me into the story. The beautiful settings tempt me to explore the islands for myself.
A page-turner from beginning to end, I highly recommend this delightful read for lovers of historical romances!
Green County, Kentucky, 1782—Keturah Elliot has just buried her father. With the deaths of her mother and brother a couple of years before, for which her father had blamed her, she is now alone in the world. It’s up to her to save the homestead that she and her father had worked so hard to build. Yet she can’t do it alone.
Daniel Scott, left behind by a group traveling westward, meets the beautiful woman in need of a husband. He’s astounded that she’d consider him. His only father had rejected him. He longs for a wife and family who will love him.
I enjoyed this short novel that portrays the struggles of early pioneers. Endearing characters face a loss that threatens their growing love for one another. The story is also a journey of faith.
The story unfolded in a natural way that was enjoyable to read.
I will look for other books by this author. Recommended.
Award-winning author and dear friend, KD Holmberg, made this sweet, thick barbeque sauce and brought it to a writing retreat earlier this year. Delicious! Not only is KD a talented author, she is also an amazing cook.
She also baked us beef brisket for supper one evening. She graciously permitted me to share the recipe with you. The brisket recipe will be shared in another post.
I have been waiting for an opportunity to make this delicious sauce, so when family members came for supper, I jumped at the chance.
1 quart tomato catsup
¾ cup prepared mustard
1 teaspoon onion salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup Worcestershire sauce
2 cups brown sugar
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon paprika
¼ pound butter
After the previous ingredients have simmered for thirty minutes, remove from heat and stir in the following ingredients:
1 cup beef consommé
1/3 cup Liquid Smoke
½ teaspoon chili powder
Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl (excluding the chili powder).
I didn’t realize I was out of onion salt until I started to prepare the barbeque sauce. I made onion salt (mixed 1 tablespoon onion powder with 3 tablespoons of salt) and used 1 teaspoon for this recipe.
Combine the catsup, mustard, Worcestershire Sauce, and butter in a large saucepan and stir well. Add the prepared dry ingredients, stirring until blended. Turn on low heat. I used room-temperature butter that quickly melted. Stir frequently.
When the sauce begins to softly simmer, cook on low for thirty minutes. Continue to stir frequently.
Remove from heat and stir in the final 3 ingredients—beef consommé, Liquid Smoke, and chili powder. I didn’t have consommé on hand, so I substituted with beef stock. It turned out great.
Sweet barbeque sauce is the type I favor, and this is my new favorite! My guests complimented the creamy, thick sauce so highly that I sent some home with them. 😊
This recipe makes about 6 cups. Store the unused portion tightly in Mason jars and store it in the refrigerator so that it will last about a month.
1780—Patriot Scout Benjamin Woodbridge is a courageous soldier fighting for his country’s freedom from England, along with his neighbors from the backcountry settlement of Sunrising. Some of his fellow North Carolinians have joined the British side.
Benjamin’s anger runs deep, directed at the cruel British officer responsible for his father’s death. Those emotions have cost him the love of the woman he’d hoped to marry. Aunt Kate and his sister pray that his negative emotions don’t devour him in a need for vengeance. Now, with the British army’s sights set on destroying his village, Benjamin must protect those loves even if the Patriot army doesn’t arrive in time.
This poignant story portrays the struggles of our early patriots and the price they paid for their heroism. It is also a journey of faith.
Realistic characters and unlikely comrades drew me into the story from the first page. Danger, courageous acts, self-doubt, forgiveness, redemption, and questions of faith throughout the book make this a powerful read. I couldn’t put the book down.
This beautifully redemptive story is told from several viewpoints, including the antagonist. Unexpected twists kept me riveted to this well-written book.
I will look for other books by this author. Highly recommended.
Sandra Merville Hart 