Promise to Marry is book one in the New York Times bestselling three-book series Promises. We were best friends since as early as I could remember. We grew up together. We were next door neighbors. We shared each other's deepest secrets. When I was thirteen, we made a pact: if we were still single by the time we were 30, we'd marry each other. Today was my thirtieth birthday. I was single. I knew he was single too. But we were no longer best friends, and a part of me knew that he hated me. This is book one of a three book series. Books two and three will be full-length novels. Book Two: Promise to Keep Book Three: Promise of Forever

The revised edition of the bestselling Christian guide to a happy marriage For more than fifteen years, Scott Stanley's A Lasting Promise has offered solutions to common problems—facing conflicts, problem solving, improving communication, and dealing with core issues—within a Christian framework. Thoroughly revised and updated, this new edition is filled with sacred teachings of scripture, the latest research on marriage, and clear examples from the lives of couples. The book's strategies are designed to help couples improve communication, understand commitment, bring more fun into their relationship, and enhance their sex lives. Lead author Scott Stanley is co-director of the Center for Marital and Family Studies at the University of Denver and coauthor of Fighting for Your Marriage, which has sold more than a million copies. Offers reflections on how to enhance anyone's marriage over the long term and avoid divorce Covers recent cultural shifts, such as dealing with the endless technological distraction and issues with social networking New themes include the chemistry of love, the life-long implications of having bodies, and how to support one another emotionally Uses illustrative examples from couples’ lives and rich integration of insights from scripture This important book offers an invaluable resource for all couples who want to honor and preserve the holy sacrament of their union.

COURTSHIP, CLASS AND GENDER IN VICTORIAN ENGLAND.

"At its core, the freedom-to-marry movement is about the same thing every civil rights struggle has been about: taking seriously our country's promise to be a nation its citizens can make better, its promise to be a place where people don't have to give up their differences or hide them in order to be treated equally." Why Marriage Matters offers a compelling, intelligently reasoned discussion of a question that still remains in the national consciousness. It is the work of one of the most influential attorneys in America, who has dedicated his life to the protection of individuals' rights and our Constitution's commitment to equal justice under the law. Above all, it is a clear, straightforward book that brings into sharp focus the very human significance of the right to marry in America—not just for some couples, but for all. Why is the word marriage so important? Will marriage for same-sex couples hurt the "sanctity" of the institution? How can people of different faiths reconcile their beliefs with the idea of marriage for same-sex couples? How will allowing gay couples to marry affect children? In this quietly powerful volume, the most authoritative and fairly articulated book on the subject, Wolfson demonstrates why the right to marry is important—indeed necessary—for all couples and for America's promise of equality.

The authors provide a wholly new framework for understanding why poor women have lower rates of marriage and have children outside of wedlock.

Twenty years have passed since the war between the North and South ended, and life in Cades Cove, Tennessee has somewhat returned to normal. Livelihoods have been rebuilt, families have once again grown, and everyone is striving to overcome the pain of loss. But the lasting effects of the war remain.Noah Henry is approaching his twentieth birthday and still lives at home with his folks and eight siblings. He struggles to find privacy, and as a grown man, he's ready for a family of his own.Years ago, he and Opal Jacobson made a promise to marry. However, Opal lives in Asheville, North Carolina, and seeing each other isn't easy. They've kept their relationship alive over the years through correspondence, but her letters have stopped coming, and Noah needs to know why. He decides it's time for an official proposal, so he sets off for Asheville, hoping she's as ready as he is to finally tie the knot.Opal has other ideas. She spends her days helping her father tend the general store; she's a business woman, not a farmer's wife. The thought of living anywhere else doesn't appeal to her, but a mysterious man, who arrives in town seeking employment, does.A promise is a promise.Yet sometimes, the best-laid promise may be impossible to keep.