The Jewel of Paradise By: Rhonda D. Herb Renaissance, Italy, 1494. In a tale of romance set against the backdrop of the discovery of the new World, Valentina Vitale flees from an undesirable marriage and a controlling father. When she discovers a mysterious amulet, two vastly different men pay her notice- but can she trust that their interest is genuine, or are they motivated by the allure of the necklace? Valentina is catapulted into the political intrigues and dark places of Mantuan society, where she risks her life to uncover the mystery of the necklace – and learns that love is the greatest mystery of all.

Crown McGee comes to Colwin County, Texas to claim his estranged father's estate, a thriving rice farm, dilapidated mansion and cemetery. Smitten by tenant Carrie Giddings, Crown vows to have Carrie just as he has claimed his father's land. Crown offers complicity in a murder in exchange for Carrie, but the Giddings flee Colwin County, leaving Carrie's daft sister Jewel in Carrie's place. On the road to love and redemption, Crown faces hard lessons, a daughter Sela, born with his deformity and a wayward brother Jackson bent on claiming the estate.