Carol Awards Semi-Finalists 2023 – Historical 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 2023 finalists are books published in 2022. You might have read them already, you might not. I’ll include links to books I’ve read and reviewed.

How does this giveaway work?

You select which of the Carol Award finalists 2023 — Historical 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.

Of Note: In past years, ACFW has announced the three finalists of each category in June and then the winners during their annual Writer’s Conference in late August/early September. This year they’ve switched it up and have announced seven semi-finalists in each category which will be whittled down to three finalists the first day of the conference at the end of August and then the winners in each category will be announced on the final day of the conference. So., with only two days in between the finalist announcements and the winner announcements, we’re going to have to go with wading through the seven semi-finalists so these weekly giveaways are going to be lengthy. Sorry about that. And now here are the Historical Romance Semi-Finalists.

The Rancher’s Want-Ad Mix-up by Megan Besing; Love Inspired Historical — paperback or ebook giveaway — When Della Mae Wagner’s train arrives in Missouri, she’s shocked to find that the couple who hired her don’t just want a teacher for their grandsons but a wife for their son! After a broken engagement, marriage is not in Della’s plans. And Hank Lamson isn’t pleased—with his parents, with his unexpected guest or with Della’s unfairly appealing smile. But his plans to send her packing are foiled as his family comes to love her…and he feels the walls around his wounded heart start to fall.

Written on the Wind by Elizabeth Camden; Bethany House (Baker Publishing Group) –– paperback or ebook giveaway —

Count Dimitri Sokolov has been charged with overseeing construction of the legendary Trans-Siberian Railway, but during this work, he witnesses an appalling crime, the truth of which threatens the Russian monarchy. In an effort to silence him, the czar has stripped Dimitri of his title, his lands, and his freedom . . . but Dimitri has one asset the czar knows nothing about: his deep and abiding friendship with Natalia Blackstone. 

Natalia is the lead analyst for her father’s New York banking empire and manages their investment in the Trans-Siberian Railway. Her bond with Dimitri has flourished despite the miles between them, but when Dimitri goes unexpectedly missing, she sets the wheels in motion to find him. Once they join forces, they embark on a dangerous quest in which one wrong move could destroy them both. 

From the steppes of Russia to the corridors of power in Washington, Dimitri and Natalia will fight against all odds to save the railroad while exposing the truth. Can their newfound love survive the ordeal?

Claiming His Legacy by Linda Goodnight; Love Inspired Trade — paperback or ebook giveaway —

Oklahoma, 1890

Frontier women don’t ride off alone to track an outlaw—not even women as capable as tomboy spinster Willa Malone. But Willa desperately needs the bounty money offered for her father’s killer if she’s to keep their homestead and take care of her sisters. That means she needs an expert tracker’s help. Gideon Hartley has the skill, but the handsome trail guide also has a troubling secret…

Gideon has spent years trying to numb his pain with whiskey. Little by little, their quest—and Willa’s belief in him—is restoring the sense of purpose he thought he’d lost. Journeying into the heart of danger, they’ll have to face down the past together if they hope to protect their future…

Read and Reviewed: https://bestreads-kav.blogspot.com/2022/05/claiming-her-legacy.html

The Sisters of Sea View by Julie Klassen; Bethany House (Baker Publishing Group) — paperback or ebook giveaway —

When their father’s death leaves them impoverished, Sarah Summers convinces her sisters to open their seaside home to guests to provide for their ailing mother. Emily and Georgiana agree, but Viola, who wears a veil to cover a scar, detests the idea. 

Determined to stay together, the sisters begin the new venture. Instead of the elderly invalids they expect, however, they find themselves hosting eligible gentlemen. Sarah is torn between a growing attraction to a mysterious Scottish widower and duty to her family. Meanwhile, the new situation exposes Viola’s scars–both the visible and those hidden deep within–and her cloistered heart will never be the same.

Read and Reviewed: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4539411508

Beneath His Silence by Hannah Linder; Barbour — paperback or ebook giveaway — A Gothic-Style Regency Romance from a Promising Young Author
 
Second daughter of a baron—and a little on the mischievous side—Ella Pemberton is no governess. But the pretense is a necessity if she ever wishes to get inside of Wyckhorn Manor and attain the truth. Exposing the man who killed her sister is all that matters.
 
Lord Sedgewick knows there’s blood on his hands. Lies have been conceived, then more lies, but the price of truth would be too great. All he has left now is his son—and his hatred. Yet as the charming governess invades his home, his safe cocoon of bitterness begins to tear away.
 
Could Ella, despite the lingering questions of his guilt, fall in love with such a man? Or is she falling prey to him—just as her dead sister?

Read and Reviewed: https://kavsbestreads.ca/2023/03/07/beneath-his-silence-giveaway/

Until Leaves Fall in Paris by Sarah Sundin; Revell (Baker Publishing Group) — paperback or ebook giveaway ––

When the Nazis march toward Paris, American ballerina Lucie Girard buys her favorite English-language bookstore to allow the Jewish owners to escape. The Germans make it difficult for her to keep Green Leaf Books afloat. And she must keep the store open if she is to continue aiding 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. But in order to carry out his mission, he must appear to support the occupation—which does not win him any sympathy when he meets Lucie in the bookstore.

In a world turned upside down, will love or duty prevail?

Read and Reviewed: https://bestreads-kav.blogspot.com/2022/03/until-leaves-fall-in-paris.html

Jeanette’s Gift by Blossom Turner; Wild Heart Books — paperback and ebook giveaway —

At twenty-nine, Jeanette Williams has watched each one of her four sisters marry and start families of their own. It’s hard not to believe God has forgotten the desires of her heart, especially when most people refer to her as Spinster Williams. Without the beautiful children she teaches, life would be unbearably lonely.

When the handsome widower, Theo Wallace, and his six children move into the Shenandoah Valley, every available woman is atwitter—except for Jeanette. She has no such aspirations that someone as plain as her could draw even a smattering of interest.

As life throws this unlikely couple together, Jeanette can’t help but fall in love with Theo’s children and their soul-wrenching plight. Before she knows it, her heart is far more invested than she could’ve ever imagined. And not just with the children, but with their handsome father as well. Is she headed for another heartbreak, or is it possible God had a beautiful plan in the works all along?

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

Please pay attention to the book formats available for this giveaway noted after the publication info for each individual title. Ebook wins are available to anyone, anywhere who has a .com kindle account. Paperbacks are available to readers in US and Canada.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of one of these Carol Awards semi-finalists, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. 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 July 8, 2023. Good luck!

70 thoughts on “Carol Awards Semi-Finalists 2023 – Historical Romance + Giveaway”

  4. I’ve read one of these, and have another one on my bookshelf already, but it’s still hard to choose! I think I will go with Jeanette’s Gift.

    pattymh2000(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  5. Thank you so much for today. Oh my goodness how to choose?
    Claiming His Legacy by Linda Goodnight would be my first choice here
    quilting dash lady at comcast dot net

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  6. I read and enjoyed Beneath His Silence. I’ll have to choose my favorite era Until Leaves Fall in Paris. Thank you my book twin. leliamae54(at)aol(dot)com

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  7. For the giveaway, I’d probably choose “The Sisters of Sea View” penspagesandpulses(AT)gmail(DOT) com.

    I’m not sure if you’re familiar with the TV show Dr Quinn: Medicine Woman, but when I read the description for “The Rancher’s Want-Ad Mix-Up” I read the love interests name as Hank LaWson instead of Hank LaMson. Hank LaWson is the name of the saloon owner in Dr. Quinn (and is one of the most detestable characters in the series in my opinion).

    Also, whoever designed the cover for “Jeanette’s Gift” REALLY should’ve made that title easier to read!!!

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    1. I used to watch Dr. Quinn but I never made the connection with that name — too funny, and yes the Dr. Quinn Hank was despicable. And good point about the cover design of Jeanette’s Gift — the title is very difficult to read and the author’s name isn’t much better. lol Good luck, Courtney!

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  9. I’m going with “Sisters of Sea View” by Julie Klassen. I think I have most of her books already and also have read most of them too. Loved them all. Can’t wait to read this one too.

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  10. So many intriguing titles! I think that I would enjoy The Sisters of Sea View by Julie Klassen. THanks for sharing. cps1950ATgmailDOTcom

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  11. I have read the obviously popular choice by Julie Klassen and have the Sarah Sundin book, so I think I will go with the more international intrigue storyline by Elizabeth Camden, Written on the Wind. Thanks!

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  12. I’m woefully behind in reading historical romance so I’ve only read one, When Leaves Fall in Paris, which I loved and own for future rereading 😊

    The Sisters of Seaview is my choice. I see it’s very popular, and was already on the tbr list!

    Thank you.

    Sandyavery at comcast dot net

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  15. I’ve read “The Ranchers Want Ad Mix-up”, “Claiming Her Legacy”, “Beneath His Silence” and have “The Sisters of Sea View” on hold at my library. So my choice for today is something a little different…. “Jeanette’s Gift”, both for a new-to-me author & an intriguing synopsis!

    By and by, my library actually purchased Julie Klassens book per my request!! Which was shocking because we’re such a small town and they don’t usually have the budget for many new books. I’m a very happy camper 😊💖

    teamob4 (at) gmail (dot) com

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    1. Yay you for promoting Christian Fiction in your library. They certainly can’t go wrong with Julie Klassen in their collection! Blossom Turner is a new to me author too. Good luck, Trixi!

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      1. I try, even though I know most times they will send me a nice email saying they just don’t have the budget but wished they could afford to buy every book requested. So I’ve had to stop doing it with my local library. 😞

        That being said, my sister-in-law has given me access to her digital library (Overdrive/Libby) & I request ebook purchases like crazy!! They buy just about every ebook and I LOVE seeing new Christian fiction in their catalogue! It’s a win/win….they buy them and both myself & my sister-in-law can borrow those books 😁💖🎉 What’s not to love about that? 👍

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      2. I wish my library got more audio books through Libby. They do get CF in ebook format but that doesn’t me no good. Though usually they get the same books in print as well so — Yay!

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  18. So many great books! I already have several of these books but haven’t read
    “The Sisters of Sea View” by Julie Klassen, so I will choose that one. Gotta love Julie Klassen’ books! 🙂

    nj(dot)bossman)at)gmail(dot)com

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  20. Fantastic choices! I’ve been fortunate to have read some of them, i’m choosing The Sisters of Seaview by Julie Klassen since I requested it from the library back in November. No kidding!

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  22. I would love the opportunity to read “The Sisters of Sea View” by Julie Klassen.
    Thank you for the chance to win a paperback copy!
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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  25. Oh my goodness, Kav, this was a hard choice but I will go with Written on the Wind by Elizabeth Camden. And no, I’m still not sure! lol

    ckbarker at gmail dot com

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  29. I have to go with Until Leaves Fall in Paris by Sarah Sundin. I love her writing and I have the book before and after but not that one. Thanks so much.

    Tammy
    Obertam at gmail dot com

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