Must-Have June Releases

        How is it already almost June? Although part of me almost feels like I’ve been on summer break forever—now don’t get me wrong I didn’t say I wanted school to start back, I just miss my school friends—the other part of me feels like I was just leaving school and going on vacation, but that was a month ago and I’m not sure how that’s possible. Anyway, I’m really glad that it is almost June because that means I’m going to the beach, and it means all these wonderful books I’m excited for are finally going to release! Take a look at this great list! And, if you want to see any of my full reviews of any of the already-released novels mentioned here, just click on the green titles!

Jilted

A heartbroken woman desires to move beyond old memories, but will her past give way to hope?

        Lynda Turner has struggled with depression since her husband abandoned her and their young daughter fifteen years ago. Yet unexpected hope awakens when a local ex-convict shows interest. As long-hidden secrets resurface, Lynda must fight for her emotional stability and for a life in which the shadow of shame is replaced by the light of love.

        Jilted tells of a woman who has lost the joy of living, of a man determined to draw her back to happiness, and of a town that must—once and for all—leave the past where it belongs. It is a gentle reminder that all things can work together for good.

        Jilted is the third book in Varina Denman’s Mended Hearts series, coming after Jaded and Justified. I cannot even describe to you how much I loved both of the previous books in this series, so you can only imagine how much I am dying to read this novel. Fortunately for me, the Litfuse group is doing a blog tour for it, so I’ve already got a copy sitting on my shelf waiting for me to pick it up just as soon as I get the chance.

Close to Home

        Bree Cordel Whitman is a Whitman by marriage, but sometimes she forgets she wasn’t born into Grant and Audrey’s family. Her late husband, Timothy Whitman, gave his life for his country on a windblown hill in Afghanistan. Bree has let the love of Tim’s family keep her ties to him strong—in the same way she keeps Tim’s memory alive for them. But it’s been almost five years, and she can’t hang onto the past forever.

        Fighting the guilt she feels for wanting to love again, she can’t help her dreams about a tall, dark, and handsome man—a man who is not her Tim. How can she accept the flirtations from Drew Brooks without throwing the Whitman family back into grieving? And how can Drew compete with the ghost of a hero and the hero’s very alive family who seem to hold some spell over the woman who shares their name…a woman he might just love?

        Close to Home is the fourth book in Deborah Raney’s Chicory Inn series, coming after Home to Chicory Lane, Two Roads Home, and Another Way Home. Although I haven’t yet had the chance to read any of these books, they all sound fabulous, and I hope to get the chance to read them soon! Especially once this new installment comes out!

Forever Safe

Will she ever be able to stop running, even when she believes she’s finally safe?

        Heiress to a vast fortune, Victoria Cole has everything she wants, including the perfect fiancé. Having left two other men at the altar, Victoria is sure that now she’s found her true love and will finally live happily ever after. As her wedding draws near, however, Victoria’s life is threatened. To keep her safe, Victoria’s father hires a bodyguard.

        Tom Cushman’s number one priority is protecting his clients, which means no personal entanglements. But he’s never guarded someone as beautiful and winsome as Victoria. After a near-kidnapping, the wedding is cancelled, and Tom hides Victoria at Cape Cod’s Race Point Lighthouse until her attacker can be found. Appointed as assistant light keeper with Victoria posing as his wife, Tom believes the isolation of the lighthouse will keep her safe.

        As Victoria struggles to live without familiar luxuries, her heart betrays her with growing feelings for her protector. Determined to help Tom stop fleeing from his haunted past, can the runaway bride learn to face her own fears? With the attacker closing in, will both of them ever be able to stop running and find the safety they long for?

     Forever Safe is the fourth book in Jody Hedlund’s Beacons of Hope series, coming after Love Unexpected, Hearts Made Whole, and Undaunted Hope. I absolutely loved both Love Unexpected and Hearts Made Whole, so I’m hopeful that I would really enjoy both Undaunted Hope, and Forever Safe.

A Haven on Orchard Lane

       In difficult circumstances, Charlotte Ward, once a famed stage actress, tries to restart her career—only to experience disaster. Against her better judgement, her estranged daughter, Rosalind, comes to her mother’s rescue and moves her to a quite English coastal village.

       Charlotte is grateful to get to know Rosalind after years apart. As one who has regrets about her own romantic past, it’s a joy for Charlotte to see love blossom for her daughter. Or Rosalind, however, it’s time away from teaching—and now she must care for the mother who wasn’t there for her. And what could be more complicated than romance?

       Together, mother and daughter discover that healing is best accomplished when they focus less on themselves and more on the needs of others.

       A Haven on Orchard Lane is a stand-alone novel by Lawana Blackwell, whose novels I have just recently been introduced to. I haven’t actually had a chance to read any of her work, but I will say that this novel sounds really interesting and I’m hoping to get the chance to read it sometime soon!

No Other Will Do

       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.

       No Other Will Do is a stand-alone novel by one of my absolute favorite authors of all time, Karen Witemeyer. I have read almost every single one of her novels, and I cannot wait to read more as fast as she can write them. It’s a good thing I’m getting to be an influencer for this book, that’s for sure, because then I won't have to wait too long to read it!

The Ringmaster’s Wife

What is revealed when you pull back the curtain of the greatest show on earth?

       Rosamund Easling is no stranger to opulence. As the daughter of an earl, she’s grown up with all the comforts money can buy. But when hard times befall the family’s Yorkshire estate in the aftermath of the Great War, the stage is set for a series of events that change her world beyond even her wildest dreams.

       Though expected to marry for a title instead of love, Rosamund feels called to a different life—one of adventure outside the confines of a ladies’ parlor. When her father sells her beloved horse, she abandons all she’s known and follows in pursuit as her horse is shipped to the new owner—an American entertainer by the name of John Ringling. Knowing she has much to learn, Rosamund agrees to a bareback riding apprenticeship in the shadow of the Ringling’s home—the Ca’D’Zan. In what would become the last days of the enigmatic Mable Ringling’s life, Rosamund finds a deeper sense of purpose in her new life and begins to experience the awakening of faith.

       With a mysterious and dazzling supporting cast of characters, Rosamund journeys far from the traditions of the English countryside to the last days of the Roaring Twenties—a journey that forever changes what her life might have been.

       The Ringmaster’s Wife is the first book in Kristy Cambron’s Jazz Age Entertainers series, and will also be the first book I will ever read by her. I’ve been eyeing her novels for quite some time now, but I haven’t been able to read them as yet; however, I’ve been given the opportunity to review this book through the Litfuse Group, so I am sure I’ll get to read this one!

Almost Like Being in Love

       Winning an all-expenses paid Colorado destination wedding might seem like a dream come true for some people—but Caron Hollister and her boyfriend Alex Madison aren’t even engaged. How is she supposed to tell him she’s won their wedding and honeymoon when he hasn’t asked her to marry him? Being “perfect for one another” seems like the absolute best reason to get married. But what if their supposedly faultless relationship is merely a safe place to protect his secrets and a way to keep their families happy? After quitting her job, Caron accepts her best friend’s offer to visit Colorado. She needs to catch her breath. Who knows, maybe visiting the destination wedding site will make a future with Alex seem like a reality.

       Kade Webster just landed the biggest deal of his life with his company. Webster Select Realty, participating in the Colorado Springs Tour of Homes. He never imagined he would run into the woman who broke his heart—Caron Hollister—right when his career is taking off. Seeing her again, Kade can’t help but wonder why Caron walked away from him years ago, leaving him with no explanation. When Kade learns his home stager won’t be able to help with the Tour of Homes, he vaults past all the reasons he should stay away from Caron, and offers her a temporary job helping him on the project. This time, their relationship is purely business.

       Spending time with Kade has Caron questioning everything. The man intrigues her—at times infuriates her—and reminds her of what she lost. Has she been settling for what everyone expects of her? Just because others believe she and Alex are an ideal couple, does that mean they should get married? And how can Caron say “I do” to one man when she’s wondering “what if?” about another?

       Almost Like Being in Love is the second book in Beth K. Vogt’s Destination Wedding series, coming after Crazy Little Thing Called Love. I really enjoyed the first novel in this series, so I am hopeful I would enjoy this one as well. Especially since I already met Caron in the first book and really liked her, so I’m glad I get to hear more about her story.

The Courtship Basket

Years ago, a picnic basket brought two hearts together. For Rachel and Mike, history may be about to repeat itself.

       Rachel Fisher is devastated when the young man she’s loved for years leaves her to date her best friend. Her heart is broken, and she has all but given up on love. Rachel is determined to keep her mind off the pain, and she starts teaching at an Amish school for children with learning disabilities.

       Since his father became ill, Mike Lantz has been overwhelmed with the responsibility of providing for his family and caring for his six-year-old brother, John. When John joins Rachel’s class and she learns that his mother is deceased and his father sick she desperately wants to help the family, even with something as simple as a meal.

       With her parents’ old picnic basket, Rachel begins sending food to the Lantz family. As the weeks go by, John’s grades start to improve, and the attraction grows between Rachel and Mike. They can’t deny that their friendship is growing toward something more, but both of them are hesitant to risk a more serious relationship.

       The last thing Rachel wants is another heartbreak, and Mike is worried about providing for his loved ones. Will the two be able to reconcile their past hurts with new hope for the future?

       The Courtship Basket is the second book in Amy Clipston’s Amish Heirloom series, coming after The Forgotten Recipe. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to read the first book in this series, but I have read many of Amy’s novels in the past, and I know that she is a very talented author. That being said, this series sounds fabulous, and I hope I get to read it soon!

       Well, those are my most anticipated June releases! What about you? What are some new releases you’re looking forward to?

       Happy June and happy reading!

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.