Hi friends,
Happy Wednesday! Are you ready for Christmas? It’s hard to believe we’re only a couple of weeks away! It’ll be New Years before we know it. Before we flip the calendar to 2022, I thought it would be fun to share my favorite covers of 2021.
Vision, creativity, and great attention to detail are trademarks of designing stunning book covers. While many publishing houses are gifted with talented art departments, I sincerely think Bethany House has the best. The art director, Paul, puts so much of his heart into crafting every cover he designs.
Until I was published, I didn’t realize the great significance a cover plays in the life of a book. They are the first thing a reader sees. Before they read a word, before they flip a page, the cover either grabs their attention or it doesn’t.
Not only does each cover have to be unique, but if it’s part of a series, all the covers in the series need to tie together in a cohesive unit. Paul did a magnificent job with my Coastal Guardian series. Each cover has unique and varied elements—going from just the outline of a woman on The Killing Tide, to a side profile on The Crushing Depths, to a full face on my upcoming release, The Deadly Shallows. But, while each cover possesses unique elements, they are all united in tone and style.
There were so many stunning covers released in 2021, but I’ve forced myself to pick my favorite top three.
Number One
Elizabeth’s cover for The Prince is Spies is absolutely breathtaking! Not a single detail is left untouched from the white carnation in his lapel to the timepiece in his pocket and the gilded mirror in the background. It’s sophisticated, elegant and with only a slight portion of the hero’s face visible, I want to crack the book open and find out what he looks like through the beautiful prose that Elizabeth pens.
Number Two
T. I. Lowe’s cover is imaginative, beautifully balanced and there’s no way I’d walk past this cover and not pick it up.
Number Three
Jody always has stunning covers and Come Back to Me is no exception. The red hair with the sensation of it in motion grabbed me right away. I love the title font and color and how it hints at the novel’s tone, and the background scene whispers for me to know more.
Reader Question: What are your favorite covers of 2021?
Blessings,
Dani
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My Top 3 are:
* Dauntless – Tamara Leigh
* A Midnight Dance – Joanna Davidson Politano
* Beyond the Tides – Liz Johnson
Hey Amy,
Oh. Great choices! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
All these covers are great!;I like the series covers too!
I really love all the covers in Becky Wade’s Misty Rivers series!
Hi Sara Beth,
Becky has wonderful covers. They match her and her stories perfectly!
I LOVE the covers you’ve featured here!!
Aww. Thanks so much! <3
And you know I adore your covers too!
Those covers are gorgeous! I just finished reading Yours Is The Night, and the cover gives a glimpse into the equally beautiful prose within 🙂
I’m so excited for the release of The Deadly Shallows! After reading the other two in the series, I’ve been looking forward to Noah and Brooke’s story!
“The Prince of Spies” cover is the 3rd of the Delacroix family group portrait. If you put the entire trilogy together, you’ll see the effect.
I read and enjoyed the full trilogy!
Thank you for explaining WHY you enjoy and chose these covers. So often they speak to our heart, but to vocalize why is challenging. I just received Shadows of Swanford Abbey by Julie Klassen from Bethany House and the cover is magnificent. Seen from behind, a woman in period dress looks through an arch leading into a cloister walk with glimpses of a door on the other side of the garden. It makes the reader (me) want to step through the arch with her and start exploring.