Kav's Best Reads

Hello July + Giveaway

It’s a Best Reads blog tradition! Celebrating the month’s new releases the first week of each month.

Because I recently discovered that a book’s success or failure is often determined by first month sales! (Though I bet preorders play into that as well.) Publishing houses look at those stats to determine whether they’ll add on to a series or accept the author’s next manuscript! All that literary goodness hanging in the balance but for a month’s worth of sales! (This was a cozy mystery author, but I imagine all traditional publishers use the same ‘system’.) So I thought I should do my wee little bit to promote Christian Fiction.

how?

By hosting a special ‘Hello – insert month’ giveaway. It’s easy to play along. You just have to choose ONE of the July 2026 new releases on your TBR wishlist (must be Christian Fiction) and mention the title in a comment below (or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca) If your name is drawn, that July release is the book you will win and we’re one book closer to keeping our fave authors in business.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

US – paperback or ebook copy — winner’s choice

Canada -paperback or ebook (in form of an Amazon gift card) or audible.ca audio book (if available) – winner’s choice

International – ebook if you have a US Kindle account

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday July 18 2026

2026 Carol Award Finalists – Romance + Giveaway

First off — what exactly are the Carol Awards?

They are awards given out by American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) in recognition of outstanding Christian fiction in the previous calendar year. So these 2026 finalists are books published in 2025. You might have read them already, you might not. I’ll include links to books I’ve read and reviewed.

Carol Award Winners will be announced on Saturday August 29 2026 at the ACFW Gala in Memphis, Tennessee (wouldn’t you love to be there?!)

How does this giveaway work?

You select which of the Carol Award finalists 2026 – Romance Category you would like to receive. Mention the title in your comment (or an email if you’re entering that way) and if you win, that’s the book that will be sent to you. Easy Peasy.

IMPORTANT TO NOTE:

Giveaway details may vary with each book (print, ebook only or winner’s choice of either, plus audible options for Canadians.) Edition availability will be noted in bold after the title/author/publisher of each entry. ALSO NOTE: Giveaway is for US and Canada OR ebook international if you have US Kindle account.

Romance Finalists

Before Grace by Anna Daugherty – Black Rose Writing – Giveaway Options: US – ebook, Canada – ebook or audible, International – ebook with a US Kindle account.

Young mother and widow Katie Kaminski is chasing happiness at any cost—even to her children. When her in-laws ask her to photograph Grace Church’s fall festival, Katie reluctantly agrees to spend a week in her late husband’s hometown. But where she expected to find ghosts of his past, she instead finds her own.

Standing next to her in-laws is former flame Isaac Torres. The soldier-turned-police officer isn’t at church for God, though. He has no need for religion or women—especially the ones who have lied to him, like Katie.

As the past and present collide, a week on the Texas coast turns into two when an accident forces Katie to stay. The pain she runs from is catching up to her, threatening what remains of her family. For two people who know the high cost of love, will it be worth the risk?

An inspirational, second-chance story, Before Grace is the stand-alone prequel to the best-selling Grace Church Series from award-winning author Anna Daugherty. For realistic stories with a Biblical worldview and clean romance, grab a copy and enter the world of Grace Church today.

Small Town Harmony by Milla Holt – independently published – Giveaway Options: US – paperback or ebook, Canada – ebook, International – ebook with a US Kindle account.

She chased her dream. Now her marriage is paying the price.Ezra Falconer always took the lead—onstage with his brothers’ Christian band, and at home with his quiet, dependable wife, Martha. But everything changed when Martha found her voice. Dropping 100 pounds, she ditched her frumpy style and emerged as the sultry, powerhouse star known as “Morgan.”

Now her music career is soaring. Ezra’s is stalling. And the marriage they once relied on is quietly burning down behind the scenes.

When they’re asked to record a charity duet, the studio becomes a battleground of buried resentment and lingering love, forcing them to face the growing silence between them. How can they rediscover harmony while they’re singing in different keys?

Hearts in Circulation by Sarah Monzon – Bethany House – Giveaway Options : US – paperback or ebook, Canada – paperback, ebook or audible, International – ebook with a US kindle account.

Little Creek’s bookmobile is more of a death trap on wheels than a vehicle of literary delights, and circulation librarian Haley Holt is afraid it’s going to careen down a mountainside with her in it. Yet she sees it as a way to serve her community and be worthy of the liver transplant that saved her life as a child. However, her fears come true when the bookmobile breaks down and a rockslide traps her in the small hollow of Turkey Grove.

Reclusive mechanic Levi Redding lives in tiny Turkey Grove to get away from people. He can handle getting the bookmobile running again, but the endless chatter and unsettling touch from the vibrant librarian leaves him overstimulated. When forced proximity leads to a misunderstanding, a note of apology begins an epistolary friendship, proving that sometimes the happiest of endings aren’t contained within the bindings of a book.

Sarah Monzon pens a charming story for fans of books about books, the forced-proximity and grumpy-sunshine tropes, and pen-pal romances. https://kavsbestreads.ca/2025/11/17/hearts-in-circulation-giveaway/

Meant for Me by Betsy St. Amant – Sunrise Publishing – Giveaway Options: US – ebook, Canada – paperback or ebook, International – ebook with a US Kindle account.

He was her best friend. Still is. But when her beloved beignet shop burns down, he’ll have to be more if she hopes to start over. But will friendship survive the dangers of a marriage of convenience?

Lincoln “Linc” Fontenot enjoys working out, running his crawfish business, and the company of approximately three people. Zoey Lakewood has been at the top of that short list for years, the only bit of sunshine he ever allows to part his comfortably cloudy sky. But when Linc’s steady, quiet world is rocked by the unexpected guardianship of a teen girl, his friendship with Zoey becomes even more crucial. He needs help, bad…but maybe not as bad as Zoey.

Zoey’s never had a problem manifesting joy. But having just lost her home and her beignet business to an uninsured fire, for once she struggles to find the silver lining. She and Linc arrange to help each other out—as just friends, of course. She’ll provide teen-parenting assistance while he provides a place for her to get back on her feet. But one thing her friendship with Linc has never had to navigate is close proximity.

Tension—and chemistry—mount as they attempt to manage this sudden insta-family. But Zoey just lost everything, and she can’t risk losing her best friend, too. Will her friendship with Linc go up in flames like her beignet shop? Or will Linc and Zoey finally realize they were meant for each other?

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday July 18 2026. REMEMBER TO CHECK EDITION AVAILABILITY FOR EACH BOOK

Reader’s Choice Week – Summer Edition 2026 – Winners

Phew! What a week! I fear I wasn’t an attentive hostess this time around but I sure appreciate you all for participating in RCW and providing me with lots of wonderful soon-to-be-releases that I’ve added to my TBR book. I’m already plotting a summer reading strategy based on this new intel. 🙂

And now it’s time to announce the this week’s winners! Woohoo! Here we go….

First, I had to satisfy my inner book nerd and tally up all the titles in each genre to find out the popular pick for each one and here they are:

Popular Historical Pick

won by Kay Garrett

popular contemporary pick

won by Paula Shreckhise

popular Mystery/Suspense Pick

won by Elly Cox

AND NOW FOR THE GENRE DAY WINNERS!

General Christian Fiction

won by Diane Flowers

But wait, it’s not over yet. The Vanity category has become a blog tradition. It’s where a book is actually judged by its cover and I choose my favourite cover art per genre and then draw from a pool of readers who requested that title. Here are the COVER LOVE winners!

COVER LOVE

HISTORICAL FICTION

WON BY PAM K.

I think nostalgia is the appeal for me, along with the sense of movement captured on the cover. I expect them to waltz right out of frame!

COVER LOVE

CONTEMPORARY FICTION

WON BY CHERYL BARKER

I like the way my eye is drawn out the window to the scenery beyond. And I do love a window framed with plants! Plus the old-fashioned typewriter front and centre adds interest and stirs up questions.

COVER LOVE

MYSTERY/SUSPENSE

WON BY KIMMY

Atmospheric. A simple cover but the colour choice draws me right down that path along with the heroine.

WAIT! Don’t go away ’cause we’re not through yet. We have another Reader’s Choice tradition of picking a random number which becomes a ‘just because giveaway’ on the genre specific days. If that doesn’t make sense, all you need to know is that it means more book giveaways. Woohoo! This time the number is 7!

7th historical winner

Kathryn Voss

7th contemporary winner

Tracey

7th Mystery/Suspense Winner

Sandy

And that’s another wrap on a glorious Reader’s Choice Week. Thanks for participating and growing my wishlist!

I’ll start contacting winners tomorrow, but if you haven’t left an email or if you are so inclined, you can send me an email listing your preference of either paperback or ebook and your contact info. kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca

Looking ahead to next week:

Monday

Carol Awards – Romance – Yes, it’s that time again. What are the Carol Awards, you ask? They are awards given out by American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) in recognition of outstanding Christian fiction in the previous calendar year. We’ll be looking at the finalists for each category every Monday through the summer. I’ll share the book titles and you get to choose the one you’d like to win if your name is drawn.

Tuesday

Hello July! Time to take a look at July releases now that they are fresh on our minds!

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Not the post you were expecting…

I fear trying to compile all the stats for my quarterly goal review is beyond me at the moment so I’m postponing that part of Reader’s Choice Week until Sunday July 19 when I have hopefully recovered from my move. Anyone who lives with chronic pain or illness knows that when we push ourselves too much, as I did with this move, we will inevitably crash and burn in epic fashion. Picture me trying to keep my eyes open until at least 8:00 p.m. so I can go to bed. 🙂

Not having home internet until last night (Wednesday) didn’t help either. Apparently, when they were renovating the apartment someone cut the cable inside the wall so it was a long, convoluted journey getting that fixed! I used a hotspot connection (which turned out to be unreliable) every day to catch up with comments but I was worried I’d exceed my data limit (not sure if the techno lingo is right. Bwahahaha!) And, really, is it any surprise that out of all the apartments in the building I could have chosen (there were six at the time) I ended up with one with the technical difficulties?

So, I thought I’d catch you up on the move and sneak peek at my new digs and neighbourhood. Which prompts me to explain the turtle crossing sign. I am literally in the heart of the city but surrounded by nature including a pond that is home to turtles and a heron (who is camera shy, so no photos unfortunately). I had no idea the pond existed and stumbled upon it on a morning walk. Apparently turtles are active between May and September (think it’s mating and egg laying season?) so cars and pedestrians are asked to proceed with caution! Here’s the pond:

And yes, that’s someone’s back deck. Can you imagine the views they have? Not only are there turtles (and a camera shy heron) but there are oodles of toads so, of course, in the spring there is a Toad Brigade of volunteers who ferry the toads across the road to the pond so they won’t get squished by cars! I read a report of their endeavours in the local paper but now I’m left wondering if they ferry the toads back across the road in the autumn? I must do some research. But gardens in the area have excellent pest control – Brrrribbittt!

And the pond runs into the canal with a beautiful parkway with lots of walking paths….and Canada geese. Lots and lots of Canada geese.

And if I choose to walk in other directions I get to enjoy tree lined streets

with lots of beautiful gardens.

Hardly anyone has lawns and I love seeing the different garden designs.

I won’t show you my poor little balcony garden just yet. It needs some work since I’ve spent all my time unpacking and organizing the apartment the past week. I’m on the third floor and have a magnificent view of trees out my window which will be gorgeous in the autumn.

Of course, my Trixie Belden books needed a place of honour in their new digs.

In case you ever try to create double rows of books in a glass door bookcase, you might want to check to see if the doors will actually close before filling all the shelves. Sigh. I had to undo a whole morning’s worth of work and start over again. (Ignore the clutter on all flat surfaces, I haven’t done any decorating yet.)

And here’s the other side of the bookcases:

I’m in a studio apartment and I love the cozy bedroom nook I’ve created with the bookcase wall. Still need to add pictures and other decor but I’m pleased with the overall space. I really downsized a lot and there’s oodles of cupboard space so I’ve actually managed to find a home for nearly everything. I won’t show you the living area yet because that is where the pictures and curtains and wall hangings etc are piled so it’s not visitor ready quite yet. 🙂

Oh, and here’s a gratuitous pic of the Move Day Supervisor, Mr. Gatsby (grand puppy) He kept us all on task.

So, I’ll spend Friday updating my TBR book (it was in the last box I unpacked!) Usually I add titles and authors and pertinent info as I read the comments but I couldn’t take time to do that this week between the unpacking and not having a proper internet connection so I’ll be backtracking tomorrow and making sure my want to read lists are current for the coming months! I’m also planning on catching up on my record keeping of books read and reviews from the last week. So many to do! It’s making me quite anxious. And then, come Saturday afternoon it will be tallying time so don’t forget to check back on Sunday for the Reader’s Choice Week – Summer Edition – Winners Announcement.

Happy Reading!

Reader’s Choice Giveaway – Summer 2026 Edition – General Christian Fiction

Hellllooooo Summer and all the lazy days of lounging and reading ahead! Time to stock pile our TBRs with the newest releases so let’s take a look at what’s coming out in July, August and September 2026!

Here’s how this week’s giveaway works: You recommend CHRISTIAN FICTION genre specific titles with release dates in July, August or September 2026 (up to 3 suggestions per genre day) and you have a chance to win one of your recommendations! BUT it’s a little more complicated than that so be sure to read ALL the details before entering.

IMPORTANT TO NOTE: These giveaways are available in paperback or ebook format to US and Canadian readers. Ebooks available internationally if you have a .com kindle account (US Amazon)

General Christian Fiction Giveaway Day

To be entered in the draw just leave a comment (or 3) below, including the title(s) of the books in the General Christian Fiction genre you would like to win.

General Christian Fiction – a full length story or novella or collection of novellas. Any genre including previous selections you made on other days this week as well as genres not yet specifically covered such as Women’s Fiction, Speculative, Amish, YA etc.

How does it work?

Easy Peasy! Make recommendations in the comment section and if you win, you win the book you suggested.

BUT YOU GOTTA FOLLOW THE RULES

Publication date must be July, August or September 2026

Each day is genre specific, so only submit titles from that genre

Christian Fiction only please!

You can offer up to three suggestions per genre day BUT they need to be made in 3 separate comments (easier for me to keep track of.)

No email entries this time round since WP comments are working

OF SPECIAL NOTE: IF YOU HAVEN’T COMMENTED ON THIS BLOG BEFORE, YOUR FIRST COMMENT WON’T APPEAR UNTIL I APPROVE IT. AFTER THAT YOUR COMMENTS WILL POST AUTOMATICALLY.

Entrants must submit their own selections (no piggybacking on someone else’s log in.)

It’s helpful to include your email (using AT and DOT instead of @ and . to protect yourself from spammers) but you only need to add it to one of your comments per day. If you choose not to include your email then it’s up to you to contact me if you are a winner.

WINNERS ANNOUNCED ON

Sunday July 12 2026

(You can enter any of the giveaways up until noon EST on Saturday July 11 2026 Winners will be announced the following day.)

Reader’s Choice Giveaway – Summer 2026 Edition – Mystery/Suspense

IMPORTANT TO NOTE: These giveaways are available in paperback or ebook format to US and Canadian readers. Ebooks available internationally if you have a .com kindle account (US Amazon)

Mystery/Suspense Fiction Giveaway Day

To be entered in the draw just leave a comment (or 3) below, including the title(s) of the books in the Mystery/Suspense Fiction genre you would like to win.

Mystery/Suspense Fiction – a full length story or novella or collection of novellas where mystery is an important part of the plot. The hero or heroine (or both) are often in peril (more so in suspense). Can be set in any time period and may cross genres such as Historical, YA, Amish etc and may include dual timelines.

How does it work?

Easy Peasy! Make recommendations in the comment section and if you win, you win the book you suggested.

BUT YOU GOTTA FOLLOW THE RULES

Publication date must be July, August or September 2026

Each day is genre specific, so only submit titles from that genre

Christian Fiction / Closed Door books only please!

You can offer up to three suggestions per genre day BUT they need to be made in 3 separate comments (easier for me to keep track of.)

No email entries this time round since WP comments are working

OF SPECIAL NOTE: IF YOU HAVEN’T COMMENTED ON THIS BLOG BEFORE, YOUR FIRST COMMENT WON’T APPEAR UNTIL I APPROVE IT. AFTER THAT YOUR COMMENTS WILL POST AUTOMATICALLY.

Entrants must submit their own selections (no piggybacking on someone else’s log in.)

WINNERS ANNOUNCED ON

Sunday July 12 2026

(You can enter any of the giveaways up until noon EST on Saturday July 11 2026 Winners will be announced the following day.)

Reader’s Choice Giveaway – Summer 2026 Edition – Contemporary Fiction

IMPORTANT TO NOTE: These giveaways are available in paperback or ebook format to US and Canadian readers. Ebooks available internationally if you have a .com kindle account (US Amazon)

Contemporary Fiction Giveaway Day

To be entered in the draw just leave a comment (or 3) below, including the title(s) of the books in the Contemporary Fiction genre you would like to win.

Contemporary Fiction – a full length story or novella or collection of novellas set any time after 1980. May cross genres such as YA, Suspense, Amish etc and may include dual timelines.

How does it work?

Easy Peasy! Make recommendations in the comment section and if you win, you win the book you suggested.

BUT YOU GOTTA FOLLOW THE RULES

Publication date must be July, August or September 2026

Each day is genre specific, so only submit titles from that genre

Christian Fiction / Closed Door books only please!

You can offer up to three suggestions per genre day BUT they need to be made in 3 separate comments (easier for me to keep track of.)

No email entries this time round since WP comments are working

OF SPECIAL NOTE: IF YOU HAVEN’T COMMENTED ON THIS BLOG BEFORE, YOUR FIRST COMMENT WON’T APPEAR UNTIL I APPROVE IT. AFTER THAT YOUR COMMENTS WILL POST AUTOMATICALLY.

Entrants must submit their own selections (no piggybacking on someone else’s log in.)

WINNERS ANNOUNCED ON

Sunday July 12 2026

(You can enter any of the giveaways up until noon EST on Saturday July 11 2026 Winners will be announced the following day.)

Reader’s Choice Giveaway – Summer 2026 Edition – Historical Fiction

IMPORTANT TO NOTE: These giveaways are available in paperback or ebook format to US and Canadian readers. Ebooks available internationally if you have a .com kindle account (US Amazon)

Historical Fiction Giveaway Day

To be entered in the draw just leave a comment (or 3) below, including the title(s) of the books in the Historical Fiction genre you would like to win.

Historical Fiction – a full length story or novella or collection of novellas set any time period before 1980. May cross genres such as YA, Suspense, Amish etc and may include dual timelines.

How does it work?

Easy Peasy! Make recommendations in the comment section and if you win, you win the book you suggested.

BUT YOU GOTTA FOLLOW THE RULES

Publication date must be July, August or September 2026

Each day is genre specific, so only submit titles from that genre

Christian Fiction books only please!

You can offer up to three suggestions per genre day BUT they need to be made in 3 separate comments (easier for me to keep track of.)

No email entries this time round since WP comments are working

OF SPECIAL NOTE: IF YOU HAVEN’T COMMENTED ON THIS BLOG BEFORE, YOUR FIRST COMMENT WON’T APPEAR UNTIL I APPROVE IT. AFTER THAT YOUR COMMENTS WILL POST AUTOMATICALLY.

Entrants must submit their own selections (no piggybacking on someone else’s log in.)

WINNERS ANNOUNCED ON

Sunday July 12 2026

(You can enter any of the giveaways up until noon EST on Saturday July 11 2026 Winners will be announced the following day.)

Reader’s Choice Giveaway – Summer Edition 2026 – Indie Fiction

IMPORTANT TO NOTE: These giveaways are available in paperback or ebook format to US and Canadian readers. Ebooks available internationally if you have a .com kindle account (US Amazon)

Newish Category – Indie Fiction Giveaway Day

I know this might be somewhat of a challenge since we often don’t hear about indie releases until very close to the release day, if we hear about them at all. So…FOR THIS CATEGORY ONLY…indie books released any time in 2026 up to the end of September can be included.

To be entered in the draw just leave a comment (or 3) below, including the title(s) of the books in the Indie Fiction genre you would like to win.

Indie Fiction – a full length story or novella or collection of novellas published independently by an author. Any genre, but must fit the Christian Fiction / Closed Door, Clean Read category.

How does it work?

Easy Peasy! Make recommendations in the comment section and if you win, you win the book you suggested.

BUT YOU GOTTA FOLLOW THE RULES

Publication date must be July, August or September 2026

Each day is genre specific, so only submit titles from that genre

Christian Fiction books only please!

You can offer up to three suggestions per genre day BUT they need to be made in 3 separate comments (easier for me to keep track of.)

No email entries this time round since WP comments are working

OF SPECIAL NOTE: IF YOU HAVEN’T COMMENTED ON THIS BLOG BEFORE, YOUR FIRST COMMENT WON’T APPEAR UNTIL I APPROVE IT. AFTER THAT YOUR COMMENTS WILL POST AUTOMATICALLY.

Entrants must submit their own selections (no piggybacking on someone else’s log in.)

WINNERS ANNOUNCED ON

Sunday July 12 2026

(You can enter any of the giveaways up until noon EST on Saturday July 11 2026 Winners will be announced the following day.)

June Giveaway – Week Four

won by Winnie

won by Paula S.

won by Pam K.

Winners will be contacted if they left their email address, 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 30 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 AN EMAIL OR IF I HAVEN’T BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN REACHING YOU!

Looking Ahead to the Next Few Weeks:

The blog will be closed from Thursday June 25 2026 – Saturday July 4 2026 while I move from house to apartment and then, when I get back online, it will be time for….tada!

Reader’s Choice Week – Summer Edition!

So excited to see what’s in store for us. If you’re new here, this is how the RCW giveaways work: You recommend CHRISTIAN FICTION (also Closed Door/Clean) genre specific titles with release dates in July, August or September 2026 (up to 3 suggestions per genre day) and you have a chance to win one of your recommendations! BUT it’s a little more complicated than that so be sure to read ALL the details posted each day before entering.

Sunday July 5 2026

Indie Fiction – a full length story or novella or collection of novellas published independently by an author. Any genre, but must fit the Christian Fiction / Closed Door, Clean Read category. This is a new category and might prove to be challenging since we don’t always get a lot of notice about indie book releases so, for this category only, books can be published any time between January and September 2026

Monday July 6 2026

Historical Romance/Fiction – a full length story or novella or collection of novellas set in any time period before 1980. May cross genres such as YA, Suspense, Amish etc. and may include dual timelines.

Tuesday July 7 2026

Contemporary Romance/Fiction – a full length story or novella or collection of novellas set in any time period after 1980. May cross genres such as YA, Suspense, Amish etc. and may include dual timelines.

Wednesday July 8 2026

Mystery/Suspense Fiction – a full length story or novella or collection of novellas where mystery is an important part of the plot. The hero or heroine (or both) are often in peril (more so in suspense.) Can be set in any time period and may cross genres such as YA, Amish etc. and may include dual timelines.

Thursday July 9 2026

General Christian Fiction – a full length story or novella or collection of novellas. Any genre including previous selections you made on other days this week as well as specific genres not covered yet such as Amish, Speculative, YA etc.

Friday July 10 2026

Goal Review – time to dust off those January 2026 reading goals and check in with how we’re doing. For this giveaway, just share anything goal related in the comments. Then, in the same comment, list a book that will help you reach your goal.

See you on July 5th and in the meantime

Happy Reading!