Best Historical Fiction 2014

The Whitney Academy members then cast their votes-

The numbers are crunched in a super computer 

and the winner is announced at the

Whitney Awards Gala
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BEST HISTORICAL WENT TO

Softly Falling by Carla Kelly

Lily looked at the vastness of the plains, full of cattle, and then up at the sky without a cloud in sight. 

“What’s going to happen, Mr. Sinclair?” she asked. “What do you know?” 

Fresh off the train from New York City, Lily Carteret arrives in picturesque Wyoming only to discover that her wayward father has lost his cattle ranch to a lowly cowboy in a card game! 

Determined not to let her father’s folly ruin her life, Lily becomes a teacher on the ranch. There she learns that the handsome cowboy, Jack Sinclair, has some wild predictions about the upcoming winter—that it will be unlike anything Wyoming has ever seen. Lily must either cast off her skepticism to work with Jack or risk losing everything she holds dear. 

This latest novel by bestselling romance author Carla Kelly is sure to please new and old fans alike. Stirring, tense, and filled with swoon-worthy moments, it’s a delectable read that will leave you begging for more!

--- The other finalists were ---

An Ocean atween Us by Angela Morrison

Will Glover is the hottest collier lad ever to come out of Scotland. Like Angela Morrison's contemporary titles, TAKEN BY STORM and SING ME TO SLEEP, Will's story is a tale of first love and heartbreak, related in intimate, first person detail. Just as Will's soul entwines around Lucie, the blooming pit village lass he's always known and never truly seen, a mysterious stranger arrives at the pits with an offer Will's father can't refuse. Hardship, tragedy and broken hearts ensue. After decades of research and rewriting, award-winning author, Angela Morrison, brings you a story inspired by her own emigrant heritage. AN OCEAN ATWEEN US is an intriguing mix of modern young adult novel and sweeping historical romance. It is the first book in Angela's WE, GLOVER'S series, a family saga written in first person, coming-of-age narratives, from one generation to the next.

Deadly Alliance by A. L. Sowards

Amidst the darkest days of WWII, will one star-crossed couple’s love survive? When Peter Eddy and his commando team inadvertently upset the Soviets during their most recent mission, they never imagined the diplomatic nightmares that would ensue. They have one chance to redeem themselves: tasked with destroying a bridge in Nazi-occupied Bosnia, Peter and his war-weary team reluctantly agree to drop behind enemy lines. The assignment should be a simple one—were it not for the fact that they are being deployed on a suicide mission. Genevieve Olivier is devastated by the news of Peter’s disappearance. After all they’ve endured in this war, the determined OSS worker is unwilling to simply let go of the man she hopes to spend her life with. Desperate for information, her work as a courier soon escalates into a counterintelligence duel with a Fascist assassin—and Genevieve is his newest target . . .

Eve: In the Beginning by H. B. Moore

The first love story on earth . . . 

Haunting . . . Lyrical . . . Unforgettable . . . 

In a world where everything is perfect, yet the same day after day, Eve must decide if she wants to live forever in the garden with Adam and never know what lies beyond the walls. When she makes a choice with terrible consequences, the pain of mortality is swift. As she and Adam explore their new world, and her body changes, Eve discovers the sweetness of first love with the man who has always been at her side.

Gone for a Soldier by Marsha Ward

Rulon Owen loves two things more than life--his country and Mary Hilbrands. 

When Virginia secedes from the Union, Rulon enlists, and finds himself fighting foes both in battle and in his own camp. He struggles to stay alive against all odds, with a knife-wielding tent-mate and a Union army that seems impossible to defeat. It will take every ounce of vigilance he has to survive and, with a little luck, he might make it home to his wife and the son he's never seen. 

Forced to live with her parents for the duration, Mary faces a battle for independence. With a mother whispering that her husband won't come home to her and a son who needs her to be both father and mother, Mary has to dig deep for strength to overcome her overwhelming loneliness and the unknown future ahead. 

Separated by war and circumstance, Rulon and Mary discover that not all enemies wear the Union blue.