Celebrate Lit Presents: Wounds and Rescues Author: Kathleen Rouser

 

About the Book

Book: Wounds and Rescues

Author: Kathleen Rouser

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release Date: October 6, 2026

A nurse with a wounded heart. A former lawman haunted by loss. An attraction neither can afford.

Rose Sinclair has built a careful new life in Stone Creek, hiding her painful past beneath a high lace collar. When private investigator Caleb Ellis arrives claiming he’s found a grandfather for two orphans she’s grown to love, she’s determined not to trust him—or let him take the children she’s come to cherish.

Caleb needs Rose’s cooperation to reunite the children with their family. But as questions begin to surface and shadows from Rose’s past reappear, it becomes clear someone is willing to do whatever it takes to keep the truth buried.
Forced to travel west posing as husband and wife, Rose and Caleb must protect the children while outrunning a past determined to destroy them. As danger closes in, Caleb must confront the faith he abandoned, and Rose must decide if she can risk her heart again.

Because this time, trusting the wrong person won’t just break them—it could cost them everything.

Perfect for fans of Karen Witemeyer and Mary Connealy, this faith-filled historical romance features a forced-proximity journey, blending danger, redemption, and a road that leads two wounded hearts toward love.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Kathleen Rouser is a multi-published, award-winning author of historical and contemporary Christian romance. She is a longtime member of American Christian Fiction Writers and a member of Faith, Hope and Love Christian Writers. She resides in southeast Michigan, a location which she often uses in her novels, with her hero and husband of forty-some years and two sweet cats who found a home in their empty nest.

 

 

 

More from Kathleen

Joining an Orphan Home with Foster Care

Rose Sinclair makes a quick appearance in the third Stone Creek Brides novel, Scandals and Mercies as the head nurse at the local unwed mother’s home. With a tender heart and hurts of her own, she desires to help in a different way and moves to a nursing position at the town’s small orphanage. It is a loving sanctuary to around a dozen children and youth waiting for forever families.

During the era of orphan trains, the Child and Family Services of Michigan was established in 1891. They started “receiving homes” which cared for children with the goal of adoption. By 1906, the organization advocated for children to be placed in foster care when they couldn’t remain with their natural families. Thus began the trend toward foster care rather than orphanages.

The care received in the Anna and Jared Barrington Home for Children falls in between the two. In Rumors and Promises, the first Stone Creek Brides novel, readers see a glimpse into Gloria Myles’s life and how she became the guardian for her granddaughter, Elise. From this situation came her passion to care for orphans, as well as her desire to memorialize her daughter and son-in-law.

While most orphanages were often harmful institutions, I’d like to think that there were places like the Anna and Jared Barrington Home for Children, though I may have taken a bit of literary license.

I thought about what might happen if some of the children had the opportunity to be reunited with a faraway relative. How may that have taken place? Enter private investigator Caleb Ellis, who has lost several people he loved. He’s on a mission to bring together the scattered family.

In Wounds and Rescues, Rose becomes deeply attached to orphans Sam and Nellie Tubbs. The childhood trauma she experienced prompts her to become fiercely protective of them. From small-town Michigan of 1903 to the hills of Montana, she embarks on a journey of forgiveness, healing, and facing the past.

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, October 10

Books Less Travelled, October 11

Texas Book-aholic, October 12

lakesidelivingsite, October 13

Simple Harvest Reads, October 13 (Guest Review from Marilyn)

For Him and My Family, October 14

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, October 15

Betti Mace, October 16

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, October 17

Locks, Hooks and Books, October 17

Devoted To Hope, October 18

Jeanette’s Thoughts, October 19

Books You Can Feel Good About, October 20

Artistic Nobody, October 21 (Guest Review from Donna)

Holly’s Book Corner, October 22

Pause for Tales, October 22

Cover Lover Book Review, October 23

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Kathleen 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/WuCup/wounds-and-rescues-celebration-tour-giveaway

JustRead Publicity Tours Presents: Crestwood Ranger Cover Reveal Blog Blitz

Welcome to the Cover Reveal Blitz for Crestwood Ranger by Jessica Ashley, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: Crestwood Ranger Series: Ridge Defenders #1 Author: Jessica Ashley Publisher: B.A.D. Publishing, LLC (self) Release Date: February 22, 2027 Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense

A wounded Ranger. A mother on the run. One cabin, and nowhere left to hide. Norah has run as far as she can. With an abusive ex-husband hunting her, and a blizzard swallowing the mountain, she carries her five-year-old son toward the only light for miles. But the man who opens the door just wants to be left alone. Former Army Ranger Theo Dancer lost his unit to betrayal and has spent every day since refusing to forgive himself for surviving. Determined to die alone in the mountains like he should have in that desert, he lives completely secluded from everyone. And then she shows up. Battered, broken, and carrying a little boy with bright eyes and a heart full of hope. The last thing Theo wants is a complication. But when it becomes clear that Norah isn’t just running from a storm, he jumps back into the fight. Keeping her alive means trusting her. But trusting anyone means opening a door he nailed shut the day he lost his brothers.

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Ready to see the cover?

PREORDER LINKS: Goodreads | Author's Website | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | BookBub

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About the Author

GRITTY READS FULL OF GRACE.

Jessica Ashley is a three-time award winning author of faith-filled stories where swoony romance meets edge-of-your-seat suspense. Her stories serve as a reminder that even in the darkest moments, God's love shines through with hope, healing, and redemption. When she's not writing, she's homeschooling her three kids, baking homemade bread, or sneaking in quiet moments with her husband in their New Hampshire home. You can find out more about her on her website.

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Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a $20 gift card to the author's website shop and a signed copy of SEAL of Courage!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight October 23, 2026 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on October 30, 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 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!

Celebrate Lit Presents: A Threat at the Feast (A Rae Riley Mysteries Book) Author: JPC Allen

 

About the Book

Book: A Threat at the Feast (A Rae Riley Mysteries Book)

Author: JPC Allen

Genre: YA cozy mystery

Release Date: November 15

How can you trust when you don’t understand?

In November, amateur sleuth Rae Riley can be thankful for many things but not the media attention brought by a couple of recent cases she and her dad, Sheriff Walter “Mal” Malinowski solved in rural Marlin County, Ohio. When the publicity also brings the estranged grandfather and mother of her sort-of boyfriend, Deputy Chris Kincaid, he wants nothing to do with his family. Chris says his actress mother and movie director grandfather have only come to bask in the publicity from the high-profile cases.

But Rae notices that his grandfather carries a gun and seems afraid when a producer and his son, superhero movie star Talon Moore arrive in the county.

When Chris’s grandfather is found murdered outside the library where Rae works, and someone attacks Rae’s friend Devon and searches the library, Chris becomes the main suspect for Chief of Police Simcox. Rae and Mal race to bring Chris home for Thanksgiving before he’s prosecuted for first-degree murder.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

JPC Allen started her writing career in second grade with an homage to Scooby Doo, and she’s been tracking down mysteries ever since. She’s a Selah-finalist at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference in both short story and YA categories for her YA series, Rae Riley Mysteries. Her first Rae Riley novel, A Shadow on the Snow, won first place in the ACFW KidLit contest for YA fiction. A Storm of Doubts, her second novel, came in second in both the KidLit and Selah contests.

She writes novels for teens who are looking for a different kind of Christian fiction, stories that combine the mysteries of faith with real-world mysteries and dangers, stories that ask tough questions that a tougher God can always handle.

JPC Allen loves to teach about writing and has led writing workshops online and at in-person events. In her workshops, she encourages writers to discover the adventure of writing on their own terms. Coming from a long line of Mountaineers, she’s a life-long Buckeye and sets all her mysteries in fictional Marlin County Ohio.

More from JPC

The Hardest Book I’ve Ever Written

I knew it was coming, and I dreaded it. Since I write my novels in order, I knew I was slowly closing in on the scenes that twisted my stomach when I thought about them.

Why was I dreading them? Because I was confronting some of my deepest fears.

I’ve always hated being accused of something I didn’t do. In elementary school, if the teacher decided I’d misbehaved, and I hadn’t, there wasn’t a thing I could do. A seven-year-old can’t argue with an adult. Knowing I couldn’t defend myself was a helplessness that has stayed with me my whole life.

I didn’t want to write about the trapped feeling Chris would experience when he was unjustly accused of his grandfather’s murder. I didn’t want to write how helpless Rae felt as she watched someone she loved face prosecution for something he didn’t do.

But I also knew if A Threat at the Feast was going to be a novel worth reading, I had to include those scenes. So as I wrote about Chris’s arrest and arraignment, I let all my feelings pour into Rae. Because my emotions were genuine, ideas and reactions would pop up in my mind as if I was living the ordeal with Rae. Such as when my research uncovered the fact that few jails in Ohio have visitor rooms with plexiglass booths anymore. All visits are either conducted through a video kiosk at the jail or through a video call from the visitor’s home. I had a deep aversion to that fact, and I gave that aversion to Rae.

Despite the emotional grinder I went through to write those scenes, I also knew that such turmoil would make the resolution that much sweeter and deeper, imitating our journey through life. And when a story accurately imitates life, a writer can’t ask for more than that.

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, November 11

Simple Harvest Reads, November 12 (Author Interview)

Artistic Nobody, November 13 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 14

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, November 14

Guild Master, November 15 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, November 16

Fiction Book Lover, November 17 (Author Interview)

For Him and My Family, November 18

The Bookish Ledger, November 19 (Author Interview)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, November 20

Mary Hake, November 20

Tell Tale Book Reviews, November 21 (Author Interview)

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, November 22

Blossoms and Blessings, November 23 (Author Interview)

Lily’s Corner, November 24

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, JCP is giving away the grand prize of an Autumn mug, Seasonal loose leaf tea, Loose leaf tea steeper, Handmade bookmarks, Magnets, one signed copy each of A Riddle in the Lonesome October and A Threat at the Feast, and 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/tKADs/a-threat-at-the-feast-celebration-tour-giveaway

Secrets of the Artis Zoo: An Unforgettable Story Of Love, Grief, And Found Family In The Shadow Of War by Paulette Mahurin

 

During the dark days of World War II, amid Nazi domination and the deportation of Jews, the light of hope shines, often from the most ordinary of people. Such is the case in occupied Holland, where neighbors support one another and where unlikely friendships blossom.

After the death of his wife leaves Karl alone and bereft, the elephant Vrij at Amsterdam's Artis Zoo, where Karl is employed, becomes his closest companion. Soon, he strikes up a friendship with a Jewish family named Wolff, who have a little boy named Daniel. Karl is touched by the plight of the family, and he fears for the future of the little boy. But dark clouds loom on the horizon, and the family is threatened. Because of his close bond with the Wolffs, Karl too is in danger. There seems no way of escape, until fate takes over.

Based on the remarkable true story of the role the Artis Zoo played in helping refugees during World War II, Secrets of the Artis Zoo is a testament to the power of ordinary people to perform extraordinary acts of courage. In the worst of times, love and loyalty transcend all boundaries-even between species.

Amazon 

 

About The Author

 Paulette Mahurin is a best selling literary fiction and historical fiction novelist. She lives with her husband Terry and two dogs, Max and Bella, in Ventura County, California. She grew up in West Los Angeles and attended UCLA, where she received a Master’s Degree in Science.

Her first novel, The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap, made it to Amazon bestseller lists and won awards, including best historical fiction 2012 in Turning the Pages Magazine. Her second novel, His Name Was Ben, originally written as an award winning short story while she was in college and later expanded into a novel, rose to bestseller lists its second week out. Her third novel, To Live Out Loud, won international critical acclaim and made it to multiple sites as favorite read book of 2015. Her fourth book, The Seven Year Dress, made it to the top ten bestseller lists on Amazon U.S., Amazon U.K. and Amazon Australia. Her fifth book, The Day I Saw The Hummingbird, was released in 2017 to rave reviews. Her sixth book, A Different Kind of Angel, was released in August, 2018.

Semi-retired, she continues to work part-time as a Nurse Practitioner in Ventura County. When she’s not writing, she does pro-bono consultation work with women with cancer, works in the Westminster Free Clinic as a volunteer provider, volunteers as a mediator in the Ventura County Courthouse for small claims cases, and involves herself, along with her husband, in dog rescue. Profits from her books go to help rescue dogs from kill shelters.

 

My Review

 This is a fictional read with so much truth in it. The author brought the read alive with her rendition of what could of happened.
A story that begins with a lot of heartache, even before the evil that took over Europe in the 1930's began. At first the focus was on Karl, and his loss and the elephant that consoles him, and then others.
I cannot imagine the terror that went on in Holland at this time, so much hate, and why?
Be sure to read the notes at the end of this book, so much true happenings!
While a lot of Europe was going mad with hate, I loved how we meet people who had so much compassion, and were willing to give the ultimate!
We need to not forget!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Black Rose Writing, and was not required to give a positive review.

Lessons in Love (The Heart of the Amish #14) by Kelly Irvin

 

 Lenora Byler's life feels stuck in sacrifice—first for her grandfather, now for her brother’s family. Just as she rediscovers joy in teaching twenty lively students, her sister-in-law’s dangerous pregnancy drags her back into caregiving. Torn between duty and passion, Lenora finds unexpected purpose in tutoring widower Malcolm King’s two children. Their bond awakens feelings she thought she’d buried, but Malcolm’s grief and fear of loving again keep him distant. With everyone pulling at her heart, Lenora must lean on faith to uncover God’s plan. Only through courage, sacrifice, and trust can a love powerful enough to heal be embraced.

Amazon 

 

About The Author

 

Best-selling novelist Kelly Irvin's the author of more than 30 books and a dozen novellas in Amish romance, romantic suspense, and women's fiction. Her latest novel, A Daughter's Choice, debuted in November 2025. She is a two-time winner of Selah Awards and Readers Choice Awards. Her women's fiction novel, The Year of Goodbyes and Hellos won Selah's for both women's fiction and audiobook.

Kelly also writes romantic suspense novels. Her most recent forays into this genre include Trust Me, Her Every Move and Closer Than She Knows, all set in San Antonio and South Texas. Publishers Weekly says of Closer Than She Knows, "this brisk, smoothly written thriller from Irvin pits court reporter Teagan O’Rourke, a murder mystery lover, against a cunning and vicious serial killer. Fans of serial killer fiction with a Christian slant will be satisfied."

Of Tell Her No Lies, The Library Journal says, "Irvin creates a complex web with enough twists and turns to keep even the most savvy romantic suspense readers guessing until the end. Known for her Amish novels, this two-time Carol Award finalist shows that her talents span subgenres from tranquil Amish stories to rapidly paced breathless suspense.”

The Kansas native is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers,, Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, Texas League of Writers, and Women's Fiction Writers Association.

A graduate of the University of Kansas William Allen White School of Journalism, Kelly wrote nonfiction professionally for thirty years. She studied for three semesters at the University of Costa Rica, learning the Spanish language. As a journalist, she worked six years in the border towns of Laredo and El Paso, where she was exposed to culture and language that serves as fodder for her fiction writing.

Kelly retired in 2016 from her position of 22 years as public relations manager for the San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department. She writes full-time. She and her husband live in Texas. They have two children and four grandchildren. In her spare time, she likes to write short stories and poetry, read books by her favorite authors, and visit the babies.

My Review

 

This was such a good read to get lost in.
This is Lenora Byler's story, she is a young women whom has done a lot of sacrifice in her life, and we are with her as she meets Mac and his children.
We are also with her when she finally get to go back to teaching, but life can not be smooth, and she returns home to take care of things.
This is such a sweet Amish romance story, but after a while I wondered if it would ever be? Life sure got in the way, along with cold feet.
You will be page turning for answers, and then not want to leave this family! I wanted to continue in their lives!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Barbour, and was not required to give a positive review.

Celebrate Lit Presents: Dockside Secrets Author: Terry Overton

 

About the Book

Book: Dockside Secrets

Author: Terry Overton

Genre: Christian Cozy Mystery

Release Date: October 17, 2025

When Finley Burke moves to the peaceful lakeside village of Sunset Cove, she’s looking for a fresh start-not a mystery. But when a violent storm washes a strange tackle box onto her dock, she discovers more than fishing lures inside. Hidden within are antique jewels and secrets that link to a long-buried family feud and a suspicious death. As Finley digs deeper, she finds herself tangled in a web of

lies that threaten the calm of the cove- and her own safety.

With the help of her quirky but loyal neighbors, a sharp-eyed detective, Finley must uncover the truth before the past catches up to her.

Full of Southern charm, close-knit friendships, and suspense that keeps you turning the pages. Dockside Secrets is a heartwarming cozy mystery that proves it’s never too late to start over or to solve a mystery.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Terry Overton is a retired university professor of educational and school psychology. She has an Ed.D. in Special Education and a Ph.D. in Psychology.

Her professional experience includes teaching public school, teaching at the university level, and being a college dean.

She has two children, seven grandchildren, and one great granddaughter.

Her previous writing and publication experiences include textbook and journal articles in the fields of special education and school psychology. She now seeks to answer God’s call to share the good news and grow the church by writing Christian books and devotionals.

Over the years, Terry’s books have won the Mom’s Choice Award, Christian Indie Award, Firebird Book Awards, American Writing Winner Awards, Bookfest Winner Awards, Pencraft Award, Reader Views Silver Reviewers Award, and International Book Award Finalist. Her writing examines real world events with a Christian worldview. She enjoys writing for young children, middle grade readers, YA fiction, and adult level novels.

More from Terry

I must admit I have probably watched and read just about every Hallmark cozy mystery I have come across! I have become addicted to mysteries lately! I don’t limit it to just the cozy mysteries. Lately, I have been watching plenty of true crime. The attraction for me is the puzzle. I mean, really, who can resist a “whodunit?” I prefer more of the gumshoe approach, but I also watch several crime scene investigations.

It started out with a curiosity about why people do such actions. What motivates people to commit these crimes and then try to cover them up? In many cases, criminals just aren’t that bright. But there are some cases that remain puzzling.

I decided to give it a go. Dockside Secrets is my first cozy. It was fun to write this mystery in the little community outside of a big city. We moved to this new little cove on a lake, Sunset Cove, and this is where the characters live. The large city in the book, Sagebrush Bend, is in reality, Fort Worth, Texas. Plenty of changing landscapes here, and these appear in the story.

Grab this cozy and meet the quirky cast of characters: a retired forensic psychologist, a very proper southern lady, a nutty and loud best friend, and a middle-of-the-road peacekeeper join a fumbling local sheriff and a handsome detective to discover what really happened at Sunset Cove.

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, October 7

Holly’s Book Corner, October 8

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, October 8

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, October 9

Texas Book-aholic, October 10

Lights in a Dark World, October 10

For Him and My Family, October 11

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, October 12

She Lives to Read, October 13

Sylvan Musings, October 13

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, October 14

The Avid Reader, October 14

Fruitfully Planted, October 15

Vicky Sluiter, October 16

Avid Reader Nurse, October 17

Book Looks by Lisa, October 18

Simple Harvest Reads, October 19 (Guest Review from Donna)

Mary Hake, October 19

Leslie’s Library Escape, October 20

Lily’s Corner, October 20

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Terry 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/55lW2/dockside-secrets-celebration-tour-giveaway

The Glades by Angela Hunt

 

 

Katherine Armstrong planned every detail of her birthday weekend on a private island in the Everglades: the guest list, the menu, the flowers, the entertainment. She even arranged to keep the water at a safe distance.

But when a storm tears through the Glades, the power goes out, the phones die, and the island is cut off from the mainland. Then Casper, the caretaker, disappears. And in the dark water beyond the dock, something patient begins to move.

Katherine has spent years building a life that looks flawless from the outside. Now she has to hold that life together long enough to get her children off the island alive. But the longer the storm rages, the more the island reveals what it has been hiding—and what Katherine’s husband may have known all along.

Because the real danger isn’t just in the water. It’s in the family story everyone has agreed not to tell.

Amazon 

 

About The Author

 

Christy-Award winner Angela Hunt writes for readers who have learned to expect the unexpected in novels from this versatile author. With nearly six million copies of her books sold worldwide, she is the best-selling author of more than 160 works ranging from picture books (The Tale of Three Trees) to novels and nonfiction.

Now that her two children are grown, Angie and her husband live in Florida with Very Big Dogs (a direct result of watching Sandlot too many times). This affinity for mastiffs has not been without its rewards--one of their dogs was featured on Live with Regis and Kelly as the second-largest canine in America. Their dog received this dubious honor after an all-expenses-paid trip to Manhattan for the dog and the Hunts, complete with VIP air travel and a stretch limo in which they toured New York City. Afterward, the dog gave out paw-tographs at the airport.

When she's not home writing, Angie often travels to teach writing workshops at schools and writers' conferences. And to talk about her dogs, of course.

Readers may visit her web site at www.angelahuntbooks.com.

 

My Review

 A story that goes back years, when it wasn't against the law and then it was?
So much heart ache and loss, and for what? So a rich man can have a novelty? Yes, the book grabbed me, and sure didn't let go until the last page is turned.
The author does highlight Miccosukee and Seminole Indian tribes, the native American people of Florida, and I loved the way they were included into this read.
If you enjoy heart pumping read, this one will keep you riveted, from betrayal to missing people. Whom are your real friends?
We are really rubbing shoulders with the rich in this read. Money is no object, and breaking the law is for everyone else.