A Family Heirloom Inspires Romance In 1851, a special cameo is gifted by Queen Victoria to Letitia Newton, who though considered an old maid, meets the perfect gentleman minutes after donning. Told by the Queen the cameo is to be shared, Letitia gifts the "Victoria Cameo" to a woman in her family, hoping adventure and romance will follow each of its subsequent wearers. PINNED ABOVE HER HEART by Susanne Dietze 1851 – Pittsburgh, PA After receiving the Victoria Cameo, aspiring journalist Clara Newton works to expose a smuggler, but reporter Byron Breaux must break the story first or lose his job. Working together is out of the question until they learn secrets that threaten Clara’s father. . .and her heart. TAMING PETRA by Jennifer Uhlarik 1875 – Colorado Territory Trouser-wearing frontierswoman Petra Jayne Hollingsworth has no intention of donning the heirloom cameo, but when a crooked brothel owner steals the treasure, securing its return becomes Petra’s highest priority. Assisting her, Reverend Dustin Owens is appalled to learn the price of its ransom is that Petra must work in the brothel. He may save the woman’s virtue, but can he help Petra regain her cameo and rediscover her faith? MEET ME AT THE FAIR by Kathleen Y’Barbo Spring 1885 – New Orleans during the 1884 World’s Fair and Cotton Exposition It takes a Pinkerton to find a Pinkerton, and Ethan Butler has been charged with finding Elizabeth Newton. Just when he locates her, the cameo he is to deliver is stolen. It appears his previous case has discovered his presence in New Orleans, but he can’t return to that case until the cameo is found. With Miss Newton as a reluctant partner in crime fighting, can Ethan Butler locate the cameo and its thieves without losing his heart? LENDING MY HEART by Debra E. Marvin 1895 – Pittsburgh, PA The arrival of a handsome Scottish administrator ruins Miss Bertie Hart’s dream to oversee the new Carnegie Library children’s department. Yet bristly Mr. Russell Smart’s working-class determination and his love of books make him the perfect partner to better the lives of Pittsburgh’s poor. As for a partner in life? Not even her Victoria Cameo can narrow the social chasm he and her father keep between them.

Love Stitched into Four Women’s Lives Enjoy four historical romances that celebrate the arts of sewing and quilting. When four women put needle and thread to fabric, will their talents lead to love? Bygones by Mary Davis Texas, 1884 Drawn to the new orphan boy in town, Tilly Rockford soon became the unfortunate victim of a lot of Orion Dunbar’s mischievous deeds in school. Can Tilly figure out how to truly forgive the one who made her childhood unbearable? Now she doesn’t even know she holds his heart. Can this deviant orphan-train boy turned man make up for the misdeeds of his youth and win Tilly’s heart before another man steals her away? The Bridal Shop by Grace Hitchcock Charleston, South Carolina, June 1886 Alice Turner, the owner of one of Charleston’s finest bridal shops, is determined never to be dependent on a man for anything after the disgrace of her father’s prison time. When her best friend requests Alice to be her maid of honor, she reluctantly sets aside her feelings on marriage and dons a stylish bridesmaid’s gown, never intending to catch the eye of the handsome groomsman. Will he be able to convince her to open her heart again and finish the quilt once intended for her father? Mending Sarah’s Heart by Suzanne Norquist Rockledge, Colorado, 1884 Sarah doesn’t need anyone, especially her dead husband’s partner. With four brothers to mentor her boys and income as a seamstress, she seeks a quiet life. If only the Emporium of Fashion would stop stealing her customers and the local hoodlums would leave her sons alone. When she rejects her husband’s share of the mine, his partner Jack seeks to serve her through other means. But will his efforts only push her further away? Binding Up Wounds by Liz Tolsma Regent, Wisconsin, 1865 Melissa Bainbridge is a quirky designer of rag dolls who raises raccoons and never really fit into the small farming town. When Lance Witherspoon arrives in town to thank her for the Sanitary Commission quilt she made that saved his life, she is shocked to learn Lance is a Confederate. Can she and Lance confront the town’s prejudices – along with their own?

Dreams of Finding Mr. Right Go Wrong in the Old West The Bride’s Dilemma by Susan Page Davis Wyoming, 1883 Eve Martin arrives in Cheyenne to learn that man she came to marry is in jail, accused of a violent murder. Should she get on the next eastbound train, or has God brought her here to help save Caleb Blair’s life? Romancing the Rancher by Linda Ford Montana, 1886 Amelia expects a safe home for herself and her niece as mail-order bride to Zach Taggerty. Only Zach has never heard of her, and the last thing he needs is more complications in his life. The Marriage Sham by Vickie McDonough Texas, 1888 Mail-order bride Zola Bryant is devastated. Her newlywed husband is dead. But even worse, they were never truly married because the man who wed them was an outlaw not a preacher. What will she do now that her life and reputation are in tatters? The Galway Girl by Erica Vetsch Kansas, 1875 A mail-order mix-up sends Irish lass Maeve O’Reilly to the Swedish community of Lindsborg, Kansas. Will Kaspar Sandberg consider it a happy accident or a disaster to be rectified as soon as possible?

Three generations, three holiday miracles...one Christmas cameo--the ultimate gift of love. Holy Hill, the splendid estate of the Earls of Arlington, is known throughout the countryside for its lavish holiday celebrations...and setting the stage for unlikely lovers to find their own Christmas miracle. Linking them all together is that first gift of a delicate cameo... Lady Rose Arlington isn't happy that her father is arranging a marriage for her to a virtual stranger. Especially since it isn't her intended, Lord Gilderson, who steals her heart, but his younger, artistic cousin, Maxwell Roxbury. Years later, Lady Rose's niece Lysandra finds herself alone for the holidays, awaiting the arrival of Stewart Roxbury, the new heir to Holy Hill. She's lost everything--her family and now, her home. Little does she guess she'll soon find love. Joseph Roxbury, Lord Gilderson, has come to Holy Hill, desperate to convince artist Maxwell James to illustrate his new book. But when he discovers that Maxwell is actually Lysandra and Stewart's daughter, Rosetta, he needs her for totally different reasons... Three generations, three holiday miracles...one Christmas cameo--the ultimate gift of love. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sharon Sobel is the author of eight historical and two contemporary romance novels, and served as Secretary and Chapter Liaison of Romance Writers of America. She has a PhD in English Language and Literature from Brandeis University and is an English professor at a Connecticut college, where she co-chaired the Connecticut Writers' Conference for five years. An eighteenth-century New England farmhouse, where Sharon and her husband raised their three children, has provided inspiration for either the period or the setting for all of her books.