Christy Awards – Page 2 – Kav's Best Reads

Christy Award Finalists – Historical Fiction

What are the Christy Awards?

The Christy Award is destined to nurture creativity and quality in the writing and publishing of fiction written from a Christian worldview and showcase the diversity of genres. These 2025 finalists are books published in 2024.

How does this Giveaway work?

You select ONE of the Historical Fiction finalists you would like to receive if your name is drawn. Mention the title in a comment. If you win that’s the book that will be sent to you. Easy Peasy. Here are the finalists. (I have provided links to my reviews of the books I have read.)

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.

All We Thought We Knew by Michelle Shocklee – Tyndale Publishing House – Giveaway Options: US – paperback or ebook, Canada – ebook or audible, International – ebook if you have a US Kindle account.

She was so sure she knew her family’s story . . . Now she wonders if she was wrong about all of it.

1969. When Mattie Taylor’s twin brother was killed in Vietnam, she lost her best friend and the only person who really understood her. Now, news that her mother is dying sends Mattie back home, despite blaming her father for Mark’s death. Mama’s last wish is that Mattie would read some old letters stored in a locked trunk, from people Mattie doesn’t even know. Mama insists they hold the answers Mattie is looking for.

1942. Ava Delaney is picking up the pieces of her life following her husband’s death at Pearl Harbor. Living with her mother-in-law on a secluded farm in Tennessee is far different than the life Ava imagined when she married only a few short months ago. Desperate to get out of the house, Ava seeks work at a nearby military base, where she soon discovers the American government is housing Germans who they have classified as enemy aliens. As Ava works to process legal documents for the military, she crosses paths with Gunther Schneider, a German who is helping care for wounded soldiers. Ava questions why a man as gentle and kind as Gunther should be forced to live in the internment camp, and as they become friends, her sense of the injustice grows . . . as do her feelings for him. Faced with the possibility of losing Gunther, Ava must choose whether loving someone deemed the enemy is a risk worth taking, even if it means being ostracized by all those around her.

In the midst of pain and loss two women must come face-to-face with their own assumptions about what they thought they knew about themselves and others. What they discover will lead to a far greater appreciation of their own legacies and the love of those dearest to them.

Includes discussion guide for book groupsStandalone Southern, historical family drama about enduring hope amid personal tragedyClean, suspenseful historical fiction, perfect for fans of Susan Meissner or Lisa WingateDual timeline set during the Vietnam War and WWII.

Born of Gilded Mountains by Amanda Dykes – Bethany House / Baker Publishing Group – Giveaway Options: US – paperback or ebook, Canada – ebook or audible, International – ebook if you have a US Kindle account.

When newcomer Mercy Windsor arrives in Mercy Peak in 1948 after a scandal shatters her gilded world as Hollywood’s beloved leading lady, she is determined to forge a new life in obscurity in this time-forgotten Colorado haven. She purchases Wildwood–an abandoned estate with a haunting history–and begins to restore it to its former glory.

But as she does, her every move tugs at the threads of that mountain’s lore, unearthing what became of her long-lost pen pal, Rusty Bright, and the whereabouts of the infamous Galloping Goose Engine No. 8, which vanished years ago, along with the mailbag it carried, whose contents could change the course of countless lives. Not to mention another fabled treasure that–if found–could right so many wrongs.

Among the towering mountains that stand as silent witnesses, the ghosts of the past entangle with the courage of the present to find a place where healing, friendship, and hope can abide amid a world forever changed.

The Queen’s Cook by Tess Afshar – Bethany House / Baker Publishing Group – Giveaway Options: US – paperback or ebook, Canada – paperback, ebook or audible, International: ebook if you have a US Kindle account.

In the heart of ancient Persia, the empire’s Jewish citizens face an ominous edict that threatens their very existence. Roxannah, the daughter of a once-privileged but now impoverished Persian lord, is devastated by the news. Her father sees this edict as a stroke of good fortune, an opportunity to settle his mounting debts by killing the Jewish physician, Adin, and seizing his belongings, but instead he meets his own untimely end, leaving Roxannah destitute and adrift. Desperate and determined to support her mother while settling the debt, Roxannah approaches Adin–the man whose kind eyes still haunt her–to help her find employment in Queen Esther’s kitchens.

In the opulent palace of Susa, Roxannah strives to overcome prejudice and adversity as she ascends through the ranks in the royal kitchen. Her culinary talent earns her the trust and mentorship of Queen Esther herself, a woman of grace and wisdom, who is navigating treacherous palace politics and whispers of her inability to produce an heir after six years of marriage. Amid this unfolding connection, Roxannah and Adin uncover a sinister plot against Amestris, the king’s most powerful wife and Esther’s archenemy. As secrets unravel and alliances are tested, the fate of Amestris and Esther’s reign hang in the balance.

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday October 25 2025 (after 12 pm) REMEMBER TO CHECK GIVEAWAY EDITION AVAILABILITY FOR EACH TITLE!

Christy Award Finalists – General Fiction

What are the Christy Awards?

How does this Giveaway work?

You select ONE of the General Fiction finalists you would like to receive if your name is drawn. Mention the title in a comment. If you win that’s the book that will be sent to you. Easy Peasy. Here are the finalists. (I have provided links to my reviews of the books I have read.)

IMPORTANT TO NOTE:

Between the Sound and Sea by Amanda Cox – Revell/Baker Publishing Group – Giveaway Options: US – paperback or ebook, Canada – ebook or audible, International – ebook if you have a US Kindle account.

Every family has its secrets. Josephina Harris wouldn’t mind if her family still had a few of their own after a lawsuit tarnishes their name. When an opportunity opens to become a temporary keeper of a decommissioned lighthouse on a North Carolina island, she jumps at the chance to escape her small town to oversee its restoration.

As the work begins, “Joey” discovers strange notes tucked deep in the crevices of the old stone walls–pages torn from a lighthouse keeper’s log signed by someone named Mae who recounts harrowing rescues at sea. Fascinated by a woman lighthouse keeper, Joey digs into the past only to discover there’s never been a record of a lighthouse keeper by that name.

When things start to go amiss on the island, locals are convinced that it is the ghost of the lighthouse keeper and his daughter who were lost at sea during World War II. As Joey sifts through decades of rumors and legends and puts together the pieces of the past, what emerges is a love story–one that’s not over yet.

Multiple Christy Award winner Amanda Cox is your guide upon the raging seas of young love, heartbreaking loss, and learning to risk it all for a chance at happiness in this timeless novel.

Bitter and Sweet by Rhonda McKnight – Thomas Nelson – Giveaway Options: US – paperback or ebook, Canada – paperback or ebook or audible, International – ebook if you have a US Kindle account.

Two sisters at a crossroad in life find the answers to their problems in the lessons from the past…

Mariah never pretended her marriage was perfect but that didn’t mean she ever suspected her husband of ten years would not only ask for a divorce but steal the business she built for them. Defeated and depressed, she’s not sure how to bounce back from the manipulative betrayal. Sabrina has been self-destructing for years, maybe since she was born, but certainly since the death of her long-time boyfriend. Barely scraping by and living in her van, she’s struggling to figure out what’s next for her, when all she’s ever wanted to do is bake cakes like her mother did.

When Mariah and Sabrina’s grandmother sends them a cryptic text message summoning them to Georgetown, South Carolina, both assume their ailing grandfather’s health has declined. Instead, the estranged sisters are faced with their grandmother’s undeniable request–save the family restaurant. Through letters written by their great-great-grandmother, Tabitha, Mariah and Sabrina learn a heartbreaking yet powerful story of struggle and survival. As the whole truth about Tabitha’s complicated past unfolds, the sisters are inspired by her ability to forge her own way in Charleston, a beautiful and prosperous city that was also rife with oppression under Jim Crow.

With the lessons in their family’s past guiding them, both sisters have a chance at a different life–if they can find a way to bridge the gap that tragedy and unhealed trauma forced between them. Told in a dual timeline that alternates between the 1920s and present-day Charleston, SC, Bitter and Sweet is an emotional story about love, one family’s perseverance, and the bonds of family and heritage. https://kavsbestreads.ca/2024/06/11/bitter-and-sweet-giveaway/

Lowcountry Lost by T. I. Lowe – Tyndale House – Giveaway Options: US – paperback or ebook, Canada – ebook or audible, International – ebook if you have a US Kindle account.

Sometimes what haunts you most is wondering what could have been . . . Avalee Elvis prides herself with being able to fix just about anything. . . except her past. Unable to put the puzzle of her life together, she pours heart and soul into making neglected places whole again. As the owner of Lowcountry Lost, Avalee spends her days in hot-pink Carhartt overalls and a tool belt reclaiming Lowcountry properties. Making them beautiful again releases the deep sigh that soothes the hurt she holds.

Avalee’s latest project takes her to tiny Somewhere, South Carolina, a long-abandoned town. She ignores its ghostly folklore but can’t miss the shock of hearing the familiar Irish brogue that materializes on the job site–the voice of the man she never wanted to see again.

Rowan Murray is a structural engineer hired by investors to oversee the redevelopment of the quaint downtown Avalee is bringing back to life. Once upon a time, he was also the man who knew Avalee better than anyone else–or so he thought. Turns out he was wrong. Neither of them was prepared for what happened between them six years ago. But as they work together to complete the rehabbing of Somewhere, their broken pieces and the pain that nearly consumed them begin to lose its grip, and both begin to wonder if it’s not too late for a restoration of their own.

From the author of the breakout Southern fiction bestseller Under the Magnolias comes a story of loss and abandonment, forgiveness, and the beauty of undying love. https://kavsbestreads.ca/2024/11/08/lowcountry-lost/

The Way Back by Heidi Chiavaroli – Hope Creek Publishers – Giveaway Options: US – paperback or ebook, Canada – paperback, ebook or audible, International – ebook if you have an US Kindle account.

Young love means everything… until it leaves you with nothing.

The summer before her senior year of high school, Laney Jacobs and her best friend jump from a six-story beachside cliff in an attempt to impress their boyfriends. Laney rose from the water. Her friend did not.

Six years later, when Laney’s troubled mother’s memoir hits the bestseller list airing the family’s destructive secrets, Laney is forced to relive the trauma, this time in the public eye. To escape the scrutiny, she seeks shelter at her estranged grandmother’s seaside inn. But she can’t reconcile the loving woman with the heartless parent in her mother’s book. As she looks for answers, the ex-boyfriend who’d witnessed her darkest days reappears, stirring up both pain and hope.

When her mother’s vindictive fans threaten her grandmother’s livelihood and the lighthouse Laney has come to love, she turns to the century-old words of a young lighthouse keeper to help her find the courage to move forward. But once truths from the past come to light and old love finds new beginnings, will Laney discover that forgiveness is the only way toward true healing?

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday October 18 2025 (after 12 pm) REMEMBER TO CHECK GIVEAWAY EDITION AVAILABILITY FOR EACH TITLE!

Christy Award Finalists – First Novel

What are the Christy Awards?

How does this giveaway work?

You select ONE of the Contemporary Romance finalists you would like to receive if your name is drawn. Mention the title in a comment. If you win that’s the book that will be sent to you. Easy Peasy. Here are the finalists. (I have provided links to my reviews of the books I have read.)

IMPORTANT TO NOTE:

Darkfell by Amanda Wright – Quill and Flame Publishing House – Giveaway Options: US – ebook, Canada – ebook or audible, International – ebook if you have a US Kindle account

His is a life of books and peace…until a dying warrior’s touch ignites an ancient magic within his blood.

For years, Thom Darkfell has used his cartography skills to advise Lomair’s king of the country’s shifting borders. A valued academic, Thom is excluded from the military drafts until whispers of dark abominations and mass casualties reach the king’s ears. The resulting conscription thrusts Thom into Lomair’s losing army. A realist, Thom ignores the wild myths circling through the ranks—until a monster’s jaws snap through the folds of reality and crush a man before Thom’s eyes.

With his dying breath, the Realm Walker passes an impossible task to Thom. Hours later, the visions begin. The Creator, a deity Thom knows only from rituals spoken over meals and graves, appears to him while a girl with starlight in her blood calls from beyond the veil.

Armed with a cryptic map, a biscuit-loving tutor, and the brawn of his best friend, Thom sets out to find the star daughter and lock the barrier to bind the dark realm of Zakar.

If he fails, it will be the end of all.

Until Our Time Comes by Nicole M. Miller – Revell, Baker Publishing Group – Giveaway Options: US – paperback or ebook, Canada – ebook or audible, International – ebook if you have a US Kindle account.

American horse trainer Adia Kensington is living her dream of working at the famous Janów Podlaski stables in Poland, where they breed the best Arabian horses in the world. But her plans to bring the priceless stallion Lubor to the US are derailed when the German army storms into her adopted country in 1939. Little does she know this is just the beginning of six long years of occupation that will threaten her beloved horses at every turn.

Major Bret Conway is at Janów Podlaski under the guise of a news reporter, but his true mission is intelligence gathering for the British. That and keeping Adia safe, which is harder and harder to do as she insists they must evacuate 250 horses to save them from being stolen, sold, or eaten by the invading forces. What follows will test their physical, mental, and emotional strength, as well as their faith in God, humankind, and each other.

Drawn from true events of World War II, this epic story of escape, capture, resistance, and love from debut novelist Nicole M. Miller will thunder into your heart like a herd of beautiful horses across a raging river.

The Yellow Badge by Addison Crimson – Independently published – Giveaway Options: US – paperback or ebook, Canada – ebook, International – ebook if you have a US Kindle account.

The Yellow Badge is a symbol of shame and reproach for those who wear it.
But for some, it’s a call to action.

After her parents are arrested and her brother Andrew joins the Dutch Resistance, Ruth DeVos is left to face the uncertain wrath of war alone.
But when faced with persecution and threats of forced labor arise, Ruth has no choice but to seek refuge and go into hiding. Still Waters Inn is the home of an allied Dutchman and many other refugees who are hiding from the clutches of the Nazis. It is here that Ruth joins the Resistance and begins working anonymously for La Libre Belgique– the notorious underground rebel newspaper- and where she meets the quiet and intriguing Ezra Pik.

As the war rages on with no end in sight, hope becomes dire as courage falters and they must all learn to lean on their faith in order to preserve their freedom. But the enemy lurks closer than any of them knew, and whispers of betrayal soon ensnare them as they are handed over to the Germans and their actions are brought to a dangerous light.

In the end, Ruth must take a stand in the face of her enemy and learn the true value of love and liberty, faith and freedom- and what it costs to keep them.

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday October 11 2025 (after 12 pm) REMEMBER TO CHECK GIVEAWAY EDITION AVAILABILITY FOR EACH TITLE!

Christy Awards Finalists – Contemporary

What are the Christy Awards?

How does this giveaway work?

IMPORTANT TO NOTE:

A Run at Love by Toni Shiloh – Bethany House/Baker Publishing Group – Giveaway Options: US – paperback or ebook, Canada – paperback, ebook or audible, International – ebook if you have a US Kindle account

As a Black woman in a field with little diversity, Piper McKinney is determined to make her mark on the horse racing world. Raised on a thoroughbred farm in Kentucky, Piper’s dream is for her horse to win the prestigious Kentucky Derby. With the help of her best friend and trainer Tucker Hale, she gains national attention but must grapple with the complications that arise when a journalist delves into her past as a transracial adoptee.

In an effort to win Piper’s heart, Tucker formulates a plan to train Piper’s horse to victory, hoping to prove himself to her, her parents, and his own self-doubts. Then a shocking scandal hits the media, implicating both Piper and her parents, and she and Tucker will have to survive the onslaught to find their way to the winner’s circle–and each other.

Award-winning author Toni Shiloh makes a run for the roses with this heartwarming novel that reminds us that sometimes the greatest victories are found within our own hearts. https://kavsbestreads.ca/2024/05/15/a-run-at-love-giveaway/

The Nature of Love by Toni Shiloh – Bethany House/Baker Publishing Group – Giveaway Options: US – paperback or ebook, Canada – paperback, ebook or audible, International – ebook if you have a US Kindle account

Dr. Erykah Kennedy, a renowned orthopedic surgeon, finds herself at a crossroads in life. At forty-one, she’s achieved remarkable success in her career, yet when it comes to her love life, she feels hopeless. But when she meets Christian Gamble, a passionate wildlife conservationist, an unexpected bond forms between them despite their contrasting worlds.

A wildlife enthusiast ready for more

Chris has yet to find someone to share his adventures with, but as his friendship with Erykah starts to blossom, he begins falling for her in every way. When tragedy strikes and Erykah suddenly becomes guardian to her nieces, Chris helps her pick up the pieces.

Two hearts destined by nature

With their lives turned upside down, finding their way to a lasting love while putting their faith in God may be the biggest challenge they’ve ever faced.

The Nature of Love is a clean, African American contemporary romance with themes of friends to lovers and the healing power of love. This heartfelt happily-ever-after tale is the series finale of Shiloh’s beloved Love in the Spotlight novels. https://kavsbestreads.ca/2025/02/13/the-nature-of-love-giveaway/

The Roads We Follow by Nicole Deese – Bethany House/Baker Publishing Group – Giveaway Options: US – paperback or ebook, Canada – ebook or audible, International – ebook if you have a US Kindle account

As the youngest daughter of a country music legend, Raegan Farrow longs to establish an identity away from the spotlight and publish her small-town romances under a pen name. But after her dream is dashed when she won’t exploit her mother’s fame to further her own career, she hears a rumor from a reliable source regarding a tell-all being written about the Farrow family. Making matters worse, the unknown author has gone to great lengths to remain anonymous until publication.

Raegan chooses to keep the tell-all a secret from her scandal-leery sisters as they embark on a two-week, cross-country road trip at their mother’s request and makes it her mission to expose the identity of the author behind the unsanctioned biography. But all is complicated when she discovers their hired bus driver, Micah Davenport, has a hidden agenda of his own–one involving both of their mothers and an old box of journals. As they rely on each other to find the answers they seek, the surprising revelations they unearth will steer them toward their undeniable connection and may even lead them down the most unexpected of paths.

Who Touches the Mountains by Deborah Raney – Raney Day Press – Giveaway Options: US – paperback or ebook, Canada – paperback or ebook, International – ebook if you have a US Kindle account.

Traveling all across the country is exciting…until it isn’t anymore.

Liesl Bachman enjoys success as a travel writer, but that success comes at a price. Now she feels isolated and stuck in a way she never expected in the “cool” job she always wanted. Zach Freylan is bound by an unspoken promise he made to his beloved wife before her death in a mysterious one-car crash. For two years, he’s run The Inn at Rosebud Lane that belonged to Jenny’s grandparents, but he finds little joy in maintaining what was always her dream. From the moment Liesl checks in for an extended stay at the inn, something begins to shift inside Zach, letting him dare to hope that his life could be different. Liesl feels that same promise of hope, but the clock is ticking for them both as circumstances only grow more complicated. Is thirty-seven days enough to know for sure that this is God’s yes?

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday October 4 2025 (after 12 pm) REMEMBER TO CHECK GIVEAWAY EDITION AVAILABILITY FOR EACH TITLE!

Christy Awards Finalists 2024 – Speculative & Young Adult

This is the week the Christy Winners are announced so I had to squeeze in the last two categories together today. You’ll have to choose just one title between both Speculative and YA. Sorry about that.

What are the Christy Awards?

How does this giveaway work?

You select ONE of the Speculative or YA finalists you would like to receive if your name is drawn. Mention the title in a comment. If you win that’s the book that will be sent to you. Easy Peasy. Here are the finalists. (I have provided links to my reviews of the books I have read.)

IMPORTANT TO NOTE:

Speculative

Estuary by Lisa T. Bergen – Enclave, a division of Oasis Family Media – EBOOK copy giveaway – Can a family bond stand the test of time?

Lady Tiliani Forelli is the epitome of the She-Wolves who raised her, an adept archer with a mind of her own. It is long past time for her to wed, but she deems each young lord who comes to bid for her hand lacking. With battles upon their border, and rumors of war growing louder on every front, Lady Forelli’s decision could secure her kingdom’s peace…or bring about its destruction.

Centuries later, history major Luciana Bettarini takes a summer job alongside her twin, Domenico, as a period actor at Castello Forelli in Italy. As incoming college seniors, this might be their last chance to spend meaningful time together, so she’s soaking up every minute. But when Dom’s theory that their lost Bettarrini relatives have traveled through time becomes potentially real—and they might be able to follow—Luci fears they’ll be forever divided.

In This Moment by Gabrielle Meyer – Bethany House, Baker Publishing Group – Winner’s Choice of paperback or ebook copy – Maggie inherited a gift from her time-crossing parents that allows her to live three separate lives in 1861, 1941, and 2001. Each night she goes to sleep in one time period and wakes up in another. Until, that is, she turns twenty-one, when she will have to forfeit two of those lives–and everyone she knows in them–forever.

In 1861, Maggie is the daughter of an influential senator at the outbreak of the Civil War, navigating a capital full of Southern spies and wounded soldiers. In 1941, she is a Navy nurse, grappling with her knowledge of the future when she’s asked to join a hospital ship being sent to Pearl Harbor. And in 2001, she’s a brilliant young medical student, fulfilling her dream of becoming a surgeon, yet unable to use her modern skills in her other paths.

While Maggie has sworn off romance until she makes her final choice, an intriguing man tugs at her heart in each era. The mysterious British gentleman. The prickly, demanding doctor. The charming young congressman. She’s drawn to each man in different ways, only complicating the impossible decision she must make, which looms ever closer.

With so much on the line, how can Maggie choose just one life to keep and the rest to lose?

Lumen by J J Fischer – Enclave, a division of Oasis Family Media – Winner’s choice of paperback or ebook – What if erasing the past cost more than you were willing to pay?

Having narrowly escaped their enemies, Sephone, Dorian, and Cass continue their search for the elusive Silvertongue, the only one with knowledge of the Reliquary’s whereabouts. But time is running out for Sephone, and with Dorian accused of high treason, the quest takes on a new urgency.

As secrets from each of their pasts drive a wedge between them, Sephone invests all her hopes in finding her homeland, Lethe—where her family may yet be alive. But nothing about Lethe is as she expects, and disappointment, betrayal, and danger await her at every turn.

As the truth about the Reliquary’s curse comes to light, the fragile bonds between the unlikely companions are tested like never before. Meanwhile, Dorian faces a terrible choice: to save the life of one who is beginning to mean more to him than the past he’s so desperate to forget, or to save his beloved Caldera from dangers outside and within.

Shadowcast by Crystal D. Grant – Quill & Flame Publishing House – EBOOK copy giveaway – He has known nothing but darkness for years. Now it’s time to let it consume him.
After witnessing the brutal death of his brother at the hands of the Steward Knights, Mason Grey turns to vengeance. Using his Gifts to read and control the minds of others, he climbs the ranks of the Dark Army, determined to earn the coveted Shadowstone—a powerful tool against the light-wielding Stewards. But when he is wounded in battle, he finds himself recovering in the home of a chatty peasant girl…without the use of his Gifts. Even worse, the girl mistakes him for one of the Stewards he despises.

Seria Gayle longs to be seen as more than the town washerwoman. When she finds an injured Steward in the woods, she welcomes the chance to use her healing skills and hopes it will earn her some respect. But as she nurses the sullen stranger back to health, she discovers he is nothing like the knights she has long admired.

When Mason’s true identity is revealed, Seria is devastated and humiliated. But she is offered a chance at redemption by the very prince that Mason hates. Now Mason struggles between two choices: accept the Shadowstone to avenge his brother or pursue this newfound light in the form of a peasant girl. With time running out and war looming, will Mason and Seria defy their own convictions for a chance at love or stand against one another like they’ve sworn to do?

Young Adult

The Looking Glass Illusion by Sara Ella, Enclave Escape, a division of Oasis Family Media – EBOOK copy giveaway – Step through the looking glass. Slay the Jabberwock. Seek the King.

Alice is not prepared to face what awaits beyond the Tulgey Wood. When she and the rest of Team Heart enter the fourth and final Wonderland Trial, it’s up to her to lead them to victory. But this Trial is more than a game. If Alice and the others fail to defeat the Jabberwock and reveal the truth about Wonderland, more than points and fame will be lost.

Chess Shire never believed he’d make it this far. Now he’s stuck navigating a Trial he’s seen but doesn’t remember, all while searching for the brother he left behind. Not everything is as black and white as the game that shares his name. And if Alice discovers his deepest regret? Chess might just lose her too.

Apart, Chess and Alice scour the eight squares of the Heart Trial in search of memories, truth, and an Ivory King who seems more illusion than reality. Will they learn to lead together to face their greatest fears? Or will they remain pawns in a queen’s game, never truly seeing the Wonderland they’ve come to believe in?

Offsides by Lori Z. Scott – End Game Press – Winner’s Choice of paperback or ebook – Dani Stevens knew senior year was going to be something else-with her last season on the soccer team, the possible strain of losing a friendship, and crushes? All the crushes . But she didn’t expect to be on the lookout for a sex trafficking ring in her town. When a young girl in her neighborhood seems to be in trouble with a pimp, Dani will do whatever she can to find out what she can and get the girl safely back home. Unbeknownst to Dani, there could be another predator on the loose. And if she doesn’t watch her back, she could just end up being his next victim.

Once a Queen by Sarah Arthur – Waterbrook, an imprint of Penguin Random House – Winner’s Choice of paperback or ebook – An American teenager discovers that her estranged English grandmother was once a queen in another world in the debut novel from bestselling author and speaker Sarah Arthur.

When fourteen-year-old Eva Joyce unexpectedly finds herself spending the summer at the mysterious manor house of the English grandmother she’s never met, troubling questions arise. Why the estrangement? What’s with the house’s employees and their guarded secrets? Why must Eva never mention trains, her father, or her favorite childhood fairy tales?

After strange things start happening in the gardens at night, Eva turns to the elderly housekeeper, gardener, and the gardener’s great-grandson, Frankie, for answers. Astonishingly, they all seem to believe the fairy tales are true–that portals to other worlds still exist, though hidden and steadily disappearing. They suspect that Eva’s grandmother was once a queen in one of those worlds.

But Eva’s grandmother denies it all. After a horrific family tragedy when she was young, her heart is closed to the beauty and pain of her past. It’s up to Eva, with Frankie’s help, to discover what really happened, whether family relationships can be restored, and if the portals are closed forever. As she unravels generational secrets, Eva wrestles with the grief of a vanishing childhood–and the fear that growing up means giving up fairy tales forever.

Sky of Seven Colors by Rachelle Nelson – Enclave Escape, a division of Oasis Family Media –EBOOK copy giveaway – n a strange part of the forest, the divide between worlds grows thin.

After the accident, Meg would do anything to wake her best friend from his deadly coma. At least, that’s what she whispered into the woodland shadows. She never imagined her wish would trap her in a gray other-earth, void of any color.

Meg’s vibrant humanity is a priceless artifact in the gray kingdom, coveted by the royal court. All she wants to do is find a way back home. Until she discovers the other-earth contains healing powers that can save her friend. But only if Meg becomes what the gray people need—a human bride for Kalmus, the powerful king of the capital city.

With her heart torn between earths, Meg’s choices may cost more than she knows.

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday November 16 2024 (after 12 pm) REMEMBER TO CHECK GIVEAWAY EDITION AVAILABILITY FOR EACH TITLE!

Christy Awards Finalists 2024 – Short Form

What are the Christy Awards?

How does this giveaway work?

You select ONE of the Short Form finalists you would like to receive if your name is drawn. Mention the title in a comment. If you win that’s the book that will be sent to you. Easy Peasy. Here are the finalists. (I have provided links to my reviews of the books I have read.)

IMPORTANT TO NOTE:

Beauty Bright (within We Three Kings) by Cara Putman – Kregel Publications – EBOOK giveaway – In this Christmas collection, Weise men still seek Jesus–and love

Best-selling romance authors Caudill, Putman, and Strong follow three generations of the Weise family in this third collection of Christmas novellas from Kregel that will prove just as popular as the previous award-winning volumes.

“Beauty Bright” by Cara Putman
Lieutenant Charles Weise served as a Monuments Man after World War II and now works to restore stolen art to rightful owners. Captain Lillian Thorsen pairs up with him not only to return treasures but also to fix the war-torn lives around them.

The Poppy (within Dancing in the Rain) by Sara Davison – independently published – EBOOK giveaway – Wayward wandering exposes the characters in these stories to storms created by their own or others’ choices.

Candace West – McDonald’s Farm
Eleanor Bertin – Who Sends the Rain?
Angela D. Meyer – Rekindling Her Dream
Deb Elkink – Clanging Symbols
Sara Davison – The Poppy

As they deal with the consequences, will they seek shelter in God, finding healing and redemption in the only One who can provide it?

The Shifting Current by Dani Pettrey – independently published – Winner’s Choice of paperback or ebook – When Coast Guard Investigative Service Special Agent LOGAN PERRY’s beloved grandfather is murdered, Logan races to his hometown of Cauldron Creek, New Mexico to investigate the murder. His teammate and friend, EMMY THORTON, insists on joining him. Not a good idea—not when he loves her, but carries a secret that he knows will tear them apart.

Emmy knows Logan will pursue the investigation no matter the cost, and she won’t let the man she loves plunge into a dangerous situation alone. She needs to be at his side, even if he believes friendship is her only reason for joining him.

What looks like a robbery gone wrong rapidly shifts, drawing Emmy and Logan into a dizzying maze where nothing is as it appears. Every lead slips through their fingers as threats against them grow deadlier at each turn. Having only each other to rely on, their love for one another deepens, but will they live long enough to admit their attraction to each other?

They’re in the killer’s sights. One wrong move puts their future together and their lives on the line.

https://kavsbestreads.ca/2023/06/07/the-shifting-current-giveaway/

Star of Wonder (within We Three Kings) by Crystal Caudill – Kregel Publications – EBOOK giveaway – Best-selling romance authors Caudill, Putman, and Strong follow three generations of the Weise family in this third collection of Christmas novellas from Kregel that will prove just as popular as the previous award-winning volumes.

“Star of Wonder” by Crystal Caudill
The Christmas-themed maiden voyage of his family’s grand steamer ship was supposed to be Aldrich Weise’s chance both to instill investor confidence and to romance Celestia Isaacs. Instead, he must foil a criminal and leave his lady love behind forever.

You Make it Feel Like Christmas by Toni Shiloh – Bethany House — Winner’s choice of paperback or ebook — Starr Lewis reluctantly returns home for the holidays jobless, single, and not at all prepared to be dragged into her sister’s wedding activities–or to witness her sister’s marriage to Starr’s ex-boyfriend on Christmas Eve. But when her brother’s charming best friend, Waylon Emmerson, attends their family Thanksgiving, Starr begins to believe that maybe coming home isn’t so bad.

As Starr endures wedding preparations, she takes comfort in Waylon’s presence and finds the perfect distraction in helping him keep his late mother’s Christmas shop afloat. As the spark between them grows, Starr must decide what she wants out of life–to go back to New York City or to stay and pursue a new dream.

A joyous, heartwarming, and magical holiday romance from Christy Award-winning author Toni Shiloh that will keep you cozy under the twinkling Christmas lights.

https://kavsbestreads.ca/2023/09/14/you-make-it-feel-like-christmas-giveaway/

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday November 9 2024 (after 12 pm) REMEMBER TO CHECK GIVEAWAY EDITION AVAILABILITY FOR EACH TITLE!

Christy Awards Finalists 2024 – Mystery/Suspense/Thriller

What are the Christy Awards?

How does this giveaway work?

You select ONE of the Mystery/Suspense/Thriller finalists you would like to receive if your name is drawn. Mention the title in a comment. If you win that’s the book that will be sent to you. Easy Peasy. Here are the finalists. (I have provided links to my reviews of the books I have read.)

IMPORTANT TO NOTE:

8 Down by Kimberly Woodhouse – Kregel Publications – Winner’s Choice of paperback or ebook – 8 bodies down, 8 more lives at stake. Investigator Carrie Kintz is new blood with the Alaska Bureau of Investigation in Anchorage. But with a serial killer on the loose, there’s no easing into the job. It’s sink or swim. The only clues to help law enforcement stop this madman are the taunts he drops into crossword puzzles across the country–always in the same 8 DOWN position.

Carrie is desperate to prove her worth to the force and the community by catching the killer. But when she discovers signs that these deaths are just the tip of the iceberg in a frighteningly elaborate cyberattack, it’s time to admit she needs help.

Calling in security specialist Scott Patteson for his expertise seems like the right move–until Carrie realizes that he may be a dangerous distraction for her heart. With her faith fading in the face of horror and uncertainty and her career in danger of ending, this is no time for flirtation.

But with a killer who is determined to prove that he’s smarter than everyone else, it may be impossible to fight both the madman and their feelings for each other . . .

The Lost Boys of Barlowe Theater by Jaime Jo Wright – Bethany House, Baker Publishing Group – Winner’s Choice of paperback or ebook – Barlowe Theater stole the life of Greta Mercy’s brother during its construction. Now in 1915, the completed theater appears every bit as deadly. When Greta’s younger brother goes missing after breaking into the building, Greta engages the assistance of a local police officer to help her uncover the already ghostly secrets of the theater. But when help comes from an unlikely source, Greta decides that to save her family she must put the threat of the phantoms to rest.

Decades later, Kit Boyd’s best friend vanishes during a ghost walk at the Barlowe Theater, and old stories of mysterious disappearances and ghoulish happenings are revived. When television ghost-hunting host and skeptic Evan Fisher engages Kit in the quest to identify the truth behind the theater’s history, Kit reluctantly agrees to work with him in hopes of also finding out what happened to her friend. As the theater’s curse begins to unravel Kit’s own life, she sets out not only to save the historical building and her friend, but to end the pattern of evil that has marked their hometown for a century.

In this atmospheric dual-time tale, two women–separated by a century yet bound by the ghosts of the past–pursue light in the face of darkness.

https://kavsbestreads.ca/2023/12/14/the-lost-boys-of-barlowe-theater-giveaway/

The Vanishing at Castle Moreau by Jaime Jo Wright – Bethany House, Baker Publishing Group – Winner’s choice of paperback or ebook — In 1865, orphaned Daisy Francois takes a position as housemaid at a midwestern Wisconsin castle and finds that the reclusive and eccentric Gothic authoress inside hides more than the harrowing tales in her novels. With women disappearing from the area and a legend that seems to parallel these eerie circumstances, Daisy is thrust into a web that may threaten to steal her sanity, if not her life.

In the present day, Cleo Clemmons is hired by the grandson of American aristocratic family the Tremblays to help his matriarchal grandmother face her hoarding in the dilapidated Castle Moreau. But when Cleo uncovers more than just the woman’s stashes of collectibles, a century-old mystery of disappearance, insanity, and the dust of the old castle’s curse threatens to rise again, and this time, leave no one alive to tell its sordid tale.

Fan-favorite Jaime Jo Wright draws readers into a seamlessly woven dual-time tale of suspense, mystery, romance, and redemption.

https://kavsbestreads.ca/2023/06/13/the-vanishing-at-castle-moreau-giveaway/

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday November 2 2024 (after 12 pm) REMEMBER TO CHECK GIVEAWAY EDITION AVAILABILITY FOR EACH TITLE!

Christy Awards Finalists 2024 – Historical Romance

What are the Christy Awards?

How does this giveaway work?

You select ONE of the Historical Romance finalists you would like to receive if your name is drawn. Mention the title in a comment. If you win that’s the book that will be sent to you. Easy Peasy. Here are the finalists. (I have provided links to my reviews of the books I have read.)

IMPORTANT TO NOTE:

A Winter by the Sea by Julie Klassen – Bethany House, Baker Publishing Group – Winner’s Choice of paperback or ebook – Royalty comes to Sidmouth, bringing unexpected danger and the sweet possibility of romance. .

When the Duke and Duchess of Kent and their daughter—the future Queen Victoria—rent neighboring Woolbrook Cottage for the winter, the Summers sisters are called upon to host three of the royal couple’s male staff in their seaside house. But they soon realize they’ve invited secrets and intrigue into their home.

Meanwhile, Emily Summers longs to become an author. A local publisher offers to consider her novel if she will first write a Sidmouth guidebook for him. Emily agrees and begins researching the area with help from the Duke of Kent’s handsome private secretary. But a surprise visitor from her past shows up at Sea View, leaving Emily torn between the desires she’s long held dear and her budding dreams for the future.

Return to the Devonshire coast with the Summers sisters, where loyalties are tested, secrets come to light, and new love emerges.

https://kavsbestreads.ca/2024/05/07/a-winter-by-the-sea-giveaway/

Of Love and Treason by Jamie Ogle – Tyndale House – Winner’s Choice of paperback or ebook – 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.

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

The Seamstress of Acadie by Laura Frantz – Revell, Baker Publishing Group – Winner’s Choice of paperback or ebook – As 1754 is drawing to a close, tensions between the French and the British on Canada’s Acadian shore are reaching a fever pitch. Seamstress Sylvie Galant and her family–French-speaking Acadians wishing to remain neutral–are caught in the middle, their land positioned between two forts flying rival flags. Amid preparations for the celebration of Noël, the talk is of unrest, coming war, and William Blackburn, the British Army Ranger raising havoc across North America’s borderlands.

As summer takes hold in 1755 and British ships appear on the horizon, Sylvie encounters Blackburn, who warns her of the coming invasion. Rather than participate in the forced removal of the Acadians from their land, he resigns his commission. But that cannot save Sylvie or her kin. Relocated on a ramshackle ship to Virginia, Sylvie struggles to pick up the pieces of her life. When her path crosses once more with William’s, they must work through the complex tangle of their shared, shattered past to navigate the present and forge an enduring future.

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday October 26 2024 (after 12 pm) REMEMBER TO CHECK GIVEAWAY EDITION AVAILABILITY FOR EACH TITLE!

Christy Awards Finalists 2024 – Historical Fiction

What are the Christy Awards?

How does this giveaway work?

IMPORTANT TO NOTE:

Appalachian Song by Michelle Shocklee – Tyndale House – Winner’s Choice of paperback or ebook – Bertie Jenkins has spent forty years serving as a midwife for her community in the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. Out of all the mothers she’s tended, none affects her more than the young teenager who shows up on her doorstep, injured, afraid, and expecting, one warm June day in 1943. As Bertie and her four sisters tenderly nurture Songbird back to health, the bond between the childless midwife and the motherless teen grows strong. But soon Songbird is forced to make a heartbreaking decision that will tear this little family apart.

Thirty years later, the day after his father’s funeral, Walker Wylie is stunned to learn he was adopted as an infant. The famous country singer enlists the help of adoption advocate Reese Chandler in the hopes of learning why he was abandoned by his birth parents. With the only clue he has in hand, Walker and Reese head deep into the Appalachian Mountains to track down Bertie Jenkins, the midwife who holds the secrets to Walker’s past.

For fans of historical and Southern fiction comes a poignant story of love and sacrifice set in the heart of Appalachia, from award-winning author Michelle Shocklee.

https://kavsbestreads.ca/2024/03/04/appalachian-song-giveaway/

The Foxhole Victory Tour by Amy Lynn Green – Bethany House, Baker Publishing Group – Winner’s Choice of paperback or ebook – In World War II, worlds collide when performers across the United States unite to tour North Africa in a USO variety show.

Vibrant and scrappy Maggie McCleod tried not to get fired from her wartime orchestra, but she can’t keep from speaking her mind, so an overseas adventure with the USO’s camp show seems like the perfect fresh start. Wealthy and elegant Catherine Duquette signs with the USO to leave behind her restrictive life of privilege and to find out what happened to the handsome pilot whose letters mysteriously stopped arriving.

The two women are joined by an eclectic group of performers–a scheming blues singer, a veteran tap dancer, and a brooding magician–but the harmony among their troupe is shattered when their tour manager announces he will soon recommend one of them for a new job in the Hollywood spotlight. Each of the five members has a reason to want the contract, and they’ll do whatever is necessary to get it. As their troupe travels closer to combat in Tunisia, personal crises and wartime dangers only intensify, until not only their careers but also their lives are on the line.

The Warsaw Sisters by Amanda Barratt – Revell, Baker Publishing Group – Winner’s Choice of paperback or ebook – On a golden August morning in 1939, sisters Antonina and Helena Dąbrowska send their father off to defend Poland against the looming threat of German invasion. The next day, the first bombs fall on Warsaw, decimating their beloved city and shattering the world of their youth.

When Antonina’s beloved Marek is forced behind ghetto walls along with the rest of Warsaw’s Jewish population, Antonina turns her worry into action and becomes a key figure in a daring network of women risking their lives to shelter Jewish children. Helena finds herself drawn into the ranks of Poland’s secret army, joining the fight to free her homeland from occupation. But the secrets both are forced to keep threaten to tear the sisters apart–and the cost of resistance proves greater than either ever imagined.

Shining a light on the oft-forgotten history of Poland during WWII and inspired by true stories of ordinary individuals who fought to preserve freedom and humanity in the darkest of times, The Warsaw Sisters is a richly rendered portrait of courage, sacrifice, and the resilience of our deepest ties.

https://kavsbestreads.ca/2023/12/12/the-warsaw-sisters-giveaway/

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday October 19 2024 (after 12 pm) REMEMBER TO CHECK GIVEAWAY EDITION AVAILABILITY FOR EACH TITLE!

Christy Awards Finalists 2024 – General Fiction

What are the Christy Awards?

How does this giveaway work?

IMPORTANT TO NOTE:

He Should Have Told the Bees by Amanda Cox – Revell, Baker Publishing Group – Winner’s Choice of paperback or ebook – Beekeeper Beckett Walsh is living her dream, working alongside her father in their apiary, until his untimely death sends her world into a tailspin. She suddenly finds she must deal with a new part owner of the family business–one who is looking to sell the property. Beck cannot fathom why her father would put her into the position to lose everything they built together.

When Callie Peterson is named in the trust of a man she’s never heard of, she’s not sure what to do. Her fledgling business has just taken wing and her mother has reentered her life asking for help getting into rehab for her lifelong substance abuse issues, making Callie’s financial situation rather . . . precarious. She’s sure she has no right to someone else’s farm, but the money from the sale could solve her problems and give her the stability she’s always craved.

As these two women navigate their present conundrum, they will discover a complex and entangled past full of secrets–and the potential for a brighter future for both of them.

The Last Exchange by Charles Martin – Thomas Nelson – Winner’s Choice of paperback or ebook – Here’s the catch—even if I make it out of here alive, I need a reason to breathe again.”

When MacThomas Pockets finished his last tour as part of the Scottish Special Forces, he was hired to consult for a film director to finesse some scenes that weren’t working. In a twist he never saw coming, he ended up moving to L.A. to work as the bodyguard for movie star Maybe Joe Sue.

It didn’t take long for Pockets to realize there were two Joe Sues: The Joe Sue the public saw with her perfect life and her Hollywood husband. And the private Joe Sue: the one with the traumatic youth that no amount of pills could cover up, who desperately wanted a child of her own.

Even after their paths diverged, he continued to track Joe Sue’s life. Only a few would notice when the bottom fell out. But he did. And that’s when he stepped in.

The latest novel from New York Times bestselling author Charles Martin travels from Hollywood to rural Montana as one man answers the question: How far would you go—really—to save someone you love?

The Wind Blows in Sleeping Grass by Katie Power – Bethany House, Baker Publishing Group – Winner’s Choice of paperback or ebook – After years of drifting, fifty-year-old Pete Ryman has settled down with his potbellied pig, Pearl, in the small town of Sleeping Grass–a place he never expected to see again. It’s not the life he dreamed of, but there aren’t many prospects for a high school dropout like him.

Elderly widow Wilma Jacobsen carries a burden of guilt over her part in events that led to Pete leaving Sleeping Grass decades ago. Now that he’s back, she’s been praying for the chance to make things right, but she never expected God’s answer to leave her flat on her face–literally–and up to her ears in meddling.

When the younger sister Pete was separated from as a child shows up in Sleeping Grass with her eleven-year-old son, Pete is forced to face a past he buried long ago, and Wilma discovers her long-awaited chance at redemption may come at a higher cost than she’s willing to pay.

Set in northern Montana along the rugged and remote Hi-Line, Katie Powner’s latest interweaves poignancy and humor to present a story of friendship, forgiveness, and moving forward.

The Year of Jubilee by Cindy Morgan – Tyndale House – Winner’s Choice of paperback or ebook – The Year of Jubilee is a lyrical coming-of-age novel set against the backdrop of the turbulent South in the early 1960s.

Stifled by tragedy, thirteen-year-old Grace Mockingbird yearns to escape her mother’s controlling, grieving hand and find her voice in a small Kentucky coal mining town. A tragic family loss has driven a wedge between Grace and her mother, who seems to be silently punishing Grace by withholding her love. Grace does penance in every chore while doubting she’ll ever earn her mother’s forgiveness.

But change arrives with the hot winds of summer as the frequent clashes of the civil rights movement play out not only on the Mockingbirds’ new television but also in their town, and Grace must decide what she believes amid the swirling, conflicting voices even of those she loves.

Then her younger brother and best friend, Isaac, becomes seriously ill. With the world as she’s always known it shifting around her, Grace must journey past her own fear and through pain to bring healing to those who need it as she tries to save the one person dearest to her.

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday October 12 2024 (after 12 pm) REMEMBER TO CHECK GIVEAWAY EDITION AVAILABILITY FOR EACH TITLE!