February 2017 New Releases
More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on
the ACFW Fiction Finder
website.
Redeeming Grace
by Jill Eileen
Smith -- When famine visits Bethlehem, Boaz holds out hope for rain
while his relative Elimelech moves his wife Naomi and their sons to Moab. For a
while, it appears the Lord is blessing Elimelech's family, and his sons marry
two lovely Moabite women. But calamities strike, one after another, leaving
Naomi alone in a foreign land with only her childless daughters-in-law for
comfort. When news reaches Naomi that the famine in Bethlehem has lifted, only
Ruth will hazard the journey to her mother-in-law's homeland. Destitute and
downhearted, Naomi resigns herself to a life of bitter poverty, but Ruth holds
out hope for a better future. And Boaz may be the one God has chosen to provide
it. (Biblical from Revell - A Division of Baker Publishing Group)
Building
Benjamin by Barbara M.
Britton -- Naomi desires to dance well enough to catch the eye of a
wealthy landowner. Her father needs a substantial bride price due to the deaths
of her brothers at the hands of the tribe of Benjamin. But when Benjamites raid
the Ephraimite feast and capture young girls, Naomi is bound and carried from
her home by Eliab, a troubled shepherd who needs a wife. As Naomi awaits
rescue, she finds Eliab has a strong faith in God and a just reason for
abducting her. A reason that affects all the tribes of Israel. The future of
the tribe of Benjamin hangs in the balance, but if Naomi follows her heart and
stays with Eliab to rebuild his lineage, she must forfeit her family and become
a traitor to her own tribe. (Biblical
Romance from Harbourlight Books [Pelican])
Grace and the
Rancher by Mary
Alford -- Can a runaway singer and a makeshift rancher, thrust
together by circumstance and held together by the common thread of loss and a
love of music, find hope and a happily-ever-after under the stars of Delaney Mountain?
(Contemporary Romance from White Rose Publishing [Pelican])
Capturing
Beauty by Brenda S.
Anderson -- Photographer Haven Carlysle is a changed man. He returns
to Duluth to capture the North Shore's beauty ... and to recapture the love of
his son. But that means making amends with his ex-girlfriend too. Enter Callie
Beaumont. All her life, Callie has longed to work outdoors soaking up
God-breathed beauty, and the opportunity is finally on the horizon. But being
the liaison between the handsome photographer and his son has thrown her
dreams, and her heart, into chaos. Can Haven capture her heart when she won't
let him capture her image? And will his poor choices cost Callie her dream job
and him the love of his son? (Contemporary Romance, Independently Published)
The Lawman's
Secret Son by Lorraine
Beatty -- Suddenly a Father Police officer Seth Montgomery knows all
about order—but his world is thrown into chaos when he learns he has a
five-year-old son. With little Jack suddenly in his care, Seth turns to
neighbor Carrie Fletcher for help. Given her checkered past, Carrie prefers to
keep to herself, but there's no denying she cares for the boy—and her feelings
for charming Seth are rapidly developing, too. When someone from Carrie's past
shows up threatening to jeopardize the life she's worked so hard to build,
Carrie will have to fight for her future with the new family she's found...or
risk losing everything. (Contemporary Romance from Love Inspired [Harlequin])
Maybe It's
You by Candace Calvert
-- Micah Prescott's goal is to improve the Hope hospital image, but his role as
a volunteer crisis responder is closer to his heart. The selfless work helps
fill a void in his life left by family tragedy. So does a tentative new
relationship with the compassionate, beautiful, and elusive ER nurse, Sloane
Ferrell. Then a string of brutal crimes makes headlines, summons responders . .
. and exposes disturbing details of Sloane's past. Can hope spring from crisis?
(Contemporary Romance from Tyndale House)
A Second
Chance by Alexis
Goring -- Newly single food critic and newspaper reporter Traci Hightower
is done with dating. After the man of her dreams left her at the altar on their
wedding day and ran off with her “best friend,” Traci resigned herself to being
a bachelorette for life. Marc Roberts is a political reporter who is known as
Mr. Nice Guy, the one who always finishes last. But his widowed sister Gina
Braxton appreciates his compassion and kindness, since she's raising her two
kids alone. With God's guidance and the help of Gina's matchmaking skills honed
by her career as a bestselling romance novelist, Traci and Marc find hope for
their broken hearts. (Contemporary Romance from Forget Me Not Romances)
The
Amish Wanderer by Laura V.
Hilton -- After her daed, the bishop, is admitted to a mental
hospital after hurting their small Amish community, Bethany Weiss is ready to
get away from Jamesport, MO—and away from God. Silas Beiler, dogged by a rough
childhood and a family who blames him for each new disaster, is hitchhiking
toward Pennsylvania in hopes of stability. He sleeps in barns where he can and
works for food when possible. When Bethany spies a man asleep in the hayloft,
she first fears the return of an unwelcome suitor. But when it is Silas who
turns and speaks, the memories flood back: a happy summer six years ago, full
of lemonade, long walks, and budding courtship. Can their old love overcome
both this new pain and the hurt and rejection of their past? (Contemporary
Romance from Whitaker House)
Avalanche
by Gayla K.
Hiss -- Set in the North Cascades National Park of Washington State,
Avalanche is the inspirational story of one man set on revenge and the woman
who risks everything to help him find the fugitive who killed his partner.
(Contemporary Romance from Mountain Brook Ink)
The Doctor's Texas
Baby by Deb
Kastner -- When Carolina Mason shows up in Haven, Texas, after a
three-year absence, no one is more surprised than town veterinarian Wyatt
Harrow. Especially when he sees Carolina's two-year-old son, Matty. Their son.
How could she have kept his child a secret? Carolina doesn't deny the boy is
his. She thought she was doing what was best for everyone when she left, but
she realizes she was wrong. Though Wyatt is eager to make up for lost time with
Matty, Carolina's not so sure that extends to her. Can these former sweethearts
navigate their complicated past to make a family for their son? (Contemporary
Romance from Love Inspired [Harlequin])
Spring
Raine by Delia
Latham -- A last-minute decision sends a young woman to a seaside
community and lodging at Paradise Pines...where life takes a whole new path.
(Contemporary Romance from White Rose Publishing [Pelican])
Finding
Joy by Melanie D.
Snitker -- A horrific accident changed everything for Parker Wilson.
He returns to his family's ranch, the scars on his face a daily reminder of all
he's lost, yet his mom still insists he needs to stop hiding and live his life
again. The beautiful new employee she hires is the last thing he needs, and
he'll do whatever it takes to make the girl quit and regain the peace and quiet
he prefers. Only deep desperation could force Chelsea Blake to work on a cattle
ranch. But if she's going to avoid her parents' judgment when they arrive in
three weeks, she must turn the temporary job into a permanent one. Between
dodging mud, feeding longhorn cattle, and dealing with a handsome boss who
keeps giving her the cold shoulder, staying gainfully employed is proving to be
a challenge. Chelsea may not be cut out for ranch life, but her determination
to succeed is stronger than Parker's efforts at forcing her to leave. Surprisingly
alike, will the two set aside their disapproval to find immeasurable joy?
(Contemporary Romance, Independently Published)
The Secret
Heart by Marie
Wells Coutu -- After a whirlwind romance, beautiful Shawna Moore
marries Hunter Wilson, the governor of Tennessee. Now, she wonders if the
governor ever loved her or only hoped to avoid a scandal. In this modern
re-imagining of the biblical story of Bathsheba and King David, an investigative
reporter is asking questions--the wedding took place only six weeks following
the death of Shawna's first husband in Iraq. If he discovers the truth about
Shawna's baby, Hunter's chances for reelection, as well as Shawna's reputation,
will be ruined. But keeping their secret is destroying their marriage. Will
Hunter's choice mean the end of his political career or his family? (General
Fiction from Write Integrity Press)
Home at
Last by Deborah
Raney -- All her life, Shayla Michaels, owner of the Coffee's On
bakery, has felt as if she straddled two worlds. Her mother's white family
labeled her African American father with names Shayla didn't repeat in
polite--well, in any company. Her father's family disapproved as well, though
they eventually embraced Shayla as their own. After the death of her mother,
and her brother Jerry's incarceration, life has left Shayla's father bitter,
her niece, Portia, an orphan, and Shayla responsible for them all. She knows
God loves them all, but why couldn't people accept each other for what was on
the inside? For their hearts? Everything changes one icy morning when Portia
runs into the street and Link Whitman nearly hits her with his pickup. Soon he
is falling in love with Shayla. Can they overcome society's view of their
differences and find true love? (General Fiction from Abingdon Press)
Baggage
Claim by Cathe
Swanson -- When Ben Taylor, widower and single dad, gets caught up in
a dangerous insurance fraud network, he has to learn to take a stand for right
- and make a leap of faith: can he trust his nanny - who isn't quite what she
appears to be - and his newly-discovered biological father to hide and protect
his four young children? (General Fiction, Independently Published)
The
Matchmaker Brides Collection by Diana Lesire
Brandmeyer, Amanda
Cabot, Lisa
Carter, Ramona K. Cecil, Lynn A.
Coleman, Susanne
Dietze, Kim Vogel
Sawyer, Connie Stevens
and Liz
Tolsma -- Meet nine women of the late 1800s who have found themselves
in the role of matchmaker. They think they have mastered the art of recognizing
romantic potential in others, but when it comes to their own lives they have
been unlucky in love. In small communities from Tennessee to Colorado, Wyoming
to Indiana, love unexpectedly enters the women's lives with men they never
imagined marrying. But what will it take to get these ladies to say "I
do"? (Historical Romance from Barbour Publishing)
The
Viscount's Proposal by Melanie
Dickerson -- Leorah Langdon has no patience for Regency society's
shallow hypocrisy and unnecessary rules, especially for women. She's determined
to defy convention by marrying for grand passion instead of settling for a loveless
union like her parents--or wedding a stuffy, pompous gentleman like Edward, the
Viscount Withinghall. But when a chance meeting in the countryside leads to
Leorah and Withinghall being discovered in his overturned carriage--alone and
after dark--the ensuing gossip may force them together.Withinghall has his
reasons for clinging to propriety and he certainly has no time for a reckless
hoyden like Miss Langdon. But soon the two discover that Withinghall's coach
"accident" was no such thing: the vehicle was sabotaged. Strong-willed
Leorah and duty-driven Withinghall will have to work together if they have any
hope of saving her reputation, his political career--and his life. (Historical Romance from Waterfall Press) 
The Reluctant
Guardian by Susanne
Dietze -- When Gemma Lyfeld inadvertently interrupts a dangerous
smuggling operation in her English village, she's rescued by a mysterious
Scottish spy. Now with criminals after her and her hopes for an expected
marriage proposal recently dashed, she will make her society debut in London. But
not without the man tasked with protecting her... Covert government agent Tavin
Knox must keep Gemma safe from the criminals who think she can identify them—a
mission he never wanted. But as he escorts her and her rascally nephews around
London, the lovely English lass proves braver than he ever imagined. Suddenly,
the spy who works alone has one Season to become the family man he never
dreamed he'd be. (Historical Romance from Love Inspired [Harlequin]) 
Shine like
the Dawn by Carrie
Turansky -- In a quiet corner of northern Edwardian England, Margaret
Lounsbury diligently works in her grandmother's millinery shop, making hats and
caring for her young sister. Several years earlier, a terrible event reshaped
their family, shattering an idyllic life and their future prospects. An even
which...might not have been an accident. When Nathaniel Harcourt returns from
his time in the Royal Navy and inherits his father's vast estate, Morningside
Manor, he also assumes partial control of his father's engineering company and
the duty of repaying an old debt to the Lounsbury family. But years of
separation between Nate and Maggie have taken a toll and Maggie struggles to
trust her old friend. Will the search for the truth about her parents' death
draw the two friends closer or leave them both with broken hearts? (Historical
Romance from Waterbrook Multnomah) 
The Bounty
Hunter's Baby by Erica
Vetsch -- Bounty hunter Thomas Beaufort has no problem handling
outlaws, but when he's left with a criminal's baby to care for, he's in over
his head. And the only person he can think of to ask for help is Esther Jensen,
the woman whose heart he broke when he left town. But can he convince her to
put aside the past until he tracks down the baby's outlaw father? Esther is
ready to run Thomas off her Texas ranch--until she spies the abandoned newborn
in his arms. Soon, working together to care for the precious babe stirs old
hopes of a family. With trouble heading to their door, they could overcome it
together--if she'll entrust her wary heart to this sweet, second-chance family...
(Historical Romance from Love Inspired [Harlequin]) 
Raging
Storm by Vannetta
Chapman -- When a massive solar flare wiped out all modern technology
across the globe, the small town of Abney, Texas, was thrown into chaos. Shelby
Sparks and her diabetic teenage son, Carter, have found refuge, but Shelby
knows Carter can't survive without insulin--and Shelby will risk her life
traveling to Austin to make sure he gets it. Shelby's best friend and high
school sweetheart, Max Berkman, won't let her make the journey alone. Together,
they reach the capital--only to discover that Austin has turned into an urban
nightmare on the brink of anarchy. Now the only thing more uncertain than
finding what they need is the hope of making it out of the city alive.
(Thriller/Suspense from Harvest House Publishers)
Time
Search by Danele J.
Rotharmel -- While the TEMCO staff searches for clues to unravel the
mystery of his real name, their enemy is lurking in the shadows searching for
his targets--it's anyone's guess whose search will be completed first! (Speculative/Time Travel Fiction from Prism
Book Group)
Long
Time Gone by Mary
Connealy -- Rancher Justin Boden is normally an unshakable and rugged
man, but with his brother, Cole, shot and in mortal danger, even a tough man
faces doubts. And it doesn't help that Angie DuPree, the assistant to the
doctor trying to save Cole, is as distracting a woman as Justin ever laid eyes
on. With her and the doc's timely skills, Cole looks to be on the mend, and
Justin and the rest of the Bodens can turn their attention back to the dangers
facing them. It's clear now that everything that's occurred is part of a much
bigger plot that could date back to a decades-old secret. Can they uncover all
the pieces before danger closes in on them, or is the threat to the ranch even
bigger than any of the Bodens could imagine? (Western Romance from Bethany
House [Baker])