Haven’t had a chance to play Bingo to celebrate Jo-Ann Robert’s
Her Rebel Heart?
You still can!
We’ve rounded up our Bingo clues to make it easy for you to play.
Choose your answers, submit your entry for each clue, and you’ll still have a chance to win a $10 Amazon gift card!
But hurry! Only one day left!
Winner will be announced Monday in the Reader Group.
Book #6 in the Petticoats and Patriots Series
Coming Tuesday
Don’t forget to check out our Series Page to see all the books, too!
Thank you so much for visiting, Miss Paulette! We enjoyed talking about favorite places we’d love to call home.
You know what time it is? DRAWING!!
One commenter will win an ebook copy of Mail Order Freighter!
And the WINNER is……….
PB
Yippee! Congratulations, PB! Now watch for Miss Paulette’s email. Check Spam also.
Veronica’s Secret Rescue: Building Homes and Hope in Mariposa
While writing Veronica’s Secret Rescue, I enjoyed learning more about the role lumber mills played in California’s growing communities during the late 1800s.
Before modern building supplies were readily available, local lumber mills were essential. They provided the wood needed to build homes, barns, churches, schools, stores, and nearly every other structure a growing town required. In many areas of California, especially near the Sierra Nevada Mountains, abundant pine forests made the lumber industry an important part of daily life.
Many mills were family-owned businesses passed down through generations. Families often worked together, with fathers teaching sons the trade and everyone contributing to the success of the operation. These businesses weren’t simply a source of income; they helped build the surrounding community. The lumber produced at local mills helped new settlers establish homes and create lasting roots.
The town of Mariposa, California, has a rich history dating back to the Gold Rush era. Founded in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, Mariposa became an important center for miners, ranchers, merchants, and travelers. Its location near Yosemite made it a gateway for those heading into the mountains. By the late nineteenth century, the town had grown into a close-knit community where neighbors often depended on one another through both hardships and celebrations.
In Veronica’s Secret Rescue, Tucker Harper owns a family lumber mill and ranch near Mariposa. His mill reflects the hardworking spirit that helped shape many California communities during that time. The steady rhythm of the sawmill, the scent of fresh-cut pine, and the importance of honest labor all became part of Tucker’s character and the life he built.
For Veronica, however, the story is about much more than a lumber mill or a ranch. After a difficult journey filled with uncertainty, she discovers something she never expected. She isn’t simply finding a husband. She is finding a home, a family, a community, and a future. Most importantly, she learns that God often provides exactly what we need, even when His plans unfold in ways we never imagined.
Blessings,
Paulette D. Marshall
Today, I’m giving away a digital copy of my book MAIL-ORDER FREIGHTER. Be sure and leave a comment to be entered in the drawing for this story! Here are a couple of questions I’m interested in hearing your answers to:
What makes a place feel like home to you? Is it the people, the location, the memories, or something else?
Or
If you could choose, would you rather live on a ranch, in a small mountain town, or near a bustling city? Why?
Thanks so much for being here today!
The winner of an ebook copy of
is
Louise E. Stearns
Louise I will email you to confirm the correct email address to send the ebook.
Be on the LOOKOUT!
OK HERE WE GO!
The Husband Tree
Belle Tanner, the meanest woman I’ve ever created.
My book opens in a line I consider among my best–
Belle Tanner threw dirt on Anthony’s handsome, worthless face.
She’s burying him.Yes, burying him along with husband’s #1, and #2 under the over-burdened roots of a tree she’s come to think of as The Husband Tree.
And vowing to never, ever marry again.
Made worse because the second scene in the book is Silas Harden, losing his second ranch due to a scheming woman and vowing to never let himself get mixed up with a woman again.
Oh, yeah, it’s a clash of titanic proportions. I’ll add here that there are three MORE books coming, beyond the six in that banner at the top, and Belle Tanner appears in them, too. Always her usual, easy-going self (kidding). One of my favorite scenes of all time is in Doctor in Petticoats when Belle Tanner appears and despite a terrible situation, somehow, once Belle enters the picture, we know everything’s gonna be okay.
What’s your favorite romantic couple in literature? Leave a comment to get your name in a drawing for an ebook copy of The Husband Tree.
Are you the Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy–Pride and Prejudice type? The Wuthering Heights/Romeo and Juliet tragic type? Think about couples, either iconic, classic books or something you’ve read that’s more contemporary. You’re all readers here at P & P so come up with one. I have a few I’ve written I might like as well as Belle and Silas, but honestly, none were more fun to write.
Possibly my favorite romantic couple is in Mischief by Amanda Quick. Imogene and Mattias. Those two. I re-read it every once in a while, a regency romance, just to watch those two clash and fall in love. She wants to catch a killer. He wants to keep her from getting killed if there even IS a killer. Mattias the grim, ruthless, powerhouse earl everyone fears. Imogene believes (somehow) that it’s all lies and he’s a delicate, rather sensitive soul. She sets out to protect him and take care of all the dangerous stuff herself. It’s hilarious.
A spirited Western romance filled with danger, determination, and unexpected love—a tale of a fierce widow rancher, a hardworking cowboy, and the family that brings them together. Perfect for fans of historical romance and strong heroines.
Belle Tanner has buried three husbands under the “Husband Tree” and managed her Montana ranch alone while raising four daughters. When she needs help with a dangerous cattle drive, she hires Silas Harden—a man who actually knows his way around cattle and horses. Unlike her previous husbands, Silas isn’t afraid of hard work, but Belle’s not about to let another man take charge of her ranch or her heart.
Silas never planned on falling for a widow with four daughters, especially one as independent as Belle. But as they face treacherous mountain passes, wolf attacks, and winter storms together, he discovers that what he thought was just another job might be his chance at a real family—if he can convince Belle to trust in love one more time.
With winter closing in and dangers mounting, Belle and Silas must learn to work together and trust in God’s plan. But can Belle let go of her iron control and let love lead? And can Silas prove he’s different from the husbands who came before?
A heartwarming story of faith, family, and finding love in the rugged Montana Territory.
My goodness! Look who’s coming. We’re pleased as all get-out to have Paulette Marshal on Friday, July 17, 2026!
Miss Paulette’s blog will talk about lumber mills way back in the day. I don’t know much about these so I’m anxious to see what she says. Bet it’s interesting and will suit your fancy! My mule Jasper is nodding his head.
She’s also giving away a digital version of Mail Order Freighter to one commenter on Friday’s post.
And there’s a brand-spanking new book to tell us about!
Come over and help us welcome her.
Howdy!
Many Thanks go out to those who came to the blog yesterday and who left a comment. The prize gift was for the winner’s pick of any of the books that were listed on the blog yesterday. And we have a winner, and the winner is:
Paula Shreckhise
Congratulations to out to Paula! Hope you’ll enjoy your new e-book.
Thank you to all who shared comments about their precious letters, notes, and cards today. I loved reading about them!
Our winner of today’s giveaway is Carol M! Congrats, Carol!
There is something so deeply and profoundly personal about a handwritten letter.
Long before text messages, emails, and quick comments on social media, people poured their hearts onto paper. They wrote of ordinary days and extraordinary hopes. They shared news, whispered dreams, confessed fears, and carried love across miles, months, and sometimes even years.
A letter could be a promise, or a confession, a lifeline, or part of a legacy.
The power of letters has been on my mind as I’ve worked on the Petticoats & Patriots series, especially with For Liberty and Love and Declaration of Love. Though the stories are set 250 years apart, they are connected by more than history. They are tied together by courage, devotion, sacrifice, and letters.
In For Liberty and Love, Lucy Carlson lives in Philadelphia during the summer of 1776, a time when every spoken word could carry danger and every written message might change a life. Secrets mattered. Loyalty mattered. Love mattered. For Lucy and Branch, words were not casual things. They held meaning, risk, longing, and hope.
I imagined what Lucy might write to Branch. What she would say to the man who had changed her life in the middle of such uncertain times? Or what Branch might write to Lucy. How he would put into words the ache of missing her, and the fragile hope of a future neither of them could yet see?
There is something that feels almost magical about a written letter, especially when we write from the heart, preserving what we might not say aloud.
Letters give our feelings a place to rest, and allow love to linger long after the last word is read.
That same emotional thread carries into Declaration of Love, the final book in the series. This time, the story unfolds in Holiday, Oregon, as America prepares to celebrate her 250th birthday. Kate Barton (a descendant of Lucy and Branch) arrives in town for what she believes will be a temporary stop for the summer.
As part of the celebration surrounding Declaration of Love, I’ve been creating a series of postcards from Holiday. Each one offers a little glimpse of the town, the story, and the heart of Kate’s journey.
Postcards are such small things. Just a picture on one side and a few lines on the other. But they can carry so much.
Postcards remind us that even the briefest message can create connection, like a simple note of “I’m thinking of you.” A few handwritten lines can bridge distance, spark memory, and let someone know they matter.
From Lucy’s letter in 1776 to Kate’s postcards in 2026, the heart of these stories is the same: love leaves traces, whether they are found in silver lockets or faded ink.
One of the things I love most about the Petticoats & Patriots series are the traces of love left behind with each story. The locket passes from one heroine to the next, but it carries more than metal and history. It carries memory, choices, and the courage of women who loved deeply, stood bravely, and left pieces of their hearts for the next generation to discover.
Letters do that, too.
They become little time capsules of emotion. They tell us who we were, what we cherished, what we feared, and who mattered most. They remind us that ordinary lives are filled with extraordinary moments of dreams, hope, and love.
I think that is why old letters are so precious.
In a world that moves so quickly, handwritten words feel especially meaningful because they ask us to slow down. To think. To choose each word with care. To leave behind something tangible, something that can become part of a legacy.
As America celebrates 250 years, I find myself thinking about all the letters that must have been written across those many generations. Letters from soldiers and sweethearts, mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, friends and neighbors. Letters filled with longing, courage, worry, faith, humor, hope, and love.
Those words helped carry people through uncertain days. In many ways, the letters that remain still do.
So perhaps today is a good day to write a note. Send a card. Tuck a letter into the mail that offers encouragement.
Because love written down has a way of lasting.
And sometimes, the smallest message becomes the sweetest legacy.
Do you have a handwritten letter, card, or postcard you’ve saved because it meant something special to you?
Share your comment for a chance to win a copy of Lucy’s letter to Branch, a handwritten note from me, and some other fun swag!
Howdy! Welcome, Welcome to another terrific Tuesday!As many of you already know, the Pettocoats & Patriots books have now launched! Yay! My book, #2 in the series, Freeing Miss Abagail, launched on the 23rd of June. Yay! So, I thought I’d post links to both of the terrific newsletters — given to us by wonderful Shanna Hatfield — which will give you not only excerpts of each book, but is filled with games and bits of information you might not be able to find elsewhere.
Here is a link to the Petticoats & Pistols Magazine #2: https://sfo2.digitaloceanspaces.com/assets-shanna/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Patriot-Magazine-2-digital.pdf
And here is the link to magtzine #1: https://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Petticoats-Patriots-Magazine-Volume-1-2026.pdf
Don’t miss the fun! There are interviews, excerpts, games (many games), recipes and more!
And for those of you who would like a hard copy of the first magazine, it is for sale at Lulu: https://www.lulu.com/shop/shanna-hatfield-and-karen-kay-and-kit-morgan-and-sarah-lamb/petticoats-patriots-volume-1/paperback/product-65k4g8k.html?page=1&pageSize=4
So, here are the eight books in this series:
Book 1
Philadelphia, 1776
As whispers of revolution turn swell into a roar for freedom, Lucy Carlson is no longer content to simply watch from behind the counter of her father’s jewelry shop. When a mysterious woman—none other than Martha Washington—leaves behind a locket, Lucy discovers the piece is more than a pretty keepsake. The necklace is a secret vessel for the revolution that carries the promise of love.
Drawn into a dangerous spy ring, Lucy begins crafting coded messages concealed within the locket’s clever design, living a secret double life and risking everything she holds dear in a time of sacrifice and war.
Continental soldier Branch Barton is a man defined by duty. Tasked with rooting out traitors, he moves through the shadowed world of deception and divided loyalties. He’s trained to trust no one, yet he finds himself drawn into a slow-burning connection with the jeweler’s spirited daughter.
But when Lucy begins to suspect Branch may be a Redcoat in disguise, their fragile bond is tested by mistaken identity, growing mistrust, and the threat of betrayal.
In a war where even allies can become enemies, Lucy and Branch must navigate a world of hidden truths and guarded hearts. With the fate of the colonies—and their hearts—hanging in the balance as Lucy delivers a message in enemy territory, will they find the courage to trust each other and choose love?
Book 2
Two hearts. Two worlds. Can love be the key to free the woman he loves?
Saratoga, 1777
Nineteen year old Indentured Servant, Abagail Densbury, is running for her life. Accused of stealing a necklace she didn’t take, and facing a beating that could claim her life, she has no choice but to take this one chance to run away, especially when Mr. Wilson, the proprietor of the Saratoga Inn, has told her “to get.” But Abagail has spent her life on the city streets of London, and she is a stranger to the forests of New York. Still, she might have survived on her own, if only Miss Stockenridge hadn’t sent the hounds after her.
Twenty-four year old Skenandoah is an Oneida Indian and a scout for the Patriots. When Mr. Wilson asks Skenan to help a girl to survive through the forests and to reach Fort Stanwix, Skenan doesn’t hesitate to act. What he didn’t count on is that the girl, though dressed in rags, is as beautiful as she is sweet and brave.
Closeness on the trail unites their hearts. But, when a coded message is found in a locket in Abagail’s apron, both Skenan and Abagail know they must reach Fort Stanwix as quickly as possible, even though it means they will be forced to part—she back to her world and he to his.
But, since the Patriots are fighting to throw off the chains of the English Father, is there a way Shenan can make them see that the woman he loves should be free, too?
Book 3
In a house filled with British officers, colonial spies, and dangerous secrets, falling in love may be the most reckless act of all.
Long Island, 1778
Anna Turner serves quietly at Pembrooke House, hiding her patriot loyalties beneath the careful routine of a household maid. But when cheerful messenger Nathaniel Reed begins delivering private correspondence to the British captain residing there, Anna becomes convinced he’s the enemy.
Nate, however, is hiding secrets of his own.
As two rival spy rings unknowingly move information through the same household, suspicion turns to uneasy partnership—and then something far more dangerous. Because in a city where spies are hanged in the streets, one wrong move could condemn them both.
And surrendering her heart to Nate Reed may prove deadlier than war itself.
Book 4
A traitor in the Continental Army. A raid that could end Virginia’s government. And one woman willing to risk everything for love.
Charlottesville, 1780
Anna Randolph has always believed women are capable of more than society allows. The daughter of a prominent military supplier in Revolutionary Virginia, she manages her father’s correspondence and longs to contribute meaningfully to the cause of independence. When she meets Major James Coleman at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, she’s drawn to the self-made officer who sees her as an equal—but in the uncertain spring of 1781, with war raging through Virginia, falling in love feels like both a gift and a gamble.
Major James Coleman earned his rank through merit, not birth. A Scots-Irish officer from the Shenandoah Valley, he’s gathering intelligence for the Marquis de Lafayette while avoiding romantic entanglements—his dangerous work is no life for a family man. But Anna Randolph is unlike any woman he’s ever known: intelligent, passionate, and brave. For the first time, James allows himself to imagine a future beyond the war. Until a routine visit to the Albemarle Barracks uncovers a deadly conspiracy threatening both Jefferson and the cause itself.
When whispered treason reveals plans for a devastating raid on Charlottesville and James is left for dead by a jealous rival, Anna must become the courier he never meant to send into danger. Racing thirty miles through enemy territory to reach Lafayette’s camp, she carries intelligence that could save Jefferson and alter the course of the war. In a world where women are meant to wait and worry, Anna Randolph will ride into the heart of danger to prove that sometimes the most perilous mission requires not just courage, but love.
Book 5
North and South. Yankee and Rebel. Union and Confederate.
In the midst of the Civil War, can two hearts come together?
Roswell, 1863
When the tide of war sweeps south and the Union Army invades and destroys the Georgia cotton mill where Kate Brodie is a nurse, not only is her livelihood destroyed but she’s branded a traitor and shipped northward with the other workers. Only the unlikely attention of a Yankee major makes the trip tolerable.
Union major, Griffin Fletcher loathes the part of his job that requires him to destroy homes, towns, and livelihoods of innocent civilians. But he’s sworn to uphold the Union at all costs. Yet, he vows to protect these women he’s been ordered to transport to Marietta. Especially the one whose fiery determination, proud stance, and soft heart draws him closer.
Determined to remain in the South, Kate makes a daring leap of faith to nurse wounded Yankee soldiers, never expecting Major Fletcher to be one of her patients. Along with his healing, they each faced the fears and prejudices that had brought them together.
With survival so tenuous, can faith help them find love in the midst of so much tragedy?
Book 6
She’s fighting to honor the past. He’s haunted by it.
Hawthorn, 1876
As Hawthorn, Texas, prepares for a grand celebration honoring America’s centennial and the town’s own fifty-year history, schoolteacher and archivist Mercy Owens is determined to see that every act of sacrifice and service is properly remembered. So when one local veteran refuses to take part in the festivities, she cannot simply let the matter rest.
Livery stable owner Wilson Porter has spent years quietly rebuilding his life after the Civil War left him carrying wounds no one can see. Respected by the town but haunted by the past, he wants no public recognition—especially not from a committee determined to call him a hero.
But as Mercy’s research draws her deeper into Wilson’s history, and a series of shared journeys begins to chip away at the walls between them, both must confront long-held beliefs about honor, sacrifice, and worth. Because sometimes the bravest thing a person can do is allow themselves to be truly seen.
Book 7
She’s lived with his name for three years. He’s never known hers. Until they meet.
Halsey, 1955
Jackie Sinclair is good at what she does–flying airplanes during the Korean War. But when she makes a mistake that will haunt her forever, she’s determined to build a new life of peace and freedom in Nebraska. Except she comes face-to-face with Beckett J. Archer, the soldier she had failed so terribly, and her hopes for a new future threaten to fall apart.
Beck has returned to heal at the one place that means more to him than anything else–his father’s ranch. The memories of war have left their mark, but the brave and beautiful woman who lands in his life–literally–stirs up feelings he never expects, especially when an old family legacy threatens to drive them apart.
As trouble closes in from every side, Beck and Jackie are drawn together by danger, duty, and a growing love neither of them can deny.
Book 8
Holiday, OR, Modern Day
Grady Guthry understands the weight of a promise. Years after returning from the Army to help his widowed sister and young nephew rebuild their lives, he’s created a solid life in Holiday, Oregon. With a thriving construction business and deep roots in his small town, Grady’s world is steady, dependable, and safe—just the way he needs it. The last thing he’s looking for is change, especially not in the form of the town’s new, temporary postmaster.
Kate Barton has always followed the horizon. An Air Force veteran who thrives on freedom and fresh starts, she moves from one assignment to the next, never staying long enough to put down roots. But when she arrives in Holiday, she carries more than just her bags. A cherished locket left behind by her father draws her into a legacy she never knew existed—and begins to stir a longing she can’t quite ignore.
As Holiday prepares for the celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, an unexpected friendship between Grady and Kate deepens into an undeniable slow-burn romance. Grady offers Kate a sense of home she’s never known, while she reminds him there’s more to life than duty.
But with Kate’s departure date looming, the independence they’ve both fought to claim may become the very thing that keeps them apart.
In a season of healing, hope, and second chances, will they find the courage to let go of their plans—and choose a future together?
You’re gonna love these books from Petticoats & Patriots.
But wait I have some more news: Because I recently signed on with OHB Publishing (a small press publisher), I have four titles of my backlist newly edited and reissued, and there are some truly beautiful covers and so, if you’ll bear with me, I’ll show those covers below. A word about this series: it is a solid Historical Romance but with a paranormal element. Each hero in these four books is charged with a task of ending a centuries old curse. Each hero in the books must free his band of the tribe from the curse. Many before him have failed to free his people. Will he, too, fail?
Okay, so here’s the covers:
Book #1:
The Angel and the Warrior
Book #2
The Spirit of the Wolf
Book #3:
Red Hawk’s Woman
Book #4
The Last Warrior
Book #4
The Last Warrior
And now for the surprise: I will be doing a drawing on the day after this blog (tomorrow/Wednesday) of all those who left a post on this blog– day after this blog — and the winner of the drawing will get her choice of one of the e-books shown here on this page. Just please be aware that not all of the e-books are yet out. However, if the e-book you’d like is not yet out, on the day of its release (or perhaps if I can preorder the book before it is released), I will gift you the e-book you have chosen.
I look forward to all your posts.
Do Well!