A Mother by Christmas Nursing a broken heart, Amanda Porter had answered a frontier mail-order bride ad placed by Garrett Decker's children—only to find the groom-to-be didn't want a wife. The widowed bachelor she hoped to marry does need a housekeeper, though, and taking the job is Amanda's only option. But his adorable children are determined she'll be their mother by Christmas… His wife's betrayal and tragic death demolished Garrett's life. Now he can't even look at another woman, let alone marry Amanda, who resembles his first love. Even if she does make his house feel like a home, filling it again with laughter and his children's smiles. But with his daughter convinced Amanda is the perfect mother, will Garrett realize she's also his perfect match?
Berniece Johnson wants more from life than marriage to an old man who wants to beat her, but her parents believe he’s exactly what she needs. In a desperate attempt to take control of her life again, she goes to see Elizabeth Miller, the town matchmaker. Elizabeth has her on a train a short while later to meet up with Elizabeth’s sister Charlie and to marry a man in Missoula, Montana. Kane Burton has no desire for another wife. He buried his wife just months before, but his infant daughter needs a new mother. When he sends off for a mail-order bride, he promises himself to think of her as a servant—someone who will make meals, clean his house, and take care of his daughter. Berniece is not at all what he’s expecting, and he finds himself constantly comparing her to his late wife. Will Berniece be able to convince Kane that she is a strong woman and nothing like his first wife? Or will she live forever in a dead woman’s shadow?
The Husband Hunt Theater singer Fiona O'Keefe is on a quest to form the perfect family for her orphaned niece. It's a shame handsome and musically talented Sawyer Evans can't support a household on his sawmill-manager wages. Fiona needs a respectable gentleman of means. And if she can't find one in Singapore, Michigan, then she'll just have to look for a husband in the mail-order want ads… Sawyer doesn't want Fiona to marry a stranger…or anyone other than him. It would be easy to reveal that he's secretly heir to a railroad fortune. But Sawyer's determined to be a self-made man, so he isn't willing to take his father's money. Instead, can he prove to Fiona that the man she needs is already by her side?
Mail Order Menace: Ernestine Miller moves west to escape her past as a member of the demon horde, only to find her groom has died. She starts a boarding house and meets Clifford Solomon, who falls for her. Mail Order Memories: Mary Brown responds to an ad for a mail-order bride, and when she arrives she realizes she is marrying her childhood sweetheart who thought she had died. He must learn to trust his new bride or regret it forever. Mail Order Miller: Doris Miller asks her sister Elizabeth to match her as a mail-order bride to escape her past with the demon horde. She marries widower Harvey Butler, struggling with his troublesome children. Mail Order Marm: Schoolteacher, Frederica felt unfulfilled in Salmon, Oregon. When her friend suggested a mail order husband for pregnant Gretchen, Frederica envied her. Darryl, from Massachusetts, agreed to marry Gretchen but unexpectedly wed Frederica instead. Now they must adjust to their sudden marriage. Mail Order Melancholy: Gretchen Jensen loves a man who's dead, and she's pregnant with his child. Shunned by the town, she refuses to marry her mail-order groom. Reginald Lindon returns after six months to find everyone thinks he's dead. His mother and Gretchen tell conflicting stories about his farewell letter. Mail Order Machinations: Esther's life changes when she discovers her father's embezzlement. Her fiancé ends the engagement, and her sister convinces her to marry a rancher in Montana, where no one knows her. Brody is taken with Esther when she arrives, but shocked to find out she brought her sister along. Mail Order Marvel: Coral, who is much different than other young ladies, accompanies her sister Esther to Montana as a mail order bride. She hopes to quickly find a husband and not burden the newlyweds. Jackson, a teacher in rural Montana, agrees to meet Coral, realizing a wife would simplify his life. Though initially put off by her boldness, he agrees to marry her. Mail Order Mother: Caroline Casey, a romantic from a privileged background, becomes a mail-order bride to find love and make a difference out west. She aims to help two motherless girls and their father, Andrew Dawson, who is struggling with his daughters' behavior. Andrew expects a housekeeper, not realizing Caroline's true intentions. Mail Order Miscreant: Charlie moved to Montana to find love in a region with more men than women. After three years, still single, she considers asking her sister Elizabeth for help. A chance encounter during a snowstorm with Abel Burton changes her plans. He brings her home as his bride but worries about his sister-in-law treating Charlie poorly. Mail Order Mommy: Berniece Johnson seeks a better life than marriage to an abusive old man, but her parents disagree. She turns to matchmaker Elizabeth Miller for help, and soon finds herself on a train to meet a potential husband in Missoula, Montana. Kane Burton, a recent widower with an infant daughter, reluctantly seeks a new wife through mail-order. He initially sees Berniece as a mere servant, but she proves to be more than that.
Mistletoe Match Worried she might lose her teaching job if funding is cut for her boarding school, widow Louise Smythe must consider marriage. But the only prospective groom in town is lighthouse-keeper Jesse Hammond, and he wants children—something she may never be able to provide. While Jesse waits for the ideal woman to make his wife, though, Louise can’t help but long for something more than his friendship. If he wants to be promoted to head lighthouse keeper, Jesse needs to find a wife suited to his rustic lifestyle. But as he and Louise partner to give the town’s homeless orphans a joyous holiday, he’s drawn to the petite woman. Will the light of Christmas finally inspire them to trust in each other’s hearts?
Love Inspired Historical brings you four new titles! Enjoy these historical romances of adventure and faith. A CONVENIENT CHRISTMAS WEDDING Frontier Bachelors by Regina Scott Nora Underhill needs a husband to fend off her overbearing family, and Simon Wallin wants the farmland he’d earn by marrying her. Their marriage of convenience seems like the perfect bargain…as long as love isn’t part of the deal. COWBOY CREEK CHRISTMAS Cowboy Creek by Cheryl St. John and Sherri Shackelford Children bring couples in a Kansas boomtown together for the holidays in these two stories that show that the best Christmas present of all is a true family. MAIL ORDER MOMMY Boom Town Brides by Christine Johnson Amanda Porter came to town in answer to a mail-order-bride ad placed by Garrett Decker’s children—only to find the groom-to-be didn’t want a wife. Now she’s a housekeeper for the man she hoped to marry, but his children are determined she’ll be their mother by Christmas. THE NEGOTIATED MARRIAGE by Christina Rich The only way Camy Sims can save her land from the railroad threatening to take it is by agreeing to marry a stranger. But can she really trust Duncan Murray with her farm…and her heart?
A wickedly funny look at the challenges of new parenthood. With cocktail recipes. Being a new mom is “AHHHH! WHAT HAVE I DONE?” hard. Why are all these tiny clothes so expensive? Who wrote these mind-numbing board books? Will Mommy ever carry a purse again that’s not a diaper bag? And how is she even functioning off so little sleep? Reasons Mommy Drinks is a fresh, insightful, and hilarious collection of the various struggles faced by new parents—from mommy groups and single-people envy to the end of maternity leave—with a well-deserved cocktail recipe to go with each one. This must-have resource will help sleep-deprived new moms survive the baby years with their sense of humor, if not their lives as they once knew them, intact.
This revealing work looks at representations of motherhood from a wide range of pop culture sources to explore larger questions about the image and self-image of mothers in the United States. How has the popularity of Gilmore Girls influenced perspectives on teenage pregnancies? How did the mother-in-law assume such monstrous proportions? Did the Republicans' view of motherhood—and their continual hectoring of Hillary Clinton for putting ambition ahead of family—cost them the 2008 election? Mommy Angst: Motherhood in American Popular Culture considers questions like these as it probes our country's views on mothers, and how those views shape—and are shaped by—the habitually oversimplified portrayals of mothers in pop culture, politics, and the media. Mommy Angst gets at the heart of America's anxious ambivalence toward mothers—whether sanctifying them, vilifying them, or praising the ideal of motherhood while thoroughly undervaluing the complexities of their lives and their contributions to family and society. To highlight the many sides of motherhood, the collection contrasts the lives of a diverse range of real moms with their pop culture representations, including Jewish mothers, Cuban mothers, teenage mothers, mothers with disabilities, working versus stay-at-home moms, and more.
Three gripping novels from the #1 New York Times–bestselling “master of suspense” and author of the Edward X. Delaney Series (The Washington Post). Whether the threat is technological, political, or up close and personal, the Edgar Award–winning author of the Commandment thrillers always keeps the tension running high. Included in this special volume are: The Tomorrow File: In the future, the government controls every aspect of its citizens’ lives, from their gender and their genes to where they work, what they eat, and how they love. Lawrence Sanders tells the story of what happens to utopia when people get fed up with pleasure, and stand up to fight for their right to live how they choose—and die for what they believe in. The Passion of Molly T.: Activism runs rampant on the college campus where young Molly Turner seeks vengeance after her radical feminist girlfriend is killed by homophobic bigots, drawing a fine line between justice and mayhem. Capital Crimes: His name is Brother Kristos, and to the president of the United States, he is a savior, a holy man who has been able to do something no doctor could manage: heal the president’s son. But as the president relies more and more on the mystic, the country slips toward chaos—and an explosive finale. These three novels show the world on the brink of disaster. Whether set in the distant future or the here and now, the thrillers in this three-volume omnibus will prove impossible to put down.
A season for love and family Mistletoe Reunion by Cheryl St.John When Marlys Boyd moves West hoping to find acceptance for her doctoring skills, she's surprised to find her former fiancé, Sam Mason, running the local newspaper. And with the ladies in town determined to make a match of the doctor and the single father, she's not sure she can resist building the family they once dreamed of. Mistletoe Bride by Sherri Shackelford Pregnant by a man who betrayed her trust, a mail-order marriage is Beatrix Haas's only hope. But when she arrives in Cowboy Creek and learns her intended groom has died, she needs a new daddy for the baby that's coming right away. Blacksmith Colton Werner offers the mother and child the protection of his name, but can their marriage of convenience ever lead to true love?
