Showing results by author "Leah Banicki" in All Categories

Spring 1854 “Don’t leave me behind.” Trisha was running away, and her sister’s tearful plea stopped her cold. Two young girls flee into the cold dark night, escaping a tragic life of neglect and misery. An icy rain is pounding on Trisha and Winnie. They have nothing but a few carrots and a threadbare blanket and they are being pursued. They are doomed to a life of misery and starvation if they stay. The enduring story of courage and faith continues. Take a stroll through town with Clive... Sit and stitch with Laney, Daisy and Sophia... Go along with Dolly and Corinne as they using ...

Oregon Trail - 1848 A careless mistake nearly killed her. Angela lay bleeding and dying in a ravine, far from the wagon train. No one can hear her screams for help. Sent on a foolish mission, lost in the dark wilds, alone and stumbling before she plummets end-over-end to her doom. Her only hope was to survive, then someday she might find her runaway brother in San Francisco. As she cries out into the dark night, she prays for a miracle. Her closest friend Corinne, desperate to find her, will stop at nothing to save her. They have a friendship that no man can separate. Book 2 of the ...

In 1848, women can expect a few bumps along the Oregon Trail. Corinne Temple, age 17, has a few ridiculous challenges to face outside the river crossings, snakes, Indians, accidental gunshots, and finding enough privacy to be clean along the grimy trail. When Corinne’s marriage of convenience gets less convenient, she turns to some new friends in the wagon train who help her see the hope for the future. They teach her to take the time to dance and celebrate the small victories, to have faith and determination through the hardest things a person can face.

The continued story for the women of the Willamette Valley - Spring 1851 Dolly faces big changes when she decides to return to her tribe when two strangers come to take her back. Her journey to the Wind River Mountains is treacherous and full of turmoil. The women of the valley face many challenges, Yellow Fever, flooding and bug swarms through the late spring. Corinne struggles when so many neighbors fall ill. When the town is put on quarantine she tries desperately to help the suffering. Violet’s world crumbles when she receives a mysterious letter from a stranger. She has to face her ...

Angela Fahey has found a bit of inner strength after returning from California gold territory, with a botched family reunion and a budding romance abruptly cut short she is longing to settle down and begin her own life. Her dear friends in Oregon City are there to encourage her as she finds her own gifts. Violet Griffen has a husband far away in California, her new job with Corinne Grant has saved her from starvation and loneliness but the painful reminder of her husband’s long absence urges her to reach out, helping others becomes a blessed distraction. Galina is a young woman on the ...

Winter of 1853 in Willamette Valley After receiving devastating news, Galina is struggling on her own again. She now has a terrible secret and wonders how she will survive. Will she become a social outcast because of her mistakes? Laney Pritchett is just a small town girl who has a life of servitude and loneliness. When she hears about the opportunity to go West she prayerfully considers leaving her safe and lonely world behind. She wonders if she will ever be able to find happiness after years of being considered a Plain Jane. The story of true love and redemption continues for the men and...

Willamette Valley, Oregon in the Spring of 1852. Violet Griffen has faced her past with extraordinary courage. Everyone in Oregon city would say she is the sweetest soul, but inside she still is haunted by her memories of the past. Galina Varushkin, still at the tender age of fifteen, is struggling to fill her mother’s shoes while under the harsh judgement of her father. Will she be able to maintain her temper when pushed by his unrelenting expectations? Megan Capron found work in the bustling Gold Rush town of San Francisco, she takes on a stage name to hide from her family, but can she ...

When Lucy watched the brilliant lights in the sky with her friend she did not know that in two days the world would be plunged into darkness. Lucy’s life was a struggle. At 15 she had to become the adult in her household and she felt the weight of the world on her shoulders most days. Her mother was just not able to handle things, and she found ways to escape. Then Lucy was left to pick up the pieces. When a world-wide crisis strikes Lucy takes charge. She is overwhelmed when the safety of her family quickly changes. Her small-town life is thrust into chaos and savagery when desperate ...

Book 6 of the Wildflowers series - The continued stories of the women and men of the Willamette Valley. Violet Griffen has overcome so much over the last years and she is finally happy in her new life. She does not want change, but she knows that change will come as the relationship with Reynaldo Legales, the ranch foremen next door, grows. Will she be able to move forward or stay where she is safe and happy. Galina Varushkin deals with growing pains as she comes of age. The complicated relationships she has with her family only makes her second guess herself and her decisions moving ...

September 1854, Oregon Territory Laney and her group of spinsters, dubbed the ‘Sparrows’ have arrived safely in Oregon City. They are moving forward in hopes to find a better life. They all have challenges to overcome. Putting their pasts behind them of being the eternal ‘Plain Jane’ and embracing their own worth is easier said than done. Sophia Greaves is the local beauty on the verge of womanhood. Her mother is hatching matchmaking scenes, while her heart is healing from a secret heartbreak. She turns her healing time into a mission and focuses her energies on her community. She ...