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Mary Connealy rejoins us on the podcast this week to talk about her latest release, Legends of Gold. We catch up with what she's been doing since she was last on the show, why she decided to write a story about a treasure map, and what she would do if she wasn't a writer. Patrons hear about how she came to be a writer in the first place.

Legends of Gold by Mary Connealy

On a risky treasure hunt in the rugged wilderness, can love trump all odds?

After years of solitude, Tilda Muirhead's life takes an unexpected twist when she accepts a teaching position at Two Harts Ranch following her cross-country pursuit of two brothers obsessed with a treasure map left by their grandfather. Tilda is now tasked with educating those mischievous MacKenzie boys, who are bent on remaining out west with the rest of their family until they find the hoped-for treasure. Then a man named Ben arrives, claiming to be her own long-lost brother. Raised as an orphan with no memory of her past, Tilda is both fascinated and wary of Ben's sudden interest in finding her.

When Ben's motives grow increasingly suspect, rancher Josh Hart suggests Tilda and the young MacKenzies set off on a quest with him that aims to protect Tilda while unearthing the map's secrets. As they explore the wilderness, Tilda becomes captivated by the history behind the map, though she doubts it leads to anything more than old artifacts. Yet danger looms ever closer, and Tilda and Josh must rely on faith and their blossoming love to navigate the treacherous path ahead.

A clean, witty, action-packed Western romance highlighting the bonds of family and the quest to belong. Fans of cowboy heroes, frontier romances, and hijinks adventure will be captivated.

Get your copy of Legends of Gold by Mary Connealy.

Get a copy of book one, Whispers of Fortune.

Preorder a copy of book three, Riches Beyond Measure.

Mary Connealy writes romantic comedies with cowboys and is celebrated for her fun, zany, action-packed style. She is a two time Carol Award winner, and a Rita, Christy and Inspirational Reader’s Choice finalist.

Mary Connealy writes romantic comedy with cowboys always with a strong suspense thread. She is a two-time Carol Award winner, and a Rita, Christy and Inspirational Reader's Choice finalist. She is the bestselling author of 75 books and novellas. She has over a million and a half books in print.

Mary lives on a ranch in eastern Nebraska with her very own romantic cowboy hero. Visit her website or find her at Petticoats & Pistols!

Christian Historical Fiction Talk is listener supported. When you buy things through this site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Sarah Loudin Thomas returns to the podcast this week to chat about her latest release, These Blue Mountains. It's a stunning story about German POWs in the US during WWI and a young woman's search for her missing fiancé in the time between the two wars. We talk about what the times were like, what Sarah would have done if she found herself in the heroine's position, and allow her to brag about her sweet dog. Patrons will hear her opinions on the Rocky Mountains vs. the Appalachians.

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas

A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.

German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda is stunned to see Fritz's name in a photograph of an American memorial for German seamen who died near Asheville, North Carolina. Determined to reclaim his body and bring closure to his ailing mother, Hedda travels to the US. Her quest takes a shocking turn when, rather than Fritz's body, his casket contains the remains of a woman who died under mysterious circumstances.

Local deputy Garland Jones thought he'd left that dark chapter behind when he helped bury Fritz Meyer's coffin. The unexpected arrival of Hedda, a long-suffering yet captivating woman, forces him to confront how much of the truth he really knows. As they work together to uncover the identity of the woman in the casket and to unravel Fritz's fate, Hedda and Garland grow closer. But with Hedda in the US on borrowed time while Hitler rises to power in Germany, she fears she'll be forced to return home before she can put the ghosts of her past to rest.

"These Blue Mountains is a masterful tale that weaves together two continents, two wars, and two lives defined by longing and resilience."--PATTI CALLAHAN HENRY, New York Timesbestselling author

"North Carolina's mountains hide the secrets of a war long past and a young love cut short in this atmospheric tale of unexpected hope."--LISA WINGATE, New York Times bestselling author

This inspirational historical fiction is set in the mountains of North Carolina in the tumultuous years before World War II. With threads of intrigue, romance, and an international cast of characters, These Blue Mountainsis the perfect book club pick and Southern fiction read.

Get your copy of These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas.

Sarah Loudin Thomas grew up on a 100-acre farm in French Creek, WV, the seventh generation to live there. Her historical fiction is often set in West Virginia and celebrates the people, the land, and the heritage of Appalachia.

Sarah is the director of Jan Karon’s Mitford Museum in Hudson, NC. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Coastal Carolina University and is the author of the acclaimed novels The Right Kind of Fool–winner of the 2021 Selah Book of the Year–and Miracle in a Dry Season–winner of the 2015 Inspy Award. Sarah has also been a finalist for the Christy Award, ACFW Carol Award and the Christian Book of the Year Award. She and her husband live in western North Carolina.

Visit Sarah Loudin Thomas website.

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Become a patron and enjoy special perks and bonus content.

Roseanna M. White returns to the podcast, this time to talk about her recent release, The Collector of Banned Books. We discuss the real library in Paris that held many of the books that were banned in Germany during the time of the Nazis and the power of words and how we need to be responsible with our words. She also shares an update on her cancer journey. Patrons get to hear her call out for us to read dangerously.

The Collector of Banned Books by Roseanna M. White

In this gripping World War II historical about the power of words, two people form an unlikely friendship amid the Nazi occupation in Paris and fight to preserve the truth that enemies of freedom long to destroy.

Paris, 1940. Ever since the Nazi Party began burning books, German writers exiled for their opinions or heritage have been taking up residence in Paris. There they opened a library meant to celebrate the freedom of ideas and gathered every book on the banned list . . . and even incognito versions of the forbidden books that were smuggled back into Germany.

For the last six years, Corinne Bastien has been reading those books and making that library a second home. But when the German army takes possession of Paris, she loses access to the library and all the secrets she’d hidden there. Secrets the Allies will need if they have any hope of liberating the city she calls home.

Christian Bauer may be German, but he never wanted anything to do with the Nazi Party―he is a professor, one who’s done his best to protect his family as well as the books that were a threat to Nazi ideals. But when Goebbels sends him to Paris to handle the “relocation” of France’s libraries, he’s forced into an army uniform and given a rank he doesn’t want. In Paris, he tries to protect whoever and whatever he can from the madness of the Party and preserve the ideas that Germans will need again when that madness is over, and maybe find a lost piece of his heart.

• Stand-alone historical fiction from a bestselling, Christy Award-winning author
• A thought-provoking novel perfect for book clubs
• Includes discussion questions

Get The Collector of Banned Books by Roseanna M. White.

Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary. You can learn more about her and her stories at www.RoseannaMWhite.com.