Tennessee Dreams Series by Sharlene MacLaren

Mercy Evans has known a great deal of heartache and hardship in her twenty-six years. She lost her mother at a young age and was only sixteen when her father was killed in 1880, in a brawl sparked by a family feud spanning several generations. Yet Mercy never doubts the presence and provision of her heavenly Father. When a house fire claims the lives of her two best friends, leaving their two young sons as orphans, Mercy offers to be their guardian... moreMercy Evans has known a great deal of heartache and hardship in her twenty-six years. She lost her mother at a young age and was only sixteen when her father was killed in 1880, in a brawl sparked by a family feud spanning several generations. Yet Mercy never doubts the presence and provision of her heavenly Father. When a house fire claims the lives of her two best friends, leaving their two young sons as orphans, Mercy offers to be their guardian. It seems simple enough, until the judge mandates that the boys be placed with a married couple. Samuel Connors is a man adrift. Despite the success of the blacksmith business he inherited from his father, he senses a void unaffected by material rewards. His mother keeps nagging him to find a wife, but the only woman who comes to mind is Mercy Evans. What would she want to do with the man whose father is now serving a life sentence for the murder of hers? Mercy is determined to do whatever it takes to win custody of the Watson boys. But marry a mortal enemy of the Evans family? God alone can give her the heart to go through with it. less

A spark ignites between the "scandalous" divorc e and the upright pastor, but Joy's rocky past has made her wary of male attention, and her feelings of failure, not to mention her disbelief in a God of love, drives an even deeper wedge between them. Moreover, Lucas puts the brakes on their budding friendship when his congregants begin to question his intentions... moreA spark ignites between the "scandalous" divorc e and the upright pastor, but Joy's rocky past has made her wary of male attention, and her feelings of failure, not to mention her disbelief in a God of love, drives an even deeper wedge between them. Moreover, Lucas puts the brakes on their budding friendship when his congregants begin to question his intentions. When an unforeseen danger threatens Joy and her daughter, will the tight-knit town stand by and watch? Or will they open their hearts to the God of mercy and allow Him to do an unexpected work? less

It was a leap of faith for Grace Fontaine to bid farewell to her beloved fiancé, Jess Travis, and send him on a four-month stint on the transatlantic luxury liner The Lone Star. But the trip from Boston to London and back again would increase his salary fivefold and would bring the couple that much closer to realizing their dream of marrying and starting a family... moreIt was a leap of faith for Grace Fontaine to bid farewell to her beloved fiancé, Jess Travis, and send him on a four-month stint on the transatlantic luxury liner The Lone Star. But the trip from Boston to London and back again would increase his salary fivefold and would bring the couple that much closer to realizing their dream of marrying and starting a family. When Grace learns that the ship was captured by pirates, her hope deflates and it eviscerates entirely when the pirate ship is apprehended, with no survivors reported. Two years later, Grace receives word from a doctor in Paris, Tennessee, that her wealthy great-aunt, Iris Brockwell, is on her deathbed and requires round-the-clock care. Grace volunteers, figuring there is nothing left for her in Boston. It isn't long after her arrival in Paris that she meets a charming, driven lawyer named Conrad Hall, who wastes no time sweeping her off her feet and soon proposes marriage. Given his promises to love, protect, and care for her and her great-aunt, how can Grace refuse? Weeks before the wedding, an unexpected guest shows up and threatens to throw a wrench in the plans. Will Grace go through with her marriage to Conrad? Or will an unforeseen turn of events change her mind? less