2007 Releases – LDS Publisher

2007 Books Eligible for Whitney Awards

This is last year’s book list. I may or may not get around to giving them their own post.

Spires of Stone by Annette Lyon

Title: Spires of Stone

Author: Annette Lyon

Publisher: Covenant Communication, Inc.

Release Date: 2007

ISBN: 978-1598114487

Size: 6×9

Genre: Historical Romance

Bethany Hansen wasn’t sure when or if she would ever see Benjamin Adams again. She also told herself that it didn’t matter. But when Ben and his two brothers come home after more than two years of serving a mission to the Eastern states, her feelings of heartache and anger also return— fiercer than ever. And so do Ben’s feelings for her.

Good-naturedly, Ben’s brothers attempt to reunite the two, even as they separately vie for Bethany’s younger sister, Hannah. What follows is a charming historical romance complete with wonderful characters and witty dialogue that explores the redemption and power of finding—and rediscovering—true love.

The Well of Ascension by by Brandon Sanderson

Title: The Well of Ascension

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Publisher: TOR Books

Release Date: August 21, 2007

ISBN: 978-0765316882

Size: 6×9; 592 pages

Genre: Fantasy

Series: Sequel to Mistborn: The Final Empire

The impossible has been accomplished. The Lord Ruler—the man who claimed to be god incarnate and brutally ruled the world for a thousand years—has been vanquished. But Kelsier, the hero who masterminded that triumph, is dead too, and now the awesome task of building a new world has been left to his young protg, Vin, the former street urchin who is now the most powerful Mistborn in the land, and to the idealistic young nobleman she loves.

As Kelsier’s protg and slayer of the Lord Ruler she is now venerated by a budding new religion, a distinction that makes her intensely uncomfortable. Even more worrying, the mists have begun behaving strangely since the Lord Ruler died, and seem to harbor a strange vaporous entity that haunts her.

Stopping assassins may keep Vin’s Mistborn skills sharp, but it’s the least of her problems. Luthadel, the largest city of the former empire, doesn’t run itself, and Vin and the other members of Kelsier’s crew, who lead the revolution, must learn a whole new set of practical and political skills to help. It certainly won’t get easier with three armies—one of them composed of ferocious giants—now vying to conquer the city, and no sign of the Lord Ruler’s hidden cache of atium, the rarest and most powerful allomantic metal.

As the siege of Luthadel tightens, an ancient legend seems to offer a glimmer of hope. But even if it really exists, no one knows where to find the Well of Ascension or what manner of power it bestows.

The Lights of Mahonri Moriancumer by Phyllis Gunderson

Title: The Lights of Mahonri Moriancumer

Author: Phyllis Gunderson

Publisher: Cedar Fort

Release Date: January 1, 2007

ISBN: 978-1599550190

Size: 5.5×8; 180 pages

Genre: Speculative Fiction

A monk with a secret… A light that never dies… A legend that could change history…

There is an ancient legend about shining stones. About lights that never dim, never die. And the stones are old. Very old. Archaeologist Mathilda Howard believes in solid scientific fact and proven history. Not mythical stories about shining stones or prehistoric advanced civilizations. But when an old Tibetan monk shares his experience of the “lights that do not die,” Matt knows she has to find out more.

Then, when at an archaeological dig a student gives Matt a little black book that contains a story about shining stones—a story that happens to match a local legend—she finds herself on a journey to uncover the truth.

From a sacred mountain in China to a lost civilization in Brazil, Matt finds that she is digging up more than just archaeological artifacts. Her search for the shining stones leads her to some startling discoveries, as well as to a new religion. The LDS church may have the answers she has been looking for, but it may also cost her all that she values in life—her career, her prestige, and her family.

As evidence of the shining stones mounts, Matt is faced with a decision she never thought she’d have to make: does she ignore the stones and agree what is scientifically acceptable, or does speak out against the established norms and tell the truth? There are people who are desperate to keep the stones a secret. How much is Matt willing to sacrifice for the lost stones of the Jaradites?

Hunting Gideon by Jessica Draper

Title: Hunting Gideon

Author: Jessica Draper

Publisher: Zarahemla Books

Release Date: August 13, 2007

ISBN: 978-0978797140

Size: 5×8.5; 184 pages

Genre: Speculative Thriller

Tracking hackers and crackers for the FBI’s National Infrastructure Protection Center looks like a vivid video game to an outsider, but the outcome of the play is deadly serious. Through her online feline avatar, Sekhmet, Sue Anne Jones stalks the V-Net, the ultimate virtual-reality interface, in pursuit of evil in all its online forms. Her partner, ex-cracker Loren Hunter, provides cynical commentary along with his expertise in the V-Net’s shadier alleys.

Their days of busting routine identity thieves and insidious corporate spies end when they get a new assignment: Hunt down a cyber-terrorist calling himself Gideon, who has infiltrated the financial system, rerouted supply lines, and murdered the supervisor of an automated factory. Now Gideon is sending taunting messages, quoting scripture, and warning Sue that she must join his crusade or suffer—along with the rest of the virtual world—when he takes total control of the V-Net.

Written by the author of the Last Days adventure trilogy, Hunting Gideon is a near-future cyberpunk novel with an optimistic Mormon twist. Incorporating elements from the hard-boiled detective novel, film noir, and postmodernist prose, much of the novel’s action takes place online in cyberspace, blurring the border between actual and virtual reality. Hunting Gideon sends Sue and Loren on a wild chase as they scramble to avert the ultimate online disaster.

Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

Title: Book of a Thousand Days

Author: Shannon Hale

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books

Release Date: September 18, 2007

ISBN: 978-1599900513

Size: 5×8; 320 pages

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

When Dashti, a maid, and Lady Saren, her mistress, are shut in a tower for seven years because of Saren’s refusal to marry a man she despises, the two prepare for a very long and dark imprisonment.

As food runs low and the days go from broiling hot to freezing cold, it is all Dashti can do to keep them fed and comfortable. With the arrival outside the tower of Saren’s two suitors—one welcome, the other decidedly less so—the girls are confronted with both hope and great danger, and Dashti must make the desperate choices of a girl whose life is worth more than she knows.

Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star by Brandon Mull

Title: Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star

Author: Brandon Mull

Publisher: Shadow Mountain

Release Date: May 1, 2007

ISBN: 978-1590387429

Size: 5.5×8; 456 pages

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

Series: Sequel to Fablehaven

At the end of the school year, Kendra and her brother, Seth, find themselves racing back to Fablehaven, a refuge for mythical and magical creatures. Grandpa Sorenson, the caretaker, invites three specialists- a potion master, a magical relics collector, and a mystical creature trapper- to help protect the property from the Society of the Evening Star, an ancient organization determined to infiltrate the preserve and steal a hidden artifact of great power. Time is running out. The Evening Star is storming the gates. If the artifact falls into the wrong hands, it could mean the downfall of other preserves and possibly the world. Will Kendra learn to use her fairy gifts in time? Will Seth stay out of trouble? Can they overcome paralyzing fear?

How to Take the Ex Out of Ex-Boyfriend by Janette Rallison

Title: How to Take the Ex Out of Ex-Boyfriend

Author: Janette Rallison

Publisher: G.P Putnam’s Sons Books

Release Date: June 21, 2007

ISBN: 978-0399246173

Size: 5.5×8.5; 272 pages

Genre: Contemporary Young Adult Romantic Comedy

Boyfriends are supposed to be loyal, caring and handsome. Giovanna’s boyfriend Jesse may have the last two down, but he’s seriously lacking in the loyalty department. When her twin brother, Dante, runs for student body president, Jesse campaigns for the opponent. In the heat of the moment, Giovanna dumps Jesse and becomes Dante’s campaign manager. But she almost immediately regrets her decision. Beating the mayor’s son at school politics and winning her boyfriend back are going to take a lot more risk than Giovanna ever dreamed she’d take.

First Day by Allyson B. Condie

Title: First Day

Author: Allyson Braithwaite Condie

Publisher: Deseret Book

Release Date: June 7, 2007

ISBN: 978-1590387757

Size: 6×9; 304 pages

Genre: Contemporary Young Adult Romance

Series: Sequel to Yearbook

College. Missions. Jobs. Love.

For the last two-and-a-half years, Andrea Beckett has been attending college in New York, caught up in the whirlwind of finals, career options, and falling in love.

Joel Hammond is attending the same college on the faith of an answered prayer. Feeling a little lost and alone, he’s still not sure why he has chosen to be so far from home. Then he’s asked to teach early-morning seminary with Andrea and begins to feel a little less lonely.

Though Joel and Andrea’s class of eight high-school students is small, the problems the students are dealing with are large. High-school senior Cate is a down-to-earth girl who can’t decide whether leaving home after high school is her greatest wish or her worst nightmare

And far from New York, Andrea’s brother, Ethan, is serving a mission in Brazil. The language is new, the culture is different, and sometimes being Elder Beckett is harder than he expected, but Ethan is determined to make every day the best day of his mission.

Bullies in the Headlights by Matthew Buckley

Title: Bullies in the Headlights

Author: Matthew Buckley

Publisher: Covenant Communications, Inc.

Release Date: 2007

ISBN: 978-1598113266

Size: 6×9; 196 pages

Genre: Middle Grade Humor

Series: Sequel to Chickens in the Headlights

The Buckley boys are headed back to school for another year. Unfortunately, so are the Hagbarts—and they’re out for revenge. Matthew Buckley and his brothers may have won a single small battle over the summer, but the war is far from over. Luckily, though the Hagbarts may be meaner, the Buckleys are smarter—or were smarter. The sight of Matthew’s underwear at the top of the school flagpole loudly states that the Hagbart bullies are getting expert help from someone quite clever.

Soon the war of wits escalates to an incredible scheme designed to get the ultimate revenge on the Hagbarts. But now that Matthew has been learning that he’s supposed to do good to those who hate him, what will he do when a little push becomes a great big shove?

Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson

Title: Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Release Date: October 1, 2007

ISBN: 978-0439925501

Size: 6×8; 320 pages

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

A hero with an incredible talent…for breaking things. A life-or-death mission…to rescue a bag of sand. A fearsome threat from a powerful secret network…the evil Librarians.

Alcatraz Smedry doesn’t seem destined for anything but disaster. On his 13th birthday he receives a bag of sand, which is quickly stolen by the cult of evil Librarians plotting to take over the world. The sand will give the Librarians the edge they need to achieve world domination. Alcatraz must stop them!…by infiltrating the local library, armed with nothing but eyeglasses and a talent for klutziness.

Sheep’s_Clothing by Josi Kilpack

Title: Sheep’s_Clothing

Author: Josi Kilpack

Publisher: Deseret Book

Release Date: May 2, 2007

ISBN: 978-1590387467

Size: 6×9; 320 pages

Genre: Suspense

Six children keep Kate and Brad Thompson busy all day, every day. Between work, school, and church activities there isn’t much time for anything else. Having baby number seven might disrupt the family routine, but Kate isn’t worried about that. She is worried, however, about her oldest daughter, Jess, who has been more secretive of late. More distant. Kate’s hopes it’s just a phase. Fifteen is a tricky age, after all.

For Jess, being fifteen isn’t just tricky, sometimes it feels downright impossible. Between baby-sitting all the time, hating the gymnastics class Mom won’t let her quit, and trying to hold onto her best friend now that high school is pulling them in different directions, Jess feels totally overwhelmed, continually misunderstood, and completely alone. Until she meets Emily online.

Emily listens, understands, and gives Jess confidence. Best of all, Emily introduces Jess to her cousin, Colt. Jess can’t date yet, but she and Colt can send long, personal e-mails to each other and he understands her better than anyone else in her life

However, when Jess disappears it only takes one e-mail for everyone in the Thompson family to discover that when it comes to the Internet, things aren’t always what they seem. . . .

Hazardous Duty by Betsy Brannon Green

Title: Hazardous Duty

Author: Betsy Brannon Green

Publisher: Covenant Communications, Inc.

Release Date: 2007

ISBN: 978-1598114456

Size:

Genre: Suspense

Savannah McLaughlin is running a little late. Those extra few minutes could mean she may never see her daughter again. The only clue Savannah and the police have to six-year-old Caroline’s disappearance is a note with a cryptic verse of scripture. With no signs of progress, Savannah is desperate enough to call the one man she knows can help—the one man who absolutely despises her.

If anyone can find Caroline, it’s Major Christopher Dane. The Army often calls on him to discreetly extract people from dangerous situations. But can Savannah trust him and the band of misfits Dane surrounds himself with? Or will the betrayal that took place in their dark past exclude any chance of a bright future?

Grave Secrets by Marlene Austin

Title: Grave Secrets

Author: Marlene Austin

Publisher: Covenant Communications, Inc.

Release Date: 2007

ISBN:

Size: 6×9; 341 pages

Genre: Romantic Suspense

On the day Bethany Carlisle receives her doctorate, she learns that her grandmother has died. However, Bethany’s dismay immediately turns to anger when she learns that the wealthy, eccentric, and distant woman who raised Bethany has taken pains to torment her granddaughter even from the grave. Now, in order to claim her substantial inheritance, Bethany must spend a year at an abandoned house in Maine—and write a book. But what book?

In the course of making the old house livable, Bethany believes she’s discovered the answer. But the process of writing the now-important book soon becomes complicated by threatening messages—and the attention of three very different men. She wonders if any of their motives are honorable as it becomes clear that someone will stop at nothing to wrest away her inheritance. Now, Bethany must use every ounce of her faith and resourcefulness—if she is to survive.

The Deep End by Traci Hunter Abramson

Title: The Deep End

Author: Traci Hunter Abramson

Publisher: Covenant Communications, Inc.

Release Date: August, 2007

ISBN: 159811199X

Size: 6×9; 245 pages

Genre: Suspense, Thriller

Series: Undercurrents, Ripple Effect

Matt’s hands balled in frustration. . . . He couldn’t even acknowledge that he knew the dark-haired beauty down the street-much less that he was married to her. . . . He had walked into this marriage knowing full well that he would be married to a woman in the Witness Protection Program, and that they would have to spend their first year of marriage pretending they didn’t know each other.

But little do CJ and Matt know the extent of the danger and loneliness that will haunt their lives. A world-class swimmer with Olympic aspirations, CJ faces overwhelming odds that threaten to drown all her hopes and dreams. Will the deep end prove to be a dead end for CJ and Matt?

In a story where reality is as tentative as the waters of competition, and happiness is as elusive as the forces of evil that conspire to end all their dreams, CJ and Matt’s race for safety becomes a marathon of fear.

Loyalty’s Web by Joyce DiPastena

Title: Loyalty’s Web

Author: Joyce DiPastena

Publisher: Leatherwood Press

Original Release Date: June 26, 2007

Re-release: October, 2008

ISBN: 978-1599921235

Size: 6×9; 352 pages

Genre: Historical Romance

In twelfth century France, King Henry II of England has just finished quashing a rebellion by his power-hungry sons and now seeks to tame the lawless barons who supported them in this corner of his “Angevin empire.” To this end, the king has sent the Earl of Gunthar as his royal representative to ensure that Prince Richard and his former cohorts faithfully adhere to the terms of the peace treaty.

Far from being welcomed with open arms, Gunthar no sooner steps foot in the county of Poitou than he is greeted by a series of assassination attempts. All appear to be linked to the former rebellious prince through the agents of the family and friends of young Heléne de Laurant. A clever, intrepid young woman, she realizes that the only way to prove her loved ones’ innocence is by exposing the true assassin. Heléne races against time—and dark secrets of the past—to unmask the killer before the kingdom plunges back into war.

Fierce determination gives way to mutual attraction as Heléne and Gunthar spar over the identity of the traitor. But their blinding magnetism almost causes them to overlook an even deadlier threat from an entirely unexpected direction.

An agent of the English king trying to enforce the peace in 12th-century France finds himself caught in a murderous web of mayhem and madness. Torture, blackmail, murder, forbidden love, witchcraft—this historical tale has it all.

The Independence Club by Rachel Nunes

Title: The Independence Club

Author: Rachel Ann Nunes

Publisher: Deseret Book

Release Date: February 1, 2007

ISBN: 978-1590387092

Size: 5.5×8.5; 272 pages

Genre: Women’s Fiction

When five single women become friends, the Independence Club is born, complete with a weekly brunch where they talk about life and share their hopes as they brainstorm ideas for success.

Meet the ladies of the Independence Club.

Maxine Madison is an outspoken, 62-year-old widow with no plans to marry again, much to the dismay of a certain gentleman friend. She is also the voice of reason holding the Independence Club together. But when tragedy strikes, Maxine finds that she needs her friends every bit as much as they need her.

Tina Dayley was freed from years of abuse by her husband’s death. Though only 39, she doubts she will ever find real love. Then she meets Scott. Yet behind Tina’s ultrapositive mask lurks an unhealed wound that threatens her very future.

Evie McClaine’s dream life was shattered by divorce. Now at 45, she is learning to be her best self for all the right reasons. But is she so busy going after what she wants that she’s overlooking what she really needs?

Rosalva Nolasco, 42, the beautiful, working mother of two teens, knows what kind of an eternal partner she’s looking for—and Willard Oakman is certainly not that man. So why can’t she stop thinking about him?

Bernice Stubbs has always been a little self-righteous and vocal with her negative opinions about widows who date. But soon Bernice finds herself holding the biggest secret of all.

The lives of these women are bound together as they see each other through tears, tough times, and new romance, all the while learning the true meaning of friendship.