| The Paris Dressmaker by Kristy CambronWhat it is: vividly described historical fiction that's based on real events and set in World War II-era Paris.
Starring: Lila de Laurent, a talented dressmaker who sews for the Nazis and secretly works for the Resistance; Sandrine Paquet, who, with her husband missing at war, catalogs stolen artwork for the Nazis in order to support her young son, and surreptitiously keeps records about the real owners.
Read this next: For other romantic, well-researched WWII novels, try one of Sarah Sundin's books, which take place in various locales, or Tracy Groot's moving Maggie Bright, set mostly in England. |
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| 'Til I Want No More by Robin W. PearsonThe setup: In Mount Laurel, North Carolina, 30-year-old Maxine writes about her upcoming wedding in her magazine column and helps her tight-knit family with their catering business -- but mainly she stresses over a 13-year-old secret.
What happens: As Maxine loses sleep and continues to withhold the truth from her fiancé, her old high school boyfriend arrives back home, complicating matters further.
For fans of: moving Southern stories with well-realized characters and rich dialogue; faith-filled looks at family, identity, and self-doubt. |
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| From This Moment by Kim Vogel SawyerFeaturing: Jase, who moves to small Bradleyville, Kansas to be Beech Street Bible Fellowship's new youth minister, even though he's suffering from a crisis of faith; vibrant Lori, Beech Street's custodian whose troubled childhood and insecurities have led to overeating; reserved Kenzie, Lori's friend and a talented weaver who grew up Amish.
What happens: When an inscribed engagement ring is found among donated items, the three work together to locate the owner and find unexpected acceptance and healing.
Don't miss: the recipe for Kenzie's famous brownies. |
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| When Twilight Breaks by Sarah SundinStarring: Evelyn Brand, a spirited American journalist who's determined to write about the troubling things she sees in 1938 Germany; Peter Lang, a Harvard PhD student studying German and teaching at the University of Munich.
What happens: After Evelyn interviews Peter for a story, they become close, but find themselves pulled into danger -- especially Evelyn, whose grandfather was Jewish -- as Germany heads toward war.
Reviewers say: Sarah Sundin's "most brilliant and important work to date" (Booklist); "positively crackles with tension" (Library Journal). |
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Focus on: Mothers and Fathers
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| All Manner of Things by Susie FinkbeinerWhat it's about: In 1967 Michigan, 18-year-old Annie Jacobson's brother Mike enlists in the army and is deployed to Vietnam as a medic. Then her estranged father Frank, a troubled Korean War vet, returns to town after more than a decade away.
What happens: Annie and her family -- mother, younger brother, and grandparents -- worry about and miss Mike, adjust to Frank's presence in their small town, and go about life and work.
Why you might like it: Narrated by Annie and including letters from Mike, this atmospheric Christy Award finalist offers a poignant look at family, faith, and war, against the backdrop of a turbulent time. |
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| On a Summer Tide by Suzanne Woods FisherStarring: Camden Grayson, a driven business woman and the adoptive mom of seven-year-old Cooper, the son of her deceased best friend; Seth Walker, the kind-hearted teacher at a small school on a remote island off the coast of Maine.
What happens: Camden's widowed dad gathers his three daughters together and announces that he's bought the summer camp he and their mom worked at years ago -- and everyone in the family finds themselves heading to derelict Camp Kicking Moose on Three Sisters Island.
Series alert: On a Summer Tide begins the entertaining Three Sisters Island trilogy; the final book, At Lighthouse Point, comes out this month. |
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| You'll Think of Me by Robin Lee HatcherStarring: Brooklyn, a Nevada waitress and single mom of ten-year-old Alycia; Derek, an organic farmer and part-time deputy in Thunder Creek, Idaho, who's saving money to expand his farm.
What happens: Brooklyn's estranged husband, who never met his daughter and who was Derek's long-ago best friend, dies. He leaves Brooklyn his family property, which he'd promised to sell to Derek. Good news for Brooklyn, except the home's located in Thunder Creek, a place she'd vowed never to return to.
Why you might like it: It's a sweet small-town romance featuring characters who lean on God in times of trouble. |
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| Someone Like You by Karen KingsburyWhat it's about: Dawson Gage is devastated when the best friend he's in love with dies. When he learns that she may have a sister thanks to a donated embryo, he searches out Maddie Baxter West. Stunned by Dawson's news and her parents' lack of honesty, Maddie meets her biological parents and grows ever closer to Dawson.
Series alert: This faith-filled 8th standalone book in the bestselling Baxter family series is followed by Truly, Madly, Deeply. (Those wanting Karen Kingsbury's latest novel should look for the just-released A Distant Shore, which is not part of the Baxter series.) |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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