This
month’s Top Ten Tuesday is all about the top ten 2015 releases I meant to get
to, but somehow never got around to reading them. There are definitely some on
this list that I have no idea how I never got around to, except maybe because college
and work got in the way. Others, I know I meant to get to as well, but I either
know I will get to them this year because they’re already on my schedule, or I just
wasn’t looking forward to them quite as much as I was looking forward to some
of the others. Either way, this is my top ten!
A Bride at Last by
Melissa Jagears
A Bride at Last is the third book in
Melissa’s Unexpected Brides series,
coming after A Bride for Keeps and A Bride in Store, which I read earlier
this year. Since I really loved the first two, I naturally assumed I would get
around to reading the last one. Unfortunately, I did not.
Abandoned by his mail-order
bride, Silas Jonesey has fought an uphill battle to recover from a pattern of
poor choices. Now his prayers for reconciliation have finally come true and his
estranged wife has contacted him with her whereabouts.
Kate Dawson was supposed to be a
mail-order bride, but upon realizing she’d been deceived about her intended
groom, she’s now settled into life as a schoolteacher. When the mother of a
student passes away, Kate assumes she’ll take on care of nine-year-old Anthony,
until two men suddenly show up in town, claiming to be the boy’s father.
Silas can see Anthony loves
Kate, so he enlists her help in reaching out to the boy and attempting to prove
his paternity to the court. When a common interest in Anthony leads to an
interest in each other and Silas and Kate begin to think they can overcome
their rocky start, neither is prepared for the secrets and past hurts that have
yet to come to light. Can Silas, Kate, and Anthony’s wounded souls bind them
together or will all that stands between them leave them lonely forever?
The Bronte Plot by
Katherine Reay
The Bronte Plot is Katherine Reay’s
third book to date, but so far, I’ve only read her debut novel. I absolutely
loved it, so I added her second book and her 2015 release to my to-read list. So
far, I haven’t gotten to either Lizzy and
Jane OR The Bronte Plot. The saddest
part about it is, I was actually planning on pre-ordering The Bronte Plot. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen either.
When Lucy’s secret is unearthed,
her world begins to crumble. But it may be the best thing that has ever
happened to her.
Lucy Alling makes a living
selling rare books, often taking suspicious measures to reach her goals. When
her unorthodox methods are discovered, Lucy’s secret ruins her relationship
with her boss and her boyfriend James—leaving Lucy in a heap of hurt, and
trouble. Something has to change; she
has to change.
In a sudden turn of events,
James’s wealthy grandmother Helen hires Lucy as a consultant for a London
literary and antiques excursion. Lucy reluctantly agrees and soon discovers
Helen holds secrets of her own. In fact, Helen understands Lucy’s predicament
better than anyone else.
As the two travel across
England, Lucy benefits from Helen’s wisdom, as Helen confronts the ghosts of
her own past. Everything comes to a head at Haworth, home of the Bronte
sisters, where Lucy is reminded of the sisters’ beloved heroines, who, with
tenacity and resolution, endured—even in the midst of change.
Now Lucy must go back into her
past in order to move forward. And while it may hold mistakes and regrets, she
will prevail—if only she can step into the life that’s been waiting for her all
along.
The Midwife’s Choice
by Delia Parr
The Midwife’s Choice is the second book
in Delia’s At Home in Trinity series,
coming after The Midwife’s Tale. I read
the first novel a couple of months ago and absolutely loved it, so I added The Midwife’s Choice to my preorder list
and planned on reading it as soon as it released. Unfortunately, I didn’t end
up being able to preorder it, or to read it. That’s beginning to be the
statement of the year.
Come home to Friendship, Family,
and Faith in the Town of Trinity.
In a time when the traditional
ways of medicine are constantly being questioned by new doctors fresh from
medical school, midwife Martha Cade tries to balance her life’s calling with
the demands of her family. Recently reunited with her estranged
seventeen-year-old daughter, Martha finds herself torn between guiding her
child and allowing her to be an adult. At the same time, she must decide
whether she’ll risk reopening the heart she’d long closed off to love.
Though a small
town, Trinity, Pennsylvania, is fraught with secrets, and as a midwife, Martha
moves among its people. She knows which homes are filled with light and love,
which families have slipped into grief, which wives are unhappy, and which
husbands dare to cross lines…As Martha struggles with the conflicts of being a
mother, a midwife, and a woman, she learns the greatest lessons of all—that
hope can shine even in the darkest hours, and that faith has a way of making
the impossible possible.
The Photograph by
Beverly Lewis
I have
read almost every single one of Beverly’s novels, so when I heard she was
coming out with The Photograph, I knew
I absolutely had to read it. Not only was it written by one of my top three
favorite Amish-novel-writing authors, but it sounds absolutely wonderful! As is
the theme of this post, I didn’t get around to reading this one either.
He studied the picture more
closely, finding it curious that the young woman looked so boldly into the camera
while wearing a white prayer Kapp
shaped like a heart—the characteristic head covering for the Lancaster County
Old Order Amish.
Why would a devout girl have her picture taken?
When her sister Lily disappears
only months after their widowed mother’s passing, Eva Esch fears she has been
wooed away from the people. Yet Lily’s disappearance isn’t Eva’s only concern:
she and her sisters must relocate once their older brother takes over the
family farmhouse. Then Jed Stutzman, an Amish buggy maker from Ohio, shows up
in Eden Valley with a photo of a Plain young woman. Eva feels powerfully drawn
to the charming stranger—but the woman in the forbidden photograph is no
stranger at all.
A Refuge at Highland
Hall by Carrie Turansky
A Refuge at Highland Hall is the third
book in Carrie’s Edwardian Brides
series, coming after The Governess of Highland Hall and The Daughter of Highland Hall. I read both of the first novels a few months ago and
absolutely loved them, so I planned on reading the third one as soon as
possible. Clearly, I never got around to reading this one either.
Penny Ramsey is determined to do
all she can to help those she loves face the challenges brought about by The
Great War—World War I—but can her heart survive the losses that will surely
come her way as war sweeps through Europe and bombs begin falling on London?
When Penny meets Alex Goodwin, a confident, dare-devil RNAS pilot, intent on
defeating the Germans and proving his worth, her heart is drawn to him, but
should she give her heart away, when it will most certainly mean losing the man
she loves? Penny, her sister Kate, and the nine orphaned children in their care
seek refuge at Highland Hall, and the family’s unity is tested. When Alex is
seriously injured, Penny’s unyielding devotion helps him recover and find hope
for the future. But an unexpected event puts Penny in great danger. Can Alex
find the strength and courage to rescue her and bring her home to Highland
Hall?
A Reluctant Bride by
Kathleen Fuller
A Reluctant Bride is the first book in
Kathleen’s Amish of Birch Creek series,
but I’ve read many of her other novels in the past. She is another one of my
favorite Amish-novel-writing authors, so when I heard she was working on a new
series, I was sure I would want to read the first novel as soon as it released.
Yep, you guessed it, I couldn’t get around to this one either.
She never wanted to marry. He
hopes to make amends for past wrongs. Can love find a way to heal both of their
hearts?
Sadie Schrock swore she would
never marry. All of her other Amish friends could court and marry—she was
content to manage the family business and eventually take it over when her
parents are ready to retire. But all of that changes when a reckless driver
kills both of her parents and seriously injures her younger sister. With
mounting hospital bills adding to the pile of debt her parents left behind,
Sadie is left with no choice: she must marry. And not just any man—the man who
saw her at her weakest and walked away.
Aden knows what his brother did
to Sadie years ago was inexcusable. And every day since that incident, Aden has
lived with the guilt for not intervening sooner. When he is faced with the
chance to protect Sadie once again, he can’t let her down—even if it means
living with the scorn of the woman he loves for the rest of his life.
Working alongside Aden at the store,
Sadie realizes he isn’t the same boy who once betrayed her. Just when Sadie
starts to let her guard down and perhaps develop feelings for her new husband,
dangerous secrets are revealed. Now everything Sadie has worked so hard to
protect is threatened, and she must find a way to save her family—and herself.
Through Waters Deep
by Sarah Sundin
Through Waters Deep is the first book in
Sarah’s Waves of Freedom series, but I
have read one of her other novels—With Every Letter—in the past. I really enjoyed that one, and though I didn’t find the
time to read the rest of that series, when I heard she was coming out with a
new one I knew I would want to read them. Unfortunately, I didn’t get around to
the first book. Maybe I’ll actually get to read it before the second book comes
out.
War is coming. Can love carry
them through the rough waters that lie ahead?
It is 1941 and America teeters
on the brink of war. Handsome and outgoing naval officer Ensign Jim Avery
escorts British convoys across the North Atlantic in a brand-new destroyer, the
USS Atwood. On shore, Jim encounters
Mary Stirling, a childhood friend who is now an astute and beautiful Boston
Navy Yard secretary.
When evidence of sabotage on the
Atwood is discovered, Jim and Mary
must work together to uncover the culprit. A bewildering maze of suspects
emerges, and Mary is dismayed to find that even someone close to her is under
suspicion. With the increasing pressure, Jim and Mary find that many new
challenges—and dangers—await them.
To Get to You by
Joanne Bischof
Although
I haven’t read anything by Joanne so far, I absolutely fell in love with the
storyline of To Get to You the second
I began reading the description, so I knew I would want to read it as soon as
it came out. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to read this one either, but I am still
hoping to soon.
To get to the girl he loves,
Riley Kane must head off on a road trip with the father he never knew. Then
pray for a miracle.
Most teens would love to have a
pro surfer for a dad. Just not Riley. Abandoned as a kid, he hates the sound of
the ocean and the man who gave himself to it.
When the eighteen-year-old
learns that his best friend is stranded at a New Mexico hospital as her father
fights for his life, Riley hits the highway to head east. But when his Jeep
breaks down before he even leaves California, he must rely on the one man he
despises to get to the girl who needs him the most. And when it comes to the
surfer with the Volkswagen van and dog-eared map, a thousand miles may—or may
not—be enough to heal the past.
Undercover Bride by
Margaret Brownley
Undercover Bride is the second book in
Margaret’s Undercover Ladies series,
coming after Petticoat Detective. I read
the first novel just a couple of months ago and absolutely loved it, so I wanted
to pick up the second book next. Unfortunately, my library didn’t have it at
the time, and I haven’t had a chance to check again, so I haven’t had a chance
to read this one either.
Pinkerton detective Maggie
Cartwright has no intention of walking down the aisle…
But her current case has Maggie
posing as a mail-order bride for widower Garrett Thomas, the prime suspect in
the Whistle-Stop Bandit robbery.
No sooner does Maggie arrive in
Arizona Territory when she’s confronted by his meddlesome aunt who insists the
two set an early wedding date. With the clock ticking, Maggie sets to work to
uncover the truth.
Maggie is nothing like the woman
widower Garrett expected from her letters. But he’s immediately smitten with
the blue-eyed beauty and feels the need to protect her, not only from his
aunt’s critical eye, but also from the ugliness of his past.
As the day of the wedding draws
near, Maggie begins to panic. The investigation may be progressing, but the
real problem is that the more she gets to know Garrett and his two charming
children, the harder it is to keep up the deception.
Can a man as kind and gentle as
Garrett really be the Whistle-Stop Bandit? Or has the possibility of a home,
family, and a handsome husband blinded Maggie from seeing the truth?
When Love Returns by
Kim Vogel Sawyer
When Love Returns is the third book in
Kim’s Zimmerman Restoration Trilogy
series, coming after When Mercy Rains and
When Grace Sings. I read the first
two novels earlier last year and really enjoyed both of them, so I was eagerly
anticipating the release of the third installment. Unfortunately, things got
busy, and I never found the chance to pick this one up.
Riddled with doubt and lingering
regrets, will Suzanne and Paul find strength in God to explore a second chance
at love?
It wasn’t easy to move back to
the Old Order Mennonite community from which quiet, responsible Suzanne Zimmerman
was shamefully sent away as a pregnant teen. Returning twenty years later to
take care of her mother, Suzanne and Alexa—the daughter she raised as her
own—have spent months rebuilding relationships with her family.
Now, with the upcoming wedding
of their biological daughter, Suzanne and Paul find themselves drawn to one
another once again—but with new challenges to face. They have been single
parents with painful pasts. Can Paul and Suzanne find the strength to rebuild
the loving relationship that was torn apart by their teen pregnancy so long
ago?
Suzanne must also let go of
Alexa as she heads back to Indianapolis to visit friends—and as her chance to
find her birth parents. Leaving the bed-and-breakfast in Suzanne’s apprehensive
hands, Alexa embarks on a journey that will certainly changer her life
completely. Can mother and daughter trust God to restore all things in His
timing?
Those
are the top ten 2015 releases I had planned one reading, but never had the
chance to. How about you? What are some books you meant to read last year but
never did?
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 each italicized synopsis goes to their
respective authors and publishers.
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