Inspirational Historical Fiction

Author Carol Umberger combines her love of history, romance, and God in a quartet of powerful stories set in 14th-century Scotland during the reign of Robert the Bruce, Scotland's great hero king.

April 1913--Belle Newbold hasn't seen mountains for seven years--since her father died in a mining accident and her mother married oil and gas magnate, Shipley Newbold. But when her stepfather's business acquaintance, Henry Ford, invites the family on one of his famous Vagabonds camping tours, she is forced to face the hills once again--primarily in order to reunite with her future fiancé, owner of the land the Vagabonds are using for their campsite, a man she's only met once before.

As the newly appointed deputy, Seth Gibbons came to Green River with one purpose—to save the town from corruption. But when he arrives and discovers that things aren’t exactly as he’d been led to believe, Seth soon finds that his life in Green River has taken a completely different turn. Surprisingly, he is able to build a good life for himself in the quiet town, surrounded by many good people keen to help him, including the local doctor, Thomas Walters. Seth realizes that the only thing still missing from his life is someone to share it with.

When everything you know and believe is telling you "no", do you have the strength to listen to the true voice of your heart? Far away in Iron Creek, stagecoach driver Nelson Gustavson is fighting his own loneliness and places an advert for a bride. As replies flood in, he begins to fear that he’ll have to settle for someone, or search hard to make a connection. That is, until he finds Bronwen’s letter, a blunt and honest reply that he feels compelled to respond to. As Bronwen and Nelson connect through their letters, she feels his warmth radiate through his honesty.

She thought God had forgotten her, until a pastor reached out from Wyoming and offered her a brand-new life. But can she let go of the memories she left behind to love again? Missy Stanton believes her life is over when her husband, Tommy, dies in a tragic work accident in the railyards of Boston. Alone in the city with no family and worse prospects, she turns to the Matrimonial Times in a moment of weakness. There, she meets Pastor Jack Tibsdale, who offers her a home in a place in Birch River, Wyoming, in return for her hand in marriage.

Survival rests with Rachelle Macquinet, a beautiful young couturiere, and Marquis Fabien de Vendome, her dashing nobleman-husband, when Queen Mother Catherine de Medici unfolds her murderous scheme to preserve her reign. Faith in Christ must uphold them to escape the Queen's web of treachery.

Reverend Herbert F. Smith is a noted theologian, author, and scholar. Hidden Victory, an internationally best-selling novel, has been published in numerous countries around the world. For this work, Smith engaged in extensive research and lived in the Holy Land while he wrote the first draft. A historical novel of Jesus’ life, Hidden Victory can be approached as revelation, as history, and as adventure.

When former Congressman Mark Stedman throws in the towel on his presidential campaign, his only choice is to return to his home state and decide how to spend the rest of his life...until he meets Josiah Stoltzfus, an Amish farmer from Pennsylvania. Using his old campaign headquarters for a base, Mark Stedman determines to introduce a new candidate to America. He pledges to do everything in his power to make sure Josiah gets elected. But can a plain man of faith turn the tide of politics and become the leader of America? And what will he have to risk to do it?

In the port of Charleston, South Carolina, post-Revolutionary War passions reach fever pitch. There, Lilyan's past catches up with her. As a former patriot spy, she is charged with the murder of a British officer. Thrown into the "Exchange Building" and chained alongside prostitutes, thieves, and murderers, she seeks the courage to survive and the faith to believe she will find her missing child, Laurel. Determined to free his wife at any cost, Nicholas finds himself forced back into a life of violence.

Beyond the sea lies ancient, Celtic Ireland, a proud land where tradition is everything and travel through the wild can mean slavery or death. There the Roman evangelist, Saint Patrick, carries a message of love, hope, and salvation - a message that threatens kingdoms, rulers, and powerful druid advisors. When Taran mac Teague joins the fight, he promises his beloved Laurna he’ll return. But will he? Can he? Or will the realm of spiritual darkness prove too strong?

In the wake of World War I in the small, Southern town of Bellhaven, South Carolina, the town folk believe they've found a little slice of heaven in a mysterious chapel in the woods. But they soon realize that evil can come in the most beautiful of forms. The people of Bellhaven have always looked to Ellsworth Newberry for guidance, but after losing his wife and his future as a professional pitcher, he is moments away from testing his mortality once and for all. Until he finally takes notice of the changes in his town...and the cardinals that have returned.

No one expected Barley to have an encounter with the Messiah. He was homeless, hungry, and struggling to survive in first-century Jerusalem. Most surprisingly, he was a dog. But through Barley's eyes, the story of a teacher from Galilee comes alive in a way we've never experienced before.

Life has never been simple for Jennifer McBee. As if being shy and hard of hearing wasn’t enough, now Jennifer is faced with the humiliation of her failed wedding. Desperate to escape, Jennifer decides to leave heartbreak behind her and travels west to be with her brother, the pastor of a small Nebraska town called Daisy Creek. While her brother has hopes for her making some new friendships with the townsfolk of Daisy Creek, Jennifer still feels removed from the community of this close-knit town.

This story will resonate with women and men who are trying to navigate through real life with grace and honor. What follows is a romance story with a twist. Because of the harsh realities of her widowhood during the Victorian period in Baltimore, Abigail succumbs to a life of poverty. Determined to find a way out, she becomes a member of The Woman's Exchange and manages to gain the trust and admiration of Mrs. Harmon Brown, the founder of the Exchange. Abigail is offered a position on the board of directors. At the annual board meeting, Abigail reconnects with Bill Garrett.

Welcome to Texas and the growing town of Ruby Springs - a place where dreams can come true and fortunes made if you are brave enough to take a chance. Handsome and tough heroes with a softer side meet plucky and determined ladies who want more than society thinks they should.

The small town of Morgan Hill, Tennessee, is turned upside down in 1947 when the Turners become the only black family ever to move into the area. Nine-year-old Jane Gable first lays eyes on young Milo Turner the day that her trouble-making, alcoholic father is buried in the Morgan Falls cemetery. When the Turners begin work as sharecroppers on a local tobacco farm, their presence challenges the comfort of many in the close-knit town and Jane leans heavily on her best friend, 53-year-old general store owner Henry Walker, for guidance. Then tragedy strikes the Turner household

Cynthia Kent is a burden. She's tried to help her sister and brother-in-law, but most of her efforts have ended up in disasters of varying degrees. She's depended on their charity for too long and it was high time she started taking care of herself. But how? Tyler Shelton is a widower with two young children. As the sheriff, raising two children alone while handling his important job has pushed him to the breaking point. He's taken everything one day at a time, but his family is suffering and they need help. Tyler is used to giving help to others, but not asking for it.

In New York, Eloisa has her future entirely planned out for her. As a member of a well-off family, she is expected to marry, put aside her passion for writing, and live according to her parent’s expectations. Neither as charming nor as pretty as her older sister, shy Eloisa is resigned to her fate - that is until she finds an advertisement for a mail-order-bride, for a banker in the small town of Daisy Creek.

Losing his wife and daughter to influenza shook James Colchester's faith in God. As another epidemic threatens, he's torn between what's best for his fragile son: fleeing to his Welsh homeland, or staying put. In a moment of weakness, the black-haired, green-eyed Gypsy's delicate touch on his palm quells his fears, and her beauty ignites a warmth he hasn't felt in years. Desperate to return to her people, Valentina Rupa goes against every lesson her mother taught her to soothe the Englishman into a false sense of security.

As the oddball in the family and the eldest daughter of a renowned doctor, Gina has always wanted to follow in her father’s footsteps. The men around her refuse to accept her ambitions and hard-earned qualifications, and Gina knows she will never achieve her dream in a small-minded society like Richmond, Virginia.