Celebrate Lit Blog Tour: Shetland Sunset by Linda Shenton Matchett

Book: Shetland Sunset

Author: Linda Shenton Matchett

Genre: Christian Suspense

Release Date: January 18, 2026

Bonded by a cause but an ocean apart, will their love survive a world war?

After months in Norway helping his cousins with their fishing business, American Askel Westgard seems trapped when the Germans invade until he has a chance to get back at the Occupiers as part of the Shetlandsgjengen, or Shetland gang, a group of fishermen who transport weapons and equipment from Shetland to Norway under cover of darkness. Unfortunately, the beautiful Norwegian woman he’s just met refuses to join him in safety. Will he ever see her again?

Distraught when the Germans overrun her beloved Norway, Tonje Bondevik refuses to take the occupation sitting down. She joins the fledgling resistance movement, deriving great satisfaction distributing the underground newspaper and performing acts of sabotage…until the day the Nazis come looking for her, and she must flee for her life. Perhaps she should have listened to the handsome Norwegian American when he offered to take her to Shetland.

 

Click here to get your copy!

Christian Historical Romance is a favorite genre of mine. Shetland Sunset by Linda Shenton Matchett is the most recent book in this genre that I have read. I have been a fan of Linda Shenton Matchett for many years and I am always excited to read a new release. 

The storyline captured my attention from the very beginning and never stopped. The setting is in Norway during World War II. The main characters of the story are  Askel Westgard and Tonje Bondevik. Askel is from Minnesota and has been enjoying his time in Norway with his cousins. The War breaks out and Askel feels like he cannot escape to continue the fishing business. Askel finally devises a plan that will help the fishing business while also escaping to safety. He joins the Shetland Gang and will go from Norway to Shetland. He meets Tonje, a beautiful Norwegian Woman and tries to convince her to come to Shetland for safety with him. Tonje refuses to join him, although Askel continues to encourage her. I really LOVE that Askel was so kind and loving toward Tonje. Tonje truly seemed to be angry at things that happened in her past. Askel has a strong faith and it shows throughout the book. The friendship between the pair became stronger throughout the book. The book is one about Trust, Faith and Romance. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Christian Historical Romance. GREAT BOOK!

 

Linda Shenton Matchett writes happily-ever-after historical Christian fiction about second chances and women who overcome life’s challenges to be better versions of themselves.

A native of Baltimore, Maryland, she was born a stone’s throw from Fort McHenry (of Star-Spangled Banner fame) and has lived in historical places all her life. She is a volunteer docent and archivist at the Wright Museum of WWII. She now lives in central New Hampshire where she explores the history of this great state, immerses herself in the imaginary worlds created by other authors, and drinks copious amounts of tea.

 

 

More from Linda

Shetland, also called the Shetland Islands, is an archipelago of about one hundred islands, with fewer than twenty being inhabited. Originally a base for Norwegian Vikings, Shetland came under Scottish rule when King Christian I pledged the island as part of his daughter’s dowry when she was betrothed to James III of Scotland. The island continues to feature an intriguing mix of Norwegian and Scottish heritage in customs, language, and celebrations. Interestingly, Shetland is geographically closer to Norway than Scotland.

The Shetland Bus is the nickname for a World War II clandestine operation during which fishermen smuggled supplies, weapons, radio operators, and agents into occupied Norway and ferried refugees out of Norway to Shetland and England. From 1941-1945, two hundred missions were carried in winter because of the nearly twenty-four hours of darkness that occurred during those months, but that meant crossing in rough, unforgiving seas. Additionally, the risk of being caught by German aircraft or patrol boats was high, and forty-four members lost their lives.

Authors get their ideas and inspiration from many sources, and I learned about the Shetland Bus from an episode of Shetland, a modern-day BBC mystery show that featured a fictional cold case associated with the “bus.” I was able to read multiple memoirs and autobiographies and watch oral history interviews with Shetland Bus participants. It is my hope that Shetland Sunset honors the brave ordinary men who did extraordinary things.

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, August 13

Texas Book-aholic, August 14

Holly’s Book Corner, August 14

Artistic Nobody, August 15 (Author Interview)

For Him and My Family, August 16

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, August 17

lakesidelivingsite, August 18

Fiction Book Lover, August 19 (Author Interview)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, August 20

Devoted to Hope, August 21

The Bookish Ledger, August 22 (Author Interview)

Life on Chickadee Lane, August 23

Pause for Tales, August 24

The Bookish Pilgrim, August 24

Leslie’s Library Escape, August 25

Guild Master, August 26 (Author Interview)

To celebrate her tour, Linda is giving away the grand prize of a $25 Visa gift card and a signed 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/pjJS9/shetland-sunset-celebration-tour-giveaway

Celebrate Lit Blog Tour: Shetland Sunset by Linda Shenton Matchett

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JustRead Blog Tour: A Lot Like Lavendar by B.R. Goodwin

Welcome to the Blog Tour for A Lot Like Lavender by B.R. Goodwin, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

Title: A Lot Like Lavender
Series: Happy in Honey Hill #3 
Author: B.R. Goodwin 
Publisher: Independent 
Release Date: August 3, 2026 
Genre: Closed door romantic comedy

Operating Purple Pastures & Alpaca on my own was not ever in my plans, but neither was becoming a widow and a single mom at twenty-two. Though I love this land and the life I’ve built for myself and my daughter—including the alpacas we adore, the strays we’ve taken in along the way, and the rolling hills of lavender surrounding our farm—all the years of hard work and one-woman juggling since James’ death may not be enough to keep it all together. 

In fact, I’m failing. Miserably. At farming, running a small business, managing the wild women of the Honey Hill PTA, and maintaining any semblance of a personal life. 

To top off my utter insufficiencies, I’m now being forced to accept help from the last person I ever expected to show his face again, Jordan Love. But—though it pains me to admit—having him around repairing fences, caring for my fur babies, and bonding with Molly is the first time I haven’t felt so alone in all this since I lost my husband. 

And most unexpectedly, Jordan's return to my life feels a lot like mending my heart.

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For ten years, I’ve done a great job working through the grief of losing my best friend and the shame of selfishly walking away from the people we both cared about when I should have stayed. Even still, I knew coming back home to Honey Hill would dredge up regrets for past decisions. But when I see Emory Nelson for the first time since James’ death, I don’t expect the feelings I’ve kept well-suppressed for so long to come bubbling to the surface. Feelings I’ll need to get well under control if I intend to stick around. 

I ran away when she needed me most. With a second chance to show up for Emory and her daughter, there’s no way I can walk away again. I'm determined to be someone she can depend on, even if it means forever pretending I don't want more. 

Challenging. Beautiful. Forebearing. Resilient. Worthwhile… 

Love looks a lot like lavender. 

RomCom novels are a genre that I have come to really enjoy over the last year. A  Lot Like Lavendar by B.R. Goodwin is Book 3 in the Happy in Honey Hill series. I have not read the first 2 books in this series, although the book seems to read smooth as a stand alone. 

The storyline was very captivating from the beginning and I could not put the book down until I was done. The main Characters in the book are Emory Nelson, a widowed Mom, and Jordon Love. Emory is dealing with the death of her husband James, becoming a widow at 22 yrs old isn't easy. Emory has a lot on her plate: raising her daughter, being a part of the Honey Hill PTA, caring for the Alpacas. Emory is truly hanging onto to hope that things will turn around for her life. Jordon Love, was Jame's Best Friend and he has been struggling with his death also. Jordan regrets many past decisions, including not staying in Honey Hill to protect Emory and her daughter after Jame's death. He has now returned 10 years later and is hoping that Emory will forgive him for abandoning Emory when Jame's died. Jordan felt he needed to deal with the loss of his best friend on his own, although staying away from Honey Hill for 10 years wasn't exactly what he thought he would do. I really LOVE how Emory and Jordan reconnect and they were able to go through healing together. Jordan realizing that he should have done the right thing for his friend and stayed in Honey Hill to care for Emory. My heart was warmed by the way Jordan and Emory's daughter connected and Jordan really took on a role that was never there for Emory's daughter. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who enjoys RomCom Genre. GREAT BOOK!

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | RomanceLandia | Amazon

More in This Series

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B.R. Goodwin is a Georgia native, married to her college sweetheart, and the mother of three wild animal children she adores.

When she isn’t writing Christian Fiction, she’s reading, hiking, bee-keeping, soccer mom-ing, or planning her family’s next big adventure while drinking copious amounts of tea & coffee. Above all else, the heartbeat of everything she does in life, friendship, and writing is with an eye to sharing the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ with everyone she meets. Connect with her at Facebook or Instagram.

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(3) winners will each receive a signed paperback copy of Grits and Glamor (A Romance on the Menu Christian Romcom) as well as an exclusive swag pack including stickers and character print!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight August 17, 2026 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on August 24, 2026. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US/CAN only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

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

JustRead Blog Tour: A Lot Like Lavendar by B.R. Goodwin

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Celebrate Lit Blog Tour: Lethal Design by S.F. Baumgartner

Book: Lethal Design (KC & Orlando Prime Book 2)

Author: S.F. Baumgartner

Genre: Crime Thriller with Christian elements

Release Date: August 4, 2026

Some deaths are designed.

The death looks routine — no foul play, no reason to dig. But KC knows this building and what happened here a year ago. And the pattern spreading across the city is no coincidence.

Professionals with no addiction history are dying along eerily similar paths. Someone patient and invisible is engineering these outcomes. As the Orlando Prime task force chases separate leads across the city, the threads begin pointing to the same dark center.

The closer they get, the more dangerous the truth becomes. Some designs were never meant to be uncovered — and the cost of exposing this one may be more than any of them are prepared to pay.

Perfect for fans of Terri Blackstock and Lynette Eason who love fast-paced, clean crime thrillers with the intensity of Criminal Minds and the grit of NCIS.

Follow Kylie “KC” Cassidy and the Orlando Prime task force as they take on the cases no one else can crack, starting with Lethal Design.

 

Click here to get your copy!

Crime Thriller books are always a good read and S.F. Baumgartner is a favorite author in this genre . Lethal Design by S.F. Baumgartner is Book 2 in the KC & Orlando Prime Series. I read book 1 in this series and was excited to read this book also. 

WOW, I was reeled into this storyline immediately. The main characters are Detective Kylie “KC” Cassidy and Commander Frank Travers. Frank is still mourning the death of his wife Linda from one year ago. KC and the Orlando Prime Task Force have been investigating some suspicious deaths and connections are being discovered. Frank and KC begin working together on these cases and uncover quite an array of clues that help decipher the connection in the deaths that have been happening and what happened to Frank's wife Linda. I truly enjoyed this book from beginning to end. The many twists and turns keep me intrigued and wanting to read ahead. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Crime Thriller books. WONDERFUL BOOK!

 

S.F. Baumgartner crafts fast-paced Christian suspense thrillers, weaving tales of complex characters, secretive operatives, and relentless agents. Her gripping storytelling has earned acclaim, with Living Secrets and Forgotten Secret—Books 1 & 2 of her Mirror Estate series—named Top Picks in the thriller & suspense categories, respectively, at Killer Nashville, and Tangled Secrets—Book 3 of Mirror Estate series—won couple of awards in the Christian Indie Awards and the Incipere Awards. When she’s not plotting her next twist, she’s binge-watching crime TV shows, like NCIS or playing with her cats. Fans of James Patterson’s style, especially those who appreciate short, punchy chapters, will find much to love in her work.

 

More from S.F.

Lethal Design, Book 2 in the KC & Orlando Prime series, shifts the spotlight in a powerful way. While Fatal Invitation centered on Detective Kylie Cassidy, this installment dives deep into the elite Prime Task Force, especially its leader, Commander Frank Travers.

A year ago, Travers lost his wife to a brutal, unsolved murder. The case went cold. The killer vanished. But in Lethal Design, that past refuses to stay buried.

As KC and the Prime team investigate a new wave of suspicious deaths, threads begin to surface, threads that may finally lead Travers to the truth he’s been chasing. And this time, it’s personal.

What makes this story especially layered is how it connects back to the larger conspiracy introduced in Stolen Secrets. Pieces are moving. Secrets are colliding. And everything must align as the story builds toward a confrontation that’s been a long time coming.

Expect high-stakes action, tight investigative work, and emotional tension as justice and revenge blur into something far more dangerous.

Because when Travers comes face-to-face with his wife’s killer… there’s no guarantee he walks away.

And KC may be the only one who can keep him from crossing a line he can’t come back from.

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, July 31

The Lofty Pages, July 31

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, August 1

Vicky Sluiter, August 2 (Author Interview)

For Him and My Family, August 3

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, August 4

Texas Book-aholic, August 5

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, August 6

For the Love of Literature, August 7 (Author Interview)

Blogging with Carol, August 8

Because I said so, August 9

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, August 10

Tell Tale Book Reviews, August 11 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, August 12

Betti Mace, August 13

Leslie’s Library Escape, August 13

To celebrate her tour, S.F. 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://gleam.io/uhz7K/lethal-design-celebration-tour-giveaway

Celebrate Lit Blog Tour: Lethal Design by S.F. Baumgartner

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JustRead Tours Blog Tour: Seeds of Hope by Teresa Wells

Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for Seeds of Hope by Teresa Wells, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

Title: Seeds of Hope 
Series: The Truitts of Texas #2 
Author: Teresa Wells 
Publisher: Scrivenings Press 
Release Date: 07/14/2026 
Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Two wounded hearts. One fragile hope. A love that dares to take root. 

Blooming Grove, Texas, 1896 

Deputy Rabb Truitt has sworn to protect Blooming Grove. But when a clerical error sets a criminal free, Rabb blames himself. He should’ve admitted he can’t read, and now he must resign. If he failed the town once, he could fail it again. 

A recent survivor of a devastating fire, Sallie Parker refuses to let Rabb give up the job he loves. She helps him make sense of letters on the page, and as his knowledge grows, so do their feelings for each other. 

When a series of mysterious events surround Sallie’s school, Rabb fears a connection to cattle rustlers he’s pursuing. Each day without arrest, the demands for mob justice increase. Rabb races to protect the town and the woman he loves. But is he too late? 

Perfect for fans of Karen Witemeyer, Mary Connealy, and Jody Hedlund, Seeds of Hope is a faith-based historical romance filled with small-town danger, friends-to-lovers tenderness, found family, courage, and the promise that God can grow hope in even the hardest places.

Christian Historical Romance a genre that I am always excited to read. Seeds of Hope by Teresa Wells is Book 2 in The Truitts of Texas series. I have been anxiously awaiting for this release. Book 1 was a great beginning to this series, so I have been wanting to read Book 2. 

The storyline starts strong and it was so intriguing I could not put the book down. The setting is 1896 in Blooming Grove, Texas. The main characters of this story are Deputy Rabb Truitt and Sallie Parker.  Deputy Rabb is very devastated when he learns that a Criminal was inadvertently let go. He finally has to admit that he doesn't know how to read, something he hid from others for many years. Sallie Parker has been through a lot in her life, including a fire that she survived. Sallie encourages Deputy Rabb not to resign from his job, instead she wants to help him achieve his dream of knowing how to read. Sallie is a Teacher at a local school and Deputy Rabb and she are perplexed when  mysterious things begin happening at the School. Deputy Rabb is able to help Sallie figure out the new mystery at the School. I really LOVED this book from beginning to end. I truly enjoyed seeing how Sallie and Rabb began to show their true feelings for one another as they both helped each other. The fact that they trusted God's plan for the happenings in their relationship, was really heartwarming.  The book is one of LOVE, FAITH and Family. I HIGHLY recommend this book to those who enjoy Christian Historical Romance.WONDERFUL BOOK!

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Scrivenings Press | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | BookBub

More in This Series

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Award-winning author Teresa Wells writes stories threaded with hope and redemption. She loves meeting people, touring old homes, and studying the Bible. She lives with her husband of 45 years outside of Dallas, Texas. Her debut novel, What Brings Us Joy (Scrivenings Press, 2025), is a double winner for the 2026 Holt Medallion Award. Seeds of Hope, Book 2 in The Truitts of Texas series, releases in July of 2026. You can find her online at teresawells.com

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(2) winners will each receive a signed copy of Seeds of Hope, items related to the book, and a $25 Amazon gift card!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight August 3, 2026 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on August 10, 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 JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

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

JustRead Tours Blog Tour: Seeds of Hope by Teresa Wells

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