More Books to Read

        Today’s Top Ten Tuesday is all about the top ten books I recently added to my To Be Read list. There were quite a few novels I added in the span of just a couple of days, so I slimmed it down by not adding more than one by the same author or by listing books I’ve added to multiple other lists. So, without further ado, here are ten of the novels I’ve recently added to my TBR!

Harvest of Rubies by Tessa Afshar

        Harvest of Rubies is the first book in Tessa Afshar’s Harvest of Rubies series, and is one of the many novels by her I added to my TBR. In all honesty, I added every book she’s written, because they all sounded wonderful. Although I haven’t read anything by her yet, I’m hoping I will in the future!

Remarkable talent threatens to cloud a life.

        The prophet Nehemiah has a cousin who can speak several languages, keep complex accounts, write on rolls of parchment and tablets of clay, and solve mysteries.

        This cousin is catapulted into the center of the Persian court—working long hours, rubbing elbows with royalty, and completing high-level tasks as a scribe for the queen. Not bad, for a woman living in a man’s world.

        The talented Sarah has a glowing future, and those closest to her believe her good fortune is the product of none other than God’s glorious design. Yet a devastating past has left Sarah with two strong conclusions: that God does not love her, and that her accomplishments are the measure of her worth.

        The only thing that will help her escape her idol of success, Sarah must learn to love and be loved—a task that could prove dangerous.

A Sparrow in Terezin by Kristy Cambron

        A Sparrow in Terezin is the second book in Kristy Cambron’s Hidden Masterpiece series, coming after The Butterfly and the Violin. Although I haven’t read anything Kristy has written to-date, I am eagerly anticipating diving into her novels, especially this one!

Bound together across time, two women will discover a powerful connection through one survivor’s story of hope in the darkest days of a war-torn world.

        Present Day: With the grand opening of her new art gallery and a fairy-tale wedding just around the corner, Sera James feels like she’s stumbled into a charmed life—until a brutal legal battle against fiancé William Hanover threatens to destroy their future before it even begins.

        Now, after an eleventh-hour wedding ceremony and a callous arrest, William faces a decade in prison for a crime he never committed, and Sera must battle the scathing accusations that threaten her family and any hope for a future with the man she loves.

        1942: Kaja Makovsky narrowly escaped Nazi-occupied Prague in 1939 and was forced to leave behind her half-Jewish family. Now a reporter for The Daily Telegraph in England, Kaja discovers the terror has followed her across the Channel in the shadowy form of the London Blitz. When she learns Jews are being exterminated by the thousands on the continent, she has no choice but to return to her mother city, risking her life to smuggle her family to freedom and peace.

        Connecting across a century through one little girl, a Holocaust survivor with a foot in each world, these two women will discover a kinship that springs even in the darkest of times. In this tale of hope and survival, Sera and Kaja must cling to the faith that sustains them and fight to protect all they hold dear—even if it means placing their own futures on the line.

The Feathered Bone by Julie Cantrell

        The Feathered Bone by Julie Cantrell was the first book I had ever heard of by her, which makes it clear that I have never read one of her novels. This one sounds wonderful, however, and I hope to have the chance to read it once it releases next week.

“Feathers—no matter what size or shape or color—are all the same, if you think about them. They’re soft. Delicate. But the secret thing about feathers is…they are very strong.”

        In the pre-Katrina glow of New Orleans, Amanda Salassi is anxious about chaperoning her daughter’s sixth grade field trip to the Big Easy during Halloween. And then her worst fears come true. Her daughter’s best friend, Sarah, disappears amid the magic and revelry—gone, without a trace.

        Unable to cope with her guilt, Amanda’s daughter sinks into a depression. And Amanda’s husband turns destructive as he watches his family succumb to grief. Before long, Amanda’s whole world has collapsed.

        Amanda knows she has to save herself before it’s too late. As she continues to search for Sarah, she embarks on a personal journey, seeking hope and purpose in the wake of so much tragedy and loss.

        Set amidst the murky parishes of rural Louisiana and told through the eyes of two women who confront the darkest corners of humanity with quiet and unbreakable faith, The Feathered Bone is Julie Cantrell’s master portrait of love in a fallen world.

Your Heart’s Desire by Melody Carlson

        I have read a few of Melody Carlson’s novels in the past, so I naturally add her newer releases to my TBR on a regular basis. Your Heart’s Desire is her latest work that just released earlier this month, and it sounded wonderful, so I quickly added it to by TBR.

        It’s almost New Year’s 1946, a perfect time for Caroline Marshall to start a new chapter in her life. Widowed three years ago when she lost her husband in the war, she has decided to move with her nine-year-old son to join her sister’s family in sunny California. Her sister’s new house has a basement apartment for Caroline to rent, and though jobs for women are scarce with so many veterans returning from the war, it seems the local chocolate factory is hiring. The apartment turns out to be rather dingy, and the job may be working the assembly line—a step down from Caroline’s office job as a secretary back in Minnesota. But Caroline is determined to make a great new life for herself and her son. As she goes about making that happen, she keeps running into a handsome stranger—at the diner, at church, and he even works for M. G. Chocolates. With a New Year, a new home, and a new job, is Caroline ready to find new love?

No Way Up by Mary Connealy

        No Way Up is the first book in Mary Connealy’s Cimarron Legacy series, but isn’t the first of her novels I have added to my TBR. Unfortunately, I haven’t actually gotten around to reading any of them yet; hopefully this book will be different and I’ll be able to read it sometime after it releases in July.

        When Cimarron ranch patriarch Chance Boden is caught in an avalanche, the quick actions of hired hand Heath Kincaid save him. Badly injured, Chance demands that his will be read and its conditions be enforced immediately.

        Without anyone else to serve as a witness, Heath is pressed into reading the will. If Justin, Sadie, and Cole Boden don’t live and work at home for the entire year, the ranch will go to their low-down cousin Mike.

        Then Heath discovers the avalanche was a murder attempt, and more danger might follow. Deeply involved with the family, Heath’s desire to protect Sadie goes far beyond friendship. The danger keeps them close together, and their feelings grow until being apart is the last thing on their minds.

Fading Starlight by Kathryn Cushman

       I have read one of Kathryn’s novels in the past, and have added a couple of them to my TBR list, so when I first heard of Fading Starlight, it wasn’t difficult for me to decide to add it to my list. It so sounds captivating, and I cannot wait for it to release in May so I can hopefully read it!

A tale of unexpected friendship and old Hollywood glamour.

        Lauren Summers is hiding. Her fashion house internship should have launched her career, but a red carpet accident has left her blackballed. The only job she finds is unpaid, but comes with free lodging—a run-down cottage in the shadow of a cliff-side mansion. Unsure of what comes next, she’s surprised to be contacted by a reporter researching a reclusive former Hollywood ingénue who lives in the nearby mansion.

        Kendall Joiner wants Lauren’s help uncovering the old woman’s secrets. In return, she’ll prove the red carpet accident was a publicity stunt so Lauren can regain her former job. With all her dreams in front of her, Lauren’s tempted by the offer, but as she and the old woman get to know each other, Lauren realizes nothing is quite as it seems.

The Wedding Shop Rachel Hauck

        I have absolutely loved everything I’ve read by Rachel Hauck to-date, so every time she comes out with a new work in progress, I immediately add it to my TBR. The Wedding Shop is no exception. I just can’t wait for it to release in August so I can finally read it.

Two women separated by decades. Both set out to help others find their dreams when their own have crumbled.

        It’s the 1930’s, and Cora is taking the reins at her family’s wedding shop in Heart’s Bend, Tennessee. Brides come from far away to be doted on by Cora and her family while they find the perfect wedding dress. Meanwhile, Cora has found her true love, Rufus, a riverboat captain. Cora counts the days until his return from the river, and she continues to wait for him as days turn into months and months turn into years. When he finally returns, she receives the shock of a lifetime: he is married to another. Nursing her heartbreak, she must find a way to continue pouring her heart into the hopes and dreams of the brides who visit her shop, all while wondering if she will ever find true love or if it has passed her by.

        In present day, Haley has finished her time as a soldier, and suffering from PTSD, wants nothing to do with the heartbreak of this world. She sets off for Heart’s Bend, Tennessee, and in order to honor the memory of a fallen friend, she takes on the task of reopening an abandoned and long-forgotten wedding shop. Perhaps through helping others, she can forget the pain and disappointment in her own life.

        Haley isn’t looking for love, but when her friend’s former fiancé becomes involved in the shop’s renovations, they both find that healing and restoration can perhaps happen in their lives too.

Where Hope Prevails by Janette Oke

        Where Hope Prevails is the third book in Janette Oke’s Return to the Canadian West series, coming after Where Courage Calls and Where Trust Lies. Although I haven’t read any of the novels in this series, I have read many of Janette’s previous stories and absolutely loved them, so I knew I had to add this one to my TBR. Besides, I’ve been watching When Calls the Heart—the TV tie in—since the day it debut on television. How could I not want to read these books?

        When Beth Thatcher returns to Coal Valley, she has much to be excited about. She anticipates Jarrick’s proposal of marriage and perhaps a spring wedding. The mine is expanding, and there are more schoolchildren than ever.

        But the town’s rapid growth brings many challenges. A second teacher is assigned, and Beth finds herself going head-to-head with a very different philosophy of education—one that dismisses religion and rejects God. Fearful for the children who sit under the influence of Robert Harris Hughes, Beth struggles to know how to respond.

        At the same time, Beth wonders if Jarrick is considering a position at her father’s company simply for her sake. Should she admit her feelings on the matter? Or keep silent and allow Jarrick to make up his own mind.

No Other Will Do by Karen Witemeyer

        I have read almost every single one of Karen Witemeyer’s novels and loved every single one, so as soon as I heard she was coming out with No Other Will Do this June, I absolutely had to add it to my TBR. I’m already dying to read it!

        Men are optional. That’s the credo Emma Chandler’s suffragette aunts preached and why she started a successful women’s colony in Harper’s Station, Texas. But when an unknown assailant tries repeatedly to drive them out, Emma admits they might need a man after all. A man who can fight—and she knows just the one.

        Malachi Shaw finally earned the respect he craved by becoming an explosives expert for the railroad. Yet when Emma’s plea arrives, he bolts to Harper’s Station to repay the girl who once saved his life. Only she’s not a girl any longer. She’s a woman with a mind of her own and a smile that makes a man imagine a future he doesn’t deserve.

        As the danger intensifies, old feelings grow and deepen, but Emma and Mal will need more than love to survive.

With This Ring: A Novella Collection of Proposals Gone Awry by Various Authors

        I always love a good romance collection, and With This Ring? seems like just the perfect one. Plus, all of the installments are by some of my favorite authors, so I just had to add this to my TBR.

Humorous historical romance novella collection offers love and laughs.

        Four top historical romance novelists team up in this new collection to offer stories of love and romance with a twist of humor. In Karen Witemeyer’s “The Husband Maneuver,” Marietta Hawkins decides to grab the reins when the ranch foreman she loves seems to be leaving forever. Regina Jennings offers “Her Dearly Unintended,” where friends stranded by a rising river pretend to be newlyweds when a dangerous stranger arrives. Mary Connealy’s “Runaway Bride” finds a Texas Ranger getting more than he expected when he rescues a young woman fleeing a dangerous arranged marriage. And Melissa Jagears’ “Engaging the Competition” finds a young woman forced to assist the man she’s often sparred with after an accident leaves him helpless. Each tale is a fun blend of history and romance that will delight readers.

        So, those are the top ten novels I recently added to my TBR. What about you? What are some new books you’re looking forward to reading?

        Happy Tuesday and happy reading!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly linkup hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

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.