Top Ten Tuesday: Early 2017 Releases

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday is all about the books I’m most looking forward to releasing in the first six months of the New Year! I have so many books I can’t wait to read, so this was a really easy post for me to write! Well, except for the part when I had to slim down my list so that it was actually only ten. But that’s a good problem to have, in my opinion. So, here’s some of the top books I can’t wait to read next year!

If I’m Found by Terri Blackstock

If I’m Found is the second book in Terri’s If I Run series, coming after If I Run.

Casey doesn’t know why Dylan let her escape just as the police were closing in, but she knows she’s got to hide again. New name, new look, new city, new job.

But hiding isn’t enough. Somehow, she’s got to bring Brent’s killer to justice. Can she gather enough evidence without getting caught? And even though she wants to trust Dylan, can she really?

When they go after her sister, Casey knows her time is running short. Turning herself in presents its own set of problems but if it will help protect Hannah, she’ll gladly do it—but will it?

Too Deep For Words by Andrea Boeshaar

Too Deep for Words is the second book in Andrea’s Shenandoah Valley series, coming after A Thousand Shall Fall.

Carrie Ann Collier has been a newlywed for nineteen blissful days—as blissful as life can be in the midst of war, that is. Soon that war will take a toll she never expected. When her new husband, Peyton, goes missing during battle, she refuses to believe he is dead, and must find a way to move forward with everyday life in the face of fear.

As Carrie struggles with how to welcome her estranged sister, Margaret, back into her life, another new arrival appears on her doorstep—her husband’s best friend, and rebel officer, Eli. Wounded and bitter, Eli is nonetheless committed to keeping his promise to Peyton: take care of the Collier women, no matter what. But to Carrie, he’s a painful reminder of her lost love.

Then unexpected news makes Carrie wonder if miracles do happen. If Carrie infiltrates the enemy once again, she might find out what really happened to the love of her life. Will Eli be able to keep his promise to keep her safe? Can they forgive each other if promises are broken?

The Illusionist’s Apprentice by Kristy Cambron

The Illusionist’s Apprentice is the second book in Kristy’s Jazz Age Entertainers series, coming after The Ringmaster’s Wife.

Harry Houdini’s one-time apprentice holds fantastic secrets about the greatest illusionist in the world. But someone wants to claim them…or silence her before she can reveal them on her own.

Boston, 1926. Jenny “Wren” Lockhart is a bold eccentric—even for a female vaudevillian. As notorious for her inherited wealth and gentleman’s dress as she is for her unsavory upbringing in the back halls of a vaudeville theater, Wren lives in a world that challenges all manner of conventions.

In the months following Houdini’s death, Wren is drawn into a web of mystery surrounding a spiritualist by the name of Horace Stapleton, a man defamed by Houdini’s ardent debunking of fraudulent mystics in the years leading up to his death. But in a public illusion that goes terribly wrong, one man is dead and another stands charged with his murder. Though he’s known as one of her teacher’s greatest critics, Wren must decide to become the one thing she never wanted to be: Stapleton’s defender.

Forced to team up with the newly formed FBI, Wren races against time and an unknown enemy, all to prove the innocence of a hated man. In a world of illusion, of the vaudeville halls that showcase the flamboyant and the strange, Wren’s carefully constructed world threatens to collapse around her. layered with mystery, illusion, and the artistry of the Jazz Age’s bygone vaudeville era, The Illusionist’s Apprentice is a journey though love and loss and the underpinnings of faith on each life’s stage.

The Noble Servant by Melanie Dickerson

She lost everything to an evil conspiracy…but that loss may just give her all she ever wanted.

Since meeting Steffan, the Duke of Wolfberg, at Thornbeck Castle, Lady Magdalen has not been able to stop thinking about him. She knows—as a penniless lady with little to offer in terms of a dowry—she has no real hope of marrying such a highly titled man, so it comes as a great surprise when she receives a letter from him, asking for her hand in marriage.

But all is not what it seems at Wolfberg Castle. Steffan has been evicted by his scheming uncle, and his cousin has taken over the title of duke. Left for dead, Steffan is able to escape, and disguised as a shepherd, hopes to gain entry to the castle to claim the items that will prove he is the Duke of Wolfberg.

Journeying to the castle, Magdalen has no idea what awaits her, but she certainly did not expect her loyal maidservant to turn on her. Forcing Magdalen to trade places with her, the servant plans to marry the duke and force Magdalen to tend the geese.

Without their respective titles—and the privileges that come with them—Steffan and Magdalen are reunited in the shepherd’s field. Together they conspire to get back their rightful titles. But they must hurry…or else they risk losing it all to the uncle’s evil plan.

An Uncommon Courtship by Kristi Ann Hunter

An Uncommon Courtship is the third book in Kristi Ann’s Hawthorne House series, coming after A Noble Masquerade and An Elegant Façade.

Life for Lady Adelaide Bell was easier if she hid in her older sister’s shadow—which worked until her sister got married. Even with the pressure of her socially ambitious mother, the last thing she expected was a marriage of convenience to save her previously spotless reputation.

Lord Trent Hawthorne couldn’t be happier that he is not the duke in the family. He’s free to manage his small estate and take his time discovering the life he wants to lead, which includes grand plans of wooing and falling in love with the woman of his choice. When he finds himself honor bound to marry a woman he doesn’t know, his dream of a marriage like his parents’ seems lost forever.

Already starting their marriage on shaky ground, can Adelaide and Trent’s relationship survive the pressures of London society?

A Love So True by Melissa Jagears

A Love So True is the second book in Melissa’s Teaville Moral Society series, coming after A Heart Most Certain.

Evelyn Wisely has a heart for the orphans of Teaville and works at a local mansion that recues children out of the town’s red-light district and gives them a place to live. But her desire to help isn’t limited to orphans. The owner of the mansion, Nicholas Lowe, is willing to help her try to get the women working in prostitution out of the district as well—if she can gain the cooperation and support of local businessmen to go against the rest of the community.

David Kingsman has recently arrived in Teaville from Kansas City to help with one of his father’s companies in town. While he plans on staying only long enough to prove his business merit to his father, he’s shown interest in Evelyn’s work and is intrigued enough by her to lend his support to her cause.

They begin with the best of intentions, but soon the complications pile up and Evelyn and David’s dreams look more unattainable every day. When the revelation of a long-held secret creates a seemingly insurmountable rift between them, can they trust God still has a good plan for them despite all that is stacked against them?

A Stranger at Fellsworth by Sarah E. Ladd

A Stranger at Fellsworth is the third book in Sarah’s Treasures of Surrey series, coming after The Curiosity Keeper and Dawn at Emberwilde.

When a stranger comes to Fellsworth School, everything begins to change…including the stranger.

Annabelle Grayson has it all—beauty, wealth, and wit, but when her guardian brother loses their fortune, he insists that she marry his colleague to help restore his business—a colleague she knows is involved in illegal activities. She sees only one way out of the dangerous situation: she escapes from her home in London to the safety of her estranged uncle’s home at the Fellsworth School.

Owen Stratford, a widower, father, and gamekeeper at Amberton Park, is intrigued yet suspicious of the newcomer. His daughter, along with the townspeople, sings her praises, but something about this stranger is different as the only person in town aware of her secret past, he determines to solve the mystery surrounding her in order to protect those he loves.

After settling into a new way of life, Annabelle falls for the humble gamekeeper and dreams of a future in this simpler life, and over time, Owen thinks he can trust Annabelle, despite the dark mystery shrouding her. But when Annabelle’s brother learns of her whereabouts and blackmails her back into his world, she grows desperate. She wants to resist her brother’s demands, but by remaining at the Fellsworth School she puts everyone in danger. When the unthinkable happens, only Owen can piece together the puzzle to set Annabelle free. When all comes to light, the two souls must come to terms with the secrets in the shadows before they can find peace and love in the light.

When Tides Turn by Sarah Sundin

When Tides Turn is the third book in Sarah’s Waves of Freedom series, coming after Through Waters Deep and Anchor in the Storm.

When Quintessa Beaumont learns the Navy has established the WAVES program for women, she enlists, eager to throw off her frivolous ways and truly contribute to the US effort in World War II. Determined to make admiral, Lt. Dan Avery employs his skills to fight U-boats, and the last thing he wants to see on his radar is fun-loving Tess. When Tess is assigned to work with Dan at the Anti-Submarine Warfare Unit in Boston, she finds her affections drawn by the no-nonsense officer, realizing he sees her as the greatest nonsense of all. As she works hard to prove her worth as a WAVE, she also investigates strange happenings in her friend Yvette Lafontaine’s group of French ex-patriates. Is there a spy in their midst? And has that spy infiltrated the anti-submarine research group? When Dan is assigned to a new escort carrier at the peak of the Battle of the Atlantic, he is torn between his lifelong career goals and his desire to help Tess on shore. While the German Navy challenges Dan’s skills, the changes in Tess challenge his notions—and his heart.

Behind the Scenes by Jen Turano

Behind the Scenes is the first book in Jen’s Apart from the Crowd series.

Miss Permilia Griswold may have been given the opportunity of a debut into New York high society, but no one warned her she wasn’t guaranteed to “take.” After spending the last six years banished to the wallflower section of the ballroom, she’s finally putting her status on the fringes of society to good use by penning anonymous society gossip columns under the pseudonym “Miss Quill.”

Mr. Asher Rutherford has managed to maintain his status as a reputable gentleman of society despite opening his own department store. While pretending it’s simply a lark to fill his time, he has quite legitimate reasons for needing to make his store the most successful in the country. When Permilia overhears a threat against the estimable Mr. Rutherford, she’s determined to find and warn the man. Disgruntled at a first meeting that goes quite poorly and results in Asher not believing her, she decides to take matters into her own hands, never realizing she’ll end up at risk as well.

As Asher and Permilia are forced to work together and spend time away from the spotlight of society, perhaps there’s more going on behind the scenes than they ever could have anticipated…

True to You by Becky Wade

True to You is the first book in Becky’s Bradford Sisters series.

After a devastating heartbreak three years ago, genealogist and historical village owner Nora Bradford has decided that burying her nose in her work and her books is far safer than romance in the here and now.

Unlike Nora, former Navy SEAL and Medal of Honor recipient John Lawson is a modern-day man, usually 100 percent focused on the present. But when he’s diagnosed with an inherited condition, he’s forced to dig into the secrets of his past and his adoption as an infant, enlisting Nora to help him uncover the identity of his birth mother.

The more time they spend together, the more this pair of opposites suspects they just might be a perfect match. However, John’s already dating someone and Nora’s not sure she’s ready to trade her crushes on fictional heroes for the risks of a real relationship. Finding the answers they’re seeking will test the limits of their identity, their faith, and their devotion to one another.

Those are the top ten books I can’t wait to read once they release in the first half of 2017! What about you? What are some 2017 releases you’re excited for?

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.