Christy Award Finalists -- Short Form and Young Adult

GIVEAWAY

What are the Christy Awards?

The Christy Award is destined 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 Short Form OR Young Adult 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.)

Short Form Finalists

A Texas Christmas Carol (in Under the Texas Mistletoe) by Karen Witemeyer, Bethany House / Baker Publishing Group 

A town's wealthy, Scrooge-like bachelor finds his world invaded by a woman set on earning his donation for helping the local poor, and by the penetrating questions of three mysterious visitors.

This novella is included in the collection Under the Mistletoe : a Trio of Christmas Historical Romance Novellas.

Mr. Nicholas : a Magical Christmas Tale by Christopher de Vinck, Paraclete Press

A story that helps us see the unique goodness in each person.

Every town has its secrets. When it becomes known that Mr. Nicholas, the eccentric owner of the local hardware store, is somehow involved with reindeer, toys, and children, the town becomes more and more suspicious that this man is more than just a clerk on Main Street.

JB, a cover, open ten-year-old boy with Down syndrome, is able to figure out the secret from the first time Mr. Nicholas gives him a chocolate deer wrapped in gold foil.

JB's father and mother, both cynical and on the brink of divorce, follow the adventures of JB as he flies on the back of a reindeer, feeds Mister Rogers's fish, and defines what can be forgotten by those who are too busy to remember the magic of Christmas, cuckoo-clocks, and love.

False Pretense by Heather Day Gilbert, Woodhaven Press

A Murder in the Mountains #4

Beloved amateur sleuth Tess Spencer returns in this fourth and final Murder in the Mountains mystery.

Tess has her work cut out for her -- from her day job at the police station to her nights on the campaign trail with her husband, she's stretched thin. Her two young children also keep her busy., but thankfully she has a supportive mother-in-law who lives just next door.

When the legendary Mothman makes a terrifying appearance and a local librarian goes missing, Tess feels compelled to get involved, convinced something evil has been unleashed on her little town. Then another woman disappears -- this one bearing an eerie resemblance to  Tess -- and the police receive a cryptic message hinting that a serial killer is on the prowl.

After a nightmarish turn of events completely upends the Spencer family, Tess musters her courage to hunt for the monstrous murderer in the woods...even if she has to walk straight into the Mothman's lair to do it.

False Pretence brings a stunning and memorable conclusion to the award-winning Murder in the Mountains series.

Young Adult Finalists

A Gentle Tyranny by Jess Corban, Wander, an imprint of Tyndale House

What if women unraveled the evils of patriarchy?

With men safely 'gentled' in a worldwide Liberation, the matriarchy of Nede has risen from the ashes. Seventeen-year-old Reina Pierce has never given a thought to the Brutes of old. Itching to escape her mother's finca -- and desperate to keep her training and forbidden friendship a secret -- her greatest worry is which Destiny she'll choose at her next birthday. But when she's deleted as a candidate for the Succession instead, competing to become Nede's ninth Matriarch, she discovers their Eden has come at a cost she's not sure she's willing to pay.

Jess Corban's debut novel presents a new twist to the dystopian genre, delivering heart-pounding action, thought-provoking revelations, and a setting as much as the jungles of Central America.

Realms of Light by Sandra Fernandez, Enclave Publishing

The Colliding Line #2

Fro the ashes, spring will rise

On the run from the brutal Sage and his army of Legions and Cormorants, seventeen-year-old Cera Marlowe knows the only place strong enough to protect her is the Alliance Council Estate.

Cera's introduction to the Estate is far from welcoming. As a Blight, her dueling powers of light and darkness make her a half-breed threat to the Alliance's sacred powers. Cera's ability to decipher hidden messages in classical artwork buys her shelter temporarily, but the clock is ticking as she's faced with a daunting choice that could cost her everything.

Shadow by Kara Swanson, Enclave Publishing

Heirs of Neverland #2 in duology 

Peter Pam has crashed-landed back on Neverland. But this is not the island he remembers.

Desperate to rescue Claire and the fractured Lost Boys, Peter must unravel what truly tore his dreamland apart. But with each step, he is haunted by more of his own broken memories. Not even Pan himself is what he seems

Claire Kentons is chained to a pirate ship, watching the wreckage of Neverland rocked by tempests. When she finally finds her brother, Connor is every bit as shattered as the island. Claire may have pixie dust flowing in her veins -- but the light of Neverland is flickering dangerously close to going out forever.

To rescue Neverland from the inescapable shadow, the boy who never grew up and the girl who grew up too fast will have to sacrifice the only thing they have left: each other.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway editions vary per title. Please check the list below to the formats available.

Short Form Finalists:

Under the Mistletoe by Karen Witemeyer -- paperback or ebook

Mr. Nicholas : a Magical Christmas Tale by Christopher de Vinck -- paperback or ebook

False Pretence by Heather Day Gilbert -- ebook only

Sound Adult Finalists

A Gentle Tyranny by Jess Corban -- ebook only

Realms of Light by Sandra Fernandez -- paperback or ebook

Shadow by Kara Swanson -- ebook only

If you would like a chance to win a copy of one of the  Short Form or Young Adult finalists, 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 November 19 2022 . Offer open to International Readers.

Christy Awards Finalists -- Mystery/Suspense/Thriller and Speculative

 

GIVEAWAY

What are the Christy Awards?

The Christy Award is destined 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 Mystery/Suspense/Thriller OR Speculative 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.)

MYSTERY/SUSPSENSE/MYSTERY FINALISTS

Aftermath by Terri Blackstock, Thomas Nelson

A devastating explosion.

Three best friends are at the venue to hear their favourite band Only one makes it out alive.

A trunk full of evidence.

When police stop Dustin Webb with a warrant to search his trunk, he knows there's been a mistake. He's former military and owns a security firm. But he's horrified when the officers find explosives, and he can't fathom how they got there.

An attorney who will risk if all for an old friend.

Criminal attorney Jamie Powell was Dustin's best friend growing up. They haven't spoken since he left for basic training, but she's the first person he thinks of when he's arrested. Jamie knows she's putting her career on the line by defending an accused terrorist, but she'd never abandon him. Someone is framing Dustin to take the fall for shocking acts of violence...but why?

My Review:  https://bestreads-kav.blogspot.com/2021/11/aftermath.html

The Barrister and the Letter of Marque by Todd M. Johnson, Bethany House  / Baker Publishing Group

As a barrister in 1818 London, William Snopes has witnessed firsthand the danger of only the wealthy having their voices heard, and he's a strong advocate who defends the poorer classes against the powerful. That changes the day a struggling heiress, Lady Madeleine Jameson, arrives at his door.

In a last-ditch effort to save her faltering estate, Lady Jameson invested in a merchant brig, the Padget. The ship was granted a rare privilege by the king's regent: a Letter of Marque authorizing the captain to seize the cargo of French traders operating illegally in the Indian Sea. Yet when the Padget returns to London, her crew is met by soldiers ready to take possession of their goods and arrest the captain for piracy. And the Letter -- the sole proof his actions were legal -- has mysteriously vanished.

Moved by the lady's distress, intrigued by the Letter, and goaded by an opposing solicitor, Snopes takes the case. But as he delves deeper into the mystery, he learns that the forces arrayed against Lady Jameson, and now himself, are even more perilous than he imagined.

On the Cliffs of Foxglove Manor by Jaimie Jo Wright, Bethany House / Baker Publishing Group

1885,

Adria Fontaine has been sent to recover goods her father pirated on the Great Lakes during the war. But when she arrives at Foxglove manor -- a stone house on a cliff overlooking Lake Superior -- Adria senses wickedness hovering over the property. The mistress of Foxglove is an eccentric and seemingly cruel old woman who has filled her house with dangerous secrets, ones that may cost Adria her life.

Present day.

Kailey Gibson is a new nurse's aide at a senior home in a renovated old stone manor. Kidnapped as a child, she has nothing but  locked-up memories of secrets and death, overshadowed by the chilling promise from her abductors that they would return. When the residents of Foxglove  start sharing stories of whispers in the night, hidden treasure, and a love willing to kill, it becomes clear this home is far from a haven. She'll have to risk it all to banish the past's demons, including her own.

My Review:  https://bestreads-kav.blogspot.com/2021/06/on-cliffs-of-foxglove-manor.html

SPECULATIVE FINALISTS

A Time to Seek by Tracy L. Higley, Stonewater Books, LLC

(Time Travel Journals of Sahara Aldridge; 1)

Her future destiny is hidden in the ancient past.

Sahara Aldridge, a young Egyptologist in 1922, is making a name for herself on the digit soon to become Egypt's most sensational discovery -- the tomb of the boy-king, Tutankhamun.

Despite opposition from a mostly-male profession, Sahara fights to continue the legacy of her Egyptologist parents, who died tragically at sea when she was a teen.

But then a childhood friend finds a lost journal written by Sahara's mother, hinting at the bizarre possibility of time-travel, and a crazy suspicion forces Sahara to confront a freak incident years earlier...

Is it possible her parents were time travellers?

And has she inherited this mind-blowing ability?

When American journalist Jack Moretti begins asking too many questions, Sahara suspects he knows more than he's telling.

Did her parents truly perish in an accident? Or did someone target and order them because of their time traveling gift?

There's only one way to unearth the truth.

Sahara just travel back in time, to the days of King Tut.

But the biggest surprise is yet to come...the truth about her parents, and about her own destiny, discovered in the whispers of conspiracy around the death of Egypt's most famous Pharaoh.

But what secrets are better left buried?

Dark Intercept by Brian Andrews and Jeffrey Wilson, Tyndale House

(The Shepherds ; 1)

When dark forces rise, are faith and firepower enough?

On the eve of his medical retirement,Navy SEAL Jedidiah Johnson receives a frantic call from his estranged childhood best friend David Yarnell. David's daughter has been kidnapped off the streets of Nashville in broad daylight. The police have no suspects and no leads. The only clue: the body of a dead priest left behind at the scene. With the clock ticking, David is growing desperate, as is his wife, Rachel...Jed's first love.

Despite his painful history with David and Rachel, Jed agrees to help. But he's spent his career as a door-kicking Navy SEAL, not an investigator. His presence immediately draws unwanted attention, creates friction with the local police, and triggers a mysterious attempt on his life. Just when he thinks things can't get worse, it starts to happen again -- the voices in his head, the nightmares, the visions. Dark memories and strange abilities, things he believed he'd left behind when he fled Nashville for the Navy at eighteen, begin to resurface.

Jed realizes that to save the missing girl, he must take a leap of faith and embrace the gifts he's denied for all these years. To foil this dark intercept, he'll need more than just his years as a SEAL operator, because he has no choice now but to take up arms and join the battle in the unseen spiritual warfare raging all around him. And there is far more at stake than just a missing girl: the world is not the place he thought it was -- and he is not alone.

Recorder by Cathy McCrumb, Enclave Publishing

(Children of the Consortium: 1)

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 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 an infinitesimal possibility of escape, Recorder's time is running out.

Windward Shore by Sharon Hinck, Enclave Publishing

(The Dancing Realms ; 3)

The island world of Meriel faces an old adversary and a new danger. Will the reformed Order die before it has a chance to blossom?

Storm clouds loom on the horizon as Carya and Brantley struggle to overcome wounds of the past and build a future together. The fragile new Order is on shaky ground, with too few dancers and sparse resources. Then trouble erupts -- and now an insidious rebellion and a new foe threaten their entire world.

When she uncovers an old enemy behind all the destruction, Carya realizes the past is not done with her. With conflict tearing apart the dancers and villages, rimmers are soon overrun, and Carya must unite her people by leading the battle to protect the very heart of her world...or lose it all.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

Giveaway editions available vary, please see list below:

ALL Mystery/Suspense/Thriller finalist novels are available in either paperback or ebook copy -- winner's choice.

Speculative finalist novels:

A Time to Seek by Tracy L. Higley -- paperback ore ebook  copy -- winner's choice

Dark Intercept by Andrews & Wilson -- ebook only

Recorder by Cathy McCrumb -- ebook only

Windward Shore by Sharon Hinck -- ebook only

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 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 29 2022 . Offer open to International Readers.

Christy Awards -- Historical Romance

GIVEAWAY

What are the Christy Awards?

The Christy Award is destined 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 Historical Romance 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.)

Historical Romance Finalists

(another tie so 4 to choose from)

As Dawn Breaks by Kate Breslin, Bethany House / Baker Publishing Group

Amid the Great War in 1918 England, munitions worker Rosalind Graham is desperate to escape the arranged marriage being forced on her by her ruthless guardian and instead follow her own course. When the Chilwell factory explodes, killing hundreds of unidentified workers, Rose realizes the world believes she perished in the disaster. Seizing the chance to escape, she risks all and assumes a new identity, taking a supervisory position in Gretna, Scotland, as Miss Tilly Lockhart.

RAF Captain Alex Baird is returning home to Gretna on a secret mission to uncover the saboteur suspected in the Chilwell explosion, as Gretna's factory is likely next. Fearing for his family's safety, he's also haunted by guilt after failing to protect his brother. Alex is surprised to discover a young woman, Miss Lockhart, renting his boyhood room, but the two eventually bond over their mutual affection for his family -- until Alex receives orders to surveil her.

Rose squirms beneath Alex's scrutiny while she struggles to gain her workers' respect. But when her deception turns to danger, she and Alex must find a way to put their painful pasts behind them and together try to safeguard the future.

My Review:  https://bestreads-kav.blogspot.com/2022/08/as-dawn-breaks.html

Hope Between the Pages by Pepper Basham, Barbour Publishing

Uncover the story behind a one-hundred-year-old love letter...

Walk through the Doors to the Past via a new series of historical stories of romance and adventure.

Clara Blackwell helps her mother manage a struggling one-hundred-year-old family bookshop in Asheville, North Carolina, but the discovery of a forgotten letter opens a mystery of a long-lost romance and undiscovered inheritance which could save its future. Forced to step outside of her predictable world, Clara embarks on an adventure with only the name Oliver as a hint of the man's identity in her great-great-grandmother's letter. From the nearby grand estate of the Vanderbilts, to a hamlet in Derbyshire, England, Clara seeks to uncover the truth about family and love that may lead to her own unexpected romance.

My Review:  https://bestreads-kav.blogspot.com/2021/07/hope-between-pages.html

Shadows of Swanford Abbey by Julie Klassen, Bethany House / Baker Publishing Group

Agatha Christie meets Jane Austen in this atmospheric Regency tale brimming with mystery, intrigue and romance.

When Miss Rebcca Lane returns to her home village after a few years away, her brother begs for a favour: go to nearby Swanford Abbey and deliver his manuscript to an author staying there who could help him get published. Feeling responsible for her brother's desperate state, she reluctantly agrees.

The medieval monastery turned grand hotel is rumoured to be haunted. Once there, Rebecca begins noticing strange things, including a figure in a hooded black gown gliding silently through the abbey's cloisters. For all it's renovations and veneer of luxury, the ancient foundations seem to echo with whispers of the past -- including her own. For there she encounters Sir Fredrick -- magistrate, widower, and former neighbour -- who long ago broke her heart.

When the famous author is found murdered in the abbey, Sir Frederick begins questioning staff and guests and quickly discovers that several people held grudges against the man, including Miss Lane and her brother. Haunted by a painful betrayal in his past, Sir Fredrick search for answers but I torn between his growing feelings for Rebecca and his pursuit of the truth. For Miss Lane is clearly hiding something...

My Review:  https://bestreads-kav.blogspot.com/2021/12/shadows-of-swanford-abbey.html

Until Leaves Fall in Paris by Sarah Sundin, Revell / Baker Publishing Group

As the Nazis march toward Paris in 1940, American ballerina Lucie Girard busy her favourite English-language bookstore to allow the Jewish owners to escape. Lucie struggles to run Green Leaf Books due to oppressive German laws and harsh conditions, but she finds a way to add the resistance by passing secret messages between the pages of her books.

Widower Paul Aubrey wants nothing more than to return to the States with his little girl, but the US Army convinces him to keep his factory running and obtain military information from his German customers. As the war rages on, Paul offers his own resistance by sabotaging his product and hiding British airmen in his factory. After they meet in the bookstore, Paul and Lucie are drawn to each other, but she rejects him when she discovers he sells to the Germans. And for Paul to win her trust would mean betraying his mission.

Master of WWII-era fiction, Sara Sudin invites you onto the streets of occupied Paris to discover whether love or duty will prevail

My Review:  https://bestreads-kav.blogspot.com/2022/03/until-leaves-fall-in-paris.html

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 Historical 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 29 2022 . Offer open to International Readers.

Christy Award Finalist -- Historical Fiction

 

GIVEAWAY

What are the Christy Awards?

The Christy Award is destined 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 Historical Fiction 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.)

Historical Fiction Finalists

(4 to choose from because there was a tie)

Between the Wild Branches by Connilyn Cossette, Bethany House / Baker Publishing Group

Finding a way to freedom might cost them everything.

Lukio has spent the past decade as a famous Philistine fighter, achieving every material goal with the help of his ruthless cousin. He's also spent the time burying painful memories of betrayal that he associates with the Levite family that guards the Ark of the Covenant and once adopted him. Now, just as the champion of Ashdod is set to claim the biggest prize of all -- the daughter of the king -- his past collides with his present.

After a heartbreaking end to her friendship with Lukio, Shoshana thought she'd never again see the boy with the dual-coloured eyes and the troubled soul. But when she is captured in a Philistine raid and enslaved in Ashdod, she is surprised to recognize the brutal fighter known as Demon Eyes.

When their renewed connection threatened to expose Shoshana's dangerous secrets, Lukio must decide how far he'll go to face his past and keep her protected.

Drawn by the Current by Jocelyn Green, Bethany House / Baker Publishing Group

A birthday excursion turns deadly when the SS Island capsizes with Olive Pierce and her best friend Claire on board. Hundreds perish during the accident, and it's only when Olive herself barely escapes that she discovers her friend is among the victims.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, Olive returns to her work at an insurance agency and is soon caught up in the countless investigations related to the accident. But with so many missing, there are few open-and-shut cases, and she tries to balance her grief with the hard work of finding the truth. Is she just overwhelmed, or is someone trying to impede her investigations? When clues surface that impact those closest to her, how deep will she dig?

Newspaper photographer Erik Magnussen begins helping Olive with her cases, and they develop a fast friendship. Just when Olive begins to unravel the secrets, more setbacks arise. It will take everything she's got to find the truth and stay ahead of those who want to sabotage her progress.

The Widows of Champagne by Renee Ryan, Love Inspired Trade

For readers of Lilac Girls and The Lost Girls of Paris comes a captivating novel of resilience, as three generations of women battle to save their family's vineyard during WWII.

Champagne, 1939

Gabrielle Leblanc Dupree is taking her family's future into her hands. while she should be preparing for a lavish party to celebrate two centuries of champagne making, she secretly hides Chateau Fouche-Leblanc's most precious vintages behind a fake wall in the cellar in preparation for the looming war. But when she joins the resistance, the coveted champagne isn't the most dangerous secret her cellar must conceal...

A former Parisian socialite, Gabrielle's mother, Helene, lost her husband to another war. Now her home has been requisitioned by the Germans, who pillage vineyards to satisfy the Third Reich's thirst for the finest champagne. There's even more at stake than Helene dares admit. She has kept her heritage a secret...and no one is safe in Nazi-occupied France.

Josephine, the family matriarch, watches as her beloved vineyard faces its most difficult harvest yet. As her daughter-in-law and granddaughters contend with the enemies and unexpected allies in their midst, Josephine's deep faith leads to her own path of resistance.

Across years and continents, the Leblanc women will draw on their courage and wits, determined against all odds to preserve their lives, their freedom and their legacy...

Yours is the Night by Amanda Dykes, Bethany House / Baker Publishing Group

A mysterious song in the forest...

A discovery in war-torn France...

A journey toward hope.

The trenches of the Great War are a shadowed place. Though Patoon Sergeant Matthew Petticrew arrived there with a past long marked by shadow, the realities of battle bring new wounds -- carving within him a longing for light, and a resolve to fight for it.

One night, Matthew and his comrades are enraptured by a sound so pure, a voice so ethereal, it offers reprieve -- even if only for a most. Soon, rumours sweep the trenches from others who have heard the lullaby too. "The Angel of Argonne," they call the voice a mysterious presence who leaves behind wreaths on unmarked graves.

Raised in the wild depths of the Forest of Argonne, Mireilles finds her reclusive world rocked when war crashed into her idyllic home, taking much from her. When Matthew and his tow unlikely companions discover Mireilles, they must embark on a journey that will change each of them forever...and perhaps, at long last, spark light into the dark.

On the 100th anniversary of the dedication of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier comes an emotive tale inspired by the courageous soldiers of World War I.

My Review: https://bestreads-kav.blogspot.com/2021/10/yours-is-night.html

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 Historical Fiction 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 29 2022 . Offer open to International Readers.

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.