Christy Award Finaltists -- Mystery/Suspense/Thriller and Short Form

 

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 of the books I've red underneath the descriptions.

How does this giveaway work?

You select which title from EITHER the Mystery/Suspense/Thriller OR Short Form category you would like to win if your name is drawn. Mention the title in your comment (or an 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. 

Mystery/Suspense/Thriller

Port of Origin by Lisa Harris and Lynne Gentry (Harris-Gentry Suspense)

Agents of Mercy, #2

When virus-infected pirates hijack a humanitarian medical ship, they trigger the threat of a global pandemic.

An African fisherman.

Forgeign exploitation of African's natural resources has destroyed the fishing business of Dabir Omar. Hijacking oil tankers brings cash to his family in their remote village, but it doesn't buy the medical care needed to stop the deadly sickness attacking his people. When Dabbir's son becomes ill, the desperate pirate sets sail for the Liberty, an international humanitarian medical ship ported on the coast.

An American surgeon.

Against his better judgment, Dr. Josiah Allen agrees to work a two-week surgical stint on the Liberty, moored in Douala, Cameroon. Shortly after he arrives with his precocious six-year-old daughter, Josiah is sent ashore to investigate a mysterious illness at the ship's post-op clinic. While he's gone, Ebola-infected pirates hijack the medical ship where Josiah left his daughter.

The woman compelled to save them all.

When pirate negotiations fail, Mackenzie Scott's privately-owned extraction unit comes in for the rescue. But when the medical ship where Mac had taken a wounded comrade is hijacked by pirates, the former military pararescue jumper becomes the pirate's key hostage.

Both fathers go to war to save their children. If Mac can't convince them to work together, the winner of this conflict will be a deadly virus intent on destroying the world.

Relative Silence by Carrie Stuart Parks (Thomas Nelson)

A powerful family with lots of secrets. A forensic artist with his own tragedies. And a hurricane bearing down on their private island.

Fifteen years ago Piper Boone's only child died in a boating accident, and Piper's almost perfect life came to and end too. After living through a divorce and losing her job, she retreats to Curlew Island and her childhood home -- a secluded mansion for the politically powerful Boone family, who are practically American royalty.

But Piper's desire to become a recluse is shattered when a mass shooter opens fire and kills three women at a cafe where Piper is having lunch. The crisis puts her family in the spotlight by dredging up rumours of the so-called Curlew Island Curse, which whispers say has taken the lives of several members of the Boone family, including Piper's father and sister.

Forensic artist Tucker Landry also survives the shooting and is tasked with the job of sketching a portrait of the shooter with Piper. They forge a bond over their shared love of movies and tragic pasts. But when police discover a connection between the shooting and two more murders on Curlew island, they face a more terrible lineup of suspects they could have imagined: Piper's family.

Unraveling the family's true history will be the key to Piper's survival -- or her certain death.

My Review: https://bestreads-kav.blogspot.com/2020/10/relative-silence.html

Unknown Threat by Lynn H. Blackburn (Revell/Baker Publishing Group)

Defend and Protect, #1

US Secret Service Special Agent Luke Powell is lucky to be alive. Three of his fellow agents have died in unusual circumstances in the past ten weeks. Luke is devastated by the loss of his friends and colleagues, and his inability to locate the killer feels like a personal failure. He's an expert at shielding others, but now the protectors are in need of protection.

FBI Special Agent Faith Malone is driven to succeed and confident in her ability to solve every case she's assigned. She's been put in charge of the investigation into the unprecedented attacks, and with Luke's life in danger, the stakes have never been higher. But it's hard to know how to fight back when you don't know who the enemy is.

As more agents are targeted, Luke and Faith will have to work together to bring a killer to justice and prevent any more names from joining their fallen brothers and sisters on the Secret Service Wall of Honor.

My Review: https://bestreads-kav.blogspot.com/2021/05/unknown-threat.html

Short Form

A Match Made at Christmas by Courtney Walsh (Sweethaven Press)

Hayes McGuire Neve believed the stories about a famous Nantucket matchmaker until she ropes him into taking over her duties while she's off the island for Christmas.

So he enlists the help of the one person he can trust with this crazy scheme -- his best friend, Prudence. Armed with a series of rules, a book of success stories and the promise of Christmas magic, the pair of old friends sets out to make a Christmas match.

Little do they know that magic doesn't discriminate, and the pair soon finds their years of friendship deepening into something more. Will Pru and Hayes ignore the electricity in the air between them or will there be more than one match made at Christmas?

Joy to the World : Far as the Curse is Found by Amanda Barratt (Kregel Publications)

In Joy to the World, three popular romance authors come together to offer a heartwarming collection of holiday Regency romance. Based on lines from a beloved Christmas carol, these three novellas have depth, faith, and satisfying stories all packed into the perfect length for readers to curl up and take a brief break from their holiday busyness.

Far as the Curse is Found -- One winter night, a woman struggling to provide for her illegitimate child encounters a scarred veteran of the Napoleonic Wars on the streets of London. Can love conquer the darkness of two broken pasts?

Joy to the World : Wonders of His Love by Erica Vetsch (Kregel Publications)

In Joy to the World, three popular romance authors come together to offer a heartwarming collection of holiday Regency romance. Based on lines from a beloved Christmas carol, these three novellas have depth, faith, and satisfying stories all packed into the perfect length for readers to curl up and take a brief break from their holiday busyness.

Wonders of His Love -- A Scots portrait painter finds work at a noble manor house over the holidays. He never imagined he'd fall in love with the emotionally frozen widow there. Now he wants nothing more than to thaw her heart.

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 Award 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 30  2021. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!