In this third book in the Prairie Legacy Series, Virginia dreams that having a home of her own will surely satisfy the longings of her heart. But when the storms in her life test the depths of her heart and faith, where will she turn?

Through the years, Virginia Simpson had learned that Grandma Marty’s wisdom was right. When God allows something to be taken from you, He replaces it with something better. The long-awaited return of Jonathan and their renewed courtship, with a wedding soon to follow, are proof of God’s loving ways. But the inner strength that God has been forming in Virginia’s life through trials and disappointments is far from complete.

Married life isn’t quite what Virginia expected, and when an old friend presents a surprising choice for the couple, Virginia must decide from whom to draw her strength.

The yearning deep inside her–to go somewhere, discover something, be a part of the world about her in a new way–would not go away. But what would satisfy it?

In The Tender Years, Virginia Simpson managed to struggle through adolescence and was looking forward to stepping into adulthood. When her graduation day arrives, she walks to the podium as the class valedictorian to the proud grins of her grandparents, Marty and Clark Davis. College beckoned, and life seemed to be well in hand.

But she thought she would feel different. Like an adult, with an inner knowledge that she is on the edge of the nest, ready to try her own wings. And then circumstances began swirling around her, making her rethink her plans and reevaluate her priorities.

Does God have something else in mind for her–something she hadn’t considered?

When she learns that her husband is missing in action during World War II, a desperate young wife decides to give up their baby daughter for adoption. By the time she learns that her husband is still alive, the infant belongs to a wealthy couple. Kyle has never been told that she is adopted. But she has always felt that she doesn’t quite fit in with her class-conscious, affluent parents. Now, nearing adulthood, the young woman begins a search for love and acceptance–a journey that will lead Kyle to a new family–and a new faith. Janette Oke and T. Davis Bunn are the best-selling authors of The Meeting Place and many other inspirational novels. Here, they combine their talents to create a heartwarming story of discovery and forgiveness. With Christina Moore’s sensitive narration, Kyle’s spiritual quest becomes even more touching.

Best-selling author Janette Oke, noted for vivid historical settings and heartwarming spiritual drama spins the tale of a close-knit family facing separation and change. Years ago, Wynn and Elizabeth Delaney adopted Christine and Henry. Now Christine has moved to a nearby city. Working as a secretary in a prosperous company, she is drawn to her employer’s handsome son. Henry has joined the Canadian Mounties, where one of his first duties is to help a young widow and her infant. In their new lives, as new relationships grow, can Christine and Henry still draw on the faith they have learned from their parents?

Two compassionate hearts at risk of being broken…

As a youth, Henry was rescued from terrible circumstances by the Delaneys, whose loving care helped to heal his painful memories. Now, as a young man of character and deep faith working as a representative of the law, his duties bring him disturbing news of the world outside his own family. Henry meets a young widow and baby boy whom he longs to help, but her tragic loss and deep grief have left her frightened and vulnerable.

Some years after Henry was adopted, Christine also joined the Delaney family. When she moves to the city to find employment, it is with full determination to follow in the faithful footsteps of her parents and beloved older brother. She marries the worldly son of her wealthy employer, yearning to help fill the void left from his lonely childhood. Is her heart leading her down the wrong path?What will brother and sister find, beyond the gathering storm?

Her stirring tales of spiritual conflict have made award-winning author, Janette Oke, one of today’s most beloved inspirational novelists. Drums of Change is her moving story of a Native American girl’s coming-of-age amidst turbulent changes in the late 1800s. Running Fawn loves the rugged mountains and lush green forests of the Northwest where her Blackfoot tribe lives. She dreams that someday she will share a teepee with the chief’s handsome son, Silver Fox. But pale-faced people are moving into the surrounding prairies, bringing strange ideas, and depleting the life-sustaining buffalo. When Silver Fox learns to farm like the white men, and embraces their beliefs, Running Fawn suddenly finds herself alone-clinging to the traditions of her people. In this captivating novel based on actual events in Alberta, Canada, Janette Oke provides an exciting glimpse into an often misunderstood time in history. With Barbara Caruso’s heart-warming narration, you’ll laugh and cry along with Running Fawn as she faces her uncertain future.

Through her dozens of novels, including The Bluebird and the Sparrow and Too Long a Stranger, Janette Oke has become one of today’s most beloved inspirational writers. In Julia’s Last Hope, drawing on the Canadian landscapes she knows so well, Oke crafts the tale of a courageous woman faced with one of the most difficult times of her life. Julia Harrigan, her husband John, and their two daughters live in scenic Calder Springs, high in the Canadian Rockies. John manages a large lumber mill, and their home is the grandest in town. But when the mill closes, many jobs disappear. To give her family and community support, Julia must now draw on her faith in God more than ever. Alexandra O’Karma’s warm narration enhances each of Julia’s heartfelt moments and encouraging messages. In this wonderful testament to divine wisdom, the combination of O’Karma’s voice and Oke’s moving story creates a truly inspiring audio experience.

Her quiet strength was being forged and tested in the crucible of life.

If Virginia could have chosen to accept or discard all the changes that came her way, she gladly would have let most of them pass right by. She loves her life on the farm with her husband and children, not far from her parents and her grandparents. But a change that is tearing at her heart is the steady physical decline in Grandma Marty and Grandpa Clark. She cannot imagine their home without their welcoming smiles and their words of wisdom that arise from decades of life experiences and a solid faith in God.

Their lovely daughter Mindy, who has blessed their home ever since Virginia’s wayward friend Jenny, Mindy’s biological mother, left the tiny child with them, has been encouraged and guided to pray for that mother all these years. When a desperate Jenny returns to reclaim her child, is God answering prayer, or is the worst nightmare any family could face now upon them? Virginia is not sure she has the strength to truly become like gold refined. Will her heart ever find the peace she yearns for?

For her significant contribution to Christian fiction, the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association honored Janette Oke with their 1992 President’s Award. Like Gold Refined is vintage Oke, full of the gentle warmth that captivates fans the world over. Happily married with four children, Virginia Lewis is perfectly content with her peaceful existence on the family farm. But change looms on the horizon. Grandma Marty and Grandpa Clark have always been a source of emotional strength, but their health is failing. And Virginia’s adopted daughter, who has long been a blessing, may be torn from the family when her absentee birth mother resurfaces and pursues custody. Virginia may fear the unknown, but her unshakable convictions will help her embrace it. Like Gold Refined is a timeless testament to the strength of family and the power of faith. Narrator Alexandra O’Karma gracefully illuminates Janette Oke’s wholesome prose and brings her inspiring message to life.

When it was first published in 1979, this novel introduced inspirational fiction to people hungry for well-told stories based on Christian values. Since then, over a million copies have been sold, and it has been made into a popular Hallmark movie. Janette Oke has won the Christy Award, the Gold Medallion, and scores of other awards. Generations of fans have laughed and cried over this story of Marty and Clark, two grieving people thrown together by necessity who find unexpected love as they work together as a family.

One of the original founders of the Christian fiction genre, Janette Oke has authored more than 75 books and has recieved such accolades as the Christy and Gold Medallion Awards. This story of a frontier family begins where Love Comes Softly (K1095) left off, telling the heart-warming tale of a marriage that began in tragedy but has flourished due to Marty and Clark’s devotion to one another and to God. Also available from Recorded Books are many of Oke’s other works, such as Beyond the Gathering Storm (K0029).

Newlyweds Missie and Willie share a dream. However, it means that Missie must leave her parents, family and friends behind to join a wagon train and claim land in the West with her new husband. Overcoming incredible hardships on the journey, she grows into a mature wife and mother. Her faith in God and love for her husband give Missie the strength to make a new life and home in an unknown territory. “It’s easy to see why Janette Oke is one of the most popular Christian authors writing today .”-Library Journal “For good, clean, enjoyable reading, you can’t beat Janette Oke.”-Christian Woman

Best-selling author of Too Long a Stranger and Julia’s Last Hope, Janette Oke is loved for her inspirational novels. In Once Upon a Summer, Oke weaves the tender tale of 12-year-old, Joshua, who has been raised by his 18-year-old aunt and their grandparents. He has grown accustomed to their close-knit family, but that is all about to change when Joshua’s aunt considers marriage. Johnny Heller touchingly narrates the trials of faith this family must face.

Sure, his family isn’t typical–Josh knows that. He’s a twelve-year-old orphan being raised by his eighteen-year-old aunt. When Grandpa and Uncle Charlie start making plans to find Auntie Lou a husband–and take away the only mother Josh has ever known–he knows something has to be done. His family has shaped the young man he has become. Now, as he grows into manhood, he begins to face important questions about life, love, and faith. How can he find his way when his whole world threatens to come apart?

Trying desperately to cling to the life he’s always had, Josh does what he can to keep his aunt single. But when a preacher comes along, Josh sees that things are going to get complicated.

This heartwarming story is full of love, humor, and inspiring faith.

Jodie and Bethan are about as different as two young women can be, but growing up they develop a strong bond of friendship in the quiet town of Harmony, North Carolina. As the world plunges into war, though, their friendship is tested by a devastating loss. Jodie blames God for the horror and sorrow of the world as she goes off to college dreaming of a grand future. But Bethan’s quiet desire to follow God’s will keeps her close to home, where her love and simple faith can serve as a model of inspiration for Jodie. Christina Moore’s illuminating narration of this moving story captures the quiet simplicity of lives given over to love and acceptance.

In Acadia two young mothers, one British and one French, have become good friends, despite the enmity between their peoples. The French woman’s baby girl becomes critically ill. Since the British woman has access to medical care denied to the French, they exchange infants. But, suddenly, the French are expelled from Acadia, and the women are unable to meet again. Separated by a continent, each mother raises the other’s child as if she were her own. Now, 18 years later, the emotional and spiritual effects of the exchange are about to come to light. An Englishman is searching for his heir. Two young woman are searching for their heritage. And God’s strength is waiting for them all.

Janette Oke is a pioneering author of inspirational fiction. Her novels are international best-sellers that entertain as they refresh the soul. Spring’s Gentle Promise is the fourth and final books of the Seasons of the Heart series that follows Joshua Chadwick on his journey into adulthood. Josh is as happy as a clam now that Grandpa and Uncle Charlie have signed over the family farm to him. But soon the serious responsiblity of managing the farm has him looking for help-and maybe even a family of his own.

The challenges and rewards of listening to your heart…

“In the dimness of the early morning I could see field after neighborhood field as I let my gaze wander around me. First there was ours–I supposed I would always think of the farm as ours–Grandpa’s, Uncle Charlie’s and mine, though in truth it really was just mine now. Guess that was one of the reasons I was whistling. Just yesterday Grandpa and Uncle Charlie had signed all the official papers to make the farm mine–really and legally mine. Joshua Chadwick Jones they read, clear as could be. The full impact had yet to hit me. But I was excited. Really excited. I mean, what other fella my age had a farm his own, title clear and paid for?”

“I sobered down a bit. It was a big responsibility. I mean, I was the one who had to make the farm bring forth now. Had to support Grandpa and Uncle Charlie and myself…And adding to the challenge was a desire for a family of my own.”

Josh is in a quandary. Matilda is vivacious and lovely; Mary is sweet and supportive. And they won’t remain single for very long. But how is he to go about courting someone he sees in his kitchen nearly every day? And more importantly, whom does he truly love?

So much has been accomplished. Lillian Walsh has stepped out courageously beyond what she’d ever dreamed of being able to achieve. Two years ago, she was an only child, living in a big house with her adoptive parents. Now, she shares the large home with her newly rediscovered sister, Grace, and the orphaned children to whom Grace has devoted her life. But then the letter arrives–an official complaint revoking the sisters’ permission to manage their little children’s home. An untimely winter trip across the prairie is necessary to defend their reputation and to repent from their well-intentioned lie. And Walter, who was once merely Lillian’s childhood friend, is now her staunch support, transporting them all and standing beside them in their present trial. However, another wave is coming. More children are being sent, escorted by an unlikely advocate, a British sailor who once ran away from home. Ebenezer Waldin’s scarred heart softens to the children’s plight–even to the point of breaking rules. Will there be consequences? And will there be a loving place for all of them once they arrive in the West?

The best-selling Song of Acadia series follows the affairs of two sisters, from the French expulsion from Nova Scotia to the turmoil of the American Revolution. Anne in England and Nicole in America are separated by an ocean, but their hearts are still close. When they each receive a letter, they are suddenly called on a perilous journey back to their beloved homeland.

Best-selling inspirational authors Janette Oke and T. Davis Bunn have joined forces once again in the third book of the Song of Acadia series. Called back to England to assume her duty as the heir to an earldom, Nicole leaves Nova Scotia and everything she loves behind. Determined to be a proper lady, Nicole struggles with her position until her sister Anne visits. Anne quickly adapts to life in England, while Nicole longs for Nova Scotia. And beneath the surface is a dark secret threatening to separate these sisters forever.

Janette Oke, author of over 40 books, is one of the most beloved novelists of our time. An inspirational best seller, The Bluebird and the Sparrow is her moving story of a young woman’s spiritual journey towards acceptance and faith. Berta has spent much of her life striving to be the opposite of her adorable sister, Glenna. As Glenna grows into a vivacious and outgoing young wife and mother, Berta carefully molds herself into a prim spinster and dependable member of her family. But her aloofness and pride must exact a price. Soon, Berta will need to examine her soul for the true motives at work in her heart. Millions of readers have thrilled to Janette Oke’s finely crafted stories of engaging characters and spiritual conflicts. If you are looking for an uplifting, refreshing romance, you will relish this tender drama of the power of love and trust.

Three-time Christy Award winner Davis Bunn collaborates with Janette Oke to evoke the tumult of first-century Judea in the wake of Christ’s crucifixion. Although she prefers service in Pontius Pilate’s palace to a loveless marriage, Leah is betrothed to a Roman centurion. Before he can have Leah, however, he must go on a secret mission. But when a rabbi’s missing body sends Leah and Alban after the same answers, what they discover could change all they hold dear.

Anne and Nicole are together again at the Harrow estate in England, but they find themselves facing divergent futures. While Anne comfortably settles into British life, Nicole once again searches the far horizon. Despite the raging War of Independence, she sets sail for the American colonies to manage her uncle’s landholdings. The gallant Captain Goodwind captures Nicole’s attention but not yet her heart. In the midst of revolution, her loyalties and faith are tested beyond what she could have ever imagined. Then she comes face to face with a staggering betrayal and is forced to choose her ultimate allegiance.

With her heart echoing the turmoil that swirls about her and with the hope of love yet unfulfilled, Nicole clings to the promise of a distant beacon.

In the soul-stirring sequel to The Birthright, Anne and Nicole find themselves facing different paths into the future. While Anne comfortably settles into British life, Nicole voyages into the midst of the American Revolutionary War to manage her uncle’s landholdings. Soon an unimaginable betrayal will force Nicole to choose sides once and for all.

Three-time Christy Award winner Davis Bunn collaborates with the beloved Janette Oke to evoke the spirit of the original followers of the Way. In a first-century Jerusalem seething with turmoil, religious and political leaders eye the burgeoning Christian community with suspicion. While a Hebrew merchant and a Roman soldier vie for the hand of a lovely follower of Christ, she finds her heart drawn to another whose tireless care and unflinching faith shine daily.

In the 18th century, the residents of Acadia live in a fragile truce. The settlers of this rough Canadian island are either French or British, and the two nationalities do not mix, no matter how close their villages are. One day in a meadow, two women begin a friendship. Although Catherine is British, and Louisa is French, the women become as close as sisters. But when war breaks out, their friendship and their faith lead to a sacrifice greater than they could ever predict. Both Janette Oke and T. Davis Bunn are best-selling authors, known world-wide for their inspiring novels. Their collaborative works, including Return to Harmony, have thrilled millions of readers. In The Meeting Place, they have created an unforgettable story set in a dramatic period of Canadian history.

Twenty years have passed since youngest daughter Belinda’s story in Love Finds a Home. Marty and Clark’s spiritual heritage has been lovingly passed on to their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. And now beloved granddaughter Virginia faces the greatest test of her young life. Caught in that difficult period between childhood and adulthood, feeling that she really doesn’t fit anywhere, Virginia struggles against what she considers to be unreasonable restrictions and expectations. Her parents are too strict, her sister is too bossy, and God seems too far away.

Then a new girl arrives at school, a big-city girl ready to stir things up in the small prairie town. Jenny seems to represent everything that Virginia is longing for–her looks, her daring, and her alluring freedom from constraints. Breaking the rules and instigating gossip become special thrills for the girls. But then comes the day neither girl will ever forget.

This is a final series featuring the beloved characters from Love Comes Softly.

“I don’t know who was most excited that morning when the three of us hoisted packs on our backs and started off down the trail. Just before we disappeared from view of our yard, I turned for one more wave. You woulda thought we were marching off to war or something. I even saw Aunt Lou blow her nose on her white hankie. They all looked glad and sad at the same time—happy we were doing something we really wanted to do, anxious that everything would go all right, and a bit sad we were growing up.”

On the brink of manhood, Josh was facing important questions about life, about love, about himself…“I sure was having a time of it trying to sort out all these different ideas and feelings—maybe I should just go fishing!”

Pioneering inspirational author and perennial best-seller Janette Oke is renowned for her touching novels of faith and virtue. The Winds of Autumn is the continuation of the heartwarming family saga begun in Once Upon a Summer (K1041). On the brink of manhood, Josh lives with his Aunt Lou and spends all his time studying or fishing. When a new teacher arrives at his school, Josh prospers under his tutelage. Meanwhile, the teacher’s beautiful daughter begins to stir new feelings in Josh. Listeners will cherish this tale of life and new love.

When Kyle learned that she had been adopted, she began a search for her birth parents. Now reunited with them, she is also thankful for the devoted couple who raised her. Surrounded by those she loves, Kyle’s joy increases when she and her handsome fiance are married. Surely her life is full of God’s blessings and goodness. It seems that nothing can destroy Kyle’s happiness when she finds that she is pregnant. But grave medical complications will soon begin to cast a great cloud of sorrow over the young woman, her marriage, and her relationship with God. What will tomorrow hold for her?

Janette Oke’s inspirational novels have touched millions of readers with their stories of spiritual conflicts and special moments. As her characters struggle with relationships and beliefs, responsibilities and doubts, Oke brings her readers into a world where divine love plays a crucial role. When her husband dies, leaving Sarah Perry and her infant daughter destitute and alone in the rough frontier town, the determined widow takes over his freight-hauling business. As her baby grows into a young girl, Sarah sends her to the safety and refinement of a boarding school. But when they are reunited, Sarah realizes that they now live in two different, incompatible worlds. Too Long a Stranger follows this courageous widow as she tries to regain a loving relationship with her estranged daughter. Is there anything, or anyone, who can restore their bond?

Lillian Walsh and Grace Bennett have learned so much already about caring for children in distress. It hasn’t been easy, but it becomes even more difficult when they suddenly discover that three children have run away. Concerned for the trio’s safety, the sisters will do all they can to find the children.
But the runaways are not the only thing putting the future of the children’s home in question. Lillian is faced with choosing between her dreams with fiance Walter and her commitment to her sister. Steady Ben Waldin is keen to find where his family settled in Canada and to give little Janie a place to permanently call home. And the sisters receive a pair of surprise visitors that leave them and their family uncertain.
As each of the people invested in the children’s home seek to determine their paths forward, they begin to realize that sometimes loving well means making difficult choices.

As a young girl, Lillian Walsh lost both her parents and a younger sister. Now in her twenties, after enduring the death of her adoptive mother, Lillian must find her place in the world. Just as her adoptive father is leaving for an extended trip to his native Wales, a lawyer appears at the door to inform Lillian that she has inherited a small estate from her birth parents–and that the sister she had long believed dead is likely alive.

When she discovers that her sister Grace is living in a city not far away, Lillian rushes to a reunion, fearful that the years of separation will make it hard to reconnect.

When the two sisters meet, Grace is not at all what Lillian expected to find. Even though her circumstances have been difficult, Grace has big dreams. Can Lillian set aside her own plans to join her sister in an adventure that will surely change them both?

Having survived the harshness of their first year in the far Northwest, Elizabeth and Wynn, her Royal Canadian Mountie, now face new challenges. Just when they’ve made new friends and started a new school, they are presented with a new posting. It seems Elizabeth’s dreams for a family and home of her own are not to be. Will their love for each other, their hope for the future, and their faith in God carry them through crushing disappointments?

Elizabeth Thatcher is young, pretty, cultured, and educated. But when she journeys west to teach school in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies, she’s completely unprepared for the conditions she encounters. Still, she’s determined to succeed at the formidable task of fitting in with the locals and shaping the hearts and minds of the schoolchildren in her care. She’s also just as determined not to give her heart to any of the local frontiersmen. But then she meets Wynn Delaney, a member the Royal Canadian Mounted Police…

Elizabeth, the cultured young schoolteacher from out east, has braved the western frontier and spent a year teaching in a one-room schoolhouse. Now, she and Wynn are planning their wedding and their new life together at his outpost in the far north. While Wynn is accustomed to life there, Elizabeth is not. Can their love for each other sustain them through a harsh winter, loneliness, and the rigors of life without any of the conveniences they’re used to?

Leaving behind their dear friends in Beaver Creek, Elizabeth and Wynn take over an even more primitive RCMP outpost in the Canadian Northwest. Elizabeth finds herself totally isolated when the local Indian women are afraid to even communicate with her. The Delaneys thought they had already faced the most crushing disappointment of their lives when they saw little Sammy disappear from view in the arms of his father, but will they be able to survive the challenges ahead too?

Janette Oke Returns with a New Prairie Romance! After years of schooling, Beth Thatcher has graduated and is determined to become a teacher. But when she’s assigned the position no one else wants–in the tiny mining town of Coal Valley, located in the rugged foothills of western Canada–she worries she doesn’t have the courage to accept. Inspired by the diary of her aunt Elizabeth, who went west to teach school several years earlier, as well as her father’s encouragement, Beth eventually decides to put her trust in God and leave behind all she’s ever known. But the conditions in Coal Valley are even worse than she’d feared. A recent mining accident has left the town grieving and at the mercy of the mining company. The children have very little prior education, and many of the locals don’t even speak English. In addition, Beth’s heart is torn between two young men–both Mounties, one a lifelong friend and the other a kind, quiet man who comes to her aid more than once. Despite the unexpected challenges, Beth is determined to make a difference in the rustic frontier town. But when her sister visits from the East, reminding her of all the luxuries she’s had to give up, will Beth decide to return to her privileged life as soon as the school year is over?

Beth Thatcher returns home from her first year as a schoolteacher in the mining town of Coal Valley and steps into a whole different world. Her life back among her wealthy Eastern family is a stark contrast to her primitive life in the West, and Beth isn’t sure where she belongs anymore. She barely has time to settle in before her mother announces plans for a family holiday-a luxurious steamship tour along the eastern coast of Canada and the U.S. Wishing to reconnect with her mother and sister, Beth agrees to go but quickly finds herself at odds with her mother’s expectations. After enjoying complete freedom in the western wilds, Beth isn’t sure what to make of her mother’s ongoing efforts to direct her life-and her heart. Beth keeps in touch with her Mountie beau, Jarrick, even as young men more of her station catch her eye. Is she ready to fully give her heart to Jarrick, knowing it will mean saying good-bye to her family and her life of privilege once again? And when Beth trusts the wrong person, will Jarrick be able to help her despite the distance between them?

Internationally best-selling inspirational author Janette Oke is beloved for her novels of faith. Winter Is Not Forever is the continuation of the touching Seasons of the Heart saga begun in Once Upon a Summer (K1041) and continued in The Winds of Autumn (K1052). Featuring a folksy narration by Johnny Heller, this tale of a young man ready to graduate from high school and begin his adult life is touching and poignant.

Though life seems to be moving others ahead, Josh appears to have come to a dead standstill. Should he continue his studies and become a pastor? Is he to help his aging grandpa and uncle on the farm?What does the future hold?

Life was full of choices. The only problem was figuring out what to do! “What do you plan to do–after graduation? Are you gonna be a minister–or what?” Orwhat, my mind echoed in frustration.What?

I had been asking myself the same question over and over. And I still didn’t have an answer. Graduation was only a month away, and it seemed that I was the only one in our small town school who didn’t know what to do with life after the big day. It wasn’t that I hadn’t given it a thought. In fact, I thought about it most of the time. I prayed about it too. But I still didn’t have an answer except to say honestly, “No–I don’t know yet.” And I’d been saying that for a long, long time.