The Paper Lantern Writers are starting 2024 off with a bang! Two of our members have new books out this month. Make a resolution to read them both, and you’ll start off your year in fine form.

Abigail’s Song, by Alina Rubin, is the first book in her new series Hearts and Harmony and contains some familiar characters from her novel A Girl With a Knife. It follows a ten-year-old orphan’s journey to find what family and love are all about. (Coming January 10)

Later in the month, Jonathan Posner continues the story of Mary Fox in The Tudor Prince. In this one, our intrepid adventurer poses as young Henry Fitzroy, the illegitimate son of Henry VIII, and encounters her nemesis from the first book, The Broken Sword. (Coming January 23)

BEST COVER

The Winter Waif by Lynette Rees

“A gripping historical saga well worth reading!” bestselling author, AnneMarie Brear

I love all of these covers. The colors are amazing! The Winter Waif, however, gives me the most gripping gut reaction. From the title, I want to hold her, to take her into my home. That expression, though, and those eyes, warn me off. This is a girl with some fiery inner strength. A tale of hardship in a small Welsh town, this one shows a lot of promise. (January 8)

OTHER TOP COVERS

The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan (wartime spies, Malaya 1945, January 2)

Wild and Distant Seas by Tara Karr Roberts (generational epic with some magic, Nantucket 1849, January 2)

The Secrets of Crestwell Hall by Alexandra Walsh (mystery, London 1605/present, January 24)

Hard by a Great Forest by Leo Vardiashvili (romance, Soviet republic of Georgia, January 30)

The Seamstress of Acadie by Laura Frantz (romance, Canada 1750s January 9)

BEST TITLE

The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years by Shubnum Khan (January 9)

“Haunting and healing, The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years, with its shades of The House of Spirits and Rebecca, is one of the best books I’ve read this year…Khan’s gorgeous writing lays bare what it means to love, grieve, haunt and, ultimately, let go.” –Sarah Addison Allen, New York Times bestselling author of Other Birds and Garden Spells

All of these titles tempt me, and I’ll definitely preorder at least three of them based on the title alone. The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years, though, piques my interest in a story with a djinn. It also evokes a pang of sympathy for having to wait a hundred years for something. The djinn waits in an abandoned estate off the coast of South Africa as a girl arrives to discover the secret of the previous owner’s mysterious death.

OTHER TOP TITLES

The Lost Van Gogh by Jonathan Santlofer (mystery, January 2)

The Lady Thief of Belgravia by Allison Grey (romance, London 1879, January 18)

The Secret Pianist by Andie Newton (World War II France, January 12)

Of Hoaxes and Homicide by Anastasia Hastings (mystery, London 1885, January 30)

The Diamond of London  by Andrea Penrose (biographical, Regency London, January 23)

MOST INTRIGUING

The Chocolate Factory by Mary-Lou Stephens (January 31)

“Love, friendship and dangerous secrets in the early years of Cadbury’s Tasmanian factory.” ~book description

This is a novel of Cadbury’s Tasmanian factory and protecting the recipe for one of Cadbury’s best sellers. It’s 1921, and an Englishwoman is promoted and sent to Tasmania. What follows is a tale of ambition and intrigue after the loss and devastation of the Great War.

OTHER TOP MOST INTRIGUING

The Spice Maker’s Secret by Renita D’Silva (India 1939/London 1990, January 3)

Up From Dust by Heather Kaufman (biblical, January 23)

Unsinkable by Jenni L. Walsh (World War II, January 9)

The Curse of Pietro Houdini by Derek B. Miller (World War II Rome, January 16)

The Dancer’s Promise by Olivia Horrox (romance, London 1943, January 31)

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Need more historical fiction on your TBR?

See Paper Lantern Writers’ weekly round up in the Facebook group SHINE with Paper Lantern Writers. See even more new release titles at Historical Novel Society.

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