Ironwood Plantation Family

Enslaved by culture, liberated by courage. A Mississippi Plantation: Civil War pits countrymen against one another and tears a nation asunder. Life and death are held in the balance where everyone is a slave to something. One is born free, yet lives as a soul in bondage...Lydia Harper never intended to purchase a slave. But when she witnesses a woman being beaten in the street, all her pretenses begin to unravel. A bride to a man she barely knows and bound by her secrets, Lydia will risk everything to save a stranger. Amid the War Between the States, the mistress of Ironwood faces the battles in her own heart and discovers strength in a way she never imagined. The other is born to serve, yet holds the spirit of freedom... Ruth, standing on the threshold of desperation, has lost everything she holds dear. After being pulled from the dirt, she is no longer a field hand but the personal maid to the lady of Ironwood. Ruth soon realizes adversity pays no mind to the color of skin. When propriety slips, she discovers they have more in common than she dreamed possible. In a time when fear brings the South to its knees, two women will forge a friendship in the fires of redemption and thrust Ironwood into a new future — where the battle for freedom has merely begun. *Includes discussion questions. Don't miss these other titles from Bestselling Christian Historical author Stephenia H. McGee. Ironwood Plantation Family Saga. The Whistle Walk. Heir of Hope. The Liberator Series. Leveraging Lincoln. Losing Lincoln. Labeling Lincoln. Stand Alone Titles. In His Eyes. Eternity Between Us. Novellas. The Heart of Home. Her Place in Time.

150 years after the Civil War nearly tore a nation asunder, the battle for freedom still rages in the heart of Ironwood's newest mistress. My dear one, You come to me in my dreams and we talk of things that cannot be explained in this life. How we have been brought together is a great mystery, but I wish to someday see you again...Emily Burns grew up an orphan, so she never expected to inherit a southern plantation. When she discovers an old diary hidden in the attic, her life becomes strangely entwined with her Civil War ancestor and she soon begins to wonder how a woman long dead can keep showing up in her dreams. Torn between her strange desire to honor Lydia's wishes and practicality, Emily cannot decide if she will keep Ironwood. Yet the house calls to her like a melancholy siren, and Emily cannot resist its tune. Resolving to stay only for a little while, and telling herself her decision has nothing at all to do with the handsome handyman helping with restorations, Emily begins to unravel the history of Ironwood — A tale of love and loss, hope and redemption. When the story seeps into her heart, Emily finds that two women separated by centuries can share the unique bonds of family ties, and that both her past and her future reside in the soul of Ironwood. Note to reader: Heir of Hope is the second in the series, but can be read entirely as a stand alone book. However, for those that read book one first, because of the ties that bind this book and The Whistle Walk, there will be some redundancy in the sections that deal with Lydia's diary. This is done to allow the reader who read the first book months or years earlier and the reader who has not read the first book to be grounded in the story. While some of the scenes from The Whistle Walk are experienced again within the diary, they are usually from a very different point of view, allowing those who read The Whistle Walk to see pivotal events in a new light. For those that read Heir of Hope first or on its own, these diary scenes are essential to the story, yet still leave more to be learned in The Whistle Walk. For that reason, these books stand on their own and can be read in either order, but do closely tie together. Don't miss these other titles from Bestselling Christian Historical author Stephenia H. McGeeIronwood Plantation Family Saga The Whistle Walk Heir of Hope The Liberator Series Leveraging Lincoln Losing Lincoln Labeling Lincoln Stand Alone Titles In His Eyes Eternity Between Us Novellas The Heart of Home Her Place in Time