After the death of her mother and the end of a post-divorce relationship leave her heartbroken, novelist Amanda Brookfield finds her once secure world imploding. As despair closes in, she talks of getting a puppy to revive her optimistic spirit. Amanda is advised that her lifestyle will not suit becoming a dog-owner but she can't resist Mabel, a beautiful golden doodle puppy. Arming herself with an arsenal of equipment, Amanda learns that there are no short-cuts to training and caring for a dog. Through battling daily challenges and constantly regrouping, Amanda realises she is starting to come to terms with her bereavement and the prospect of facing the rest of her life alone. For the Love of a Dog tells the bigger, more poignant story about the labour of emotional recovery after the trauma of loss. Mabel shines like a light throughout, the unwitting architect of rebuilding self-belief. Mabel's own journey is equally captivating: as she blossoms into a mischievous, endearing head-turner of a companion – as affectionate as she is glorious.
I'm Samson: Maybe a Dog chronicles the adventures of a very special dog named Samson. Being a Saint Bernard, Samson grows and grows until he is quite large, with a large furry head and huge paws. Samson lives with his family in a very old and lovely town named San Augustine, right in the middle of the Deep "Piney Woods" of East Texas, a happy place to be, with the Sabine National Forest and Toledo Bend Reservoir on the east side and the Angelina National Forest and Sam Rayburn Reservoir on the west. Connecting it all with the rest of Texas is a most wonderful road . . . El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail. This ancient Spanish Trace, blazed in 1691, meanders through the Lone Star State all the way to Mexico, having been traveled by every imaginable kind of person and a myriad of animals both large and small for more than three hundred years. Reflected in Samson's eyes is a very keen sense of understanding about the happenings in his life and the lives of everyone he knows. These are his stories, told by him in his very honest and adventuresome way . . . even when oftentimes, he isn't perfect.
Distant Echoes It feels like paradise, but deadly secrets lie beneath the waves off the coast of Kauai. Sometimes Kaia Oana thinks her dolphins are more humane than humans. As a mammal intelligence researcher, Kaia has learned a thing or two about the goodness and intelligence of dolphins—and as a natural scientist in close proximity to weapons developers, she’s learned a thing or two about humans as well. Without a Trace Bree thinks a plane crash took the lives of her husband and young son, but her son Davy survived the accident. Can she find him before it’s too late? It’s been months since the crash. K-9 search-and-rescue worker Bree Nicholls knows the chances of finding her husband and son in the vast wilderness of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula grow more remote by the day. But her heart and her faithful dog, Samson, demand she keep searching. Lonestar Sanctuary In the quiet safety of the Bluebird Ranch, old promises resurface and unexpected love brings new hope. Though tragedy has wrecked her life, Allie Siders holds on to the hope that her five-year-old daughter, Betsy, will speak again. But with a stalker out for revenge, all Allie can think about now is their safety. She must sever all ties and abandon life as she knows it. She heads to the peaceful Bluebird Ranch, nestled deep in Texas hill country, and to the only person who can help them. The Lightkeeper’s Daughter With the lies of the past behind her, Addie finds love . . . and discovers her true Father. Addie Sullivan leads a quiet life in a northern California lighthouse. She mourns the death of her father and endures her mother's bitterness, until the night a storm brings an injured stranger and a dark secret to her home. The man insists she is not who she thinks she is, but rather "Julia Eaton"—the child long lost and feared dead by her wealthy family. Seizing the chance to be reunited with the Eatons, Addie leaves her lighthouse home but decides to keep her true identity a secret until they can unravel the mystery. Blue Moon Promise Lucy Marsh's worldly resources are running out, but she's fiercely determined to care for her younger brother and sister. When she discovers that their father's recent death was no accident, Lucy is eager to leave town. She accepts a proxy marriage she believes will provide safe refuge. But trouble follows her to Texas where her new husband is surprised to suddenly have a wife and children to care for. Tidewater Inn Welcome to Hope Beach. A place of intoxicating beauty . . . where trouble hits with the force of a hurricane. Inheriting a beautiful old hotel on the Outer Banks could be a dream come true for Libby. The inn cries out for her restorer’s talent and love of history. She’s delighted to learn of the family she never knew she had. And the handsome Coast Guard lieutenant she’s met there on the island could definitely be the man of her dreams. The Inn at Ocean’s Edge Claire’s visit to a luxury hotel in Maine awakens repressed memories, threatening all she holds dear. In 1989, Claire Dellamare disappeared from her own fourth birthday party at the Hotel Tourmaline on the island of Folly Shoals, Maine. She showed up a year later at the same hotel, with a note pinned to her dress but no explanation. Nobody knows where Claire spent that year—and until now, Claire didn’t even know she had ever been missing.
Without a Trace Bree thinks a plane crash took the lives of her husband and young son, but her son Davy survived the accident. Can she find him before it’s too late? It’s been months since the crash. K-9 search-and-rescue worker Bree Nicholls knows the chances of finding her husband and son in the vast wilderness of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula grow more remote by the day. But her heart and her faithful dog, Samson, demand she keep searching. Deep in the woods a young boy wakes in a tiny cabin. He’s being nursed back to health by a reclusive woman, but he can’t figure out why she calls him by a name he doesn’t recognize. Or why she’s calling herself his mother. He wants to leave, but as winter sets in, his very life depends on her care. Meanwhile, Bree’s relentless determination to find her family has uncovered a violent crime. With the help of Park Ranger Kade Matthews, she discovers the violence may be linked to the plane crash that took her family. Could solving the crime bring her peace with her own loss? Or, more incredibly, reunite her family? Set in the untamed beauty of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the Rock Harbor novels draw readers into the life and adventures of a canine search-and-rescue team as it unravels the secrets of an enchanting wilderness. “Colleen is a master storyteller.” —Karen Kingsbury, New York Times Best-Selling Author The Blue Bottle Club Four friends gathered in a cold, dusty attic on Christmas day to make a solemn pact. “Our dreams for the future,” they whispered, placing tiny pieces of paper into a shimmering blue bottle. But that event happened in 1929, and it is decades later when local news reporter Brenna Delaney stumbles upon that bottle . . . and into the most meaningful story of her career. Life has taken those four girls’ dreams of love, fame, and faith on a path fraught with seduction, betrayal, and loss. Little has turned out as expected—and yet every choice, every tear has led each of them to a special place. Brenna’s search will uncover the secrets of that Blue Bottle Club . . . and her own life will never be the same. “A beautiful novel about friendship and the power of faith to renew our dreams.” —Angela Hunt, author of Magdalene
One choice will change Libby’s life forever. Libby Norstad’s life has changed to anything but ordinary. In 1857, when she comes to live on the Christina, her father’s steamboat, Libby’s curiosity ensnares her in a mystery. What is the closely held secret of Caleb, the cabin boy who seems determined to make her life miserable? And how can Jordan, a fugitive slave, possibly reach safety and freedom? The night is dark. As three men race to the riverfront, bloodhounds follow their tracks. Through her journey to compassion, will Libby become a freedom seeker? From the golden age of steamboats, the rush of immigrants to new lands, and the dangers of the Underground Railroad come true-to-life stories of courage, integrity, and suspense in the Freedom Seekers series.
When we live with unresolved anger or hurt, the result is nearly always bitterness, broken relationships, and unhealthy behaviors. Unforgiveness not only sabotages our interactions with those around us, it impedes our own spiritual growth and inner peace. And it can happen to anyone. In her most vulnerable writing yet, Ruth Graham reveals how a visit to Angola Prison inspired her to release the unforgiveness lurking in her own heart--toward others, herself, and even her heavenly Father and her earthly father, evangelist Billy Graham. In this encouraging book, she weaves her own personal experiences with biblical examples to explore what holds us back from forgiving others and ourselves--and what we gain when we finally discover the power to forgive. Along the way, she guides us into our own deeply personal experiences of forgiveness that will penetrate our protective walls and unleash true transformation in our lives.
Alfred Kropp was just trying to survive high school when his guardian uncle gets him roped into a suspicious get-rich-quick scheme that changes his life forever: stealing Excalibur - the legendary sword of King Arthur. But after Alfred unwittingly delivers the sword into the hands of the enemy, he sets off on an unlikely quest to try to right his wrong and save the world from imminent destruction. This gripping, fast-paced, and often hilarious novel is both a thrilling adventure story and an engaging account of one boy's coming of age.
It was Christmas and we spent it in San Antonio, Texas. Calvin took us mdowntown for a boat ride on the river walk. Mrs. Rat said, Ms Kelly I will tell you a secret. What secret? I asked. Now Ms Kelly you cant tell anyone, promise? I promise. Mrs. Rat whispered to me. There is an old house in the back of the property almost covered by bushes. That is where I get my food. There are a lot of mean ugly dogs in small cages down in the basement. Do you mean they are all locked in cages? How do they get anything to eat since no one lives there? There are three men that come in everyday to feed them. Sometimes they will take some of them out and when they return they are all cut up and bleeding and hurting so bad they are crying. Mrs. Rat explained pitifully. What kind of dogs are they and how do they get cut up? I asked.
When a plane crash claims her husband and son, Bree Nichols and her search-and-rescue dog won't rest until they recover the bodies. But when quiet Rock Harbor is shaken by a violent crime, Bree discovers links to her husband's fatal accident. Would solving this crime bring her peace—or more incredibly, reunite her family? It’s been months since the crash. K-9 search-and-rescue worker Bree Nicholls knows the chances of finding her husband and son in the vast wilderness of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula grow more remote by the day. But her heart and her faithful dog, Samson, demand she keep searching. Deep in the woods a young boy wakes in a tiny cabin. He’s being nursed back to health by a reclusive woman, but he can’t figure out why she calls him by a name he doesn’t recognize. Or why she’s calling herself his mother. He wants to leave, but as winter sets in, his very life depends on her care. Meanwhile, Bree’s relentless determination to find her family has uncovered a violent crime. With the help of Park Ranger Kade Matthews, she discovers the violence may be linked to the plane crash that took her family. Could solving the crime bring her healing from her own loss? Set in the untamed beauty of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the Rock Harbor novels draw readers into the life and adventures of a canine search-and-rescue team as it unravels the secrets of an enchanting wilderness. Full-length romantic suspense Can be read as a standalone, but is also part of the Rock Harbor series Book 1: Without a Trace Book 2: Beyond a Doubt Book 3: Into the Deep Book 4: Cry in the Night Includes discussion questions for book clubs
