Newly married bride Laura Wainwright tries her best to settle into life at her husband's oppressive family manor despite his strange family, but when a series of "incidents" endanger her life she must discover what secrets the family is hiding.

Jocie Brooke has never wanted for love, despite the fact that she hardly remembers her mother. Jocie's father, preacher David Brooke, has done his best to be both father and mother to his daughter. Even Jocie's spinster Great-aunt Love, who's slowly going senile, cares for Jocie in her own stern way. But in their small town of Hollyhill, Kentucky, painful secrets lie just beneath the surface, and inquisitive spirits discover surprising truths. There's a reason why Aunt Love hides behind black dresses and a stoic countenance. And David takes his morning walks not just for quiet solitude, but to wrestle with the past. Full of stories of lost loves and the trials of small-town living, this heartwarming novel explores the journey of faith and family.

The scent of lilacs, poetry, and classical music bring Marla and Adam together after Marla's high school boyfriend is convicted of murder and disappears from her life. The charming, brilliant Adam promises Marla a life of culture, luxury, and family devotion. Having grown up in a small town in the shadow of a narcissistic mother, Marla is swept off her feet. But after twelve years of marriage, Marla has learned that Adam's version of love is controlling, manipulative, and even violent at times. When a key in Adam's closet unlocks troubling secrets, Marla must come to grips with the dark truth that has been just under the surface all along: Adam is not the man she thought she'd married. With the help of friends, family, and a newfound resilience, Marla fights to uncover every strand in the web of deceit and crime that Adam has woven through the past and present. Only then can she exhale.

One woman, an impossible dream, and the faith it took to see it through, inspired by the life of Hulda Klager German immigrant and farm wife Hulda Klager possesses only an eighth-grade education—and a burning desire to create something beautiful. What begins as a hobby to create an easy-peeling apple for her pies becomes Hulda’s driving purpose: a time-consuming interest in plant hybridization that puts her at odds with family and community, as she challenges the early twentieth-century expectations for a simple housewife. Through the years, seasonal floods continually threaten to erase her Woodland, Washington garden and a series of family tragedies cause even Hulda to question her focus. In a time of practicality, can one person’s simple gifts of beauty make a difference? Based on the life of Hulda Klager, Where Lilacs Still Bloom is a story of triumph over an impossible dream and the power of a generous heart. “Beauty matters… it does. God gave us flowers for a reason. Flowers remind us to put away fear, to stop our rushing and running and worrying about this and that, and for a moment, have a piece of paradise right here on earth.”

The hugely admired author of "The Last Fine Time" preserves and makes new the sights, smells, sounds, and poetry of country living. Klinkenborg reveals the beauty of the American landscape, not from a scenic overlook, but through a screened-in porch or from the window of a pickup driving down an empty highway in the teeth of an approaching storm.

It is 1964, and 14-year-old Jocie Brooke is about to have an unforgettable summer. Her father has found a new love, her hippie sister is about to have a baby, and her aunt is finally pleasurable to live with. But, when a black family from Chicago moves into the quiet hamlet of Holly County, Kentucky, Jocie finds herself befriending a boy that some townspeople shun. Due to the unspoken racial lines in this southern town, the presence of these newcomers sparks a smoldering fire of unrest that will change Holly County--and Jocie--forever. Orchard of Hope, the riveting sequel to The Scent of Lilacs, takes readers along to experience unexpected love, fear, forgiveness, new life, and a deeper understanding of the value of each individual's story.

From the author of The Awakening comes this collection, which features 24 distinctive tales of Southern life, filled with fascinating characters, idiosyncratic customs, and sometimes shocking details.

Horses, history and lilacs are interwoven in Mackinac Island's fabric. The iconic blossoms grow all over the island, from back alleys to the Grand Hotel's hillside to entire hedges at British Landing. The crown jewel is Marquette Park with nearly 115 plants and about 75 varieties. During lilac time in June, a fragrant canopy of color rises as high as 18 feet on the oldest lilacs. Strong winds off the lake have twisted and turned the gnarled branches of these old giants for more than 200 years. Nowhere else on the planet can you find such architecture as this in a lilac. LILACS: A Fortnight of Fragrance on Mackinac Island takes you on a photographic tour of lilacs unfolding in island gardens while sharing insight on when lilacs were first planted here, why they thrive in Mackinac Island's climate, how they inspire artists, and the efforts of Islanders to celebrate and sustain these beautiful plants.

It is the summer of 1958, and life in the small Texas community of Graham Camp should be simple and carefree. But not for twelve-year-old Sammie Tucker. Sammie has plenty of questions about her mother's "nerve" problems. About shock treatments. About whether her mother loves her. When her mother commits suicide and a not-so-favorite aunt arrives, Sammie has to choose who to trust with her deepest fears: Her best friend who has an opinion about everything, the mysterious kid from California whose own troubles plague him, or her round-faced neighbor with gentle advice and strong shoulders to cry on. Then there's the elderly widower who seems nice but has his own dark past. Trusting is one thing, but accepting the truth may be the hardest thing Sammie has ever done.

The summer of 1964 certainly was eventful, but it's nothing compared to what's coming to the Brooke family and to Hollyhill, Kentucky. David finally gets up the nerve to pop the question to Leigh and wedding plans are in the making. But the past is coming to call on many in Hollyhill, threatening to destroy the relationships that everyone thought were so strong. Two people--one David thought was gone for good and the other no one's ever heard of--are making their way to the small town and promise trouble. This complex and well-written story is the perfect conclusion to the Hollyhill story. With true-to-life family drama, refreshing humor, and lovable characters, Summer of Joy will delight readers.