A young Amish couple gets a second chance at love in New York Times bestselling author Shelley Shepard Gray’s final book in her Return to Sugarcreek series.
Randall Beiler is doing his best to put his family and the farm’s needs first, even forsaking love. But though he tries, Randall knows he needs help caring for his younger siblings and keeping the house together.
When his brother offers pretty Elizabeth Nolt a job taking care of the house and cooking for the family, Randall is furious—and guilty about the way he once broke Elizabeth’s heart. But when he learns that Elizabeth and her grandmother are struggling to make ends meet, he knows the offer, no matter how painful, is the right thing for everyone.
Elizabeth wants to refuse—to stay far away from the man who hurt her—but she needs the money. Though she vows to protect her heart, spending time in the Beiler household makes Elizabeth realize that, while she’s older and wiser, her love for Randall still burns strong.
Randal, too, seems to want something more. But does he want Elizabeth because he truly loves her—or because he needs a housekeeper? If Randall sincerely wants something more, he must find a way to show Elizabeth—or risk losing his chance at love forever.
Joyful includes a P.S. section with a letter from the author, discussion questions, and a teaser from her next book.

JOYFUL (Return to Sugarcreek, 3)

Literature & Fiction

Gray, Shelley

United States

AVON.

Lydia’s job at the library is her world—until a mysterious patron catches her eye . . . and perhaps her heart.
Just months after the closure of the Chicago World’s Fair, librarian Lydia Bancroft finds herself fascinated by a mysterious dark-haired and dark-eyed patron. He has never given her his name; he actually never speaks to a single person. All she knows about him is that he loves books as much as she does.
Only when he rescues her in the lobby of the Hartman Hotel does she discover that his name is Sebastian Marks. She also discovers that he lives at the top of the prestigious hotel and that most everyone in Chicago is intrigued by him.
Lydia and Sebastian form a fragile friendship, but when she discovers that Mr. Marks isn’t merely a very wealthy gentleman, but also the proprietor of an infamous saloon and gambling club, she is shocked.
Lydia insists on visiting the club one fateful night and suddenly is a suspect to a murder. She must determine who she can trust, who is innocent, and if Sebastian Marks—the man so many people fear—is actually everything her heart believes him to be.

Whispers in the Reading Room (The Chicago World’s Fair Mystery Series)

Zondervan

The World’s Fair has introduced many new ideas to Chicago society—but can two individuals from very different backgrounds find love together?
It’s mid-September 1893 and Eloisa Carstairs is the reigning debutant of Gilded Age Chicago society. To outsiders she appears to have it all. But Eloisa is living with a dark secret. Several months ago, she endured a horrible assault at the hands of Douglass Sloane, heir to one of Chicago’s wealthiest families. Fearing the loss of her reputation, Eloisa confided in only one friend. That is, until she meets Detective Sean Ryan at a high-society ball.
Sean is on the fringes of the Chicago elite. Born into a poor Irish family, becoming a policeman was his best chance to ensure security. Despite social boundaries, he is enamored with Eloisa Carstairs. Sean will do anything to keep her safe—even if he can never earn her affections.
Eloisa longs to feel normal again, but a killer is on the loose. In the last month, three debutants have been accosted by an assailant wielding a knife, and Eloisa fears for her safety at every event she attends. As the danger in the city increases, and as the romance between Eloisa and Sean blossoms, they both realize they want to be seen as more than how the world views them. But will they catch the killer before all their hopes come crashing down?

Deception on Sable Hill (The Chicago World’s Fair Mystery Series)

Against the backdrop of the 1893 World’s Fair, a young woman finds employment with an illustrious Chicago family—a family who may guard the secret of her sister’s disappearance.
Sloane House is among the most gilded mansions of Gilded Age Chicago. Rosalind Perry, the new housemaid, pours the morning coffee before the hard gaze of her mistress.
“It’s simple, Rosalind,” she says. “I am Veronica Sloane, heiress to one of the country’s greatest fortunes. You are simply one in a long line of unsuitable maids.”
Back on the farm in Wisconsin, Rosalind’s plan had seemed logical: Move to Chicago. Get hired on at Sloane House. Discover what transpired while her sister worked as a maid there—and follow the clues to why she disappeared.
Now, as a live-in housemaid to the Sloanes, Rosalind realizes her plan had been woefully simple-minded.
She was ignorant of the hard, hidden life of a servant in a big, prominent house; of the divide between the Sloane family and the people who served them; and most of all, she had never imagined so many people could live in such proximity and keep such dark secrets.
Yet, while Sloane House is daunting, the streets of Chicago are downright dangerous. The World’s Fair has brought a new kind of crime to the city . . . and a lonely young woman is always at risk. But when Rosalind accepts the friendship of Reid Armstrong, the handsome young heir to a Chicago silver fortune, she becomes an accidental rival to Veronica Sloane.
As Rosalind continues to disguise her kinship to the missing maid—and struggles to appease her jealous mistress—she probes the dark secrets of Sloane House and comes ever closer to uncovering her sister’s mysterious fate. A fate that everyone in the house seems to know . . . but which no one dares to name.

Secrets of Sloane House (The Chicago World’s Fair Mystery Series)

From four CBA bestselling authors . . . In the most turbulent decade of our nation's history, four Southern women--destinies forged by birth, hearts steeled by war--face near impossible choices on their journeys in life . . . and in love. To Mend a Dreamby Tamera Alexander (#1 CBA Bestselling Author) Savannah Darby would do almost anything to revisit her family home. So when new owner, Aidan Bedford, a Boston attorney and former Union soldier, seeks to redecorate the house for his fiancée, Savannah jumps at the opportunity. But the clock is ticking. Can she find the box her father supposedly hid there during the war before her assignment is completed? And before she sees yet another battle lost on the home front. This time, one of the heart. An Outlaw's Heartby Shelley Gray When Russell Stark returns to Fort Worth, he's determined to begin a new life. But when he arrives at his mother's homestead, he discovers she's very ill, and the woman he loved is still as beautiful and sweet as he remembered. With time running out, Russell must come to terms with both his future and his past. A Heart So Trueby Dorothy Love Abigail knows all too well what is expected of her: to marry her distant cousin Charles and take her place in society. But her heart belongs to another. A terrible incident forces Abby to choose between love and duty. Love Beyond Limits by Elizabeth Musser Emily has a secret: She's in love with one of the freedmen on her family's plantation. Meanwhile, another man declares his love for her. Emily realizes some things are not as they seem and secrets must be kept in order to keep those she loves safe.Each novella includes a scrumptious Southern recipe that's inherent to each author's story and that will suit your book club meeting to a T!

Among the Fair Magnolias: Four Southern Love Stories

Alexander, Tamera

Love, Dorothy

Musser, Elizabeth

Thomas Nelson

A New York Times Bestselling Author -- When Clayton Proffitt, foreman of the Circle Z Ranch in Texas, discovers that Vanessa Grant has been the victim of her stepfather's violent advances, Clayton knows he must protect her honor and move her far away from the ranch -- and from the man she fears. As they make their way west, an unexpected, deep bond develops between Clayton and Vanessa -- far more powerful than mere friendship or his sense of duty to her.

A Texan's Promise (Heart of a Hero: Thorndike Press Large Print Christian Fiction)

Thorndike Press

A CBA Bestselling Author -- Texas, 1874. Years ago, Will McMillan had fought in the open, next to his captain, Clayton Proffitt. Now he's waging another war undercover, pretending to be a member of the notorious Walton Gang. But when a hostage situation goes awry, and an innocent woman is in the middle of the fray, Will knows he must protect her no matter what happens. Even if his cover is blown. Even if they risk being killed. Even if she will never love him back. Other titles in this series: A Texan's Promise.

A Texan's Honor (Thorndike Press Large Print Christian Fiction: The Heart of a Hero, 2)

When Scout Proffitt shows up immediately after her father's death and claims that he now owns their ranch, Rosemarie Cousins has little choice but to stay on the ranch with this notorious outlaw.

A Texan's Choice (The Heart of a Hero: Thorndike Press Large Print Christian Fiction)

"Shelley Gray is a wonderful storyteller." - Beth Wiseman, author of the best-selling Daughters of the Promise series U.S. Marshal Will McMillan risks his mission to rescue Jamie Ellis. Will it cost him his life or just his heart? Texas, 1874. Years ago, Will McMillan had fought in the open, next to his captain, Clayton Proffitt. Now he’s waging another war undercover, pretending to be a member of the notorious Walton Gang. But when a hostage situation goes awry and an innocent woman, Jamie Ellis, is in the middle of the fray, Will knows he must protect her no matter what happens, even if his cover is blown, and even if the woman he’s risking everything for will never love him back.

A Texan's Honor: The Heart of a Hero - Book 2 (Heart of a Hero, 2)

Genre Fiction

ABINGDON PRESS *

Sometimes heroes are disguised as gunslingers . . . and sometimes the most unlikely dreams really can come true. Texas, 1874. Long ago, Scout Proffitt gave up on ever being a man of honor like his brother Clayton, a Civil War hero. But when Scout steps foot on the rundown remnants of the Circle C Ranch, he wonders if maybe--just maybe--the Lord has something different intended for him. Rosemarie has lived most of her life doubting her worth and shouldering the blame for her brother’s death. But when a stranger rides onto her ranch claiming he owns it, she suddenly is given a choice: either keep looking at the dark side of life--or dare to dream.

A Texan's Choice: The Heart of A Hero - Book 3 (Heart of a Hero, 3)

Literary

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