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!

Pretense by Lori Wick

Pretense is a stand-alone novel by Lori Wick that I read a few years ago, but it is actually fairly long so I don’t remember as much of it as I would like, so I really want to read it again and refresh my memory.

Meet the Bishop sisters—two women at the crossroads of life.

On the outside, the Bishop girls appear as different as sisters can be. Mackenzie is a mahogany-haired beauty who’s inherited the determined nature of her Army officer father. Her infectious sense of humor and rare gift of imagination are often hidden by a reserved manner. Radiant, blond Delancey views the world through an artist’s eyes, drawing what she sees with wide sweeps of emotion. Her charming and trusting personality easily wins friends and admirers, but also leaves her sensitive and vulnerable to hurt.

As the girls grow, unexpected difficulties threaten their world. Will their life-changing experiences bring them together or tear them apart? Where will they find the love they seek?

Roses for Mama by Janette Oke

Roses for Mama is such wonderful book that I read years ago; in fact, I had, once upon a time, read every single one of Janette’s novels, but now she has newer releases that I haven’t gotten to yet. But this has always been one of my favorites.

It had all turned out to be so strange, so ironic. Angela Peterson’s family had moved west because her mother had not been well and the doctor said the cooler, clear air of the region might be easier on her lungs. Her father sold the farm and loaded everything they could take with them in three wagons. They found new land and a new life, setting about to build another farm.

Her mother’s health did improve at least for a while. Then a winter cold put her back in bed and it became clear she had only months to live. Angela was just fourteen at the time, and in those intervening months her mother tried to prepare her for the responsibility of raising three young siblings. But no one dreamed that something would happen to their father.

For Angela, now seventeen, and her older brother Thomas, the profound events the reshaped their family also changed their lives. Angela does her best to care or the children, but still wonders if she is providing everything they need like her mother did. And as the children grow, the questions and challenges intensify, at times even feel overwhelming. Preparing them for life seems to require something more.

She did not know a bigger challenge was yet to come.

Where Willows Grow by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Where Willows Grow is a novel I read very early on after I was introduced to Kim’s writing, so it’s been quite a few years since then. I remember really loving it, but I’ve read so many books in the years since that it is hard to remember all that much about it. I’d love to read it again so that I can remember.

Her heart aches for his return…but is the distance between them measured by more than miles?

Anna Mae isn’t sure her husband is being completely honest about his job with the Works Progress Administration. They’re building a castle? In Kansas? Harley promised he’d be at the worksite only long enough to earn enough cash to keep their farm. But the money hasn’t arrived, and Anna Mae fears Haley may be gone for good.

Harley Phipps has never been a man in need of luxuries, but he wants to do right by his wife and two little girls. He was about to lose all he’d worked for if he didn’t do something. There was no way he could pass up the government job, even if it meant leaving his family for a while. Anna Mae was awful mad when he sold the mules, packed his bag, and headed out. If only she’d send him a short note to let him know she and the girls are all right…

Beguiled by Deeanne Gist

Beguiled was the first book I ever read by Deeanne Gist, and it was the novel that inspired my love for her reading. I would absolutely love to read it again.

In the shadows of Charleston, someone is watching her…

Rylee Monroe, a dogwalker in Charleston’s wealthiest neighborhood, never feared the streets at night. But now a thief is terrorizing the area and worse, someone seems to be targeting her.

Reporter Logan Woods is covering the break-ins with the hope of publishing them as a true-crime book. The more he digs, the more he realizes this beguiling dogwalker seems to be at the center of everything.

As danger draws ever closer, Logan must choose: Chase the girl, the story, or plunge into the shadows after the villain who threatens everything?

Once Upon a Prince by Rachel Hauck

Once Upon a Prince is the first book in Rachel’s Royal Weddings series, and is a book I read back before both the third and fourth installments came out. Since I’ve read the last two books more recently, I would really love to re-read this again.

Susanna Truitt never dreamed of a great romance or being treated like a princess—just to marry the man she has loved for twelve years. But life isn’t going according to plan when her high-school-sweetheart-turned-Marine-officer breaks up instead of proposing, Susanna scrambles to rebuild her life.

The last thing Nathaniel expects to find on his American holiday to St. Simons Island is the queen of his heart. A prince has duties, and his family’s tense political situation has chosen his bride for him. When Prince Nathaniel comes to Susanna’s aid under the fabled Lover’s Oak, he is blindsided by love.

Their lives are worlds apart. He’s a royal prince. She’s an ordinary girl. But everything changes when Susanna receives an invitation to Nathaniel’s coronation.

It’s the ultimate choice: His kingdom or her heart? God’s will or their own?

Between Sundays by Karen Kingsbury

Between Sundays is one of the first novels I read by Karen, and because I have been a fan of hers for quite some time, it’s been a while ago since I read it. It was one of my favorites, however, so I would absolutely love to read it again!

Aaron Hill has it all—athletic good looks and the many privileges of a star quarterback. His Sundays are spend playing NFL football in front of a televised audience of millions. But Aaron’s about to receive an unexpected handoff, one that will give him a whole new view of his self-centered life.

Derrick Anderson is a family man who volunteers his time with foster kids while sustaining a long career as a pro football player. But now he’s looking for a miracle. He must act as a team mentor while still striving for the one thing that matters most this season—keeping a promise he made years ago.

Megan Gunn works two jobs and spends her spare time helping at the youth center. Much of what she does, she does for the one boy for whom she is everything—a foster child whose dying mother left him in Megan’s care. Now she wants to adopt him, but one obstacle stands in the way. Her foster son, Cory, is convinced that 49ers quarterback Aaron Hill is his father.

Two men and the game they love. A woman with a heart for the lonely and lost, and a boy who believes the impossible. Thrown together in a season of self-discovery, they’re about to learn lessons in character and grace, love and sacrifice. Because in the end life isn’t defined by what takes place on the first day of the week, but how we live it between Sundays.

The Silent Governess by Julie Klassen

The Silent Governess is one of the first books I ever read by Julie, and now that I’ve read everything she’s written, I find myself longing to go back and re-read all of them. This one in particular, because I can’t remember it as much as the more recent ones I’ve read, and because it is one of my favorites.

Olivia Keene is fleeing her own secret. She never intended to overhear his.

But now that she has, what is Lord Bradley to do with her? He cannot let her go, for were the truth to get out, he would lose everything—his reputation, his inheritance, his very home.

He gives Miss Keene little choice but to accept a post at Brightwell Court, where he can make certain she does not spread what she heard. Keeping an eye on the young woman as she cares for the children, he finds himself drawn to her, even as he struggles against the growing attraction. The clever Miss Keene is definitely hiding something.

Safe in His Arms by Colleen Coble

Safe in His Arms is the second book of Colleen’s Under Texas Stars series, coming after Blue Moon Promise. I first read both of these novels years ago, but I really loved both of them, so I would love to read them again! Obviously this one was my favorite of the two.

Sometimes it takes a stranger to see you as you really are.

Born and raised on sprawling Texas land, Margaret O’Brien prides herself on her competence as a rancher. But her father believes she’s made for more than just dawn-to-dusk work. He wants her to have the love of a good man, to raise children, to build a life. But Margaret gave up such dreams years ago. She’s convinced no man would have her, that the ranch is her life now.

So when Margaret’s father hires Daniel Cutler as a new foreman, she’s frustrated and suspicious. Then an overheard conversation links him with a gang of bank robbers, and she’s downright worried. Daniel swears he’s not involved, but Margaret’s not convinced. She knows the man still has secrets. But would a criminal be so kind and talk so convincingly of his faith? As a series of tragic “accidents” threatens all she holds dear, Margaret must decide what to trust: her own ears, her best judgment…or what her heart keeps telling her.

An Unexpected Love by Tracie Peterson

An Unexpected Love is the second book in Tracie’s Broadmoor Legacy series, coming after A Daughter’s Inheritance. I first read this series many, many years ago, and I absolutely loved it! I would love to read all three of them again, but this one the most because it was definitely my favorite.

The family money has brought her everything she desires, but she is about to risk it all…

Sophie Broadmoor adores fancy balls, beautiful gowns, and expensive jewelry. Indeed, she enjoys everything the Broadmoor wealth provides and has earned a reputation as the wildest of the Broadmoor cousins.

During a trip to England, she falls head over heels for Wesley Hedrick, a wealthy widower who promises her the world. But Wesley’s promises never seems to come true, and soon Sophie finds herself in a very compromising situation.

Why does it have to be Paul Medford, the young minister working with her father, who shows up during her worst moment? Paul is full of promises, too—and it’s clear that he has feelings for Sophie. But after all she’s been through, dare she trust him?

(Sorry for the grainy image! For some reason it does that when I make it larger.) 

Short-Straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer

Short-Straw Bride is the first of Karen’s books on the Archer brothers, and is one of the first books I read by her. That was years ago, and she’s since become one of my all-time favorites, but I would have to say most of my love for her writing started with this novel.

Four brothers. Four straws. One bride.

No one steps on Archer land. Not if they value their life. But when Meredith Hayes overhears a plot to burn the Archer brothers off their ranch, a long-standing debt compels her to take the risk.

Years of constant vigilance hardens a man. Yet when Travis Archer coms across a female trespasser with the same vivid blue eyes as the courageous young girl he once aided, he can’t bring himself to send her away. And when an act of sacrifice leaves her injured and her reputation in shreds, gratitude and guilt prompt him to attempt to rescue her once again.

Despite the fact that Travis is no longer the gallant youth Meredith once dreamed about, she vows to stand by his side. But will love ever be hers? Or will Travis always see her as merely a short-straw bride?

Those are the top ten books I read in the past that I would love to read again! What about you? What are some novels you want to re-read?

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.