The Wilderness Saga
Step into the captivating world of the Wachsman family in this collection of historical romances set in Superior, Wisconsin beginning in the year 1834. Framed against the breathtaking backdrop of Lake Superior and the wild woodlands of northwest Wisconsin, follow the Wachsmann’s journey through love, courage, heartache, and adventure. Each story weaves together the strength of family bonds and the spirit of an untamed wilderness, inviting the reader to experience the timeless romance and powerful resilience of an era gone by. Family oriented, no graphic sex scenes, mild profanity.
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BOOK ONE
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Unable to find a teaching position in the flooded job market that is New York City, twenty-one-year-old Sarah Bentley accepts the position of nanny to Caleb Wachsmann’s three children after the farmer’s wife, parents, and infant son die in the Cholera epidemic of 1834. The twist? The job is in Superior, Wisconsin in the Michigan Territory, an unsettled wilderness located on the northwestern tip of Lake Superior.Caleb is not looking for love; his heart will always belong to his beloved Annie. What he does need is a woman to watch after the children while he toils in the fields making a living for his family. Sarah turns out to be that woman. She raises his children with a gentle and loving hand and also helps Caleb to overcome an unbearable loss. As Wisconsin vies for statehood, the young couple will face challenge after challenge as they struggle to tame a wilderness that really doesn’t want to be tamed at all.
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BOOK TWO
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As Wisconsin edges closer to statehood, Caleb and Sarah Wachsmann’s family expands in the heart of the Wisconsin wilderness, yet they are relentlessly pursued by a troubled past. An unyielding foe is intent upon ending Caleb and Sarah’s lives, convinced that they and they alone are responsible for Lucas Roberts’ death. Despite the fact that Caleb nearly lost his life after the encounter with Lucas, the truth holds little weight with this newest adversary. Meanwhile, Sarah is haunted also, driven to the brink of madness by persistent whispers that call her name. With the latest family member on the way, a new threat emerges when the Wachsmann’s tormentor kidnaps one of the Caleb’s daughters. The race to find her ends in an unforeseen twist that could just put an end to the terror and once again allow the family to face the challenges of day to day life on the shores of Lake Superior—a life that is poised for significant change in the years to come.
BOOK THREE
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In the rugged landscape of 1840s Wisconsin, a new state emerges, but the promise of a fresh start is overshadowed by personal tragedy. When the Wachsmann family faces an unimaginable loss, young Seth and his wife, Hannah, are thrust into a battle to sustain the family unity.
Amidst the turmoil, Hannah gives birth to a son who is afflicted with a mysterious condition, forcing the couple to confront heart-wrenching choices about their child’s future. Can they defy societal expectations and raise him themselves, or will fear and stigma dictate their decision?
In A State In The Wilderness, author Jean Hackensmith weaves a gripping tale of love, sacrifice, and the indomitable spirit of family against the stunning backdrop of Lake Superior. Join the Wachsmann’s as they navigate the wilderness, where every choice could mean the difference between survival and despair.
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BOOK FOUR
Amid the turmoil of the Civil War, the women of Wachsmann’s Farms face an unprecedented challenge. With the men drafted under The Enrollment Act of 1863, the spirited Sarah Wachsmann defies her son Seth’s wishes to abandon the fields until their return. Instead, she envisions a bold plan: to build a cheese factory that will produce Cheddar cheese and condensed milk for the soldiers fighting on the front lines.
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When the crew she hires proves to be dangerous and threatening, Sarah’s dream hangs in the balance. Desperate to protect her home and the other women in her family, she turns to Jeb Ryker, a rugged local with a heart of gold. Together, they devise a daring plan to reclaim the farm from the unscrupulous men who threaten their safety.
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As Sarah and Jeb work side by side, a passionate bond forms between them, igniting a love that flourishes even as the war rages on. But with tragedy looming and the stakes escalating, will their newfound love withstand the challenges of a country at war?
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Join Sarah and Jeb in this poignant historical romance, where courage, resilience, and love intertwine in a fight for survival against the backdrop of a nation divided.
In this gripping continuation of the Wachsmann family saga, the stakes are even higher as the farm flourishes into a thriving dairy business, complete with two bustling milk wagons making weekly rounds to Superior, WI and Duluth, MN. Set against the backdrop of the post-Civil War era, only two of the Wachsmann men remain, leaving the resilient women of the family to pick up the slack, determined to honor their loved ones’ legacies and ensure the farm’s success.
As the Wachsmann’s thrive, the cities of Superior and Duluth find themselves embroiled in a fierce rivalry over access to a newly established shipping port at the Head of the Lakes. With both cities eager to capitalize on the opportunities brought on by the opening of the Erie and St. Mary’s Canals, tensions mount as Duluth strives to see their own entry to the harbor become a reality, igniting a new battle that transcends the fields and spills into the hearts of their communities.
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However, the Wachsmann’s face an even graver challenge. Four years after Wyatt’s return from the horrors of Andersonville Prison, he is still plagued by nightmares and an uncontrollable rage that threatens the safety of his young wife.
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BOOK FIVE
BOOK SIX
In the heart of northwestern Wisconsin, where rolling hills meet the sparkling shores of Lake Superior, the Wachsmann’s dairy farm flourishes—until a mysterious illness strikes their cheese factory workers.
Desperate for answers, they turn to apothecary Alexandra Covington, a sharp and determined woman whose investigative skills soon uncover more than just the cause of the illness. As she forges a connection with the youngest Wachsmann, Michael, a tender romance blossoms amid the turmoil.
However, life on the farm is threatened on multiple fronts. Sarah Wachsmann, the cherished matriarch, begins to slip into the shadows of senile dementia, leaving her family to grapple with the painful reality of her fading memories. Meanwhile, an unseen arsonist lurks in the background, intent upon lighting the flames of destruction and dismantling the legacy the Wachsmann’s have built over generations.
As Michael and Alex work together to unravel the truth behind the illness, they must also confront the family’s deepest fears and the looming threat of loss. In “The Winds Of Change,” readers are invited to witness a powerful tale of love, resilience, and the fight to protect what matters most, where every bond is tested and every secret revealed could change their lives forever.
BOOK SEVEN
It’s 1883, and the Wachsmann family is devastated by the tragic loss of their beloved matriarch, Sarah. Just as they are grappling with this heartache, Denise Wachsmann, a simple-minded woman who has faced challenges her entire life, goes missing during a routine trip to town. Her disappearance ignites a frantic search, plunging the family further into turmoil and uncertainty.As the search for Denise continues, Michael Wachsmann finds himself facing a life-altering event that forces him to confront the future he once envisioned. As the heir to the family farm, he knows that one day he will have to take the reins from his older brother, Seth, but the weight of responsibility feels heavier with the newfound reality of his plight. It also doesn’t help that his brother, Wyatt, plans to move his family to California—a dream that now seems distant and unreachable.Torn between the promise of a fresh start and duty to his grieving family, Wyatt must navigate the turbulent waters of loss and responsibility. Each decision weighs heavily on him, as he strives to balance his aspirations with the urgent needs of those he loves.In this next installment of The Wilderness Saga, the bonds of family are tested as love, loss, and resilience intertwine. Will the Wachsmann’s find the strength to endure, or will tragedy alter their lives forever?
BOOK EIGHT
In the heart of rural America, Danielle Wachsmann finds her world forever changed when she marries James Buchanan, unaware that she may be carrying Paul Holmgren’s child. As the Wachsmann’s navigate love, loyalty, and the weight of secrets, a wealthy outsider’s offer to invest in the farm sparks suspicion—his true motives entwined with revolutionary advancements in pasteurization that could transform the dairy industry. Their suspicions are put on hold, however, when a devastating outbreak of Bovine Tuberculosis puts everything they’ve worked for at risk. With the future of the farm hanging in the balance, the arrival of a new veterinarian, Zachary Vanderwelt, offers a glimmer of hope—and a chance to fight back. As old doubts resurface and new dangers emerge, the Wachsmann’s must confront their pasts and fight for their future before everything they hold dear is lost.
BOOK NINE
​"Shadows of the Past" revisits the Wachsmann family as they stand at the crossroads of tradition and a modern, industrializing world. The dairy farm remains the heart of their Wisconsin community, but a new, aggressive rival—an East Coast “bonanza farm”—threatens to upend their way of life and the local pasteurization market.
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Into this upheaval strides Deputy U.S. Marshal Collin McCabe, who has been assigned to track a dangerous predator who is terrorizing area women. Alexandra’s history with Collin resurfaces in a way that unsettles the household when Michael—her husband—welcomes his wife's former beau into their home, igniting unresolved passions and dangerous questions about trust and fidelity.
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As the threat to the community intensifies, the Wachsmann’s must safeguard their legacy while contending with deceit, competing interests, and a criminal who seems to move through the shadows. Old flames, buried secrets, and the ever-present risk to their family push them toward choices that could fracture everything they hold dear—or forge a new path toward justice and healing.
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This installment tackles difficult themes, including sexual violence and the impact of crime on survivors and families. The story aims to handle these issues with sensitivity, focusing on resilience, accountability, and healing rather than sensationalism. The power lies in character, consequence, and community, not explicit detail.
BOOK TEN
On the shores of Superior, Wisconsin, the Wachsmann dairy stands firm—until waves from a changing world threaten to break it. The Bonanza farm’s legacy is carved into new land and new neighbors, whose unfamiliar crops and customs test old loyalties. An unlikely alliance forms as the community confronts what stewardship means when water, soil, and people are at stake.
Enter The Shepherds Hand, a humane milking machine whose promise of efficiency and care becomes a catalyst for trust—and for conflict. As the town debates progress, Michael and Alex wrestle with a marriage under strain, learning that belonging may require mercy, courage, and a shared future they must decide to fight for. In a season of reckoning, the farm’s fate—and the fate of all who depend on the land—hangs in the balance, hopeful, fragile, and worth saving.