Alabama Brides Releases

The three-in-one collection Alabama Brides released on October 1 from Barbour publishing. This book contains the three historical romances The Columns of Cottonwood, Dinner at the St. James, and Blues Along the River in the Heartsong Presents Romance line. Set in the years after the Civil War, these books tell the stories of three women who are facing life in the changed way of life in a small community in the Black Belt of Alabama along the Alabama River.

The Columns of Cottonwood tells the story of Savannah Carmichael whose parents died in the fire that destroyed their plantation home soon after the end of the war. Savannah’s dream has been to restore Cottonwood to the grand plantation it once was, but without any money it seems hopeless. The situation worsens when a stranger, an Italian who has a dream of owning land in America, arrives with the deed to Savannah’s beloved Cottonwood in his pocket. Having paid the back taxes on the land, Dante Rinaldi is excited until he finds out how his dream has destroyed Savannah’s. As they clash over ownership of the land, they discover God’s plan for them was better than any they wanted.

In Dinner at the St. James, Tave Spencer, whose father is the town’s doctor, teaches in Willow Bend’s one room school house. When one of the big steamboats docks at the town and a wounded deck hand is brought ashore, Tave and her father struggle to save his life. In his delirium, Daniel Luckett cries out all the anger and hurt he’s harbored for years, and Tave is drawn to him. As he recovers and she realizes she’s falling in love with him, she discovers he can’t love anyone because his heart is so filled with hate toward those who have wronged him. Only by accepting the love God offers can Daniel find the peace he so desperately seeks and discover God’s plan for him and Tave.

Blues Along the River tells the story of Victoria Turner and Marcus Raines. When Victoria and her mother arrive in Willow Bend, Alabama, to live with her uncle in the cramped quarters above his general store, Victoria is determined she won’t stay long. However, she hadn’t planned on meeting handsome Marcus Raines, owner of Pembrook Plantation. A loner in the community, Marcus is drawn to Victoria right away, and their whirlwind romance leads to marriage. However, Victoria soon discovers life in the big house at Pembrook is anything but happy. She and Marcus clash over his determination to preserve the old way of life in the South and his insistence she keep herself separate from the tenant farmers and their families on Pembrook. As Victoria learns to rely on God’s leading, she witnesses first hand God’s redemptive power in her family as He remakes her husband into the man of her dreams.

Check out the trailers for The Columns of Cottonwood and Dinner at the St. James. You can also purchase the book here.

If you’d like to be entered in the drawing for a signed copy of Alabama Brides, leave a comment.