Rulon Owen loves two things more than life—his country and Mary Hilbrands. When Virginia secedes from the Union, Rulon enlists, and finds himself fighting foes both in battle and in his own camp. He struggles to stay alive against all odds, with a knife-wielding tent-mate and a Union army that seems impossible to defeat. It will take every ounce of vigilance he has to survive and, with a little luck, he might make it home to his wife and the son he's never seen. Forced to live with her parents for the duration, Mary faces a battle for independence. With a mother whispering that her husband won't come home to her and a son who needs her to be both father and mother, Mary has to dig deep for strength to overcome her overwhelming loneliness and the unknown future ahead. Separated by war and circumstance, Rulon and Mary discover that not all enemies wear the Union blue.

Book 2 of The Owen Family Saga Young cavalryman Carl Owen returns from the Civil War to find the family farm destroyed, his favorite brother dead, food scarce, and his fatherdetermined to leave the Shenandoah Valley to build a cattle empire inColorado Territory. Crossing the continent, Carl falls in love with hisbrother's fiancée while set to wed another girl, but he might loseeverything if the murderous thug Berto Acosta has his way. Carl battles a band of outlaws, a prairie fire, blizzards, a trackless waterlessdesert, and his own brother—all for the hand of feisty Ellen Bates. ++Old Cover++ "I finished The Man from Shenandoah at half-past midnight because I couldn't put it down." - Utah Reader "This is a book to prize, and not only for its gritty realism, excitingaction, and compelling characters. The story further engages us byexamining the ties that hold family and community together. Not manyWesterns do that. Heartily recommended!" - Western Writer's Newsletter " The Man from Shenandoah is a book for the whole family to share. Itoffers action, romance and a realistic premise. Ms. Ward is a truestoryteller who has createdcharacters that demand and hold the reader's interest.... [Her] clearand vivid writing sweeps us along with hercharacters on theiradventures." - Anne Haw Holt, Author of Riding Fence and Blanco Sol The best reading order for The Owen Family Saga That Tender Light (Origin Story Novella), Gone for a Soldier, The Man from Shenandoah, Spinster's Folly, Ride to Raton, and Trail of Storms .

Marie Owen yearns for a loving husband, but Colorado Territory is long on rough characters and short on fitting suitors, so a future of spinsterhood seems more likely than wedded bliss. Her best friend says cowboy Bill Henry is a likely candidate, but Marie knows her class-conscious father would not allow such a pairing. When she challenges her father to find her a suitable husband before she becomes a spinster, he arranges a match with a neighbor's son. Then Marie discovers Tom Morgan would be an unloving, abusive mate and his mother holds a grudge against the Owen family. Marie's mounting despair at the prospect of being trapped in such a dismal marriage drives her into the arms of a sweet-talking predator, landing her in unimaginable dangers. This fourth book in the Owen Family saga is infused with potent heart and intense grit. When Marsha Ward presents the reader with a new book about the Owen family, you can bet it will rivet your interest all the way to the end. You can’t help but become totally immersed in the characters’ lives. Spinster’s Folly features oldest daughter Marie, afraid that at eighteen she’s already on the shelf, and only too eager to be wed. Her trouble, and trouble it is, comes in selecting the right man. Charming and earthy, Spinster’s Folly is a grand addition to the Owen’s saga. ~C.K.Crigger, author of the China Bohannon historical mystery series If you want accurate time and place, wonderful lexicon of the time, and a touching, compelling read, don't miss Marsha Ward's Spinster's Folly. ~L. J. Martin, author of Nemesis and other western novels The harrowing experiences in early-day Colorado of 18-year-old spinster, Marie Owen, the result of her simple wish for a husband, held me spellbound from start to finish. I couldn't put the book down. An incredible story, Spinster's Folly is one of the best women's novels of the west I've had the pleasure to read. Ever! ~Irene Bennett Brown, award-winning author of Before the Lark; the Women of Paragon Springs Series and Celia Landrey Mysteries. Frustrated by her pending arranged marriage to a callous farm boy and confused by feelings for a cowboy in her father’s employ, Marie Owen falls into the arms of a smooth-talking city man whose intentions are anything but honorable. Too late, she realizes her folly and hope fades as the abusive kidnapper she thought she loved drags her far away from home and family. But the cowboy, Bill Henry, follows her cold trail, fighting weariness and weather in a determined effort to save Marie and her reputation. In Spinster’s Folly, author Marsha Ward spins a suspenseful, fast-paced tale of undeclared love, cowardly deception, and gallant heroism. ~Rod Miller, Spur Award-winning author With a great sense of time and place, crackerjack dialogue and rich characters, Marsha Ward delivers Spinster's Folly, a romance, Western and historical novel rolled into one—and one fun read. ~Johnny D. Boggs, six-time Spur Award-winning author of Camp Ford and Legacy of a Lawman Book 4: The Owen Family Saga.

Book 4 of The Owen Family Saga Furious and broken by a betrayal that leads to losing his fiancée to his brother, James Owen leaves the family homestead in Colorado Territoryto strike out on his own. Beautiful young Amparo Garcés bargainswith God for her father's well-being as she mourns his death. Herstep-mother takes advantage of Amparo's faith and manipulates the girlinto agreeing to marry a far-away stranger. Dogged by heartacheand danger, the parallel journeys of James and Amparo lead them to afateful encounter in the village church of Leones. A marriage ofconvenience changes their futures forever. But fate isn't finished with the newlyweds yet. Writer Phyllis Dugan says, "Marsha Ward has the ability to grab readersby the lapels, yank them into her stories, and make them care deeplyabout her characters. In her newest novel, she combines joy and pathoswith revenge and redemption, adding enough satisfying action andsurprises to keep readers breathlessly looking forward to the next page. I thoroughly enjoyed Ride to Raton. " "Marsha Ward has one foot in the 21st century and one in the 19th. Her characters hew closely to those wild days, portraying their lives and times. Readers love her for that." - Gary Svee, two-time Spur Award Winner

After her sister suffers a brutal attack, Jessie Bingham and her family flee post-Civil War Virginia and endure a perilous trek to New Mexico Territory. When she hears her former sweetheart, James Owen, has taken a wife, Jessie accepts Ned Heizer's marriage proposal on the condition they wait until journey's end to wed. But then Jessie encounters James again . . . and he isn't married now! In her third novel about the Owen family, award winning author Marsha Ward brings Jessie Bingham and James Owen back together in a tangle of conflicting values and emotions, and high adventure.