Between Two Worlds

Rachel Beiler loves her job as the teacher in her Amish community. She's obedient, humble, and compliant and tries to keep the ordnung to the best of her ability. But Rachel has a secret-something that could get her shunned if she's found out. She loves knowledge and yearns for a college education. After serving a dozen years in the Army, Rob Lanier has returned from Afghanistan. But now that he's home again, he's constantly reminded of his family's fall from grace. His father-once a highly respected and wealthy community leader-has disgraced the family, and Rob can't find it in his heart to forgive him. When Rachel and Rob meet, sparks fly. But when a series of frightening events surrounding Rachel's brother Johnny brings Rachel's world crashing down around her, this unlikely match between an Amish teacher and an Englischer ex-soldier seems to be God's perfect answer. Rachel Beiler and Rob Lanier are worlds apart-Rachel teaches in her Amish community and Rob has just returned from serving with the Army in Afghanistan. But when Rachel's world comes crashing down around her, this unlikely match between an Amish teacher and Englischer ex-soldier could be God's perfect answer. Gayle Roper is the award-winning author of more than 40 books and has been a Christy finalist three times. Gayle enjoys speaking at women's events across the nation and loves sharing the powerful truths of Scripture with humor and practicality. She lives with her husband in southeastern Pennsylvania where she enjoys reading, gardening, and her family.

Cooking a wonderful meal is an art. An act of love. An act of grace. A gift that affirms and gives life-not only does it nurture those who partake of the meal, it also feeds the soul of the creator. These are lessons Gina learns from her mother, daughter of an unfortunate French chef. Gina is a young woman born to poor parents, a nobody keen to taste life outside the world she was born into. A world that exposes her to fascinating people gripped by dark motives. Her passion for cooking is all she has to help her navigate it. She gets lucky when she's chosen to cook at a Michelin-starred restaurant in the San Francisco Bay Area where customers belong to a privileged class with money to spare for a dinner of inventive dishes costing hundreds of dollars. In this heady, scintillating atmosphere, she meets new friends and new challenges-pastry chef Marcia, filthy rich client Leon, and Brent, a brooding homicide detective. This new world, it turns out, is also one of unexpected danger. Can the lessons Gina learned from her mother about cooking and life help her survive and thrive in this other world of privilege, pleasure, and menace?

Clarissa, a captivating blend of Asian and Caucasian heritage is a nomad who has called seven countries home, yet belongs to none. Now, she yearns for roots to ground her drifting existence. But where should these roots take hold?In pursuit of identity and permanence, she gravitates towards the city of her birth. Here, she finds herself entangled in the intriguing mystery of stolen illuminated manuscripts-medieval artistry pushed to obscurity by the dawn of the printing press. Will this quest grant her the sense of belonging she yearns for, or simply plunge her deeper into uncertainty?For Clarissa, these ancient manuscripts stir tender memories of bedtime stories her mother once read to her, igniting an enduring love for art.The breadcrumbs of her investigation lead to an American soldier, a relic of World War II, who had secretly hoarded the stolen artwork for half a century. But as Clarissa delves deeper, expecting answers, she encounters mysteries that beget more questions.Innocent in life yet rich in artistry, Clarissa is disillusioned by the elusive and sometimes unscrupulous underbelly of the art world that the quest unveils. What drives individuals to theft and conquerors to plunder art from the defeated? Why are artworks auctioned for astronomical prices? Who determines the value of a masterpiece, and on what grounds?"The Golden Manuscripts," draws inspiration from the real-life theft of medieval manuscript illuminations during World War II.Dive into this intriguing tale and navigate through the fascinating labyrinth of art, theft, identity, and the human longing to belong.