Christy Award Finalists 2021 -- Contemporary

GIVEAWAY

What are the Christy Awards?

"The Christy Award is designed to nurture and encourage creativity and quality in the writing and publishing of fiction written from a Christian worldview and showcase the diversity of genres." (from the Christy Awards website)

These 2021 finalists are books published in 2020. You might have read them already. You might not. I'll include a link to my reviews in the descriptions of the books I've read.

How does this giveaway work?

You select which title from EITHER the Contemporary Fiction OR General Fiction category you would like to win if your name is drawn. Mention the title in your comment (or and email if you're entering that way.) If you win, that's the book that will be sent to you. Easy Peasy. Here are the six finalists.

CONTEMPORARY FICTION

Just Like Home, Courtney Walsh, Sweethaven Press

Prima ballerina Charlotte Page has a life any dancer would envy, but the tragic loss of her best friend, Julianna, leaves her wanting more. Or maybe -- less. In an effort to make her life about something other than accolades and applause, Charlotte leaves professional ballet to save Julianna's small-town dance studio. This lands her directly in the path of cranky high school football coach and Julianna's older brother, Cole Turner.

Fresh off a state win and a bitter divorce, the last thing Cole expects is for a prima ballerina to chip away at the wall he's grown comfortable hiding behind.

Will their fledgling relationship be strong enough to weather the storm of old secrets and a haunting past? Or will Charlotte lose the new, simple life she's given up everything to gain?

Some Bright Some Day, Melissa Tagg, Larkspur Press

He's torn between love and honor...

Lucas Danby has always regretted the decisions that cause his dishonorable discharge from the military -- and he's never stopped trying to redeem his honor. He's spent the past decade taking on dangerous short-term missions as an elite private soldier -- the only part of his life that's ever gone right. But the high-risk work never cures his shame. Now he's stuck stateside, mentoring a new recruit. Worse, he's sick of lying to the people he cares about most -- including the woman he's secretly loved for years.

She can't escape her house of memories...

Jenessa Belville should be happy. She's the hometown girl everyone loves, after all. But she's also the last Belville left -- and if she had her way, she'd leave the name and all its painful memories behind. Which is exactly what she hopes to do once she sells Belville Park, the massive estate she inherited from her parents. First, though, she needs to restore the property's once-glorious gardens. But on the same day she puts up the "for sale" sign, she discovers three children hiding in the caretaker's cottage, thrusting her into the unexpected role of temporary guardian.

Fighting for their future means healing from the past...

Struggling to mentor a youn man with cars nearly as piercing as his own, Lucas offers to help Jenessa restore the Belville grounds. Though drawn together by a trio of kids who tug on their hearts and the sparks they can't deny, past secrets and current sorrows threaten to pull them apart. Only the brightest love and hardest sacrifice can turn the house Jenessa never wanted into the home she and Lucas have always longed for.

Stay With Me, Becky Wade, Bethany House

Loving her is a risk he can't afford...and can't resist.

When acclaimed Bible study author Gevevieve Woodward receives and anonymous letter referencing her parents' past, she returns to her hometown in the Blue Ridge Mountains to chase down her family's secret. However, it's Genevieve's own secret that catches up to her when Sam Turner, owner of a historic farm, uncovers the source of shame she's worked so hard to hide.

Sam has embraced his sorrow, his isolation, and his identity as an outsider. He's spent years carving out both career success and peace of mind. The last thing he wants is to rent the cottage on his property to a woman whose struggles stir his worst failure back to life. Yet can he bear to turn her away right we she needs him most?

My Review: https://bestreads-kav.blogspot.com/2021/07/stay-with-me.html

GENERAL FICTION

Set the Stars Alight, Amanda Dykes, Bethany House

In an aged brick cottage in London, the magic of the past comes alive each night for the family of a humble watchmaker. In her father's fireside stories, Lucy Claremont's fascination with the high seas begins, leading her to devote her life's work to discovering the whereabouts of a legendary lost ship. But when tragedy strikes, it's childhood friend Dashel and his knowledge of the stars that may help her solve the puzzle.

Two hundred years earlier, three young lives are altered forever when a shepherd rescues the privileged son of a powerful admiral. As the children grow, war leads to unthinkable heartbreak, deep love, and a story of betrayal, sacrifice, and redemption that fades into obscurity as centuries pass.

As Lucy and Dash explore mysterious ruins on the East Sussex coast, their search leads them to a community of souls and a long-hidden tale that may hold the answers -- and the healing -- they so desperately seek.

My Review: https://bestreads-kav.blogspot.com/2020/10/set-stars-alight.html

The Water Keeper, Charles Martin, Thomas Nelson

A riveting new story new story of heroisn, heartache, and the power of love to heal all wounds.

Murphy Shepherd is a man with many secrets. He lives alone on an island, tending the grounds for a church with no parishioners, and he's dedicated his life to rescuing those in peril. But as he mourns the loss of his mentor and friend, Murph himself may be more lost than he realizes.

When he pulls a beautiful woman named Summer out of Florida's Intracoastal Waterway, Murph's mission to lay his mentor to rest at the end of the world takes a dangerous turn. Drawn to Summer, and desperate to find her missing daughter, Murph is pulled deeper and deeper into the dark and dangerous world of modern-day slavery.

With help from some unexpected new friends, including a faithful Labrador her plucks from the ocean and an ex-convict named Clay, Murph must race against the clock to locate the girl before he is consumed by the secrets of his past -- and the ghosts who tried to bury them.

With Martin's trademark lyricism and poignant prose, The Water Keepr is at once a tender love story, a heartrending search for freedom, and a reminder that the needs of the one outweigh though of the ninety-nine.

The Way It Should Be, Christina Suzann Nelson, Bethany House

After years of estrangement, the lives of Zara mahoney and her twin sister, Eve, are suddenly and completely intertwined again. Eve's troubled lifestyle causes the state to take custody of her two children and contact Zara and her husband, asking them to consider foster care. Newlywed Zara thought she'd finally been given a fresh start and feels wholly unprepared to care for a niece and nephew whose existence she wasn't even aware of.

Meanwhile, Eve may have a real chance to start over this time, with the help of Tiff Bradley, who's dedicated to helping women everyone else has given up on after facing a heartbreaking tragedy in her own family.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a paperback or ebook copy -- winner's choice.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of one of these Christy finalists, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add your email to a comment, remember to use AT AND DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday October 9 2021. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!