Carol Award Finalists – Debut + 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 2025 finalists are books published in 2024. 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 September 6 2025 at the ACFW Gala in Springfield, Missouri (wouldn’t you love to be there?!)

How does this giveaway work?

You select which of the Carol Award finalists 2025 —Debut 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.

Debut Finalists

When Plans Go Awry by Denise M. Colby – Scrivenings Press – Editors: Linda Fulkerson and Regina Merrick – Giveaway options: US: ebook, Canada: paperback or ebook, International: ebook with a US Kindle account.

Olivia Carmichael escapes her past to be the next schoolmarm in the small ranching community of Washton, California. Her plan? Live a quiet spinster life, alone, never to depend on anyone ever again.

Luke Taylor selected a mail-order bride, a necessity to help raise his two younger sisters, and the only way he knew to protect his heart. His plans don’t include being responsible for the beautiful new schoolmarm, who threatens his resolve between his need to stay away and his need to be near to make sure she stays safe.

Along the way, neither feel much in control of their circumstances. Olivia’s carefully laid-out plans are challenged at every turn. Luke’s mail-order bride is not what he expected.
Will Luke and Olivia learn to trust God’s plan for their lives?

CORE Deception by Jeremiah Friedli – Indie – Editors: Jon Tilton and Jeanette Windle – Giveaway options: US: ebook, Canada: unavailable, International: ebook with US Kindle account.

In a world where the government’s CORE systems see and track everyone, seventeen-year-old hacker Seth Alvarez is determined to save his sister from being placed in a reeducation facility. Armed with a cryptic letter, Seth embarks on a search for the valuable incognito devices—cyber master keys that can set his sister free. But with only three weeks remaining, he finds himself wedged between two powerful forces who will stop at nothing to get the devices first.

Protector by Megan Schaulis – White Crown Publishing – Editors: Janelle Leonard and Marisa Stokely – Giveaway options: US and Canada: ebook, International: ebook with US Kindle account.

As the orphaned daughter of a traitor, Novalise grew up in hiding with an outlawed religious group hated by the Crown. She dreams of aiding her people as a scientist and begs her overprotective brother for a chance to assist in his schemes against the government. All her hopes of making a difference implode when she’s kidnapped and forced to compete against the Enhanced—a group of highly trained, biologically upgraded young women—for a position as the king’s Protector.

Plagued by insomnia, King Zadien is still reeling from his father’s untimely death. When his council suggests a competition as the way to choose his new bodyguard, he lacks the confidence to oppose the plan. Given the role he played in his father’s murder, choosing the right Protector could mean relieving his guilt or repeating his worst mistakes. Can he trust the intriguing and beautiful candidate who’s nothing like the others?

 After discovering a long-hidden connection between the Enhanced and her father, Novalise realizes winning the competition would give her people the strategic advantage they desperately need. But is that leverage worth compromising herself, body and soul?

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday August 16 2024. REMEMBER TO CHECK EDITION AVAILABILITY FOR EACH BOOK.