Must-Have August Releases & Link-Up

        So, as many of you may be aware, for the last couple of months I have been doing a post at the end of the month about the books I am looking forward to that release in the following days. Today, for the first time ever, I am not posting this on the last day, or the day before last, but actually on the last Monday of the month because I have decided to make this post my very own link-up! Isn’t that exciting?! From now on, the last Monday of every month will be my must-have link-up. Although my post is all about books, yours doesn’t have to be! After you’ve read all about my must-haves, check out the bottom of this post for the rules (don’t worry there aren’t many) and for the place where you can link-up a post of your very own!

The Gift

Not everyone thinks Leah has a gift…

        Leah Mast and her family have always considered her to have a healing touch and a special gift for reflexology—treating people’s ailments by massaging certain places on their feet. But others scoff at the notion, saying the very idea of curing people of illness through their feet is absurd.

        Adam Beachy is one of those scoffers, even though his own mother used to practice reflexology. And then she left the Amish faith and walked out on her family, leaving his father to raise Adam and his sister alone. Now Adam mocks reflexology and balks at the idea of ever marrying and starting a family of his own.

        When tragedy strikes, Adam is suddenly a father figure to his nieces. He finds himself needing a wife—immediately. Despite their differences, Leah seems the best option to fill that role. Can they hope to find peace and love in a modern-day marriage of convenience?

        The Gift is the second book in Wanda E. Brunstetter’s Prairie State Friends series, coming after The Decision. Although I was sorely disappointed in The Decision and had a very difficult time finishing it, I just love the description to The Gift, so I cannot help but still look forward to giving it a try. I did like what little I got to know of Leah’s character throughout the previous book, so I am hopeful that this story will turn out to be much better than the first.

Pre-order it here before its release on the fourth.

Not by Sight

        In the spring of 1917, all of Britain’s attention is on the WWI war front and the thousands of young men serving their country on the front lines. Jack Benningham, dashing heir to the Earl of Stonebrooke, is young and able-bodied but refuses to enlist despite the contempt of his peers.

        A wealthy young suffragette, Grace Mabry will do anything to assist her country’s cause. Men like Jack infuriate her when she thinks of her own brother fighting in the trenches of France, so she has no reservations about handing him a white feather of cowardice at a posh masquerade ball.

        But Grace could not anticipate the danger and betrayal set into motion by her actions, and soon she and Jack are forced to learn the true meaning of courage when the war raging overseas suddenly strikes much closer to home and their fervent beliefs become a matter of life and death.

        Kate Breslin is a relatively new author to me; I just read my first book by her not to long ago as I was trying to decide if I wanted to include Not by Sight to this line-up, and I must say I am very glad I discovered her. I absolutely LOVED For Such a Time—her debut novel—as it was interesting, captivating, impossible to put down, and her hero and heroine were so easy to fall in love with. I knew before I had even gotten halfway through that book that I would be on the lookout for anything else written by Kate, so I was ecstatic when I got the opportunity to become a part of her Book Krew, which meant I have now received a copy of Not by Sight in exchange for my honest review. While it has been torture for me to leave that novel unopened on my shelf so that I could finish the books I had planned to read this month, I know that I will be devouring it soon, just in time to post my review on release day. Look out for my exclamations of love for Not by Sight—which I know will be pouring from my mouth the minute I start the first page—on August the fourth!

I highly recommend you grab a copy this book, and one of For Such a Time! Pick up either of them here!

The Potter’s Lady

In the beautiful rolling hills of West Virginia, Rose McKay seeks a measure of success—in business and in love.

        When Rose McKay convinces her brother, Ewan, to invest in a pottery business, she’s determined to assist him in making the endeavor a success. A recent graduate of the Philadelphia School of Design for Women, she believes she can design pieces that will sell well. Rose also reconnects with Joshua Harkness, who oversees his own family’s pottery works and promises to help her.

        Rylan Campbell has never liked change, but the new owners of the pottery seem to be decent folks. He just wishes Rose wouldn’t insist on changing the way they do things. Then McKay Pottery begins to lose business to the Harkness Company, and Rylan suspects Joshua may be secretly taking advantage of Rose.

        When Franklin Hotels announces a design contest, it could be the opportunity McKay Pottery needs to achieve recognition and clients. Rose and Rylan work together to create something magnificent. With Joshua’s company as their main rival, can Rylan convince Rose her trust in Joshua may spell ruin for them all?

        The Potter’s Lady is the second book in Judith Miller’s Refined by Love series, coming after The Brickmaker’s Bride. Although The Brickmaker’s Bride did not make it on my good side, and was in fact a story I had a very hard time getting interested in, I could not help but fall in love with Rose, who appeared as a multiple times as a minor character. Because of that, I cannot help but still look forward to this novel, as I am sure it will turn out to be more interesting than the first.

Pre-order a copy of your own here!

Through Waters Deep

War is coming. Can love carry them through the rough waters that lie ahead?

        It is 1941 and America teeters on the brink of war. Handsome and outgoing naval officer Ensign Jim Avery escorts British convoys across the North Atlantic in a brand-new destroyer, the USS Atwood. On shore, Jim encounters Mary Stirling, a childhood friend who is now an astute and beautiful Boston Navy Yard secretary.

        When evidence of sabotage on the Atwood is discovered, Jim and Mary must work together to uncover the culprit. A bewildering maze of suspects emerges, and Mary is dismayed to find that even someone close to her is under suspicion. With the increasing pressure, Jim and Mary find that many new challenges—and dangers—await them.

        Although I haven’t read many of Sarah Sundin’s books, I have LOVED what I have read so far. She writes the best war themed novels full of interesting facts and sweet romances. I read With Every Letter a little over a month ago, and I still can’t forget how much I loved that novel! Sarah does an amazing job of drawing you in and leaving you breathless. Based on the description, I know this book will be no exception. I cannot wait to see what this novel holds!

Pre-order a copy of Through Waters Deep here or snatch up With Every Letter here!

Be My Valentino

        Now that the whole truth has come out about her husband's double life—including the fact that she and Jack were never legally married—Jessie is standing on her own for the first time in her life. As she struggles to put Adornments, her rental store for designer labels, on the map in Tinsel Town, her relationship with private investigator Danny Callahan gains momentum

        When she dresses a reluctant Danny in Valentino for undercover work at a formal affair, it’s him rather than her store that captures Hollywood’s notice. Danny, snapped by photogs, lands as the unlikely cover model on the front of L. A. Magazine. So much for inconspicuous. Will his popularity thwart her efforts to grow her business? Or worse, can Jessie afford to put her faith—and her heart—into another relationship when she’s so obviously handicapped in the good judgement department?

        Be My Valentino is the second book in Sandra D. Bricker’s Jessie Stanton series, but I haven’t had the chance to read the first one, since my library has yet to order it (sad face). However, I have read many of her other novels, so I am sure both of the Jessie Stanton books are well worth reading. I am looking forward to being able to read them, whenever that may be, and I hope you are too!

You can purchase a copy of each (which I may have to do) here!

To Get to You

To get to the girl he loves, Riley Kane must head off on a road trip with the father he never knew. Then pray for a miracle.

        Most teens would love to have a pro surfer for a dad. Just not Riley. Abandoned as a kid, he hates the sound of the ocean and the man who gave himself to it.

        When the eighteen-year-old learns that his best friend is stranded at a New Mexico hospital as her father fights for his life, Riley hits the highway to head east. But when his Jeep breaks down before he even leaves California, he must rely on the one man he despises to get to the girl who needs him the most. And when it comes to the surfer with the Volkswagen van and dog-eared map, a thousand miles may—or may not—be enough to heal the past.

        I have never actually read any of Joanne Bischof’s novels yet, but the description of this book is amazing! Yet is the word to remember in that sentence, because I know I will be reading one of her novels very soon! To Get to You sounds like something right up my alley, and ever since I read its description I have been dying to read this book!

You can pre-order a copy of it here!

        So, these are my must-haves for the month of August! Now it’s your turn! Whether it’s books you cannot wait to read (new releases or not), recipes you are dying to try, new clothes you can’t wait to wear, or anything else you’re looking forward to in the coming month, feel free to post about it and add your post here! I’d love to read all about your must-haves, although I would love to read anything you want to share, must-haves are just my theme for this link-up. However, that is not a rule, so feel free to share anything you wish! I am making it my goal to read everything linked-up here on my blog, and cannot wait for all the new blogger friends I know I will be making from this adventure! Just click the link below for more information and to add your own link!

        Happy August!!!

An InLinkz Link-up

Linking-up at Let It Shine, Bloggers Who Have Inspired Me, and Totally Terrific Tuesdays.

All credit for the italicized synopses goes to the authors: Wanda E. Brunstetter, Kate Breslin, Judith Miller, Sarah Sundin, Sandra D. Bricker, and Joanne Bischof, and their publishers: Shiloh Run Press, Bethany House, Revell, Abingdon Press, and Mason Jar Books.