The Portal by Melane Bower

 

She has been praying since before she could speak. Now she is the only thing standing between the ones she loves and a darkness determined to destroy them.

Thirteen years ago, Stephanie Hudson and her family vanished without a trace, and her best friend Mariah feared the worst. Now Stephanie and her two daughters have stepped back into Mariah’s life, fleeing a distant, abusive husband… and a generations-old secret hidden behind the walls of Hudson’s Tavern.

As darkness closes in on the young family’s hiding place, the fearless faith of thirteen-year-old Rebekah becomes the main defense against the forces of a cursed bloodline, a mysterious spirit, and hate crimes threatening to destroy their small town. With her estranged father’s fate hanging in the balance, Rebekah and a small circle of believers must face the powers hunting them before the darkness claims their family for good.

For readers who love spiritual warfare, suspense, and authors like Frank Peretti, Jamie Jo Wright, and Ted Dekker, The Portal is a heart-pounding supernatural thriller about prayer, courage, and the unseen war that lurks far nearer than anyone dares believe.

When evil comes for everyone you love, will your faith be enough to withstand it?

Amazon 

 

About The Author

n addition to crafting novels of Christian suspense, Melane has been a professional copywriter since 2005, specializing in creating fundraising letters, website copy, and newsletter content for nonprofit organizations throughout the United States. In 2015, she refined her writing to include freelance ghostwriting and book editing services, including for a Christian book publishing company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. "The Portal" is her debut novel.

 

My Review

 This was a page turner, a powerful Christian read.
A read that is full of spiritual warfare, and yes, this is a fictional read, but it felt so real! Do I believe that all of what happened in this book could really happen, yes! The forces of evil are strong!
The author gives us a beautiful thirteen year old girl, Rebeckah, and her love of the Lord. She does surprising things in this read, but her faith is unbreakable. There are other strong Christians put in her path, but loved how she worked on some she loved to show them the right path.
The author does a great job of bringing this story alive, there is a lot of bad stuff going on here, including kidnapping, human trafficking, along with demonic possession, and more. We need to be reminded to be vigilant and keep the Lord close.
I received this book through the New Haven Publishing, and was not required to give a positive review.

Celebrate Lit Presents: The Marquess’s Masked Archer Author: Abbey Downey

 

About the Book

Book: The Marquess’s Masked Archer

Author: Abbey Downey

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release Date: September 15, 2026

A hidden identity. A relentless marquess. And a summer where love could expose everything.

When Cleveland society parades debutante Sylvie Bryce before another string of unsuitable suitors, she secretly claims the one thing no one can arrange for her—a life of her own. Hidden beneath a green velvet hood and emerald mask, she becomes the mysterious Lady Robin, a daring trick-shot archer who captivates the crowds at Cedar Point resort. It’s the one place where Sylvie answers to no one. The last thing she needs is a charming English marquess threatening to unravel everything she has worked so hard to build.

Miles Wentworth didn’t come to Ohio looking for love. He came to study insects, escape the shadow of a devastating scandal, and prove that a man can build a life on his own terms. But a chance encounter with a boldly independent woman—first in a glittering ballroom, and then behind the mask of a legendary archer—upends every carefully laid plan. Determined to protect her, even from himself, Miles steps into a dangerous game of secrets and deception—one that draws them closer with every anonymous letter and stolen moment…even as the truth has the power to ruin them both.

A richly atmospheric Gilded Age romance brimming with wit, hidden identities, and the tender courage it takes to love without pretense—a tale of a sharp-shooting socialite, a science-minded lord, and the summer of secrets that will change them both forever. Perfect for fans of Jen Turano and Roseanna M. White.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Abbey Downey started writing inspirational romance stories during naptime when her kids were babies and found she couldn’t stop. A life-long Midwestern girl, Abbey lives in central Indiana with her husband, two kids, and one rather enthusiastic beagle. She loves watching her middle schoolers in all their activities and fixing up a 125-yar-old farmhouse with her husband.

 

 

 

 

More from Abbey

“Ladies and gentlemen, prepare to be impressed and entertained by the marvelous skill of Lady Robin, our own famed archer. Reminiscent of Robin Hood of old, she performs feats with a bow that are only dreamed of by most masters. Now, please, sit back and enjoy the show.” – The Marquess’s Masked Archer

 

Why do fictional characters hide? They might keep their entire identity hidden under a costume, their face covered with a mask, or just parts of who they are kept behind a confident act, but secrets are often an element of the conflict in books we love. And it’s for the same kinds of reasons all of us have tried to hide aspects of ourselves at one time or another. Fear. Shame. Protection. Freedom. Survival.

Characters in fiction reflect the truth of our human existence. Most of us probably aren’t dressing up as a female Robin Hood to perform archery trick shots or writing secret admirer letters to win a love interest, like my characters do in The Marquess’s Masked Archer. But the reasons Sylvie and Miles choose secrecy are all too relatable.

Sylvie’s goal in hiding behind a green hood is to give herself a taste of freedom. Her high society world is prescribed and controlled. There are very few opportunities for her to make choices in life. And while she longs to have more freedom, she also worries that if she were to get the independence she so desires, she would fail miserably and be forced to return to her parents in shame. Isn’t it relatable to want something desperately but at the same time be terrified that we can’t actually handle getting it?

In a different way, Miles hides behind a new life for protection. After false accusations in his youth left him disgraced in England, he wrestles with his purpose. His passion for medical entomology has given him hope for a normal life, but he also feels the constant weight of expectations due to his noble title. He’s certain people only see what they want to when they look at him, so he hides away doing his research, hoping no one will look at all. How truly human is that? We hide so much of ourselves out of worry that people won’t understand or will immediately jump to conclusions about who we are based on one glimpse.

But God didn’t create us for secrecy. The tension of hiding makes it difficult for Sylvie and Miles to fall in love, in spite of their interest in each other from the beginning. Every step forward brings new worry that they’ll be found out and their plans will be destroyed. Each romantic moment comes with the discomfort of knowing they aren’t being completely genuine with each other. Even Sylvie and Miles’s first kiss is shrouded in questions about whether the other knows that they meant it.

In the end, Sylvie and Miles’s story is also about what happens when they’re forced to take off the masks. It takes trust in each other and in God for them to finally get to the moment of happily ever after that we all love so much. Just like in fiction, when we trust God with those secret parts of ourselves, we can start to see how living in truth offers more freedom than hiding.

Do you enjoy a hidden identity or secret admirer trope? What’s your favorite book that includes one of those?

Blog Stops

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, September 26

Texas Book-aholic, September 27

Pause for Tales, September 28

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, September 28

Madi’s Musings, September 29

For Him and My Family, September 30

Book looks by lisa, October 1

The Vine and The Branch, October 1

Devoted Steps, October 2

Leslie’s Library Escape, October 2

Lyssa Loves Books, October 3

Devoted To Hope, October 4

Books You Can Feel Good About, October 5

Blossoms and Blessings, October 6

Holly’s Book Corner, October 7

Locks, Hooks and Books, October 8

Lily’s Corner, October 9

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Abbey 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/GCnUr/the-marquesss-masked-archer-celebration-tour-giveaway

Celebrate Lit Presents: Return of the Guardian-King Author: Karen Hancock

 

About the Book

Book: Return of the Guardian-King

Author: Karen Hancock

Genre: Adult Fantasy

Release Date: September 22, 2026

Special Hardcover Edition of a Classic Christian Fantasy

Believed dead by all but the handful of supporters who rescued him from his Mataian enemies, Abramm Kalladorne has fled his homeland to the high mountains of northern Chesedh. Traveling under a new name with a group of bitter and increasingly desperate fellow exiles, Abramm hopes to reunite with his wife, Maddie, where he will offer his services to her father in fighting the invading armies of the Black Moon.

But with every step, he is thwarted from the direction he wants to take, and it soon becomes clear Eidon has other plans for him.

In the royal city of Fannath Rill, Maddie alone believes Abramm still lives. But since she has no proof, her friends, family, and public opinion press her to remarry. With its neighboring realms now under enemy control, Chesedh has become the last bastion of Eidon’s Light. Desperately overmatched, it cannot survive on its own. Yet an eastern warlord has a vast fleet of galley ships that could turn the tide in their favor if Maddie agrees to his offer.

As war, betrayal, and shifting alliances close in, both Maddie and Abramm have their faith tested beyond what either of them could ever imagine.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Karen Hancock has won Christy Awards for each of her first four novels —Arena and the first three books in the Legends of the Guardian-King series. She graduated from the University of Arizona with bachelor’s degrees in biology and wildlife biology. Along with writing, she is a semi- professional watercolorist and has exhibited her work in a number of national juried shows. She and her family reside in Arizona.

 

 

 

 

Excerpt from the Book

THE BELL-TONED VOICE DREW ABRAMM KALLADORNE

into the sunlight of the open meadow, a yellow butterfly zigzagging ahead of him above a patch of purple lupine. He pressed through the bloom-laden stalks into rippling grass, following the plucked notes of a lirret and a voice as familiar as his own. She must be just beyond that primrose at the meadow’s far edge.

Children’s laughter echoed in counterpoint to her sweet voice, and his pace quickened. Ian would be over two by now, walking well, maybe even talking in phrases and sentences, while Simon would have left all his toddlerhood behind, a real little boy at last. Then there was Maddie.

Abramm ached for her so badly sometimes he could hardly bear it. Now finally, that was behind him. All the worrying about threading the high passes before winter closed them had been for naught. In a moment he would step around that bush and there she’d be, her gray-blue eyes widening with surprise at the sight of him an instant before she’d cast her lirret aside and fling herself into his—

His foot slipped, and he lurched to regain his balance, gripping his walking staff hard as he drove it into the snow. The misstep jolted his entire body as the vision winked out and the dark, icy reality of the blizzard-swept heights filled his senses again. She wasn’t here. His boys weren’t here. There was no meadow. The passes were not behind him, and winter was very definitely closing in . . .

Realization slammed him so hard he reeled to a stop, struggling to breathe as he felt again the cold and the exhaustion and the misery.

Wind screamed around him, pelting his heavy woolen cloak with slivers of snow and flapping its snow-caked hem about his legs. For a moment, the desire to give up was so strong he nearly collapsed.

But he couldn’t. Maddie was waiting for him. His boys needed him. And so he drew a deep breath and reached up to dash away the ice that continually froze onto his beard and mustache. Chunks of it clung also to the long hair dangling beside his face, some of them rasping against the inside edge of his cowl, others frozen to his beard. He no longer felt his feet, and his fingers, numb beneath a double layer of glove and mitten, could hardly grip his walking staff.

He squinted down the rocky hill to where a shin-deep trough of footprints angled across the slope through the rapidly accumulating snow. At the end of his pocket of visibility, the last of his companions were starting down the next switchback, obscured by the shifting veils of snow. Shuddering, he started after them, placing steps and stick carefully to avoid any more almost-falls.

Neither he nor anyone else in his party had any real idea where they were going, only that having come through the Kolki Pass they must descend the barren slopes beyond to an ancient Terstan monastery just below the tree line. “The way will be obvious,” the men back at Highmount Holding had assured them. Maybe it would be if clouds hadn’t swallowed the world and driving snow hadn’t made it hard to open one’s eyes and the rock cairns that were supposed to be their guides weren’t fast disappearing beneath the drifting snow.

It was typical, though, of the bad luck that had plagued them since leaving Kiriath, transforming what should have been a three-week journey through the pass into a six-week trial of endurance. They’d run out of food two days ago and burned the last of their dung-pats in last night’s fire. Water had been in short supply for over a week, and they had an old man, a pregnant woman, and a number of children with them. Thinking they’d be in Caerna’tha tonight, they’d left much of their bedding and tents with the wagon when it had irreparably broken down in the pass that morning. Now, with the day three-quarters gone, and the tree line still who knew how far below them, their situation was growing desperate.

For not the first time he sent up a prayer for guidance and protection.

Blog Stops

Simple Harvest Reads, September 25 (Spotlight)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, September 26 (Spotlight)

Artistic Nobody, September 27 (Spotlight)

The Lofty Pages, September 28

History, Hope & Happily Ever After, September 29 (Spotlight)

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, September 29

Guild Master, September 30 (Spotlight)

Lily’s Corner, October 1

Paula’s Pad of Inspiration, October 2 (Spotlight)

Fiction Book Lover, October 3 (Spotlight)

Vicky Sluiter, October 4 (Spotlight)

Texas Book-aholic, October 5

For the Love of Literature, October 6 (Spotlight)

Romances of the Cross, October 6

The Bookish Ledger, October 7 (Spotlight)

Tell Tale Book Reviews, October 8 (Spotlight)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Karen 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/n17Pb/return-of-the-guardian-king-celebration-tour-giveaway

The Voyage by V.S. Alexander

 

In Barcelona, a widowed Marine drifts through a Picasso museum because his wife's last request sent him there, searching for something he cannot name—until a stranger with a sketchbook sees him clearly.

In 1927 New York, a carriage driver watches a French actress play Roxane for a single night, and spends the rest of his life writing poems she will never read. Or so he believes.

In Provence, an aging hockey captain falls for a woman who has no idea who he is, then flies home to chase the only thing he ever wanted.

Three novellas about the moments that turn a life, and how completely an unexpected encounter can change one.

Amazon 

 

About The Author

 

Matteo Baiamonte is a New York–born writer of character-driven literary fiction shaped by memory, place, and the unexpected encounters that alter the course of a life. Raised in the analog world before the digital age, his fiction carries the sensibility of a generation for whom friendships were forged face-to-face, music became part of one's identity, and people could disappear from our lives without leaving an electronic trail behind.

Years spent living and traveling abroad have left their mark on his fiction and inspired another recurring theme: the displaced American, far from home and navigating unfamiliar places while carrying the memories, regrets, and unfinished business of another life. His stories move from the streets of New York to Barcelona, Paris, Provence, Rome, and beyond, using place not simply as a backdrop, but as a catalyst for reinvention and self-discovery.

Baiamonte's fiction blends nostalgia with themes of love, loss, regret, redemption, and second chances, with a particular fascination for ordinary people caught at extraordinary moments in their lives. His debut collection, Tales of the Butterfly, brings together three emotionally driven novellas spanning Barcelona, 1920s New York, France, and Canada.

Baiamonte writes under the Borough Lights Press imprint.

 

My Review

Three quick reads, novellas, three sweet love stories.
The first The Girl in The Picasso Museum was probably my favorite, I loved Reagan. This one is a beautiful love story, that ends with dealing with grief.
The second The Landau Letters is surprising in the way it wrapped around and ended up. As with all of these stories, we travel from North America to Europe. Such a gentle man, and the women in the poetry never knew.
The third A Captain's Fire because some of my family are big into hockey, I found this interesting, but the relationship between Moose, David and Alessia was very different, and in the end felt very incomplete.
I was able to read this book in a few hours and kept page turning for answers. Love stories!
I received this book through the Publisher Bright Lights Publishing, and was not required to give a positive review.  

Celebrate Lit Presents: Not My Hero Author: Michelle Bolanger

 

About the Book

Book: Not My Hero

Author: Michelle Bolanger

Genre: Contemporary Romance / Biblical Retelling

Release Date: August 4, 2026

She lost everything… except the chance to begin again.

He has everything… except the freedom to follow his heart.

After losing her husband, Kennedy Bishop is left with nothing but grief, debt, and unanswered questions.

Returning to Dayton with her faithful mother-in-law, Kennedy is determined to rebuild her life without relying on anyone… especially God.

But when she crosses paths with the wealthy Donovan Taylor, a devout man committed to rescuing others while hiding burdens of his own, their lives become unexpectedly intertwined.

As suspicion, sacrifice, and unseen connections threaten to tear them apart, the pair must decide if  they’re willing to put their trust in God and take a chance on love.

A powerful Christian romance about redemption, faith, and the courage to believe that even the most broken stories can be restored.

Perfect for readers of Francine Rivers and Nichole Deese, this emotionally rich Christian romance blends heartbreak, redemption, and faith into a modern-day story of Ruth that speaks to anyone learning to trust God again.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Michelle Bolanger a small town, socially awkward and often anxious author and artist who found unshakeable security and hope in 1998 when she surrendered her fears and her heart to Jesus Christ. Her greatest wish as an author is that her stories will be a vehicle to share the hope and courage she found through her faith with others. Michelle lives in small town Ohio with her husband of almost 30 years and a mildly chaotic Akita named Hugo. She and Robert enjoy going on long cruises, taking motorcycle rides along side roads and back roads, and cheering for their favorite professional hockey teams.

 

 

More from Michelle

When I get asked why I wrote Not My Hero, I tell people it is because I had been looking for a modern retelling of the book of Ruth that impacted me. I couldn’t find one that I loved, so I wrote it myself.

I’ve always been drawn to Boaz’s history. I wondered about his lineage and how his parents’ past might have been the reason he was well past the age a man of his station should be married with children, and yet he wasn’t. Could it have been because his mother was not only a foreigner, but that she was a former prostitute? Would other families hesitate to offer their daughters in marriage to such a family? How did that past affect Boaz’s view of himself?

And I found it so interesting that Ruth was the faithful one when Naomi felt God had abandoned her. Ruth had every reason to be wary. As a Moabite, she knew she would not be accepted in the Hebrew society, yet she clung to the God of the Hebrews. She was rewarded for her faithfulness to Naomi when God brought her to Boaz’s field, and through her, Naomi saw proof that God had not abandoned her at all.

While I wrote the story simply wanting to retell a beloved story from the Bible, I realized that even in my own darkest times God always had a plan that I couldn’t see. He is always working, even when we can’t see a way through.

It took me 8 years to write and publish this story, and I think it took that long because God needed me to see beyond the characters I had created and into His heart for me. He wanted me to understand that this isn’t just a fictional story, it is a tale that illustrates His steadfast love and faithfulness.

Blog Stops

Simple Harvest Reads, September 24 (Author Interview)

Book Looks by Lisa, September 25

Artistic Nobody, September 26 (Author Interview)

Guild Master, September 27 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, September 27

Pause for Tales, September 28

Texas Book-aholic, September 29

Fiction Book Lover, September 30 (Author Interview)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, October 1

The Bookish Ledger, October 2 (Author Interview)

For Him and My Family, October 2

Cover Lover Book Review, October 3

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, October 4 (Author Interview)

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, October 5

Books Less Travelled, October 6 (Author Interview)

History, Hope & Happily Ever After, October 7 (Author Interview)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Michelle is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card and a hardback 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/z0WKJ/not-my-hero-celebration-tour-giveaway

The Christmas Yes List by Melissa Ferguson

 

All she wants for Christmas is a rejection.

Chloe Hollis is done being a people-pleaser. After one too many bad decisions--including a job that asked her to cross a line she couldn't--she's determined to change. Her plan? Collect ten nos before Christmas by asking strangers for the most ridiculous favors she can think of.

It should be easy.

But then? Then she meets James.

Instead of shutting her down, the charming out-of-towner keeps saying yes--to Christmas karaoke, to small-town holiday traditions, to every spontaneous, hilarious, totally chaotic idea she throws his way. And the more he says yes, the harder it becomes for Chloe to stick to her plan . . . or protect her heart.

Because James has a reason for saying yes to everything, too--and it might cost them both more than they bargained for.

As their opposite missions collide in a swirl of festive mishaps, unexpected courage, and undeniable chemistry, Chloe starts to wonder if the biggest risk isn't rejection after all . . . but saying yes to something real.

Amazon 

 

About The Author

 

Melissa Ferguson is the bestselling author of titles including Meet Me in the Margins, Famous for a Living, and How to Plot a Payback. She lives in Tennessee with her family in their growing farmhouse lifestyle and writes heartwarming romantic comedies.

You can find her on her socials at @ourfriendlyfarmhouse.

 

My Review

 

This is a read that had me laughing out loud, it is full of chuckles!
Chloe Hollis is going home! She has a list she wants to accomplish before Christmas, and she meets the wrong person to accomplish this with.
We are given some sweet romance, some really feel good moments, and some that I know Chloe wished she could have taken back.
A fun holiday read! In the end we wonder if the two main characters, after all that happens and the truth comes out!
I received this book through #Net Galley and the Publisher #Thomas Nelson, and was not required to give a positive review.

The One I Didn't Expect: Fox Grove Series, Book 3 by Sara R. Turnquist

 

The last thing they need is another complication. The last thing they expect is each other.

Veterinary student Josephine “Jo” Mercer is heading home to Fox Grove for her ten-year high school reunion carrying more than an overstuffed suitcase. Beneath her smile lies a growing fear that the dream she's worked years to achieve may be slipping through her fingers.

Zoo Educator Ethan Langston has problems of his own. His career is at a crossroads, and no amount of careful planning seems able to fix it. The last thing he expects is to spend ten hours trapped in a car with his sister’s best friend—the girl he once secretly admired.
When one mishap after another derails their road trip, old assumptions are challenged, walls begin to crumble, and unexpected feelings start to take root. But as the miles pass, so do the opportunities to ignore the questions neither of them wants to face.

Will they keep clinging to the futures they’ve carefully planned—or trust God with a story neither of them saw coming?

Amazon

 

About The Author

 

'm a coffee lovin', word slinging, Historical Romance author who's super power is converting caffeine into novels. I love those odd little tidbits of history that are stranger than fiction. That's what inspires me. Well, that and a good love story.

But of all the love stories I know, mine is my favorite. I live happily with my own Prince Charming and our gaggle of minions. Three to be exact. They sure know how to distract a writer! But, alas, the stories must be written, even if it must happen in the wee hours of the morning.

Happy Reading!

Free e-book at http://SaraTurnquist.com/list

FB: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSaraRTurnquist

Twitter: @sarat1701

 My Review

 I have loved this series, and this is the final book. Each of these reads, including this one focus on Fox Grove's high school reunion.
There are recurring characters, and each spend some time in Fox Grove. Didn't exactly know what to expect when Jo's friend has her brother picking her friend and bring her to their hometown. Didn't realize but the more you think of it these two really had a lot in common. She is a Veterinary student and he is a Zoo educator!
This one has such sweet romance, that I wanted to continue in their lives.
I am so glad I read this series, and will be looking for more by each author!
I received this book through the Launch Team, and was not required to give a positive review.