Bøker av Vikki Kestell

Faith-Filled Fiction at Its Best!Rose Brownlee has suffered more loss than most people can endure. Now she must find a purpose and a way to move on with her life. Will she bow to conventional wisdom or will she, like Abraham of old, choose to follow where God leads her . . . even to a wild and strange land she does not know?Set in the American prairie of the late 1800s, this story of loss, disillusionment, rebirth, and love will inspire, challenge, and encourage you. One woman’s courageous journey to redemption and new love!A Prairie Heritage:Book 1: A Rose Blooms TwiceBook 2: Wild Heart on the PrairieBook 3: Joy on This MountainBook 4: The Captive WithinBook 5: StolenBook 6: Lost Are FoundBook 7: All God's PromisesBook 8: The Heart of Joy: A Short Story (eBook only)

Victoria Washington—sophisticated and elegant, owner of Victoria’s House of Fashion, designer of haute couture gowns for the wealthy and elite of Denver, a brilliant and successful business woman in her own right. Tory, as she is known to her friends, is also a supporter of Palmer House—a most extraordinary refuge for young women rescued from prostitution.Why a friend to Palmer House?The girls of Palmer House were rescued from two houses of ill-repute situated in the little mountain village Corinth above Denver. Through no fault of her own, Tory was one of those girls. And Tory’s past hides more than one dark secret: She was born in the deep South to Adeline Washington, a negress, the daughter and granddaughter of slaves, and the “kept” woman of a wealthy—and married—white man.Tory’s mixed blood, her illegitimate birth, and the shame of her exploitation follow her down the mountain and haunt her, even to the cusp of her success.What happens when those who hate Tory expose her secrets? Will her business and reputation survive the scandals? Or are the rumors a cover for a more sinister plot? Is Tory’s life also in danger? And, if so, why?

Martha Palmer, the generous benefactor of Palmer House-a most extraordinary refuge for young women rescued from prostitution-has died. Denver society turns out in strength to honor the elderly woman, as do many of the young women who have lived, at some point during the past decade, under the roof of Palmer House and under the steady and godly leadership of Rose Thoresen.For Sarah Ellinger, Rose's trusted right hand, an invitation to the reading of Martha's will raises the possibility-and the fervent hope-that Martha has endowed Palmer House with funds to keep the ministry running. However, Sarah expects to receive nothing from Martha for herself. She is as stunned as every Palmer House girl present at the reading to hear:"To every young woman who lives or has lived at Palmer House and remains unmarried at the time of the reading of this will, I bequeath the sum of five hundred dollars as a bridal gift, payable upon her marriage. To those girls who have already married, I bestow the same amount, payable upon the execution of this will. If, however, a young woman who has lived at Palmer House remains unmarried, I bequeath the same sum, five hundred dollars, payable upon her thirty-ninth birthday."Five hundred dollars was a fortune many a Palmer House girl would never, in her lifetime, see again in a lump sum; it could enable a newly married couple to begin their marriage debt-free, perhaps buy a little piece of land or leverage a mortgage to purchase a home.While the girls of Palmer House, current and former, wept and rejoiced aloud, Sarah did not. She slowly shook her head.Oh, Martha. You left me a wonderful gift, for which I am most grateful. However, I cannot claim this gift unless I marry-or until I am quite near middle-aged. Why, Martha? Why did you arrange your generous bequest this way? I shall not be able to claim your gift for nearly eleven years . . . because I will never marry, whatever the inducement to do so.Girls from the Mountain Book 1: Tabitha Book 2: Tory Book 3: Sarah Redeemed

Joy Thoresen Michaels has lost the two most precious people in her life: her husband and her only child. She cannot receive her husband back from the dead, but she has hope for her son-hope that he will be recovered:"I spoke a moment ago about my prairie heritage-the enduring faith my papa and mama lived as an example for me. It is because of their faith that I have such hope for Edmund even though he is, today, lost to us."You see, what is lost to us is not-is not-lost to God! I remember Papa saying this very thing: In God, the lost are found. Our Lord sees the entire world-and nothing in all of his creation is hidden to him! I am comforted to know that wherever Edmund is, God is there with him."Four families bind themselves in a solemn pledge: They vow to never stop searching for Edmund and to never stop trusting that God will restore him to them, whether in this life or the next.Lost Are Found chronicles how God answers those who utterly trust in him, no matter the circumstances-and no matter how long the wait.The Books of A Prairie Heritage:Book 1: A Rose Blooms Twice, FREE eBookBook 2: Wild Heart on the PrairieBook 3: Joy on This MountainBook 4: The Captive WithinBook 5: StolenBook 6: Lost Are FoundBook 7: All God's PromisesBook 8: The Heart of Joy-A Short Story (eBook Only)Girls from the MountainBook 1: TabithaBook 2: ToryBook 3: Sarah RedeemedNanostealthBook 1: Stealthy StepsBook 2: Stealth PowerBook 3: Stealth RetributionBook 4: Deep State Stealth"Vikki writes the kind of faith-filled fiction that hooks you within the first few pages, will not let you go until you have finished, and leaves you wishing for more."-Janis Braun, Seattle, Washington"Her books are not just for 'chicks'! I was amazed how engrossed I became in the lives of Vikki's characters, and how much I could relate to their situations."-Ed Dunne, Los Angeles"Be prepared to put life on hold. That's all I have to say!"-Rebecca H., New Jersey"You will laugh, you will cry but, most of all, you will be uplifted."-LaTisha Holland, St. Augustine, FL

The Captive Within opens the day after Joy on This Mountain ends. The two infamous houses of Corinth, Colorado, are closed and the young women who had been imprisoned there have been released. Soon after, Rose and Joy leave Corinth to establish a home and a haven for "their" girls in Denver.Before long, Rose and Joy face a heartrending challenge: What does it take to unlock and free the soul of a defiled woman? And as they wrestle for a foothold in Denver, Rose discovers that the long-abandoned house given to them hides a dark secret of its own.