Short and sweet today but here’s a peek at Thomas Nelson’s mid 2014 covers!

I’m enamoured with Liz Tolsma’s, Beth Wiseman’s, and Rebecca and Nancy’s. Kristy Cambron’s is stunning although the butterfly distracts my eye a little bit more than I’d like.

Loving that a number of these authors are new names to me, that there are some unique storylines I can’t wait to discover – Beth’s, Andrew’s, Bruce’s, Carrie’s, and Mary’s. Carrie’s is particularly fascinating and while the cover isn’t my kind of cover, I love that it is different and reflective of the story. Colleen’s are reissues, but I really enjoyed these Hawaiian romantic suspense stories.

Liz and Kristy’s WWII novels are set in an era I love, so really looking forward to those ones, too!

I’m in a rush this morning so will add my cover art collage later but couldn’t wait to reveal these ones and hear your thoughts!

Daisies are Forever by Liz Tolsma

Gisela must hold on to hope and love despite all odds in the midst of a war-torn country.

Gisela Cramer is an American living in eastern Germany with her cousin Ella Reinhardt. When the Red Army invades, they must leave their home to escape to safety in Berlin.

However, Ella is a nurse and refuses to leave, sending her young daughters with Gisela. During their journey, Gisela meets Mitch Edwards, an escaped British POW. She pretends she is his wife in order to preserve his safety among other Germans, especially one wounded German soldier, Kurt, who has suspicions about Mitch’s identity. Kurt also has feelings for Gisela and tries to uncover the truth about her “marriage.”

Their journey to Gisela’s mother in Berlin is riddled with tragedy and hardship, but they strive to keep Ella’s daughters safe so they can reunite with their mother. During the journey Gisela and Mitch begin to develop feelings for one another beyond friendship. They reach Berlin, but their struggles are far from over. Gisela and Mitch must learn to live for the day and find hope in the darkest of circumstances.

May, 2014

Sarah’s Choice by Rebecca St James & Nancy Rue

Only one thing stands in the way of Sarah’s success . . . her unborn baby.

Sarah Collins is about to receive a promotion that will give her everything she’s ever wanted: a huge pay increase, a new car, a fabulous apartment, and first-class travel.

But then she discovers she’s pregnant. And while she thinks she loves her boyfriend, Matt, she isn’t sure he’s mature enough to be a responsible father. And the job she’s pursuing is open only because the previous employee is out on maternity leave. She’d never be able to handle the travel as a single mom.

Torn between advice from her coworkers, the adamant insistence of her mother and sister that she keep the baby, her insecurity about her relationship with Matt, and the void where her father should be, Sarah has no idea how to make this decision.

A Christmas card from a mysterious old woman is the catalyst for three visions of her future—and may just be the miracle she needs. But can she trust the visions? Are they the yearnings of a conflicted heart? Or are they true visions from the God she thought had turned his back on her?

May, 2014

Four Weddings and A Kiss by Mary Connealy, Robin Lee Hatcher, Debra Clopton, and Margaret Brownley 

In 1885 five western preachers sit around a campfire talking about unlikely couples they’ve seen God bring together.

“Spitfire Sweetheart” by Mary Connealy

Maizy Place is an unruly tomboy. When she causes an accident, injuring neighbor Rylan Carstens, she becomes his unlikely caregiver. Rylan has never noticed how pretty his infuriating neighbor is, and he never expected to fall in love.

“Love Letter to the Editor” by Robin Lee Hatcher

Molly Everton is the outspoken daughter of the town newspaper’s owner. When her father brings in an outsider to be editor, she tries to drive him out of town. But Jack Ludgrove is not intimidated. He’s resolved to change Molly’s mind about him—as an editor and as a man.

“A Cowboy for Katie” by Debra Clopton

Katie Pearl is uninterested in men and love. But she needs help on her ranch and hires Thad Rayburn, a wandering cowboy looking to make a buck. Will Thad change Katie’s mind?

“Saving Grace” by Margaret Brownley

Grace Davenport is either the unluckiest woman alive—or a killer. When her third husband is found dead, Grace is arrested. Attorney Brock Daniels isn’t interested in the case—until he meets Grace. Only a miracle will prove her innocence, but the joining of two lonely hearts may be their saving grace.

June, 2014

Veil of Secrets by Shannon Etheridge & Kathryn Mackel

Can a mother face the secrets of her past in order to protect her daughter from the same mistakes?

Melanie and Will Connors seem like the perfect couple, but their marriage only looks good on the outside, having withered inside from a lack of intimacy.

The barriers Melanie faces to intimacy are hidden in her past—a misguided tryst with a trusted friend of her father’s, a pattern of promiscuity as a teen, empty relationships in early adulthood. The only way Melanie sees to save herself from herself is to turn off her desires—even in her marriage.

Will insists they either work on the marriage—or work on the divorce. Their attempt at restoration occurs in the midst of a New Hampshire presidential primary that is rocked by violent protests and razor-sharp character assassinations. For the first time, their marriage begins to feel like a safe place.

As Melanie tries to sort through her own past, she sees her 16-year-old daughter’s head turned by a charismatic older man on Will’s campaign team. Can Melanie sift through her own rubble and find the voice to help guide her daughter—and possibly find the joy that God intended for her marriage?

July, 2014

The Promise by Beth Wiseman

Mallory’s search for happiness leads her to faraway place. But there she finds heartache and betrayal. Can the only man she’s ever loved rescue her before it’s too late?

Tate Webber has loved Mallory Hammond for years. He plans to marry her someday, but not until he has his career and life in order. Mallory is in love with Tate, but his unwillingness to commit has created a rift between them. So when Mallory’s new boss introduces her to his cousin, she’s surprised by his charming, exotic ways and delights in his attention. This exciting stranger begins to sway her thinking about her lifelong dreams and her religious beliefs.

As their online relationship develops, he invites her to visit his homeland in the Middle East, promising her a traditional life based on commitment to family—something she’s never had and always wanted. In a bold move—and with lots of resistance from Tate and those closest to her—Mallory decides to leave the only life she’s ever known to meet this man on the other side of the world.

Tate begs her not to go, but Mallory embarks on the dangerous journey anyway, only to discover how swiftly and easily promises can be broken. Her new friend is not who he says he is. Tate must risk his life to rescue the only woman he’s ever loved. Can he reach Mallory . . . before it’s too late?

July, 2014

Revolutionary by Krista McGee

All her life Thalli thought she was an anomaly. Now she must use her gifts to fulfill the role she was called to play: Revolutionary.

Back in the underground State against her will, Thalli is no longer the anomaly she was before. She has proven herself to be a powerful leader aboveground and returns with information that Dr. Loudin needs to complete his plan of uniting the world under one leader: himself. But he, too, has information. A secret he has kept from Thalli her entire life. A secret that, once revealed, changes everything about the person Thalli thought she was.

Hoping to help Thalli rise up against the Scientists, both Berk and Alex join her underground, but their presence only brings more trouble for her. Now Dr. Loudin knows just the leverage to use on his captive, and she is forced to choose between the two of them. Is her first love her true love? Or does Alex ultimately claim her heart?

Unsure of everything around her, including her own identity, Thalli doesn’t know where to turn. She knows she needs the Designer, but he seems further away than ever. What she does know, though, is that if she doesn’t do something to stop Loudin, the fragile world aboveground will be lost once and for all.

July, 2014

Mindwar by Andrew Klavan

Rick Dial has the potential to be a hero. He just doesn’t know it yet.

Rick’s high school football team couldn’t be stopped when he was leading them as their quarterback. He was going to Syracuse on a scholarship. But then his dad abandoned them and a terrible accident left him crippled.

Certain his old life is completely lost, Rick spends months hiding away in his room playing video games. He achieves the highest scores on so many games that he’s approached by a government agency who claims to be trying to thwart a cyber attack on America that would destroy the technological infrastructure of the entire country. The agents say that the quick-thinking of a quarterback coupled with Nick’s gaming experience make him perfect for this assignment. The problem is that there are no extra lives and this isn’t just a game . . . but Rick doesn’t have many other options at the moment.

Entering “The Realm” gives Rick the one thing he thought he’d never have again: a body that’s as fast and as strong as he ever was before the accident. But the more time he spends in The Realm, the more questions he has. What secrets are these agents keeping from him? What really happened to his father? How many others have gone into The Realm already . . . and failed? And perhaps most important, is he the hero they think he is?

July, 2014

The Butterfly and the Violin by Kristy Cambron

And then came war . . .

Today. Sera James spends most of her time arranging auctions for the art world’s elite clientele. When her search to uncover an original portrait of an unknown Holocaust victim leads her to William Hanover III, they learn that this painting is much more than it seems.

Vienna, 1942. Adele Von Bron has always known what was expected of her. As a prodigy of Vienna’s vast musical heritage, this concert violinist intends to carry on her family’s tradition and play with the Vienna Philharmonic. But when the Nazis learn that she helped smuggle Jews out of the city, Adele is taken from her promising future and thrust into the horrifying world of Auschwitz.

The veil of innocence is lifted to expose a shuddering presence of evil, and Adele realizes that her God-given gift is her only advantage; she must play. Becoming a member of the Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz, she fights for survival. Adele’s barbed-wire walls begin to kill her hope as the months drag into nearly two years in the camp. With surprising courage against the backdrop of murder and despair, Adele finally confronts a question that has been tugging at her heart: Even in the midst of evil, can she find hope in worshipping God with her gift?

As Sera and William learn more about the subject of the mysterious portrait—Adele—they are reminded that whatever horrors one might face, God’s faithfulness never falters.

July, 2014

The Taste of Many Mountains by Bruce Wydick

A research trip to Guatemala illuminates truths both intimate and global for three young travelers.

The graduate students arrived in Guatemala energized and ready to take on the world. They planned to follow the path of coffee beans from a peasant coffee-growing community in the western highlands through the chain of buyers, co-ops, exporters, and roasters, all the way to a café in San Francisco.

As the students investigate the profit made at every link in the coffee chain, they confront a series of unexpected events that illuminate globalization in surprising ways. They befriend a coffee-growing peasant family who recounts their family stories of fortune and tragedy wrought by coffee over generations of their Mayan family history. The relationship deepens between the family and the students. Then catastrophe strikes and the students must choose how to respond.

A surprising, beautifully engaging novel that illustrates the many ethical dilemmas of our increasingly globalized economy.

August, 2014

The Confession by Robert Whitlow

In Holt Douglas’s line of work, there’s nothing sweeter than a confession of guilt.

Assistant D.A. Holt Douglas makes his living exposing lies and sending criminals to jail in Ashley County, Georgia. His job is always easier when defendants, instead of remaining silent, blame someone else or try to excuse their actions. With a confession in his hand, Holt knows a guilty plea will soon follow.

But lurking in Holt’s past is a dark secret that could end his successful career and possibly his relationship with Angelina, his hoped for fiancé.

When Holt reopens a cold case involving the death of the town’s wealthiest businessman—allegedly killed by a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest—Holt doesn’t believe it was suicide. Instead, he suspects murder.

As he investigates, Holt’s own guilt threatens to destroy him and the cause of justice he’s sworn to serve. While he knows his own confession could absolve him of his sin, it could cost him his future. Will he survive long enough to uncover the true crime that this small southern town has been hiding?

August, 2014

Distant Echoes by Colleen Coble

It seems like paradise, but dark secrets lurk just below the surface.

When a tragic accident downs a tourist boat off the coast of Hawaii, dolphin researcher Kaia Oana is one of the first in the water, risking her own life to try and save others.  She’s enlisted to help the U.S. Navy find out what really happened—utilizing her specially trained dolphins to help.

Kaia and Lieutenant Commander Jesse Matthews team up in the investigation—but as they edge closer to the truth about the incident, their own lives are threatened. Will a spirit of grace and forgiveness prevail or will it be overshadowed by the distant echoes of past pain and the imminent danger from a cold-blooded killer?

Set on the breathtaking Hawaiian island of Kauai, this novel provides an intoxicating mix of romance and suspense with the rhythms of island life.

August, 2014

Black Sands by Colleen Coble

As a volcano on Hawaii begins to rumble, family crisis brings an unlikely couple together.

Annie’s the brainy type, quietly assisting her father in his volcano research. She’s always admired her brother’s friend Mano for his outgoing athletic ways, but her devotion turns to disdain after Mano’s mistake results in her older brother’s untimely death.

Mano’s mistake haunts him. It cost his best friend’s life. But just as he’s bringing Tomi’s belongings to his family, Mano discovers Tomi is alive—and in serious danger. That danger threatens to spill over to the rest of the family.

Annie and Mano join forces to discover the source of the threat against the family, even as a long-inactive volcano rumbles in the distance.

August, 2014

A Cry from the Dust by Carrie Stuart Parks

A secret from a grim page of American history threatens to destroy thousands of lives.

Gwen Marcey was tops in her forensic field. Then cancer struck, her husband left, and her teenage daughter engaged in active rebellion. Gwen’s best chance to start a new life was a temporary job in Utah reconstructing faces from an 1857 massacre site.

The Mountain Meadows Interpretative Center asked Gwen to reconstruct the faces of three intact bodies that were discovered from the wagon train massacre of more than 120 people by Mormon fanatics calling themselves Avenging Angels. But just as she is nearing completion on her reconstructions, things around the center turn deadly.

Gwen discovers the ritualized murder of a young college student with a stolen identity and is called on by the local police to use her forensic art skills to aid the investigation. Soon she discovers an uncanny resemblance between one of her reconstructions and the death mask of Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon church. And realizes that she’s the next target of the recreated Avenging Angels who believe she has an icon from the grave.

Gwen must weave through a labyrinth of Mormon history, discovering secret societies and festering grudges in a race against time.

Will she be able to stop another massacre?

August, 2014

Storm Siren by Mary Weber

“My hair slips down my back and shoulders and around my face like fresh snow falling on the forest floor. Pure white. I raise my chin as the buyers stare. Yes. Look. You don’t want me.Because, eventually, accidentally, I will destroy you. It’s what I do.”

Seventeen-year-old slave girl, Nym, should not exist. In a world where Elementals are only born male, and always killed at birth, she is an anomaly at best. At worst, people around her die.

When a court emissary identifies her weather-manipulating ability as a weapon, Nym is purchased and put to work honing her skills. With time running out for the kingdom of Faelen, Nym might be all that stands between it and the technologically-advanced horror racing down upon them—not to mention the rumored reemergence of the monstrous shapeshifter, Draewulf. But some elements even she can’t control.

Nym must decide whom to trust as she’s unleashed into a world of assassins, changelings, and political betrayal surrounding a young king fighting for his throne, a tired nation that has forgotten its calling, and her handsome tutor whose dark secrets could destroy both her people and her heart.

September, 2014

Into the Canyon by Michael Neale

A tragic event can be like a refining fire, burning away what was and producing something more pure—a clearer vision of what life should be. But for some, pain becomes paralysis.

When John Clarke gave his life to rescue two reckless kayakers decades ago, his death became a powerful catalyst for good in the life of one of the boys. Filled with gratitude, Jacob Fielding dedicated himself to living life to the fullest, guiding people on The River. But there was another brother who was rescued that day. The guilt and shame Billy Fielding carried after his reckless choice has colored every day since, even overshadowing the rich sacrifice John Clarke made.

John’s now-grown son, Gabriel Clarke, has come back to The River. Thanks to Jacob’s mentoring and the journal his father left behind, Gabriel has come to know and love The River’s ways. Now face-to-face with Billy Fielding after all these years, Gabriel experiences anew the dual choices offered by The River: everlasting and abundant life . . . or death.

So much more than an allegory, this story will challenge readers to love deeply, forgive extravagantly, and live a life for the things that really matter.

September, 2014