Desert Manna Series
Series Overview
Sweet Historical Western Romance
The early-1870s bring tragedy, hope, and a chance to start over. Their faith is tested as they adapt to their new home in Prescott, Arizona Territory. Will they grow stronger or stretch to the breaking point? Will they come to see God's provision through their trials? These clean, wholesome romances explore grief, healing, and second chances with emotional depth and inspirational themes.
This faith-based series features:
- Clean, closed-door romance with profound emotional journeys
- Themes of redemption, healing, and God's provision
- Strong heroines overcoming tragedy and loss
- Authentic 1870s Arizona Territory settings
- Guaranteed happily ever afters
Setting
1870s Prescott, Arizona Territory
Where the untamed frontier tests faith and courage, and love blooms amid the harsh beauty of the desert wilderness. These sweet, inspirational romances bring hope and healing to characters facing life's deepest trials.
What Readers Love About The Desert Manna Series
Deep Emotional Healing
These aren't lighthearted romances—they're profound journeys through grief, loss, and finding hope again. Each story tackles heavy themes with grace, showing how faith and love can heal even the deepest wounds.
Clean Romance with Emotional Weight
Wholesome, closed-door content doesn't mean shallow stories. These sweet romances prove that clean fiction can explore tragedy, revenge, death threats, and courtroom battles with emotional authenticity and inspirational depth.
Strong, Complex Heroines
From Civil War widows to pioneering female attorneys, these women face extraordinary challenges. Watch them rebuild their lives with faith, courage, and the unexpected support of wounded heroes who need healing just as much.
Biblical Themes of Restoration
The series title comes from God's provision in the wilderness—and each book's title reflects Isaiah 61: Beauty for Ashes, Joy for Mourning, Oaks of Justice. These aren't just romance tropes; they're spiritual journeys.
Standalone Stories, Interconnected Lives
Each book stands alone as a complete romance, but reading in order reveals how the Prescott community supports one another through trials. See familiar faces from other series as the territorial world expands.
Books
Book 1: Beauty for Ashes
Perry Quinn & Rebecca Elliot
He lost everything. She saved his life. Rebecca embarks on a treacherous journey west after losing her husband in the Civil War, while Perry faces starting over after losing everything. When their paths cross, faith and quiet strength must triumph over bitterness and pain.
Can love heal what the past has broken?
Tropes: Widower and Widow, Single Mom, Revenge vs Redemption
Book 2: Joy for Mourning
Joshua Harrison & Grace Talbert
He never gets the girl. She rebuffs every suitor. Grace longs for love that sets her heart ablaze, not cold arrangements of convenience. Joshua returns to Prescott with an orphaned daughter, his heart guarded after two failed romances.
Stranded together, will they find love—or will danger tear them apart?
Tropes: Opposites Attract, Single Father
Book 3: Oaks of Justice
Alex Glassman & Mel Larson
Her life hangs by a thread. His heart is closed off. In the courtroom, the stakes are deadly—but the battlefield of love is even fiercer. Mel, one of the few female attorneys in Arizona Territory, faces off against formidable District Attorney Alex Glassman while her life is threatened by a dangerous enemy.
Will their courtroom battle end in victory or destroy the love neither expected?
Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Protective Hero
Audiobooks
Beauty for Ashes (Audio)
Perry Quinn & Rebecca Elliot
He lost everything. She saved his life. Rebecca embarks on a treacherous journey west after losing her husband in the Civil War, while Perry faces starting over after losing everything. When their paths cross, faith and quiet strength must triumph over bitterness and pain.
Can love heal what the past has broken?
Joy for Mourning (Audio)
Joshua Harrison & Grace Talbert
He never gets the girl. She rebuffs every suitor. Grace longs for love that sets her heart ablaze, not cold arrangements of convenience. Joshua returns to Prescott with an orphaned daughter, his heart guarded after two failed romances.
Stranded together, will they find love—or will danger tear them apart?
Oaks of Justice (Audio)
Alex Glassman & Mel Larson
Her life hangs by a thread. His heart is closed off. In the courtroom, the stakes are deadly—but the battlefield of love is even fiercer. Mel, one of the few female attorneys in Arizona Territory, faces off against formidable District Attorney Alex Glassman while her life is threatened by a dangerous enemy.
Will their courtroom battle end in victory or destroy the love neither expected?
Box Set
Desert Manna Series - Complete Collection
All 3 Books
Follow the complete journey through 1870s Prescott, Arizona Territory as three couples discover that God's provision comes through their trials. From beauty rising from ashes to joy replacing mourning, these clean, inspirational stories of faith, courage, and love will capture your heart. Experience the entire series in one collection and witness how God's manna sustains His people even in the desert.
Reading Order
While each book can be enjoyed as a standalone romance, readers will get the most enjoyment reading the series in order to follow the interconnected characters and their lives in Prescott.
- Beauty for Ashes
- Joy for Mourning
- Oaks of Justice
Author's Note
A Personal Note from Karen
The Desert Manna Series began with a single, unexpected sentence that sparked an entire world. I never planned to write these stories, but God had other ideas. As I explored themes of grief, healing, and second chances in the Arizona Territory, I was reminded how often His provision shows up in the wilderness—just when we need it most. These characters walked through fire, and so did I while writing them. These wholesome, faith-driven romances tackle profound loss and restoration with the honesty and hope that can only come from trusting God in the hardest moments. I hope their journeys speak to your heart as deeply as they did to mine.