Most Popular Books by Caryl McAdoo

A spunky young widow hires a farmhand with a bad reputation to help her get her cotton to Jefferson to meet the wagon train, and sparks fly—but can she love a man who doesn’t love the Lord? Susannah Abbot Baylor reluctantly hires Henry Buckmeyer to help her along the Jefferson Trace, the hard stretch of land between her Texas farm and the cotton market, where she is determined to get a fair price for her crop. It’s been a rough year, and she’s in danger of losing the land her husband left to her and the children, but she’ll need help getting both of her wagons to Jefferson safely. She knows Henry’s reputation as a layabout and is prepared for his insolence, but she is not expecting his irresistible good looks or his gentle manner. Soon they are entwined in a romantic relationship that only gets more complicated when Susannah learns that Henry doesn’t know God the way she does. Dangers arise on the road—but none as difficult as the trial her heart is going through. Will Susannah and Henry’s love overcome their differences? And will she get her crop safely to the cotton market with enough money to save the farm? In this heartening and adventurous tale, a young woman’s fortitude, faith, and heart are put to the ultimate test.

Complete with new beginnings and the promise of happy endings, the Howard Books Spring 2013 Fiction eSampler has an array of debut authors and perennial favorites for you to try out and enjoy. Step back in time with our historical fiction, fall in love with our inspirational romance, and enjoy our contemporary stories. If you would like to learn more about any of our authors or the titles featured, please visit us at HowardBooksOnline.com, follow @Howard_Books, or like us at Facebook.com/HowardBooks and sign up to receive our free monthly e-newsletter to stay informed of all of Howard’s fiction releases. With chapter excerpts from the following Spring 2014 new releases: Sinners and the Sea by Rebecca Kanner Friend Me by John Faubion The Traitor’s Wife by Allison Pataki The Thief by Stephanie Landsem Healer of Carthage by Lynne Gentry Vow Unbroken by Caryl McAdoo The Shepherd’s Song by Betsy Duffey and Laurie Myers Fifteen Minutes by Karen Kingsbury Fearless Hope by Serena Miller Sing for Me by Karen Halvorsen Schreck Fair Play by Deaanne Gist Chateau of Secrets by Melanie Dobson Somebody Like You by Beth K. Vogt Visit HowardBooksOnline.com for more on these and other authors.

The McAdoos'' chatty, folksy style gives us an endearing glimpse into the lives of some of Texas''s courageous firefighters and a peek into firehouse kitchens across the state.

Whether you''re seaching for something special to add to your home decor, a treasured item from your childhood, or just out for the fun of it, antiquing can be a relaxing and rewarding experience.

Love may cover a multitude of sins, but not knowing all the facts can also get a man killed. A family calamity gathers the clan, then a dying request tests loyalties and changes lives. New York City''s posh society, living on a rugged Texas hill country ranch, and the isolation of Alaska''s frozen tundra share little commonality and make going from one to another difficult at best. Still, destiny drives Crockett and his sister Charlotte where neither wants to go or thinks they belong. Second and third generations of the Buckmeyer progeny encounter danger, challenges, heartaches, and joys. But then reunions are all the sweeter for it. This tale continues the breathtaking-and sometimes heartbreaking-family saga of the Buckmeyers, Baylors, and Nightingales that readers around the world have come to love.

Can the orphaned preacher and the heartbroken rodeo queen navigate the path to true love with a lie and an ex-beau blocking their way? Learning of Faith Johnson''s rash promise to her father, New Hope Baptist''s interim preacher Asa Davidson shows up to apply for the position-of husband. The cowgirl was only trying to give her dying father hope promising to marry the first thirty-something-year-old Christian virgin to ask. Who''d ever dream one existed in all of Texas, much less Red River County? But sure enough, one comes a''courting the very next day thanks to the Lord and Daddy''s baby sister, loud mouth Aunt Iris. Faith''s appalled, but a promise is a promise. She only needs to figure a way out. Originally, Asa sees matrimony as a career move. He hopes a godly, local wife will seal the deal for a permanent call. Then asked right out about that very thing, he lies. Sparks fly when her past love and the preacher meet up, but as the days pass, she finds herself admiring the man and his relationship to God more and more. He''s a hard worker and wonderful, fun companion. Maybe she could learn to love him. But what if New Hope doesn''t call him? She loves it right where she''s at. Plus what about her dying father? And there''s that untruth between them.... And to make things even harder, her ex comes to Christ through it all!

The untimely death of her father shatters Mary Esther Robbins'' heart and separates her from her grade school best friend, Samuel Levi Baylor. During the twenty years apart, she fulfills her life''s dream of penning new songs and singing God''s praise with a Christian band, while he tends his growing cattle herd and shares the Good News at every opportunity. The Lord brings her home then throws them back together when Samuel agrees to help Mary Esther move and remodel her childhood home. The two lost decades vanish, and their time together convinces both the other is the true soul mate. But misunderstanding and fear keeps them from expressing their true love. Though jealousy rears its ugly head, can love and commitment hold the two together? And while they''re both committed to ministering the Gospel together, can they do it as husband and wife?

Precept upon precept, line upon line... Isaiah 28:10 Storytelling is a gift, but the craft of writing creative fiction can be learned. It''s a matter of knowing the tools and how to use them. In Story & Style, all the basics of the craft are discussed in a friendly, conversational manner and layman''s terms. Indexed for easy reference with wide outside margins for personal notes, this handy book is a virtual toolbox for writers, filled with a smorgasbord of writing elements like hook, point of view, dialogue, characterization, active vs. passive, and more! Can you hook an agent or editor or reader? Do you head-hop or stay in point of view? What about those character arcs? Is your dialogue smooth and natural, or grammatically perfect, but stilted? Why aren''t you packing in those five-star reviews-when you can get one? Whether you''ve written and published multiple novels or just starting your first one, Story & Style serves to improve your craft.

God always has a good plan for the righteous. Sin fills the world with violence, but faith carries Noah and his family above the flood through the storm. In the harshness of Mount Ararat where they disembark, nothing compares to the lushness of Adam''s Valley-their home left behind. And troubles surviving the thirteen months on the Ark can''t match the struggles they face to forge new lives in a hard land where the mist no longer rises up every even...where instead of a protective covering cloud of water above, the brutal sun beats down and unpredictable storms batter the inhabitants. Still, the Lord has given the sons of Noah a mandate. REPLENISH THE EARTH

What if Abel had killed Cain, but there was no jury of his peers? In 1928 Georgia, a black man who kills a white man is automatically guilty, but the bedwarmer''s son, an ex-slave, is no normal black man. And the dead white man is his half-brother. Once his lily-white lawyer lady learns the truth, everything changes. Can she save him from swinging? Will the bedwarmer murder the one she''s been bought to serve? From the antebellum South, come travel the dusty trails of Jim Crowe Dalton, Georgia with slave and master, saint and sinner. See if God is really big enough, if He truly cares about His children. McAdoo has done it again, this time in a brand new way. A delightful morsel for the palates of Christian readers world round.

Obedience is better than sacrifice...and trumps romance, no matter how sweet. Profound loneliness propels a childless widow west with the idea of choosing an orphan to share her life. On the way, a fellow traveler takes her by surprise. She never dreams, is unprepared, doesn''t need another man, but can''t get him out of her head...or heart. He''s so perfect-every bit the one she''d searched for as a young woman-except his mistrust of God has erected a wall she cannot breach. Marcus Ford blames God and struggles for peace after losing his wife and baby. Not once has he considered another woman could be the answer, but the widow is like none other he''s ever met. He falls hard, but plans are taking him east. Hope dashed sends two hearts into the pit. If only Ford could forgive God or the widow ease up on her adamant resolve. Will God''s mercy shine a beacon in the fog of despair and prove sufficient to heal their souls?

Propelled by blind love, Mary Rachel Buckmeyer defies her father to elope with Caleb Wheeler. The newlyweds run off to California buying in to an established dry goods business. Unbeknownst to the young bride, her new husband has sent his kissing cousin ahead, wanting both his first love and he new wife''s money. Betrayal and murder propel Mary, too soon a young mother, to the depths of despair. By a quirk, she''s forced into a business partnership with the one man who has the heart to redeem her yet rubs her wrong at every turn. All the lovelorn miners want her but who will love her enough to cover her sins and deliver her out of the horrible pit she''s dug for herself?

With airplanes falling out of the sky and all things electric rendered useless after a mysterious flash, skills instilled by Jackson''s Marine father move front and center. With a fierce determination to keep his thirteen-year-old sister McKenzie and nine-year-old brother Cooper safe, the high school freshman is compelled to leave their Irving home in the shadow of the DFW Airport. Thrust into a lawless, chaotic world, he''s guided by an ever-changing cryptic note that leads his growing troupe along the King''s Highway in search of their grandparents. Bullies, Russians, wild animals, gang-bangers, and kidnappers thwart their progress while a lack of drinkable water and food is a constant concern. Will he ever find a safe place?

Be it known, your sins will find you out, but God''s mercy endureth forever! Can a wife find the grace to forgive when her husband''s withheld the truth? Travis Buckmeyer has a secret son, and the morning''s come to tell his sweet wife. He hates breaking Emma Lee''s heart. She promised him one ten years ago, but hasn''t been blessed to carry a baby to term. Every miscarriage made the telling harder, but now his clock''s run out. He''s going for his son, praying he won''t lose her. Cody knows who his mother claims his father is, but he''s only interested in getting sprung from reform school then boosting enough from the do-gooder to bust out on his own. Can Travis find redemption, Emma Lee forgiveness, or Cody the love he''s been longing for?

Faith trumps cynicism and unbelief in ONE AND DONE, a gender-crossing love story with its baseball backdrop and strong pitcher/batter hero. Samantha Danielle, cutest weather girl on Dallas TV, only dreams of sports reporting when an opportunity to scoop an interview with a pitcher Rangers'' management is hot after. Turns out George Herman Walter Johnson, at thirty-three, becomes the oldest rookie to ever sign with the Texas team. Conflict flies as the wealthy ex-poker player pitching phenom lays everything on the line in his quest to win her heart, and Sammi Dan remains wary. ONE AND DONE is an unlikely love story born of prophesy, nurtured in full view of the probing public eye, and seemingly doomed. Can his faith that she is God''s woman for him carry them through to their happily-ever-after?

New York dime novelist May Meriwether decides a heroic Texas Ranger will make a great love interest for her new heroine. Bored to tears and loving adventure, she sets out to the Lone Star State with her constant companion and confidant Chester in tow. Dreams for a husband and children are relegated to the recesses of her heart, the self-confessed old maid deems it too late. But the near-perfect widower resurrects a smidgen of hope. Only his impenetrable, superstitious religious beliefs stand in the path to her falling head over heels, those and his love for his dead wife. Would there ever be room for her in his heart? And would he give up his fanaticism for God? An unexpected romance surprises both. Hope is reborn in God''s unfailing love and grace. Can a life be built on lies find the Way to confession, forgiveness, and true joy? In a day when the church offers the only stability on the 1850 Texas prairie, these unlikely players find one another and fall in love. But will it be enough?Texas Romance Family Saga - Book 1: VOW UNBROKEN - Book 2: HEART STOLEN - Book 3: HOPE REBORN - Book 4: SINS OF THE MOTHER - Book 5: DAUGHTERS OF THE HEART - Book 6: JUST KIN - Book 7: AT LIBERTY TO LOVE - Book 8: COVERING LOVE - Book 9: MIGHTY TO SAVE - Book 10: CHIEF OF SINNERS Companion Books to Texas Romance Family Saga - Book 1: THE BEDWARMER''S SON - Book 2: SON OF PROMISE - Book 3: JOHN DAVID''S CALLING (The Revivalist Trilogy #1) - Book 4: HANNAH CLAIRE''S WILDERNESS (The Revivalist Trilogy#2) - Book 5: BIPARTISAN LOVE - Book 6: JEWEL''S GOLD

Gwendolyn, Cecelia and Bonnie make a pact never to break their father''s heart like their big sister did. Then their determination is sorely tried when suitors show up and he gets so pigheaded with his rules. Will Henry survive his daughters coming of age? Will they endure and keep their promises to each other? Will the Buckmeyer home ever be settled and peaceful again? Will any of Henry''s daughters find true love?

He shall choose our inheritance for us . . . A prim and proper country girl is thrown into a mayhem of madams and mercy killing when Alexandria Bell inherits her estranged uncle''s portion of a big city''s premier newspaper, the Texas Times. She does find the pickin''s better in Dallas as before she knows it, three suitors vie for her attentions. One makes her laugh, one speaks to her heart, and the third possesses such a way with words, he makes her envious of his talent . . . but she''s his boss. Come along on Alex''s new career adventure and see if any are successful in winning her heart and hand. Complete Caryl''s CROSS TIMBERS ROMANCE FAMILY SAGA series Book 1: GONE TO TEXAS Book 2: TEXAS MY TEXAS Book 3: TEXAS TEARS Book 4: LEAVING TEXAS Book 5: TEXAS TROUBLES Book 6: TEXAS TRAILS Book 7: TEXAS TIMBERS Book 8: TEXAS WILDFLOWERS Book 9: TEXAS TIMES Complete Thanksgiving Books & Blessings Collection 2023 Collection Six Book 22: TEXAS TIMES by Caryl McAdoo Book 23: TENDER MERCIES by Karen Gammons Book 25: FRANCINE''S FOIBLES by Linda Shenton Matchett 2022 Collection Five Book 18: By Karen Gammons Book 19: By Amy Walsh Book 20: TEXAS WILDFLOWERS By Caryl McAdoo Book 21: By Linda Shenton Matchett 2021 Collection Four Book 17: TEXAS TIMBERS By Caryl McAdoo 2020 Collection Three Book 13: A PINK LADY THANKSGIVING By Donna Schlachter Book 14 MAGNOLIA''S MEASURE By Kimberly Grist Book 15: TEXAS TROUBLES By Caryl McAdoo Book 16: CAROLINA HOMECOMING By Heather Blanton 2019 Collection Two Book 9: THANKFUL FOR THE COWBOY By Mary Connealy Book 10: TEXAS TEARS By Caryl McAdoo Book 11: SPRING OF THANKSGIVING By Liz Tolsma Book 12: THESE GREAT GIFTS By Allison Pittman 2018 Collection One Book 1: GONE TO TEXAS By Caryl McAdoo Book 2: GATEWAY TO THE WEST By Susette Williams Book 3: TRAIL TO CLEAR CREEK By Kit Morgan Book 4: HEART AND HOME By P. Creeden Book 5: NO TURNING BACK By Lynette Sowell Book 6: DAUGHTER OF DEFIANCE By Heather Blanton Book 7: UNMISTAKABLY YOURS By Kristin Holt Book 8: ESTHER''S TEMPTATION By Lena Nelson Dooley

Can beauty truly come from ashes? Deception drives seventeen souls to hard choices. Either stay on the land they thought they''d bought or heed the lure of free land in the faraway wilderness of a new Republic. Rife with peril and hardship, three families knit together by blood and friendship head out with a widowed man, his daughter, and slave, gambling everything they own on the prospect of land ownership and working it together. Does friendship pave a way to marriage? Can puppy-love survive through a harrowing journey to blossom into a forever lover? With duress at every turn, can the clan stay together all the way to Texas and accomplish their goals?