I love that Thomas Nelson publishes such varied genres ~ historical, suspense, romance, supernatural and more.
I can’t wait for Tracy’s Garden of Madness ~ another installment in her Seven Wonders series, Colleen is always a great read, Kristin and Sibella, too đ
Which ones have caught your eye? I always love hearing your thoughts on cover art and anticipated stories….
Garden of Madness by Tracy L. Higley
“Three princes who would all have me. One as a means to peace, one as means to power, and the otherâthe other to set me free.”
For seven years the Babylonian princess Tiamat has kept her family’s secret, waiting for her father, the mad king Nebuchadnezzar, to return to his family and his kingdom. Married for treaty at fourteen and widowed at twenty-one, she revels in her newfound independence, determined to control her own destiny.
But when a nobleman is found dead in the palace, Tia must discover who is responsible for the murder, even if her own freedom is threatened. Evidence points to the man-beast roaming the Gardens, and Tia fears the closely-guarded secret may soon be discovered.
But the lies have only begun to unravel, and as Tia uncovers one unspeakable truth after another, she finds that she is the center of the intrigue, and her questions are a threat to her very life.
Madness, sorcery, and sinister plots mingle like an alchemistâs deadly potion, and Tia must dare to risk everythingâto save the kingdom and herself.
May, 2012
When Daphne’s fiancĂ© calls off their wedding, her senses leave herâwell, one of them does.
Daphne Sweeten, a professional ânose,â has given up her dream job creating fragrances in Paris. She sees it as a sacrifice worthy of the most romantic stories ever told . . . but it’s a sacrifice lost on her fiancĂ©, who decides to bail on their wedding.
Now, gone is Daphne’s dream job as a perfumer, and most importantly, her money-making sense of smell. Instead she has a formulation job in middle America, a ramshackle house in dire need of roof repair, and an intriguing boss, the handsome Jesse Lightner.
As Daphne navigates the upheaval that is her life, she determines to stop trying to avoid the rain life brings and to dance in its showers instead.
June, 2012
When two very different women become unexpected neighbors in Hope Springs, North Carolina, they have no idea how God is going to use the small town to change them . . . or use them to change the town.
Janelle Evans, still reeling from her husband’s sudden death two years ago, has come to Hope Springs to help care for her grandmother who is battling cancer.
Becca Anderson is certain that her ministry in St. Louis is about to take off. Yet God seems to be calling her husband to pastor the same church in Hope Springs that his father and grandfather pastored.
Neither woman wanted this small town to be home. Pushed out of their comfort zones, Janelle and Becca both realize that healing in their hearts, their families, and the two churches is needed.
But neither expects all God has planned as hope springs in the most unexpected ways.
June, 2012
When the life she planned for herself is snatched away, Sophia’s eyes open to the life God has planned for her.
Sophia Makinoff is sure that 1876 is the year she’s going to become the wife of an up-and-coming congressman. But when the congressman humiliates her by proposing to her mousy roommate, Sophia wants nothing more than to disappear and avoid the wedding plans. She grasps at her first opportunity for escape and signs up for the Board of Foreign Missions.
She thinks she’ll be going to China . . . but even running away doesn’t go as planned when she’s instead sent to the Ponca Indian Agency in the Dakota Territory. It’s an abysmal, primitive place for a lady of society, but as she gets to know the people, she discovers she can’t abandon them. The motives that led her there were anything but pure, but she finds a new purpose in trying to protect “the least of these.”
The water rushes around herâliterally and figurativelyâas Sophia learns that the only way to fulfill her purpose is to ignore the distractions and focus on God’s leading.
July, 2012
A chasm lies between Rahab and her beloved Sala that can never be crossed.
Though Sala rescues young Rahab from slave bandits, he knows he can never fall in love with a Canaanite. His belief in the One True God prevents them from a future together. Rahab’s beauty gains royal notice, and she is selected to entice the King during the annual sacred marriage reenactment praising their pagan god, Baal.
But when the King suffers a heart attack and dies, Rahab is saved from the humiliating act. Her despair drives her curiosity about Sala’s One True God. Could He accept her . . . even love her?
Deceit and pride stand in the way of Rahab’s happy ending. Only God can use these events to tell the larger story of forgiveness and redemption.
July, 2012
As a forensic geologist for the FBI, Raleigh Harmon has seen more than her fair share of difficult cases. But going undercover will turn her life upside down in ways she never imagined.
There’s evidence of race fixing at Emerald Meadows, and thoroughbred horses are dying. When Raleigh arrives posing as the niece of one of the owners, it doesn’t take long for her to realize there is something biggerâand more sinisterâat work. But determining who’s behind it proves significantly more complicated.
Meanwhile, Jack Stephanson is assigned as her case agent and only contact, further complicating their already tumultuous relationship. Her mother is confined to a mental hospital and refuses tosee Raleigh after discovering that her daughter has kept her job as an FBI agent hidden for years. And her fiancĂ© has just flown in to see her. At a time when she can’t even be herself, her personal life is fraying at the seams.
The lies in Raleigh’s professional lifeâthough crucial to her undercover statusâare weighing on her as much as the lies she’s told her mother. Before it’s all over, she’ll have to cling fervently to the truth: both to solve the case and to bring back the family she longs for.
July, 2012
Libby arrives at the Tidewater Inn hoping to discover clues about her friendâs disappearance. There she finds an unexpected inheritance and a love beyond her wildest dreams.
Historic preservationist Libby Holladay’s passion is safeguarding the past, but her own history remains a mystery. When Libbyâs roommate, Nicole, uncovers information about an extended family that Libby never knew existed, hope begins to dawn in Libbyâs heart. But then Nicole abruptly goes missing.
Libby arrives in beautiful Hope Beach, a remote island in the Outer Banks, to help local authorities find her friend. There she meets Kirk Bourne, a handsome Coast Guard captain. As they search the small town and surrounding beaches for Nicole together, they find clues about Libbyâs family . . . as well as evidence of greed and corruption in the burgeoning seaside town.
As danger closes in, Libby discovers an unexpected inheritance of much more than mere money.
And she finds a love that might be the safe harbor she’s searched for all her life.
July, 2012
Beth needs a miracle. But God has something more astonishing in mind.
For generations, the Blazing B cattle ranch has been a refuge for outcast men who want only the peace of a hard dayâs work and a good nightâs sleep. Beth Borzoi has a big heart for the wounded souls who come to her familyâs land. Sheâs on track to become a top-notch veterinarian, which will save the Blazing B thousands of dollars each year.
Then Beth accidentally kills a neighborâs prized horse. The resulting lawsuit jeopardizes everything: the ranch, the family legacy, her career, and her fatherâs health.
Beth scrambles to redeem her mistake, pleading to God for help, even as a mystery complicates her life. A wolf stalks her, nosing her toward a destiny she doesnât understand. And twice she heals mortal wounds with a touch and a prayer. But Beth canât help the people sheâs most desperate to save.
Beth seeks out the only man who can rescue the ranchâa man she first must rescue. The wolf leads her to a remote mountain town, where her estranged but wealthy grandfather is dying, and his mentally ill doctor doesnât want him to get well. Even if Beth can save his body, his heart might be beyond reach.
August, 2012
Laura’s faith requires her to forgive, but she can only think of revenge.
Laura Stutzman came to Middlefield, Ohio, with one purpose: to get back what Mark King took from her. Soon after she arrives, she is injured. Now her face bears the spidery scars of Markâs treachery, while her heart nurses new wounds.
Sawyer Thompson is a Yankee who spent his teen years in an Amish home. Now an adult, he has to make a decisionâgo back to the life he knew as a child or join the church. Having suffered loss and abuse at a young age, he understands Lauraâs anger, but is determined to convince her to follow Godâs will and forgive.
As their friendship grows, so do their feelings for each other. But a secret from Sawyerâs past comes to lightâone even heâs not aware ofâthreatening the coupleâs new relationship. Is Sawyer willing to do whatever it takes to remain faithful to Laura?
August, 2012
A mysterious prophecy. A pregnant girl. An impossible choice.
In 1974, seventeen-year-old Sandy Lincoln leaves her small hometown of Rutland, Georgia, to hide her pregnancy. Abortion was legalized the year before and Sandy feels immense pressure from her boyfriend and family to make the whole situation go away. On the road to her auntâs house in Atlanta, Sandy encounters a strange woman who prophesies that she is carrying twin boys. The woman warns that should the sons ever meet, one of them will die.
Sandy is shocked. How does the woman know she’s pregnant? And could it be possible she’s carrying twins? Should she take her advice seriously or run the other direction? Before she can decide, the woman is gone . . . leaving Sandy alone to decide her fate.
The choice Sandy makes forever alters her destiny and that of those around her â not just in the present but thirty years later when the effects of the prophecy take a startling twist.
August, 2012
She gave up her luxurious life for the love of a self-centered man. Now she must travel down a path she never expected to find the love God set apart for her.
Young widow Katherine Osborne returns to her familyâs rustic camp on Raquette Lake in the Adirondack Mountains. Sheâs determined to live a quiet life, but her socialite mother is equally determined to push her into a new marriage while sheâs still young.
Andrew Townsend has known Katherine since they were children. An attorney who is successful, but not wealthy, he knows she is out of his reach, both socially and financially. But heâs curious what changed the free-spirited girl he knew into the now private, somber young woman.
When Katherineâs father hires Andrew to look into the financial affairs of her former husband, he uncovers secrets about her marriage that sheâs been hiding from her family. Trapped by recent events that have come to light, Katherine turns to God for the courage to be honest about her past.
Knowing what Katherine endured stirs up feelings of love and protection in Andrew. Will they be able to overcome the impossible obstacles set before them and join hands to walk down a path toward love?
August, 2012
Ava has a loving family, a beautiful house, and a solid faith. Yet in the span of one week, her ideal life will be completely broken . . . in the best of ways.
Her husbandâs company is under investigation and their assets are frozen. They have little cash saved and suddenly no income. Her daughter would rather travel than attend law school, and her teenage son fails a drug-test. And then the doorbell rings . . .
On her front steps sits a car-seat holding an infant. The accompanying note explains that Ava’s niece is leaving her daughter with Ava, who has all the comforts that life can offer.
Ava packs the baby in the car and sets out on a quest to find the rightful family to care for her. As they journey across the state, she encounters quirky and outcast peopleâbroken peopleâwho show her kindness.
It is in the faces of these people that Ava sees God in a new way. She acknowledges that she’s been hiding her brokenness behind good deeds. Losing it all may just be a blessing rather than a curse for Ava and her family.
August, 2012
December 10, 2011 at 2:33 pm
Oh, awesome! I love that I can tell from the covers which are contemporary and which are historical (most of the time). I'm not a huge fan of historical novels for whatever reason đ Thanks for posting, now I have more books to add to my to-read list!
December 10, 2011 at 5:35 pm
Ohh, that Garden of Madness looks AWESOME!!! I can't wait to get my hands on that one. Since Tracy's the author…I know it's gunna be a great read!!
December 10, 2011 at 6:02 pm
Wow – love this!! I'm so with Katie on Garden of Madness – I've been eagerly waiting for the next installment in the 7 Wonders series, and this one sounds fantastic!!! (BTW, thank you for introducing me to Tracy long, long ago with The City of the Dead. I won a copy on your blog and I've been a fan of her books ever since!)
Paris in the Rain sounds interesting, and I must say that Catherine Richmond won me over with her debut, so Through Rushing Water looks good! đ
~Amber
P.S. I wonder why Tracy's 7 Wonders series is now being published through Thomas Nelson instead of B&H… Do you know?
December 10, 2011 at 6:14 pm
Absolutely lovely! I can't wait for Catherine Richmond's next book. I loved her first one. đ
December 10, 2011 at 7:31 pm
Gorgeous covers (even though some of them aren't in the genres I read):
Paris in the Rain
Through Rushing Water
Tidewater Inn
House of Mercy
The Choice
Definite reads:
the stars shine bright
House of Mercy
Maybe:
The Choice
December 10, 2011 at 7:44 pm
I enjoy seeing the new books and covers. I will be watching for The Stars Shine Bright, Tidewater Inn,
A Path Toward Love, and Song of the Broken-Hearted.
December 10, 2011 at 11:09 pm
So many books, so little time! Thanks for letting us know about these books that will be coming out next year.
December 11, 2011 at 12:02 am
Such a beautiful glimpse at upcoming releases! Thank you for whetting my appetite — and more than likely increasing my To Be Read pile!
:O)
December 11, 2011 at 1:14 am
Loved the cover for Through Rushing Water best of all! Plus the story sounds fantastic.
December 11, 2011 at 4:42 am
All of these covers are beautiful! I love when you do these posts but my husband does not! LOL
December 11, 2011 at 5:23 pm
I just finished reading GARDEN OF MADNESS–it's absolutely wonderful! Tracy writes history like no one else. I'm still savoring Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom! đ
December 12, 2011 at 3:50 am
Oh My! Look at all those goodies…wish list is growing bigtime with this group.
I think Robert Whitlow's book sounds intriguing. Loved his book Jimmy immensely.
Thanks for sharing, Rel. =)
December 12, 2011 at 1:40 pm
Gals ~ thanks for dropping by and sharing your thoughts đ I love it!
Ronie ~ you know I love Tracy's books so thanks for teasing me with that little comment – LOL! So glad you loved it ~ always value your opinion đ
Amber ~ LOVE that you became a fan of Tracy's work through my blog. Made my day!! As for the change of publisher, I can't change any light on that. These things happen for numerous reasons, I imagine.
Jenny ~ love it when you drop by ~ always makes me smile đ Hugs to you and yours!