Christy Award Finalists 2020 - 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 2020 finalists are books published in 2019. You might have read them already. You might not. I've read two in this category. I'll include links to my reviews in the descriptions.

How does this giveaway work?

You select which of the three Christy Award finalists 2020 - Short Form category you would like to receive 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 three finalists.

A Christmas Haven by Cindy Woodsmall and Erin Woodsmall (Waterbrook)

Old Order Amish Ivy Zook is wrestling with her need to shed her community's ways so she can grow the business of her dreams: planning parties. As long as she's stuck living without modernization, she can barely get her business on its feet. But if she leaves too soon, she'd cause trouble for her sister, Holly, who is planning her wedding to Joshua Smucker. All of their plans become twice as complicated when an old car crashes into the storefront of Green's Pharmacy, carrying a Swartzentruber (ultra-conservative sect) Amish man, Arlan, and his very ill sister.

The Zooks take in Arlan and Madga, tending to the woman's illness and Arlan begins helping around the family farm. Ivy and Arlan are on different tracks, one wanting to leave her community and the other to return to his. But both young people are trying to discover what God has in store for their futures and what miracles might lie around the corner this Christmas season.

A Flood of Love by Tracie Peterson (Bethany House / Baker Publishing Group) part of the Serving Up Love : a Four-in-one Harvey House Brides Collection.

After ten years away, Gretchen Briggs returns to her hometown in New Mexico to fill in at the Harvey House, only to be reminded of the reason why she left when Dirk Masteron, the man who broke her heart, reappears. Then suddenly, disaster strikes and together they must learn to put the past behind them and reconcile with God as they fear the worst.

My Review: https://bestreads-kav.blogspot.com/2020/01/serving-up-love.html

Intrigue a la Mode by Regina Jennings (Bethany House / Baker Publishing Group) part of the Serving Up Love : a Four-in-One Harvey House Brides Collection

Willow finds herself drawn to the hotel's new busyboy, Graham, but little does she know he's a railroad heir working undercover to track down criminals using his trains. As he sets out to find the truth, another truth soon becomes equally urgent -- will the Harvey Girl he has come to love care for the railroad heir as much as she cared for the lowly busboy?

My Review: https://bestreads-kav.blogspot.com/2020/01/serving-up-love.html

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

A Christmas Haven is available in paperback or ebook -- winner's choice

A Flood of Love and Intrigue a la Mode are part of the Serving Up Love novella collection. It is available in paperback or ebook -- winner's choice.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of one of the Christy Award Finalists 2020 -- Short Form Category, 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 7 2020. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

Point of Danger

 

GIVEAWAY

HANNON, IRENE

POINT OF DANGER

Hate mail was one thing. This was quite another.

Radio talk show host Eve Reilly is used to backlash from her pot-stirring on-air commentary and interviews. But now it seems a disgruntled listener is resorting to more than angry words to express their displeasure. When a suspicious package arrives on her doorstep, Eve turns to law enforcement for help.

Police detective Brent Lange can't find any evidence to link the string of unsettling incidents that follows, but he's convinced they're connected. As the harassment grows more menacing, it becomes clear someone wants Eve's voice silenced -- permanently.

But unless he can track down her elusive foe, the gutsy woman who is willing to take risks for what she believes -- and who is swiftly winning his heart -- may not survive.

My Review:

First off, and yes, my book nerdiness is showing, I'm going to wax poetical over the cover because...it feels so good! Really smooth with...eeep...raised letters! And it's kinda shimmery too. The tactile bibliophile buried deep inside me is outrageously happy. I can't stop petting my book! I do so appreciate unique qualities in a cover...and I think I just embarrassed myself publicly. Please tell me there are other readers out there who pay attention to these kind of details! No? Okkkkaaaayy, well, moving right a long...

Point of Danger is an intriguing and topical romantic suspense -- heavy on the romance, lighter on the suspense. And by that I mean this isn't a nail-biting frenzy where action scenes take precedence. It's more a police procedural investigating threats against Eve...until things really ramp up at the end. 

I enjoyed the way the suspense develops, which includes multiple points of view from a variety of characters aka possible suspects? (Only hours of reading enjoyment will tell!) It definitely pushes the envelope as far as politics in my fiction is concerned. That might have been because I finished this book on election day and was pretty world weary as a result. :-) 

When I contemplate Eve's profession (political radio personality) and the actions of multiple secondary characters (including the bad guys), I recognize a strong commonality in the desire to be recognized and feel heard. Sharing opinions matter. So does listening. I appreciate the way Eve approached her callers with calm respect, never delivering the kind of bombastic vitriol that has become so commonplace these days. I also appreciate how other characters were given backgrounds that gave a starting point to understanding their actions. There's obviously a right and wrong way to go about being heard but Hannon does a great job of filling in the nuances.

I absolutely loved the romance, of course, and this author has a flare for developing the deliciously toe-curling, sweet yearning kind. Plus she gives a nod and wink to previous series which were so fun to spot. 

This is the first book in a new series -- Triple Threat -- and the author does a great job of setting the stage for future novels featuring Eve's very intriguing sisters. I can't wait for their stories!

Book provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications Inc.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a paperback

If you would like a chance to win a copy Point of Danger, 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 7 2020 . Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

Christy Awards Finalists 2020 -- Mystery/Suspense/Thriller Category

 

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 2020 finalists are books published in 2019. You might have read them already. You might not. I've read two in this category. I'll include links to my reviews in the descriptions.

How does this giveaway work?

You select which of the three Christy Award 2020 -- Mystery/Suspense/Thriller category finalists you would like to receive 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 three finalists. 

Echoes Among the Stones by Jaime Jo Wright (Bethany House / Baker Publishing Group)

After Aggie Dunkirk's career is unceremoniously ended by her own mistakes, she finds herself traveling to Wisconsin, where her grandmother, Mumsie, lives alone in her vintage, though very outdated, home. Aggie didn't plan for how eccentric Mumsie has become, obsessing over an old, unsolved crime scene -- even going so far as to re-create it in a dollhouse.

Mystery seems to follow Aggie when she finds work as a secretary helping to restore the flooded historical part of the town's cemetery. Forced to work with a puzzling yet attractive archaeologist, she exhumes the past's secrets and unwittingly uncovers a crime that some will go to any length to keep hidden -- even if that means silencing Aggie.

In 1946, Imogene Grayson works in a beauty salon but has her sights set on Hollywood. But coming home to discover her younger sister's body in the attic changes everything. Unfamiliar with the burgeoning world of forensic science and, as a woman, not particularly welcomed into the investigation, Imogene is nonetheless determined to stay involved. As her sister's case grows cold, Imogene vows to find justice...no matter the cost.

My Review: https://bestreads-kav.blogspot.com/2019/12/echoes-among-stones.html

The Girl Behind the Red Rope by Ted Dekker and Rachelle Dekker (Revell / Baker Publishing Group)

Ten years ago, Grace saw something that would forever change the course of history. When evil in its purest form is unleashed on the world, she and others from their religious community are already hidden deep in the hills of Tennessee, abiding by every rule that will keep them safe, pure -- and alive. As long as they stay there, behind the red perimeter.

Her older brother's questions and the arrival of the first outsiders she's seen in a decade set in motion events that will question everything Grace has built her life on. Enemies rise on all sides -- but who is the real enemy? And what will it cost her to uncover the truth?

My Review: https://bestreads-kav.blogspot.com/2019/09/the-girl-behind-red-rope.html

Smoke Screen by Terri Blackstock (Thomas Nelson)

One father was murdered. Another was convicted of his death. All because their children fell in love.

Nate Beckett has spent his life fighting wildfires instead of the lies and rumors that drove him from his Colorado hometown. His mother begs him to come back now that his father has been released from prison, but it isn't until he's sidelined by an injury that he's forced to return and face his past. But that means facing Brenna too.

Fourteen years ago, Nate was in love with the preacher's daughter. When Pastor Strickland discovered Brenna defied him to sneak out with Nate, the fight between Strickland and Nate's drunken dad was loud -- and very public. Strickland was found murdered later that night, and everyone accused Roy Beckett. When the church burned down not long after, people assumed Nate set the fire to get even for his father's conviction. He let the rumors fly and left town without looking back.

Brenna is stunned to learn that the man convicted of murdering her father has been pardoned. The events of that night set her life on a bad course, and now she's fighting a brutal custody battle with her ex and his new wife where he's using lies and his family's money to sway the judge. Brenna is barely hanging on, and she's turned to alcohol to cope. Shame and fear consume her.

As Nate and Brenna deal with the present -- including new information about that fateful night and a wildfire that's threatening their town -- the past keeps igniting. Nate is the steady force Brenna has so desperately needed. But she'll have to learn to trust him again first .

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 Award Finalists -- Mystery/Suspense/Thriller Category, 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 7 2020 . Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

The Stone Wall

 

GIVEAWAY

LEWIS, BEVERLY

THE STONE WALL

Anna Beachy is eager to begin a new chapter in her llfe as a Lancaster County tour guide in the picturesque area where her Plain grandmother once stayed. Anna wishes she could talk with her about those long-ago days, but the elderly woman suffers from Alzheimer's. Beyond a vague comment about an old stone wall, much about her grandmother's time there is a mystery. As Anna settles into her new community, she finds herself unexpectedly befriended by a handsome Mennonite tour guide and a young Old Order widower who manages a local horse retreat serving Amish children with special needs.

As Anna grows closer to both men, she's faced with a difficult choice -- one in potential conflict with the expectations of her parents. Will Anna discover true love and the truth about her grandmother's past in Lancaster County? Or Will she find only heartbreak?

My Review:

Classic Beverly Lewis. She has a way of making a story seem like a sharing of confidences between friends. I'm always spellbound by her understated word choice and the way the story gently unfolds. 

The Stone Wall is especially intriguing because of the diverse Anabaptist representation. Anna is Beachy Amish, her cousin is Old Order as is one of the young men she's interested in while the other is Mennonite. (And yes, that means there's a love triangle element to this story but we'll get to that in a second!)  

A fascinating part of this novel is the way it highlights the differences between each sect. Especially how they view one another -- there's acceptance but definitely a desire to keep apart. After all they divided for a reason, ain't so? :-)  I'm so used to reading Amish/Englisch 'forbidden love' romances that it was refreshing to see the culture clash coming from within rather than without.

So, yeah, back to that love triangle. Not my favourite trope, but Lewis handles it with with only a modicum of angst so I finished this read with my nails intact and a stable heart rate. I really like both suitors though,  so now I want to a book for the one that got left behind! I think that's only fair.

A surprise dual timeline is an added bonus featuring Anna's mammi in her rumspringa days. There are some uncanny parallels between the then and now though each young woman has to find her own way in the end.

A heartwarming inspirational romance.

Book provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications Inc.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a paperback copy

If you would like a chance to win a copy The Stone Wall, 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 7 2020 . Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

Christy Award Finalists -- Historical Romance

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 2020 finalists are books published in 2019. You might have read them already. You might not. I've read all three in this category. I'll include links to my reviews in the descriptions.

How does this giveaway work?

You select which of the three Christy Award Historical Romance 2020 finalists you would like to receive 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 three finalists. 

The Land Beneath Us by Sarah Sundin (Revell / Baker Publishing Group)

In 1943, Private Clay Paxton trains hard with the US Army Rangers at Camp Forrest, Tennessee, determined to do his best in the  upcoming Allied invasion of France. With his future stolen by his brothers' betrayal, Clay has only one thing to live for -- fulfilling the recurring dream of his death.

Leah Jones works as a librarian at Camp Forrest, longing to rise above her orphanage upbringing and belong to the community, even as she uses her spare time to search for her real family -- the baby sisters she was separated from so long ago.

After Clay saves Leah's life from a brutal attack, he saves her virtue with a marriage of convenience. When he ships out to train in England for D-Day, their letters bind them together over the distance. But can a love strong enough to overcome death grow between them before Clay's recurring dream comes true?

My Review: https://bestreads-kav.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-land-beneath-us.html

The Number of Love by Roseanna M. White (Bethany House / Baker Publishing Group)

Zivon Marin was one of Russia's top cryptographers, until the October Revolution tore apart his world. Forced to flee after speaking out against Lenin and separated from his brother along the way, he arrives in England driven by a growing anger and determined to offer his services to the Brits.

Lily Blackwell sees the world best through the lens of a camera -- and possesses unsurpassed skill when it comes to retouching and recreating photographs. With her father's connections in propaganda, she's recruited to the intelligence division, even though her mother would disapprove.

After Captain Blackwell invites Zivon to dinner one evening, a friendship blooms between him and Lily. He sees patterns in what she deems chaos; she sees beauty in a world he thought destroyed. But both have secrets they're unwilling to share. When her photographs reveal that someone has been following Zivon, his loyalties are called into question -- and his enemies are discovered to be far closer than he'd feared.

My Review: https://bestreads-kav.blogspot.com/2020/09/a-portrait-of-loyalty.html

The Painted Castle by Kristy Cambron (Thomas Nelson)

When art historican Kiera Foley is hired to authenticate a painting of a centuries-old East Suffolk maor, she hopes this is just the thing to get her career and life back on t rack. But from the time she arrives at Parham Hill Estate and begins working alongside rumored art thief Emory Scott, she's left with far more questions than answers. Could this lost painting of Queen Victoria be a duplicate of the original Winterhalter masterpiece, and if so, who is the artist?

As Keira begins to unravel the mystery behind the portrait, two women emerge from the estate's forgotten past. In Victorian England, talented sketch artist Elizabeth Meade is engaged to Viscount Huxley, then owner of Parham Hill. However, Elizabeth's real motive for being at Parham Hill has nothing to do with art or marriage. She's determined to avenge her father's brutal murder -- even if it means a betrothal to the very man she believes committed the crime.

A century later, Amelia Woods -- a World War II widow who has turned Parham Hill and its beloved library into a boarding school for refugee children -- receives military orders to house a troop of American pilots. She is determined the children in her care will remain untouched by the war, but the task is proving difficult with officers taking up every square inch of their world...and one in particular vying for a space in Amelia's long-shut up heart.

Set in three time periods -- the rapid change of Victorian England, the peak of England's homefront tensions at the end of WWII, and modern day -- The Painted Castle unfolds a story of heartache and hope and unlocks secrets lost for generations just waiting to be found.

My Review: https://bestreads-kav.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-painted-castle.html

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a paperback copy

If you would like a chance to win a copy of one of the Christy Award Finalists -- Historical Romance Category, 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 7 2020 . Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

An Amish Christmas Wedding

GIVEAWAY

CLIPSTON, AMY

FULLER, KATHLEEN

IRVIN, KELLY

CHAPMAN, VANNETTA

AN AMISH CHRISTMAS WEDDING

From bestselling authors of Amish fiction comes four delightful stories perfect for celebrating love, joy, and the everyday miracles Christmas brings.

Evergreen Love by Amy Clipston -- Ryan Lapp had promised to marry Lorene Bontrager as soon as he was able to build them a house, but the day never came. Ryan moved away. Five years later, Lorene has settled in to her old mail role, and she's shocked when her younger sister announces her quick engagement to Ryan's younger brother. As they rush to plan the wedding, Lorene is constantly around the family she almost joined. Worse, she's forced to face Ryan himself, who has returned to town. As both Ryand and Lorene examine their own feelings, they must decided if they can find grace with each other -- and the young people they once were -- this Christmas season. There just might still be love in their future.

Wreathed in Joy by Kathleen Fuller -- Mary Wengerd and Jakob Mullet have been best friends since childhood. Pressured by friends and family, they decided to date -- with disastrous results. When they break up, their friendship is ruined. A year later, Mary is baking her Englisch friend's wedding and groom cakes for a Christmas Eve wedding. Mary loves the Christmas season, and had always dreamed of marrying during that time. Now she wonders if she'll ever marry. After she and Jakob form a tenuous new friendship, Mary breaks her arm. As he steps in to help her with the cakes, Mary is inexplicably and suddenly falling for him. But they've already dated, and that ended so horribly. Could it be better this time?

Holiday of Hope by Kelly Irvin -- Henry Lufkin is one of four bachelors who lived in the West Kootenai, Montana cabins that were destroyed by wildfires. He's the only one of them who hasn't since married, but he likes his solitude. Then an old friend asks him to care for his son, and Henry has to share his small cabin and his life with bewildered and rebellious ten-year-old Tommy. When the child encounters trouble at school, Henry reaches out to Tommy's teacher. Leesa Yoder never expected to find herself single and teaching sixteen young scholars, and she certainly didn't anticipate an inexperienced bachelor telling her how to do her job. Amid the flying sparks, can Henry and Leesa see that there might be hope and love in this unexpected situation?

A Christmas Prayer by Vannetta Chapman -- Widower Micah Miller runs the Amish Tour Company, offering Englischers a glimpse of a simpler life as well as tea at Rachel King's. Rachel has never married and has recently lost her parents. When Micah comes across an abandoned and injured dog, he gives it to Rachel for company. As Rachel is charmed by the dog and shocked by news of the existence of family she never expected, her heart and mind bend toward the possibilities of change in her life -- even toward the possibility of love.

My Review:

What a fantastic collection! How could it not be, given the authors who contributed to it. All four novellas are expertly developed so that they deliver all the heart-stirring, angst-anxious romance you'd find in a full-length novel. 

Amy Clipston's Evergreen Love bears all the mixed emotions that come with a reunion romance. I could feel both Lorene and Ryan's confusion and hurt. A classic case of how not talking things out resulted in a five year estrangement and now they are thrown together amidst the flurry of wedding preparations for their younger siblings. Loved the way they warily mended fences and then finally had that long overdue discussion. Clipston draws out the mystery behind their rift with page-turning perfection. A sigh-worthy holiday romance.

In Holiday of Hope by Kelly Irvin, a troubled orphan becomes the unlikely catalyst that draws widower and now confirmed bachelor Henry to disappointed-in-love teacher Leesa. There's a beautiful message about trusting God even in the hard times that resonates with all three characters. A second chance love story with lots of heart and few toe-curls!

I do so love a friends-to-lovers romance but in Kathleen Fuller's Wreath of Joy, things go terribly awry. Besties since childhood, Mary and Jakob allowed themselves to be swayed by friends and family into pursing something more. Six months of courting proved they were better friends than romantic partners. A year later and they still haven't managed to recapture that besties mojo...or shake the feeling that something more might still be a possibility. Their confusion and longing is palpable and creates the kind of angsty/tender ambiance that's perfect for a holiday romance.

Vannetta Chapman delivers a sweet and heartwarming later-in-life romance between Micah and Rachel in A Christmas Prayer. I'm still grinning over the surprise star of their story -- an injured stray dog that teaches Rachel something about love and acceptance and living fully in each moment. There's even a bit of a family history mystery to add to the festive holiday spirit. A timeless love story filled with the magic of Christmas.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

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

If you would like a chance to win a copy An Amish Christmas Wedding, 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 7 2020 . Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

October Giveaway -- Week Four

 

WON BY LINDA MOFFITT

WON BY PAULA S.

WON BY JACKIE SMITH

WON BY BOOKS ARE A BLESSING

WON BY CAITLIN M.

WON BY JANA LEAH

You know the drill: Winners will be contacted if they have left their email address in the comments, otherwise it's up to the winner to contact me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca (Please note: it's ca as in Canada, not com) From time to time a winner and I do not connect so I have a one month time frame on giveaway wins. If I haven't been able to reach you within thirty days of your win, it will be forfeited. This has happened a few times now so, please, DON'T BE SHY -- CONTACT ME IF YOU DIDN'T LEAVE YOUR EMAIL OR IF I HAVEN'T BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN REACHING YOU. 

Books will be ordered within a week of receiving your mailing info (or ebook preference) and I'll email you to confirm your book is on its way. Give it a full month before inquiring about the status of an order to allow for processing and shipping times. Thank you!

LOOKING AHEAD TO NEXT WEEK'S GIVEAWAYS:

Yikes, the Christy Awards will be announced on November 12 and we still have five categories to go so I'm going to double -- and this week, triple -- up. So here's how this week's giveaways are going to pan out.

SUNDAY

MONDAY: 

WINNER'S CHOICE OF CHRISTY AWARD FINALISTS  

HISTORICAL ROMANCE

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY: 

WINNER'S CHOICE OF CHRISTY AWARD FINALISTS  MYSTERY/SUSPENSE/THRILLER

THURSDAY

FRIDAY: 

WINNER'S CHOICE OF CHRISTY AWARD FINALISTS  

SHORT FORM

(two of these will be in a collection 

-- haven't sourced out which ones yet.

Full details will be in the blog post.)