Reader’s Choice Week Autumn 2025 Winners

Thanks for joining me for another week full of anticipatory bookish delights! My wishlist is plumped up and I might have placed a few preorders already! Am I the only one who noticed how many books are being released in October? Must be the ‘it’ month for book releases before Christmas.

Now it’s time to indulge my inner stats nerd (who knew she was lurking inside of me for all these years?!) I tallied all the books mentioned on the 4 specific genre days and came up with the popular pick for each one and here they are:

Christmas Popular Pick
won by SYLVIA MILLER
HISTORICAL POPULAR PICK
WON BY SANDY AVERY
CONTEMPORARY POPULAR PICK
WON BY TRACEY
MYSTERY/SUSPENSE POPULAR PICK
WON BY PERRIANNE

AND NOW FOR THE REST OF THE READER’S CHOICE WEEK WINNERS!

CHRISTMAS FICTION
WON BY ELLY COX
CONTEMPORARY FICTION
WON BY WINNIE
MYSTERY/SUSPENSE FICTION
WON BY CINDY DAVIS
CHRISTIAN FICTION
WON BY KATHLEEN
GOALS REVIEW
WON BY CHERYL BARKER

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

CHRISTMAS COVER LOVE
WON BY DIANE FLOWERS

Eyecatching. Campy. Playful. Nostalgic.

historical cover love
won by cc

Striking contrasts. That pop of red! The softer details fading into the background. There’s more to see the more you look.

Contemporary cover love
won by Elizabeth Litton

Love the warm tones, autumn leaves, the turquoise bookmobile. Plus…bookmobile…eeeeepppp!!!!!

Mystery/Suspense cover love
won by Kay Garrett

Simple but so atmospheric!

WAIT! Don’t go away ’cause we’re not through yet. We have another Reader’s Choice tradition of picking a random number which becomes a ‘just because giveaway’ on the genre specific days. If that doesn’t make sense, all you need to know is that it means more book giveaways. Woohoo! This time the number is 70.

70th Historical
won by Trixi
70th contemporary
won by Melmo
70th Mystery/suspense
won by Jo Ruth

And that finishes off another Reader’s Choice Week. Thanks for participating and sharing your love of books!

LOOKING AHEAD TO NEXT WEEK:

Monday

Christy Award Finalists – Yes, it’s that time again. The Christy Award Finalists have been announced and we’re going to check them out by category every Monday. This week it’s Contemporary Fiction.

Tuesday
Wednesday

Hello October! Timely, since we have our lists handy after this week’s rush and lots of books to choose from. This giveaway is for October 2025 Christian Fiction releases. Only one title suggestion though, not the RCW three!

Thursday
Friday

Reader’s Choice Week Giveaway – Autumn 2025 Edition – Goal Review

Quarterly reading goal reviews have become a Best Reads Blog tradition and I can’t believe we’ve reached the last quarter already! Where does the time go, I wonder? Hours spent reading I’m guessing. 🙂

I’ll share my progress (or not!) here just for some fun, book nerdy stats and, if you’re so inclined, you can share a goal or two in the comments. But no pressure – a goal can be as simple as ‘read a book.’

So, to enter this giveaway, just share anything goal related in the comments. Then, in the same comment, list a book that will help you reach your goal. So it looks like this:

“I want to catch up on some suspense series. Night Prey by Susan Sleeman.”

NOTE: BOOKS MUST BE CHRISTIAN FICTION

You can enter up to three times in three separate comments — and you can use the same goal or a different one each time, but a different title for each entry.

Books can be published any time up through to December 2025. Currently published books will be ordered this coming week for winners, otherwise it will be an IOU for a title releasing later.

WINNER’S CHOICE OF PAPERBACK OR EBOOK FOR US AND CANADIAN ENTRIES. EBOOKS ONLY FOR INTERNATIONAL READERS WHO HAVE A US KINDLE ACCOUNT.

See? Easy Peasy. But if you’re still not clear, don’t be shy about asking questions.

Here we go! Time to face up to what’s been working and what hasn’t when it comes to my goals this year.

361 Books Read

Overall, I’ve done fairly well on my goals so far…with a few exceptions. I did manage to increase the number of indie books by a wee bit this past quarter, still aiming for more though.

And my Read to Zero Authors! Oy! I read one Hannah Linder, have Garden of the Midnights on hold at my library so that just leaves two books left (counting her new release in November.) Surely I can manage that by the end of the year! I got sidetracked with Irene Hannon when I decided to reread the whole Hope Harbor series which means I’ve only read two of her Encore edition books so far. Think I still have twelve books to go! I’ve almost given up on Sarah M Eden. Too many books to read before the end of the year. I think she’s going to become a five year plan! I did read The Best-Kept Secret (Huntresses #3) so at least I’m working on it! And I went and added two more authors to the list – Annah Conwell (7 books left) and Gracie Ruth Mitchell (11 books left) because…well…just because! 🙂

Alas, my attempt to focus on completing series has been surpassed by my compulsion to start new series so….that’s a goal well and truly failed. 😦

Okay, that’s enough nerdy stats stuff. Let’s get on with the giveaway!

Share below and remember to include a book title that will help you achieve any kind of reading goal. You can enter three times in three separate comments using the same goal or different ones. What ever strikes your fancy. Just make sure each entry is for a different title.

DRAW WILL BE HELD ON

Saturday September 27 2025

AND WINNER ANNOUNCED ON 

Sunday September 28 2025

(You can enter any of the giveaways up until noon EST on Saturday September 27. Winners will be announced on Sunday September 28 which is a bit of a switch from previous RCWs. It’s just to give me a little more time to do all the tallying and setting up the blog post.). 

Reader’s Choice Giveaway – Autumn 2025 Edition – General Christian Fiction Edition

Three cheers for my favourite season! Cooler temps, vibrant fall colours, geese flying south — I am loving the autumn vibes! And what is one of the first things I do to celebrate the start of the new season? Check into all the fall new releases of course! And that’s where this Reader’s Choice Week comes into play.

Here’s how this week’s giveaway works: You recommend CHRISTIAN FICTION genre specific titles with release dates in October, November or December 2025 (up to 3 suggestions per genre day) and you have a chance to win one of your recommendations! BUT it’s a little more complicated than that so be sure to read ALL the details before entering.

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

IT’S GENERAL CHRISTIAN FICTION GIVEAWAY DAY!

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

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

How does it work?

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

BUT YOU GOTTA FOLLOW THE RULES!

Publication date must be October, November or December 2025

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

Christian Fiction books only please!

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

No email entries this time round since WP comments are working

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

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

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

DRAW WILL BE HELD ON

Saturday September 27 2025

AND WINNER ANNOUNCED ON

Sunday September 28 2025

(You can enter any of the giveaways up until noon EST on Saturday September 27. Winners will be announced on Sunday September 28 which is a bit of a switch from previous RCWs. It’s just to give me a little more time to do all the tallying and setting up the blog post.). 

Reader’s Choice Giveaway – Autumn 2025 – Mystery/Suspense Fiction

Three cheers for my favourite season! Cooler temps, vibrant fall colours, geese flying south — I am loving the autumn vibes! And what is one of the first things I do to celebrate the start of the new season? Check into all the fall new releases of course! And that’s where this Reader’s Choice Week comes into play.

Here’s how this week’s giveaway works: You recommend CHRISTIAN FICTION genre specific titles with release dates in October, November or December 2025 (up to 3 suggestions per genre day) and you have a chance to win one of your recommendations! BUT it’s a little more complicated than that so be sure to read ALL the details before entering.

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

IT’S MYSTERY/ROMANCE FICTION GIVEAWAY DAY!

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

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

How does it work?

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

BUT YOU GOTTA FOLLOW THE RULES!

Publication date must be October, November or December 2025

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

Christian Fiction books only please!

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

No email entries this time round since WP comments are working

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

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

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

DRAW WILL BE HELD ON

Saturday September 27 2025

AND WINNER ANNOUNCED ON

Sunday September 28 2025

(You can enter any of the giveaways up until noon on Saturday September 27 2025 . Winners will be announced on Sunday – a bit of a switch from previous RCWs. It’s to give me more time to do all the tallying and set up the blog post.)

Reader’s Choice Giveaway – Autumn 2025 Edition – Contemporary Fiction

Three cheers for my favourite season! Cooler temps, vibrant fall colours, geese flying south — I am loving the autumn vibes! And what is one of the first things I do to celebrate the start of the new season? Check into all the fall new releases of course! And that’s where this Reader’s Choice Week comes into play.

Here’s how this week’s giveaway works: You recommend CHRISTIAN FICTION genre specific titles with release dates in October, November or December 2025 (up to 3 suggestions per genre day) and you have a chance to win one of your recommendations! BUT it’s a little more complicated than that so be sure to read ALL the details before entering.

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

IT’S CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE/FICTION GIVEAWAY DAY!

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

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

How does it work?

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

BUT YOU GOTTA FOLLOW THE RULES!

Publication date must be October, November or December 2025

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

Christian Fiction books only please!

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

No email entries this time round since WP comments are working

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

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

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

DRAW WILL BE HELD ON

Saturday September 27 2025

AND WINNER ANNOUNCED ON

Sunday September 28 2024

You can enter any of the giveaways up until noon on Saturday September 27 2025. Winners will be announced on Sunday September 28 . (A bit of a switch from previous RCWs just to give me a little more time to do all the tallying and setting up the blog post.)

Reader’s Choice Giveaway – Autumn 2025 Edition – Historical Fiction

Three cheers for my favourite season! Cooler temps, vibrant fall colours, geese flying south — I am loving the autumn vibes! And what is one of the first things I do to celebrate the start of the new season? Check into all the fall new releases of course! And that’s where this Reader’s Choice Week comes into play.

Here’s how this week’s giveaway works: You recommend CHRISTIAN FICTION genre specific titles with release dates in October, November or December 2025 (up to 3 suggestions per genre day) and you have a chance to win one of your recommendations! BUT it’s a little more complicated than that so be sure to read ALL the details before entering.

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

IT’S HISTORICAL ROMANCE/FICTION GIVEAWAY DAY!

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

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

How does it work?

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

BUT YOU GOTTA FOLLOW THE RULES

Publication date must be October, November or December 2025

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

Christian Fiction books only please!

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

No email entries this time round since WP comments are working

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

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

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

DRAW WILL BE HELD ON

Saturday September 27 2025

AND WINNER ANNOUNCED ON

Sunday September 28 2024

(You can enter any of the giveaways up until noon EST on Saturday September 27. Winners will be announced on Sunday September 28 (A bit of a switch from previous RCWs first to give me a little more time to do all the tallying and setting up the blog post.).

Reader’s Choice Giveaway – Autumn 2025 Edition -Christmas Fiction

Three cheers for my favourite season! Cooler temps, vibrant fall colours, geese flying south — I am loving the autumn vibes! And what is one of the first things I do to celebrate the start of the new season? Check into all the fall new releases of course! And that’s where this Reader’s Choice Week comes into play.

Here’s how this week’s giveaway works: You recommend CHRISTIAN FICTION genre specific titles with release dates in October, November or December 2025 (up to 3 suggestions per genre day) and you have a chance to win one of your recommendations! BUT it’s a little more complicated than that so be sure to read ALL the details before entering.

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

IT’S CHRISTMAS FICTION GIVEAWAY DAY!

To be entered in the draw just leave a comment (or 3) below, including the title(s) of the books in the Christmas Fiction genre you would like to win. Last week we looked at Christmas books that got away from us. Now it’s time to look ahead to the new Christmas releases just about to come out. So, let’s get our thinking caps on and do a bit of online digging and share the festive novels we’re anticipating the most.

How does it work?

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

BUT YOU GOTTA FOLLOW THE RULES!

Publication date must be October, November or December 2025

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

Christian Fiction books only please!

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

No email entries this time round since WP comments are working

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

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

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

DRAW WILL BE HELD

Saturday September 27 2025

AND WINNERS ANNOUNCED ON

Sunday September 28 2025

(You can enter any of the giveaways up until noon EST on Saturday September 27. Winners will be announced on Sunday September 28. (A bit of a switch from previous RCWs just to give me a little more time to do all the tallying and setting up the blog post.)

September Giveaway – Week Three

won by Lori Smanski
won by Bridget
won by Kim
won by Tammy Hudson
won by Roxanne

Winners will be contacted if they left their email address, otherwise it’s up to the winner to contact me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca (please note it’s ca as in Canada, not com.) From time to time a winner and I do not connect so I have a one month time frame on giveaway wins. If I haven’t been able to reach you within 30 days of your win, it will be forfeited. This has happened a few times now, so please, DON’T BE SHY — CONTACT ME IF YOU DIDN’T LEAVE AN EMAIL OR IF I HAVEN’T BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN REACHING YOU!

LOOKING AHEAD TO NEXT WEEK:

Drum roll, please…..it’s time for the final READER’S CHOICE WEEK of the year!!!! Can you believe it??????? For those of you who don’t know, RCW is when we look ahead to Christian Fiction books about to be released – in this case in the months of October, November or December 2025. The days are dedicated to specific genres and you can enter the title of a book you’re excited about (or books, actually, since you can enter up to three titles per genre day.) If your name is drawn, you win an IOU for that book, which will be preordered for you. There are more rules, so check them out in each post so you’re in the know. This is what the week is going to look like:

Sunday

Last week we looked at Christmas books that got away from us. Now it’s time to look ahead to the new Christmas releases just about to come out. So, let’s get our thinking caps on and do a bit of online digging and share the festive novels we’re anticipating the most.

Monday

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

Tuesday

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

Wednesday

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

Thursday

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

Friday

Goal Reviews – where we catch each other up on how we’re doing with our reading goals and suggest books that will help us achieve those goals.

Double Protection Duty

When a toddler goes missing,
a K-9 team must move fast.

A family trip to the Wind Caves National Park quickly turns into a nightmare when K-9 officer Kenyon Graves discovers one of his twin boys has been abducted. Now Kenyon needs the help of his team and his longtime friend Raina McCord to save his toddler son. But the kidnappers are elusive—and intent on killing anyone who stands in the way of their sinister scheme. With threats closing in, time is of the essence to catch these criminals…before Kenyon and Raina pay the ultimate price.

My Review:

Who can resist a dedicated beagle K-9 officer? Especially one named Peanut! I love everything about these Love Inspired Suspense K-9 series, but especially the different dogs who come with their own unique personalities and human/dog bonding experiences.

Peanut’s partner, Kenyon is trying to get his life back together after years of trauma. His wife died leaving him a single parent to infant twins. He was shot in the line of duty, lost his memory and struggled through exhaustive rehab. His best friend Raina has been his rock through it all and now that things are finally settling into some kind of normal, he’s beginning to realize that he might have feelings for Raina that go beyond friendship. But before he can figure out what that means, danger hits way too close to home.

A kidnapped child. Multiple attacks that put Raina at risk. Suddenly everything Kenyon hold’s dear is in danger. This tense, action packed suspense featuring a friends to more romance kept me riveted right up to the last page.

This is the seventh novel in the ‘Dakota K-9 Unit’ continuity series but reads well as a standalone (has it’s own unique suspense plot) though there is more page time focusing on the gun smuggling ring with all the team because we’re getting close to the series’ grand finale. Eep!!! I can’t wait for ‘Final Showdown’s‘ release in October since there is some ominous foreshadowing at the end of this story. Plus it will feature the romance I have been waiting for! Eeeeppp! I’m so excited!

I happily listened to the audio book of ‘Double Protection Duty’ narrated by Marisa Blake whose performance added extra tension to the romance and desperation to the suspense. Really loved the way she brought this story to life.

My thanks to Harlequin Audio and Net Galley for providing me with an audio copy of this book.

Disappearance in Alaska + Giveaway

A kidnapper will stop at nothingto silence the only witness.

The last thing Ava Kindred remembers before being thrown off a cliff and left for dead in the Alaskan wilderness is witnessing her friend’s abduction. And when she’s saved by local police chief Mark Tremblay, she enlists his help to track down her friend. Except no trace of this woman’s existence can be found and their search only leads to dead ends. But they can’t deny that Ava’s life is in danger. With time running out and unknown enemies just steps behind, can they discover what really happened before Ava’s permanently silenced?

My Review:

Another compulsive romantic suspense from Elisabeth Rees! And this one has a kinda psychological thriller vibe that is so compelling! Ava’s desperation is palpable, her confusion heartbreaking and her struggle to find someone she can trust amps up the tension that much more.

Mark is a hyperviligent sheriff who finds uncanny parallels between Ava’s situation and the way his sister died. He’s struggling with grief and misplaced guilt and is determined he won’t fail Ava the way he did his sister. His journey towards acceptance and closure is so moving and provides a lovely inspirational component to the story.

The action and danger is nonstop and there’s an aspect of the suspense that makes it even edgier. (I can’t say more without posting spoilers and I’d never do that!) Just know this book is chockfull of compulsive page-turning goodness from start to finish!

Or, in my case, compulsive listening since I enjoyed the audio edition of ‘Disappearance in Alaska’ narrated by Jennifer Sun Bell. She captured all the tension and drama perfectly which made for a wonderful listening experience.

My thanks to Harlequin Audio and Net Galley for providing me with an audio edition of this book.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

US – available in print or ebook — winner’s choice

Canada – paperback, ebook or audible (if available) — winner’s choice

International – ebook copy if you have a US Kindle account.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Disappearance in Alaska  leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday September 20 2025