Coming in 2011 from Thomas Nelson ~ Suspense

I love suspense but there are some backlist books of these authors that I have not got to yet and I must read, especially Sibella and Erin's!

It's interesting to see that for Liz Wiehl's novel, the antagonist is identified in the synopsis. For those of you who have read the prior books in the series, is that unusual or have you known the killer from the start?

Which ones of these upcoming Thomas Nelson titles are on your wishlist?


The Circle by Ted Dekker

Ted Dekker’s most popular series – together at last in one volume.

More than a million fans have been transfixed by Ted Dekker’s groundbreaking Circle series of Black, Red, White, and Green. Each of the four novels have been bestsellers – with combined sales of more than a million units. Now all four books are together for the first time in a unique binding sure to appeal to new readers and long-term fans.

The Circle is an epic story of evil and rescue, betrayal and love, and a terrorist threat unlike anything the human race has ever known. It’s also the story of a man named Thomas Hunter – an unlikely hero who finds himself pulled between two worlds. In our reality, he works in a coffee house. In the other, he becomes a battle-scarred general leading a band of followers known as the Circle. Every time he falls asleep in one reality, he wakes in the other. The fates of both worlds now rest on his ability to shift realities through his dreams while trying to find a way to change history. Come full circle with Black, Red, White, and Green – the best-selling adrenaline-laced adventure where dreams and reality collide.

February, 2011

The Promises She Keeps by Erin Healy

It's her destiny to die young. The man who loves her can't live with that.

Promise, a talented young vocalist with a terminal illness, is counting on fame to keep her memory alive after she dies. Porta is an aging witch and art collector in search of the goddess who will grant her immortality.

When Promise inexplicably survives a series of freak accidents, Porta believes that Promise is the one she seeks. But Chase, an autistic artist who falls in love with Promise and opposes Porta, comes between the women with his mysterious visions and drawings, and plunges everyone into a flesh-and-blood confrontation over the true meaning of eternal life.

February, 2011

The Mountains Bow Down by Sibella Giorello

Even Alaska can't give Raleigh Harmon a vacation from her job as an FBI forensic geologist.

A cruise to Alaska sounds like the perfect vacation--it's a geologist's dream and will give Raleigh space to sort out her feelings about her recent engagement. But before the ship even reaches its first port, a case manages to find her. The producer of a movie that's being filmed onboard goes missing and is then discovered hanging from the railing. Suicide seems to be the cause, but Raleigh quickly realizes the pieces don't add up.

When the Seattle field office sends Jack Stephanson to assist her in the investigation, her personal uncertainty skyrockets. Why is it that she forgets to even call her fiance back in Virginia. And Jack seems to know her as well as she knows herself. She'll have to wait to sort out those feelings, though, because she and Jack only have five days before the cruise ends to solve this case.

March, 2011

Heart of Ice by Liz Wiehl & April Henry

Triple Threat Club novels follow three fiercely intelligent women—a TV reporter, a Federal prosecutor and an FBI agent—as they investigate crimes as current as today’s headlines.

The Triple Threat women have faced intense situations before…but never such a cunningly cold-blooded murderer.

Elizabeth Avery is a stunningly beautiful woman. But her perfectly managed exterior hides the ice cold heart of a killer. She ingeniously manipulates everyone who crosses her path to do exactly as she wishes--from crime reporter Cassidy Shaw, who thinks Elizabeth is her new best friend, to a shy young man Elizabeth persuades to kill for her.

As Elizabeth leaves a trail of bodies in her wake, Federal prosecuter Allison Pierce and FBI agent Nicole Hedges must piece together clues from seemingly unrelated crimes. Can they stop her before she reaches her unthinkable, ultimate end game?

April, 2011

Coming in late 2010 from Thomas Nelson

Here's a sneak peek at a few of Thomas Nelson's titles to be released later this year.

There is significant discussion going on at the moment about CF covers and their similarity, especially books by female writers.

What are your preferences for covers? Characters shown or not, something different or familiar? Do you buy or not buy a book based on cover alone?

I'd love to know your thoughts!


Love, Charleston by Beth Webb Hart

An inspiring, heart-warming novel set in romantic Charleston, South Carolina.

"Stay and wait." Anne Brumley heard these words years ago in the bell tower at Saint Michael's Church in Charleston. She's certain they were from God and has been waiting for true love ever since. But her sister, Della, and their cousin, Alicia, have their doubts. Could Anne have misunderstood His calling?

Saint Michael's new rector may be the answer to Anne's prayers. Good-old-boy and widower Roy Summerall can't believe he's been called to pastor such an historical and a decidedly rich congregation. He can't possibly measure up to their expectations.

It will take a miracle of extraordinary love to provide a happy ending for each of these four Charleston friends.

August, 2010

A Suitor for Jenny by Margaret Brownley

When looking for a husband, it's best to go where the odds are in your favor.

And that would be Rocky Creek, Texas, 1880. But Jenny Higgins's plan to find husbands for her two sisters hits a snag when enthusiastic applicants fail to meet her stringent requirements.

Rejecting her sisters' choices for mates and riding herd on her growing feelings for Marshal Rhett Armstrong, she refuses to give up.

Jenny thinks choosing a husband is not a job for the heart. It'll take one strong and handsome marshal to convince her otherwise.

September, 2010





Immanuel's Veins by Ted Dekker

This story is for everyone--but not everyone is for this story.

It is a dangerous tale of times past. A torrid love story full of deep seduction. A story of terrible longing and bold sacrifice.

Then as now, evil begins its courtship cloaked in light. And the heart embraces what it should flee. Forgetting it once had a truer lover.

With a kiss, evil will ravage body, soul, and mind. Yet there remains hope, because the heart knows no bounds.

Love will prove greater than lust. Sacrifice will overcome seduction. And blood will flow.

Because the battle for the heart is always violently opposed. For those desperate to drink deep from this fountain of life, enter.

But remember, not everyone is for this story.

August, 2010

Seek Me With All Your Heart by Beth Wiseman

A groundbreaking series that takes amish readers where they've never gone before . . . to Colorado.

Emily Detweiler's family abruptly moved to Colorado after tragedy struck in Ohio. But Emily can't get far enough to escape what happened there.

David Stoltzfus is not happy when his family relocates from Pennsylvania to Colorado. Nevermind that they haven't told him why. David struggles not only with this unwelcome move, but also with the fear that a health condition could keep him from living his life in full.

Emily and David each struggle with a past that follows them, testing their faith and resolve. Then they make a shocking discovering that draws them together and allows them to see past their own worries. Will they step onto the path God has chosen for them?

October, 2010

The Lightkeeper's Bride by Colleen Coble

A thrilling romantic mystery set in the lush Victorian age.

Central Operator Katie Russell's inquisitive ways have just uncovered her parents' plan for her marriage to wealthy bachelor Bartholomew Foster. Her heart is unmoved, but she knows the match will bring her family status and respectability.

Then Katie overhears a phone conversation that makes her uneasy and asks authorities to investigate. But the caller is nowhere to be found. Mysterious connections arise between the caller and a ship lost at sea.

Against propriety, Katie questions the new lighthouse keeper, Will Jesperson. Then a smallpox epidemic forces their quarantine in his lighthouse. Though of low social status, Will's bravery and kindness remove Katie's suspicion and win her love. Katie and Will together work to solve the mystery of the missing girl and the lost ship as God gives the couple the desire of their hearts.

November, 2010

Coming in 2010 from Ted Dekker & Center Street

Looks like Ted is going to freak us out again with his release, The Bride Collector ~ no doubt there will be more twists than you can poke a stick at ;-)

Enjoy this sneak peek!

The Bride Collector by Ted Dekker

FBI Special agent Brad Raines is facing his toughest case yet. A Denver serial killer has killed four beautiful young women, leaving a bridal veil at each crime scene, and he's picking up his pace. Unable to crack the case, Raines appeals for help from a most unusual source: residents of the Center for Wellness and Intelligence, a private psychiatric institution for mentally ill individuals whose are extraordinarily gifted. It's there that he meets Paradise, a young woman who witnessed her father murder her family and barely escaped his hand. Diagnosed with schizophrenia, Paradise may also have an extrasensory gift: the ability to experience the final moments of a person's life when she touches the dead body.

In a desperate attempt to find the killer, Raines enlists Paradise's help. In an effort to win her trust, he befriends this strange young woman and begins to see in her qualities that most 'sane people' sorely lack. Gradually, he starts to question whether sanity resides outside the hospital walls...or inside.

As the Bride Collector picks up the pace-and volume-of his gruesome crucifixions, the case becomes even more personal to Raines when his friend and colleague, a beautiful young forensic psychologist, becomes the Bride Collector's next target. The FBI believes that the killer plans to murder seven women. Can Paradise help before it's too late?

Releasing April, 2010 from Center Street

Chosen and Infidel by Ted Dekker ~ Tim's Take

Chosen by Ted Dekker

Chosen is a fantasy book by Ted Dekker. It is the first book in the Lost Books series.

Johnis, a forest dweller of 16, is thrown into a war when he accidentally signs up for the Forest Guard, an elite group of 10,000 forest dwellers, determined to put a halt to the ever advancing Horde. An army of diseased forest dwellers, the Horde have it set in their minds that the world belongs to them and this could become reality, as they outnumber the Guard by thousands. The leader of the Guard, Thomas Hunter, is forced to lower the age of new recruits to give them a sliver of hope to force the Horde back. Johnis is sent on a small errand with a few of his fellow new recruits as a test. After finding their goal impossible, they are ambushed by scouts but are saved by the most unexpected of creatures, couple of roush named Gabil and Michal. Johnis and his team are redirected to a different quest, one of much greater importance. They are to find the seven lost Books of History. One is given to them by the roush but the others are scattered throughout the land.

With the others still in doubt, Johnis heads off into the desert to begin his search for the six other books, and with that, relief from the Horde.

In this book, Johnis represents the weedy, impulsive and naïve kid that no one really listens to but eventually turns out to be correct. Billos and Darsal, two of the other new recruits, give Johnis a lot of abuse because they’re older and apparently know better but Johnis realizes he’s right and carries on normally, disregarding their abuse.
Thomas Hunter is also well portrayed, having some immediate power but not in the complete scheme of things as he is unaware of the quest for the books.

This book leaves you hanging after each chapter, bringing out good and bad in each character, exploring the thoughts of each one (with a spot of romance thrown into the mix as well!).

I really enjoyed Chosen and I think that many more people would as well.




Infidel by Ted Dekker

Infidel is a fantasy book written by Ted Dekker and is the second book in the Lost Books series.

After narrowly escaping with their lives, the four new recruits have secured two of the lost books of history and have brought them back to the forests. But this is just the beginning. Five books still remain hidden and only the seven books united can drive the evil Horde away from the forests. Johnis is champing at the bit to find the others but is confronted with a new issue. A ring has been found in the desert, the same ring that Johnis’s mother was wearing when she had been taken by the Horde. Determined to figure out the truth, Johnis is torn between his mother and the five other books left to be found. Abandoning common sense he rushes out into the desert, desperately hoping that he can find his mother.

Unbeknownst to Johnis however, this has all been planned by the Horde and Johnis is walking straight into a trap.

I must say that I probably enjoyed this book more than the first one. This carries on well from the first and presents the new issue of Johnis’s mother. When Johnis hears about the ring, he basically pops his clogs and is utterly determined on his goal. Silvie tries to reason with him but in vain and goes along with him anyway. This book captures the intense emotions running through each characters mind, Silvie’s love for Johnis, Johnis’s desperation and Thomas’s disbelief.

I also liked the addition of a Horde city. This aspect helped me to understand them as a bit more civilized and realistic. I basically thought they just lived in the desert and fought wars.

The only thing I don’t understand is the fact that the recruits have only found two of the books and there are only two more sequels after Infidel. I don’t know how they’re going to fit it all in. I’m sure Ted will resolve it and everything will fall into place but I guess I just like a sort of procedure throughout each book.

Guest reviewer: my teen nephew, Tim

Relz Reviewz Extras

Visit Ted's website

Buy Ted's Lost Books at Amazon

Preview of Ted Dekker's Sinner

Here's a peek at Ted Dekker's Sinner, releasing from Thomas Nelson in September, 2008.

Not mush by way of a synopsis yet but it sounds like it will be a good one:~


It's been predicted that Christians will one day not be tolerated in America. Now that day has arrived---with the return of Marsuvees Black! When the government classifies racial and religous speech as "hate" crimes, believer Johnny Drake refuses to remain silent. And the world waits for a violent showdown not seen since the time of Nero!