Must-Have January Releases

As crazy as it sounds, the year is almost over, and 2018 brings with it another long list of fantastic books I will hopefully get the chance to read. Even though I unfortunately didn't get to read all that much this past year, I am hoping to change that next year, especially since there are so many great things to read! Here is just a little taste, just a month’s worth, of the amazing novels that will be coming out next year! Hopefully you'll find something new to read as well!

Must-Have December Releases

This year has completely flown by, and now here it is, already almost December! I cannot believe it, but I will say I am super excited to finally be on Christmas break. However, there is always such a small number of books that release in December and that makes me so sad. But, these three novels are all bound to be fantastic, so at least there’s that. And the Christmas season is just the best! Maybe these books would make some of the most perfect gifts.

My Bookshelf: A Note Yet Unsung by Tamara Alexander

A master violinist trained in Vienna, Rebekah Carrington manages to wheedle her way into an audition with the Maestro at the newly-formed Nashville Philharmonic. But women are “far too fragile and frail” for the rigors of an orchestra, and Rebekah’s hopes are swiftly dashed. Because the conductor—determined to leave his mark on the world of classical music—bows to public opinion. To make matters worse, Adelicia Acklen Cheatham, mistress of Belmont Mansion and Rebekah’s new employer, agrees with him.

Nationally-acclaimed conductor Nathaniel Tate Whitcomb is Nashville’s new orchestra leader. And despite a reluctant muse—and a strange buzzing and recurring pain in his head—he must finish composing his symphony before the grand opening of the city’s new opera hall. But far more pressing, he must finish it for the one who first inspired his love of music—his father, who is dying. But Tate’s aliment worsens. He knows Rebekah can help him finish his symphony. But how do you win back a woman’s trust when you’ve robbed her of her dream?

My Bookshelf: High as the Heavens by Kate Breslin

A British nurse in WWI German-occupied Brussels, Evelyn Marche spends her days at the hospital and her nights working at a café…or so it seems. Eve’s most carefully guarded secret is that she also spends her nights carrying out dangerous missions as a spy for a Belgian resistance group.

When a plane crashes as she’s en route to a rendezvous, Eve is the first to reach the downed plane and is shocked to recognize the badly injured pilot as British RFC Captain Simon Forrester. She risks her life to conceal him from the Germans, but as the secrets between them grow and the danger mounts, can they still hope to make it out of Belgium alive?

Must-Have November Releases

Fall is definitely here! Already, the semester is halfway over, and so is the college football season, and I can’t believe how quickly the time is flying by. I am glad, however, because two more of my favorite things are coming up: Thanksgiving and Christmas. I absolutely love the season of Christmas—I’ve honestly already started listening to a little bit of Christmas music—and there are so many good books that are releasing in the next two months!

My Bookshelf: A Name Unknown by Roseanna M. White

She’s out to steal his name. Will he steal her heart instead?

Rosemary Gresham has no family beyond the band of former urchins who helped her survive as a girl in the mean streets of London. Grown now, they are no longer pickpockets—instead they focus on high value items and have learned how to blend into upper-class society. Rosemary is beginning to question whether she can continue in this life when she’s offered the challenge of a lifetime—determine whether a certain wealthy gentleman is loyal to Britain or to Germany. After all, how does one steal a family’s history, their very name?

As Europe moves ever closer to World War I, rumors swirl around Peter Holstein. Awkward and solitary, but with access to the king, many fear his influence. But Peter can’t help his German last name and wants to prove his loyalty to the Crown—so he can go back to anonymously writing a series of popular adventure novels. When Rosemary arrives on his doorstep pretending to be a well-credentialed historian, Peter believes she’s the right person to help him dig through his family’s past.

When danger and suspicion continue to mount, both realize they’re in a race against time to discover the truth—about Peter’s past and about the undeniable attraction kindling between them.

My Bookshelf: Bringing Maggie Home by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Decades of loss, an unsolved mystery, and a rift spanning three generations.

Hazel DeFord is a woman haunted by her past. While berry picking in a blackberry thicket in 1943, ten-year-old Hazel momentarily turned her back on her three-year-old sister, Maggie, and the young girl disappeared.

Almost seventy years later, the mystery remains unsolved, and the secret guilt Hazel carries has alienated her from her daughter, Diane, who can’t understand her mother’s overprotectiveness and near paranoia. While Diane resents her mother’s inexplicable eccentricities, her daughter, Meghan—a cold case agent—cherishes her grandmother’s lavish attention and affection.

When a traffic accident forces Meghan to take a six-week leave of absence to recover, all three generations of DeFord women find themselves unexpectedly under the same roof. Meghan knows she will have to act as a mediator between the two headstrong and contentious women. But when they uncover Hazel’s painful secret, will Meghan also be able to use her investigative prowess to solve the family mystery and help both women recover all that’s been lost?

My Bookshelf: Many Sparrows by Lori Benton

Either she and her children would emerge from that wilderness together, or none of them would…

In 1774, the Ohio-Kentucky frontier pulses with rising tension and brutal conflicts as colonists push westward and encroach upon Native American territories. The young Inglesby family is making the perilous journey west when an accident sends Philip back to Redstone Fort for help, forcing him to leave his pregnant wife, Clare, and their four-year-old son, Jacob, on a remote mountain trail.

When Philip does not return and Jacob disappears from the wagon under the cover of darkness, Clare finds herself utterly alone, in labor, and wondering how she can recover her son…especially when her second child is moments away from being born.

Clare will face the greatest fight of her life as she struggles to reclaim her son from the Shawnee Indians now holding him captive. But with the battle lines sharply drawn, Jacob’s life might not be the only one at stake. When frontiersman Jeremiah Ring comes to her aid, can the stranger convince Clare that recovering her son will require the very thing her anguished heart is unwilling to do—be still, wait, and let God fight this battle for them?

Must-Have October Releases

How is it already October? I feel like this year just began, and already it’s almost over. A part of me wishes we could just slow down time, but the other part of me loves where I’m at and all of the changes these weeks and months have been bringing, so I know I honestly wouldn’t go back for anything. Plus, if I did, I would have so much less to read! And I don’t want to miss out on these gems, or on sharing them with you!

Dangerous Illusions by Irene Hannon

Dangerous Illusions is the first book in Irene’s Code of Honor series.

 

Trish Bailey is on overload trying to deal with a demanding job, an ailing mother, and a healing heart. When a series of unsettling memory lapses leads to a tragic death—and puts Trish under police scrutiny—her world is once again thrown into turmoil.

Detective Colin Flynn isn’t certain what to think of the facts he uncovers during his investigation. Did Trish simply make a terrible mistake or is there more to the case than meets the eye? As he searches for answers, disturbing information begins to emerge—and if the forces at work are as evil as he suspects, the situation isn’t just dangerous…it’s deadly.

A Dangerous Legacy by Elizabeth Camden

A Dangerous Legacy is a stand-alone novel.

 

Telegraph operator Lucy Drake is a master of Morse code and has made herself a valuable asset to the Associated Press news agency. But the sudden arrival of Sir Colin Beckwith at rival British news agency Reuters puts her hard-earned livelihood at risk. Colin is talented, handsome, insufferably charming—and keeping a secret that jeopardizes his reputation.

Despite their rivalry, Lucy can’t deny that Colin has the connections she needs to give her family an edge in the long legal battle they’ve been waging over their rightful inheritance. But when she negotiates an unlikely alliance with him, the web of treachery they dive into proves to be far more dangerous than they ever could have known.

Too Far Down by Mary Connealy

Too Far Down is the third book in Mary’s Cimarron Legacy series, coming after No Way Up and Long Time Gone.

 

With danger drawing ever closer, the Boden clan risk losing their ranch forever.

Having returned home to the ranch, Cole Boden finds himself caught between missing his time back east and appreciating all that New Mexico Territory offers. Sure, he fights with his siblings now and then, but he does care for them. He enjoys his new job running the mine and, when he’s honest, he admits that Melanie Blake captures his interest in a way no other woman ever has.

Melanie has been a friend to the Bodens forever. A cowgirl who is more comfortable with horses and lassoes than people, she never expected to find herself falling for someone, particularly for refined Cole Boden, a Harvard graduate who can’t seem to make up his mind about staying in New Mexico.

When a deadly explosion damages the CR Mining Company, the Bodens realize their troubles are not behind them as they thought. Shadowy forces are still working against them. Melanie is determined to help Cole and the family finally put an end to the danger that’s threatened all of them. But will putting herself in harm’s way be more dangerous than anyone expected?

Where We Belong by Lynn Austin

Where We Belong is a stand-alone novel.

 

Join two incomparable sisters on adventures that span the decades and cross the globe.

In the city of Chicago in 1892, the rules and expectations for Victorian women are strict, their roles in life limited. But sisters Rebecca and Flora Hawes are not typical Victorian ladies. Their love of adventure and their desire to use their God-given talents have taken them out of society ballrooms and delivered them to the Sinai Desert—and into the teeth of a sandstorm.

Accompanied by Soren Petersen, their somber young butler, and Kate Rafferty, a plucky street urchin learning to be their lady’s maid, the two women are on a quest across the desert, chasing rumors of an important biblical manuscript.

 As the expedition becomes ever more dangerous and uncertain, all four travelers sift through memories and adventures of their past, recalling the events that shaped them and the journeys and providence that brought them to this very time and place.

Love Held Captive by Shelley Shepard Gray

Love Held Captive is the third book in Shelley’s Lone Star Hero’s Love Story series, coming after The Loyal Heart and An Uncommon Protector.

 

After the War Between States, a Confederate officer longs to heal the heart of a beautiful woman—but first he’ll have to right the wrongs that were done to her.

Major Ethan Kelly has never been able to absolve himself of the guilt he feels for raiding a woman’s home shortly before he was taken prisoner during the Civil War. He is struggling to get through each day until he once again crosses paths with Lizbeth Barclay—the very woman he is trying to forget.

Life after the war is not much different for former Captain Devin Monroe until he meets Julianne VanFleet. He knows she is the woman he’s been waiting for, but he struggles to come to terms with the sacrifices she made to survive the war.

When Ethan and Devin discover that their former colonel, Adam Bushnell, is responsible for both Lizbeth’s and Julianne’s pain, they call on their former fellow soldiers to hunt him down. As the men band together to earn the trust of the women they love, Lizbeth and Julianne seek the justice they deserve in a country longing to heal.

The Dishonorable Miss Delancy by Carolyn Miller

The Dishonorable Miss Delancy is the third book in Carolyn’s Regency Brides: A Legacy of Grace series, coming after The Elusive Miss Ellison and The Captivating Lady Charlotte.

 

Will a damaged reputation and desire for society’s approval thwart the legacy of grace?

Tainted by scandal and forced to leave London for the quieter Brighton countryside, the Honorable Miss Clara DeLancey is a shadow of her former society self. She’s lost the man she loved to another and, in a culture that has no patience for self-pity, is struggling with depression. A chance encounter brings her a healing friendship with the sisters of an injured naval captain. But Clara’s society mama is appalled at the new company she’s keeping.

Captain Benjamin Kemsley is not looking for a wife. But his gallant spirit won’t let him ignore the penniless viscount’s daughter—not when she so obviously needs assistance to keep moving forward from day to day. Can he protect his heart and still keep her safe?

When they’re pushed into the highest echelons of society at the Prince Regent’s Brighton Pavilion, this mismatched couple must decide if family honor is more important than their hopes. Can they right the wrongs of the past and find future happiness together—without finances, family support, or royal favor?

Those are my must-have releases for October!

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.

My Bookshelf: Gathering the Threads by Cindy Woodsmall

Finally back in the Old Order Amish world she loves, will Ariana’s new perspectives draw her family closer together—or completely rip them apart?

After months away in the Englisch world, Ariana Brenneman is overjoyed to be in the Old Order Amish home where she was raised. Yet her excitement is mixed with an unexpected apprehension as she reconciles all she’s learned from her biological parents with the uncompromising teachings of her Plain community. Although her childhood friend, ex-Amish Quill Schlabach, hopes to help her navigate her new role among her people, Ariana’s Daed doesn’t understand why his sweet daughter is suddenly questioning his authority. Will she sow seeds of unrest and rebellion in the entire family?

Meanwhile, Skylar Nash has finally found her place among the large Brenneman family, but Ariana’s arrival threatens to unravel Skylar’s new identity—and her sobriety. Both Ariana and Skylar must discover the true cords that bind a family and community together and grasp tight the One who holds their authentic identities close to His heart.

 

Gathering the Threads is the third book in Cindy Woodsmall’s Amish of Summer Grove series, coming after Ties That Bind and Fraying at the Edge. Although I didn’t get the chance to read Fraying at the Edge, I did read Ties That Bind and I really enjoyed it! However, I am unfortunately not as pleased with this final book in the series. While I did like the story and was glad to finally know how everything was going to end, there were just a few things that really bothered me about this novel. There were some minor plotlines that were somewhat glossed over and I felt like were never fully resolved, and that is something that really bothers me. Along with that, some interactions between the characters felt a little forced, and I felt that some of the other minor plotlines were somewhat unnecessary.

Despite all of that, I still loved Ariana. Although her now-constant feministic attitudes grated on my nerves quite a bit, I have noticed throughout the years of reading Amish novels that it does seem as if Amish women are very held back by their fathers and then eventually their husbands. While I do agree that this issue is something that needed to be addressed, it felt a little bit forced coming from sweet, obedient Ariana, though she did undergo some changes after spending time with her Englisch family. I also wasn’t really pleased with the way that things played out with her and Rudy, because it just made him seem a little like he had two different personalities.

As for Quill, I have finally decided that I do in fact like him. Before I wrote this review, I went back and read my review for Ties That Bind, and I had to laugh at my original opinion of Quill. While I do still believe he tends to unintentionally hurt Ariana far too often, I did realize he really is just a sweetheart. He has such a heart for people and genuinely loves helping them escape injustice, and I did love the way he constantly proved he was happy for Rudy and Ariana even though he was in love with her himself.

All in all, I did enjoy reading this novel, even though there were those few things that bothered me. I was so glad to finally know the rest of the story, especially with regards to Frieda, and I was also desperate to find out what would happen with the bishop, whom I definitely hated. So, I think I can confidently give this story four out of five bookshelves, and I am looking forward to hopefully reading more of Cindy’s books in the future!

Happy reading!

I received a copy of this book through the Litfuse Publicity Group in exchange for only my honest review.

To see where I’m linking up, check out my Where I Party page.

All credit for the italicized synopsis goes to Cindy Woodsmall and Waterbrook Publishing.

Must-Have September Releases

September is somehow already here, and for me, that means one thing. FOOTBALL!!!!!!!!! Football season is finally here, and I couldn’t be happier. Also, September means quite a few new books that I am dying to read, so I am getting ready to be fairly busy! Here are my must-have novels for the month!

When the Bishop Needs an Alibi by Vannetta Chapman

When the Bishop Needs an Alibi is the second book in Vannetta’s The Amish Bishop Mysteries series, coming after What the Bishop Saw.

Must-Have August Releases

How is it already August? I feel as if this summer just started, and yet it’s somehow already almost over and I haven’t accomplished even half of the things that I wanted to. But, I have enjoyed myself, and that’s what matters! That being said, here are some new books I can’t wait to enjoy!

Chasing Secrets by Lynette Eason

Chasing Secrets is the fourth book in Lynette’s Elite Guardians series, coming after Always Watching, Without Warning, and Moving Target.

Must-Have July Releases

How is it already almost July? This summer is flying by, and I am not happy about it because that means school is right around the corner. However, there are so many wonderful novels releasing over the next few months, so I am excited about that! Here are some new reads you should definitely check out!

My Bookshelf: The Captain’s Daughter by Jennifer Delamere

London 1879. Forced to leave all she loves behind, she seeks a new life in a city bursting with opportunity, but fraught with danger.

When a series of circumstances beyond her control leaves Rosalyn Bernay alone and penniless in London, she chances upon a job backstage at a theater putting on the most popular show in the city. A talented musician and singer, she feels immediately at home and soon becomes enthralled with the idea of pursuing a career on the stage. That is, as long as the shadows from her past don’t catch up with her.

After a hand injury forces Nate Moran from his army regiment in India, he returns home to London, a place that holds bitter memories. He agrees to fill in temporarily as a stagehand while his brother recuperates from a broken leg, but Nate is counting down the days until he can rejoin his regiment. His future is decided—until he meets a beautiful woman who has found a new lease on life in the very place Nate yearns to leave behind.

My Bookshelf: A Fragile Hope by Cynthia Ruchti

Where does a relationship expert turn when his wife leaves him and he can’t explain why?

Josiah Chamberlain’s life’s work revolves around repairing people’s marriages. When his own is threatened by his wife’s unexplained distance—and then threatened further when she’s unexpectedly plunged into an unending fog—Josiah finds that his expertise, quick wit, and clever quips are no match for a relationship that is clearly broken.

Feeling betrayed, confused, and ill-equipped for a crisis this crippling, he reexamines everything he knows about the fragility of hope and the strength of his faith and love. Love seems to have failed him. Will what’s left of his faith fail him, too? Or will it be the one thing that holds him together and sears through the impenetrable wall that separates them?

Must-Have May Releases

I’m back!!! I know, I have been sorrowfully absent over the past few months, but I am finally out of school for the summer so I thought it was time to come back to my blog. I honestly haven’t read a single book—other than textbooks of course—since I finished The Elusive Miss Ellison back in March, so I haven’t even had much to write about! But now I will be reading again, and I will have more time to write about whatever is on my mind, so I am back for at least the summer! And I thought I would kick it off with one of my favorite types of posts to write: my must-have releases! Here are my books for this month.

My Bookshelf: The Elusive Miss Ellison by Carolyn Miller

The arrival of the new Earl of Hawkesbury has the entire village aflutter—everyone except Lavinia Ellison, that is. In fact, in Livvie’s eyes, he is just as arrogant and thoughtless as his brother—who stole the most important person in her world.

Nicholas is weighed down by guilt, by ancestral obligations, and by the legacy of war. He hadn’t anticipated that a perfunctory visit home would engage either his mind or his heart. Then the hoydenish, intelligent, and very opinionated Miss Ellison challenges him to see past his pain and pride. But between society’s opposition, his brother’s reckless past, and a shocking family secret, there may be too many obstacles for the two of them to ever truly get along.

My Bookshelf: Rescue Me by Susan May Warren

When Deputy Sam Brooks commits to something, nothing can sway him—not just on the job as liaison between the Mercy Falls sheriff’s department and PEAK Rescue, but in his private life. He’s the one who stuck around to take care of his mother after his father’s accidental death. And he’s the one—perhaps the only one—who believes Sierra Rose is the perfect girl for him. Safe, practical, and organized, she’s nothing like her hippie, impulsive, bleeding heart sister, Willow.

Willow, however, has been in love with Sam Brooks for as long as she can remember. But she wants her sister to have a happy ending. Besides, Willow has other things to focus on—namely, nabbing the job as youth pastor for her small-town church. Best thing for her to do is to purge Sam from her heart.

Neither can predict the events that will bring them together in a fight for their lives in the forbidding wilderness of Glacier National Park. Stranded, injured, and with the winter weather closing in, Sam and Willow will have to work together to save a crew of terrified teenagers. As they fight to survive, they might just discover a new hope for love.

Must-Have March Releases

So, this is actually kind of late, but my must-have releases posts are some of my absolute favorites, so I still wanted to post my list for March! Even though it’s definitely already March, I figured this wasn’t too late to share the books I can’t wait for this month!

I’m Still Alive!

My Bookshelf: The Mark of the King by Jocelyn Green

Life in this new world requires more strength than she ever imagined.

After the death of her client, midwife Julianne Chevalier is imprisoned and branded, marking her as a criminal beyond redemption. Hoping to reunite with her brother, a soldier, she trades her life sentence for exile to the fledgling French colony of Louisiana. The price of her transport, however, is a forced marriage to a fellow convict.

New Orleans is nothing like Julianne expects. The settlement is steeped in mud and mosquitoes, and there is no news of her brother Benjamin. When tragedy strikes, she turns to military officer Marc-Paul Girard for help, but does he know more about her brother than he will admit?

With her dreams shattered, Julianne must find her way in this dangerous land, where only grace—and love—can overcome the stigma of the king’s mark upon her shoulder.

Top Ten Tuesday: Pretty Covers!!!

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday is all about the visuals, so I’m filling my post with some of my favorite new covers of ten books that release this year! I feel like covers are just getting better and better as the years go on, and this year is one of the best yet! There are so many gorgeous covers out there so this was hard to slim down, but I think I’ve managed to get the best ones. So far. I’m sure as soon as I turn around I’ll find another new one I like better. But for now, here are these fantastic ones!

Must-Have February Releases

It’s time for another month of new releases! I’m super excited, because this month has some great reads that I just can’t wait for! Besides that, I just love it every time we start a new month, because that means I can start a whole new set of goals! But that’s next week. So, for today, check out these new releases!

Top Ten Tuesday: Oh How I’ve Missed These Books!

It’s Tuesday again! This is one of my favorite days, partly because Top Ten Tuesday posts are some of my favorite ones to write! And today is a special Tuesday because it’s a FREEBIE!!! Sometimes it takes me a while to come up with a topic, because I’ve already done many of the ones you would most often think of, and I like to come up with a topic that is more out of the box. This week, I think I’ve nailed it! My top ten list today consists of ten books I first read before I even started blogging, but would love to read again because I absolutely loved them! Hopefully, this list will inspire me to do some re-reading, and if I do, I’ll definitely review these gems!

My Bookshelf: A Moonbow Night + A Linkup

In an uncertain time, she faces a choice that will change her life forever.

After fleeing Virginia, Temperance Tucker and her family established an inn along the Shawnee River. It’s a welcome way station for settlers and frontiersmen traveling through the wild Cumberland region of Kentucke—men like Sion Morgan, a Virginia surveyor who arrives at the inn with his crew, looking for an experienced guide.

Though he balks when Tempe is appointed to lead his team through the wilderness, it isn’t long before Sion must admit that her abilities may outmatch his own. But can the tenuous tie they are forming survive the dangers waiting just around the bend?

Top Ten Tuesday: Sadly Underrated

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday is all about the books that I have read in the past year that are totally underrated on Goodreads. This was one of my favorite topics from last year, but unfortunately this year it was really hard to pick just ten books for this list, and for a very sad reason. Almost all of the books I’ve read fall into the “underrated” category! Isn’t that terrible?! However, I can promise that, despite their lack of reviews, these are ten fantastic novels, and you can bet my reviews of them are on Goodreads!

My Bookshelf: An Uncommon Courtship + A Linkup

Lord Trent Hawthorne couldn’t be happier he is not the duke in the family. Free to manage his small estate and take his time discovering the life he wants to lead, he has 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.

Life for Lady Adelaide Bell was easier when she hid in her older sister’s shadow—which worked until her sister got married. But even with her socially ambitious mother’s focus entirely on her, the last thing she expected was a marriage of convenience before she’s been introduced to society.

With nothing going as expected, can Trent and Adelaide’s marriage of obligation survive their own missteps and the pressures of London society to grow into a true meeting of hearts and minds?

My Bookshelf: For the Record by Regina Jennings

Betsy Huckabee might be a small-town girl, but she has big-city dreams. Writing for her uncle’s newspaper will never lead to independence, and the bigger newspapers don’t seem interested in the Hart County news. Trying a new approach, Betsy pens a romanticized serial for the ladies’ pages, and the new deputy provides the perfect inspiration for her submissions. She’d be horrified if he read her breathless descriptions of him, but these articles are for a newspaper far away. No one in Pine Gap will ever know.

Deputy Joel Puckett didn’t want to leave Texas, but this job in tiny Pine Gap is his only shot at keeping his badge. With masked marauders riding every night, his skills and patience are tested, but even more challenging is the sassy journalist lady chasing him.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Meant to Read

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday is all about the books that released in the past year that I was planning to read, but then didn’t for some reason or other. Unfortunately, it was very easy for me to find ten novels for this list because there were quite a few books I was planning on reading this past year but because college is extremely time consuming, I didn’t get around to far more of them than I would’ve liked. So, here are ten of the many releases I didn’t get to read this past year!

December Numbers and January Goals + A Linkup

It’s 2017!!! I don’t know how that’s possible, considering it was just 2015, but somehow it is, and that means it’s time for another year of resolutions! But this year, since I’m a little older and hopefully a little wiser, I’ve decided to cut the resolutions for a change. I never really follow through with them, and I always get disappointed when I fail, so I decided it would be a good idea to do something a little bit more achievable this year. Therefore, I’m going to continue to write these numbers and goals posts in the hope that I can get better at accomplishing them, and I’m going to attempt for the first time ever—which is weird since I’m a writer—to write a journal entry every day this year. Let’s see if I can keep these resolutions!

My Bookshelf: The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill by Julie Klassen

On a rise overlooking the Wiltshire countryside stands the village of Ivy Hill. Its coaching inn, The Bell, is its lifeblood—along with the coach lines that stop there daily, bringing news, mail, travelers, and much-needed trade.

Jane Bell lives on the edge of the inn property. She had been a genteel lady until she married the charming innkeeper who promised she would never have to work in his family’s inn. But when he dies under mysterious circumstances, Jane finds herself The Bell’s owner, and worse, she has three months to pay a large loan or lose the place.

Feeling reluctant and ill-equipped, Jane is tempted to abandon her husband’s legacy and return to her former life of ease. However, she soon realizes there is more at stake than her comfort. But who can she trust to help her? Her resentful mother-in-law? Her husband’s brother, who wanted the inn for himself? Of the handsome newcomer with secret plans of his own?

With pressure mounting from the bank, Jane struggles to win over naysayers and turn the place around. Can Jane bring new life to the inn, and to her heart as well?

Top Ten Tuesday: 2017 Debuts I’m Excited For

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday is all about the debut novels releasing this year that we are excited for, and shockingly enough, this was a very difficult topic for me. I couldn’t find a single debut novel I’m super excited for, so I looked for new series instead, and I still struggled to find ten I’m really anticipating. So, while this is actually a fairly sad length, I am SUPER excited for the eight new series I do have listed here, and I can almost promise they will be really enjoyable!

No Linkup

Happy New Year!

I am so excited that a new year is upon us, and I can't wait to see what it holds! For this second day of the year, my sister and I decided it would be better to wait one more week before bringing back the Grace + Lace Linkup, since we have been so crazy busy because of the holidays. So, next week, we promise we will be back and ready to see all you have been up to over the last few weeks! 

I hope your first week of 2017 is fantastic!