Bethany House ~ 2010 Historical/Amish releases

Okay, here we go readers! Sharing with you the great books you can anticipate in the coming months is one of my favourite things to do and it is now time to look at Bethany’s 2010 releases.

I love to hear your responses to the covers and stories so tell me which covers appeal and why and the stories – which ones will you read?

I love the beauty of Siri’s cover and Stephanie’s with the headless women is fun! As far as stories go I adore Siri and Julie’s books and the combination of historical romance writer, Deeanne Gist and crime writer, J Mark Bertrand?? Well that, I’ve just got to read!!!

Your thoughts?

The Silent Governess by Julie Klassen

Believing herself guilty of a crime, Olivia Keene flees her home, eventually stumbling upon a grand estate where an elaborate celebration is in progress. But all is not as joyous as it seems…. Lord Bradley has just learned a terrible secret, which, if exposed, will change his life forever. When he glimpses a figure on the grounds, he fears a spy or thief has overheard his devastating news. He is stunned to discover the intruder is a scrap of a woman with her throat badly injured. Fearing she will spread his secret, he gives the girl a post and confines her to his estate. As Olivia and Lord Bradley’s secrets catch up with them, will their hidden pasts ruin their hope of finding love?

Releasing January, 2010

The Hidden Flame by Davis Bunn & Janette Oke

Abigail had lost everything–home–family, and left with little promise of a normal life. When she discovers the Messiah and joins his followers, she also discovers new meaning and purpose. Maybe she does have a future after all. But increasing persecution is scattering the burgeoning group “to the ends of the earth.” And Abigail may have given her heart to the wrong man….

Abigail, an orphan, has found the young brother she had thought was dead. Along the way she also has found a second family–those brave followers of the Jewish prophet Jesus. Under attack from several groups who hate them for their growing influence, these new Christians are spreading out from Jerusalem, taking their life-changing message with them. This further enrages the religious elite, and they engage whomever they can to stamp out this powerful new sect called The Way.

Two suitors desire the lovely Abigail’s hand in marriage. One is a successful Hebrew merchant and widower, looking for a mother for his children. On the other side is the Roman soldier Linux, who is captivated by her winsome charm and could offer the sanctuary–maybe even the love–for which she yearns. But her heart has been captured by neither of these. Stephen, one of the leaders of The Way, has a character and a faith that move her deeply, but his outspoken preaching has marked him for assassination. Will her faith and courage withstand a heartbreak beyond comprehension? And then a glimmer of hope appears one she never would have foreseen….

Releasing January, 2010


Beguiled by Deeanne Gist and J Mark Bertrand

Rylee Monroe walks dogs in old money Charleston, a part of the city recently targeted by a daring thief. Logan Woods works the crime beat for the local paper but dreams of a life as a nonfiction writer. When the string of robberies takes a strange twist, Logan sees the making of a once-in-a-lifetime book that seems to circle around this charming, eye-catching dogwalker. But pursuing the truth means ignoring that he seems to be falling for her. And what is she hiding in her past that could crack the story wide open?

Releasing February, 2010



Somewhere to Belong by Judith Miller

Johanna Ilg has lived her entire life in Main Amana, one of the seven villages inhabited by devout Christians who believe in cooperative living, a simple lifestyle, and faithful service to God. Although she’s always longed to see the outside world, Johanna believes her future is rooted in the community. But when she learns a troubling secret, the world she thought she knew is shattered and she is forced to make difficult choices about a new life and the man she left behind. Berta Schumacher has lived a privileged life in Chicago, and when her parents decide they want a simpler life in Amana, Iowa, she resists. Under the strictures of the Amana villages, Berta’s rebellion reaches new heights. Will her heart ever be content among the plain people of Amana?

Releasing March, 2010


Morning’s Refrain by Tracie Peterson

As dark family secrets threaten the tranquility of the life he’s come to love, Dalton Bjorklund must make difficult choices about the future. To complicate matters, Phoebe Robbins falls into his life quite literally when Dalton rescues her after she falls overboard in the Sitka Harbor. He quickly loses his heart. But Dalton is not the only one who decides to seek Phoebe’s attentions–his best friend, Yuri, decides to court her when Dalton must travel from Sitka. But when Dalton realizes the depth of his love for Phoebe and returns, the two friends find that their battle for Phoebe’s affection is only the start of the problems that face them.

Releasing March, 2010

Hearts Awakening by Deila Parr

With no means to support herself, Ellie Kilmer agrees to work as a housekeeper for the young widower who lives on Dillon Island, hopeful she can obtain a proper reference. But Jackson Smith quickly realizes that Ellie’s presence may solve his own problems–both the rearing of his young boys and the scandal that surrounds his first marriage. When a marriage of convenience is offered, Ellie is initially humiliated. Though she is past the age most women marry, she has more pride than to agree to his outlandish suggestion. Yet what options does she have? To marry would mean a home and stability. So despite the rumors circling Jackson and his first wife, Ellie accepts this unlikely proposal….

Releasing March, 2010


The Telling by Beverly Lewis

Grace Byler leaves Bird-in-Hand in a fancy car to search for her mother in Ohio. But what if Lettie Byler doesn’t wish to be found? Meanwhile, Lettie continues her private quest to find the missing piece of her life. As clues take her from state to state, she is increasingly torn between the family she has left behind and the yearning for her long-lost child. Struggling to come to terms with a grave medical diagnosis, Heather Nelson is determined to forgo traditional medicine–to her father’s chagrin–in hopes of finding answers and healing in Amish country. But first, she offers to drive her Amish friend, Grace Byler, to Ohio Amish country. Will mother and daughter, and one seriously ill graduate student, find the answers they long for…or will “the telling” cause them all further pain?

Releasing April, 2010


Sixteen Brides by Stephanie Grace Whitson

In 1872, sixteen Civil War widows living in St. Louis respond to a series of meetings conducted by a land speculator who lures them west by promising “prime homesteads” in a “booming community.” Unbeknownst to them, the speculator’s true motive is to find an excuse to bring women to the fledging community of Plum Grove, Nebraska, in hopes they will accept marriage proposals shortly after their arrival! Sparks fly when these unsuspecting widows meet the men who are waiting for them. These women are going to need all the courage and faith they can muster to survive these unwanted circumstances…especially when they begin to discover that none of them is exactly who she appears to be.

Releasing April, 2010


She Walks In Beauty by Siri Mitchell

For a young society woman seeking a favorable marriage, so much depends on her social season debut. Clara Carter has been given one goal: secure the affections of the city’s most eligible bachelor. Debuting means plenty of work–there are corsets to be fitted, dances to master, manners to perfect. Her training soon pays off, however, as celebrity’s spotlight turns Clara into a society-page darling.

Yet Clara soon wonders if this is the life she really wants. Especially when she learns her best friend has also set her sights on Franklin De Vries. When a man appears who seems to love her simply for who she is and gossip backlash turns ugly, Clara realizes it’s not just her marriage at stake–the future of her family depends on how she plays the game.

Releasing April, 2010


No Distance Too Far by Lauraine Snelling

Astrid Bjorklund wants to use her medical training to serve God and feels that He might be leading her in the direction of missionary work. Smarting from a misunderstanding with Joshua Landsverk, the young man she thought she loved, she heads east to a missionary training school, hoping to eventually use her skills in some remote outpost in Africa.

When she is called home unexpectedly to help in a family medical emergency, Astrid learns of a deadly measles outbreak on the nearby Indian reservation. She immediately senses the Spirit tugging her to help the Indians and wonders if her “mission field” is not so far away as she had imagined. But if she follows God’s call, will love pass her by?

Releasing April, 2010

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9 Responses to Bethany House ~ 2010 Historical/Amish releases

  1. The Hidden Flame, Somewhere to Belong, The Telling and She Walks in Beauty all appeal to me.

    Of course, you'll need someone to review 'The Telling'…won't you?!

  2. Wow, is Bethany House the king (or queen?) of historical novels or what?
    Personally, I'm a little tired of contemporary faces on historical novel covers, but I don't read historicals, so who cares? 😉
    Can't wait for Gist's and Bertrand's combined effort, but is it just me or are the woman's hands deformed?
    Hearts Awakening and Sixteen Brides looked like "authentic" covers.

  3. Jennifer @ Quiverfull Family

    The Hidden Flame – because I LOVE biblical fiction, and She Walks in Beauty because I really enjoyed Mitchell's latest :).

  4. They all look good, and it's a given I'll read The Telling. The others that look interesting to me are Beguiled, The Silent Governess, and Sixteen Brides (that last line of the blurb is somewhat intriguing, is it not?).

    Nicole, I don't think the hand is deformed – it just looks like the thumb is bent at the top knuckle as she's gripping the edge of the door.

  5. Well I guess I'll be broke next year from buying all these books! They ALL look terrific! I love Deeanne Gist's work so I'll definitely be looking forward to Beguiled as well as Morning's Refrain and Heart's Awakening!

  6. CherryBlossomMJ

    *sigh*

  7. Thanks, Jenny. I see it perfectly now. Crazy how something can appear sometimes until you really see it.

  8. Sooo excited about Siri's book! Okay well all of them… but Siri's especially. Lovely covers. 🙂

  9. Definitely Sixteen Brides by Stephanie Grace Whitson. One of the women looks ready to fight, another compliant, one reluctant, one apprehensive, and one prim and proper, not necessarily in the order shown. A definite read. Plus I love that era of history and the West.
    desertrose5173 at gmail dot com

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