Best Selling Books by Lauraine Snelling

Nilda Carlson has been trying to save enough money to go to America for months, so when a letter from Einar and Gerd Strand arrives, offering to pay her ticket, she jumps at the chance. Her younger brother Ivar accompanies her, and they can''t wait to join their brother Rune and his family in the northern forests of Minnesota. Signe and Rune Carlson are thrilled to welcome Nilda and Ivar to America, but life on the farm remains a struggle. Though Gerd has softened and grown to love the Carlson family, Einar is still harsh and unforgiving, obsessed solely with felling as many trees as possible. Rune is trying to build a new home for his wife and children, but Einar refuses to help and forbids anyone from the nearby community from stepping foot on his land. What dark secret must lie in his past to have caused him to isolate himself--and anyone living under his roof--in this way? When a tragedy lays the truth bare, the Carlsons and Strands will have to come together like never before and become a true family.

Bestselling author Lauraine Snelling shares a heartfelt story of a couple who put their plans for a peaceful retirement on hold to assume guardianship of their young grandchildren. Mona and Ken Sorenson are approaching the best years of their lives. Mona''s greatest concern is that Ken will learn of the surprise party she''s planning for his retirement from his job as Dean of Students at Stone University. They''ve already been making plans to travel, spend limitless hours in the garden, and Ken is looking forward to working on his woodworking and fishing with his grandchildren. It''s what they deserve after years of careful planning. But things begin to unravel when Ken learns that office politics are about to destroy his department. Can he really just leave, abandoning the work he spent a lifetime achieving? Mona is eager to build her event planning business with Ken''s help, but rather than supporting her, he expresses concern that the stress of the work will send her back into the depression she struggles with. Then, just days before Ken''s last official day of work, their son, a Special Forces officer in the Army, learns he''s being immediately deployed on a six-month mission in Pakistan. Since his wife left him, the only people he trusts to care for his two young children are his parents. In an instant, everything Ken and Mona spent their lives planning changes, and they will need to find strength, both physical and mental, to become parents once more. This is not the second half they wanted, and when their son fails to contact them as planned, they struggle to trust that it is God''s plan, not theirs, that matters most.

Book Two in Lauraine Snelling''s Exciting Wild West Wind Series After fleeing North Dakota and the now defunct Wild West Show, Cassie Lockwood and her companions have finally found the hidden valley in South Dakota where her father had dreamed of putting down roots. But to her dismay, she discovers a ranch already built on her land. Cassie''s arrival surprises Mavis Engstrom and forces her to reveal secrets she''s kept hidden for years. Her son Ransom is suspicious of Cassie and questions the validity of her claim to the valley. But Lucas Engstrom decides from the start that he is in love with her and wants to marry her. Will Cassie be able to build a home on the Bar E Ranch and fulfill her father''s dream of raising horses, or will she be forced to return to the itinerant life of her past?

DJ prays for guidance as she tries to balance her time at the riding academy with school work, art projects, and her new stepfamily.

"Desiring a home, Cassie''s promised herself to a rancher already living on the land she inherited, but is her heart leading her toward another?"--Provided by publisher.

Fan-Favorite Lauraine Snelling Delivers Another Hit Novel Certain she can''t live without Hamre Bjorklund, the impetuous Sophie Knutson rejects her father''s request to postpone her marriage until after graduation and convinces Hamre to elope. But life as a fisherman''s bride in Seattle is not at all that Sophie had envisioned. Pregnant and lonely while Hamre''s out at sea, she hires on at a fish cannery, only to be fired after fainting on the job. When tragedy strikes, heartbroken Sophie can think only of returning home to Blessing. But will her family welcome her after the way she''s hurt them by her defiant behavior? And will she ever open her heart to love again?

The most wonderful time of the year / Lauraine Snelling -- ''Twas the week before Christmas / Lenora Worth.

With the support of her family and friends, DJ undertakes the long and difficult process of recovery from the serious burns she received while saving horses from a deadly fire, but she is afraid she may never ride again.

In bestselling author Lauraine Snelling''s new novel, a group of women realize that life is full of half-finished relationships and projects. However, they discover that the outcome is not as important as the journey. Recognizing how common it is for crafters to start many projects and finish few, a group of women join together to form a guild-Unfinished Projects Anonymous-to keep each other on track and accountable. Three of the friends are tasked with the job of home visits for their guild. Laughingly called "the Cartel," they snoop around craft rooms and knitting baskets to report on progress for the members. They even expand their mission to include checking on half-trained dogs and half-weeded gardens. As life unexpectedly changes for one of the members, this ensemble of women in bestselling author Lauraine Snelling''s new novel discovers that much of life is half-finished-projects, friendships, the raising of children, even our very relationship with the Lord. And that may be perfectly fine.

Eighteen-year-old Astrid Bjorklund has always dreamed of becoming a doctor. She had intended to study medicine in Chicago or Grand Forks, but when a disaster wiped out a major portion of her family''s income, Astrid stayed home instead, receiving hands-on training from Dr. Elizabeth. Joshua Landsverk left Blessing two years ago, but he''s never forgotten Astrid. Returning to town, he seeks to court her. Astrid is attracted to him, and when the opportunity unexpectedly opens for her to go to Chicago for medical training, she finds it difficult to leave. Love blossoms through their letters, but upon arriving back home, she makes a heartbreaking discovery. Will she have to give up love to pursue her dream?

Book 3 in the bestselling Dakotah Treasures series. Dove House has burned to the ground, Ruby and Rand have married, and now Rand''s ranch is home for them all. Ruby''s younger sister, Opal, is taking to ranch life like a hummingbird to sugar water. She can outshoot, outride, and work as hard as any cowboy on the place. Ranching has clearly stolen her heart. When a young minister arrives from the East, he is amazed to find himself falling in love with Opal, even though she is not a woman anyone would think of as a pastor''s wife. But when God takes hold of a heart, He can work amazing miracles, and Jacob Chandler just might be the one to eventually woo her away from the ranch.

After a string of wins, Trish breaks her arm, and since the horse Trish and her father have entered in both the Santa Anita Derby and the Kentucky Derby won''t tolerate another rider, it seems that they''re going to miss the greatest opportunity of their lives.

When Cassie Lockwood''s father dies and the manager of his Wild West show drives it into debt before taking off with the remaining money, she decides to look for the hidden valley where her father dreamed of settling.

Life once held such promise ... can she ever recapture what seems to be lost?

When almost overwhelmed with activities for the summer including horse shows, art classes, and a greeting card business, DJ talks with her Gran and learns to trust God.

A heart-stirring story about a woman''s journey to self-discovery through art and her family''s history. Forbidden. Hidden. Denied. Can art be powerful enough to endure? Ragni Clauson’s work, relationships, and body all seem to be falling apart. And she isn’t convinced that spending her vacation fixing up her great-grandmother’s cabin and supervising her rebellious teenage niece, Erika, will offer any much-needed rejuvenation. As Ragni and Erika clean, they begin to uncover the secret paintings and life of Nilda, Ragni’s ancestor who lived in the cabin in the early 1900s. Ragni doesn’t know how much she has in common with her great-grandmother, but it becomes clear Nilda faced her own struggles. Taking care of home and menfolk, fighting off locusts, raising her daughter, and finding time to paint in the midst of it all were not easy tasks. Will Nilda’s passion for enduring art re-ignite Ragni’s artistic soul a century later? Weaving together the stories of three generations of women, The Brushstroke Legacy stirs us to believe that no matter the circumstances, we are called to use our gifts—never knowing when they might bring a stranger to a new place of hope.

The captivating first book in the Golden Filly series. Tricia Evanston is sixteen and must overcome many setbacks to get into the big race that can help her family.

Fourteen-year-old DJ seeks God''s guidance about a riding school students''s overt racism as well as about her mother''s surprise announcement of plans to remarry.

This is the story of two mothers, strangers to one another. The first has two children -- twins, a boy and girl, who are seniors in high school. She wants their last Christmas as a family living in the same home to be perfect, but her husband is delayed returning from a business trip abroad. And then there''s an accident -- a fatal one involving a drunk driver. Meanwhile, the other mother has a daughter who needs a new heart, and so the loss of one woman becomes the miracle the other has desperately prayed for. While one mother grieves, and pulls away from her family, the other finds that even miracles aren''t always easy to receive.

When Turner McNeally''s daughter goes off to college, the girl''s horse shows signs of loneliness. Rebecca Wilkinson''s son hasn''t spoken since his father''s death, and the family counselor suggests a pet. Snelling weaves a story of holiday romance in which a simple advertisement creates a family bond and sparks unexpected love.

Presents four stories of four distinctly different women who have found themselves alone in the rural Northwest.

Thirteen-year-old DJ needs God''s help in achieving her dream of getting a horse and competing as a show jumper in the Olympics.

Traveling from Norway to North Dakota to join her family, Augusta Bjorklund misunderstands the directions of a ticket agent in St. Paul, Minnesota, and arrives at the end of the line to be met by a handsome young rancher who is expecting his Norwegian mail-order bride.

Having won the Santa Anita Derby, Trish and her horse look forward to competing in the Kentucky Derby, until a series of misfortunes interferes with their dream.

National bestselling author Lauraine Snelling brings a small mountain town to thrilling life when a natural disaster threatens to destroy lives. U.S. Border Patrol agent Ben James'' life is in tatters. A tragic accident stole the love of his life and he never finished grieving. Turning to the bottle for support, he lost sight of what was important. While making his last patrol run before a storm rolls in, Ben''s canine partner Bo finds an abandoned baby hidden in the woods. As Ben rushes the child to the only clinic in the area, the storm strikes with unexpected fury. Esther Hanson runs a second-rate clinic in the small community of Pineville, Minnesota, on the Canadian border. Though she has fought for years to get the equipment she needs, the town refuses to approve the funding. When the unprecedented storm ravishes the area, cutting them off from all outside help, Esther struggles to help her patients without giving in to overwhelming emotions. The event triggers a long-suppressed memory, and Esther must come face to face with the reality of her past and learn to forgive herself. Brought together by the life of a child, Ben and Esther become each other''s reason to change.

Book 1 in the "Dakotah Treasures Series" A CBA Bestseller On receiving a letter from their long-lost father, Ruby Torvald and her younger sister, Opal, set out on a daunting journey west to see their dying father once more and claim their inheritance. But instead of the promised treasure, the sisters discover something most shocking. Bold determination in the face of scandal is the only way to redeem her father''s legacy. Does Ruby have it in her?

Daughter of Twin Oaks, Sisters of the Confederacy, The Long Way Home.

Nineteen-year-old Rebecca Baard has experienced more than her share of sorrow, and now she is afraid to open her heart to love. Besides, no man has ever shown enough interest in her to come courting. So Rebecca''s friends set out to remedy the situation, concocting social events to attract all the eligible bachelors in Blessing and advising her in the use of feminine wiles. When non of these efforts seem to work, Rebecca tries yet another tack, only to discover that even the best of intentions can''t keep events from taking a surprising turn. Will Rebecca overcome her fears, or will she settle for something less than love?

As sixteen-year-old Tricia grieves over the death of her father, she loses interest in horse racing and begins to question the wisdom of God.

Because her father is ill, without telling her parents, horse-loving Trish earns money after school at the race track, where trouble begins when one of her mounts is in a mysterious accident.

A busy executive learns to stop and smell the roses—with the help of her mother''s handsome neighbor—in this charming romance. "But Mother is always dying," is Gillian Ormsby''s sarcastic response when her younger, favored sister tells her that she has to go take care of their hypochondriac mother. Begrudgingly, Gillian arrives in California to find the garden and yard dead, the blinds all drawn, and her mother indeed waiting to die. But when Gillian talks with the doctor, he assures her there''s no medical reason behind her mother''s state. Gillian insists Mother get out of bed, eat, exercise and hopefully, choose to live. She also sets about reviving the garden to its former glory, enlisting the help of Adam, a handsome man who owns a family gardening business with his father. Gillian is delighted when a pair of hummingbirds appear, and her friendship with Adam grows. Soon, Mother''s health improves, and one day she announces she and her friend Enzio are going on a cruise. Before Gillian has time to turn around, her mother is gone and she is left high and dry again, and wondering, what is she going to do with the rest of her own life?

It is 1893 and the first generation of immigrants who came to America for the promise of free land and a good life for their children have finally achieved their dreams. They labored hard on the land and now have a bountiful heritage to pass on to the next generation. However, many of the young people aren''t interested in becoming farmers--they have aspirations of their own. Thorliff Bjorklund has been writing stories and plays since he was a young boy and longs to attend college to study journalism. But his father has other plans for him and refuses to agree. Thorliff is torn between love for his father and the pull of his dream. Must he choose between the two?

The arrival of a wealthy young man leads Grace to question what she really wants in life.

Major Jeremiah McHenry is retiring from the army and returns to Medora to make a new life and find a wife. Will he be able to convince feisty newcomer Amethyst O''Shaunasy that he is the kind of man she''s been looking for? Jacob Chandler, meanwhile, is still waiting until he can court Opal Torvald. Can he prove to Opal that she will make a fine preacher''s wife?

When she is called home unexpectedly to help in a family medical emergency, physician Astrid Bjorklund learns of a deadly measles outbreak on the nearby Indian reservation. She immediately senses the Spirit tugging her to help the Indians and wonders if her "mission field" is not so far away as she had imagined. But if she follows God''s call, will love pass her by?