Must-Have March Releases

        I can’t believe it’s that time again, and yet here I am, posting about the March releases I’m just dying to read. How can it possibly almost be March? I have no earthly idea, but I’m glad if it means I’m getting closer and closer to being able to read these books! Sorry it’s such a long post, but I just had to add all of these books! Check them out; they’re going to be fabulous!

Change of Heart

        A Colorado senator’s wife, Evelyn Brandt seems to have it all. But her carefully constructed life comes toppling down when the FBI crashes her society brunch with the news that her husband has been arrested for embezzlement, and he’s far from repentant. It turns out this was only the start of his indiscretions—for which he has little regret.

Paper Hearts by Courtney Walsh

Could the loss of her dream lead to her happily ever after?

        Abigail Pressman would never have guessed that love notes penned on paper hearts by an anonymous couple could challenge her doubts about romance. A business owner in a quaint tourist town, she dreams of expanding. But lately, she’s more focused on resisting the matchmaking efforts of the Valentine Volunteers, who gather in her store to continue Loves Park’s tradition of stamping mail with the city’s romantic postmark.

        When Abigail is unwillingly drafted into the Volunteers, she encounters the paper hearts, a distraction that couldn’t come at a worse time. A hard-to-read doctor has become Abigail’s new landlord, and he’s threatening to end her lease.

My Bookshelf: If I Run by Terri Blackstock

Casey knows the truth. But it won’t set her free.

        Casey Cox’s DNA is all over the crime scene. There’s no use talking to police; they have failed her abysmally before. She has to flee before she’s arrested…or worse. The truth doesn’t matter anymore.

        But what is the truth? That’s the question haunting Dylan Roberts, the war-weary veteran hired to find Casey. PTSD has marked him damaged goods, but bringing Casey back can redeem him. Though the crime scene seems to tell the whole story, details of the murder aren’t adding up. Casey Cox doesn’t fit the profile of a killer. But are Dylan’s skewed perceptions keeping him from being objective? If she isn’t guilty, why did she run?

I Haven't Told You About These Yet?

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday is supposed to be Ten Books I Enjoyed Recently That Weren’t My Typical Genre, but I found that I didn’t really have very many books to add to that list, maybe because I’m a little stuck in my ways and tend to stick to the same genre. Either way, I just decided to run with one of their previous topics, going with one about books I loved but never reviewed. This list could actually be fairly long, since I have been reading for quite some time but only recently started reviewing novels, but I slimmed it down by only using books on my all-time favorites list. So, here are some of my absolute favorite books that I just haven’t reviewed yet.

Finally and Forever by Robin Jones Gunn

The fourth book in Robin’s Katie Weldon series, coming after Peculiar Treasures, On a Whim, and Coming Attractions.

A Miracle of Hope by Ruth Reid

She’s heard about forgiveness all her life, but how far does God’s mercy truly reach?

        Lindie Wyse thinks an arranged marriage is the only way to preserve a future for herself and her unborn child. Josiah Plank is certain he’ll never love again, but he needs someone to care for his deaf eight-year-old daughter, Hannah. The two take on their arrangement tentatively at first but soon realize they are each in for more than they imagined. After a short time, Lindie experiences a breakthrough with Hannah when she recognizes the child’s special gifts, but a risky pregnancy and serious health issues threaten to demolish the foundation Josiah and Lindie are building—and the love that is growing between them.

        Will their marriage survive their struggles, or will their hearts become as cold as the northern winter?

My Bookshelf: You’re the One That I Want by Susan May Warren

        Owen Christiansen has been in a downward spiral since an injury ended his NHL career. But a job on an Alaskan crabbing boat offers a fresh start…maybe even a shot at romance with Elise “Scotty” McFlynn, the captain’s daughter.

        Used to being one of the guys, to never relying on anyone, Scotty doesn’t believe in happily ever after—especially with someone like Owen. Her instinct is confirmed when Casper Christiansen arrives to drag his prodigal brother home, bringing with him a truckload of family drama—and even worse, the news that Casper is wanted for questioning in connection to a crime back in Minnesota.

        But Owen is more than the sum of his mistakes, a truth both he and Scotty discover when she escorts both brothers to Deep Haven as part of her new job on the Anchorage police force. Thrust into an unfamiliar world of family, faith, and fresh starts, Scotty begins to see potential for a happy ending…if she’s brave enough to embrace it.

Book Number Two!

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday is actually supposed to be the top ten songs I wish were books, but I just couldn’t come up with anything within that theme. However, I still wanted to participate as I absolutely love writing Top Ten Tuesday posts, so I just looked at their list of previous Top Ten Tuesdays and took it from there. One of their previous themes was the top ten sequels I am dying to read, and I thought I would give that a chance. Since I needed a way to narrow that down a little bit, I picked only books that are number two in their series. So, here are some of the book-number-twos I am absolutely dying to read…

The Goodbye Bride by Denise Hunter

Coming after Falling Like Snowflakes in Denise's Summer Harbor series.

A Reluctant Bride by Kathleen Fuller

She never wanted to marry. He hopes to make amends for past wrongs. Can love find a way to heal both of their hearts?

        Sadie Schrock swore she would never marry. All of her other Amish friends could court and marry—she was content to manage the family business and eventually take it over when her parents are ready to retire. But all of that changes when a reckless driver kills both of her parents and seriously injures her younger sister. With mounting hospital bills adding to the pile of debt her parents left behind, Sadie is left with no choice: she must marry. And not just any man—the man who saw her at her weakest and walked away.

        Aden knows what his brother did to Sadie years ago was inexcusable. And every day since that incident, Aden has lived with the guilt for not intervening sooner. When he is faced with the chance to protect Sadie once again, he can’t let her down—even if it means living with the scorn of the woman he loves for the rest of his life.

The Dandelion Field by Kathryn Springer

This handsome firefighter makes a living coming to the rescue, but Gin doesn’t need a man to fight her battles.

                After Raine’s dad walked out, Ginevieve Lightly never lived in one place too long, a rambling lifestyle that defined her daughter’s youth. When their car dies in Banister Falls, Wisconsin, Gin promises Raine they can stay until she finishes her senior year of high school. Gin will do anything to make sure her daughter has a bright future…a future that’s compromised when Raine reveals she’s pregnant.

        Dan Moretti has only ever called Banister Falls home. After losing his best friend in a tragic accident, Dan devoted himself to responding to fires, rescuing the helpless, and guiding Cody Bennett, his best friend’s son, through life. With Cody being the epitome of the good kid, it was an easy job. Until he says four little words: “The baby is mine.”

My Bookshelf: Keeper of the Stars by Robin Lee Hatcher

Forgiveness is the only cure for heartbreak. But can Penny forgive the man she holds responsible for her brother’s death?

        When her mother died from pneumonia, Penny Cartwright was heartbroken. But now, after burying her younger brother just 12 years later, she is devastated. Anger, guilt, and sorrow cloud Penny’s mind, and the last thing she wants is to be reminded of her pain—but that’s exactly what happens when a stranger comes to town.

        Trevor Reynolds has been chasing fame for more than a dozen years, but his musical career can’t get off the ground. While on the road, an accident kills his young drummer, Brad Cartwright. Trevor wasn’t behind the wheel, but he still blames himself…and so does Brad’s sister, Penny. Now Trevor finds himself in Kings Meadow, determined to follow through on his final promise to his friend.

My Bookshelf: Kissed by a Cowboy by Debra Clopton

Cassidy was looking for a home and a place to belong…not for a cowboy to steal her heart.

        Having lived through her parents’ endless string of “matrimonial bliss gone wrong,” Cassidy Starr knows when the odds are not in her favor. Divorced and humiliated, her faith on rocky ground, Cassidy is through with love. She’s been bucked off that horse far too many times. Instead, she returns to Wishing Springs, Texas, and the rundown farm she’s inherited from her great aunt Roxie. She’ll reopen the strawberry farm and a bed & breakfast and follow in her aunt’s footsteps, remaining forever-independent, happy…and single.

        Rancher Jarrod Monahan’s hands are full running the ranch, looking after his ailing grandfather, and chasing down a group of rustlers on the loose. He’s pushed his longing for a family to the bottom of his list of priorities. Besides, he was in love once but ran scared and lost his shot at happiness.  But suddenly, the biggest regret of his life has moved in next door with a wounded heart, determined to become a spinster…and that’s a challenge that Jarrod can’t pass up.

From the Start by Melissa Tagg

        Kate Walker used to believe in true love and happily ever after. While her own love life may have left her brokenhearted, it hasn’t kept her from churning out made-for-TV romance movie screenplays…until a major career slump and a longing to do something meaningful send her running back to her hometown of Maple Valley.

        Permanently sidelined by an injury, former NFL quarterback Colton Greene is temporarily hiding out in a friend’s hometown to avoid the media and the reminders of all he’s lost. Maple Valley seems like the perfect place to learn how to adjust to normal life. The only trouble is, he’s never really done normal before.

Mist of Midnight by Sandra Byrd

        In the first of a brand-new series set in Victorian England, a young woman returns home from India after the death of her family to discover her identity and inheritance are challenged by the man who holds her future in his hands.

        Rebecca Ravenshaw, daughter of missionaries, spent most of her life in India. Following the death of her family in the Indian Mutiny, Rebecca returns to claim her family estate in Hampshire, England. Upon her return, people are surprised to see her…and highly suspicious. Less than a year earlier, an imposter had arrived with an Indian servant and assumed not only Rebecca’s name, but her home and incomes.

My Bookshelf: A Son’s Vow by Shelley Shepard Gray

        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.

Top Ten Favorite Historical Novels

Although today’s Top Ten Tuesday category isn’t exactly the same as mine, it is all about either history or the future, so I decided to make my own historical category. These are my top ten favorite historical novels of all time, coming straight from my absolute favorites list.

The Captive Maiden by Melanie Dickerson

Happily ever after…or happily nevermore?

Gisela’s childhood was filled with laughter and visits from nobles such as the duke and his young son. But since her father’s death, each day has been filled with nothing but servitude to her stepmother. So when Gisela learns the duke’s son, Valten—the boy she has daydreamed about for years—is throwing a ball in hopes of finding a wife, she vows to find a way to attend, even if it’s only for a taste of a life she’ll never have. To her surprise, she catches Valten’s eye. Though he is rough around the edges, Gisela finds Valten has completely captured her heart. But other forces are bent on keeping the two from falling further in love, putting Gisela in more danger than she ever imagined.