Saturday, November 7, 2026

Celebrate Lit Blog Tour: Not So Very Sensible by Carolyn Miller

Book: Not So Very Sensible (The Silver Teapot Series Book 3)

Author: Carolyn Miller

Genre: Christian Romance

Release Date: October, 2026

Two Sisters Navigate the Minefield of Modern Dating

Elinor and Katie Bennett are as opposite as sisters can be: Elinor loves structure, planning and design, while Katie’s head is in the clouds as she chases fanciful, romantic dreams. A college graduation trip to the Blue Mountains sees them staying at the Hydro Grand hotel for a murder mystery weekend. There, they end up meeting two men who just might hold the keys to their hearts—taking the sensible Elinor Bennett by surprise while crushing the romantic Katie’s hopes. . .and proving that the path of love doesn’t always follow one’s plans or dreams.

Click here to get your copy!

Christian Contemporary Romance is a genre that I read very often. Not So Very Sensible by Carolyn Miller is Book 3 in the Silver Teapot series. I have been enjoying this series from the beginning.

WOW, this storyline was very captivating. The main characters in the book are sisters, Elinor and Katie Bennett and also Ethan Ferris . Elinor and Katie are on a trip to the Blue Mountains and are participating in a Murder Mystery Weekend. Elinor loves spending time with her sister and they are enjoying their time together. They meet 2 men and they strike up conversation with them. Elinor is interested in Ethan Farris and they spend sometime together. Ellie and Ethan discover they have so much in common, including their faith. The weekend ends and they know they want to keep in touch and exchange contact info. Ellie is awaiting contact with Ethan, unfortunately he has lost his phone. Misunderstandings occur between Ethan and his family. Eliie feels her heart is broken when she doesn't hear from Ethan. The storyline focuses on "Gods Plans are Greater than our Own". Trusting in God, LOVE and Faith.The book is based on the Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility book. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Christian Romance with an English flare. WONDERFUL BOOK!

Carolyn Miller is an inspirational Regency and contemporary romance author who lives in the beautiful Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, with her husband and four children. Together with her husband, she has pastored a church for ten years and worked as a public high school English and Learning and Support teacher.

A longtime lover of romance, especially that of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer’s Regency era, Carolyn holds a BA in English Literature and loves drawing readers into fictional worlds that show the truth of God’s grace in our lives.

More from Carolyn

Do you have a favourite ‘classic’ book?

Many people claim Anne of Green Gables or Pride and Prejudice to be among their favourites. And while I love both of these books I chose a different one of Jane Austen’s works to be the focus of my new book Not So Very Sensible.

Jane Austen fans will recognise the link to Sense and Sensibility, a tale of two sisters and their challenges with finding real love. And while in Not So Very Sensible we have two sisters who are the focus of this story, they have two older sisters as well who have been the focus of the other books in The Silver Teapot series, Not Exactly Mr Darcy and Not Precisely Mr. Knightley.

In Not So Very Sensible it was fun to look at the dynamics between Ellie (the sensible sister) and Katie (the more ‘sensitive’ one inclined to passion and emotion). I have a younger sister, and our relationship is pretty good, but some sisterly relationships aren’t always easy. Ellie often feels like she has to look after her younger sibling who is far more prone to following her heart and wearing her emotions on her sleeve—while Ellie can’t think of anything worse. Ellie and Katie love each other, but their challenges to be honest with each other provide one of the fascinating strands of tension in this book.

One of the things my sister and I love to do is to visit historic homes, which is a lot easier for her because she lives in England. Here in my corner of Australia we have some heritage places, and it was really fun to set this book in an iconic heritage hotel in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales. This hotel (which had its name changed for the purpose of my story) has hosted famous people like Arthur Conan Doyle, so it was wonderful to include lots of the hotel’s details in my story’s setting.

My husband and I visited the hotel last year and enjoyed a special high tea to celebrate our wedding anniversary, and a picture of us there became the inspiration for the cover of Not So Very Sensible. I took lots of other pictures (which you can see on my website) so I hope readers enjoy the lengths I go to for the sake of research!

If you enjoy books with heart, hope and humour then I hope you’ll enjoy reading Not So Very Sensible – happy reading awaits!

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, October 30
Book Looks by Lisa, October 30
She Lives to Read, October 31
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 1
Texas Book-aholic, November 2
Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, November 3
Leslie’s Library Escape, November 3
For Him and My Family, November 4
Lyssa Loves Books, November 5
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, November 6
Pause for Tales, November 6
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, November 7
Sylvan Reads, November 8
Blossoms and Blessings, November 9
Holly’s Book Corner, November 10
Cover Lover Book Review, November 11
Melissa’s Bookshelf, November 11
Wishful Endings, November 12
Tell Tale Book Reviews, November 12

To celebrate her tour, Carolyn is giving away the grand prize of a $25 Amazon e-Gift card and a 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://gleam.io/cLby4/not-so-very-sensible-celebration-tour-giveaway

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Friday, November 6, 2026

JustRead Tours Blog Tour: Pride & Practicality by Pepper Basham

Pride and Practicality JustRead Takeover + Review Tour

Welcome to the Takeover + Review Blitz for Pride & Practicality by Pepper Basham, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

Title: Pride & Practicality

Author: Pepper Basham

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Release Date: November 3, 2026

Genre: Clean Regency Romantic Comedy

In a world ruled by reputation, compassion may be the most scandalous act of all.

Arianna Reeves knows how quickly admiration can turn into exile. One poorly placed trust, one disastrously charming rake, and she is no longer society's darling--but its favorite cautionary tale.

Now returned home--uninvited and unmistakably whispered about--Arianna is determined to make amends with her estranged family and do something useful with her thoroughly ruined life. Even if polite society would prefer she did it at a very great distance from anyone respectable.

Thomas Bridges, a principled clergyman with an inconvenient habit of thinking for himself, is already walking a narrow line. His congregation expects propriety, his mother expects matrimony, and both have very firm opinions about his future. Thomas, however, would prefer a life guided by conviction . . . even when it proves impractical.

When Arianna repeatedly--and quite disruptively--crosses his path, Thomas faces a dilemma no sermon prepared him for. She is not at all what she ought to be: not dull, not foolish, and--most dangerously--not someone he can overlook, but a kindred spirit who shares his passion for service and his troubling habit of defying society's expectations . . . all with good intentions, of course.

As their forbidden acquaintance deepens into something far more perilous than friendship, Arianna and Thomas must decide: preserve their reputations, or risk them entirely for the good of others—--and their own hearts.

Because in a society that measures worth by perfection, choosing grace, mercy, and love may cost them everything--and give them more than they ever hoped to find.

Christian Regency RomCom is a genre that I really enjoy. Pride & Practicality by Pepper Basham is the most recent book in this genre that I have read. Pepper Basham is a favorite author of mine and I was excited to read this book.

I jumped right into reading this book and I could not stop reading! The 2 main characters in this book are Arianna Reeves and Thomas Bridges. Arianna had been the "Society Darling" in town until a crisis had her running from everyone she has known and loved. A year goes by and she has returned home and she desperately wants to gain her family's trust again. The towns people are not very welcoming to Arianna being home. Pastor Thomas Bridges does take notice of Arianna, yet he knows he needs to adhere to the oath of being a Pastor. Thomas mother is hoping he would marry one day, yet Thomas wants to live his life as he wishes. Thomas and Arianna keep running into one another in town and a friendship begins. Thomas notices his feels getting stronger, yet he also knows that Arianna has a reputation. I really LOVE that Thomas and Arianna rely on faith to help them make decisions. The story is one of that shows that we can't let society influence our beliefs and strongholds, allow Faith and LOVE and Prayer help us through life Decisions. The book Romantic, Humorous and FUN! I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Christian RomCom with Regency. GREAT BOOK!

Also Available

Pepper Basham

Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes romance “peppered” with grace and humor. Writing both historical and contemporary novels, she loves to incorporate her native Appalachian culture and/or her unabashed adoration of the UK into her stories. She currently resides in the lovely mountains of southwestern VA, where she is a wife, mom to five great kids, a speech-language pathologist, and a lover of chocolate, jazz, hats, and Jesus.

Connect with Pepper by visiting PepperdBasham.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

(1) winner will receive a Cranford Collection copy of Pride and Prejudice, a matching journal, four Pride and Prejudice inspired bookmarks, and a copy of Pride & Practicality!

(1) additional winner will receive a signed copy of Pride & Practicality!

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight November 4, 2026 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on November 11, 2026. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

Enter Giveaway

Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

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Celebrate Lit Blog Tour: Mail Order Lady by Misty M. Beller

Book: Mail-Order Lady

Author: Misty M. Beller

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release Date: October 13, 2026

Five sons of an English duke, all raised in the Rocky Mountains…

She agreed to a safe, sensible marriage. He agreed because she already holds his heart.

Clara McKinney came west as a mail-order bride—only to watch her sister marry the intended groom instead. Now recovered from an illness that nearly killed her, she’s stranded at the Balfour ranch. Worse, her mother is demanding her return to face an arranged marriage that feels like a nightmare. When the quiet, bookish brother offers a marriage of convenience, Clara accepts with relief. No messy emotions or risk of rejection. Just safety.

Robert Balfour has one goal—win Clara’s heart. She now shares his name, but he must convince her that his devotion runs deeper than courtesy.

Then a stranger appears at the ranch with a shocking claim—he’s the rightful Balfour heir. Suddenly, Robert’s focus on earning his wife’s love faces a test he never saw coming. With enemies lurking and family loyalties tested, this marriage of convenience is about to become the most dangerous arrangement of all.

From a USA Today bestselling author comes a royal family saga featuring a marriage of convenience, unrequited love, and a family mystery that spans continents…all set in the rugged Montana Territory.

Click here to get your copy!

Christian Historical Romance is a favorite Genre of mine. Mail-Order Lady by Misty M. Beller is Book 4 in the Lord of the Rockies Series. I have been enjoying this series since the beginning!

WOW, this story is touching and heartwarming. The setting is 1970 in Rocky Mountains of Montana. The 2 main characters are Clara McKinney and Robert Balfour. Clara has recovered from a serious illness, with Robert being the one who tended to her while she was sick. Clara had come to Montana as a Mail Order Bride and now her mother wants to set her up in an arranged marriage. Clara has come to enjoy Montana and does not want to return to South Carolina. Robert has grown to enjoy Clara's presence and he offers to marry her so that she can stay in Montana. Clara immediately agrees, even though her feelings toward Robert are of friends not love. I really admired the fact that Robert was very protective of Clara, from the illness and now offering to marry her to save her from something she doesn't want. The growth in their relationship and marriage was so AMAZING to watch. The book is about Protecting the ones you love, Faith, Family and Growth. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Christian Historical Romance. WONDERFUL BOOK!

Misty M. Beller is an ECPA and USA Today bestselling author with over 1 million books sold. She writes romantic mountain stories, set on the 1800s frontier and woven with the truth of God’s love.

Raised on a farm and surrounded by family, Misty developed her love for horses, history, and adventure. These days, her husband and children provide fresh adventure every day, keeping her both grounded and crazy.

Misty’s passion is to create inspiring Christian fiction infused with the grandeur of the mountains, writing historical romance that displays God’s abundant love through the twists and turns in the lives of her characters.

Sharing her stories with readers is a dream come true for Misty. She writes from her country home in South Carolina and escapes to the mountains any chance she gets.

More from Misty

A marriage of convenience only works if he’s not already in love…

Hello Reader Friends!

I’m so excited to be back with you in the Lords of the Rockies world for another swoony installment!

If you’ve been following along, you already know Clara McKinney. She came west as a mail-order bride, only to watch her sister marry the intended groom instead. (It really was the right match for both her sister and Thomas, but that didn’t make the ache hurt any less for Clara.)

Then illness nearly took Clara’s life, leaving her stranded at the Balfour ranch with nowhere to go—and a mother back home demanding she return to face an arranged marriage that felt more like a sentence than a future.

Can you imagine being in her shoes? Arriving in Montana for one life…and finding yourself in an entirely different story?

When the quiet, bookish Robert Balfour offers her a marriage of convenience, Clara accepts with relief. She knows Robert and he’s honorable. Plus a marriage on paper only means there’s no risk of rejection. No messy feelings. Just safety.

But here’s what makes my heart flutter about this story: Robert already loves her. He has for some time. He isn’t just offering convenience—he’s offering everything he has and hoping, quietly and patiently, that she’ll one day see it.

And just when their fragile new life together begins to take root, a stranger arrives at the ranch with a shocking claim that threatens to unravel everything.

I pray you love Mail-Order Lady!

Blessings!

Misty

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, October 31
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, October 31
Devoted Steps, November 1
Texas Book-aholic, November 1
Simple Harvest Reads, November 2 (Guest Review from Marilyn)
For Him and My Family, November 2
Wishful Endings, November 3
Library Lady’s Kid Lit, November 3
lakesidelivingsite, November 3
Betti Mace, November 4
She Lives to Read, November 4
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, November 5
Lyssa Loves Books, November 5
Sydney Schmied Books, November 6
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, November 6
Tell Tale Book Reviews, November 7
Book Holds and Jello Molds, November 7
Sylvan Musings, November 8
Jeanette’s Thoughts, November 8
Melissa’s Bookshelf, November 9
Books You Can Feel Good About, November 9
Cover Lover Book Review, November 10
Artistic Nobody, November 10 (Guest Review from Donna)
Holly’s Book Corner, November 11
Devoted To Hope, November 11
Mary Hake, November 11
Blossoms and Blessings, November 12
Locks, Hooks and Books, November 12
Lily’s Corner, November 13
Pause for Tales, November 13

To celebrate her tour, Misty 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://gleam.io/akiMd/mail-order-lady-celebration-tour-giveaway

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Thursday, November 5, 2026

Celebrate Lit Blog Tour: Karabos by Lyndsey Lewellen

Book: Karabos

Author: Lyndsey Lewellen

Genre: YA Fantasy

Release Date: October 13, 2026

Enter a dangerous game of magic beetles, buried secrets, and shifting time.

Winslet Nubek knows bugs better than she knows people. The sixteen-year-old, homeschooled entomologist is determined to earn her place among the ancient and dangerous ranks of magical insect hunters. With her father’s failing mines pushing them toward bankruptcy, winning the Tournament of Scarabs becomes her only shot at securing her dream and saving her family from ruin. But when she touches a forbidden time scarab before the competition begins, she’s left with a mark she can’t explain and trips into the past she can’t control. Forced to hide her mistake, Winslet enters the tournament with a growing fear of being discovered. As her secrets grow, so do her slips through time.

Rafe Stormholt charts maps like other people write diaries, but his own future isn’t his to navigate. He needs the tournament prize to keep his grandfather’s company out of treacherous hands. After the preliminaries go awry, Rafe ends up on a team of academic misfits, including the bug girl he’s already judged as a liability. But when he’s dragged into the past alongside her, Rafe uncovers truths that shatter the faith his family has held for generations.

Bound by a time-slipping curse, Winslet and Rafe must navigate the tournament’s perilous trials while unraveling a conspiracy buried centuries deep. As enemies close in and the past begins to bleed into the present, they’ll have to decide what they’re really fighting for and what they’re willing to lose to win.

Click here to get your copy

Young Adult Science Fiction is a genre that I have been recently been getting interested in. Karabos by Lyndsey Lewellen is Book 1 in The TimeBound Duology Series.

WOW, this storyline captivated me from the very beginning! The main character is 16 year Winslet Nubek. Winslet is Homeschooled and has a LOVE for Insect Hunting. The other main character in this book is Rafe, who also loves Insects. Winslet and Rafe are competitors in a Tournament of Scarabs, a tournament with Beetles and Insect Hunters. Rafe and Winslet have reasons for participating in this tournament and both are determined to win the Prize money. Winslet is trying to win the Prize Money as it would help her family out financially. Rafe is trying to win to ensure his inheritance from his Grandfather. The Tournament is quite interesting and a wrong move could mean going back to the past. Winslet and Rafe both have moments of going back to the past and the past uncovers some secrets for Winslet. Rafe also slips back in time and it could mean his and Winslets secret are unraveled. The secrets are strong for them and they have to make choices that could change the course of their lives. I really LOVE that the Author includes Faith in this story. There were many twists and turns in this book, which really held my focus in the story. I HIGHLY recommend this book to Young Adults who like an intriguing story! GOOD BOOK!

Lyndsey Lewellen grew up on a healthy dose of comic books, punk music, and sci-fi. She infuses all three loves into novels written for young adults. Inside her “what if” worlds, her characters take risks, grow, and fight for what matters. When she’s not writing or whittling down her endless TBR, she designs novel covers and paints on shoes. She lives on a small Texas farm with her best friend/husband, five children, and what some might call a zoo of animals (especially after meeting the peacocks).

More from Lyndsey

“Oh boy!”

As far back as I can remember, TV shows and movies like Quantum Leap, Kate and Leopold, Back to the Future, and (my personal favorite) Groundhog Day have absolutely fascinated me. Why? Because all of them share my most beloved trope.

Time travel.

If a story contains time loops, paradoxes, slips, or butterfly effects, count me in! Maybe that’s because I’m intrigued with the structure of time. Sun up, sun down, rinse and repeat. Day by day, we live in a beautifully ordered timeline the Lord has placed us in. My favorite scripture in the Book of Acts exemplifies this truth. While speaking to the Athenians about God’s character, Paul says, “From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.” (Acts 17:26-27)

It’s a glorious and comforting reality that we are exactly where and when we need to be in order to have our best chance at reaching for Him.

However, through fiction, we can imagine what it would be like to step outside the bounds of time. By doing so, I believe, we can better understand our reality. Moving in and out of that well-oiled timeline would jar anyone. For me, it’s that jarring that sparks my curiosity. What would I do if I was moved into the wrong time? Assuming my actions could be catastrophic in the future, how well could I think on the spot and not accidentally cause myself to not be born at all? Perhaps it’s thinking well on the spot that interests me the most. Because isn’t that a fear many of us have? Watching others succeed in these dire situations can give us confidence that we can do the same.

Not only that, but to think of how God is outside of time causes me to look at Him in wonder. He can be fully trusted to tell us about the future because He already knows the end from the beginning. When I read time travel in a novel or craft it in my own stories, I appreciate the wondrous works God has done, is doing, and will do down the line. I am humbled by His skill. All I can do is give Him praise.

So, when I finished my debut series, The Chaos Grid duology, I knew I wanted to tackle a time travel novel of some sort. Sci-fi idea after sci-fi idea popped into my head, but none of them resonated with me enough to start drafting.

Until one day, while eating lunch at a drive-through restaurant, I was listening to an apologetics podcast and an idea struck.

The episode was about archaeology and whether we can trust the events in the Bible. Who was the pharaoh of the Exodus? Were the Hebrews really enslaved? Why didn’t the Egyptians directly record the ten plagues? What intriguing questions! That’s when my idea for a time travel story converged with an Egyptian fantasy. I would love to read a story where people in the future who were lied to by their ancestors traveled back to that time to find out what really went on. There they could discover ancient coverups and propaganda that shaped their skewed view of the past. So, I wrote it.

But being the fantasy and adventure lover I am, I had to throw in a magical scarab competition with The Mummy and Indiana Jones vibes. And, of course, what better era to set the future timeline of my novel than a fictional 1920s when Egyptomania ran rampant?

Thus, Karabos was born, a story of a magic scarab hunting girl who tries to save her family but accidentally drags her reluctant teammate into unstable trips to the past during a dangerous archaeology competition.

I am beyond excited for readers to go on this wild journey with Winslet and Rafe. My hope is that through their story you’ll come away looking at time, and our Creator who stands outside of it, with a renewed sense of wonder.