It’s already the last Wednesday of the month… Wow, December has gone by fast! I’ve already had 3 Christmas parties (at work, at home and with my family) so I’m ready for New Year! But first, let’s look at the new historical fiction releases! For your information, other new releases of December 2016 can be found by genre right here on Goodreads.
- From Sand and Ash by Amy Harmon
Publication date: December 1st 2016
Italy, 1943—Germany occupies much of the country, placing the Jewish population in grave danger during World War II. As children, Eva Rosselli and Angelo Bianco were raised like family. As the years go by, the two find themselves falling in love. But the church calls to Angelo and he chooses the priesthood. Now, more than a decade later, Angelo is a Catholic priest and Eva is a woman with nowhere to turn. With the Gestapo closing in, Angelo hides Eva within the walls of a convent, where Eva discovers she is just one of many Jews being sheltered by the Catholic Church. But Eva can’t quietly hide, waiting for deliverance, while Angelo risks everything to keep her safe. With the world at war and so many in need, Angelo and Eva face trial after trial, choice after agonising choice, until fate and fortune finally collide, leaving them with the most difficult decision of all. - The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill by Julie Klassen (Tales from Ivy Hill #1)
Publication date: December 6th 2016
On a rise overlooking the Wiltshire countryside stands the village of Ivy Hill. Its coaching inn, The Bell, is its lifeblood-along with the coach lines that stop there daily, bringing news, mail, travellers, and much-needed trade. Jane Bell lives on the edge of the inn property. She had been a genteel lady until she married the charming innkeeper who promised she would never have to work in his family’s inn. But when he dies under mysterious circumstances, Jane finds herself The Bell’s owner, and worse, she has three months to pay a large loan or lose the place. Feeling reluctant and ill-equipped, Jane is tempted to abandon her husband’s legacy. However, she soon realises there is more at stake than her comfort. But who can she trust to help her? With pressure mounting from the bank, Jane struggles to win over naysayers and turn the place around. Can Jane bring new life to the inn, and to her heart as well? - First of the Tudors by Joanna Hickson
Publication date: December 1st 2016
Jasper Tudor, son of Queen Catherine and her second husband, has grown up far from the intrigue of the royal court. But after he and his brother Edmund are summoned to London, their half-brother, King Henry VI, takes a keen interest in their future. Bestowing Earldoms on them both, Henry also gives them the wardship of the young heiress Margaret Beaufort. Although she is still a child, Jasper becomes devoted to her and is devastated when Henry arranges her betrothal to Edmund. He seeks solace in his estates and in the arms of Jane Hywel, a young Welsh woman who offers him something more meaningful than a dynastic marriage. But passion turns to jeopardy for them both as the Wars of the Roses wreak havoc on the realm. Loyal brother to a fragile king and his domineering queen, Marguerite of Anjou, Jasper must draw on all his guile and courage to preserve their throne − and the Tudor destiny… - Say Goodbye for Now by Catherine Ryan Hyde
Publication date: December 13th 2016
On an isolated Texas ranch, Dr. Lucy cares for abandoned animals. The solitude allows her to avoid the people and places that remind her of the past. Not that any of the townsfolk care. In 1959, no one is interested in a woman doctor. Nor are they welcoming Calvin and Justin Bell, a newly arrived African American father and son. When Pete Solomon, a neglected twelve-year-old boy, and Justin bring a wounded wolf-dog hybrid to Dr. Lucy, the outcasts soon find refuge in one another. Lucy never thought she’d make connections again, never mind fall in love. Pete never imagined he’d find friends as loyal as Justin and the dog. But these four people aren’t allowed to be friends, much less a family, when the whole town turns violently against them. With heavy hearts, Dr. Lucy and Pete say goodbye to Calvin and Justin. But through the years they keep hope alive…waiting for the world to catch up with them. - The Pattern Artist by Nancy Moser
Publication date: December 1st 2016
English housemaid Annie Wood arrives in New York in 1911. On her own for the first time working as a Macy’s sewing department clerk, Annie catches the eye of a salesman at the Butterick Pattern Company. Through determination, hard work, and God’s leading, Annie discovers a hidden gift: she is a talented fashion designer—an artist of the highest degree. As she runs from ghosts of the past and focuses on the future, Annie enters a creative world that takes her to the fashion houses of Paris and into a life of adventure, purpose, and love.
Historical fiction is not one of my favourite genres and I’m much more picky about what I read in this genre. But I do like the Tudors, so that one is going on my to-read list! I’m only wondering if it’s part of the entire Tudor series or if it can be read separately. I’ll have to find out before I buy the book! How about you guys? Which books will you be reading?
Happy reading,
Loes M.