A big congratulations to the talented authors who make up this year’s Carol Award Finalists. No matter what genre you prefer, you will find a winner of a read! I have read a few of these books — more are on the TBR list. Hope you find an award winning book to enjoy!
A Reluctant Bride by Jody Hedlund A Pursuit of Home by Kristi Ann Hunter The Sky Above Us by Sarah Sundin
Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
The Gryphon Heist by James R. Hannibal Laynie Portland, Retired Spy by Vikki Kestell Midnight on the River Grey by Abigail Wilson
Novella
Always by Jody Hedlund The Groom Sheād Thought She Left Behind from The Runaway Brides Collection by Darlene Panzera The Baggage Handler by David Rawlings
Romance
Driftwood Bay by Irene Hannon A Glitter of Gold by Liz Johnson Love You, Truly by Susan L. Tuttle
Romantic Suspense
The Killing Tide by Dani Pettrey Living Lies by Natalie Walters Knox by Susan May Warren
Short Novel
A Rancher to Trust by Laurel Blount The Rancherās Unexpected Baby by Jill Lynn Lioness: Mahlahās Journey by Barbara M. Britton
Speculative
Flight of the Raven by Morgan L. Busse The Story Raider by Lindsay A. Franklin Brand of Light by Ronie Kendig
Young Adult
Romanov by Nadine Brandes Coral by Sara Ella Something I Am Not by Cher Gatto
Debut
A Cross to Kill by Andrew Huff Above the Fold by Rachel Scott McDaniel Shadow Among Sheaves by Naomi Stephens
Congratulations to all the talented authors who are now 2018 Christy Award Finalists. If you are on the hunt for some great books, here is an excellent place to start.
Contemporary Romance
The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck by Bethany Turner
Congratulations to the winners of the 2018 Inspy Awards!Ā This blogger-based award seeks to honor the best in Inspirational fiction, both in the Christian and secular markets. The Inspy Awards are unique in that books are nominated by readers and judged by book bloggers, insuring that not only are these books highly readable, but demonstrate excellence in faith-based writing. If you are looking for a great reading experience, you definitely need to check these out!
After a devastating heartbreak three years ago, genealogist and historical village owner Nora Bradford has decided that burying her nose in her work and her books is far safer than romance in the here and now.
Unlike Nora, former Navy SEAL and Medal of Honor recipient John Lawson is a modern-day man, usually 100 percent focused on the present. But when heās diagnosed with an inherited condition, heās forced to dig into the secrets of his past and his adoption as an infant, enlisting Nora to help him uncover the identity of his birth mother.
The more time they spend together, the more this pair of opposites suspects they just might be a perfect match. However, Johnās already dating someone and Noraās not sure sheās ready to trade her crushes on fictional heroes for the risks of a real relationship. Finding the answers theyāre seeking will test the limits of their identity, their faith, and their devotion to one another.
Debut Fiction
Lady Jayne Disappears by Joanna Davidson PolitanoĀ
When Aurelie Harcourtās father dies in debtorās prison, he leaves her just two things: his wealthy family, whom she has never met, and his famous pen name, Nathaniel Droll. Her new family greets her with apathy and even resentment. Only the quiet houseguest, Silas Rotherham, welcomes her company.When Aurelie decides to complete her fatherās unfinished serial novel, writing the family into the story as unflattering characters, she must keep her identity as Nathaniel Droll hidden while searching for the truth about her motherās disappearanceĀ āĀ and perhaps even her fatherās death.
āI believed it would have been a sin to stay inside when God had sent us such fine weather. According to Pastor Ezra Anderson, sin was the reason weād got in the dusty mess we were in. The way I saw it, that day was Godās way of letting us know He wasnāt mad at us anymore. Just maybe Heād seen fit to forgive us.ā
Pearl Spence has been through more in her young life than most folks could handle. But through it all, her family has been by her side. They may not be perfect, but they love her and they all love each other, come what may. Thatās one thing Pearl no longer questions.
But the end of her beautiful day signals the beginning of the end of her secure life.
Now her family is fleeing their Oklahoma wasteland. Pearl isnāt sure sheāll ever see home or happiness again. Are there any crumbs powerful enough to guide her back to the dependable life she once knew?
In 1774, the Ohio-Kentucky frontier pulses with rising tension and brutal conflicts as Colonists push westward and encroach upon Native American territories. The young Inglesby family is making the perilous journey west when an accident sends Philip back to Redstone Fort for help, forcing him to leave his pregnant wife Clare and their four-year old son Jacob on a remote mountain trail.
When Philip does not return and Jacob disappears from the wagon under the cover of darkness, Clare awakens the next morning to find herself utterly alone, in labor and wondering how she can to recover her son . . . especially when her second child is moments away from being born.
Clare will face the greatest fight of her life, as she struggles to reclaim her son from the Shawnee Indians now holding him captive. But with the battle lines sharply drawn, Jacobās life might not be the only one at stake. When frontiersman Jeremiah Ring comes to her aid, can the stranger convince Clare that recovering her son will require the very thing her anguished heart is unwilling to do ā be still, wait and let God fight this battle for them?
Literature for Young Adults
Unraveling by Sara Ella
Eliyana Ember doesnāt believe in true love. Not anymore. After defeating her grandfather and saving the Second Reflection, El only trusts whatās right in front of her. The tangible. The real. Not some unexplained Kiss of Infinity she once shared with the ghost of a boy sheās trying to forget. She has more important things to worry about āl ike becoming queen of the Second Reflection, a role she is so not prepared to fill.
Now that the Verity is intertwined with her soul and Joshuaās finally by her side, El is ready to learn more about her mysterious birth land, the land she now rules. So why does she feel like something ā or someone ā is missing?
When the thresholds begin to drain and the Callings, those powerful magical gifts, begin to fail, El wonders if her link to Ky Rhyen may have something to do with it. For light and darkness cannot coexist. She needs answers before the Callings disappear altogether. Can El find a way to sever her connection to Ky and save the Reflections ā and keep herself from falling for him in the process?
Mystery/Thriller
Portrait of Vengeance by Carrie Stuart Parks
Gwen Marcey has done a good job keeping the pain of her past boxed up. But as she investigates the case of a missing child in Lapwai, Idaho, details keep surfacing that are eerily similar to her childhood traumas. She doesnāt believe in coincidences. So whatās going on here?
No one knows more about the impact of the past than the Nez Perce people of Lapwai. Gwen finds herself an unwelcome visitor to some, making her investigation even more difficult. The questions keep piling up, but answers are slow in coming ā and the clock is ticking for a missing little girl. Meanwhile, Gwenās ex-husband is threatening to take sole custody of their daughter.
As Gwenās past and present collide, sheās in a desperate race for the truth. Because only truth will ensure she still has a future.
Speculative Fiction
The Divide by Jolina Petersheim
In this gripping conclusion to The Alliance, nearly six months have passed since Leora Ebersole’s Old Order Mennonite community fled to the mountains for refuge after an attack destroyed the power grid and altered life as they knew it. Since then, Leora has watched and waited for news of Moses Hughes, the young Englischer pilot who held off invading looters long enough for everyone to escape. Unsure Moses even survived, Leora has begun to warm to the affections of Jabil Snyder, who has courted her patiently. But she struggles to see herself as the bishop’s wife, especially when she learns that Moses is alive and has now joined a local militia.
An unexpected encounter in the woods deepens Leora’s crisis, as does a terrifying new threat that brings Moses’ militia into the community’s shaky alliance with the few Englischers left among them. When long-held beliefs are once again put to the test, Leora wrestles with the divide between having faith and taking action. Just how much will her shifting landscape change her?
The Inspy Awards, the blogger-based awards program for inspirational books, has announced their 2018 shortlists. Whew! What a great bunch of books! Now it’s in the judges hands, and what a tough job they have. Congrats to all the authors! For more info, check out inspy.com.
Contemporary Romance/Romantic Suspense
A New Shade of SummerĀ (Waterfall Press) by Nicole Deese
Then There Was YouĀ (Bellbird Press)Ā by Kara Isaac
Jane of AustinĀ (Waterbrook) by Hillary Manton Lodge
Congratulations to the winners of the 2017 Inspy Awards. What a great bunch of books! Many of these are on my shelves; the rest I will be adding to the TBR list! Got to get reading!
Recognizing the need for a new kind of book award, the INSPYs were created by bloggers to discover and highlight the very best in literature that grapples with expressions of the Christian faith.
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