Tuesday, November 25, 2025

Celebrate Lit Blog Tour: Shilo by Jennifer Lynn Cary

Book: Shilo: A Sweet, Quirky, Romantic Muddle (The Weather Girls Wedding Shoppe and Venue: Book 7)

Author: Jennifer Lynn Cary

Genre: Sweet Romantic Comedy

Release Date: May 1, 2025

From Breck Girl to Hippie to Jesus People…

…It’s been a long journey back home

But can her heart truly find peace where it all began?

When free-spirit Shilo Anderson inherits two million dollars with an unexpected condition—marriage—she refuses to be bound by her grandfather’s will. Until her beloved aunt faces cancer with no insurance to cover chemotherapy.

She won’t marry for money for herself, but to save her aunt’s life? She’ll make that sacrifice in a heartbeat.

Maybe.

Jesse Franklin never forgot his first love. When her grandfather’s will brings Shilo back to their hometown, he discovers his love for her has only deepened with time. Offering to marry her to help save her aunt, no problem.

Keeping it a marriage of convenience, that might be a problem. More like impossible.

As their feelings grow stronger, Shilo faces her greatest fear: revealing the truth about her past decade. Can she make Jesse see she doesn’t belong on anyone’s pedestal?

Return to 1973 Kokomo, Indiana, where faith shapes the journey and the legend of the cardinal in the sycamore still proves true love endures all seasons.

You will enjoy this sweet, quirky tale of second chances, because sometimes the rough patches prepare us for the wildly wonderful.

Click here to get your copy!

Historical Christian Romance author and three-time Selah Award nominee, Jennifer Lynn Cary, likes to say you can take the girl out of Indiana, but you can’t take the Hoosier out of the girl. Now transplanted to the Arizona desert, this direct descendant of Davy Crockett and her husband of forty-plus years enjoy time with family where she shares tales of her small-town heritage and family legacies with their grandchildren. She is the author of The Crockett Chronicles series, The Relentless series, and The Weather Girls trilogy, as well as the stand-alone novel, Cheryl’s Going Home, her novella Tales of the Hob Nob Annex Café, and her split-time novels The Traveling Prayer Shawl and The Forgotten Gratitude Journal. Her current spin-off series, The Weather Girls Wedding Shoppe and Venue, contains standalones with a common thread.

More from Jennifer

The story for Shilo has been fermenting in my brain for a long time. I had always loved Neil Diamond’s song of the same title and could see his characters playing out their parts and thought what would happen if the girl came back after ten years?

However, what I didn’t catch was that Shilo in the song was a boy, an imaginary boy who’d been a friend to a lonely boy.

In my brain, I missed the importance of him turning to his only friend in his mind.

Instead, I had a little girl moving in next door—she was Shilo—and they went from being friends to first loves, but something called her away and though he understood, he called her name like before hoping she’d return.

Okay, so not what Neil Diamond had in mind, but it became Jesse’s back story.

Then I had to ask, what was so important that she had to leave? That’s when I remembered Breck Girls. Do you remember them?

There was a time as a child that I thought one of the Breck Girls on the back of a magazine was so beautiful, I said, “She’s prettier than Mom.”

I was quickly (verbally) chastised by my dad who made sure to inform me that no one was prettier than my mom. I never thought of it as an insult. My mom was the high standard for beauty, and for someone to be even prettier, they were definitely a looker. However, I learned to keep those types of opinions to myself if my Dad was around. Mom understood and didn’t take offense—in fact, as I meant it, she thought it was a compliment that I found her so pretty.

All that to say that Breck Girls were a part of my growing up years, into the seventies. I wondered how Breck Girls were chosen, and if Shilo could/should be one. I learned there’s even an exhibit at the Smithsonian dedicated to Breck Girls and those lovely pastel portraits.

So, when (my) Shilo told Jesse she had to go before he could tell her that he loved her, it was because she’d been chosen to be a Breck Girl. Now I had a framework to start building the story.

I hope that when you read Shilo: A Sweet, Quirky, Romantic Muddle, you will be transported back to 1973 with many of your own memories.

Abundant blessings,

Jenny

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, November 15
The Important Things in Life: God, Books, & Chocolate , November 15
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 16
Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, November 17
A Reader’s Brain, November 18 (Author Interview)
Texas Book-aholic, November 19
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, November 20 (Author Interview)
For Him and My Family, November 21
Books Less Travelled, November 22 (Author Interview)
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, November 23
Mary Hake, November 24
The Mommies Reviews, November 24
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, November 25
Roads to Everywhere, November 26
Fiction Book Lover, November 27 (Author Interview)
Pause for Tales, November 28

To celebrate her tour, Jennifer is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card and an eBook copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/3d5a5/shilo-celebration-tour-giveaway

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Monday, November 24, 2025

Celebrate Lit Blog Tour: Dueling Hearts by Vickie McDonough

Book: Dueling Hearts

Author: Vickie McDonough

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release Date: November 11, 2025

She blames him for her brother’s death, and he’s determined to make amends. But as family secrets and forbidden longing pull them closer, they must choose between pride and the chance to heal.

Carina Zimmer has spent years hating the Bishops for destroying her family. Now managing Tanglewood Plantation and caring for her bedridden father, she wants nothing to do with Reed Bishop—the man who killed her brother. But when Reed returns from medical school and begins treating the injured and vulnerable, Carina can’t ignore the compassion behind his actions or the growing pull between them.

Reed Bishop came home to start a medical practice and make amends for past mistakes. But when he treats an injured slave at a neighboring plantation, he comes face-to-face with Carina Zimmer—the sister of the man he believes he killed in a duel years ago. He never expected to fall for the fiery woman struggling to keep her family’s plantation alive. Yet every encounter with Carina challenges his guilt and deepens his desire to earn her trust.

As secrets surface and loyalties are tested, Carina and Reed must decide if love is worth risking everything—even the legacy of those they’ve sworn to honor.

Click here to get your copy!

Vickie McDonough is the CBA, EPCA and Amazon best-selling author of 54 books and novellas. Vickie grew up wanting to marry a rancher, but instead, she married a computer geek who is scared of horses. She now lives out her dreams penning romance stories about ranchers, cowboys, lawmen, and others living in the Old West. Vickie’s books have won numerous awards including the Booksellers Best, OWFI Best Fiction Novel Award, the Inspirational Readers’ Choice awards. When she’s not writing, Vickie enjoys reading, making cards, gardening, and traveling.

More from Vickie

While I was researching ideas for Dueling Hearts, my third book in the Windswept Weddings series, I stumble across some information about dueling in America. I hadn’t read a Christian book that had characters who were in a duel, so I thought that would be an interesting premise. Reed Bishop, my hero in Dueling Hearts, is the grandson of Cooper Reed from Secrets of the Heart. He finds himself forced into a duel on the eve of his leaving for Scotland to become a doctor. I’ll let you read the book to find out what happens.

Dueling in the United States had mostly been outlawed by 1850. The Broderick-Terry duel, fought in California in 1859, is often considered the last notable duel in the United States. U.S. Senator David Broderick and California Supreme Court Chief Justice David S. Terry engaged in a pistol duel near Lake Merced, resulting in Broderick’s death. Sadly, the two were once friends.

Here’s what Dueling Hearts is about:

She blames him for her brother’s death, and he’s determined to make amends. But as family secrets and forbidden longing pull them closer, they must choose between pride and the chance to heal.

Carina Zimmer has spent years hating the Bishops for destroying her family. Now managing Tanglewood Plantation and caring for her bedridden father, she wants nothing to do with Reed Bishop—the man who killed her brother. But when Reed returns from medical school a more mature man and begins treating the injured and vulnerable, Carina can’t ignore the compassion behind his actions or the growing pull between them.

Reed Bishop came home to start a medical practice and make amends for past mistakes. But when he treats an injured slave at a neighboring plantation, he comes face-to-face with Carina Zimmer—the sister of the man he killed in a duel years ago. He never expected to fall for the fiery woman struggling to keep her family’s plantation alive. Yet every encounter with Carina challenges his guilt and deepens his desire to earn her trust.

As secrets surface and loyalties are tested, Carina and Reed must decide if love is worth risking everything—even the legacy of those they’ve sworn to honor

Pens Pages & Pulses, November 18
Holly’s Book Corner, November 18
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 19
Simple Harvest Reads, November 20 (Guest Review from Marilyn)
Texas Book-aholic, November 21
Lyssa Loves Books, November 21
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, November 22
Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, November 23
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, November 24
Book Holds and Jello Molds, November 24
For Him and My Family, November 25
Devoted To Hope, November 26
Stories By Gina, November 27 (Author Interview)
Books Less Travelled, November 28
Cover Lover Book Review, November 29
The Mommies Reviews, November 29
Locks, Hooks and Books, November 30
Artistic Nobody, December 1 (Guest Review from Donna)
Pause for Tales, December 1

To celebrate her tour, Vickie is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/3dc73/dueling-hearts-celebration-tour-giveaway

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Sunday, November 23, 2025

Celebrate Lit Blog Tour: Sermons from a Soapbox, Messages of Hope and Encouragement by Ladonna Shanks

Book: Sermons from a Soapbox, Messages of Hope and Encouragement

Author: Ladonna Shanks

Genre: Devotional, based on personal experience; Memoir; Adult Nonfiction; “Life Lesson Essays”

Release Date: April 8, 2025

“What is God like?

Does He even exist, other than as a figment of the imagination?

Or is He real, a part of daily life and our world?

In Sermons from a Soapbox, Ladonna Shanks shares her personal spiritual journey of more than seventy-five years. “I cannot write what I have not experienced,” serves as the base of her easy-to-read, anecdotal essays. The short “sermons” challenge the reader to think, question, search, and consider living where God is . . . in the spiritual, long-term, instead of humankind’s physical, short-term.

Click here to get your copy!

Ladonna Shanks was born and raised in Oregon’s lush Willamette Valley. During her several decades of life, she has been an entrepreneur, a small business owner, and, most recently, a writer. Her first book, Tidbits and Pearls, A Book of Essays on Living Everyday Life with God was published in 2019. Ladonna’s family, including five grandgirls, and her commitment to God serve as her priorities.

More from Ladonna

The desire and passion to share God’s quest for friendship with humankind has driven me to write of my personal experiences with Him. “I cannot write what I have not experienced” is my mantra.

The easy-to-read anecdotal essays make up both of my books: Tidbits and Pearls, A Book of Essays on Living Everyday Life with God and my newly published Sermons from a Soapbox, Messages of Hope and Encouragement. (My editor calls them “Life’s Lessons Essays.)

I never preach, but I share my life. My desire is to challenge the reader to consider life in the long-term, eternal instead of the short-term, physical. I want them to think.

I am open, honest, and transparent as I present my weaknesses, failures, and inadequacies in contrast to God’s faithfulness, care, and love.

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, November 13
Simple Harvest Reads, November 14 (Author Interview)
Texas Book-aholic, November 15
Artistic Nobody, November 16 (Author Interview)
Guild Master, November 17 (Author Interview)
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 17
The Sacred Line, November 18
Lots of Helpers, November 19
Fiction Book Lover, November 20 (Author Interview)
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, November 21
Vicky Sluiter, November 22 (Author Interview)
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, November 23
For the Love of Literature, November 24 (Author Interview)
Because I said So, November 24
Tell Tale Book Reviews, November 25 (Author Interview)
Girls in White Dresses, November 26

To celebrate her tour, Ladonna is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card, copy of my book, and a set of 6 blank note cards created by myself using floral photos!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/3d5a0/sermons-from-a-soapbox-celebration-tour-giveaway

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Saturday, November 22, 2025

Celebrate Lit Blog Tour: The Seed of Faith: A Christmas Miracle by Daniel Petronelli

Book: The Seed of Faith: A Christmas Miracle

Author: Daniel Petronelli

Genre: Childrens Christian, Religion & Spirituality, Holiday Celebration, Children’s Chapter Book, Inspirational, Action & Adventure

Release Date: October , 2021

In the small foothill village of Shiloh on a stormy Christmas Eve, a group of children find themselves lost in a powerful storm. When a chance encounter with a kind stranger presents itself, their faith is put to the test as they discover the true meaning of Christmas, learn valuable life lessons, and experience the transformative power of just one tiny seed: The Seed of Faith.

This unforgettable, multi-award-winning story will inspire readers of all ages to believe in miracles and the enduring presence of God in their lives.

Click here to get your copy!

I really LOVE a Christmas Themed book, especially for Children. I was really excited to be able to read a new one. 
The Seed of Faith: A Christmas Miracle by Daniel Petronelli is the latest book that I have read.

 WOW, a truly enjoyable book from the very first page. I LOVED the narration from Father to Daughter of a story from 40yrs ago. The story is one of Helping others and Giving is Better then receiving. I truly believe it is better to give then receive and to see the 3 Young boys go above and beyond to help others is truly heartwarming. The book would make a GREAT Read Along for Families during the holiday season or anytime of year. The book is great for kids who are just getting into chapter books. The book is one of Faith, knowing that God will provide even in the toughest times, and one that shows a great message during the holiday season. I would HIGHLY recommend this book for Families and New Readers. GREAT BOOK!

Dan Petronelli was born and raised in Brockton, Massachusetts. He currently divides his time with his wife between West Bridgewater, Massachusetts, and Stuart, Florida.

He is a strong member of his local community and has served as a Christian worship leader.

Dan Petronelli participated in Smith Magazine’s Six-Word Memoir contest, and his memoir was selected and later published by HarperCollins.

When not with his family and friends, he can be found on the first tee … asking for another mulligan.

Dan found a message in a bottle when he was a young boy tinkering on a rocky shoreline. It was a profound spiritual message that he has kept and still treasures today.

This inspired story was written as a cherished Christmas gift for his family, and it is his hope that the SEED OF FAITH will also bring joy and continue to grow in the hearts of readers around the world.

More from Daniel

The Seed of Faith: A Christmas Miracle is an inspired story about the power of faith. I initially wrote this inspirational story for my family as a Christmas gift. The story emphasizes that even a “ tiny seed “ planted with faith can bring miracles. It is my hope that the Seed of Faith: A Christmas Miracle will continue to grow in the hearts of readers around the world.

The Sacred Line, November 12
Simple Harvest Reads, November 13 (Author Interview)
Texas Book-aholic, November 14
History, Hope & Happily Ever After, November 15 (Author Interview)
The Mommies Reviews , November 15
Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, November 16
Artistic Nobody, November 17 (Author Interview)
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 18
Guild Master, November 19 (Author Interview)
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, November 20
Fiction Book Lover, November 21 (Author Interview)
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, November 22
Books Less Travelled, November 23 (Author Interview)
Paula’s Pad of Inspiration, November 24 (Author Interview)
Vicky Sluiter, November 25 (Author Interview)
The Bookish Pilgrim, November 25

To celebrate his tour, Daniel is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Visa Gift Certificate and a signed hardcover copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/3dc71/the-seed-of-faith-a-christmas-miracle-celebration-tour-giveaway

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Friday, November 21, 2025

Celebrate Lit Blog Tour: The Songbird and the Surveryor by Denise Farnsworth writing as Denise Weimer

Book: The Songbird and the Surveyor

Author: Denise Farnsworth writing as Denise Weimer

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release Date: November 3, 2025

A marriage of protection. A past full of pain. In Georgia’s wild gold country, love might strike when it’s least expected.

Genevieve Gillbard knows she’s no longer safe in the rough-and-tumble gold rush town when she overhears her controlling guardian’s plot to steal gold from a local mine owner. It takes every ounce of her courage to escape, and now she’ll do anything to keep herself safe, even accept a temporary marriage of convenience from a man who clearly wants nothing more than his independence.

After losing his first wife, surveyor Jesse Holden swore never to let anyone close enough to need him again. But when he discovers the woman he knows as the Songbird of Auraria injured and unconscious in the woods, he can’t abandon her, not with the memory of his failure to protect his wife hanging over him. He’ll keep this woman safe until she’s out of harm’s way, even if it means doing the one thing he swore he’d never do again.

As Genny recovers under Jesse’s care, she discovers he’s nothing like the manipulative men of her past. But can she trust him with her heart—knowing he plans to leave as soon as her guardian is brought to justice? And even then, she fears the sham marriage might not be enough to keep her safe from her guardian’s long reach.

Click here to get your copy!

North Georgia native Denise Farnsworth has authored around twenty traditionally published novels and a number of novellas—historical and contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and time slip. As a freelance editor and Acquisitions & Editorial Liaison for Wild Heart Books, she’s helped other authors reach their publishing dreams. A mother of two wonderful young adult daughters, Denise always pauses for coffee, chocolate, and old houses.

More from Denise

A Gold Rush…in Georgia?

Celebrate Lit Blog Post for The Songbird and the Surveyor by Denise Farnsworth

(writing as Denise Weimer)

Did you know there was a gold rush in Georgia that began twenty years before gold was discovered in California? That Georgia gold was purer than any found in the country? Comment below if you did. And I tip my hat to you. I come across many native Georgians who are unaware of this major event in their state’s history.

My first series, The Georgia Gold Series, touched on the Georgia Gold Rush. In the ten years since its release, I’ve written novels set between the Revolutionary War and contemporary times. (I also recently got married. Thus, the name change from Denise Weimer to Denise Farnsworth. I hope you’ll look for my future novels under my new name!) The period of the 1830s is one largely untouched in American history by fiction writers. I always knew I might revisit that decade in more detail. Thus, The Twenty-Niners of the Georgia Gold Rush was born.

Gold was first discovered by white men on Coker Creek in 1827, but it wasn’t until fall of 1828, when Benjamin Parks found a nugget as he returned from filling his cattle’s lick log west of the Chestatee River, that the mining industry exploded in North Georgia. The area was flooded by prospectors who clashed with the native Cherokee people. The land was soon taken from them and divvied up in a lottery of ninety-two districts, with farming plots set at a hundred and sixty acres and gold lots at forty acres. By June of 1832, almost six hundred surveyors from across Georgia were hard at work.

The gold belt stretched from Clarkesville to Canton (the setting of book two), with major concentrations near Dahlonega (the setting of book three). Auraria, located on the mountain ridge between the Etowah and Chestatee rivers, was one of the boom towns that lingered into the twentieth century, although now only a few abandoned buildings remain. Think Wild West before the west went wild. Into this setting I dropped the story of a guilt-haunted surveyor with a dangerous streak of wanderlust and an orphan who’s learned to sing for her life.

Genevieve Gillbard’s neglectful father has died and left her in the care of her guardian, a volatile saloon owner with unwholesome intentions. When she overhears a plot that implicates Charles Martin and one of his employees in a scheme to kidnap her and siphon off a local miner’s gold, Genevieve flees…right into the arms of another man she surely can’t trust.

Blaming himself for the death of his wife, Jesse Holden wants nothing less than being saddled with the wounded songbird he rescued from a drunken miner on his first trip to Auraria. But when he learns that Genny’s guardian is the same man responsible for his wife’s death, he agrees to shelter her to give his sheriff friend, also his former brother-in-law, time to entrap Charles. Neither of them expect to be forced into a marriage in name only—at least until Genny reaches her majority. Despite his efforts to hold his heart at bay, Jesse was raised by his minister-father to treat women right—something so new to Genny, it crumbles her walls. But will the emotional price of trusting Jesse prove higher than the risk to her physical safety?

Although set near raucous boom town of Auraria, The Songbird and the Surveyor is a story of quiet healing and second chances. Of rescues and God’s miraculous redirection. Of learning to spot the real among the counterfeit…and hold onto it for all you’re worth.