Today’s Top Ten Tuesday is all about one of my favorite
things to talk about, new books that I have absolutely loved! Today my list is
full of books that have released this year, specifically the ones that I have
read and are my favorites! So I’ve tried to make this list completely accurate
as my top ten, but since it is so completely difficult to pick favorites, there
were quite a few that didn’t make it on the list but were probably just as much
my favorites as the ones that did make it. However, I can promise that every
book I’ve listed is on my all-time favorites list as well, so you can be
assured that I really do love them!
The Lady and the
Lionheart by Joanne Bischof
The Lady and the Lionheart is a stand-alone novel that released in
August.
Raised amid the fame
and mystique of the Big Top, Charlie Lionheart holds the audience in the palm
of his hand. But while his act captivates thousands, it’s away from the
spotlight where his true heart lies. Here he humbly cares for his pride of lions
as if they were his brothers, a skill of bravery and strength that has prepared
him for his most challenging feat yet—freeing an orphaned infant from the dark
bondage of a sideshow. A trade so costly, it requires his life in exchange for
hers, leaving him tarnished by the price of that choice.
As the circus tents
are raised on the outskirts of Roanoke, nurse Ella Beckley arrives to tend to
this Gypsy girl. All under the watchful eye of a guardian who not only bears a
striking resemblance to the child, but who protects the baby with a love that
wraps Ella’s own tragic past, awakening a hope that goodness may yet reign.
When their forbidden friendship deepens, Charlie dares to ask for her heart,
bringing her behind the curtain of his secret world to reveal the sacrifice
that gave hope to one little girl—boldly showing Ella that while her tattered
faith is deeply scarred, the only marks that need be permanent are his own.
Jilted by Varina
Denman
Jilted is the third book in Varina’s Mended Hearts series, coming after Jaded and Justified, and
it released in June.
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 toward
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.
The Beautiful
Pretender by Melanie Dickerson
The Beautiful Pretender released this past May.
After inheriting his title from
his brother, the margrave has two weeks to find a noble bride. What will happen
when he learns he has fallen for a lovely servant girl in disguise?
The Margrave of
Thornbeck has to find a bride, fast. He invites ten noble born ladies who meet
the king’s approval to be his guests at Thornbeck Castle for two weeks, a time
to test these ladies and reveal their true character.
Avelina has only two
instructions: keep her true identity a secret and make sure the margrave
doesn’t select her has his bride. Since the latter seems unlikely, she
concentrates on not getting caught. No one must know she is merely a
maidservant, sent by the Earl of Plimmwald to stand in for his daughter,
Dorothea.
Despite Avelina’s best
attempts at diverting attention from herself, the margrave has taken notice.
And try as she might, she can’t deny her own growing feelings. But something
else is afoot in the castle. Something sinister that could have far worse—far
deadlier—consequences.
A Royal Christmas
Wedding by Rachel Hauck
A Royal Christmas Wedding is the fourth book in Rachel’s Royal Wedding series, coming after Once Upon a Prince, Princess Ever After, and How to Catch a Prince, and it released in October.
Avery Truitt aches for true
love—the kind she once shared with Prince Colin. Can she dare to hope for
happily ever after, or is a fairy-tale ending beyond her reach?
College volleyball
star Avery Truitt has not seen her former flame, Prince Colin of Brighton
Kingdom, since he suddenly pushed her away five years ago. But now, the sadness
of losing her father and the joy of her sister Susanna’s pregnancy have brought
Avery back to Brighton just in time for Cathedral City’s enchanting Christmas
season.
Avery knows she can’t
avoid seeing Colin—now the Kingdom’s most eligible bachelor—whether or not her
heart is ready to relive the pain. But seeing him again might bring her the
closure she needs after all this time.
When Colin finds himself
at the center of a centuries-old Brighton tradition, he must decide whether to
follow the path laid out before him or follow his heart to the only woman for
whom he would ring the Pembroke Chapel Bell.
Can Colin convince
Avery to meet him at the chapel on Christmas morning—as tradition dictates—or
will Avery run back to her St. Simons home and pursue a coaching career as
planned?
Just a Kiss by Denise
Hunter
Just a Kiss is the third book in Denise’s Summer Harbor series, coming after Falling Like Snowflakes and The Goodbye Bride, and it released in September.
Riley Callahan’s plans to reveal
his secret feelings for his best friend are derailed when his life is
drastically altered in Afghanistan.
Watching the love of
his life fall for his brother was enough to send Riley straight to boot camp.
But over a year later, he’s officially a marine, and Beau and Paige are no
longer an item. When Riley’s tour in Afghanistan is up, he intends to confess
his feelings to Paige and win his best friend’s heart once and for all.
But all that changes
when an IED takes the life of a comrade and leaves Riley an amputee. Now he’s
heading home, injured and troubled. His plans to win Paige are a distant dream.
She deserves so much more than the man that’s left. All he can do now is put
some healthy distance between them. But upon his return he discovers his family
has arranged for him to stay with Paige.
Paige is a nurturer at
heart and happy to take care of her best buddy. By all appearances Riley is
adjusting miraculously well to his disability. But as the days pass, Paige
begins to see that the smiles and laughter are just a mask for the pain he’s
hiding. To make matters worse, her job is in serious jeopardy. The animal
shelter that she’s poured her heart into has lost its funding, and she has
three months to come up with the money needed to save it.
As the weeks wear on,
Paige’s feelings for Riley begin to shift into unchartered territory. Why is
she suddenly noticing his arm muscles and the way his lips curl at the corners?
Will she be able to deny her feelings for another Callahan brother? And will
Riley let his heart heal so he can let Paige in?
An Elegant Façade by
Kristi Ann Hunter
An Elegant Façade is the second book in Kristi Ann’s Hawthorne House series, coming after A Noble Masquerade, and released in
July.
Lady Georgina
Hawthorne has always known she must marry well. After years of tirelessly
planning every detail of her debut season, she is poised to be a smashing
success and have her choice of eligible gentlemen.
With money and
powerful business connections but no title, Colin McCrae is invited everywhere
but accepted nowhere. He intends to marry someday, but when he does it will not
be to a shallow woman like Lady Georgina, whose only concerns appear to be status
and appearance.
But beneath her
flawless exterior, Georgina’s social aspirations stem from a shameful secret
she is desperately trying to keep hidden—and that Colin is too close to
discovering. Drawn to each other despite their mutual intent to avoid association,
is the realization of their dreams worth the sacrifices they’ll be forced to
make?
Song of Silence by
Cynthia Ruchti
Song of Silence released this past April.
Charlie and Lucy
Tuttle are committed to each other for life, but that life isn’t turning out
quite like they expected. Charlie retired early, but Lucy planned to continue
in her position as a music educator in a small Midwestern K-8 school
indefinitely. And then the day came when she was forced to retire. Lucy was
devoted to the program her father started years ago and now she can only watch
as it disintegrates before her eyes. The longer she is separated from the
passion of her heart, the more the music fades from her life and she wonders if
her faith’s song is fading too. When a simple misstep threatens to silence Lucy
forever, a young boy and his soundless mother change the way she sees—and hears—everything.
The Hearts We Mend by
Kathryn Springer
The Hearts We Mend is the second of Kathryn’s Banister Falls novels, coming after The Dandelion Field, and it released in March.
Planning and Post-It notes are
the epitome of Evie’s life. But when she meets Jack, her life gets more than a
little complicated.
Thirteen years ago,
Evie’s firefighter husband was killed in the line of duty, leaving her to raise
their young son, Cody, alone. Now Cody is marrying the love of his life, and as
he packs up his belongings, the house feels as empty as Evie’s heart. But for
all her planning and mad organizational skills, Evie could never have
anticipated the dramatic shift her life is about to make.
Tattooed,
rough-around-the-edges Jack raises quite a few eyebrows in the tight-knit
community of Banister Falls. Where Evie’s life is stream-lined, Jack’s approach
to living is moment-by-moment. But as Evie gets drawn into Jack’s world—a world
that isn’t as safe or predictable as the one she’s worked so hard to create—he challenges
her to open her eyes to the problems outside the walls of the church.
Jack doesn’t make Evie
feel comfortable, but he definitely makes her feel something. Something she
hasn’t felt since Max passed away—or maybe ever. Because even though Jack isn’t
anything like her late husband, he just might be everything she needs.
Like Never Before by
Melissa Tagg
Like Never Before is the second book in Melissa’s Walker Family series, coming after From the Start, and it released in
April.
Maple Valley became
Amelia Bentley’s haven after her heart and her dreams of a family were
shattered. But when the newspaper she runs is in danger of closing, she pins
all her hopes on a story that just might convince the new owner to keep the
paper running.
After his biggest
campaign success yet, widowed speechwriter Logan Walker has the chance of a lifetime:
a spot on a presidential campaign. But first he has to return to his hometown
to sell the newspaper he’s suddenly inherited.
But instead of a quick
sale, Logan finds himself helping Amelia chase her story. She’s scrappy, but
wounded. He’s dependable, but lost. And working together to break the story on
Maple Valley’s unsolved mystery is just the start of the sparks that fly in the
office and in their hearts.
A Lady Unrivaled by
Roseanna M. White
A Lady Unrivaled is the third book in Roseanna’s Ladies of the Manor series, coming after
The Lost Heiress and The Reluctant Duchess, and it released
in September.
Amid the unforgettable Cotswolds,
the final grasp for the Fire Eyes diamonds could threaten them all.
Lady Ella Myerston can
always find a reason to smile—even if it’s just in hope that tomorrow will be
better than today. all her life everyone has tried to protect her from the
realities of the world, but Ella knows very well how the dangerous Fire Eyes
diamonds have haunted her brother and their friends, and she won’t wait for
peril to strike again. She intends to take action…and if that happens to
involve an adventurous trip to the Cotswolds, then so much the better.
Lord James Cayton has
already broken two hearts, including that of his first wife, who died before he
could convince himself to love her. Now he’s determined to live a better life…but
that proves complicated when old acquaintances pull Cayton into their desperate
attempt to seize the jewels. He does his best to remove the intriguing Lady
Ella from danger, but the stubborn girl won’t budge. How else can he redeem
himself, though, but by saving her—and his daughter—from those intent on
destroying them all?
Those are the best new books I have read this year! What are
some new books you have loved?
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.
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