A new year means oodles of new book releases! Over the next two days, we’re going to give you a sneak peak at some of the titles that will be releasing during the first half of the year. Today I’ll be sharing just a few of the novels that I’m looking forward to over the next several months. Then tomorrow, your favorite book reviewer and mine, Ruth Anderson, will share some of the books she’s anticipating as well.
I already have a list of books that haven’t released yet that will be going straight to my “to be read pile” the second they come out. Here are a few of them:
Iscariot by Tosca Lee (February 2013, Howard Books)
In Jesus, Judas believes he has found the One – the promised Messiah and future king of the Jews, destined to overthrow Roman rule. Galvanized, he joins the Nazarene’s followers, ready to enact the change he has waited for all his life. But soon Judas’ vision of a nation free from Rome is crushed by the inexplicable actions of the Nazarene himself, who will not bow to social or religious convention – who seems, in the end, to even turn against his own people. At last, Judas must confront the fact that the master he loves is not the liberator he hoped for, but a man bent on a drastically different agenda.
Iscariot is the story of Judas, from his tumultuous childhood to his emergence as the man known to the world as the betrayer of Jesus. But even more, it is a singular and surprising view into the life of Jesus that forces us to reexamine everything we thought we knew about the most famous – and infamous – religious icons in history.
I had the priviledge of meeting Tosca Lee this past summer where she shared a bit about Iscariot. It was fascinating to hear her talk about the research she did for the novel and how she imagined what Judas’ life was like. This is bound to be a gripping read that will have us all looking at Judas with new eyes.
Love in a Broken Vessel by Mesu Andrews(March 2013, Revell Books)
Hosea has been charged by God with a difficult task – marry a prostitute in order to show God’s people the nature and depth of his love for Israel. When Hosea goes to Israel to proclaim God’s message, the prostitute God tells him to marry turns out to be his childhood friend Gomer. He finds her broken and abused, unwilling to trust Hosea or his God. But when marrying Hosea becomes her only choice, Gomer does what she’s good at – she survives. Can Hosea’s love for God and God’s love for Israel heal Gomer’s broken spirit?
If you know me even the smallest bit, you know that I adore Mesu Andrews’ writings. The closer we get to March the more I start to twitch in excitement over her new book.
Wings of Glass by Gina Holmes (March 2013, Tyndale)
From the best-selling author of Crossing Oceans comes a heartrending yet uplifting story of friendship and redemption. On the cusp of adulthood, eighteen-year-old Penny Carson is swept off her feet by a handsome farmhand with a confident swagger. Though Trent Taylor seems like Prince Charming and offers an escape from her one-stop-sign town, Penny’s happily-ever-after lasts no longer than their breakneck courtship. Before the ink even dries on their marriage certificate, he hits her for the first time. It isn’t the last, yet the bruises that can’t be seen are the most painful of all.
When Trent is injured in a welding accident and his paycheck stops, he has no choice but to finally allow Penny to take a job cleaning houses. Here she meets two women from very different worlds who will teach her to live and laugh again, and lend their backbones just long enough for her to find her own.
Gina Holmes’ novels have a way of presenting life that isn’t flowery and fake but gritty and raw. Much like real life really is. They are powerful and inspiring and I feel sure Wings of Glass we be the same.
Heiress of Winterwood by Sarah E. Ladd (April 2013, Thomas Nelson Publishers)
Danbury, England, 1814
Amelia Barrett, heiress to an ancestral estate nestled in the English moors, defies family expectations and promises to raise her dying friend’s infant baby. She’ll risk everything to keep her word – even to the point of proposing to the child’s father, Lucas, a sea captain she’s never met.
Tragedy strikes when the child vanishes with little more than a sketchy ransom note hinting to her whereabouts. Fear for the child’s safety drives Amelia and Lucas to test the boundaries of their love for this infant.
Amelia’s detailed plans would normally see her through any trial, but now, desperate and shaken, she examines her soul and must face her one weakness: pride.
Lucas’s strength and self-control have served him well and earned him much respect, but chasing perfection has kept him a prisoner of his own discipline.
Both must learn to accept God’s sovereignty and relinquish control so they can grasp the fture He has planned for them both.
I really enjoy Regency novels so this one sounds right up my alley. I’m glad that we have another author venturing into this genre in the Christian market. I think fans of Julie Klassen will enjoy Heiress of Winterwood.
Deadly Devotion by Sandra Orchard (June 2013, Revell Books)
Research scientist Kate Adams and her colleague Daisy are on the brink of a breakthrough for treating depression with herbal medicine when Daisy suddenly dies. Kate knows that if it hadn’t been for Daisy’s mentorship, she wouldn’t have the job she loves of the faith she clings to. So when police rule Daisy’s death a suicide, Kate is determined to unearth the truth.
Former FBI agent Tom Parker finds it hard to adjust to life back in his hometown of Port Aster. Though an old buddy gives him a job as a detective on the local police force, not everyone approves. Tom’s just trying to keep a low profile, so when Kate Adams demands he reopen the investigation of her friend’s death, he knows his job is at stake. In fact, despite his attraction to her, Tom thinks Kate looks a bit suspicious herself.
As evidence mounts, a web of intrigue is woven around the sleepy town of Port Aster. Can Kate uncover the truth? Or will Tom stand in her way?
I love discovering a new author that is already loaded down with several writing awards. That’s usually a great indicator that the writing is solid and fresh. I’m looking forward to checking out Sandra Orchard’s writing.
How about you? Have you heard of any new books coming this year that you’re eager to read?
Be sure to join us tomorrow to see what novels fellow LifeWay friend Ruth Anderson is looking forward to. I’ve seen her list and there are some good ones on there!
What an honor, Rachel. Wings of Glass is my favorite of my novels so far. A subject matter very dear to my heart. I’m also very much looking forward to Tosca’s next book. She is unbelievably talented. One of the best CBA has to offer. Her Havah: The Story of Eve brought the Bible to life and I could believe that it really could have happened just as she said. It even gave great insight into the problems men and women still struggle with today. Like I said, fabulous! Another author to be watching for is Jessica Dotta. She’s been my critique partner for years and the best author I’ve ever read. The first book in her trilogy I think will come out in 2013, Born of Persuasian (Tyndale). It’s Bronte and Austin all rolled into one. She paints a world of Victorian England that feels so real and the book is full of intrigue and romance and not at all cookie-cutter. I’ve read it a thousand times and I still can’t wait to read it again!
Thanks again Rachel!
Hey, Gina! Sounds like Jessica’s book will be right up my alley! Look forward to seeing more about it.
Great picks, Rachel! I’m curious to try Iscariot as well, and I am SO SO SO excited that Mesu’s new release will be here before we know it!
Great list, Rachel. I have read (for endorsement) both Gina’s novel and Sarah Ladd’s Regency. I think you’re going to like them. I’ll have to look for Mesu’s book when it comes out. I had the pleasure of meeting that lady a year or two ago and, wow, is she a sweetheart.