Showing results by author "Kim Vogel Sawyer" in All Categories

Set in World War II New York, Sweet Sanctuary introduces Lydia Eldridge, her young son Nicky, and Dr. Micah Hatcher, a man from Lydia's past. Lydia is desperate to protect Nicky from his drug-addicted father. Leaning on Micah, who's hiding secrets of his own, they are seeking refuge and safety -- for themselves, for Nicky, and for those around them. But will they ever find it?

Alexa Zimmerman wonders if the Old Order Mennonite community in Arborville, Kansas, will ever fully accept her. Her family roots here aren't what anyone thought when she first arrived, but she is hopeful that her culinary and hospitality skills will win the skeptics over. The bed-and-breakfast she's operating needs to succeed, so Alexa agrees to allow Briley Forrester, the hotshot reporter from Chicago, to stay as a long-term boarder, not knowing his real motives for being among the Plain folk.

She left, heavily weighted with secrets. But God reveals all things, in His timing. And He redeems them. Suzanne Zimmerman was only 17 and pregnant when her shamed mother quietly sent her away from their Old Order Mennonite community in Kansas. With her old home, family, and first love firmly behind her, Suzanne moved to Indiana, became a nurse, and raised a daughter, Alexa, on her own. Now, nearly 20 years later, an unexpected letter arrives from Kansas.

Anthony and Marty Hirschler are part of an Old Order Mennonite community in Pine Hill, Indiana. The couple has grown apart since a doctor confirmed they would never have children. Marty longs to escape the tight-knit area where large families are valued, and the opportunity to do so arises when her childhood friend, Brooke Spalding, resurfaces with the wild idea of rebuilding a ghost town into a resort community. Brooke hires Anthony to help with the construction, drawing the Hirschlers away from Indiana and into her plan, and then finds herself diagnosed with cancer.

When Meghan DeFord is forced to take a six-week leave-of-absence after a traffic accident, she chooses to spend the time with her grandmother. Meghan has wonderful memories of childhood summers with her Grandma Hazel and anticipates a time of relaxation and filling a scrapbook with pictures of their time together. Meghan's mother arrives unexpectedly and brings her long resentment towards Hazel for her overprotectiveness and near paranoia. During their time together, Hazel confesses her long-held secret....

Indentured servant Fanny Beck has been forced to sing for riverboat passengers since she was a girl. All she wants is to live a quiet, humble life with her family as soon as her seven-year contract is over. However, when she discovers that the captain has no intention of releasing her, she seizes a sudden opportunity to escape - an impulse that leads Fanny to a group of enslaved people who are on their own dangerous quest for liberty.

Abigail Brantley grew up in affluence and knows exactly how to behave in high society. But when she is cast from the social registers due to her father's illegal dealings, she finds herself forced into a role she never imagined: tutoring rough Kansas ranchers in the subjects of manners and morals so they can "marry up" with their mail-order brides. Mack Cleveland, whose father was swindled by a mail-order bride, wants no part of the scheme to bring Eastern women to Spiveyville, Kansas, but as time goes by, his heart goes out to the teacher.

The practice of ministering to the widows and orphans is reflected in this story of Christina Willems, a young woman from Kansas, in 1884, who is determined to reopen the poor farm she manages after a fire devastates the property. She finds opposition from many surprising corners but an unlikely ally in a lumber mill owner who wants nothing more than to hold himself aloof from the world and its troubles. Levi Jonnson agrees to take care of one of the poor farm residents, a young blind boy - and in doing so opens himself up to Christina's world in ways he wouldn't have imagined.

After reading about the popularity in New York of the Frauenverein, a benevolent society dedicated to caring for German widows and orphans, the women of a Mennonite community in Alexandertol, Kansas, eagerly organize their own group and begin to identify the individuals most in need of their assistance. Schoolteacher Augusta Dyck is particularly grateful to have meaningful work to occupy her time when classes are closed for planting season, and she's certain the quiet and reserved widower Konrad Rempel and his two young twin boys should be high on the list of people to receive help.

Eighteen-year-old Laurel Millard, youngest of seven children, is expected to stay home and "take care of Mama" by her older siblings, but Laurel has dreams of starting her own family. Operating a silk loom at the Atlanta Exposition will give her the chance to capture the heart of a man wealthy enough to take care of Laurel and any children she might bear, as well as her mother. Willie Sharp is not well-off and must take on an extra job at the Atlanta Exposition as a security guard.

Growing up in the foster care system, Jase Edgar always dreamed of one day starting his own family. But his fiancée's untimely death shattered his plans. Moving to Kansas and serving as a youth minister should be a fresh start, but he can't seem to set aside his doubts about God's goodness long enough to embrace his new life. Newly appointed church custodian Lori Fowler is battling her own challenges.

Mistaken identity leads to romance, laughter, and second chances in this inspirational historical romance. The Kansas community of Fairland anticipates the arrival of their new minister. Over the past several months, late in 1882, postmistress Grace Cristler has communicated with Reverend Dille via letters, answering his questions about the little town and its members, and developing an affection for the man who pens thoughtful missives.

England-born Emmaline Bradford pledged her life to Geoffrey Garrett and then bid him farewell when he sailed to America. Although Geoffrey anticipated only a short separation, several years passed before he was able to send for Emmaline. By then the fiery flame of her youthful love had all but died. Shocked by the conditions on Geoffrey's Kansas sheep ranch, Emmaline wishes to return to England immediately.

CBA best-selling author and Carol Award winner Kim Vogel Sawyer weaves tales of romance and faith that keep fans coming back for more. In Through the Deep Waters, timid Dinah Hubley takes a job as a chambermaid in a Kansas hotel after leaving her life in a Chicago brothel. Carrying memories that shame her to the core, Dinah spurns the attention of Amos Ackerman, a farmer who knows the healing power of Christ’s love.

Twenty-one-year-old Rebecca Hardin is determined to help provide for her family, living a hardscrabble life in 1910 in the Southern Kentucky hills. Her brother, Andy, died when he became lost in a cave five years earlier, and Rebecca feels responsible for his death because she'd told him to "go, get lost". The best wages at Mammoth Cave are earned by the guides, who receive a salary plus tips from the guests. But only men are allowed to be guides, so Rebecca cuts her hair, dons some of Andy's clothes, and introduces herself as Reb to the estate manager.