Tuesday, September 1, 2026

Celebrate Lit Blog Tour: The Reluctant Healer of Halifax by Terrie Todd

Book: The Reluctant Healer of Halifax

Author: Terrie Todd

Genre: Christian Historical Fiction

Release Date: August, 2026

Her Family, Her Home, Her Future—All Leveled in One Thunderous Explosion

When life seems weighed down by challenges, there are always pillars of enduring hope and love to be discovered.

Three days ago, Pearline Campbell’s family was whole, and Oliver Hamilton still loved her. But upon returning to Halifax disfigured and shellshocked, Oliver ended their relationship. Then came Thursday, December 6, 1917, when the Halifax harbor was leveled by a tremendous explosion. . .and Pearline fears nothing will ever be whole again. Her parents are dead, her brother is missing, and her sister refuses to speak. Pearline must fortify herself to open her home to needy orphans, including an unidentified baby. Where can she find the strength for each new day as misery grips the city?

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Christian Historical Fiction is a favorite genre to read. The Reluctant Healer of Halifax by Terrie Todd is Book 6 in the Enduring Hope series. The series is written by various Authors and can be read as Stand Alone Books. I have read the first 3 books in the series and have enjoyed the series.

WOW, I can honestly say this storyline had me captivated from the very first chapter. The setting is 1917 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The main characters are Pearline Campbell and Oliver Hamiliton. Oliver and Pearline have had a relationship for a long while, even enduring the time while Oliver was serving in War. Oliver returns from War a Wounded Solider and he decides to end the relationship with Pearline. Pearline is devastated, yet determined to go on. Life really takes a turn for Pearline, on December 6, 1917, when there is an MASSIVE explosion on the Halifax Harbor. Pearline learns that her parents died, her brother is missing due to the explosion and her sister has become silent. Oliver and Pearline join forces to help the Community through this tragedy and all that lies ahead for them. Pearline is determined to open her home to others, especially children without parents. Oliver and Pearline realize that they can endure all that has transpired and Oliver has a change of heart in regards to Pearline. The reconciliation and growth in their relationship while caring for others was outstanding. The book is one of Tragedy, Growth, LOVE, Faith and putting others before ourselves. The Historical research done by the Author is outstanding. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy Christian Historical Fiction. WONDERFUL BOOK!

Terrie Todd is a Canadian author of nine historical and split-time novels and one nonfiction book. Her work has earned numerous Word Awards from The Word Guild, the 2018 Janette Oke Award from Inscribe Christian Writers Fellowship, and the 2022 Braun Book Award. She is also a Carol Award Finalist. From 2010-2024, she wrote a weekly “Faith and Humor” column for her hometown newspaper, and since 2021, a monthly column for the Heroes, Heroines, and History blog. Terrie lives with her husband, Jon, in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, where they raised their three children. They are grandparents to five boys.

More from Terrie

It wasn’t until I was interviewing a friend for a newspaper column that the Halifax Explosion of 1917 began to interest me. My friend, Gene, had gone blind from macular degeneration, and I wanted to write a series of columns about what it was like for him to lose his sight and now live with blindness. One of the books Gene mentioned as having inspired him was the true story of Eric Davidson. At the time of the explosion, Eric was a toddler, playing with his toy car on a windowsill in his Halifax home. The glass exploded, permanently blinding Eric. The north end of Halifax was destroyed, and roughly two thousand residents died. Nine thousand more were wounded, including hundreds blinded or partially blinded by flying glass. The mass blinding helped birth the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB). Eric’s daughter, Marilyn Davidson Elliott, wrote the book The Blind Mechanic about her father.

I found Eric’s story fascinating. When given the opportunity to try for a spot in Barbour’s series of books about historical disasters, I decided to write one about the Halifax explosion. The more I researched, the more I wondered why we didn’t learn about this in school, and the harder it was to imagine the devastation that the city and its people survived. This was during a world war and only five years after being highly involved in the recovery of the Titanic’s victims and survivors, a disaster that helped prepare them for this one. Story after story, many revealing the incredible determination of the stalwart people of Nova Scotia and the Bostonians who came to their aid, moved me to tears. It was difficult to choose which experiences to borrow for my characters. I was thrilled to visit Halifax in 2025, a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

Naturally, the book includes some blind and partially blind characters. I so appreciate the input from my two blind beta readers, Alexandra Banwell and Leanne Merren. One of my favorite things to do with each book I launch is to choose a charity to which I give a portion of the proceeds from my local book launch. For this book, I’ve chosen the CNIB’s Guide Dog program.

Although my book never became a part of that series, Barbour decided it would be a good fit for their “Enduring Hope” series. The rest is, literally, history. I’m thrilled to be part of this series and have enjoyed the first five immensely. I hope you read them all!