To Win Her Favor - An Irishman far from home, Cullen McGrath left a once prosperous life in England because of a horse racing scandal that nearly ruined him. He’s come to Nashville for a fresh start, hoping to buy land and begin farming, all while determined to stay as far away from thoroughbred racing as possible. But starting over proves harder than he’d wagered, especially when Maggie Linden’s father makes him an offer he shouldn’t accept yet cannot possibly refuse. Maggie is certain that her mare, Bourbon Belle, can take the top purse in the inaugural Peyton Stakes, the richest race ever run in America. Maggie only needs the chance to prove it. To give her that chance—and to save Linden Downs from being sold to the highest bidder—Maggie’s father, aging yet wily as ever, makes a barter. His agreement includes one tiny, troublesome detail—Maggie must marry a man she’s never met. A man she never would have chosen for herself.
To Wager Her Heart - Sylas Rutledge, new owner of the Northeast Line Railroad, invests everything he has into this new venture, partly for the sake of the challenge. But mostly to clear his father’s name. One man holds the key to Sy’s success—General William Giles Harding of Nashville’s Belle Meade Plantation. But Harding is champagne and thoroughbreds, and Sy Rutledge is beer and bullocks. Sy needs someone to help him maneuver through Nashville’s society, and when he meets Alexandra Jamison, he quickly decides he’s found his tutor. But he soon discovers that the very train accident his father is blamed for causing is what killed Alexandra’s fiance and shattered her world. Spurning an arranged marriage by her father, Alexandra instead pursues her passion for teaching at Fisk University, the first freedman’s university in the United States. But family—and Nashville society—do not approve, and she soon finds herself cast out from both. Through connections with the Harding family, Alexandra and Sy become unlikely allies. And despite first impressions, Alexandra gradually finds herself coming to respect and even care for this man. But how can she, when her heart is still spoken for? Sy is willing to risk everything to win over the woman he loves. What he doesn’t count on is having to wager her heart to do it. Set against the real history of Nashville’s Belle Meade Plantation and the original Fisk University Jubilee Singers ensemble, To Wager Her Heart is a stirring love story about seeking justice and restoring honor at a time in American history when both were tenuous and hard-won.
The Daniel Dilemma - Christians today face a dilemma: in a world that seems to reject everything we believe, how do we walk closely with God without caving to pressure or alienating those we hope to reach? In this eye-opening new book, Chris Hodges provides a solution by examining the life of the prophet Daniel, who persevered in a corrupt culture that closely resembles our own and emerged as an influential force in God’s redemptive plan. The Daniel Dilemma shows us that we can hold firmly to biblical beliefs without becoming obnoxious, insulting, or mad. We can stand strong while loving others well. Standing for truth isn’t about winning the argument; it’s about winning hearts. And when we learn the secret of connecting before correcting, we discover that we can respond to today’s hard questions without compromising grace or truth. With fresh insights and practical ideas, Hodges encourages Christians struggling with our cultural reality to hold God’s standards high and his grace deep—just as Jesus did.
Right up there with the fear of heights or of public speaking, is the ever-growing fear of rejection. It’s honestly an understandable fear, if you know what I mean. How many times can the answer be “No,” or how many judgmental looks do you have to receive before rejection becomes an unbearable phobia? Well in each of the new books that I read this week, the authors and characters face the concept of rejection and what it means for them and those around them. In To Win Her Favor Cullen is an Irishman who wants a fresh start, away from the heartache he left behind in his homeland. But when he first arrives in Nashville, Tennessee Cullen receives nothing but contempt from those around him. Getting a fresh start was also a little tricky when none of the land owners would sell to him just because he was Irish. By the end of the story, Cullen is finally able to convince those around him that beneath the funny accent and Irish build, he had a heart worth getting to know. The next book, To Wager Her Heart, takes place in the early 1870s around the same time and place that the Jubilee Singers were starting their career in music. Alexandra Jamison wants to become a teacher just like her late husband, but she can’t focus on fulfilling that wish when her father keeps trying to set her up with a man of his liking. To escape from the expectations of her father, Alexandra applies to work at the Freedman’s school, where the Jubilee singers attend, to become a teacher there. As you can imagine, her family rejected Alexandra for her decision to work at the Freedmen's school, but she truly believed that what she was doing was right. In our final book of the week, The Daniel Dilemma, Pastor Chris Hodges jam packed it with terrific insight on how to share your faith, but from a really cool perspective. Chapter by chapter from the book of Daniel, Pastor Hodges reminds us that Daniel persevered in a corrupt culture that closely resembles our own. Daniel and his people had their lives turned upside down by King Nebuchadnezzar, and the King tried to reject them of their names, their freedom, and even their faith. But when it came down to it, Daniel and his friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego wouldn’t reject God. It didn’t matter if the stakes were as high as being thrown into a lion’s den or into a fiery furnace, they refused to stray from the will of the Lord. Pastor Hodges also included tips on how not to reject who you are in Christ, and once you discover who that is, it will be so much easier to pursue your walk with God. So come on down to the Cross Reference Library and check out these excellent selections.
