Must-Have March Releases

        I can’t believe it’s that time again, and yet here I am, posting about the March releases I’m just dying to read. How can it possibly almost be March? I have no earthly idea, but I’m glad if it means I’m getting closer and closer to being able to read these books! Sorry it’s such a long post, but I just had to add all of these books! Check them out; they’re going to be fabulous!

Change of Heart

        A Colorado senator’s wife, Evelyn Brandt seems to have it all. But her carefully constructed life comes toppling down when the FBI crashes her society brunch with the news that her husband has been arrested for embezzlement, and he’s far from repentant. It turns out this was only the start of his indiscretions—for which he has little regret.

        As the weeks following the scandal turn into months, Evelyn withdraws, even shirking her duties with the philanthropic Valentine Volunteers. The inquisitive women of the group are determined not to let Evelyn’s divorce destroy her. They have big plans for her to use her long-forgotten artistic talent to reimagine the city’s iconic lamppost hearts. But doing so will force Evelyn to work closely with Trevor Whitney, her ex-husband’s former best friend. Though she and Trevor used to be close—and he’s been letting her hide in his guesthouse—his gruffness conveys his unease with the situation.

        Amid the beauty of Trevor’s farm and the comfort of a paintbrush, Evelyn starts to reclaim the dreams she sacrificed to become the perfect politician’s wife. And as creativity inspires them both, Whit begins to see the girl he fell in love with before his friend—and his own mistakes—stole his chance. Possibilities for a new beginning emerge, but long-kept secrets threaten to ruin everything. After so much time, is a change of heart too much to hope for?

        Change of Heart is the second book in Courtney Walsh’s Paper Hearts series, coming after Paper Hearts. I just finished Paper Hearts a couple of days ago and absolutely loved it, so I cannot wait to read this novel! I’m not sure when I will get the chance, but I’m hoping that it will be very soon. Courtney is a wonderful storyteller, and I cannot wait to read more of her works.

Flirtation Walk

        Trying to escape the shambles her con-man father has made of their reputation, Lucinda Curtis arrives in West Point, New York, determined to land a husband from the military academy. Campbell Conklin is first in his class and preparing to embark upon a storied career in the U. S. Army. Lucinda -thinks Campbell will make the perfect husband…as long as he does not find out about her father.

        Seth Westcott also has taken a liking to Lucinda. He’s kind smart…and working extremely hard to graduate last. Tradition states that the worst cadets are assigned to the cavalry out west. And west is where Seth must head to track the swindler who stole all of Seth’s mother’s money. Seth is smart enough to vie for the top spot, but life isn’t fair and this is his chance to catch the man who ruined his family. It’s too bad Campbell is all shine and no substance, but Lucinda will surely see through all of that, won’t she?

        I have been a big fan of Siri Mitchell’s for a while now, ever since I read A Heart Most Worthy and She Walks in Beauty, so I cannot imagine not looking forward to her new releases. Flirtation Walk is a novel I have been anticipating for quite some time now, and I am hopeful that it will be just as wonderful as the other two novels I have read by her.

Planted with Hope

        When Hope Miller is offered the plot of land behind the Me, Myself, and Pie shop to start a garden, she jumps at the chance. Finally—some space away from her four sisters! But everyone in town seems to have an opinion about what she should grow and how she should grow it. When the widower schoolteacher, Jonas Sutter, asks if his students at the Amish school can help turn the plot into a community garden, Hope only halfheartedly agrees, wondering if she will ever get the peace and quiet she craves. And will she get anything to grow?

        Planted with Hope is the second book in Tricia Goyer and Sherry Gore’s Pinecraft Pie Shop series, coming after Made with Love. I enjoyed the first novel, though it wasn’t my favorite book I have ever read, so I am still looking forward to this new installment even though I’m not sure how much I will like it. I always like to give authors another chance, and besides, I did enjoy Made with Love enough to give it four bookshelves, so it only had a few things counting against it.

Playing the Part

        Lucetta Plum is an actress on the rise in New York City, but is forced to abandon her starring role when a fan’s interest turns threatening. Lucatta’s widowed friend, Abigail Hart, is delighted at the opportunity to meddle in Lucetta’s life and promptly whisks her away to her grandson’s estate to hide out.

        Bram Haverstein may appear to simply be a somewhat eccentric gentleman of means, but a mysterious career and a secret fascination with a certain actress mean there’s much more to him than society knows.

        Lucetta, who has no interest in Abigail’s matchmaking machinations, has the best intentions of remaining cordial but coolly distant to Bram. But when she can’t ignore the strange and mysterious things going on in his house, it’ll take more than good intentions to keep her from trying to discover who Bram is behind the part he plays.

        Playing the Part is the third book in Jen Turano’s A Class of Their Own series, coming after After a Fashion and In Good Company. I absolutely LOVED both of the first two novels, so I cannot wait for this book!!! Even though I read the two of them a few months apart, I still felt like I was able to pick right back up and immerse myself into the story, especially since they are just about three friends rather than all about the same person. Honestly, you would be okay reading any of the books in the series first, but if you want the full effect I would read them in order. Anyway, I’ve been dying to read this novel, and I’ve been given the opportunity to review it next month which makes it even harder for me to wait!!!

A Treasure Concealed

        Emily Carver wants a home where she can put down roots instead of following her gold-hungry father from one mining camp to another. She also longs for tenderness and love, both of which are missing in her life. Yet when she realizes she’s losing her heart to the intriguing new man in camp, she fiercely fights her feelings, afraid that love will only result in disappointment and heartache.

        Caeden Thibault, a young geologist, comes to Montana to catalog minerals indigenous to the state. He’s a serious and guarded young man trying to escape the pain of his past. He has avoided all romantic entanglements, fearing he might become like his abusive father. But something about Emily Carver has caught his attention, something he never expected…

        Will these two broken souls allow God to bring healing and hope to their hurting hearts?

        A Treasure Concealed is the first book in Tracie Peterson’s Sapphire Brides series, but isn’t the first book I have ever read by her. I really enjoyed her Striking a Match, The Broadmoor Legacy, Ladies of Liberty, and Alaskan Quest series, though I wasn’t very fond of one of her most recent releases—Steadfast Heart. Anyway, I’m hoping this new series will be just as wonderful as the other four I’ve read by her, and I cannot wait to give it a chance.

The Goodbye Bride

She only remembers loving him. But he can’t forget the way she left.

        Following a concussion, Lucy Lovett can’t remember the last seven months of her life. She doesn’t remember leaving her fiancé Zac Callahan weeks before their wedding or moving to Portland, Maine. And she sure doesn’t remember getting engaged to another man. All she remembers is loving Zac more than life itself.

        It’s taken Zac months to move on after Lucy left him with no explanation. He’s thrown himself into his family’s farm and his restaurant business in Summer Harbor. Now Lucy’s back, vulnerable, homeless, and still in love with him. She needs his help putting the pieces together, but letting her back into his life is a risk—and the stakes are high. If he follows his heart he’ll win back the love of his life. But if her memory returns he’ll lose her all over again.

        The Goodbye Bride is the second book in Denise Hunter’s Summer Harbor series, coming after Falling Like Snowflakes. I am a HUGE fan of Denise’s; I absolutely melted through the first book in this series, her Chapel Springs series, and Sweetwater Gap—one of her standalones—so I cannot wait to melt through this one. I heard about it what seems like forever ago, and I have been absolutely dying to read it, especially since I read the first book back in September. Fortunately, I’ve been planning on preordering it for ages, so you’ll be seeing my review of it very soon.

An Unbroken Heart

An argument. A crash. In an instant, Joanna’s world is changed forever.

        One minute, Joanna Schrock was arguing with her parents, and the next, her parents’ lives were claimed in a hit-and-run buggy accident. Her body is broken, but her heart is in even deeper pain—after all, how do you cope with your parents’ deaths when your last words were spoken in anger?

        After an extended stint in a physical rehabilitation center, she re-enters her Amish life. But nothing is the same, not even her feelings for Andrew Beiler.

        Joanna has loved Andrew since the age of twelve, and her feelings have not changed throughout the years. She is thrilled when Andrew wants to get married, but she wonders whether it’s love he’s feeling, or pity. As the couple’s wedding date approaches, Joanna isn’t overcome with the deep joy she was hoping to find; instead, she’s wracked with anxiety and guilt.

        Joanna hears God whispering to her, “Be strong and courageous,” but she’s afraid that courage looks a lot like walking away from her dreams and into the plan of her Heavenly Father.

        If Joanna takes the first step toward healing, will it cost her everything she’s ever wanted? Or could God be changing the desires of her heart?

        An Unbroken Heart is the second book in Kathleen Fuller’s Amish of Birch Creek series, coming after A Reluctant Bride. I just recently read the first novel, and absolutely LOVED it, so I cannot wait to read this new installment. Kathleen is a very talented author, and I have already fallen for the Schrock family, so I cannot wait to read Joanna’s story.

Bride of a Distant Isle

        An unforgettable romance set in Victorian England, Bride of a Distant Isle is the engrossing story of Annabel Ashton, who rights to save her family home and her mother’s honor while trying to figure out if the man she loves wants her—or just wants to use her to achieve his own ambitions.

        Miss Annabel Ashton is a teacher at the Rogers School for Young Ladies in Winchester when she takes a brief visit to her family home, Highcliffe Hall at Milford-on-Sea. She believes her stay will be short but soon learns that she will not be returning to the safety of the school. Instead, she remains at Highcliffe, at the mercy of her cousin, Edward Everedge.

        Annabel protests, but as the illegitimate daughter of a woman who died in an insane asylum, she has little say. Edward is running out of money and puts the house up for sale to avoid financial ruin. He insists that Annabel marry, promising her to a sinister, frightening man. But as the house gets packed for sale, it begins to reveal disquieting secrets. Jewelry, artifacts, and portraits mysteriously appear, suggesting that Annabel may be the true heir of Highcliffe.

        She has only a few months to prove her legitimacy, perhaps with assistance from the handsome but troubled Maltese Captain Dell’Acqua. But does he have Annabel’s best interests at heart?

        And then, a final, most ominous barrier to both her inheritance and her existence appears: a situation neither she nor anyone else could have expected. Will Annabel regain her life and property—and trust her heart—before it’s too late?

        A Bride of a Distant Isle is the second book in Sandra Byrd’s Daughters of Hampshire series, coming after Mist of Midnight. When I read the first book last month, I absolutely fell in love with Sandra’s writing, and I have been dying to read more of her works ever since. Clearly, I cannot wait for this new book, and I am hoping that I get the opportunity to read it soon.

I’ll Be Yours

She’s the coach’s brilliant daughter, clueless about love. He’s the dethroned football star, ready to teach Romance 101. When dark secrets and sparks collide, there’s no playbook for what happens next.

        If life were a nerd parade, sixteen-year-old Harper O’Malley would be its grand marshal. This trumpet player’s got a laundry list of accomplishments to her credit, but none of them include snagging a boyfriend. When a new guy finally catches Harper’s eye, she’ll stop at nothing to win his heart, even if it means asking for assistance from an unlikely source.

        High school senior Ridley Estes’s future depends on playing football for the University of Southern Kentucky. When his past catches up with him, Ridley will need more than just a scholarship to get his ticket to college. He needs the kind of help only a Brainiac like Harper can provide.

        Harper knows she’s insane to agree to tutor Ridley in exchange for love lessons, but these are desperate times. Just when she sees promise with her crush, a national scandal rocks the SEC, and no one is safe from the fallout. Harper’s family implodes from the aftershocks, dredging up devastating memories she’d rather keep buried.

        Harper suddenly has everything to lose—her family, friends, and even her heart. Who can she trust? When the dust of the scandal settles, nothing will be the same. Including the girl who asked the most popular jock to teach her about love.

        I’ll Be Yours is a book I just recently found out would be releasing, but is a novel I am already dying to read. I’ve read quite a few of Jenny B. Jones’ novels; I own There You’ll Find Me and have read it at least twice, I’ve read The Charmed Life series twice, the Katie Parker Production series once, and Save the Date at least three or four times. Jenny has been one of my favorite authors for quite some time, and I have been eagerly anticipating her releasing something new. I’m hoping I’ll be able to preorder this novel as well, so be looking out for this review too.

The Atonement

        The mistakes of the past haunt Lucy Flaud, who years ago stopped attending the activities for courting-age young people in her hometown of Bird-in-Hand. Now twenty-five and solidly past the age of Amish courtship, Lucy has given up any hope of marriage, instead focusing her efforts on volunteering in both the Plain and fancy communities of Lancaster County. Yet no matter how hard Lucy strives, she feels uncertain that she’ll ever find redemption.

        Dale Wyeth has a deep mistrust of modern-day “advances” and the dependency they create. The young Englisher’s interest in living off the grid is fueled further when he meets Christian Flaud, Lucy’s father. Dale appreciates the self-sufficient ways of the Old Order Amish, and Christian invites him to learn more about the by staying at the family farm.

        As Christian and Dale grow closer, developing a father-son rapport, Lucy begins to question what Dale’s being there might mean for her. Could God be testing her? Or is it possible that even the most unworthy heart—and two people from very different walks of life—can somehow find a new beginning?

        I absolutely love Beverly Lewis’ work. I have read almost every single one of her many, many novels, and loved every one of them. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to read a couple of her most recent releases, but I’m hoping I will soon, this one included.

A Brush of Wings

        Despite needing a heart transplant and against the advice of her doctor, Mary Catherine moves to Uganda to work at a new orphanage. Whatever time she has left, Mary Catherine wants to spend it helping children—especially since there will be no children of her own. The only problem is Major League Baseball player Marcus Dillinger, the man she never meant to fall in love with. Neither Marcus nor Mary Catherine’s other friends—Tyler Ames and Sami Dawson—know just how serious her heart condition is.

        Still, Marcus is sure in the depths of his soul that something isn’t right. Ultimately, his correspondence with Mary Catherine leads him on a desperate life-or-death mission to rescue her and get her to a US hospital before time runs out. Meanwhile, Sami and Tyler struggle with issues of their own. In a season when Tyler plans to ask Sami to marry him, the very core of their relationship is in jeopardy.

        The team of angels walking is busier than ever in this epic battle between life and death. A Brush of Wings is a poignant tale of love, sacrifice, and the power of faith.

        A Brush of Wings is the third book in Karen Kingsbury’s Angels Walking series, coming after Angels Walking and Chasing Sunsets. I really enjoyed the first book, and absolutely loved the second one, so I cannot wait for this novel. The second book finished leaving me hanging, so I have been dying to finally figure out what happened ever since. I’m hoping I’ll be able to read it not too long after it releases, so keep an eye out for my review!

The Midwife’s Dilemma

        Midwife Martha Cade has decided. When he returns in February, she is going to marry Mayor Thomas Dillon. That is the only decision in life in which she feels confident these days. Everything else around her feels like it’s changing too fast, from her daughter’s obvious affection for the town’s young doctor to Martha realizing she’s ready to pass on her role as midwife to someone younger. Even her beloved town of Trinity is changing.

        The 1830’s Pennsylvania town, having mushroomed in size and population, is becoming an important agricultural and economic center for the region, and soon a canal will connect it even more to the outside world.

        It is a season that will set the course for the rest of her life. Martha will need every ounce of confidence, courage, and faith she possesses to overcome the obstacles that will make her life far more challenging and difficult than she can dare to imagine.

        The Midwife’s Dilemma is the third book in Delia Parr’s At Home in Trinity series, coming after The Midwife’sTale and The Midwife’s Choice. Unfortunately, I was only able to read the first book, but I absolutely loved it and have been dying to read more about Martha ever since. Hopefully I’ll be able to finish this series soon!

The Hearts We Mend

For young widow Evie Bennett, moving forward will mean deciding what to leave behind…and what to keep.

        Widowed at the age of twenty-five when her firefighter husband was killed in the line of duty, Evie Bennett has spent the last thirteen years raising their son, Cody, in the close-knit community of Banister Falls. As the women’s ministry director of her church, Evie encourages women to boldly pursue God’s plan for their future…while she is content with her memories of the past. But Evie’s well-ordered life begins to change when she meets Jack Vale.

        As Evie gets drawn into Jack’s world—a world that isn’t as safe and predictable as the one she’s worked so hard to create—he challenges her to open her eyes to the problems in the community…but will Evie open her heart to love again?

        Because even though Jack isn’t anything like her late husband, he just might be everything she needs.

        The Hearts We Mend is the second of Kathryn Springer’s Bannister Falls novels, coming after The Dandelion Field. I hadn’t read any of Kathryn’s books before this month, but I absolutely loved the first novel of this series, and I cannot wait to read this next one. It is already sitting on my bookshelf (thanks to the Litfuse Publicity Group) and I cannot wait to devour it just as soon as I’m able.

        So, those are the March releases I’m most looking forward to. What about you? What are some new releases you’re just dying to get your hands on?




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All credit for the italicized synopses goes to each author and their respective publishers.