Sunday, May 17, 2026

Chase the Light by Suzanne Woods Fisher

About the Book

Book: Chase the Light (National Parks Summers Book 2. It can be read as a stand alone.)

Author: Suzanne Woods Fisher

Genre: Contemporary

Release Date: May 5, 2026

When Acadia National Park ranger Scout Johnson discovers a weathered note near a remote lighthouse, she never imagines it will expose a century-old mystery. The cryptic message points to a forgotten shipwreck, a vanished treasure, and a lighthouse keeper’s suspicious death. Seeking answers, Scout enlists Naki Dana, a thoughtful man whose Penobscot heritage provides crucial insights. As they venture deeper into Acadia’s rugged wilderness, their unlikely partnership begins stirring feelings Scout didn’t expect to find. But they aren’t the only ones searching.

Chase Fletcher, a charming local journalist, sees this treasure hunt as his last opportunity to save his failing paper–and finds himself increasingly drawn to the ranger leading the search. With pressure mounting and loyalties tested, Scout must navigate a winding path between history and justice, truth and betrayal . . . and determine who–and what–deserves her trust.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Suzanne Woods Fisher is a bestselling author, Christy finalist, Carol and Selah winner, and two-time ECPA Book of the Year finalist, with over forty books to her name. She writes contemporary, historical and Amish novels. Suzanne lives in California with her husband, where life (and friends) inspire her stories.

More from Suzanne

If a trip to Acadia National Park isn’t already on your bucket list, it should be—and when you go, don’t miss warm popovers on the lawn at the iconic Jordan Pond House.

The Unofficial-but-Close-Enough Jordan Pond Popover Recipe*

Back in 1895, Nellie and Thomas McIntire bought a Maine farmhouse overlooking the clear waters of Jordan Pond. On their wide green lawn, they served tea and towering popovers to well-to-do summer travelers. In 1928, J. D. Rockefeller purchased the land and later donated it to Acadia National Park. The lawn remains. The view remains. And the popovers? Still iconic.

While the original recipe is famously guarded, this version comes deliciously close.

Makes 6–8 large popovers.

What You’ll Need

4 large eggs
2 cups whole milk
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch of baking soda
2 tablespoons melted butter

Let’s Make Them

Start with a hot oven (and a hot pan).
Preheat your oven to 425°–450°F. Place your popover pan (or a muffin tin) in the oven while it heats.
Whisk the batter.
Beat the eggs for about 2–3 minutes until slightly frothy. Slowly pour in the milk, then add the flour, salt, and baking soda. Mix just until combined. The batter should be smooth but not overworked.
Fill the cups.
Carefully remove the hot pan from the oven and grease it generously with butter or spray. Pour the batter into each cup, filling them about halfway to three-quarters full.
Bake.
Bake at 425°–450°F for 15 minutes. Then, without opening the oven door, reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake another 15–20 minutes. The high heat creates the lift; the lower heat helps them set inside.
Resist the urge to peek.
Do not open the oven door while they bake. The steam inside is what makes them puff and keeps them tall.

Serve immediately with plenty of butter and strawberry jam.

A Few Tips for Sky-High Popovers

Room temperature matters. Cold eggs or milk will slow the rise. Let them sit out a bit before mixing.
Heat is your friend. A properly preheated pan jump-starts the puff.
No peeking. Steam is everything here. Let the oven do its work.

*Recipe adapted from Weston Table.

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, May 16

Lyssa Loves Books, May 16

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 17

Texas Book-aholic, May 18

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, May 19

The Avid Reader, May 19

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, May 20

Lakesidelivingsite, May 20

For Him and My Family, May 21

Holly’s Book Corner, May 21

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 22

EmpowerMoms, May 23

Pause for Tales, May 23

Blogging With Carol, May 24

Lily’s Corner, May 25

Devoted To Hope, May 25

She Lives to Read, May 26

Life on Chickadee Lane, May 27

Cover Lover Book Review, May 27

Simple Harvest Reads, May 28 (Guest Review from Donna)

Lights in a Dark World, May 28

Wishful Endings, May 29

Mary Hake, May 29

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Suzanne 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/f01pi/chase-the-light-celebration-tour-giveaway

Saturday, May 16, 2026

Love Under Construction by Linda Shenton Matchett

About the Book

Book: Love Under Construction

Author: Linda Shenton Matchett

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release Date: January 6, 2026

Can two stubborn people tear down the walls of independence to find love?

Nadine Krause took in boarders to help her family climb out of debt after her father’s death. Business has gone well, and she’s earned enough to expand the house. When her brother’s friend agrees to take the job – the only man in town willing to work for a woman – sparks fly. But not the good kind. Or are they?

Looking for something different, Leo Albrecht takes a project working for Nadine Krause, the spunky owner of Cocoaville’s favorite boarding house. An easy job. Then he manages to injure himself and needs her help to finish making it nearly impossible to ignore his growing attraction. Should he break his rule of not mixing work and his personal life?

Click here to get your copy!

I love reading books by Linda Shenton Matchett because I know they will be clean reads and she always shares the Gospel message in some form. Nadine is a woman who knows her own mind! The romance is sweet! I am wondering if there is going to be a third book? No, Love Under Construction by Linda Shenton Matchett doesn't end in a cliffhanger but it does end with me wanting another book with these characters.
I receive a complimentary copy from the author and Celebrate Lit and these opinions are my own.

About the Author

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 and immerses herself in the imaginary worlds created by other authors.

More from Linda

In 2002, my husband and I purchased a 4,000 square-foot “fixer upper” bed and breakfast in New Hampshire. The building had “good bones,” but a bit of deferred maintenance and poorly executed “Harry Homeowner” repairs and updates provided plenty of projects not including a complete overhaul of the kitchen and adding a bathroom. Here are just a few:

Wallpaper that had been applied directly to unpainted drywall (for the uninitiated: this means the wallpaper pulls off the paper facing leaving the gypsum core exposed).
Floral wire used to attach the toilet handle to the flapper in all eight bathrooms which left a pile of floral wire in the bottom of the tanks because that repair was repeated countless times.
A rotted 12X8X8 sill discovered while painting the outside of the house.
Windows that had to be locked to remain closed, and windows that had to be set on “chocks” to remain open.
Floors that sloped because the joists had rotted.
Walls that had rotted behind wallpaper.
Replacing the subfloor in one room that had a 12” round hole that had been carpeted over. Good thing it was near the wall, and a chair had been set over the area.
Discovering a live wire in the basement that had been cut off and stuffed into the wall.

My “favorite” was the pantry that turned out to be propped together. None of the walls or the ceiling were connect/nailed/screwed to anything, so when the shelves were removed, the closet fell in on itself.

We didn’t begin anything new after March because we couldn’t risk getting caught with an unfinished project when season began. Despite the challenges, I loved the historicity of that house, and even though it was much too large for just the two of us after we closed the business, I sometimes miss it. However, not while I’m cleaning!

When I was noodling through possible plotlines for the second book in The Chocolate Chronicles, it didn’t take long for me to realize I could use our experiences for Nadine who operated a boarding house. Add a hunky flannel-shirted (hello Hallmark) hero, and I had the makings of a story. I had fun creating construction problems for the pair as they fought their growing attraction.

Blog Stops

Leslie’s Library Escape, May 14

Stories By Gina, May 15 (Author Interview)

Fruitfully Planted, May 15

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 16

Life on Chickadee Lane, May 17

Books, Books, & More Books, May 18 (Author Interview)

lakesidelivingsite, May 19

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, May 20 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, May 21

Books Less Travelled, May 22 (Author Interview)

Pause for Tales, May 22

For Him and My Family, May 23

Vicky Sluiter, May 24

Paula’s Pad of Inspiration, May 25 (Author Interview)

Connie’s History Classroom, May 26

Holly’s Book Corner, May 27

Giveaway

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/qKh62/love-under-construction-celebration-tour-giveaway

Tuesday, May 12, 2026

The Schoolmarm and the Miner by Denise Farnsworth writing as Denise Weimer

About the Book

Book: The Schoolmarm and the Miner

Author: Denise Farnsworth writing as Denise Weimer

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release Date: May 5, 2026

A teacher seeking independence. A widower guarding his heart. In Georgia’s gold country, the richest prize may be the love they’re afraid to claim.

Adelaide Duncan’s dream of teaching is within reach until her father’s drinking and gambling force her to start over. Taking a position in the rough-and-tumble gold rush town of Dahlonega[DF1] , she’s determined to prove herself. But unruly students, strict rules against [DF2] teachers courting, and her growing feelings for a certain widowed father threaten the independence she’s fought so hard to claim.

Wade Coulter walked away from the law after he lost his wife and unborn son. Raising his daughter alone is safer than letting anyone else in. But Lotty’s beautiful new teacher makes him question everything. Just as he begins to trust again, a dangerous man from Wade’s past threatens both the women he loves.

A gold strike on Wade’s property promises security…but also revives old dangers. Scarred by her father’s choices, Addie fears any man who might put [DF3] selfish desires before love. As deadly threats close in and the past refuses to stay buried, Wade must prove he’s changed or risk losing his chance at happiness forever.

Click here to get your copy!

This book is the third in the series and my favorite of the series. It can be read as a standalone. I really like Adelaide and Wade, but I have to admit my favorite character is Lotty. She does a few mean things, but I could understand why, she is a child and missing her mom. And just like most books there a few characters that readers (I) don't like. If a reader likes Historical romance than I recommend this book. Both Adelaide and Wade have to overcome past issues to find happiness.

I receive a complimentary copy from the author and Celebrate Lit and these opinions are my own.

About the Author

North Georgia native Denise Farnsworth, formerly Denise Weimer, has authored over twenty traditionally published novels and novellas—historical and contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and time slip. As a freelance editor and Acquisitions & Editorial Liaison for Wild Heart Books, she’s helped other authors reach their publishing dreams. A wife and mother of two adult daughters, Denise always pauses for coffee, chocolate, and old houses.

More from Denise

At the end of book one of my Twenty-Niners of the Georgia Gold Rush series, The Songbird and the Surveyor, the bad guy walked free! Saloon and mine owner Charles Martin’s manipulative plotting and family money spared him from facing justice. Well, we can’t have that…

Wade Coulter, the sheriff whose sister died in a confrontation with Charles, turned in his badge after the man avoided standing trial for kidnapping the wife of Jesse Holden (the hero of book one) and his theft of a local mine owner’s gold. Jesse and Genny left North Georgia for a fresh start, but Wade gets stuck with the burden of failure and—following the deaths of his wife and unborn son—heartache. He’s retreated to his mountain farm with his plucky overall-wearing daughter, Charlotte, determined to keep her safe from the criminals who frequent gold rush boomtowns like the county seat of Dahlonega.

But then a new teacher arrives…one who is also fleeing heartache in hopes of a fresh start. Forced by the mistakes of her drunken father to seek employment in the gold fields rather than at the prestigious girls’ academy from which she just graduated, Adelaide Duncan has no other choice than to make her way in Dahlonega. If that means doing battle with thieves on the square, a pompous school board president, and bullies as big as she is, fine.

The one battle she doesn’t count on is keeping her heart safe from a moody widower who needs convincing by Addie and his aunt, the owner of the boardinghouse where Addie lodges, that his mannerless daughter desperately needs to attend school. It soon enough becomes clear that, despite her guardedness, Lottie longs for a mother’s love. Just when the discovery of gold on Wade’s land allows him to picture a family in his future, an old nemesis shows up with a new scheme…one that once again endangers the women Wade loves.

The Schoolmarm and the Miner packs humor, romance, action, and all your favorite tropes into a real-life town setting so charming, it’s a Hallmark movie-filming destination. After you read the story, you’ll want to plan a road trip to tour the gold museum in the historic courthouse and the drippy tunnels of the Consolidated Gold Mine, one of many that operated in Lumpkin County from the 1830s through the early 1900s. As you wander the North Georgia mountains, you’ll see why I’ve long felt there’s still plenty of treasure there. And fodder for great stories!

Blog Stops

Fiction Book Lover, May 12 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 12

Texas Book-aholic, May 13

For Him and My Family, May 14

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, May 15

Lakesidelivingsite , May 15

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 16

Devoted To Hope, May 17

Jeanette’s Thoughts, May 18

Books You Can Feel Good About, May 19

Connie’s History Classroom, May 20

Simple Harvest Reads, May 21 (Guest Review from Donna)

Holly’s Book Corner, May 22

Cover Lover Book Review, May 23

Pause for Tales, May 24

Lyssa Loves Books, May 25

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Denise 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/DSQoC/the-schoolmarm-and-the-miner-celebration-tour-giveaway

Monday, May 11, 2026

Stronger than the Storm by Deena Adams

About the Book

Book: Stronger than the Storm

Author: Deena Adams

Genre: Christian Women’s Fiction

Release Date: April 28, 2026

A runaway teen. A wife’s devastating secret. A family’s reckoning.

Since surviving a rocky season in her marriage nineteen years earlier, Beth Holbrook has prayed and worked toward maintaining a solid marital commitment, raising godly children, and leading a thriving parenting ministry. On the cusp of realizing her publication dream and expanding her influence nationwide, her daughter, Leesa, runs away without a word.

Having recently turned eighteen and graduated from high school, Leesa is livid with her parents for not allowing her to attend a beach party, especially when the only guy who has ever shown interest in her will be there. When her best friend suggests they escape their parents’ strict rules and move to Myrtle Beach together, she makes a spontaneous decision to leave town. A mere six weeks later she returns home with shocking news that affects not only her future, but her family’s.

While grappling with a volatile blend of failure and anger, Beth’s identity as a pastor’s wife, mom, and respected parenting coach disintegrates. Amid mounting conflict in her marriage, continued criticism from her mother, and strained relationships with her children, Beth confesses a long-held secret, shattering her already splintered family.

As a hurricane bears down on the Holbrook’s house, the storm raging within the walls threatens to rip apart the fragile stitches holding their family together. When Beth’s solid foundation crumbles, will her family survive intact? Or is her contrition too little, too late?

Click here to get your copy!

"Stronger than the Storm" by Deena Adams is a novel of (real life). This was another hard book to read! But the author warns readers that this novel could be a trigger for some as it deals with a prodigal child, unplanned pregnancy adultery and life altering secrets and marital strife. And other topics. So be aware. This book definitely shows what faith can do. This novel shows that everyone has issues and God can redeem our messes. I like that this author doesn't try to tell a novel that makes Christians perfect but shows that we all need to follow and obey God. If you want a novel that is filled with real life and honestly but not told to shock readers and is discreet about the details given, then "Stronger than the Storm" by Deena Adams is worth your time it takes to read it, yes the book is 390 pages but I didn't feel like the book was filled with pages that was just to make the book longer, I feel like each page just added to the realist of "real life". I could quote several quotes from the book that really struck me as wow, but I won't and instead I will just say I think if you like Christian Fiction that could be just real then read this book! And to think this is her debut novel!

I received a complimentary ebook from the author and Celebrate Lit and these opinions are my own.

About the Author

As a Jesus girl for more than thirty years, Deena Adams understands how important hope is to daily life, which fuels her passion to inspire others through hope-filled fiction based on true to life stories.

She is a Certified Mental Health Coach, a multi-award-winning author, an active ACFW member, founder of the Marathon online writers group, and a six-year ACFW Virginia board member.

Deena lives with her husband near the coast in beautiful Virginia. When she’s not writing, reading, or serving in her church, you’ll find her hanging out with family and friends, playing board games, and doting on her seven grandchildren.

More from Deena

Crafting a novel from authentic life experiences is a challenging task, but it’s one I sensed God’s call to undertake. If the Lord can encourage those facing heartbreaking situations through my struggles as the mother of a prodigal twenty years ago, I’m all in.

Growing up, I tried my hardest to please my parents and teachers, but I always felt I didn’t measure up. As a Type A person, I’m sure that mindset was my doing, not theirs.

Fast forward to my season as a young mom, and my insecurities ramped up even more. When I became a Christian in my late twenties, I already had three small children and longed to be the world’s best mother and do everything right. I saw my kids’ mistakes as an indictment of my parenting abilities, leading me to believe myself a failure and to try harder to succeed.

With that attitude, you can imagine how I reacted when our teenage daughter ran away from home and returned pregnant—especially since my husband is the pastor of our church. Let’s just say it wasn’t pretty.

The emotional upheaval I endured while watching our child make one poor decision after another revealed my many shortcomings. Among the important lessons God taught me was what a shallow person I’d been and how much I wanted others’ respect and for them to find me acceptable—no, exceptional. Sadly, I was at a place in life where other people’s opinions seemed to carry more weight than my children’s feelings, but I was blind to my faults.

As I walked through the deep valley with a prodigal, God, in His great mercy, opened my eyes and showed me the truth about myself.

My journey of healing and restoration with our daughter was the catalyst for my debut novel, Stronger than the Storm. I pray that the challenging themes I address will uplift those going through extreme difficulty and that the embedded truths inspire hope in Jesus.

In my book, the Holbrook’s crisis begins as ours did, with a teen runaway getting pregnant by a guy she barely knew. I incorporated some factual events from our lives and drew many of the characters’ raw emotions from personal history. Although I gave Beth Holbrook, the mother in the story, a few of my personality traits, including the passion to be a supermom and failing miserably, the bulk of this family’s journey is fictional.

My experience as an adult daughter inspired the revelation of a long-kept secret in the latter part of the book. To avoid spoilers, I’ll simply state that nothing prepares anyone for such devastating news.

Yet, amid turmoil and unexpected adversity, God is still on the throne and has a perfect plan for our good and His glory. When we surrender everything to Him, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus through life’s storms, we can gain true peace and cling to the truth that God is stronger than anything we face.

In Stronger than the Storm, the Holbrook family must come to this understanding as well. As you read the book, I trust that this family’s journey, and mine, will provide you with encouragement and hope.

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28 (NLT)