Announcing new Christian fiction for 2014
Each new year brings a plethora of new novels to look forward to. I have already seen most of the books that will be releasing through the first half of 2014 and I gotta say, it’s a good line up! Over the next two days, my favorite book loving co-worker Ruth and I will be sharing with you the novels we’re anticipating the most for the next several months. I’ll get us started today and then Ruth will have her list for us tomorrow.
The Auschwitz Escape by Joel Rosenberg (Tyndale) – March 2014
To my shame, I have never read a Joel Rosenberg novel… until now. Last week I actually finished reading an advanced copy of The Auschwitz Escape. I can totally see what all the hype is about when it comes to his writing! An unlikely alliance develops between young Jacob Weisz, a Jew from Germany and Jean-Luc Leclerc ,a pastor from France, when they meet in Auschwitz Concentration Camp at the height of World War II. The two are selected to attempt an escape from the nightmare of Auschwitz in order to get the word out to the world about the atrocities that are happening within the camp. Readers will find themselves holding their breath with every page as they see the plans come together and wondering if they will succeed since the fate of millions hangs in the balance. It’s an amazing read…can’t wait for you to read it.
How Sweet the Sound by Amy Sorrels (David C Cook) – March 2014
I’m a sucker for strong coming-of-age novels. When I learned that How Sweet the Sound was not only just that but also inspired by the story of Tamar in 2 Samuel, I knew it was a book for me! Set in the summer of 1980, a coastal Alabama family is devastated by tragedy that forces three generations together on their pecan plantation. Anniston, a thirteen year old girl, figures she has seen it all thanks to all that happens around her family. But when the opportunity to be loved for who she really is enters her life, she begins to deal with her loneliness and grief.
For Such a Time as This by Kate Breslin (Bethany House) – April 2014
I actually read this novel by debut novelist Kate Breslin awhile ago when I was sent an early manuscript of it. I devoured it in 2 days. For Such a Time as This has been a story that I’ve been itching to get in your hands for almost two years now! It’s a powerful retelling of the story of Esther set during World War II at the transit camp of Theresienstadt in Czechoslovakia. Hadassah is a blonde and blue-eyed Jew who gets pressed into service for the SS Kommandant of the camp. She is able to hide her true identify as a Jew in order to survive but she is forced to stand by and watch her own people be sent to Auschwitz. She risks her life to help out the prisoners as much as she can but she always wonders if there is something more she can do. Perhaps God has sent her there for such a time as this to help save her people.
Bridge to Haven by Francine Rivers (Tyndale) – April 2014
That’s right! We have a new novel from Francine Rivers to look forward to this year! The story is set in 1950’s Hollywood where Lena Scott is the hottest rising star on the movie screen. Few know that her real name is Abra and even fewer know the price she had to pay to finally feel like she’s somebody. To the pastor in her hometown of Haven, Abra will always be the little girl who stole his heart on the night he found her abandoned under a bridge. Pastor Ezekiel Freeman knows the details around Abra’s birth and how they have created lasting scars on her heart. When a fast-talking boy lures her to Hollywood, she burns bridges on her way out of town. Now that fame has shown its ugly side, Abra is longing for a way back home. Set against the parable of the Prodigal Son and Ezekiel 16, Francine’s highly anticipated new story will be a reflection of grace and unconditional love.
The Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn by Lori Benton (Waterbrook Press) – April 2014
One of my favorite novels from 2013 was Burning Sky and I’ve been anticipating Lori Benton’s next release ever since. Fleeing from an unwanted marriage and a harsh stepfather, Tamsen Littlejohn convinces a local frontiersman to lead her over the mountains into western North Carolina’s Watauga settlement. Trouble awaits her on the other side as she finds herself in the newly formed State of Franklin. Unrest is everywhere as relations with settlers and the Chickamauga Indians remain high. To make matters worse, Tamsen’s jilted suitor Ambrose Kincaid arrives thinking she has been kidnapped. The Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn promises to be another epic historical romance novel from up and coming novelist Lori Benton.
A Broken Kind of Beautiful by Katie Ganshert (Waterbrook Press) – April 2014
As you can tell from this list, I gravitate to historical novels. It takes a really compelling story to get me to read a contemporary romance novel. Katie Ganshert has broken through my barriers over the last few years! Katie is often times compared to Karen Kingsbury and I think it’s an accurate statement. She creates believable love stories that are based on biblical truths. In the upcoming release, Ivy Clark heads home to the small island town of Greenbrier, SC at the request of her stepmother. She wants Ivy to be the face of a new line of wedding dresses. Ivy thinks it’s a crazy idea since her very existence is a reminder of her father’s infidelity. She meets the local church custodian, Davis Knight, who she later finds out was leading a promising photography career in New York City. Why in the world is he doing maintenance? And why is Ivy finding herself questioning everything she has come to know about beauty and worth as she gets to know Davis?
A Beauty So Rare by Tamera Alexander (Bethany House) – April 2014
Tamera Alexander continues her Belmont Mansion series with this new historical romance novel. I just received some new info on it that provides a great peek into the story:
Eleanor Braddock––plain, practical, no stunning Southern beauty––knows she will never marry. But with a dying soldier’s last whisper, she believes her life can still have meaning and determines to find his widow. Impoverished and struggling to care for her ailing father, Eleanor arrives at Belmont Mansion, home of her aunt, Adelicia Acklen, the richest woman in America––and possibly the most demanding, as well. Adelicia insists on finding her niece a husband, but a simple act of kindness leads Eleanor down a far different path––building a home for destitute widows and fatherless children from the Civil War. While Eleanor knows her own heart, she also knows her aunt will never approve of this endeavor.
Archduke Marcus Gottfried has come to Nashville from Austria in search of a life he determines, instead of one determined for him. Hiding his royal heritage, Marcus longs to combine his passion for nature with his expertise in architecture, but his plans to incorporate natural beauty into the design of the widows’ and children’s home run contrary to Eleanor’s wishes. As work on the home draws them closer together, Marcus and Eleanor find common ground––and a love neither of them expects.
But Marcus is not the man Adelicia has chosen for Eleanor, and even if he were, someone who knows his secrets is about to reveal them all.
Doesn’t that sound good?! Like all of Tamera’s novels, A Beauty So Rare is sure to be a compelling story that is rich in period details and centered around a crazy-good love story.
Join us tomorrow as my friend Ruth will be sharing her great list of novels that she’s excited to read in the coming months!