Can't Wait for... The Lost Story of Via Belle by Melanie Dobson (Can't-Wait Wednesday) #CWW #WOW #bookx #newbooks #TheLostStoryofViaBelle #MelanieDobson #histfic #romancebooks #christfic

Can't-Wait Wednesday  is a weekly meme hosted here to spotlight the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally, they're books that have yet to be released. Find out more here.

I've been a fan of this author since reading The Curator's Daughter a couple years ago. Her upcoming release is my pick this week...

The Lost Story of Via Belle

By Melanie Dobson

Historical Fiction, Christian, Romance

Audiobook, Hardcover, Paperback & eBook, 384 Pages

April 14, 2026 by Tyndale Fiction

Summary

Searching for a story to adapt for film, an aspiring screenwriter becomes captivated by a bestselling classic novel and the mysterious disappearance of the woman who wrote it.

1940. Via Belle’s sweet romance novels made readers believe in happily ever after. But Via’s reality was much more complicated. While her first husband was alive, her creativity thrived in a beautiful stone estate situated above a pristine lake and moonflower garden. After his tragic death and a whirlwind second marriage shrouded in secrets, Via vanished from public life, leaving behind a shadow of scandal . . . and her final story.

2006. Screenwriter Harper Rayne is desperate for a breakthrough, if only she can find the right story to tell. But when she digs into the life of her late mother’s favorite novelist, she never expects it to become personal. Drawn to the quaint Pennsylvania town where both her mother and Via once lived, Harper discovers more than a mystery to solve―she finds echoes of her own longing for love, healing, and home. As long-buried secrets come to light, Harper must decide if she’ll protect the past or rewrite this particular ending.

Described as a “powerhouse in dual-timeline Christian fiction” (Library Journal), Melanie Dobson delivers another rich, atmospheric novel about the legacy of sacrificial love and the redemptive power of truth.

- Standalone dual-timeline historical mystery filled with drama, faith, and intrigue
- Clean, suspenseful historical fiction, perfect for fans of Susan Meissner, Lisa Wingate, or Patti Callahan Henry
- Includes discussion questions for book groups

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Can't Wait for... More Than Friends by Denise Hunter (Can't-Wait Wednesday) #CWW #WOW #bookx #newbooks #romancebooks #cleanreads #MoreThanFriends #DeniseHunter

Can't-Wait Wednesday  is a weekly meme hosted here to spotlight the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally, they're books that have yet to be released. Find out more here.

Sorry for this posting late! My pick this week is from an author contemporary romance favorite. I also love the friends-to-more trope so I'm expecting to absolutely love this one! It also sounds like the perfect beach read.

More Than Friends

By Denise Hunter

Contemporary Romance, Christian, Clean & Wholesome

Audiobook, Hardcover, Paperback & eBook, 320 Pages

April 14, 2026 by Thomas Nielson

Summary

Who knew that returning home after a broken engagement could be the best decision you ever made? Denise Hunter is back with another heartwarming contemporary romance with a sweet friends-to-more story, featuring a saltwater cowboy. Perfect for fans of Debbie Macomber and Hallmark movies.

Jenna Greene just ended things with her boyfriend . . . which also ended her career. (That's the risk a girl takes when her boyfriend doubles as her boss.) With no income and no job prospects in sight, Jenna is forced to return to her mother's house on Chincoteague Island, Virginia, to figure out what's next. And the timing couldn't be more perfect. Jenna's widowed mother has just returned from a cruise--with a brand-new boyfriend in tow. But there's something off about the guy. His story doesn't quite add up, and he keeps sneaking off to make suspicious phone calls and borrowing money from her too-trusting mother.

In search of some investigative help, Jenna turns to her childhood BFF, Tyson Parker, who lives and works in town. Still reeling from his wife's infidelity, Tyson is doing his best to heal from the pain of divorce. He's made a name for himself on the island as a volunteer firefighter and one of the much-admired saltwater cowboys who looks after Chincoteague's wild ponies. Oh, and he turned out to be more than a tiny bit attractive--besides being almost-too-good-to-be-true sweet and caring.

Growing up, the uber-competitive Jenna was always accepted as one of the guys. But things have changed between her and Tyson, and he's now looking at her through new eyes. Jenna suddenly feels like a leading lady on a movie set--only with way less composure.

But Jenna also has old wounds that make these new feelings seem fraught with peril. Is she willing to open her heart and see where love might lead? Or will she let her hesitant heart hold her back?

More Than Friends is a charming, can't-put-it-down romance, full of laugh-out-loud moments, tender emotion, and the kind of small-town warmth Denise Hunter does best. With its beloved friends-to-more arc, swoony yet grounded hero, and gentle thread of healing and hope, this story will have readers rooting for love on every page. If you're longing for a feel-good romance that blends heart, humor, and just enough mystery to keep you reading past your bedtime, More Than Friends is the perfect escape to Chincoteague Island.

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Can't Wait for... Staged Evidence by Traci Hunter Abramson (Can't-Wait Wednesday) #CWW #WOW #bookx #newbooks #romancebooks #suspense #cleanreads #StagedEvidence #PenandDagger #TraciHunterAbramson

Can't-Wait Wednesday  is a weekly meme hosted here to spotlight the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally, they're books that have yet to be released. Find out more here.

I still need to read the first book in this series and am planning to this month so I can drop right into book two. Abramson's books have been favorite escapes for years and I'm thrilled to start this series! Staged Evidence is my pick this week...

Staged Evidence

(Pen and Dagger #2)

By Traci Hunter Abramson

Romantic Suspense, Clean & Wholesome

Audiobook, Paperback & eBook, 304 Pages

April 7, 2026 by Shadow Mountain

Summary

From the queen of clean romantic suspense--one terrified witness, one unsuspecting Broadway playwright, and a killer who won't stop until the final curtain falls.

When Tessa Seidel delivers costumes to a Manhattan television studio late at night, she expects an empty set--not a murder scene. After stumbling upon a woman's body and nearly being attacked by a man fleeing the scene, Tessa escapes with no idea who to trust--and a fear that the killer knows who she is.

Desperate, she runs to a friend's beach house in the Hamptons, where Broadway playwright Parker Sawyer is retreating to finish his next script. But he knows danger when he sees it and offers to shelter Tessa, even when they find out she is being accused of committing the murder.

Back in Manhattan, CIA operatives Kimber Seidel and Brandon Hale realize Tessa is being framed. But with a powerful suspect manipulating the investigation, clearing Tessa's name won't be easy.

If they can't unravel the truth in time, Tessa won't just be the prime suspect--she'll be the next victim.

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Can't Wait for... Thistlemarsh by Moorea Corrigan (Can't-Wait Wednesday) #CWW #WOW #bookx #newbooks #romantasy #fantasy #romancebooks #Thistlemarsh #MooreaCorrigan

Can't-Wait Wednesday  is a weekly meme hosted here to spotlight the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally, they're books that have yet to be released. Find out more here.

I always love a good faery story and this one also combines a bit of mystery and romance, plus this gorgeous cover! It's my pick this week...

Thistlemarsh

By Moorea Corrigan

Fantasy, Historical Romance, Romantasy

Audiobook, Paperback & eBook, 432 Pages

April 21, 2026 by Berkley

Summary

Faeries disappeared over one hundred years ago, as suddenly as slipping through a doorway. It was only the very foolish, or the very determined, who held out hope for their return.

Welcome to Thistlemarsh—a ramshackle estate where an impoverished orphan and a beguiling Faerie collide in an enchanting novel of love, revenge, and ruin.

In the wake of The Great War, the world is a decidedly unmagical place for Mouse Dunne. She once dreamed of becoming a Faerie anthropologist, but with one telegram, her world shattered. At the Battle of the Somme, her cousin’s body disappeared into the mud, and her brother was left with debilitating shell shock. It was time, she knew, to put aside childish dreams.

When Mouse receives news that her uncle has left her the Faerie-blessed Thistlemarsh Hall, a dilapidated manor in the English countryside, she must leave her brother’s side and return to her childhood home to claim her birthright. But there is a catch in her uncle’s offer: If Mouse does not rehabilitate the crumbling house in one month’s time, she will forfeit her inheritance and any hope of caring for her brother.

It quickly becomes clear it’s impossible to repair the manor in the allotted time, until a mysterious Faerie appears with a proposition. He offers to restore Thistlemarsh...for a price. Mouse knows better than to trust a Faerie—especially one so insufferably handsome and arrogant—but she is out of options. There are dark and magical forces at work in the house, and Mouse must confront the ghosts of her past and the secrets of her heart or lose Thistlemarsh, and herself, in the process.

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