Category: Carol Awards

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.

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 —Young Adult 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.

Young Adult Fiction Finalists

The Nightmare Virus by Nadine Brandes – Enclave Publishing (Oasis Family Media) – Editor: Rebecca Reynolds – Giveaway options: US: print or ebook, Canada: ebook or audible, International: ebook with US Kindle account.

Some viruses go after the body. But the Nightmare Virus goes after the mind.

When dream technology goes wrong, a virus spreads across the globe, trapping people in a universal dreamscape. They call it the Nightmare Virus. 

Cain Cross is determined to find a cure . . . if he can decipher his brother’s chicken-scratch formula notes. But when he gets infected, he has only 22 days until he’s trapped in the mental prison forever. Now, every time he falls asleep, he must fight in a Nightmare Arena until he earns his freedom to live in the “new world” that exists only in the mind. 

Then he finds a way to manipulate the Nightmare–to change it by mere thought. 

Forced to navigate a world of nightbeasts, mistblades, and half-truths, Cain turns his focus to survival. When the Emperor offers him a LifeSuPod–and access to a cure–in exchange for a dangerous favor, Cain thinks he’s found a way out. But Cain’s new power threatens to take him on paths that jeopardize his very soul. 

Will he continue searching for a cure, or will he swear allegiance to the Nightmare? And the bigger question might be . . . will he even have a choice?

Rift by Steven James – Sky Turtle Nova (Oasis Family Media) – Editor: Rebecca Reynolds – Giveaway options: US: print or ebook, Canada: print or ebook or audible, International: ebook with US Kindle account.

Some doors were never meant to be opened. Some tales were never meant to be set free. When seventeen-year-old Sahara O’Saughnessy discovers a rift into the realm of lore, the most haunting stories she’s been telling her friends come to life, and she must find a way to stop them before they tear her world apart. RIFT explores loss, longing, and courage with spine-chilling suspense. Set within the Appalachian Mountains, it walks the boundaries between the known and the unknown.

Mortal Queens by Victoria McCombs – Enclave Publishing (Oasis Family Media) – Editors: Sarah Grimm and Lisa Laube – Giveaway options: US: ebook, Canada: ebook or audible, International: ebook with US Amazon account.

They vanish without a trace, disappear into the night

Each year on the center island, one girl is chosen to be the next Mortal Queen of the idolized fae. The mortals praise these lucky girls, but their daughters are never seen again. 

The fae realm is eternal night, where disputes are settled by chess matches, power is acquired through the most devious kinds of trickery, and seven illusive kings roam. The fae hide their faces behind masks and guard their glass hearts to keep them from shattering. But beyond the veil of this luxurious paradise, a dark secret simmers, for their Queens have disappeared.

When aspiring artist Althea is selected, she is desperate to avoid the same mysterious fate. With no one to trust, she conceals messages in paintings and receives anonymous replies from a stranger who slowly reveals the tale of a girl who outwitted the fae. Only if she is clever enough will Althea survive the fate of the Mortal Queens. As long as the king who cannot love does not claim her first.”

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday August 9 2025. REMEMBER TO CHECK EDITION AVAILABILITY FOR EACH BOOK.

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—Speculative 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.

Speculative Finalists

The Castle Rose by Tabitha Caplinger – Blue Ink Press – Editors: Christa Leonheart and Liz Sheth – Giveaway options: US: paperback or ebook, Canada: paperback or ebook, International: ebook with US Kindle account.

Bastian Roux lived and died a hundred years ago. Kind of. He certainly feels like nothing more than a ghost as he haunts the abandoned Castle Rose Theatre, his only solace found in the notes of his piano. That is until Odette arrives.

Odette Durand moved to New Orleans for a fresh start. The coffee-addicted local bookshop manager never expected to be pulled into something supernatural and she certainly doesn’t believe in ghosts. But seeing a man no one else can see and hearing music that shouldn’t exist makes a girl question her beliefs–and her sanity.

With a mysterious and somewhat charming Southern gentleman thrown in the mix, Odette finds herself entangled in a century-old rivalry bound by a curse. If she’s the only one who can see Bastian, is she also the only one who can break whatever is keeping him stuck in the realm between the living and the dead? As Odette and Bastian navigate the shadows of Bastian’s past, they must grapple with the ultimate question: Will breaking the curse give Bastian his life back or take it away forever?

Lightshed by Crystal D. Grant – Quill & Flame Publishing House – Editor: Meghan Kleinschmidt – Giveaway Options: US and Canada: ebook, International: ebook with US Kindle account.

The coveted Shadowstone is finally his. But what will it cost him?

Empowered by his new role as Shadowman, Mason Grey has strengthened his resolve against the Steward Army and the prince he has sworn to kill. But his heart is torn between justice for his brother and desire for the girl who stands with his enemy. Determined to bridge the gap, he risks everything he’s worked for to try to win her over to his side.

Convinced there is still good in him, Seria Gayle makes up her mind to point Mason to the truth, even if it means betraying the Stewards she has befriended. When the dark Emperor Jader turns his sights on the Gateway between his realm and theirs, Seria makes a bold decision that takes her far from home and into enemy territory. But standing between light and darkness comes with a price, and she fears the cost for Mason’s salvation may be too high to pay. 

As tensions heat up on both sides of the Gateway, Mason is given a challenging assignment that will strengthen his master’s army for years to come-but it could mean losing Seria forever. To make matters worse, his abilities as a Reader begin spiraling out of control. Will this mission of vengeance bring him the closure he needs…or destroy him from the inside out?

Drawn by Light by John W. Otte – Indie – Editor: Megan Gerig – Giveaway Options: US and Canada: ebook, International: ebook with US Kindle account.

Can they reunite to save everything they know?

After a staggering betrayal that felled her husband and captured his throne, Queen Everys retreated to the Cold Light Forest. She thought she’d be able to regroup and face her enemies–the invading Dalark Imperium and now King Brencis, who stole her husband’s crown. But the return of an ancient evil reveals what’s truly at stake. Everys is determined to overcome these challenges for both her kingdom and her Siporan people. But alongside these threats, the temptations of her power have never been so strong, and her grief and fear are suffocating after the loss of her husband.

Except Narius is still alive, hidden within the Dalark Imperium. His rescuers want his help with an audacious plan, one that could bring about peace between the Imperium and Narius’s Dynasty. But doing so would mean he can’t have the one thing he wants: Everys, safe in his arms.

Long-held secrets, old animosities, and difficult realizations threaten to reshape everything they know. If they want to stop their enemies, they’ll have to risk everything. To whatever end, between the power of Everys’s magic and Narius’s faithful determination, the Dynasty will never be the same.

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday August 2 2025. REMEMBER TO CHECK EDITION AVAILABILITY FOR EACH BOOK.

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 New Orleans, Louisiana (wouldn’t you love to be there?!)

How does this giveaway work?

You select which of the Carol Award finalists 2025 —Short Novel 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.

Short Novel Finalists

Twenty-One Stones by Janice Boekhoff – Indie – Editor: Linda Yezak – Giveaway options: US and Canada: ebook (also available on Kindle UnLimited), International: ebook with US Kindle account.

A genius with a reckless streak. A risky scientific breakthrough. Is saving a life worth the cost?

Mars Lockporte lives for excitement. Brilliant but impatient, the quantum physics major chases each new blood-pumping high with the cockiness of an action hero. So when his best friend is murdered, the loyal adrenaline junkie doesn’t hesitate to use his untested invention to jump back in time and stop the killer… but instead ends up in the middle of the Civil War.

Scrambling to survive the Battle of Antietam, Mars is shocked to discover his foe’s distant ancestor is a male nurse patching up wounded Union soldiers. And with scant hours left before he’s returned to his own era, the bright young scientist fears his only opportunity to alter his friend’s deadly fate means destroying an innocent life.

Will Mars change history at the price of his soul?

Twenty-One Stones is the intriguing first book in the Leap Limit time-travel science fiction series. If you like smart but flawed heroes, historical backdrops, and facing difficult decisions, then you’ll love Janice Boekhoff’s fascinating what-if.

Matchmaking the Cowboy by Emily Conrad – Indie – Editors: Brandi Aquino and Judy DeVries – Giveaway Options: US and Canada: paperback or ebook (also available on Kindle UnLimited) International: ebook with US Kindle account.

What’s a little covert matchmaking between friends?

Lucy Aveline’s ex has a knack for making her feel small and helpless. She’d avoid him entirely, but he still owns a piece of her heart in the form of the pets he purchased for her but kept for himself. She visits Rosie and Jasmine when she can, vows to avoid another controlling boyfriend by staying single, and focuses on her large animal veterinary practice. Or that’s the plan until some longtime family friends attempt to set her up with former rodeo star Hollis Price. Lucy convinces them to drop the plot only when she promises to find Hollis a good match herself.

Hollis is more concerned with surviving his first Christmas after losing his dad than with finding love. Dad’s champion horse is aging, and rumors started by an unhappy client threaten the horse training business Hollis inherited from his father. When the kind and talented Lucy offers friendship, he accepts simply to add cheer to the season.

It’s not long before his interest in Lucy deepens, but so do problems at his ranch. Saving his father’s legacy begins to look as impossible as earning Lucy’s trust. Especially when her ex continues to use her love of animals against her and she won’t stop pushing her single friends at Hollis long enough to notice she’s the one he’s falling for.

Return to Redemption Ridge, Colorado and enjoy the faith, friendships, and forever-afters in this Christian Christmas Romance.

Waiting for Gilbert by Tasha Hackett – Indie – Editors: Megan Schaulis and Crystal Nelson – Giveaway options: US: paperback or ebook, Canada: paper, ebook or audible, International: ebook with US Kindle account.

“I’m just a girl, standing in front of a phone, asking her landlord to come to dinner.”

Cute and fun Cordelia is history. From now on, I’m serious and focused CJ Thompson. No more snappy one-liners. No more dance-parties-for-one in restaurant booths. Anne-girl is out. Marilla Cuthbert is in. It’s time to grow up!
If only it were that easy. With less than two weeks until a massive work deadline, I signed a 12-month lease on a cottage sight-unseen because I couldn’t bear to stay in the city another day after my broken engagement. It’s all well and good until my landlord knocks on my door at two in the morning.

Who knew living next to a house-flipping, cello-playing, swooney-smiling, flesh-and-blood man named Gilbert would be so distracting?

To Do…
17. Finish unpacking
18. Drink coffee
19. Ask Gilbert to marry me

*********
This is a no-door, kisses only romance with beautiful raw emotions and silly and wonderful characters.

My Review: https://kavsbestreads.ca/2024/12/17/waiting-for-gilbert-giveaway/

Amish Witness to Murder by Dana R. Lynn – Love Inspired – Editor: Tina James – Giveaway Options: US and Canada: paperback or ebook. International: ebook with US Kindle account.

To identify her father’s killer…she must stay alive.

After finding her family’s barn in flames and witnessing her father’s murder, Beth Troyer becomes the killer’s next target. She narrowly escapes death when the murderer turns on her, but now she’s left temporarily blind. She’ll have to rely on former family friend Gideon Bender to keep her safe until her eyesight returns. But with a killer who’ll stop at nothing to find her, staying alive might just be impossible…

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday July 26 2025. REMEMBER TO CHECK EDITION AVAILABILITY FOR EACH BOOK.

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 —Romantic Suspense 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.

Romantic Suspense Finalists

Lethal Danger by Jerusha Agen – Indie – Editor: Julie Agen – Giveaway options: US and Canada: ebook International: ebook with a US Kindle account.

This K-9 team is trained to eliminate threats. This threat could eliminate them.

Being a loner is getting old. Jazz Lamont still can’t fit in at the Phoenix K-9 Agency, and she’s losing her best friend. At least providing security with her K-9 partner at the Tri-City Fair will mean revisiting the only place where she once belonged. But a series of accidents threatens her beloved fair and puts lives at risk.

Thriller author Hawthorne Emerson suspects foul play after the first “accident.” Moonlighting as fair security to investigate the death of his sister’s boyfriend, he’s eager to find the truth. He doesn’t expect the task to lead him to the cult he escaped.

Finding the culprit behind the sabotage is personal for Jazz and Hawthorne. But someone else has a personal stake, too. Someone who wants Jazz dead. When everything she thought was true is dismantled, can Jazz risk trusting others—including God—to survive?

Lethal Danger continues the thrilling story of the elite Phoenix K-9 Security and Detection Agency that began with Hidden Danger (Guardians Unleashed, #1 ) . (Each book can stand alone or be read as series installments.)

Never Fall Again by Lynn H. Blackburn – Revell – Editors: Kelsey Bowen and Robin Turici – Giveaway options: US: paperback or ebook, Canada: paperback, ebook or audible, International: ebook with a US Kindle account.

Landry Hutton has spent three years rebuilding her life behind the secure gates of The Haven, an exclusive resort on the outskirts of Gossamer Falls, North Carolina. After serving as the artist-in-residence, Landry is finally ready to settle in permanently to give her daughter, Eliza, a safe home in which to grow up. 

Former Marine Callum Shaw always knew he would someday join his family’s construction business in Gossamer Falls. He longs for a family of his own but has almost given up on that ever happening. The beautiful artist who has hired him to build her new house is funny, gifted, and everything Cal could ever want in a partner, but he vows to keep his distance. He’s loved–and lost–someone like her before.

When Landry’s pottery is destroyed in a suspicious fire, it becomes clear that Landry and Eliza are in grave danger–but from whom? Cal will have to risk his heart again if he has any hope of protecting them.

My Review: https://kavsbestreads.ca/2024/06/19/never-fall-again-giveaway/

Double Take by Lynette Eason – Revell – Editors: Barb Barnes and Andrea Doering – Giveaway options: US: paperback or ebook, Canada: paperback, ebook or audible. International: ebooks with US Kindle account.

She survived a murder plot and her attacker is dead–isn’t he?

Detective James Cross has been honorably discharged from the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division due to wounds sustained when an IED blew up near him. Now with the Lake City Police Department, he’s rooming with his good buddy and partner, Cole, while he figures out his family dynamics.

Physician Assistant Lainie Jackson is eighteen months out from an attempted murder perpetrated by her ex, which ended when she managed to grab the weapon and shoot him. When he appears to have survived and is back to finish the job he started, Lainie insists it’s not possible. But someone keeps trying to kill her, and she keeps seeing his face.

Together, Lainie and James must work together to find out who exactly is after her and why he wants her dead. And failure is not an option.

My Review: https://kavsbestreads.ca/2024/02/12/double-take-giveaway/

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday July 19 2025. REMEMBER TO CHECK EDITION AVAILABILITY FOR EACH BOOK.

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 —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.

A Healing Touch by Suzanne Woods Fisher – Revell – Editor: Andrea Doering – Giveaway options: US: choice of paperback or ebook, Canada: choice of ebook or audible edition, International: ebook with a US Kindle account.

Ruth “Dok” Stoltzfus is the kind of doctor who still believes in house calls, addressing not just her patients’ physical needs but their emotional ones too. When newly widowed Bee faces a breast cancer diagnosis, Dok connects her with Fern Lapp for support. When her painfully shy assistant Annie finds herself drawn to a new calling, Dok goes to great lengths to help her achieve her dream. And when an abandoned newborn mysteriously appears at her office one frosty morning, Dok’s world takes an unexpected turn as ripples of change touch several lives.

A Healing Touch is a captivating tale of compassion, resilience, and the bonds that form in surprising places. Bestselling and award-winning author Suzanne Woods Fisher invites you into a new story that’s like medicine for the weary soul. Join Dok, Annie, and the tight-knit Stoney Ridge community as they navigate the twists of fate, discovering that sometimes the greatest healing comes from the heart.

My Review: https://kavsbestreads.ca/2025/02/28/a-healing-touch/

The Heart of Sugarcreek by Serena B. Miller – Indie – Editor: Brenda Kallner – Giveaway options: US: ebook Canada: choice of paperback or ebook. International: ebook with a US Kindle account.

In the heart of Sugarcreek, Ohio, as an icy blizzard bears down on the rural community, four unlikely strangers seek refuge at Lydia Troyer’s Amish Inn on Christmas Eve.

As they spend a makeshift Christmas together, secrets unravel, hearts are laid bare, and the unyielding power of love begins to work its magic, weaving a tapestry of redemption and renewal that will forever alter their lives.

“The Heart of Sugarcreek” is a tale of loss and longing, forgiveness and faith, where the unlikeliest of companions find themselves on a journey of self-discovery and second chances in the enchanting embrace of Sugarcreek’s winter wonderland.

Cole and Laila Are Just Friends by Bethany Turner – Thomas Nelson Fiction (HarperCollins) – Editors: Leslie Peterson and Laura Wheeler – Giveaway options: US: paperback or ebook, Canada: paperback or ebook or audible, International: ebook with a US Kindle account.

Cole and Laila have been inseparable since they could crawl. And they’ve never thought about each other that way. Except for when they have. Rarely. Once in a while, sure. But seriously . . . hardly ever.

Cole Kimball and Laila Olivet have been best friends their entire lives. Cole is the only person (apart from blood relatives) who’s seen Laila in her oversized, pink, plastic, Sophia Loren glasses. Laila is always the first person to taste test any new dish Cole creates in his family’s restaurant . . . even though she has the refined palate of a kindergartener. Most importantly, Cole and Laila are always talking. About everything.

When Cole discovers a betrayal from his recently deceased grandfather that shatters his world, staying in Adelaide Springs, Colorado, is suddenly unfathomable. But Laila loves her life in their small mountain town and can’t imagine ever living anywhere else. She loves serving customers who tip her with a dozen fresh eggs. She loves living within walking distance of all her favorite people. And she’s very much not okay with the idea of not being able to walk to her very favorite person.

Still, when Cole toys with moving across the country to New York City, she decides to support her best friend–even as she secretly hopes she can convince him to stay home. And not just for his killer chocolate chip pancakes. Because she loves him. As a friend. Just as a friend. Right?

They make a deal: Laila won’t beg him to stay, and Cole won’t try to convince her to come with him. They have one week in New York before their lives change forever, and all they have to do is enjoy their time together and pretend none of this is happening. But it’s tough to ignore the very inconvenient feelings blooming out of nowhere. In both of them. And these potentially friendship-destroying feelings, once out in the open, have absolutely no take-backs.

If When Harry Met Sally had a quippy literary love child with Gilmore Girls’ Luke and Lorelai, you’d get Cole and Laila. Just . . . don’t tell them that.

My Review: https://kavsbestreads.ca/2024/06/04/cole-and-laila-are-just-friends-giveaway/

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday July 12 2025. REMEMBER TO CHECK EDITION AVAILABILITY FOR EACH BOOK.

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 20245at 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 —Novella 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.

Downfall (from the Cornered novella collection) by Lynn H. Blackburn – Revell – Editors: Kelsey Bowen and Jessica English – Giveaway options: US: choice of paperback or ebook copy of the Cornered Novella Collection (Eason, Blackburn, Walters), Canada: ebook copy of Downfall only OR audible edition of the Cornered Novella Collection. International: ebook of the Cornered Novella Collection for US Kindle account.

When their lives hang in the balance, they’ll have to rethink the meaning of following their dreams. 

All Cassie Quinn has ever wanted is to run her own restaurant. She left home to pursue her dream, but circumstances beyond her control destroyed it, and she returned to Gossamer Falls to regroup. When she’s given an offer she can’t refuse–to fill in as chef at a fine dining restaurant for the social elite–she jumps at the chance to restore her reputation. 

But when the kitchen is destroyed, it becomes clear that Cassie is in danger. She’s forced to accept the help of her ex-boyfriend, Officer Donovan Bledsoe, to find the culprit and secure her safety. Donovan’s primary mission is to keep her safe. His secondary mission is to win her back. 

Escape the web of deceptive criminals in this fast-paced romantic suspense novella with themes of cooking and culinary expertise, hometown reunion, and second chance romance.

My Review: https://kavsbestreads.ca/2024/11/25/cornered-giveaway/

Jingle Bell Matchmakers (from ‘A Match Made at Christmas’) by Lori DeJong – Scrivenings Press – Editors: Linda Fulkerson and Elena Hill – Giveaway options: US: ebook only, Canada: choice of paperback or ebook, International: ebook with a US Kindle account.

When country music star Aubrey Mayfield is lured home after years away, she’s bewildered when she and ex-fiance-now-widowed-dad Cody Lansdale keep finding themselves in the same place at the same time. As they become reacquainted, however, old feelings stir. Aubrey’s at a crossroads in her career and is contemplating a change. But when a chance at headlining her own tour takes her back to Nashville, Cody realizes her dreams may once again come between them. Unless God, with a little help from the Jingle Bell Committee, has a better plan.

Sleigh Bells and Stalkers (from the ‘Christmas in Nutfield’ Collection) by Robin Patchen – Indie – Editors: Ray Rhamey and Pegg Thomas. – Giveaway options: US and Canada: choice of paperback or ebook. International: ebook with a US Amazon Kindle account.

Threats lurk in the shadows this Christmas season.

It was strange enough when a woman Daniel Nolan had taken on one date suddenly showed up everywhere he went, but when he discovered her in his college apartment, he knew he had to go to the police—who did little but snicker when he made his report. Headed home to Nutfield for Christmas break, Daniel decides not to tell his police-detective father. The last thing he wants is for Dad to think he’s scared of a girl. Which he’s not, of course. He just wants her to leave him alone. He’s looking forward to a fun, relaxing, and stalker-free holiday at home with his family.

After Mom abandoned the family—and with Dad away so often on business—Star Brightwell stepped into the role of cook, cleaner, and babysitter to five younger siblings. On top of that, she’s stuck with organizing the live nativity—which used to be Mom’s job—at the annual Christmas festival. Star can’t let the program be canceled. It would devastate her siblings to lose this tradition, especially after Mom’s betrayal. Between her ornery brothers and sisters, her job, and now the nativity, she’s alone and overwhelmed and can’t wait for the season to be over. That is until her older brother’s handsome best friend, Daniel, offers to help. She’s gotten over her longtime crush. Now, she’s just happy for the extra set of hands.

But Daniel’s stalker has followed him to Nutfield, and she doesn’t take kindly to the pretty girl who’s caught his eye. Determined to reclaim Daniel’s attention, the stalker sets her sights on the woman who stands in her way.

A best-friend’s-sister romance and a stalker suspense wrapped up with a sparkly Christmas bow.

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday July 5 2024. REMEMBER TO CHECK EDITION AVAILABILITY FOR EACH BOOK.

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 20245at 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 —Mystery/Suspense/Thriller 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.

Mystery/Suspense/Thriller Finalists

Fatal Domain by Steven James – Tyndale House – Editor: Karen Watson – Giveaway options: US: paperback or ebook, Canada: ebook or audible, International: ebook with a US Kindle account

When the past scratches its way into the present, it can leave deep scars.

A series of cryptic clues leads Department of Defense redactor Travis Brock to suspect that a grim chapter from his past is not yet over. With the help of his eidetic memory and his newly formed team, he must unearth the truth and stop a terrorist group from stealing one of the military’s most highly guarded technological breakthroughs. With it, the group plans to commit a daring act of espionage that could upend the work of one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical firms and impact millions of people worldwide.

In a high-stakes story of action and intrigue that reaches from a refugee settlement in Uganda to the shores of the Potomac in Washington, DC, shattering secrets from the past will be revealed, loyalties tested, and intimate betrayals brought to light as Brock is forced to decide how to forgive what he cannot forget.

From a novelist that Publishers Weekly has called a “master storyteller” comes an intricate and taut thriller that will have you guessing until the final page.

When All the Birds Sing by Susie Peace Pybus – Indie – Editor: Lynee Lloyd – Giveaway options: US: ebook, Canada: paperback or ebook, International: ebook with a US Kindle account.

Crayfish Cove, 1975 – a tranquil Tasmanian fishing town where doors are left unlocked and kids roam free.

On a lonely road, a young girl meets a man with wild hair and a woodsmoke smell. He invites her to join a band of local children building a treehouse on his bush property. Lily is soon smitten with Harry who spins stories, whistles like the birds and can swing a billy can without spilling a drop.

Kids adore him, parents trust him.

Until a child vanishes …

Who really is the recluse they’ve been entrusting with their children?

As Lily grows, she and her friends attempt to unravel the dark truth of what really happened.

The Burning of Rosemont Abbey by Naomi Stephens – Bethany House (Baker Publishing Group) – Editors: Luke Hinrichs and Jessica Sharpe – Giveaway Options: US: paperback or ebook, Canada: paperback, ebook or audible, International ebook with a US Kindle account.

Everyone in Wilbeth Green has something to hide, but she’s about to uncover their secrets.

1956: In a quiet English village, the smoldering ruins of Rosemont Abbey have set the residents’ tongues wagging, and everyone is quick to accuse troublemaker Paul Everly of the crime of arson. Paul has vanished without a trace, leaving only his plucky twin sister, Louisa, certain of his innocence. Fueling her conviction is an inexplicable connection–she felt her twin’s death an hour before the abbey went up in flames.

Armed with nothing but her wit and her keen sense of intuition, Louisa embarks on her own investigation, challenging the dubious townspeople and the disdain of her aunt and uncle. Even Inspector Malcolm Sinclair, once Paul’s closest friend, warns Louisa to abandon her pursuit. But Louisa is determined to solve a murder no one else believes was committed, even if it means unraveling secrets that could shake Wilbeth Green to its core.

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday June 21 2025. REMEMBER TO CHECK EDITION AVAILABILITY FOR EACH BOOK.

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 – 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. 

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.

Historical Romance Finalists

The Girl from the Hidden Forest by Hannah Linder – Barbour Publishing – Editor: Becky Fish -Giveaway options: US: paperback or ebook, Canada: paperback, ebook or audible, International: ebook with US Kindle account.

The nightmares may free her…but destroy the man she loves

Eliza Ellis has stayed hidden in Balfour Forest for as long as she can remember. Perhaps her only friends are the trees, or her little dog, or her story-telling father called Captain. But at least she is safe from the cruel world outside, a world Captain has warned her against and protected her from.
 
That is, until a handsome stranger named Felton Northwood invades her quiet forest and steals her away. Why does he tell such lies? Why does he insist that her name is Miss Eliza Gillingham, daughter of a viscount, who disappeared fourteen years ago after the murder of her own mother? A murder Eliza is said to have witnessed.
 
When Felton returns Eliza to Monbury Manor and reunites her with a man who is told to be her father, all she remembers are the strange nightmares that have plagued her since childhood. Why have they suddenly grown worse? Are the answers hidden inside her own mind?
 
As danger mounts and lethal attempts are made on her life, Eliza and Felton must work together to uncover the identity of a killer who has stayed silent for fourteen years. When she finally uncovers the horrendous memories trapped in her mind, will divulging the truth cost her the man she loves―and both of their lives?

Of Love and Treason by Jamie Ogle – Tyndale House – Editors: Elizabeth Jackson and Sarah Rische – Giveaway options: US: paperback or ebook, Canada: ebook or audible, International: ebook with US Kindle account.

Valentine defies the emperor and becomes a hero . . . and the most wanted man in the empire. Compelled by his faith, he has nothing to lose, until a chance encounter with the daughter of a Roman jailor changes everything.

Rome, AD 270. In the wake of the emperor’s marriage ban, rumors swirl that there is one man brave enough to perform wedding ceremonies in secret. A public notarius and leader of an underground church, Valentine believes the emperor’s edict unjust and risks his own life for the sake of his convictions. But as his fame grows, so do fears for his safety.

Iris, the daughter of a Roman jailor, believes regaining her sight will ease the mounting troubles at home. Her last hope rests in searching out Valentine and his church, but the danger of associating with people labeled a threat to the empire is great. Still, as Iris’s new friends lead her to faith in God, Iris is drawn to Valentine and they both begin to hope for a future together beyond the treacherous empire.

But when a past debt and a staggering betrayal collide, Valentine, Iris, and everyone they love must fight for their lives . . . and wrestle with trusting a God who can restore sight yet does not always keep His followers from peril.

My Review: https://kavsbestreads.ca/2024/01/22/of-love-and-treason-giveaway/

Above All Dreams by Naomi Rawlings – Indie – Editor: Erin Healy – ebook giveaway for US, Canada and International with US Kindle account.

Ever since she was a girl, Kate Amos wanted to be a doctor, a dream that made her leave Alaska and travel clear to Boston for medical school. The problem is, there aren’t too many female doctors in 1886, and there are even fewer people who will let a female doctor treat them.

Fortunately for Kate, the only other doctor in the growing town of Juneau Alaska is drunk more than he’s sober, and he doesn’t know the first thing about medicine. So even though the townsfolk might not want a woman doctor to treat them, they don’t have much choice.

Until Dr. Nathan Reid arrives in town.

Nathan has been tasked by the Marine Hospital Service to start a hospital in the gold rush town of Juneau, and he’s excited to get started. His research on the area showed him the town was desperately in need of a competent doctor. But Nathan is only in town for a few minutes before discovering that Juneau already has a competent doctor. She just happens to be a woman.

A rather beautiful woman—who’s worried he’s going to take away her patients.

But when trying to save a man’s life leaves them in a compromising situation, Nathan finds himself standing at the front of a church while Kate walks down the aisle toward him.

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday June 14 2024. REMEMBER TO CHECK EDITION AVAILABILITY FOR EACH BOOK

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 —Historical 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.

HISTORICAL FINALISTS

Patriot at the River by Jayna Baas – indie – Editor: Robert Siedenburg – ebook giveaway for US, Canada and International (with a US Kindle account)

Book 2 in the Liberty and Conscience series

The fight he got wasn’t the fight he wanted.

It’s 1780, and North Carolina is a battleground. Backcountry scout Benjamin Woodbridge is guarding a Patriot camp when he sees the king’s men pursuing a civilian. Never one to stand by while someone is in trouble, Benjamin steps in to help the stranger and finds an unexpected ally.

But the same British officer who targeted the stranger is also targeting Benjamin’s settlement. After Benjamin is wounded on a lonely mountain trail, he watches Sunrising fall to the man who crushed his father’s cause nine years earlier. Benjamin’s fight has come home to the very people he wanted to protect—his shy younger sister and the woman who has given them both a home.

Now, with the help of some unlikely comrades and the indomitable Aunt Kate, Benjamin must fight for what he loves before his settlement goes up in flames. But only if he can fight himself first.

Where Trees Touch the Sky by Karen Barnett – Kregel Publications – Editor: Janyre Tromp – Giveaway Options: US: ebook, Canada: ebook or audible, International: ebook with a US Kindle account.

Some secrets have shadows as long as the redwoods are tall.

In the early 1920s, the accelerating destruction of the California redwoods is more than nature-loving Marion Baker can bear. Throwing herself headlong into the work of the Save the Redwoods League, she is shocked to learn that Frank Duncan, a man she’s grown to love, is the son of one of the area’s worst timber barons. Though devastated by the betrayal, she realizes this could also be an opportunity–if only she can convince him to help preserve her favorite grove from his father’s greedy grasp. Is her love strong enough to persuade him to save these precious trees? Or will Marion choose to sacrifice her beliefs to keep Frank by her side?

Nearly fifty years later, in 1972, polio survivor June Turner is deeply proud of the legacy her great aunt Marion has left as a redwood warrior. And despite her disability, June is determined to prove herself capable as a ranger at the recently established Redwood National Park, even if it means taking to the trails with her crutch in hand. What better way to carry on the family tradition of preserving God’s magnificent creation?

When aspiring film student Adam Garner approaches June to help make a documentary about Marion’s life, she swiftly grabs the opportunity to spread her aunt’s worthy reputation. That is, until they unearth a secret that might shatter the family legacy. In the scramble for answers, June may lose not only her family pride but also her own dreams.

Karen Barnett’s beautifully crafted split-time novel, set against the majestic backdrop of a beloved national park, immerses the reader in history that feels as fresh as if it happened yesterday.

Up From the Dust by Heather Kaufman – Bethany House (Baker Publishing Group) – Editors: Rochelle Gloege and Jennifer Veilleux – Giveaway options: US: paperback or ebook, Canada: paperback, ebook or audible, International: ebook with US Kindle account

Martha of Bethany is no stranger to adversity. After her mother’s untimely death, Martha shoulders the responsibility of raising her siblings–quiet and studious Lazarus, and wild and rambunctious Mary. She finds solace in friendship and the beginnings of first love, but just as Martha begins to imagine a new future, hardship strikes again and her dreams crumble into dust.

Ten years later, Martha’s friend pleads for the new teacher, Jesus of Nazareth, to come and heal her husband. When Martha discovers that the carpenter-rabbi is connected to her past, she’s not sure she can trust him with her future. But as he continues to perform miracles, the invitation to believe becomes harder to resist, renewing Martha’s hardened heart, even as she faces an unknown future.

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday June 7 2025. REMEMBER TO CHECK EDITION AVAILABILITY FOR EACH BOOK.