On the run for nearly half her life, Jenny Cope's arrival in Oregon's Willamette Valley touches all she meets. She most affects two men, one mentally challenged, the other emotionally strangled. Jenny falls in love with Alvin Harris, whose childhood tumble leaves him with few worries. Sam Cassel's wounded heart pounds with unrequited love for Jenny, but his lifelong friendship with Alvin precludes Sam's advances. That and a sense of familiarity, Jenny similar to Sam's late wife, a woman br...

Jo Adams can't speak of her late father, whom she watched die when she was a child. When her mother, novelist Hannah Adams, introduces Jo to English movie star Jeremy Stewart, instant attraction leads to a one-night stand, but Jo flees, afraid of commitment.Through letters the couple reconnects, as Jo describes her grandparents' unsuccessful struggle to preserve their mixed marriage. Unable to commit to Jeremy, Jo resumes a loveless affair, while Jeremy's performance in There Is So...

In the fifth book of the series, family loyalties are put to the test; Eric and Travis fret over Tanner, while Eric's girlfriend Dana proves Sam and Jenny's youngest hasn't fallen far from the tree. Mitch's tenure in Iraq continues as Chelsea marries, then receives the shock of her life.As the recession hits America, the Cassels and Smiths are faced with further joys and dilemmas; Will and Bethany give Sam and Jenny their first grandchild, but Eric is torn by his love for an injure...

As the truth of Sam Cassel's late wife and child pummels all in Arkendale, Oregon, Jenny Cope and Alvin Harris attempt reconciliation. Sam decides to leave the state, unable to quench his unrequited love for Jenny as she and Alvin ponder marriage. When a horrific tragedy changes all lives in the Willamette Valley, wedding plans are altered, as well as Sam's move. Jenny and Tommie suffer hardest, but no one is left untouched, each Smith and Cassel questioning if life can ever be the same.

In the final novel of the series, patience is required by many Arkendale residents; Eric and Dana face her brother's return as Rachel falls in love with Cory. David and Sandra decide to become parents, as Will struggles with writing a book. Chelsea ponders another chance at motherhood while Jenny and Sam watch a couple mirror their past, but Jenny's aches increase; is chocolate pound cake no longer helpful?The Iraq War winds down as weddings and new babies balance Eric's deep sorro...

Twenty-three years after David Cassel's birth, his older brother Will is a successful pitcher for the San Francisco Giants, but Will's marriage is suffering. Eldest Cassel sibling Chelsea longs to return to Oregon to care for their ailing mother; Jenny's hip is the problem, but it is more than suspected arthritis?In the fourth novel of this series, the action has moved to the 2000s, a passel of Smith and Cassels born in the interim. Sam and Jenny's nephew Mitch is stationed in Iraq...

Life in Arkendale, Oregon has finally settled; Will and Chelsea Harris seem untouched by their father's injuries while their parents have found lasting contentment. But Sam Cassel and Jenny Cope face their deepest fears alongside the Iranian hostage crisis and the eruption of Mount St. Helens. As Sam struggles with paternal insecurities, his mettle is tested when a volcano explodes, triggering Jenny's worst dread. Ash rains on the village as Sam and Tommie seek answers to her childhood tra...

In 1963, while the Snyders appreciate a great blessing, anguish builds for Seth Gordon, yet Renee Ahern finds peace. Eric senses a departure on the horizon when Seth's mental health worsens, leading the painter into an enlightening discussion with his pastor as Marek Jaworski reveals who he left behind in Poland. Laurie Abrams travels to Miami after Seth attempts suicide and isn't sure his cousin will recover from a most debilitating depression. Then Laurie learns the horrific truth when S...

In the fourth part of the series, early 1963 heralds rave European reviews for Eric Snyder's artwork, while depression assails an unlikely trio. After revealing to his cousin Laurie Abrams what he sees in the blue barn, Seth Gordon makes plans to flee for Florida, averting an introduction to Eric and his family. Laurie's partner Stanford Taylor ponders the sake of his soul, yet it's Renee Ahern to suffer most when motherhood slips from her and husband Sam's grasp. Eric and his wife Lynne t...

Liberating Chelak from reproductive slavery, Sooz and Dardram find themselves in 1971 California on the front yard of widower Richard Lund and his five-year-old daughter Gilly. The Lunds are stymied by their visitors' claim to be from another galaxy, but Sooz's medical acumen remains only for those in the Mendocino County district who fear being harassed for their ethnicity.A love story, Home and Far Away explores Richard and Sooz's irreverent attraction as well as Sooz's ...

In the early 1960s, painter Eric Snyder harbors a secret known only to his wife, Lynne. When Eric's latest disappearance raises the suspicions of best friends Sam and Renee Ahern, Lynne can no longer keep the truth under wraps. While the Aherns ponder this phenomenon, Eric embarks upon a search for his father, once again taking him far from the woman he loves.

In this third part of the series, the culmination of the Snyders' hopes becomes reality, yet the truth about Laurie and Stanford makes Sam wary. Pastor Marek Jaworski provides peace to Eric, but slight worry for Lynne. However Renee frets most, when Sam's sister Frannie makes a dramatic announcement. Set in 1962, the fallout of Fran Canfield's pregnancy deeply affects both the Snyders and Aherns. Eric organizes a local exhibit, learning more about Marek, but the truth of the cleric's past ...