It’s a delight to introduce Bethany House’s lineup for mid 2016. Many you will have already seen as the authors have had the pleasure of revealing their new covers  but here they are altogether.

Let’s talk story first! Elizabeth had me at Romulus – I adore the unique name and the story sounds so intriguing as Elizabeth’s always are. Can’t wait to read Dru’s tale in Becky’s final Porter family novel, and I’m a fan of Cliff, Melissa, Sarah, and Angela’s storytelling abilities.

Readers will be delighted to see Lawana Blackwell is back with a new story.

The covers are a mixed bag for me. Someone Like You, Courageous, An Elegant Facade, A Heart Most Certain, and A Tapestry of Secrets catch my eye the most. Tracie’s continue to be trademark Tracie which I understand but they don’t appeal much to me, Cliff’s is solid but I have to say I prefer the grittiness of the covers Zondervan did for his earlier books, especially given the male target audience. I love the previous covers of Angela’s but the purples don’t work for some reason here. The model is stunning but I would have preferred to see more of her face as the scarf over so much of her face takes away from the balance of the cover.

I’m being picky  because while I love the dress and style of Elizabeth’s cover, the decapitation seems too low on her face – a little higher and it would have worked for me! Mary’s has too much going on and Karen’s just doesn’t work for me at all. I’m afraid it looks too photo shopped, the lighting/shading is strange, and those hands appear much older than her face.

I have great respect for the Bethany House team and I’m thrilled to see they are respecting their readers by making it clear the With All My Heart collection is made up of previously published e-novellas.

As always, cover art is so subjective, I know the design teams work super hard to provide covers that appeal to the target audience of the books, so these are simply my thoughts on what appeals, or doesn’t, to me. No doubt you all have thoughts and many will be different than mine so do share!

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Someone Like You by Victoria Bylin

Realistic Characters Shine in Bylin’s Latest Romance

Julia Dare is trying to run her own business, raise her young son, Max, and help her widowed mother. Her biggest worry, though, is keeping Max’s father from being a bad influence while still allowing the boy to spend time with his dad. When an account from her event-planning business sends her to Caliente Springs resort, she’s shocked to encounter Zeke Monroe, her college sweetheart.

Zeke is determined to keep Caliente Springs running despite financial trouble. When Julia walks back into his life, he’s surprised at the feelings she stirs up. As they work together on an important client’s wedding, the fate of the resort soon depends on their success. With Zeke and Julia both pushed to their limits, will their history put up walls between them or bring them together?

May, 2016

Fading Starlight by Katie Cushman

A Tale of Unexpected Friendship and Old Hollywood Glamour

Lauren Summers is hiding. Her fashion house internship should have launched her career, but a red carpet accident has left her blackballed. The only job she finds is unpaid, but comes with free lodging–a run-down cottage in the shadow of a cliff-side mansion. Unsure of what comes next, she’s surprised to be contacted by a reporter researching a reclusive former Hollywood ingénue who lives in the nearby mansion.

Kendall Joiner wants Lauren’s help uncovering the old woman’s secrets. In return, she’ll prove the red carpet accident was a publicity stunt so Lauren can regain her former job. With all her dreams in front of her, Lauren’s tempted by the offer, but as she and the old woman get to know each other, Lauren realizes nothing is quite as it seems.

May, 2016

Wilderness by Cliff Graham

Cliff Graham Writes Biblical Fiction Men Want to Read

Action-driven and unique in Christian fiction today, Shadow of the Mountain: Wilderness begins with Moses sending Joshua, Caleb, and ten others to spy on and scout the country of Canaan, where the Lord has promised them a homeland. Asked to report back, ten talk only of the Anakites, a race of fearsome giants in the hills, their walled cities, and terrible human sacrifices to their gods.

Despite giants, Joshua and Caleb feel the Lord is on their side and the land will be worth it. But the hearts of the people are fearful and turned against God’s words. Their punishment will be forty years without a home, wandering the deserts until that generation dies out. But as the life of Caleb proves, God’s promises are real–for men young and old.

May, 2016

Her One and Only by Becky Wade

Romance Fans Eagerly Anticipate Every New Release from Becky Wade

Gray Fowler, star NFL tight end, is being pursued by a stalker, so his team hires a protection agency to keep Gray under the watch of a bodyguard at all times. When Gray meets Dru Porter, an agent assigned to him, he’s indignant. How can an attractive young female half his size possibly protect him?

But Dru’s a former Marine, an expert markswoman, and a black belt. She’s also ferociously determined to uncover the identity of Gray’s stalker. And she’s just as determined to avoid any kind of romantic attachment between herself and the rugged football player with the mysterious past. But the closer they get to finding the stalker, the closer they grow to each other. As the danger rises, can Dru and Gray entrust their hearts–and their lives–to one another?

May, 2016

Sins of the Past by Dee Henderson, Dani Pettrey, and Lynette Eason

Three Novellas from Bestselling Authors

In Dee Henderson’s “Missing,” a Wyoming sheriff is called to Chicago when his elderly mother goes missing. Paired with a savvy Chicago cop, the two realize her disappearance is no accident, and a race against the clock begins.

Dani Pettrey returns to Alaska with “Shadowed,” introducing readers to the parents of her beloved McKenna clan. Adventure, romance, and danger collide when a young fisherman nets the body of an open-water swimming competitor who may actually be a possible Russian defector.

Lynette Eason’s “Blackout” delivers the story of a woman once implicated in a robbery gone wrong. The loot has never been found–but her memory of that night has always been unreliable. Can she remember enough to find her way to safety when the true culprit comes after her?

May, 2016

A Haven on Orchard Lane by Lawana Blackwell

Much-Loved Lawana Blackwell Delivers Another Charming Victorian-Era Tale

In difficult circumstances, Charlotte Ward, once a famed stage actress, tries to restart her career–only to experience disaster. Against her better judgment, her estranged daughter, Rosalind, comes to her mother’s rescue and moves her to a quiet English coastal village.

Charlotte is grateful to get to know Rosalind after years apart. As one who has regrets about her own romantic past, it’s a joy for Charlotte to see love blossom for her daughter. For Rosalind, however, it’s time away from teaching–and now she must care for the mother who wasn’t there for her. And what could be more complicated than romance?

Together, mother and daughter discover that healing is best accomplished when they focus less on themselves and more on the needs of others.

June, 2016

Delilah: Treacherous Beauty by Angela Hunt

A Complex and Compelling Glimpse at One of the Bible’s Baddest Girls

Life is not easy in Philistia, especially not for a woman and child alone. When beautiful, wounded Delilah finds herself begging for food to survive, she resolves that she will find a way to defeat all the men who have taken advantage of her. She will overcome the roadblocks life has set before her, and she will find riches and victory for herself.

When she meets a legendary man called Samson, she senses that in him lies the means for her victory. By winning, seducing, and betraying the hero of the Hebrews, she will attain a position of national prominence. After all, she is beautiful, she is charming, and she is smart. No man, not even a supernaturally gifted strongman, can best her in a war of wits.

June, 2016

From This Moment by Elizabeth Camden

Award-Winning Historical Romance from a Noteworthy Talent

Romulus White has tried for years to hire illustrator Stella West for his renowned scientific magazine. She is the missing piece he needs to propel his magazine to the forefront of the industry.

But Stella abruptly quit the art world and moved to Boston with a single purpose: to solve the mysterious death of her beloved sister. Romulus, a man with connections to high society and every important power circle in the city, could be her most valuable ally.

Sparks fly the instant Stella and Romulus join forces, and Romulus soon realizes the strong-willed and charismatic Stella could disrupt his hard-won independence. Can they continue to help each other when their efforts draw the wrong kind of attention from the powers-that-be and put all they’ve worked for at risk?

June, 2016

No Other Will Do by Karen Witemeyer

Enjoy Bestselling Author Karen Witemeyer’s Terrific New Romance!

Men are optional. That’s the credo Emma Chandler’s suffragette aunts preached and why she started a successful women’s colony in Harper’s Station, Texas. But when an unknown assailant tries repeatedly to drive them out, Emma admits they might need a man after all. A man who can fight–and she knows just the one.

Malachi Shaw finally earned the respect he craved by becoming an explosives expert for the railroad. Yet when Emma’s plea arrives, he bolts to Harper’s Station to repay the girl who once saved his life. Only she’s not a girl any longer. She’s a woman with a mind of her own and a smile that makes a man imagine a future he doesn’t deserve.

As the danger intensifies, old feelings grow and deepen, but Emma and Mal will need more than love to survive.

June, 2016

Courageous by Dina Sleiman

Valiant Hearts: Where Adventure and Romance Meet

Inspired by the vision of the Young Lady Sapphira, Rosalind of Ipsworth joins a group of men, women, and children as a defender of the cross, seeking to free captives from prisons near Tripoli. She gladly gives herself to the cause, as she’s haunted by a tragic mistake and no longer deserves such joys as marriage and family might bring.

Sir Randel Penigree was reared to serve in the church, but dreams of protecting the innocent as a knight. Joining a crusade to escape humiliation at home, he finds himself drawn to Rosalind as they partner to train and protect a group of young adolescents. When they face political machinations, danger, and an unknown enemy bent on their destruction, they are forced to reconsider their priorities and the very nature of the God they serve.

July, 2016

A Beauty Refined by Tracie Peterson

Tracie Peterson Delivers Bestselling Historical Fiction with Romance and Adventure

Phoebe Von Bergen is excited to accompany her father when he travels from Germany to purchase sapphires in Montana. Little does she know that her father’s plans–for the gemstones and his daughter–are not what they seem.

Ian Harper, a lapidary working in Helena, finds the young woman staying at the Broadwater Hotel more than a little intriguing. Yet the more he gets to know her, the more he realizes that her family story is based on a lie–a lie she has no knowledge of. And Ian believes he knows the only path that will lead her to freedom.

Meeting Ian has changed everything. Phoebe is determined to stay in America, regardless of her father’s plans. But she may not be prepared for the unexpected danger as the deception begins to unravel.

July, 2016

An Elegant Facade by Kristi Ann Hunter

An Exciting New Voice in Regency Romance

Lady Georgina Hawthorne has worked tirelessly to seal her place as the Incomparable for her debut season. At her first London ball, she hopes to snag the attention of an earl.

With money and business connections, but without impeccable bloodlines, Colin McCrae is invited everywhere but accepted nowhere. When he first encounters the fashionable Lady Georgina, he’s irritated by his attraction to a woman who concerns herself only with status and appearance.

What Colin doesn’t know is that Georgina’s desperate social aspirations are driven by the shameful secret she harbors. Association with Colin McCrae is not part of Georgina’s plan, but as their paths continue to cross, they both must decide if the realization of their dreams is worth the sacrifices they must make.

July, 2016

No Way Up by Mary Connealy

New Western Romance Series from Bestselling Author Mary Connealy

When Cimarron ranch patriarch Chance Boden is caught in an avalanche, the quick actions of hired hand Heath Kincaid save him. Badly injured, Chance demands that his will be read and its conditions be enforced immediately.

Without anyone else to serve as a witness, Heath is pressed into reading the will. If Justin, Sadie, and Cole Boden don’t live and work at home for the entire year, the ranch will go to their low-down cousin Mike.

Then Heath discovers the avalanche was a murder attempt, and more danger might follow. Deeply involved with the family, Heath’s desire to protect Sadie goes far beyond friendship. The danger keeps them close together, and their feelings grow until being apart is the last thing on their minds.

July, 2016

The Artisan’s Wife by Judith Miller

Delightful Blend of History and Romance

Ainslee McKay’s world is shaken when she discovers her twin sister has not only eloped with a man she barely knows but now Ainslee must fulfill their obligation at a tile works in Weston, West Virginia. Ainslee must learn the ropes and, if she can keep the tile works profitable, her brother will help her sell the business.

When Levi Judson arrives and shows Ainslee his designs for new tiles, she’s impressed by his skill and passion for the business. But he’s hiding his true reason for coming to Weston. And Ainslee knows he’d be crushed to learn his plans for a long career at McKay Tile Works are in vain since she intends to sell. Can the growing feelings between them survive if the truth comes to light–or is a future together as untenable as the future of the tile works itself?

August, 2016

A Tapestry of Secrets by Sarah Loudin Thomas

This Decade-Spanning Novel of Family and Faith Will Delight

Now in her eighties, Perla Phillips has carried a secret since she was eighteen years old. When she sees her granddaughter, Ella, struggling for perfection, she decides to share her secret to show that God can use even the biggest mistakes for good. But before she can reveal what happened during that summer sixty years ago, she has a debilitating stroke.

Carrying a secret of her own, Ella arrives back in Wise, West Virgina, to help her aunt Sadie care for Perla. Both know the woman wanted to tell them something, but she’s now locked in silence. Together they begin looking into the past, but they may learn more than they expected.

Will they have the courage to share their hearts? Or will the truth remain buried forever?

August, 2016

A Heart Most Certain by Melissa Jagears

A Fresh Voice in Historical Romance!

While Lydia King’s reasons for joining the Teaville Moral Society might be suspect to some members, her heart is in the right place. Because of her father’s debts and her mother’s persistent illness, her best chance at a secure future and curing her mother is to impress the politician courting her. Her first task–to ask the town’s wealthiest man to donate–seems simple enough . . . until he refuses.

Despite appearances, Nicholas Lowe wants to help others, but prefers to keep his charity private. When Lydia proves persistent, they agree to a bargain, but Nicholas still intends to do things his own way. Neither predicts what they’ll learn about true charity or foresee the complications their actions will bring to the town, forcing Lydia to decide where her beliefs and heart truly align.

August, 2016

With All My Heart by Karen Witemeyer, Jody Hedlund, Melissa Jagears, Sarah Loudin Thomas, and Jen Turano

A Value-Minded Collection from Top Historical Romance Authors

Readers will take a journey across America and through time in this collection of five novellas from some of Christian fiction’s top writers. Originally released as ebooks, the novellas–moving, faith-filled and deeply romantic–now find print for the first time. The collection includes:

Karen Witemeyer’s “Love on the Mend,” set in post-Civil War Texas, tells the story of two competing doctors. Jody Hedlund’s “Out of the Storm” finds a desperate woman shipwrecked near a Michigan lighthouse. Melissa Jagears’ “Love by the Letter” is an unexpected mail-order-bride prairie story. Sarah Loudin Thomas’ “Appalachian Serenade” finds love in a small-town West Virginia store. Finally, Jen Turano’s “Gentleman of Her Dreams” tackles the New York social season.

August, 2016

Where Hope Prevails by Janette Oke and Laurel Oke Logan

Inspiring Conclusion to a Popular Series with a TV tie-in

When Beth Thatcher returns to Coal Valley, she has much to be excited about. She anticipates Jarrick’s proposal of marriage and perhaps a spring wedding. The mine is expanding, and there are more schoolchildren than ever.

But the town’s rapid growth brings many challenges. A second teacher is assigned, and Beth finds herself going head-to-head with a very different philosophy of education–one that dismisses religion and rejects God. Fearful for the children who sit under the influence of Robert Harris Hughes, Beth struggles to know how to respond.

At the same time, Beth wonders if Jarrick is considering a position at her father’s company simply for her sake. Should she admit her feelings on the matter? Or keep silent and allow Jarrick to make up his own mind?

August, 2016