Monday, December 28, 2015

Must-Have January Releases

        How is it already almost January? I cannot believe it is about to be 2016! That seems like such a crazy concept, and yet, here it is. The good thing about this transition though, is that there are so many wonderful novels I am looking forward to this year, especially in January. Here’s my list of the books that are releasing this upcoming month, I am sure you can find something there you will enjoy as there are quite a few different types of fiction represented here.

Calico Spy

        Pinkerton operative Katie Madison’s newest case takes her to Calico, Kansas, where two Harvey House restaurant waitresses were murdered in mysterious circumstances. Calico’s sheriff, Branch Whitman, has never met a Pink he liked and is stunned to learn the pretty redhead’s true identity as she works undercover as a Harvey girl. A tornado hits town, and a past deception puts Branch’s eight-year-old son in danger. Now the Sheriff has no choice but to work with Katie or chance losing everything he holds dear.


        Calico Spy is the third book in Margaret Brownley’s Undercover Ladies series, coming after Petticoat Detective and Undercover Bride. While I didn’t have the chance to read Undercover Bride, I did read Petticoat Detective, and I absolutely loved it. Margaret does a wonderful job of weaving together mystery and romance in a way that is intriguing and unforgettable, and this novel sounds like it would be no exception. I cannot wait to hopefully have the chance to get lost between the pages of such a captivating-sounding mystery!

Beyond the Silence

        Lillian Porter has always wanted to fulfill her mother’s dream of going west, so when she hears about a nanny position in Angels Camp, California, she defies her grandfather and takes a chance on a new future. But she quickly wonders if she made the right choice. There are rumors in town that her new employer, Woodward Colton, caused the death of his wife. This accusation doesn’t match the man Lillian comes to know—and Mrs. Goodman, Woody’s long-time housekeeper, is decisively on Woody’s side—but many in town stay far away from Lillian because of her association with the Colton family.
        Lillian’s six-year-old charge, Jimmy, was there when his mother died, and he hasn’t spoken a word since. Gently, Lillian tries to coax him out of his shell, hoping he’ll one day feel safe enough to tell her the truth about what happened. But the Colton olive farm is no longer a safe place. Lillian encounters suspicious characters on their land and mysterious damage done to the farm. Will Mrs. Goodman and Jimmy be able to speak what they know in time to save Lillian from tragedy?


        Although I have read quite a few books by Tracie Peterson, I have yet to read anything by Kimberly Woodhouse, so I am excited to be able to dive right into this novel that they wrote together. Beyond the Silence seems like such a deep, mysterious, heartwarming story that I am so sure I am going to love, so I am extremely glad that I will be receiving a copy as soon as it can finally get here. I am hopeful that it will be just as amazing as it sounds, and that I will be able to post my review of it someday this month!

Thin Ice

        After losing her parents in a car accident and her sister to a house fire, Christy Reed has been mired in grief. Life is finally starting to feel normal again when an envelope arrives in the mail—addressed in her sister’s handwriting. And the note inside claims she is still alive.
        FBI Special Agent Lance McGregor, a former Delta Force operator, is assigned to reopen the case, but he’s coming up with more questions than answers. If Ginny Reed is still alive—who is the woman buried in her grave? Where is Ginny? And is Christy a pawn in a twisted cat-and-mouse game—or the target of a sinister plot? As he digs deeper, one thing becomes clear: whoever is behind the bizarre ruse has a deadly agenda.


        Thin Ice is the second book in Irene Hannon’s Men of Valor series, coming after Buried Secrets. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the chance to read Buried Secrets, so I cannot accurately tell you what all these novels hold, but I have heard wonderful things about both the stories and Irene Hannon, so I am hopeful that Thin Ice will be an interesting read. It definitely sounds captivating!

Undaunted Hope

        Tessa Taylor arrives in 1870s Upper Peninsula, Michigan, planning to serve as a new teacher to the town. Much to her dismay, however, she immediately learns that there was a mistake, that the town had requested a male teacher. Percival Updegraff, superintendent and chief mine clerk, says she can stay through winter since they won’t be able to locate a new teacher before then, and Tessa can’t help but say she is  in his debt. Little does she know that Percival will indeed keep track of all that she owes him.
        Determined to become indispensable, Tessa throws herself into teaching, and soon the children of the widowed lighthouse keeper have decided she’s the right match for their grieving father. Their uncle and assistant light keeper, Alex Bjorklund, has his own feelings for Tessa. As the two brothers begin competing for her hand, Tessa increasingly feels that someone is tracking her every move, and she may not be able to escape the trap that has been laid for her.


        Undaunted Hope is the third book in Jody Hedlund’s Beacons of Hope series, coming after Love Unexpected and Hearts Made Whole. I absolutely loved both of the previous novels in the series, so I just know that I will really enjoy the final installment as well. It sounds as if it will be the perfect conclusion to the story, and I’m so excited to see what happens to Tessa, who I met earlier in Hearts Made Whole.

A Worthy Heart

Can an Irish lass with a dream for America find true love?
        Maggie Montgomery’s long-held wish to see America is finally coming true. She’ll visit her beloved brother Rylan and his wife, Colleen, and at the same time, escape Neill Fitzgerald’s unwanted attention. In addition, Maggie has a secret! She plans to remain in America to seek her fortune and to hopefully find love. While visiting Irish Meadows, she meets an intriguing man whom she thinks is a stable hand. Only when Rylan demands she stay away from Adam O’Leary does she realize he’s Colleen’s brother, recently released from prison. Nonetheless, Maggie can’t seem to make her heart conform to her brother’s request.
        Adam O’Leary has never felt worthy of his place in the family. Spending time in jail only reinforces his belief. Now that he’s free, Adam hopes to make amends and earn back his family’s trust. Falling in love with Maggie Montgomery, however, was never in his plans.
        Despite everyone’s effort to keep them apart, the two develop a bond nothing can break—but has Adam truly changed, or will the sins of his past prove too much for Maggie to overcome?


        A Worthy Heart is the second book in Susan Anne Mason’s Courage to Dream series, coming after Irish Meadows. I really, really enjoyed Irish Meadows, and I absolutely cannot wait to get to read Adam’s story. He seemed like such a tough, bad-boy-type guy when I met him in the first novel, and I am excited to see how he really is, and how he redeems himself throughout the story. Bad guys who redeem themselves are literally the best, so I am super pumped to watch Adam go through that process.

Mermaid Moon

Audra’s father uttered his last words in a phone call: “Come home to Mermaid Beach.” Now she’s back—determined to find the truth.
        Audra Davis believes her father was murdered. Her childhood sweetheart Kevin O’Connor, game warden of Mermaid Beach, is also suspicious of the accident—but he’s equally determined to keep Audra at arm’s length. She broke his heart years ago when she left without a word. He’s not about to lower his guard and let her get close again. He has his daughter Faith to think about. With his track record, he doesn’t think any woman will stay in down-east Maine’s remote windswept coast.
        Hoping to discover what happened to her father, Audra takes over his mail boat duties, guiding his trusted boat on deliveries to see what she can uncover. Soon she finds letters from her birth mother—letters postmarked but never delivered. How could her father have kept them from her all this time? Do they have anything to do with his murder?
        In spite of his doubts, Kevin thinks Audra might be right about her father’s death. As the only law enforcement officer in the area, he has a duty to help her track down the killer. Spending so much time together begins to rekindle the torch he’s carried for her all these years, but he still sees the guilt in her eyes that drove her away in the first place, guilt over choosing to spend time with him the fateful night her mother dies instead of fueling her mother’s boat. Can Kevin and Audra navigate their way to each other before a murderer rips them apart forever?


        Mermaid Moon is the second book in Colleen Coble’s Sunset Cove series, coming after The Inn at Ocean’s Edge. I really LOVED every single second of The Inn at Ocean’s Edge, so I cannot WAIT to open up Mermaid Moon. Fortunately, I was blessed with the wonderful opportunity to be an influencer for it, so I already have my copy that I will start just as soon as I get the chance. Look out for my review, because it’s coming soon and it’s going to be full of reasons why Colleen is an amazing author.

Keeper of the Stars

She blames him for her brother’s death. Can she let go of resentment and open her heart to love?
        Penny Cartwright found it difficult to understand why her younger brother would choose to join a country singer’s band rather than return to Kings Meadow after college…and the separation strained their relationship. Then a car accident made certain her brother could never return.
        Trevor Reynolds has chased stardom in Nashville for more than a dozen years, but it remains out of his reach. After an accident kills his young drummer, Trevor goes to Kings Meadow to keep a promise—and perhaps to discover what truly matters in this life.
        Thrown together by circumstances, Penny and Trevor must learn to give and receive forgiveness. And if they do, perhaps something beautiful can rise from the ashes of heartbreak.


        Keeper of the Stars is the third book in Robin Lee Hatcher’s Kings Meadow Romance series, coming after Love Without End and Whenever You Come Around. I absolutely LOVED Whenever You Come Around, and I really enjoyed Love Without End as well, so I am almost certain I will love Keeper of the Stars as well. It sounds like the perfect story, full of heartbreak and redemption, forgiveness and love, and I absolutely cannot wait to read it! Good thing I am also receiving a copy of this one!

A Son’s Vow

        Three months ago, everything changed for Darla Kurtz and her family. Darla’s father was responsible for a terrible fire at the Charm’s lumber mill which killed five Amish men. And though he, too, lost his life, the town of Charm hasn’t looked at her family the same since. Even Lukas Kinsinger—with whom Darla used to have a close relationship.
        Now her brother’s anger at the town is spilling over onto Darla, and she has the bruises to prove it. The accident already cost five lives, but if something doesn’t change soon, Darla fears it will cost her—and her family—even more.
        Lukas Kinsinger wants to mourn the loss of his father, but he can hardly find time to breathe. Suddenly the head of his father’s lumber mill and responsible for taking care of his three siblings, he’s feeling the pressure. He has also never felt more alone—especially with the new tension between he and Darla. But when he learns of her troubles at home, Lukas knows he can’t simply stand by and watch. Someone has to help her before another tragedy occurs.
        As Lukas and Darla attempt to repair their families, they discover something deeper than friendship growing between them. But will Lukas and Darla’s love be accepted after so much loss? Or will the pain of the past overcome any chance of future happiness?


        A Son’s Vow is the first book in Shelley Shepard Gray’s The Charmed Amish Life series, but is definitely not the first book I have read by her. Although I enjoyed her historical mysteries quite a bit more than her Amish novels, I do like them, and am looking forward to diving into this one. And guess what, I’m getting this one as well, so I will be sure to read it quickly so that I can let you know how wonderful it is!

        Those are the books I am looking forward to releasing this January! What about you? Do any of these look interesting? Do you have a few books you are looking forward to reading next month?
        Happy January!!!



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 publishers.

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