Stanford Sisters - Part 2 Cassandra Stanford, or Cassie as she was known to her close friends and family, was, at the grand age of seventeen, in love with the handsome Major Ellington. He had arrived on her doorstep, of her family home, looking every inch the storybook hero; tall dark and incredibly attractive. But, he was far from the heroic figure she had been dreaming about for all those years. Manipulated, by the handsome Major, into the life of a courtesan, could Cassie escape from the life that had been so cruelly thrust upon her, or would she be trapped forever?

Outlaw and all around bad guy Marston finds a dying man along the railroad tracks. His only plan is to take the mans nearby horse, his gun and whatever money he might have in his pockets but the dying mans words gnaw at him 'Give my love to Rose' the man had said and 'Tell my boy I'm proud of him'. Without knowing why Marston feels the need to honor the dying mans wishes. The mans quest leads him to Harper Louisianna and when he finds Rose she is not what he expected and neither is the boy.... Marston has spent his whole life hurting people and not caring. Willl these people make him want to change and what will Rose say when she learns what kind of man he really is?

In 1874, Ivy Steele's deafness is more than a handicap. It's a disease. Surrounded by a family that doesn't understand her, she's learned to cope and find solace where she can. Then, the unexpected happens. Her aunt dies, and her uncle sends her away to rejoin her father's family in Montana. Left to fend for herself, after the companion hired to escort her abandons her, Ivy faces continual hardship and danger. Several men see an unaccompanied Ivy as a flower ripe for the picking, and things only get worse when masked men hold up their stagecoach. Barely scraping through, Ivy makes it to Montana with her nerves shaken and what little money she has in her boot. Expecting a peaceful if not affectionate welcome, Ivy finds herself in greater hardship than she's ever known. Surrounded by a stepfamily that hates her, and flung into a life where hearing is vital, Ivy finds solace in a handsome cowboy named Remy. But things with her new family are not what they seem. And Ivy is about to find out that the danger she faced on the journey west, has followed her to Montana... Bethany Swafford dazzles with her stunning young adult debut, introducing a strong heroine, the hardships of frontier life, shocking twists, and a slow-burning romance that will leave you wanting more. Third place winner of the 2018 Rosemary Award

To all readers old and new, this story will be soon taken down and re-written. Thanks for all the support. As soon as it is re-written, I will be sure to repost the chapters. Follow me for more information. Abigail Jenkins is a young African woman from Missouri in the early 1890's. She's caught wind of the Oklahoma Land Rush and now she's set her mind on getting a chunk of land for herself. She's tired of the high minded white people from her old town and she wants to take charge of her own life. She is well aware of all the risks she may face by going alone into unknown territory, but she's willing to take that chance to have a new start on life. Derek Greyson, on the other hand, is a man simply wanting a change in scenery. After his parents died, he'd been taking care of his little sister. But now that she's married, he's turned his attention away from his home in Texas, and to the Land Rush in Oklahoma. He finds himself in the dust ridden land with thousands of others, greedy for a piece of the land. What he didn't expect, however, was to meet a lively little African woman with a sharp tongue, deep chocolate eyes and a mountain load of prejudices against white men due to the murder of her little sister. What will he do when he finds himself falling for her, along with all of her emotional demons? And for Abigail, what will she do when the stranger with icy blue eyes and a charming smile decides to break all social norms just to be with her?

The last thing Liam Mcyntire expected to find in his barn one cold February morning, was a half-starved , frozen-solid woman. She's covered in bruises and full of mistrust and suspicions. He'd been perfectly content in his bachelor life of trapping critters, selling furs and living in solitude but this mysterious woman might just change all that. Emma Hawke was running. Running from her father, from the damage the man had done. Running from a life she didn't want--a life no different from the one that had killed her mother. She's never been off the mountain. She trusts nothing and no one--not even the man who saved her life by bringing her out of the cold. If Liam's going to win her heart, he's going to have to learn patience and how to truly care for someone more than he does himself. He'll have to love her softly. Can Emma overcome her past? Can she learn to trust--possibly even love--despite the fear that she holds of men and of marriage? Or will her past track her down and destroy any hope she has for a future?

SHE IS DIFFERENT... Sophia owes her life to none but one man: Marcus Durley. After saving her from hell, he took her to Rock'oles, the most affluent and sophisticated brothel in the Town, where women are given more freedom, a far cry from the brothel slum Marcus rescued her from. But unlike the others, her role is not to service men in bed, instead, she serves them to serve Marcus. She does what Marcus wants for she knows of his secrets and shares his pains. He has always been the only true man in her life. A PLAN... Marcus is part of the illegal slave trade in the Town and Sophia is helping him achieve his true goals with loyalty and trust. The Town Guards, particularly Ralph Everard, has been making things difficult. But Marcus has a plan and Sophia is a willing participant. UNTIL HE CAME ALONG... Nicholas has always been curious about the mysterious woman behind one of the most wanted chambers inside Rock'oles and he is not the only one who tried to get an invite and failed. The woman only allows entry to selected gentlemen, men who make his Town Guard brother, Ralph, raise a brow in suspicion. Nicholas is urged to court an invite into the mysterious woman's chamber with the belief that she is the key to solving the slavery case. And as if by some miracle she welcomes him into her dark, quiet world. He is there to spy on her, but the more he learns of her secrets, the more he discovers things that put his playful, tender, and seductive reputation to its greatest test thus far. Still set in the fictional place of the Town, this sixth book in the Everard Family series follows two people determined to protect those they value most. And in their quest to help those they love to escape failure, they find themselves a victim of their own plans and of the undeniable passion and love that will never ebb even after the certain tragedy of which they are heading to. (This story is a title in the Everard Family series.)

**A Blue Beard retelling** Based on Charles Perrault's fairytale, this YA Historical Fantasy short story set in Victorian England mixes romance, magic and mystery. After agreeing to an arranged marriage to escape her greedy relatives, 18-year-old heiress Amelia moves into her husband's manor determined to start a new life. But the gothic mansion's forbidding surroundings, the servants' strange demeanour and her husband's mysterious past soon awaken her suspicions. If Amelia truly wants to become the lady of the house, she'll have to discover what secrets lie beyond closed doors and unravel the mystery of the old house's forbidden room. But sometimes secrets are kept for a good reason... HIGHEST RANKING IN HISTORICAL FICTION # 44 Copyright © 2017. All works posted here are the property of EM Castellan. Please do not use without permission. Any duplication or reproduction of all or part of the work without explicit permission by the author is illegal. Cover artist: @seventhstar

Highest Rank #2. (Published on Amazon. Six chapters available for review.) First impressions can often be wrong. Lori Forester's five older brothers raised her to ride like an Indian, shoot the head off a match with blinding speed, and hunt with skill and cunning, like a brother. Though, she also has the skills of a lady. In 1888, men challenge her will and create situations that test her fortitude. Her keen wit and beauty flock men to her, but only one gives her what the others don't - admiration for all her capabilities.

Lady Helena Rowley's fate was sealed before she was born. As the only child of the powerful Earl of Alverton, it is her duty to marry well - a duty she intends to fulfil, even if that means leaving the man she truly loves behind. But then recently-orphaned Mary Thorpe arrives at Alverton Hall, throwing Helena's plans into total disarray. Loud, blunt and clumsy, Mary is everything a lady shouldn't be, despite Helena's desperate attempts to conceal Mary's peculiar behaviour from their esteemed neighbours. As if things couldn't get any worse, Mary has a secret - and when the truth is revealed, Helena's life will be turned completely upside-down. Plunged headfirst into an adventure that will take her a world away from the quiet, orderly life she knows, Helena will have no choice but to place her trust in the wild young girl. Forced to be independent for the first time in her life, Helena might just begin to realise that a lady's fate is her own to decide. #43 in Historical Fiction on 02/07/2017.

Sold for nothing, bought at a price. Where is God when it hurts the most? Sisi knows a thing or two about pain. Given away in a child marriage by the people who were supposed to protect her, abused, suffered many miscarriages, hurt, broken, lost. Life almost could not get worse. But it does. When she falls in love with a man she could never deserve. It does. When she must turn and walk away from the love of her life. How does God fix a heart in need of healing? (ps, bought is the book 2 of sold)