Shenandoah Brides

Katherine Williams's family was left destitute when their home was burned to the ground by Yankee soldiers, so the ready solution presented by the prominent Mr. Josiah Richardson seems almost too good to believe. He'll provide a home, work for her pa, and a new beginning for her family . . . if only Katherine will accept his proposal. A marriage of convenience is the last thing she wants, but there doesn't seem to be a better option for her family or herself. Setting aside her dreams of love, Katherine agrees to the arrangement.

Amelia Williams is only a humble farmer's daughter, so her move from the Shenandoah Valley to stay with her grandparents in the big city of Richmond, Virginia, opens a host of new opportunities. 1868 is shaping up to be her best year ever, especially when her new friendship with the genteel Bryon Preston grows into more. But when his mother catches wind of their courtship, Amelia learns the hard lesson that her humble roots will never be enough for the future Preston heir. Love might not see boundaries between the aristocrat and the pauper, but the high society of Richmond surely do.

Lucinda Williams lives with the awful consequences of her impetuous youth. While she can't bring herself to open her heart to another, she can't stop her son from taking a shine to Joseph. But that only complicates what she must ultimately do. Even if Lucinda wants to admit that Joseph's ever-present kindness and respect are wearing away her resolve, she has a secret too shameful to reveal. She can't make Joseph pay for her tragic mistakes.

Helping the orphan children in Richmond just might overturn everything Gracie thought she knew, including the value of love.

At twenty-nine, Jeanette Williams has watched each one of her four sisters marry and start families of their own. It's hard not to believe God has forgotten the desires of her heart, especially when most people refer to her as Spinster Williams. Without the beautiful children she teaches, life would be unbearably lonely. When the handsome widower, Theo Wallace, and his six children move into the Shenandoah Valley, every available woman is atwitter—except for Jeanette. She has no such aspirations that someone as plain as her could draw even a smattering of interest.