Monday, January 30, 2017

Must-Have February Releases


It’s time for another month of new releases! I’m super excited, because this month has some great reads that I just can’t wait for! Besides that, I just love it every time we start a new month, because that means I can start a whole new set of goals! But that’s next week. So, for today, check out these new releases!

The Seekers
Unlikely friendships are formed in an Amish cooking class.
Married for eight years with no children to help fill her days, Heidi Troyer cooks up the idea of teaching classes in the art of Amish cuisine in her Holmes County, Ohio, home. But it is a recipe for drama when five very different men and women answer the advertisement.
Charlene Higgins is engaged, but to the despair of her fiancé’s family, she can’t cook. Kendra Perkins, a teen estranged from her family, is facing an unwanted pregnancy alone. Loretta Donneally, widowed with two children, would like to simplify her life. Ron Hensley, a Vietnam vet, parks his RV on the Troyer farm. And Eli Miller, and Amish widower, needs to learn how to cook from himself.
Class members share details of their disappointing lives, work to solve a mystery, and stir some romance into the pot. Suddenly cooking classes at Heidi’s house become life lessons…and their souls are healed one meal at a time.

I couldn't find a image but it's a really cute cover!

The Seekers is the first book in Wanda E. Brunstetter’s Amish Cooking Class series, and is a book I’m super excited for. It sounds so completely intriguing, and I am actually very fond of Wanda’s Amish novels!

An Uncommon Protector
Overwhelmed by the responsibilities of running a ranch on her own, Laurel Tracey decides to hire a convict—a man who’s just scary enough to take care of squatters and just desperate enough to agree to a one year post.
The years following the war have been hard on Laurel Tracey. Both her brother and her father died in battle, and her mother passed away shortly after receiving word of their demise. Laurel has been trying to run her two hundred acre ranch as best she can.
When she discovers that squatters have settled in her north pasture and have no intention of leaving, Laurel decides to use the last of her money to free a prisoner from the local jail. If she agrees to offer him room and board for one year, he will have to work for her to pay off his debt.
Former soldier Thomas Baker knows he’s in trouble when he finds himself jailed because he couldn’t pay a few fines. Laurel’s offer might be his only ticket out. Though she’s everything he ever dreamed of in a woman—sweet and tender-hearted, yet strong—he’s determined to remain detached, work hard on her behalf, and count the days until he’s free again.
But when cattle start dying and the squatters damage a barn, Thomas realizes more than just his freedom is on the line. Laurel needs someone to believe in her and protect her property. And it isn’t long before Laurel realizes that Thomas Baker is far more than just a former soldier. He’s a trustworthy hero who’s survived a terrible past. He needs more than just his freedom, he needs her love and care too.


An Uncommon Protector is the second book in Shelley Shepard Gray’s A Lone Star Hero’s Love Story series, coming after The Loyal Heart. I really enjoyed the first novel, so I’m super excited for this one! It looks really good!

A Viscount’s Proposal
Leorah Langdon has no patience for Regency society’s shallow hypocrisy and unnecessary rules, especially for women. She’s determined to defy convention by marrying for grand passion instead of settling for a loveless union like her parents—or wedding a stuffy, pompous gentleman like Edward, the Viscount Withinghall. But when a chance meeting in the countryside leads to Leorah and Withinghall being discovered in his overturned carriage—alone and after dark—the ensuing gossip may force them together.
Withinghall has his reasons for clinging to propriety; his father perished in a duel with his mistress’s husband, and Edward must avoid scandal himself if he wants to become prime minister. He certainly has no time for a reckless hoyden like Miss Langdon. But soon the two discover that Withinghall’s coach “accident” was no such thing: the vehicle was sabotaged.
Can the culprit be brought to justice? Strong-willed Leorah and duty-driven Withinghall will have to work together if they have any hope of saving her reputation, his political career—and his life.


A Viscount’s Proposal is the second book in Melanie Dickerson’s The Regency Spies of London series, coming after A Spy’s Devotion. I absolutely love Melanie’s work, and am a huge fan of all of her novels, so I’m super excited for this one! You can bet I’m going to be preordering it!

Redeeming Grace
When famine visits Bethlehem, Boaz holds out hope for rain while his relative Elimelech moves his wife Naomi and their sons to Moab. For a while, it appears the Lord is blessing Elimelech’s family, and his sons marry two lovely Moabite women. But calamities strike, one after another, leaving Naomi alone in a foreign land with only her childless daughters-in-law for comfort. When news reaches Naomi that the famine in Bethlehem has lifted, only Ruth will hazard the journey to her mother-in-law’s homeland. Destitute and downhearted, Naomi resigns herself to a life of bitter poverty, but Ruth holds out hope for a better future. And Boaz may be the one God has chosen to provide it.


Redeeming Grace is the third book in Jill Eileen Smith’s Daughters of the Promised Land series, coming after The Crimson Cord and The Prophetess. Jill writes wonderful Bible story retellings, so I’m super excited for this book!!!

Shine Like the Dawn
When English inventor and industrialist William Harcourt dies, his son Nathaniel inherits Morningside Manor, with its elaborate gardens, grounds, and inventions. Nate also gains partial control of his father’s company, Clifton Engineering. His father’s dying request to repay an old debt reunites Nate with Margaret Lounsbury, a childhood friend he deeply admired.
Four years earlier, Maggie lost much of her family when their boat sank during an outing. Maggie wonders if the tragedy was truly an accident, and if the Harcourts hold any responsibility. Can Maggie let go of the resentment in her heart that keeps her from forgiving Nate—and reconciling with God?


Shine Like the Dawn is Carrie Turansky’s most recent stand-alone novel, and is another book I’m really excited for and am even considering preordering. I have read quite a few of Carrie’s stories and have loved them all, and I’m sure this won’t be an exception!

The Elusive Miss Ellison
Pride, prejudice, and forgiveness…
Hampton Hall’s new owner has the villagers of St. Hampton Heath all aflutter—all except Lavinia Ellison. The reverend’s daughter cares for those who are poor and sick, and the seventh Earl of Hawkesbury definitely does not meet that criteria. His refusal to take his responsibilities seriously, or even darken the door of the church, leave her convinced he is as arrogant and reckless as his brother—his brother who stole the most important person in Lavinia’s world.
Nicholas Stamford is shadowed by guilt: his own, his brother’s, the legacy of war. A perfunctory visit to this dreary part of Gloucestershire wasn’t supposed to engage his heart, or his mind. Challenged by Miss Ellison’s fascinating blend of Bluestocking opinions, hoydenish behavior, and angelic voice, he finds the impossible becoming possible—he begins to care. But Lavinia’s aloof manner, society’s opposition and his ancestral obligations prove most frustrating, until scandal forces them to get along.
Can Lavinia and Nicholas look beyond painful pasts and present prejudice to see their future? And what will happen when Lavinia learns a family secret that alters everything she’s ever known?


The Elusive Miss Ellison is the first book in Carolyn Miller’s Regency Brides: A Legacy of Grace series, and is a book I absolutely can’t wait to read. I actually have the chance to be an influencer for this novel, and I’m already counting down the days until it shows up at my door. Be looking out for my review of this one!

Too Deep for Words
Carrie Ann Collier has been a newlywed for nineteen blissful days—as blissful as life can be in the midst of war, that is. Soon that war will take a toll she never expected. When her new husband, Peyton, goes missing during battle, she refuses to believe he is dead, and must find a way to move forward with everyday life in the face of fear.
As Carrie struggles with how to welcome her estranged sister, Margaret, back into her life, another new arrival appears on her doorstep—her husband’s best friend, and rebel officer, Eli. Wounded and bitter, Eli is nonetheless committed to keeping his promise to Peyton: take care of the Collier women, no matter what. But to Carrie, he’s a painful reminder of her lost love.
Then unexpected news makes Carrie wonder if miracles do happen. If Carrie infiltrates the enemy once again, she might find out what really happened to the love of her life. Will Eli be able to keep his promise to keep her safe? Can they forgive each other if promises are broken?


Too Deep for Words is the second book in Andrea Boeshaar’s Shenandoah Valley series, coming after A Thousand Shall Fall. I absolutely LOVED the first book in this series, and I’ve been waiting for this sequel for so long!!! I can’t wait to read it!

Long Time Gone
The Boden clan thought their problems had ended with the death of a dangerous enemy, but have they truly uncovered the real plot to take their New Mexico ranch? Rancher Justin Boden is now in charge. He is normally an unshakable and rugged man, but with his brother, Cole, shot and in mortal danger, even a tough man faces doubts. And it doesn’t help that Angie DuPree, the assistant to the doctor trying to save Cole, is as distracting a woman as Justin ever laid eyes on.
With her and the doc’s timely skills, Cole looks to be on the mend, and Justin and the rest of the Bodens can turn their attention back to the dangers facing them. It’s clear now that everything that’s occurred is part of a much bigger plot that could date back to a decades-old secret. Can they uncover all the pieces before danger closes in on them, or is the threat to the ranch even bigger than any of the Bodens could imagine?


Long Time Gone is the second book in Mary Connealy’s Cimarron Legacy series, coming after No Way Up. Although I haven’t read the first book in this series yet, both books sound good, so I’m definitely keeping my eyes out for them!

To the Farthest Shores
It has been six years since army nurse Jenny Bennett’s heart was broken by a dashing naval officer. Now Lieutenant Ryan Gallagher has abruptly reappeared in her life at the Presidio army base but refuses to discuss the inexplicable behavior that destroyed their happiness.
Ryan is in an impossible situation. One of the few men in the world qualified to carry out a daring assignment, he accepted a government mission overseas that caused his reputation to be destroyed and broke the heart of the only woman he ever loved. Honor bound never to reveal where he had been during those six years, he can’t tell jenny the truth or it will endanger an ongoing mission and put thousands of lives at risk.
Although Ryan thinks he may have finally found a solution, he can’t pull it off on his own. Loyalty to her country compels Jenny to help, but she never could have imagined the intrigue she and Ryan will have to face or the lengths to which they will have to go to succeed.


To the Farthest Shores is Elizabeth Camden’s most recent stand-alone novel, and is a book that also sounds fantastic! I really love Elizabeth’s novels, and I think this one will be even better than her others that I have read!

Treasured Grace
Grace Martindale has known more than her share of hardship. After her parents died, raising her two younger sisters became her responsibility. A hasty marriage to a minister who is heading to the untamed West seemed like an opportunity for a fresh start, but a cholera outbreak along the wagon trail has left Grace a widow in a very precarious position.
Having learned natural remedies and midwifery from her mother, Grace seeks and opportunity to use her skills for the benefit of others. So when she and her sisters arrive at the Whitman mission in “Oregon Country,” she decides to stay rather than push on.
With the help of Alex Armistead, a French-American fur trapper, Grace begins to provide care for her neighbors, including some of the native populace. But not everyone welcomes her skills—or her presence—and soon Grace finds herself and those she loves in more danger than she imagined possible.


Treasured Grace is the first book in Tracie Peterson’s Heart of the Frontier series, but I’m still very excited for it because I really enjoy Tracie’s novels! Besides that, this story sounds like a very good read, so I can’t wait for it to release!

Those are the novels I’m most looking forward to in February!
Happy February and happy reading!


(Sorry the linkup isn't up this week, my sister and I were out of town over the weekend and completely forgot we hadn't scheduled our posts with the linkups inside! We'll get back on track I promise)






To see where I’m linking up, check out my Where I Party page.

All credit for the italicized synopses goes to each author and their respective publishers.

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