Creek Country Saga Series by April W. Gardner

In the wilds of 1816 Florida, a beautiful slave is free game for depraved men. But for an honorable man, she is a military objective, an asset to be protected, a love that should never be pursued. Milly’s pale skin provides her with special privileges, but every luxury comes with a command. And Milly is done yielding. On the run, she can pass for white only as long as no one demands she lower her hood. But there’s hope. It lies in the Floridas in a refuge commanded by an army of runaways... moreIn the wilds of 1816 Florida, a beautiful slave is free game for depraved men. But for an honorable man, she is a military objective, an asset to be protected, a love that should never be pursued. Milly’s pale skin provides her with special privileges, but every luxury comes with a command. And Milly is done yielding. On the run, she can pass for white only as long as no one demands she lower her hood. But there’s hope. It lies in the Floridas in a refuge commanded by an army of runaways. Negro Fort. The first sweet taste of freedom convinces Milly that surrender is not an option. But the U.S. Army is keen on the fort’s conquest, and when it accomplishes the unthinkable, Milly must decide whether life is worth fighting for. Major Phillip Bailey has orders to subdue the uprising and return the runaways to their masters, all the while being forced to fight alongside Creek warriors—the same who etched the scars into his mind and flesh. The same who, in a storm of flame and blood, ripped out Phillip’s heart and took her for himself. And then came Milly... While musket balls fly, a war of another sort rages inside Phillip—perpetuate a crumbling dream or pursue the forbidden; follow orders or follow his heart. less

A man of abiding honor, tested by a woman of ruinous passion. A woman of unspeakable sins, pursued by a God of unquenchable mercy. Spanish Florida once sheltered Lillian McGirth from her fears. Now, it feeds them. Mercy is for the deserving; for Lillian, an unwed mother accused of treason, there is only battering and defeat, but her fall breaks softly in the arms of an unexpected arrival, a man too beautiful of soul to stain with her lost character... moreA man of abiding honor, tested by a woman of ruinous passion. A woman of unspeakable sins, pursued by a God of unquenchable mercy. Spanish Florida once sheltered Lillian McGirth from her fears. Now, it feeds them. Mercy is for the deserving; for Lillian, an unwed mother accused of treason, there is only battering and defeat, but her fall breaks softly in the arms of an unexpected arrival, a man too beautiful of soul to stain with her lost character. Captain Marcus Buck sails in on a pledge to save Miss McGirth from herself and from her child’s father, a ruthless don. All the while, he’s to regard her as virtuous and worthy of protection and to guard said virtue from pilfering. But the terms are flawed since he must first guard her from himself. Regardless, he is determined. He will free her, repair her name—simple labor compared to dodging the army’s noose, mending wounds three years deep, and navigating a host of rebel Natives bent on inflicting more. Through the steady crumble of his pledge, their friendship becomes a consolation, for she knows his pain as no other can or will. Their scars are one; their paths, however, might irrevocably become two… less

(Christian Historical Romance) He is the moon to her tide, the sun to her corn, and the beautiful chief she will never have. She is the scent of home, the glory of a dozen battles, and the woman he didn't see until she was seen by another. Senior Warrior Fierce Mink has loved Tall Bull as long as memory. He is beauty and power, but in the secret pockets of her spirit, he is vastly more... more(Christian Historical Romance) He is the moon to her tide, the sun to her corn, and the beautiful chief she will never have. She is the scent of home, the glory of a dozen battles, and the woman he didn't see until she was seen by another. Senior Warrior Fierce Mink has loved Tall Bull as long as memory. He is beauty and power, but in the secret pockets of her spirit, he is vastly more. He is the brave to whom she swore her heart, the friend to whom she owes her life, and the chief to whom she will never be bound. Soon, he will be required to take a wife, but lamentably, Mink is severe, intimidating, hard-bitten by war--qualities a man appreciates in combat, not so under the bearskins. But perhaps it's best he's blind to her, for he clings viciously to the Beloved Path, and unbeknownst to him, she has joined her fire with Jesus. Since his youth, Chief Tall Bull has treasured Mink. Even now, in their turbulent refugee world, she is comfort; she is home. Better yet, she shares his passion to preserve the Beloved Path and his fight to start anew in a land where they are no longer hunted. Then, a startling omen: before the blood moon, Tall Bull must make restitution for his transgressions, or the spirits will take payment. From her. A tragedy he would die to prevent. Another portent looms--that of a horde of bluecoat soldiers pecking at their borders, threatening to drive the Red Stick Defiance into uninhabitable swamps. The Defiance will not go quietly, and as Tall Bull prepares for a brutal strike, he realizes the bluecoats aren't his only enemy, and Mink's life isn't all he stands to lose.   Creek Country Saga, a Christian Historical Romance Series 1. The Red Feather 2 The Sacred Writings 3. The Ebony Cloak The Untold Stories (supplemental reading) 4. Bitter Eyes No More 5. Love the War Woman (coming Feb 2018) 6. Finding Pretty Wolf (TBA) EXCERPTA shadow crossed over her. "Mink?"She barely caught her jolt of surprise.That voice... utterly male yet silky smooth, low in volume yet lacking no authority. She could pick it out from her deepest slumber or while submerged in the river for morning prayers or at a dead run in the chaos of battle. And she had. Many times.Eyelids opening, she looked up, knowing whom she'd see.Tall Bull. Her Heart.The other one, the one pumping blood, rocked violently inside her. A disorderly flageolet, it trilled a call to dance, refusing to accept that her affections were one-sided, that he had never known, would never know, her love was an underground river, sweeping and powerful.Tongue pasted to her teeth, she stared up at him. The man did his name justice--from her crouched position, seeming a never-ending tower of untouchable brawn--and was as mind-numbingly attractive as ever. A stark contrast to her incurable uncomeliness.He was greatness and power, but in the hollows of her spirit, he was vastly more. He was the brave to whom she'd sworn her heart and the stunning warrior who'd occupied her thousand dreams and her thousand memories more. less