Finding My Peace (Book #1)
Dwight knew from the moment he saw Lydia, that he would love her for the rest of his life. He followed the traditional courting routine, got the ring, and planned the proposal. He was hours away from making her his betrothed when his entire world turned upside down with one simple letter from his aunt asking for his help. He couldn’t turn his back on family, so he did the only thing he could do: let Lydia go, hoping and praying she would still be unwed when he returned home.
Lydia knew from the moment Dwight held her on the dance floor at the annual fair, she would never love another man. Her feelings only intensified as their courtship progressed. She knew Dwight was going to ask her to marry him soon, and she couldn’t wait to begin her life with him. Then a tragedy takes him away from her just as they were about to become engaged, and she holds out hope for over a year that he will one day return to her.
Dwight and Lydia confront many obstacles and challenges in the course of the following year. Their distance from one another and the circumstances they face only leave them to doubt they will ever be together again, but their love for one another never fades. Life must go on, and both are faced with the difficult decision of whether to continue to live based on past promises or give up on a dream and move forward with a new future.
Do we ever get a second chance at true love? Can circumstances change someone you love to the point that you no longer recognize them? Or are we predestined to find our soulmate no matter the time or distance that is placed between us? Come step back to the post-civil war era to meet Dwight and Lydia, and discover how, even with a broken heart, one can still find their peace.
Finding My Place (Book #2)
Edith wanted nothing more than to help her friends and family find happiness and peace in their small Virginia town of Culpeper. However, now that most of her siblings are married and starting their own families, she feels alone and out of place within her family. She longs for what she has helped so many others find, true love. She has faith that her soulmate is out there, she just has to be patient. But as anyone in her family would tell you, patience is not her greatest virtue. Edith has always made her opinions known and was known more for her swift actions that often got her into difficult situations.
Sam grew up alone without a mother and with a father who never wanted him. He counted the days until he could run away and never look back. When he finally got the chance to start a new life working for the railroad, he took it and met Everett. As they traveled and worked together for the next year, they not only became best friends, but Everett taught Sam what it was to be part of a family. Sam cherished this new bond but quickly learned that being in a family sometimes meant sacrifice and heartache to help those you love.
When a tragic situation befalls her brother Everett’s new family in Richmond, Edith arrives to lend a helping hand. While staying with Everett, there is an instant connection between Sam and Edith, and they both treasure a stolen kiss before agreeing they couldn’t act on their feelings for fear of destroying their individual relationships with Everett. An argument days later has Edith fleeing back home, which does nothing but increase the longing they each have for one another.
When Everett finally arrives with his new family back in Culpeper, Edith and Sam try their best to hide their feelings for one another but it becomes harder and harder as they combat situation after situation that only makes their bond stronger. Is love always worth the risks? Does true love always win in the long run? Is patience really a virtue or can you miss your opportunity while waiting?
Slip back to the post-civil war era to revisit the Royston Family as we see how the second daughter, Edith, struggles with the ever-changing dynamics of her family, and her role in it; and how Sam battles his emotions believing he has to choose between the love for his newfound family and the woman of his dreams. Watch as they both discover that in each other, they have found their place.
Finding My Purpose (Book #3)
They say when you know, you know. Jameson knew from the moment he first saw Cora, his best friend’s sister, that she was the one for him. But, the fact that she saw him like one of her brothers, complicated matters. He decided to bid his time, befriend her first, drop little hints that his feelings for her were anything but brotherly, then convince her they were the perfect match. But sometimes we wait too long and miss the opportunity we’ve been waiting for. Sometimes someone else comes along and sweeps your girl off her feet right in front of you, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it.
Cora has always been different from her siblings. She wants to be something that society says she cannot. She has no goals or immediate aspirations to get married and start a family. She wants to educate herself on veterinarian medicine so that she can better care for the animals she so loves on her farm as well as throughout her community. She knows her desire is far-reaching as women cannot attend college and obtain degrees. There is no such thing as a female veterinarian, but in her mind that doesn’t mean she can’t learn the same material the veterinarian students study. But in her pursuit of knowledge, is she passing up one of the greatest gifts she could ever receive? Could she have both an education and a family?
Sometimes it takes misfortune and tragedy to realize that we were meant to walk a different path in life. Sometimes it takes pain and heartache to find our true calling and courage and faith to pursue it. Travel once more back to the little town of Culpeper, Virginia in the post-Civil War era with the Royston family, and watch the youngest of the Royston clan, Cora, find her purpose.
J.C. Poole 