“A gut-wrencher with poignant style and refreshing breaths of humor.” —RT Book Reviews Dinah Traynell is trapped in a life she didn’t choose and cannot leave. Since childhood, the Elect are told it’s God’s will that they serve the Shepherds, the itinerant ministers of the church. Since puberty, that service has become darker for Dinah Traynell. More physical. Unthinkable and deeply secret. Though she dreams of another life, she’s never known anything but the church, so while she submits, she still resents being forced to cast her pearls before swine. So when she answers the door one night to find a homeless man on the step, her first act of rebellion is to help him. Dr. Matthew Nicholas, disgraced university professor, had never heard of the Elect before he was robbed, left penniless, and wandered into Smoke River. He has never met a woman like Dinah, so vulnerable and yet so strong, with a capacity for love that has no outlet except in the care of her flock of chickens. As she slowly grapples with the flawed faith of the Elect, Matthew struggles with his fear of getting involved. He’s grateful for meals and a room, but he’s only the hired man. When Dinah’s teenage sister abandons her own baby, its innocence is the catalyst that forces Dinah and Matthew to trust one another … and two lost souls catch a glimpse of hope in a forbidden love. But is it enough to dispel the darkness? Or is it already too late for Dinah to break free without being trampled? Pocketful of Pearls is the second novel in the inspirational Breaking Faith domestic suspense series. The books can be read as standalones, though the characters all know one another and appear in each other's stories. No strong language, just a dollop of suspense, a loving kiss, and a guaranteed happily ever after. If you like books by Sage Parker, Christy Barritt, or Charles Martin, you’re in the right place. Enjoy!

“A brave and talented author who looks at the darkness as well as the light.” —Mary Jo Putney He’d find Kailey some day. One assignment at a time. One prayer at a time. A cult took Ross Malcolm’s ex-girlfriend and baby daughter six years ago. He’s never stopped looking for his little girl ... and now he has a sidearm, a badge, and a soul-deep commitment to protect the innocent. When the state's elite Organized Crime Task Force assigns him to Smoke River, Washington, to find out why the death rate among children belonging to an obscure religious group is so high, he’s sure it’s going to be one of the toughest cases of his career. But first, he has to find a way in … Julia McNeill is the daughter of an Elder and the almost-fiancée of a prospective Deacon in the plain church known as the Elect of God. Her future position is secure … except that she’s not sure she wants it. She’s never quite been able to fit in, to measure up in comparison with her dazzling sister, who married an Elder and produced two beautiful kids. It breaks Julia’s heart that her nephew Ryan is so close to death and no one can figure out why … but when she asks questions, the church leadership shuts her out. And then a biker with eyes that have seen too much walks into the bookstore where Julia works, and everything about her life begins to change … including the definition of forbidden ... and her belief in God’s ability to keep her and her nephew safe. “Suspenseful and intriguing, Grounds to Believe starts off running and never slows down.” —RT Book Reviews Grounds to Believe is the first novel in the inspirational Breaking Faith domestic suspense series. The books can be read as standalones, though the characters all know one another and appear in each other's stories. No strong language, just a dollop of suspense, a loving kiss, and a guaranteed happily ever after. If you like books by Sage Parker, Christy Barritt, or Charles Martin, you’re in the right place. Enjoy!

“Readers will appreciate that things are a little topsy-turvy, with spiritual insights coming from unexpected places.” —Publishers Weekly Who do you listen to when every word might be a lie? Brought up in a strict religion in the small town of Smoke River, Washington, Chloe Montoya has seen the leaders she trusted disgraced and watched helplessly as her best friends rejected their faith. When radio evangelist Luke Fisher is invited to headquarter his ministry in town, Chloe is drawn to him. Against her church’s will, she joins the staff at the station as bookkeeper and, while she’s totally behind Luke’s vision for the community, she begins to realize that under the message is a sound that frightens her … Fresh out of the state police academy and assigned to the Organized Crime Task Force, Ray Harper is sent to Smoke River to investigate an underground church that seems to attract the criminal and the predatory. What he finds is a town prospering in its religious fervor—and a dark-haired, dark-eyed innocent who he’d bet his first year’s salary has never been kissed. Ray has no use for religion. She’s forbidden even to speak to him, never mind love him. But Luke Fisher’s growing power threatens what they both love—and sometimes you have to listen to someone … and hope that they hear you … Sounds in the Night is the third novel in the inspirational Breaking Faith domestic suspense series. The books can be read as standalones, though the characters all know one another and appear in each other's stories. No strong language, just a dollop of suspense, a loving kiss, and a guaranteed happily ever after. If you like books by Sage Parker, Christy Barritt, or Charles Martin, you’re in the right place. Enjoy!

Don’t miss Elizabeth Wein’s stunning new novel, Stateless Before Verity . . . there was Julie. When fifteen-year-old Julia Beaufort-Stuart wakes up in the hospital, she knows the lazy summer break she'd imagined won't be exactly what she anticipated. And once she returns to her grandfather's estate, a bit banged up but alive, she begins to realize that her injury might not have been an accident. One of her family's employees is missing, and he disappeared on the very same day she landed in the hospital. Desperate to figure out what happened, she befriends Euan McEwen, the Scottish Traveler boy who found her when she was injured, and his standoffish sister, Ellen. As Julie grows closer to this family, she witnesses firsthand some of the prejudices they've grown used to-a stark contrast to her own upbringing-and finds herself exploring thrilling new experiences that have nothing to do with a missing-person investigation. Her memory of that day returns to her in pieces, and when a body is discovered, her new friends are caught in the crosshairs of long-held biases about Travelers. Julie must get to the bottom of the mystery in order to keep them from being framed for the crime. This exhilarating coming-of-age story, a prequel to the Printz Honor Book Code Name Verity, returns to a beloved character just before she first takes flight.

A guide to building a good character, offering teenage girls practical wisdom on the classic issues that every teenager faces from a biblical perspective.

Ever since Jackie moved to her uncle's sleepy farming town, she's been flirting way too much--and with her own cousin, Marcus. Her friendship with him has turned into something she can't control, and he's the reason Jackie lost track of her best friend, Ellie, who left for...no one knows where. Now Ellie has been missing for months, and the police, fearing the worst, are searching for her body. Swamped with guilt and the knowledge that acting on her love for Marcus would tear their families apart, Jackie pushes her cousin away. The plan is to fall out of love, and, just as she hoped he would, Marcus falls for the new girl in town. But something isn't right about this stranger, and Jackie's suspicions about the new girl's secrets only drive the wedge deeper between Jackie and Marcus--and deepens Jackie's despair. Then Marcus is forced to pay the price for someone else's lies as the mystery around Ellie's disappearance starts to become horribly clear. Jackie has to face terrible choices. Can she leave her first love behind, and can she go on living with the fact that she failed her best friend?