February 2020 New Releases
More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on
the ACFW Fiction
Finder website.
Contemporary Romance:
Hands of
Grace by Brenda S.
Anderson -- She's always looked for love in the wrong places. He
wants nothing to do with love. (Contemporary Romance, Independently Published)
Desert
Willow by Patricia
Beal -- A stubborn ballerina and a charming young officer are brought
together by an old woman's dying wish and last love letter. (Contemporary
Romance from Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas)
A Gift to
Cherish by Victoria
Bylin -- Rafe Donovan, a cop from Cincinnati, is haunted by a
recurring nightmare about the drug death of his high school sweetheart. Those
nightmares force him to take leave from his job, seek help, and shelter in
Refuge, where he pounds nails for his brother’s construction business. Rafe has
no desire to stay in Wyoming. His goal is to get back to being a cop in Ohio as
soon as possible. But then he meets Daisy Riley . . . When he finds her
stranded late at night with a flat tire, he’s impressed by her courage. Daisy
is equally impressed by him, but as a former victim of violence, she treasures
her safe and secure life in Refuge. Together they navigate the road to love—one
that’s complicated by the arrival of Daisy’s troubled best friend, online
dating, and the impossible obstacle of 1,600 miles between her home and his.
(Contemporary Romance, Independently Published)
Her Rocky
Mountain Hope by Mindy
Obenhaus -- Learning to trust can be the greatest adventure. She’s
always played it safe…Can he reach her guarded heart? Ready to open his camp
for young cancer patients, Daniel Stephens must impress foundation overseer Blythe
McDonald to ensure she approves funding for next year. But the cautious former
cancer patient was once let down by a similar program, and she’ll leave no
stone unturned in her evaluation. Can he convince her his camp is worthy of the
money…and that he’s worthy of her love? (Contemporary Romance from Love
Inspired [Harlequin])
The Story of
Us by Teri
Wilson -- When a bookstore owner and an architect go head to head
over a new development that threatens her store, they find a box of love
letters from the past that may hold the key to their future. (Contemporary
Romance from Hallmark Publishing)
General Split
Time:
The Tea
Chest by Heidi
Chiavaroli -- Boston, 1773... Emma Malcolm’s
father is staunchly loyal to the crown, but Emma’s heart belongs to Noah
Winslow, a lowly printer’s assistant and Patriot. Her father has promised her
hand to Samuel Clarke, a rapacious and sadistic man. As his fiancée, she would
have to give up Noah and the friends who have become like family to her?as well
as the beliefs she has come to embrace. After Emma is drawn into the treasonous
Boston Tea Party, Samuel blackmails her with evidence that condemns each
participant, including Noah. Emma realizes she must do whatever it takes to
protect those she loves, even if it means giving up the life she desires and
becoming Samuel’s wife. Present Day... Lieutenant Hayley
Ashworth is determined to be the first woman inducted into the elite Navy
SEALs. But before her dream can be realized, she must return to Boston in order
to put the abuse and neglect of her childhood behind her. When an unexpected
encounter with the man she once loved leads to the discovery of a tea chest and
the document hidden within, she wonders if perhaps true strength and freedom
are buried deeper than she first realized. Two women, separated by centuries,
must find the strength to fight for love and freedom. . . and discover a
heritage of courage and faith. (General Contemporary from Tyndale House)
Historical:
Heavenly
Lights by Barbara M.
Britton -- God gave Noah bat Zelophehad four sisters, a way with
four-legged creatures, and a strong spirit. She will need all three gifts to
thrive in the Promised Land of God and find love with a special shepherd.
(Historical from Harbourlight Books [Pelican])
Historical Romance:
Waltz in the
Wilderness by Kathleen
Denly -- Eliza Brooks is haunted by her role in her mother's death,
so she'll do anything to find her missing pa—even if it means sneaking aboard a
southbound ship. When those meant to protect her abandon and betray her
instead, a family friend's unexpected assistance is a blessing she can't
refuse. Daniel Clarke came to California to make his fortune, and a stable job
as a San Francisco carpenter has earned him more than most have scraped from
the local goldfields. But it's been four years since he left Massachusetts and
his fiancé is impatient for his return. Bound for home at last, Daniel Clarke
finds his heart and plans challenged by a tenacious young woman with haunted
eyes. Though every word he utters seems to offend her, he is determined to see
her safely returned to her father. Even if that means risking his fragile
engagement. When disaster befalls them in the remote wilderness of the Southern
California mountains, true feelings are revealed, and both must face
heart-rending decisions. But how to decide when every choice before them leads
to someone getting hurt? (Historical Romance from Wild Heart Books)
The Brightest
of Dreams by Susan Anne
Mason -- Quinten Aspinall is determined to fulfill the promise he
made to his dying father and keep his family together. To do so, he travels to
Canada to find his younger siblings, who were sent there as indentured workers
when Quinn was away at war. While overseas, he agrees to look for his
employer’s niece who ran off with a Canadian soldier. If Quinn can bring Julia
back, he will receive his own tenant farm, allowing him to give his ailing
mother and his siblings a true home at last. Julia Holloway’s decision to come
to Toronto has met with nothing but disaster. When her uncle’s employee rescues
her from a bad situation, she fears she can never repay Quinn’s kindness. So
when he asks for her help to find his sister, she agrees. The quest draws the
two of them together, but soon afterward, Julia receives devastating news that
will change her life forever. Torn between reuniting his family and protecting
Julia, will Quinn have to sacrifice his own happiness to finally keep his
promise? (Historical Romance from Bethany House [Baker])
Three Little
Things by Patti
Stockdale -- Hattie Waltz should forget the troubled neighbor leaving
for boot camp in 1917. He forgot about her ages ago. It had always been the
Waltzs verses the Kregers, his family pitted against hers. When she hands him a
farewell gift, a chemistry lesson unfolds. The good kind. Arno Kreger can't
leave Iowa or his old man fast enough. He's eager to prove his worth on the
battlefield and stop blaming himself for his brother's death. Before entering
the train, he bumps into Hattie. He's loved her forever, always from the
sidelines, because nobody crosses Hattie's pa. One innocent letter soon morphs
into many. Arno and Hattie share three little secrets in each letter and grow
closer together. But he's on his way to war across the ocean, and she's still
in her father's house. Their newfound love will need to survive dangers on both
fronts. (Historical Romance from Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas)
The Land
Beneath Us by Sarah
Sundin -- With his future stolen by his brothers’ betrayal, Private
Clay Paxton trains hard with the US Army Rangers, determined to do his best in
the upcoming Allied invasion of France. Leah Jones works as a librarian at the
army base, hoping to find her lost sisters. A marriage of convenience binds
them together, but will D-day—and a foreboding dream—tear them apart?
(Historical Romance from Revell – A Division of Baker Publishing Group)
Taming
Julia by Jodie
Wolfe -- A gun-toting, breeches-wearing wife wasn't what the minister
ordered. In 1875, Kansas bachelor Drew Montgomery's sole desire is to serve
God, but his congregation's ultimatum that he marry or leave, forces him to
advertise for a wife by proxy. Jules Walker strides into Drew's life wearing
breeches and toting a gun and saddle--more cowboy than bride. After years on
the trail, she's not exactly wife material, but she longs for home and family,
and will do anything to ensure Drew never discovers what she really is.
(Historical Romance from White Rose Publishing [Pelican])
Mystery:
Under
Cover by Linda Shenton
Matchett -- In the year since arriving in London, journalist Ruth
Brown has put a face on the war for her readers at home in the U.S. Thus far,
juggling her career and her relationship with Detective Inspector Trevor Gelson
hasn't proven too challenging. The war gets personal for Ruth when her friend
Amelia is murdered, and Trevor is assigned to the case. Life gets even more
unsettling when clues indicate her best friend, Varis, is passing secrets to
the enemy. Convinced Varis is innocent, Ruth must find the real traitor as the
clock ticks down toward Operation Husky-the Allied invasion of Sicily.
Circumstantial evidence leads Trevor to suspect her of having a part in
Amelia's death, and Ruth must choose between her heart and her duty.
(Historical Mystery from Shortwave Press)
Romantic Suspense:
Legacy
Reclaimed by Robin
Patchen -- She’ll risk anything to save the company her parents built.
When someone makes threats on her life, he’ll risk anything to save her. But
that someone will stop at nothing to make sure they both fail. (Romantic
Suspense, Independently Published)
Speculative:
Cry of the
Raven by Morgan L.
Busse -- Lady Selene Ravenwood has come into her full power as a
dreamwalker just as the war with the Dominia Empire begins. Working with the
other Great Houses, Selene and Damien use their gifts to secure the borders and
save those devastated by the war. But conflict, betrayal, and hatred begin to
spread between the Great Houses, destroying their unity as the empire burns a
path across their lands. At the same time, Damien Maris starts to lose his
ability to raise the waters, leaving the lands vulnerable to the empire's
attacks. The only one who can unite the houses and restore her husband's power
is Selene Ravenwood. But it will require that she open her heart to those who
have hurt her and let go of her past, despite the one who hunts her and will do
anything to stop her power. Will Selene survive? Or is she destined to fall
like the dreamwalkers before her? (Fantasy from Bethany House [Baker])
Young Adult:
Follow the
Dawn by Rachelle Rea
Cobb -- Anna Emory grew up the invisible, shy younger sister, and she
prefers it that way. But when her father attempts to arrange an unsavory
marriage, Anna learns that courage is sometimes found in adversity. Then she
meets a boy and his father struggling in their relationship, and they tip her
quiet world upside down. Captain Mathieu Tudder has run from responsibility,
entrusting his young son’s care to another and devoting his Sea Beggar ship to
the Dutch Revolution. After that cause fails, Tudder returns to England for the
son he left behind. But his son seems to have given his heart to a unknown and
quiet lady—a woman who reminds him of all he’s ever loved and lost. Will these
two hearts—the battle-scarred and the broken—ever find true freedom? (Young
Adult Historical from Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas)
The Vault Between
Spaces by Chawna
Schroeder -- Every legend must start somewhere... No prisoner who
enters the gates of HopeWell ever leaves. But from the moment Oriel sets foot
inside Anatroshka's most formidable prison camp, she unsettles both commandant
and prisoner alike with eyes that see beyond the surface and music that trails
her everywhere. Petite and delicate though she appears, Oriel bows before
neither threat nor punishment. Moreover, she makes no attempt to hide her
intention: Oriel plans to escape the inescapable HopeWell. But when facades are
stripped away and myth becomes clothed in flesh, what begins as a prison break
becomes a mission to stop the invasion of evil itself. (Young Adult Fantasy
from Enclave Publishing)
Plus check out these recent additions
to Fiction Finder published within the past month:
The Duke’s
Refuge by Lorri
Dudley, Historical Romance
Hannah’s
Courage by Molly
Jebber, Amish Romance
The Missing
Manuscript by Sylvia A
Nash, Cozy Mystery
Silvyn’s
Tale by Sara
Nicole, Fantasy
Freedom Lake Collection:
Books 1 - 3 by Toni
Shiloh, Contemporary Romance
Yellowstone
Yondering by Kristen Joy
Wilks, Contemporary Romance