Most Popular Books by Lurlene McDaniel

It is 1974 and the country is still struggling to come to terms with the Vietnam War. In the small town of Conners, Georgia, Darcy has just started high school, her older sister Adel goes to weekend dances at the local Army base, and their mother tends her beautiful garden–the biggest and best in town. But Darcy’s world is soon changed forever when her mother goes to Atlanta for tests. The diagnosis is not good–breast cancer. There is so much Darcy wants to talk to her mother about: the war and what happened to the soldiers who were there; the feelings she is having for the new (and troubled) boy in school. But she can’t. So she finds solace in her mother’s garden. There she can help the flowers her mother planted bloom.

What is the toughest request anyone can be asked to fulfill?Travis Morrison is a champion diver and one of the most popular kids at school. On the first day of summer vacation, while boating on the lake with his friends, Travis attempts a silly stunt dive that goes wrong. He fears he has broken his leg. Instead, his trip to the hospital reveals he has a rare form of cancer, and to save him, the doctors tell his parents they must amputate. In an instant, Travis's life and the lives of everyone around him are forever changed. Travis is determined that he and only he should decide the course of his life. He has a plan, but he can't carry it out alone. Will he convince one of his friends to fulfill his most important request? Lurlene McDaniel tackles a controversial subject, probing the issues of personal choice and quality of life.From the Hardcover edition.

In this sequel to Till Death Do Us Part, a grief-stricken April Lancaster flees to St. Croix island to cope with the loss of her fiancee. There on the beach, she meets a dark and broody Brandon Benedict who is still dealing with the pain of his mother's recent suicide. Though the two quickly become close through their shared grief, April does not reveal that she is battling an incurable brain tumor. When April's health condition worsens, she is forced to fly back home without telling Brandon. April is dying. Can she bring herself to tell Brandon that he'll soon lose another person he loves?

Diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, eighteen-year-old April faces an uncertain future with her fiancee+a7 Mark, a race car driver with cystic fibrosis, who suffers a terrible accident and forces April to make a difficult decision. Original.

"Meant for each other. That's how both Julie Ellis and Luke Muldenhower have always felt. In sixth grade Luke actually asked Julie to marry him, and she just laughed. In eighth grade they began dating. Now in high school, they are deeply in love. Luke is almost certain to receive an athletic scholarship. Julie intends to follow. When Luke can't shake what he thinks is a virus, Julie persuades him to see a doctor. His test results are alarming. Can their love survive, now and forever?"--From publisher's website.

A teacher is supposed to impart a love of learning and a thirst for knowledge. It's a bit different with Ms. Lori Settles. All the kids are talking about how hot she is--and she is especially interested in Ryan Piccoli. When she starts giving Ryan extra attention, he's feeling more than happy--at first. He's used to being the class clown, but really he's a loner. One day after school, the friendship with Lori Settles goes farther than he ever expected. She's his teacher. She's at least twice his age. Intimacy with a teacher is wrong, yet it feels so good in every way. Soon, Lori is making demands and Ryan begins to feel overwhelmed, but Ryan refuses to even admit anything is going on. Something immoral is going on and before too long the choices made will change lives forever.From the Hardcover edition.

The companion to the Publishers Weekly bestseller Angels Watching Over Me.

This inspirational novel follows the story of Leah and her friendship with the Amish family she met while hospitalized for cancer treatment.  When Leah takes a summer job near their Amish community, she is happy to be near Ethan again.  He is now at the age at which an Amish young man is allowed a taste of non-Amish life before committing to the adults' rules.  Will Leah and Ethan's feelings for each other overcome family obligations?


From the Paperback edition.

The star that led the three wise men could be the same star wished upon this Christmas-time by three young women.
     In the opening story, "Christmas Child," 15-year-old Melanie feels cheated when her baby sister, born during the holidays, lives only a few hours. But the baby's brief life shows Melanie the lasting value of love.
     Brenda struggles between noble intentions and earthier desires when she becomes a dying boy's final chance for happiness in "Last Dance."
     The closing story, "Kathy's Life," presents a 16-year-old who appears to have it all. Kathy is beautiful, intelligent, and has the perfect job as a live-in caretaker for a couple's baby boy. But not everything is as perfect as it seems. Must Kathy give up the one person she loves most in the world?
     Readers will be inspired, enlightened, and comforted by these moving stories that depict the many kinds of love in the world.

After her freshman year at college, Katie decides to return to work at Jenny House, a camp for sick children, even though it means she may have to face her former boyfriend, Josh Martel, whose brother's heart had saved her life.

Four stories. Four couples. Three years of real life after graduation... A wedding. A proposal. An elopement. And a surprise pregnancy. Life after college for Garrett and Hannah, Logan and Grace, Dean and Allie, and Tucker and Sabrina, isn't quite what they imagined it would be. Sure, they have each other, but they also have real-life problems that four years at Briar U didn't exactly prepare them for. As it turns out, for these four couples, love is the easy part. Growing up is a whole lot harder. Come for the drama, stay for the laughs! Catch up with your favorite Off-Campus characters as they navigate the changes that come with growing up and discover that big decisions can have big consequences...and big rewards.

The doctors assure Erin Bennett and her parents that they can''t find a physical cause for her headaches. But the throbbing, violent pain is so intense that Erin knows she needs help. Even landing the lead in the senior musical opposite David Devlin, the good-looking, popular guy everyone else is wild about, doesn''t give Erin much pleasure. In fact, she finds David so annoying that her headaches are getting worse. Erin knows that the headaches started just after the death of her younger sister, Amy, one year ago. She though her grieving was over, but somehow the headaches must be connected to Amy. The therapist Erin starts seeing begins to help her deal with her pain, but what is it about David that triggers Erin''s violent reaction?

When a pregnant seventeen-year-old girl is hospitalized and in a coma, her younger sister faces several difficult choices while dealing with loss, love, and life at Christmastime. Reprint.

Out of control - that''s how Lacey Duval feels in almost every aspect of her life. There''s nothing she can do about her parents divorce, there''s nothing she can do about the death of her young friend, there''s nothing she can do about having diabetes - that''s what Lacey believes. After a special summer at Jenny House, Lacey is determined to put her problems behind her. When she returns to high school, she is driven to become a part of the in crowd and win the attention of gorgeous Todd Larson. But Lacey thinks fitting in means losing weight and hiding her diabetes. She starts skipping means and experimenting with her medication - sometimes ignoring it all together. Her friends from the summer caution her to face her problems before catastrophe strikes. Is it too late to stop the destructive process Lacey has set in motion?

It’s Mandy’s thirteenth birthday and her dream is coming true: She''s getting a beautiful horse of her very own! But Mandy’s best friend, Laura, doesn’t seem very happy for her. Then tragedy strikes. Can Mandy and her new horse save Laura?

Four years after the tragic death of her young husband, Callie had nearly lost all her confidence in God''s faithfulness. A strange quirk of events thrusts her into the life of Marc, a popular Christian musician she had idolized as a teenager, when he was still a riotously successful rock star. When Marc invites her to contribute her musical talents to a Christian musical he is composing, Callie''s life is turned aournd.

"Sorry, John Green fans, but McDaniel''s been making us cry . . . for decades." --Bustle.com An inspirational story about love, tragedy, heartbreak, and renewal as a young woman deals with her serious health issues, a fractured family life, and the prospect of romantic love while trying to remain focused on her studies and a lifelong dream. Kenzie Caine is enrolled at Vanderbilt University, with the goal of becoming a veterinarian. When she lands a summer job caring for and helping to rehabilitate abused horses at the Bellmeade Estate stables, she is over-the-moon happy. One place she does not want to be is at home with her parents. Since the tragic death of Kenzie''s younger sister, her mother has unraveled and her father has lost Kenzie''s trust. At the stables, Kenzie is in her element. But a serious heart condition limits her ability to complete the more physical aspects of the job, so her employers have tasked the charming Austin Boyd with helping her. But Austin has secrets. And as Kenzie and Austin become closer, those secrets threaten to harm their relationship, as well as reveal other startling truths. Once again Lurlene McDaniel delivers the type of story for which she is famous--and readers everywhere will be reaching for their tissues.

Fifteen-year-old Carrie Blake, a leukemia victim whose disease is in remisssion, befriends another cancer patient whose condition suddenly worsens.

Jessica McMillian and Jeremy Travino are a perfect couple. But now Jessica has been diagnosed as having kidney failure. She is on dialysis three days a week and is so depressed that she''s not sure she wants to live. Her one hope for a normal life is a kidney transplant, but she''s an only child and her parents aren''t suitable donors. Jeremy is determined to donate one of her kidneys to her, but his parents are terrified of losing their only child. Will Jeremy find the strength to go against his parent''s wishes and do what he must to save Jessica?

Carley Mattea thinks that boys only like girls who are pretty - especially boys as popular and handsome as Kyle Westin. Scarred by a facial deformity, she believes that Kyle would never have fallen for her if it hadn''t been for the chemistry accident that left him temporarily blind. When Kyle discovers that his sight will soon be restored, Carley can''t help but worry about his reaction when he sees her face for the first time. Will Kyle''s feelings prove to be more than skin-deep?

Melissa Austin has always worked hard to make things go her way, and now she''s determined to have the best junior year ever. Everything appears to look promising as usual...until she receives the devastating news that she has cancer. Despite denying the doctor''s diagnosis at first, Melissa quickly realizes that her illness is growing worse and so she agrees to start treatment. At the hospital, she finds unexpected friendship and love through Ric, another cancer patient who turns out to be the only other person who can truly understand what she''s going through. Together, Melissa and Ric learn how to find the inner strength to face the mysteries of living and dying every day. This is an inspirational story by the bestselling author Lurlene McDaniel that is perfect for fans of The Fault in Our Stars.

If no one meant for it to happen, should someone be guilty?Analise: She knows the roads and feels secure riding her bike.Laurie: When asked out by Quin, Laurie is happy. Then his car hits something. Later, Laurie realizes there is a way to get Quin to date her.Quin: Because Quin is athletically gifted, his father expects him to get a scholarship. Nothing is to get in his way of college, athletics, money, and success. When he realizes what has happened, he decides he must not let it ruin his future.Jeremy: It''s been the perfect relationship with Analise. Little does Jeremy realize that the beautiful wood he carves will be used for something for Analise.As the lives of people who never wanted to hurt others intersect, harsh realities of choices that cannot be changed are explored.

Together again. It''s been a year since Katie O''Roark, Chelsea James, and Lacey Duval shared a special summer at Jenny House. The girls have each spent the year struggling to fit into the world of the healthy. Now they''re back, this time as "big sisters" to a new group of girls who also face life-threatening illnesses. But even as the friends strive to help their "little sisters" face the future together, they must separately confront their own expectations. Katie must decide between an old flame and an exciting scholarship far from home. Chelsea must overcome her fear of romance. And Lacey must convince the boy that she loves that the feelings for him can be trusted. When tragedy strikes Jenny House, each of the girls knows that things can never be the same again. Will Lacey, Chelsea, and Katie find a way to carry on the legacy of the Jenny House? Can their special friendship endure when they go their separate ways?

In this compelling sequel to Angel of Mercy, Amber Barlow finds herself following in her sister footsteps to Uganda for missionary work. She quickly realizes upon arrival that transitioning from her wealthy lifestyle in Miami to the shocking conditions she witnesses in Uganda will be much more difficult than she had even anticipated. Luckily, she makes a friend in Boyce Callihan, a fellow volunteer from Alabama whose charm and humor help her adjust to her new life. In this inspirational story of transformation, bestselling author Lurlene McDaniel eloquently explores the depth and power of selfless love.

Nathan Malone has been homeschooled his whole life. He’s never spent much time with kids his own age and he’s never dated. His mother is now busy with his new twin sisters, so Nathan must enroll at the local high school for his senior year. On the first day, a girl on a motorcycle catches his eye and Nathan is excited to discover the girl is also in his English class.Not only does Lisa ride a motorcycle to school, but she’s a loner who seems to come and go as she pleases. She doesn’t care what anybody thinks of her. Nathan is intrigued—he’s never met anyone like her or had such strong feelings. When he and Lisa finally start spending time together, he’s the happiest he’s ever been.But Lisa has a tragic secret and, when she decides she’ll handle it herself, Nathan has to make a choice. Can he ever let go of Lisa?

In the time since their friend Arie died, new problems have surfaced for Ciana Beauchamp and Eden McLauren of Tennessee--Eden is heading to Australia to rekindle her romance with Garret, Ciana is being pressured to sell her family's land to a developer, and a long buried family secret is threatening to end her relationship with Jon, the man she wants to marry.

When Amy's car accident results in the death of her little sister, she finds it difficult to move on and manage her anger, especially when she is in the presence of a certain boy with whom she is performing in the school musical.

Collects three novels by the author, in which teenagers find compassion, strength, and love while recovering from tragic circumstances. In Saving Jessica, helping her boyfriend, Jeremy, work through his grief over his brother's fatal accident, Jessica finds herself leaning on Jeremy for support when she is diagnosed with kidney failure. In Telling Christina goodbye, a young woman must come to grips with the accident that left her boyfriend in a coma and her best friend dead. In Letting go of Lisa, home-schooled for most of his education, Nathan enters the public high school as a senior where he meets a beautiful girl with a secret and together they learn about loving, living, and dying.