Here are ten(ish) of the novels I can't wait to read this year--but make no mistake--the list is going to be much longer once I learn of more. And some authors are releasing multiple novels this year--so it's gonna be a great year whatever way you look at it!
1. Veiled in Smoke (The Windy City Saga) by Jocelyn Green
Release date: February 4, 2020
Release date: February 4, 2020
Meg and Sylvie Townsend manage the family bookshop and care for their father, Stephen, a veteran still suffering in mind and spirit from his time as a POW during the Civil War. But when the Great Fire sweeps through Chicago's business district, they lose much more than just their store.
The sisters become separated from their father and make a harrowing escape from the flames with the help of Chicago Tribune reporter Nate Pierce. Once the smoke clears away, they reunite with Stephen, only to learn soon after that their family friend was murdered on the night of the fire. Even more shocking, Stephen is charged with the crime and committed to the Cook County Insane Asylum.
Though homeless and suddenly unemployed, Meg must not only gather the pieces of her shattered life but prove her father's innocence before the asylum truly drives him mad.
Jocelyn Green is an AMAZING author and I have loved her work ever since I read her first book The Mark of the King. That book was one of my few 5-star reviews for the whole year and possibly one of the best books I have ever read. Since then, I eagerly reach for her books. Needless to say, I'm anticipating this new one--ESPECIALLY since it's the first in a series! (squeal!) If you haven't tried Jocelyn Green yet, make sure you go snag one ASAP!
Release date: March, June, and August 2020
This series follows a group of women who came to British Columbia in the mid-1800s on Bride Ships, desperate to leave their pasts behind to marry men waiting in this new land and start a new life!
I am grouping these books together as they are #2-4 in the wonderful Bride Ships series by Jody Hedlund. I read the first book The Reluctant Bride at the end of 2019 and just fell in love with it. That's why I am putting the rest of the series down on my list of Must Reads for 2020! I hope you will give this series a try too!
3. The Tea Chest by Heidi Chiavaroli
Release date: February 4, 2020
Boston, 1773
Emma Malcolm’s father is staunchly loyal to the crown, but Emma’s heart belongs to Noah Winslow, a lowly printer’s assistant and Patriot. But her father has promised her hand to Samuel Clarke, a rapacious and sadistic man. As his fiancée, she would have to give up Noah and the friends who have become like family to her―as well as the beliefs she has come to embrace.
After Emma is drawn into the treasonous Boston Tea Party, Samuel blackmails her with evidence that condemns each participant, including Noah. Emma realizes she must do whatever it takes to protect those she loves, even if it means giving up the life she desires and becoming Samuel’s wife.
Present Day
Lieutenant Hayley Ashworth is determined to be the first woman inducted into the elite Navy SEALs. But before her dream can be realized, she must return to Boston to put the abuse and neglect of her childhood behind her. When an unexpected encounter with the man she once loved leads to the discovery of a tea chest and the document hidden within, she wonders if perhaps true strength and freedom are buried deeper than she first realized.
Two women, separated by centuries, must find the strength to fight for love and freedom. . . and discover a heritage of courage and faith.
Hello, dual stories!!! I'm one of those people who LOVE dual stories--I love dual timelines in TV shows too. (LOST!!) While I have yet to have read anything by Heidi Chiavaroli, the premise of this book seems fantastic! I'm ready to dive in and if it should fall into my hands before I"m done with something else...well. So be it. I cannot WAIT to read this book! Of course, I also love all things related to the American Revolution, so there is that.
I am grouping these books together as they are #2-4 in the wonderful Bride Ships series by Jody Hedlund. I read the first book The Reluctant Bride at the end of 2019 and just fell in love with it. That's why I am putting the rest of the series down on my list of Must Reads for 2020! I hope you will give this series a try too!
Release date: February 4, 2020
Boston, 1773
Emma Malcolm’s father is staunchly loyal to the crown, but Emma’s heart belongs to Noah Winslow, a lowly printer’s assistant and Patriot. But her father has promised her hand to Samuel Clarke, a rapacious and sadistic man. As his fiancée, she would have to give up Noah and the friends who have become like family to her―as well as the beliefs she has come to embrace.
After Emma is drawn into the treasonous Boston Tea Party, Samuel blackmails her with evidence that condemns each participant, including Noah. Emma realizes she must do whatever it takes to protect those she loves, even if it means giving up the life she desires and becoming Samuel’s wife.
Present Day
Lieutenant Hayley Ashworth is determined to be the first woman inducted into the elite Navy SEALs. But before her dream can be realized, she must return to Boston to put the abuse and neglect of her childhood behind her. When an unexpected encounter with the man she once loved leads to the discovery of a tea chest and the document hidden within, she wonders if perhaps true strength and freedom are buried deeper than she first realized.
Two women, separated by centuries, must find the strength to fight for love and freedom. . . and discover a heritage of courage and faith.
Hello, dual stories!!! I'm one of those people who LOVE dual stories--I love dual timelines in TV shows too. (LOST!!) While I have yet to have read anything by Heidi Chiavaroli, the premise of this book seems fantastic! I'm ready to dive in and if it should fall into my hands before I"m done with something else...well. So be it. I cannot WAIT to read this book! Of course, I also love all things related to the American Revolution, so there is that.
Secretary to the first lady of the United States, Caroline Delacroix is at the pinnacle of high society--but is hiding a terrible secret. Immediately suspicious of Caroline, but also attracted to her, secret service agent Nathaniel Trask must battle his growing love for her as the threat to the president rises and they face adventure, heartbreak, and danger.
I absolutely fell in love with this series right from the beginning of The Spice King (book #1). I wanted to have Gray Delacroix as MY handsome man. I loved the element of FOOD and cooking that was included in the series--cooking is a hobby of mine! It was so cool to "experience" the characters tasting REAL vanilla for the first time. Anyways--the book ended but the story was definitely not over. So I'm eager to get my hands on the next book of the series, A Gilded Lady which follows Gray's indomitable sister Caroline. She proved herself a force to be reckoned with in book one, so I'm so glad she gets her own story! (I know for a fact that their little brother is going to have one of his own for book 3--he just HAS to. We can't leave him languishing in Cuba! LOL.) But that's for another time.
Elizabeth Camden writes books that are RICH with history about a particular event or era or something NEW to the time period. The first book explored the idea of needing an FDA to regulate ingredient labels for all food sold to help prevent death from faux food. Something that STILL is a big deal today. I look forward to seeing what Caroline explores in her role as an aide to President McKinley's wife---especially since I know that President McKinley was assassinated. And besides---look at that amazing cover! Soooo gorgeous!
Ex-cavalry officer Matthew Hanger leads a band of mercenaries who defend the innocent, but when a rustler's bullet leaves one of them at death's door, they seek out help from Dr. Josephine Burkett. When Josephine's brother is abducted and she is caught in the crossfire, Matthew may have to sacrifice everything--even his team--to save her.
First off--can I get a Woop-Woop for this very MANLY cover? I love book covers with gorgeous ladies just like anyone else--but how about a handsome man? I also am loving that this series might actually follow MEN as the lead characters! Karen Witemeyer is a great author to mix adventure with comedy and lots of heart. I have read every single book she's written and I love them all--so I'm definitely looking forward to a new series!
Release date: May 5, 2020
When Beatrix Waterbury's train is disrupted by a heist, scientist Norman Nesbit comes to her aid. After another encounter, he is swept up in the havoc she always seems to attract--including the attention of the men trying to steal his research--and they'll soon discover the curious way feelings can grow between two very different people amid chaos.
Jen Turano is my go-to for hilarious stories! She's one of the first authors that actually made me laugh out loud with her stories. This is the third book in her newest American Heiresses series. I've actually only read the first book, Flights of Fancy, which I loved and laughed with. I have book #2 Diamond in the Rough as a hold for me at the library. All of Jen's books have made me grin as most of the characters remind me a LOT of me! So if you want a super fun and sometimes hilarious good-time, snag a Jen Turano!
Release date: March 2020; June 2020
I was thrilled to learn that Tracie Peterson had opted to do a spinoff series based on the children of characters from her previous Heart of the Frontier series. Secrets of My Heart follows the daughter of Grace while The Way of Love follows the daughter of Hope. I'm hoping that the end of the year will have a book about a child of the sister Mercy as well!The Heart of the Frontier series was a very emotional series that wasn't all fluff and sunshine. I'm hoping that the Willamette Bride series will follow that line and be a lovely emotional ride as well. Additionally, these books are set in my home stomping grounds in the Pacific Northwest! I know exactly where the Willamette valley is--book one in the series even takes place in Portland, OR--right near my hometown!
Release date: May 19, 2020
A jilted bride. A struggling innkeeper. And a romantic mountain getaway that changes everything.
Rising Hollywood star Mia Emerson is looking for a safe place to land in the wake of a public breakup and scandal, and she finds it in the lake town of Bluebell, North Carolina—the location of her canceled honeymoon. She wants nothing more than to hide and wait for the tabloids to die down.
Soon after her arrival at the Bluebell Inn, Mia meets Levi Bennett, who runs the inn along with his two younger sisters. Drawn to one another from the start, Mia trusts Levi to keep her location from the press, and Levi confides in Mia about the financial state of the inn—a secret he’s been keeping from his sisters.
When Mia and Levi discover an old journal that hints at a rare diamond necklace hidden in the inn, they set off on a treasure hunt to find the long-lost heirloom. What they don’t expect to surface are feelings they thought were safely locked away. Mia and Levi must decide if falling in love again is too big a risk—or if it will uncover a treasure of its own instead.
This Bluebell Inn romance takes us to a quiet North Carolina retreat that holds more secrets than it shares.
This is the only contemporary book on my list! I suppose you figured out by now that historical fiction is my favorite. LOL. But for contemporary novels, I LOVE and reach for Denise Hunter. Carolina Breeze is the second book in her newest series and I can't wait to get my hands on it! I have yet to meet a Denise Hunter that I don't like! You can start the series with Lake Season which came out at the end of 2019. I actually haven't had a chance to read it yet because I'm like 3rd in line at the library! But as I said--I am already waiting for book #2, because I know I'll love book #1!
After years of isolation on top of Hope Mountain, Ilsa Nordegren may finally be ready to leave. Raised to fear the world, Ilsa and her sisters never planned on coming down, but when the Warden family arrived in need, they had to help. And it may cost them everything.
Having made his fortune, Mitch Warden returned home and found the family homestead abandoned. In a land grab, a ruthless cattle baron had forced his family to escape up the mountain, and when he follows, the last thing he expects is to fall smitten to a black-haired woman who dresses like Robin Hood.
Warden is intent on helping his family reclaim their land but doesn't realize the risks his past has brought. Dangerous men have tracked him, and rather than risk innocent lives, he's determined to end the danger. But that means a journey to the city--and when Ilsa insists on joining him, the mismatched pair suddenly find themselves on a venture they'll never forget.
Mary Connealy always writes the best light-hearted western books! This series is a fun read as it focuses on three sisters who have lived their whole life up in the mountains away from people. They don't know how to interact with others and that makes it quite funny at times. The first book in the series Aiming for Love was super cute and fun. It's not meant to be a deep read, which makes it a good choice for when you don't have a lot of time to invest in a story.
Release date: July 7, 2020
Based on the real history of Carnton, an antebellum home that served as a Confederate hospital, Colors of Truth follows the journey of an Irish immigrant arriving in a country where her kind isn’t wanted, and of a former Federal soldier returning to the scene of a battle that almost destroyed him.
I love Tamera Alexander's historical fiction books! They are rich with plot and complexity of character. This is the second book in the Carnton series based on a real home in Tenessee that was part of the Civil War. I've already read the first books of the series With This Pledge and the prequel Christmas at Carnton. I love books that take place during the Civil War and it's an added bonus that you could actually visit the real Carnton! If possible, explore this new series from Tamera Alexander this year!
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This is no way even covers half of the books that I want to read. It seems like every time I find one that is being released, three more are shared too! What's a girl and avid book lover to do---read them all, I guess!So---
Which of these books catches your eye the most?
Any new-to-you authors in this collection?
Leave me a comment below to share your thoughts on the books I have highlighted!
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