Christy Awards Finalists -- Contemporary Romance and First Novel

GIVEAWAY

What are the Christy Awards?

The Christy Award is designed to nurture creativity and quality in the writing and publishing of fiction written from a Christian worldview and showcase the diversity of genres. These 2022 finalists are books published in 2021. 

How does this giveaway work?

You select one of the Contemporary Romance OR First Novel finalists you would like to receive if your name is drawn. Mention the title in a comment (or in 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 finalists. (I have provided links to my reviews of the books I have read.)

Contemporary Romance Finalists

All That Really Matters by Nicole Dees, 

Bethany House / Baker Publishing Group

Molly McKenzie's bright personality and on-trend fashion and beauty advice have earned her an impressive social media following, as well as a big paycoheck each month. When her manager-turned-boyfriend says she has an audition to appear as a host on a makeover show that nominates underprivileged youth, her dream of further fames seems to be coming true. There's just one catch: she has little experience interacting with people in need.

When her manager-boyfriend convinces her to partner with a local organization, she begins volunteering with a summer youth program. The program's director, Silas Whittaker, challenges her at every turn, but she swiftly grown more attached to the kids -- and him -- every day.

As Molly experiences an acceptance unlike anything she's known, she wrestles with the lies she's been believing about herself for years. She thought she knew what mattered most in life, but maybe she's had it wrong this whole time, and there's more to being truly seen than what she's built her entire life on.

My Review: https://bestreads-kav.blogspot.com/2022/08/all-that-really-matters.html

Bookshop by the Sea by Denise Hunter

Thomas Nelson Publishers

Sophie Lawson should be enjoying her sister's wedding day. But nothing could have prepared her to see the best man again.

After her mother became bedridden and her father bailed on the family, Sophie found herself serving as a second mother to her twin brother, Seth, and younger sister, Jenna. Sophie supported her siblings through their college years, putting aside her own dream of opening a bookshop in Piper's Cove -- the quaint North Carolina beach town they frequented as children.

Now it's finally time for Sophie to follow her own pursuits. Seth has a new job, and Jenna is set to marry her college beau in Piper's Cover. But the destination wedding reunites Sophie with best man Aiden Maddox, her high school sweetheart who left her without a backward glance.

When an advancing hurricane strands Aiden in Piper's Cove after the wedding, he finds the hotels booked to capacity and has to ask Sophie to put him up until the storm passes. As the two ride out the weather, old feelings rise to the surface. The delay also leaves Sophie with mere days to get her bookshop up and running. Can she trust Aiden to stick around? And will he find the courage to risk his heart?

My Review:  https://bestreads-kav.blogspot.com/2021/05/bookshop-by-sea.html

Husband Auditions by Angela Ruth Strong

Kregel Publishers

How far would you go to find the perfect husband? Al the way back to the 1950s?

In a world full of happily-ever-after love, Meri Newberg feels like the last young women on the planet to be single, at least in her Christian friend group. So when she's handed a strange present at the latest wedding -- a 1950s magazine article of 'ways to get a husband' -- she decides there's nothing to lose by trying out its advice. After all, she can't get any more single, can she?

Her brother's roommate sees the whole thing as a great opportunity. Not to fall in love -- Kai Kamaka has no interest in the effort a serious relationship takes. No, this is a career jump start. He talks Meri into letting him film every silly husband-catching attempt for a new online show. If it goes viral, his career as a cameraman will be made.

When 'Meri Me' debuts, it's an instant hit. People love watching her lasso men on street corners, drop handkerchiefs for unsuspecting potential beaus, and otherwise embarrass herself in pursuit of true love. But the longer this game goes on, the less sure Kai is that he wants Meri to snag anyone but him. The only problem is that he may not be the kind of husband material she's looking for...

With droll comic timing unbeatable chemistry, and a zany but relatable cast of characters. Angela Ruth Strong has created a heartfelt look at the reality of modern Christian dating that readers will both resonate with and fall for.

First Novel Finalists

All That is Secret by Patricia Rayborn

Tyndall House Publishers

Can an amateur detective solve the cold case mystery of her lost father's murder?

In the winter of 1923, Professor Annalee Spain -- a daring but overworked theologian at a small Chicago Bible college -- receives a cryptic telegram calling her home to Denver to solve the mystery of the murder of her beloved but estranged father.

For a young Black woman, searching for answers in a city ruled by the KKK could mean real danger. Still, with her literary hero Sherlock Holmes as inspiration, Annalee launches her hunt for clues, attracting two surprising allies: Eddie, a relentless young white boy searching for his missing father, and Jack, a handsome Black pastor who loves nightclub dancing and rides in his sporty car, awakening Annalee's heart to the surprising highs and lows of romantic love.

With their help, Annalee follows clues that land her among Denver's powerful elite. But when their sleuthing unravels sinister motives and deep secrets, Annalee confronts the dangerous truths and beliefs that could make her a victim too.

My Review:  https://bestreads-kav.blogspot.com/2021/11/all-that-is-secret.html

Recorder by Cathy McCrumb

Enclave Publishing

The Consortium is all. But Recorder can no longer obey.

Recorder has no family, no friends, and no name. Donated to the Consortium before birth, her sole purpose is to maintain and verify the records. A neural implant and drone ensure compliance, punishing for displays of bias.

Suddenly cut off from controlling technology, Recorder tastes what it means to be human. But if the Consortium discovers her feelings, everyone she knows will be in danger.

With no name, no resources, and only the infinitesimal  possibility of escape, Recorder's time is running out.

Sugar Birds by Cheryl Grey Bostrom

She Writes Press

Northwest Washington State, 1985

For years, Harris Hayes has taught his daughter, Aggie, the ways of the northern woods. So when her mother's depression worsens, Harris shows the girl how to find and sketch the nests of wild birds as an antidote to sadness. Aggie is in a tree far overhead when her unpredictable mother spots her and forbids her to climb. Angry, the ten-year-old accidentally lights a tragic fire, then flees downriver. She lands her boat near untamed forest, where she hides among the trees and creatures she considered her only friends -- determined to remain undiscovered.

A search party gathers by Aggie's empty boat hours after Celia, fresh off the plane from Houston, arrives at her grandmother's nearby farm. Hurting from her parents' breakup, she also plans to run. But when she joins the hunt for Aggie, she meets two irresistible  young men who completely her to stay. One is autistic; the other dangerous.

Perfect for fans of The Scent Keeper, The Snow Child, and The Great Alone, Sugar Birds immerses readers in a layered, evocative coming-of-age story set in the breathtaking natural world where characters encounter the mending power of forgiveness -- for themselves and for those who failed them. 

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 the  Christy Awards Contemporary Romance finalists novels, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your 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 22 2022 . Offer open to International Readers.