Kade Family Saga

Lydia Dawson is living on the Illinois frontier when she hears an unusual doctrine preached by a traveling minister from Ohio. The message of the gospel suggests answers to questions Lydia privately harbors. Lydia's heart is stirred, but she is forbidden by her family to have anything to do with this new found religion called Mormonism. In Independence, Missouri, Christian Kade is facing personal difficulties and mounting persecution because of his membership in the Church of Jesus Christ. His work on a Church-owned newspaper puts Christian in the center of a spiraling series of events which ultimately forces Christian, as well as the other Saints in Independence, into a dangerous confrontation with their enemies in Missouri. How these two courageous people surmount their trials and come to share a triumphant love is the compelling story in volume 1 of this riveting series of historical novels, The Kade Family Saga, In Quest of Zion. Told with the artistry of a masterful storyteller against a historically accurate backdrop, the author skillfully blends historical and fictional characters into an exciting, fast-paced story. Lydia and Christian typify the faith and courage of the early Latter-day Saints. Their saga promises adventure, romance, and a spiritual journey you will never forget.

The compelling story of the Kade family continues, written by a master storyteller. Danger and intrigue mount as the Kades' son, James, strives to shield the prophet Joseph from assassination. Join the Kades in all the color and pageantry, intrigue and suspense, of old Nauvoo. Its legacy as a place of promise will stir your heart and kindle an excitement in church history.

From the banks of the Mississippi River to the shores of the Great Salt Lake, the saga of the Kade family now spans a continent. Christian and Lydia Kade and their family cross the plains with the Saints, bidding farewell to the ruined city of Nauvoo, where their daughter Elizabeth has chosen to remain, separating herself both from her family and her faith. Haunted by the memory of the tragic loss of a family member, young James embarks on his medical studies and struggles to establish himself as a physician. He is racked by despair when the girl he hopes to marry chooses a gold miner instead, then finds new love of his own in the most surprising of places. Meanwhile, his sister Elizabeth copes with the heartbreak of her husband's increasing coldness as his drinking and gambling put them and their new-born child in jeopardy. When James visits her in Nauvoo on his return from medical college back east, the stage is set for a climactic confrontation. Between Two Shores, the third volume of the Kade Family Saga, is a richly historical novel, full of captivating characters, lively dialogue, and fascinating glimpses into a bygone era. With skill and sensitivity, Laurel Mouritsen irresistibly draws her reader into the circle of lives portrayed in this compelling story.

On the surface, all appears serene as the third generation of Kades in pioneer Utah grow up to take their parents' place in the vast, rugged regions of the West. But fate-or is it divine providence?-suddenly steps in. Jessica Scott of Illinois finds herself waylaid among the Latter-day Saints in 1870s Utah while on a railroad trip to California. Alone and seeking assistance from her relatives, whose religious beliefs she scorns, nineteen-year-old Jessica meets her cousin of the same age, Ethan Kade, who is home for a few days from the cattle ranch where he is employed. Jessica's presence threatens to ruin the carefully laid plans Ethan has already set in motion. He makes a momentous decision that will profoundly affect his own future, as well as that of his cousin. For her part, Jessica has no inkling of the transformation about to unfold in her own life. Join Ethan and Jessica as they struggle to overcome their differences and face the dangers awaiting them at the Running W Ranch in Volume 4 of The Kade Family Saga, Beside Still Waters. This stirring historical novel of unexpected adventure, romance, and spiritual discovery, set in authentic detail against the backdrop of the untamed West, will leave the reader wishing for more long after the book is closed.

On the eve of Utah's admittance into the Union, Rebecca Kade has more pressing concerns on her mind than celebrating statehood. Her parents' untimely deaths. The possible loss of the family's beloved ranch. A looming confrontation with her estranged twin sister. And the complications arising from the arrival of a charming suitor. Rebecca is determined to save her father's ranch, no matter how much effort and heartache it takes. But her sister Rachel, with a new life in Salt Lake City, is less than enthusiastic in her response to Rebecca's pleas for help. Rachel would prefer to sell the ranch and live in the city. When Rachel introduces her latest beau to Rebecca, the seeds are sown for still more conflict between the two sisters, each headstrong and courageous in her own way. But Judson Carter has his own battles to fight before he is free to court the sister who has won his heart. In this, the fifth and final volume of The Kade Family Saga: In the Shadow of the Mountain, the story builds to a climactic conclusion against the vivid backdrop of new statehood and the challenges of faith and family during the tumultuous closing years of the nineteenth century. Despite the faith of their ancestors, Rebecca and Rachel must both find their own way to hope and happiness, to redemption and forgiveness, to life and love.