Little Hickman Creek Series, Or Tagged Again!

Last Friday I was tagged by my buddy Shauna over at The Coffee Stop to share about a favorite but rather lesser-known book. (If you haven't visited Shauna's blog before, it's time well spent. She has three of the funniest boys you'll ever find!) From Shauna's post last Friday:

"Patti Abbot launched this great idea. Here's her original explanation:

This is the first of what I optimistically hope will become Friday recommendations of books we love but might have forgotten over the years. I have asked several people to help me by also remembering a favorite book. Their blog sites are listed below. I also asked each of them to tag someone to recommend a book for next Friday. I'm worried great books of the recent past are sliding out of print and out of our consciousness. Not the first-tier classics we all can name, but the books that come next."

So in keeping with Friday book recommendations (yes, I know I'm posting a bit early!), I am taking some liberties with this and recommending not just one book, but a 3-book series by Sharlene MacLaren. It's her Little Hickman Creek Series, and consists of three of my all-time favorite historical romances. I'm including the synopsis from each book.

When I started this blog last year, one of my first posts was about my favorite authors. Sharlene MacLaren, who is on that list, is a new-ish author with whom I have absolutely fallen in love! Every book of hers that I have read has been one that I've read at least twice, if not more. Each book is better than the one before. And not only are her books wonderful, Shar herself is such a fun gal that you will absolutely love her. She's been so generous with me with email notes that I feel like I've known her for years. Check her out at her blog or her website. You will enjoy getting to know her better. Till then, let me encourage you--STRONGLY encourage you!!!--to read her Little Hickman Creek series.

The first book in Shar's Little Hickman Creek Series is "Loving Liza Jane":




A Divine Leading: When Liza Jane Merriwether rode into the town of Little Hickman Creek, her first thought was, "Oh Lord, what have I done?" Kentucky was much different than what she was used to back East, but she knew God had led her here for a reason. Will she discover His plan for her life?

The Handsome Widower: Soon, the petite schoolteacher is beloved by all...including Benjamin Broughton, a handsome widower struggling to raise two young children. Will he overlook the perfect wife that God has practically dropped in his lap for a mail-order bride?

A Destined Love: Liza Jane's teaching contract implicitly states that she is to have "no improper contact with the opposite sex." Will she discover that with God, all things are possible?


Sounds good, doesn't it???? I can assure it, IT WAS!!!

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The second book in the series is "Sarah, My Beloved".

A Divine Mix-up: A beautiful redhead has traveled from Boston to Kentucky by stagecoach to be a mail order bride. But when Sarah Woodward arrives in Little Hickman Creek, she is greeted by her prospective husband, who tells her he has fallen in love with another woman. Disappointed but determined, Sarah refuses to leave until she finds out the reason why God led her here.

A Hardened Heart: A tall, dark and ruggedly handsome man, Rocky Callahan meets the fiery Sarah. He has tragically lost his wife, his only child, and his sister. Faced with raising his sister's two children alone, he suggests a "marriage in name only" to Sarah.

Healing the Past: Will Rocky let go of the pain in his past and trust God's plan for his life? Will Sarah leave him for a past beau, who has followed her to Kentucky to bring her home? Or will Sarah and Rocky find true love from the hand of the ultimate Matchmaker?


I love a good "marriage of convenience" story...and this one is JUST THAT!!! A REALLY GOOD ONE!!!

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The third and final book in the series, just recently released and what I think to be Shar's best work to date, is "Courting Emma":




A Divine Plan: Twenty-eight-year-old Emma Browning has built a barricade around her heart to survive the pain of growing up with her alcoholic father, Ezra. As she runs Emma's Boardinghouse, she plays host to an array of unkempt, earthy characters while trying to maintain a protective emotional distance from people. No one has succeeded in getting to know the beautiful yet steely edged proprietress. That is, not until Little Hickman Creek's handsome new pastor, Jonathan Atkins, takes up residence in the boardinghouse and begins to dismantle her carefully controlled world...

A Struggle to Forgive: Clinging desperately to her stubborn ways and unable to forgive her father, Emma begins receiving letters from a mysterious sender who somehow knows about her and has secret information about Ezra's past. Amidst all this, she is surprised--and unsettled--by the attentions of both Jonathan and Billy, the smooth-talking traveling showman.

A Miraculous Love: When the town of Little Hickman Creek is stunned by an unexpected turn of events, will Emma risk removing her protective shell to accept the love of God--and the love of a man?


As good as the other two are, this one is without a doubt my favorite. Well worth the wait!!!

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I love a good book, but even more I love a good series. A series gives me another book to anticipate. I also love when characters from one book show up in subsequent books. It's like visiting with old friends whom I haven't seen in a while. (Yes, I know I need to get out more!!!) Shar's "Little Hickman Creek" series has all those things, and then some. You can read these book summaries and probably guess how each book will end, but I can promise you that NONE of Shar's books are predictable. Her writing has quality and depth, and she tells a wonderful love story with a happily-ever-after ending that always leaves you sighing and wanting more. Check her out! You will be so glad you did!

And finally, to finish off my Friday book recommendation, I now tag Deb over at The Daily B. I noticed you have "Loving Liza Jane" on your Shelfari list, Deb! So next Friday is yours!!!