Saturday, December 20, 2025

Small-Town Independence by Carolyn Oravitz

About the Book

Book: Small-Town Independence

Author: Carolyn Oravitz

Genre: Christian Inspirational Romantic Suspense

Release Date: July 1, 2025

In the charming New England seaside town of Independence, Amanda Gibson came to start over—not fall in love.

Still healing from a painful breakup, Amanda’s only plans involve reopening her late Aunt Helen’s quaint beachside resort and proving to herself she can stand on her own. But Independence has other ideas—starting with Clark Miller, her once-boyish crush turned unexpectedly irresistible local hero.

Clark’s easy smile and steady kindness threaten the careful walls Amanda has built, just as a string of unsettling incidents suggests someone wants her new life—and her business dreams—to fall apart. As Clark offers his help, Amanda must decide whether she’s ready to trust again—not just in romance, but in God’s greater plan.

When secrets from the past begin to surface and danger creeps closer, Amanda will have to face more than just her fears. She’ll have to fight for the truth, the resort, and a second chance at love she never expected.

A heartwarming blend of romance, mystery, and faith, Small-Town Independence is perfect for readers who love clean Christian love stories with a touch of suspense, coastal charm, and hope that endures.

Click here to get your copy!

"Small-Town Independence" by Carolyn Oravitz is a fun Christian romance and suspense read. It kept me turning the pages because I had to see if Amanda was successful in running the resort she had planned after her and her siblings inherited it from her aunt. I had the guilty person figured out from the start but not the why! Faith is part of the story which adds to the enjoyment of the novel. I strongly recommend this novel if you want a clean read that brings hope, especially if you are struggling with finding hope with something you are struggling with in your own life right now, it might inspire you to keep trusting God.

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

About the Author

Carolyn Oravitz is a writer, speaker, and cancer survivor who brings heart and hope to the stories she writes. Holding teaching certificates in English and Art, she enjoyed years inspiring creativity in the classroom. Her past writing included literature guides for elementary and middle school students and writing feature articles for a local publication.

In addition to her love of writing and art, she loves hiking, taking part in events at her church, and spending time with her friends and family.

Her other published works include: Yet Will I Hope in Him and What If It Is, two heartfelt reflections on surviving cancer, Write for Publication – Twenty Lessons to Improve Your Writing, which she and others have used as a textbook for writing classes and workshops, and Small Town – Independence, a suspenseful contemporary Christian romance novel. She is presently working on a historical novel blending her passion for the past with her gift of vivid storytelling.

More from Carolyn

I was inspired to write this story after a visit to Bar Harbor, Maine. I loved exploring the rocky coast and hiking trails, and I was fascinated by the mix of grand Victorian mansions and charming cottages. The view from the summit was unforgettable—we caught an incredible sunrise there and even joined an outdoor church service. The whole experience left me both refreshed and inspired, and it became the spark behind this story.

Blog Stops

Stories By Gina, December 10 (Author Interview)

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, December 11

Simple Harvest Reads, December 12 (Author Interview)

Pause for Tales, December 13

Guild Master, December 14 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, December 15

Fiction Book Lover, December 16 (Author Interview)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, December 17

Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, December 18 (Author Interview)

Artistic Nobody, December 18

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, December 19

A Reader’s Brain, December 20 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, December 21

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, December 22 (Author Interview)

Books Less Travelled, December 23

For Him and My Family, December 23

Giveaway

T0 celebrate her tour, Carolyn 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://promosimple.com/ps/3edbf/small-town-independence-celebration-tour-giveaway

Friday, December 19, 2025

The Young Samaritan by J. Schuyler Sprowles

About the Book

Book: The Young Samaritan

Author: J. Schuyler Sprowles

Genre: : Faith Based/ Inspirational

Release Date: January 20, 2024

Is survival enough when faith is tested?

“The Young Samaritan” is a gripping coming-of-age story set in a tumultuous time, where faith, identity, and survival intersect on an extraordinary journey.

Joshua, a young Samaritan boy, is forced to flee his home, thrust into a world that is as dangerous as it is unfamiliar.

Along the way, he encounters a mysterious woman who delivers a haunting vision, a wild dog that stays loyally by his side, and a reclusive uncle whose life is shrouded in secrets. Amidst the chaos of his flight, Joshua discovers uncommon love in a forsaken land.

As Joshua’s journey leads him to a band of sojourners—led by a man called Rabbi—he becomes entwined with a group that many believe to be the Messiah’s followers.

Despite their hesitations, Joshua’s determination to stay with them leads him to a transformative path, one that will ultimately take him to the cross and beyond.

Click here to get your copy!

"The Young Samaritan" by J. Schuyler Sprowles follows Joshua as a young boy as he meets Jesus and follows Him to the cross. This is easy to follow along but not always joyful as Joshua faces many trials. This is an inspiration read, but you have to remember that it is fiction. I recommend this book to older and more mature younger readers alike. This was a great adventure book if you like adventure in the books you read!

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

About the Author

A Chicago native, Schuyler as a teenager always dreamed of becoming a radio and TV talent. His aspirations led him to Hollywood where he trained as a broadcaster. He began his career as a country music DJ and news reporter in the Southwest. Ultimately he became a TV news anchor in Dallas. In time, Schuyler moved to Los Angeles, where he worked as a television news correspondent. This eventually led to a decades long high-profile career in crisis management, political consulting and speech writing. Most recently, Schuyler turned to publishing, founding a family-oriented magazine in Southern California. A lifelong Christian, Schuyler admits to walking away from his faith in the past, only to discover the light of Jesus piercing the darkness to guide him back where he belongs. Inspired by the Gospels, “The Young Samaritan” is his debut novel. He currently lives in Pasadena, California with his wife Maureen.

More from J. Schuyler

The Young Samaritan was inspired by two verses from the New Testament in the Gospel of Mark (14:51 – 52). These brief verses describe an unidentified young man who attempts to intervene in the arrest of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. He is quickly seized by the temple guards but manages to escape their grip, leaving his garment in their hands, as he flees naked into the night. Nothing further about him is ever mentioned in the Bible.

The Young Samaritan is my vision of the backstory for this strange and provocative episode in Jesus’ journey to the cross. The Young Samaritan creates a compelling and transformational epic tale where a fictional literary character (Joshua) collides with biblical history.

Blogs Stops

Simple Harvest Reads, December 18 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, December 19

Artistic Nobody, December 20 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, December 21

Guild Master, December 22 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, December 22

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, December 23

Fiction Book Lover, December 24 (Author Interview)

Vicky Sluiter, December 25 (Author Interview)

For the Love of Literature, December 26 (Author Interview)

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, December 27

Tell Tale Book Reviews, December 28 (Author Interview)

Cover Lover Book Review, December 29

The Bookish Pilgrim, December 29

Blossoms and Blessings, December 30 (Author Interview)

Lots of Helpers, December 31

Giveaway

To celebrate his tour, J. Schuyler is giving away the grand prize of a $75 Amazon Gift Card and a 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/8KF5J/the-young-samaritan-celebration-tour-giveaway

Wednesday, December 17, 2025

Scent of Sabotage by Dana Mentink

About the Book

Book: Scent of Sabotage

Author: Dana Mentink

Genre: Inspirational Romantic Suspense

Release Date: December 30, 2025

Detective Beth Wolfe’s reunion with investigative journalist Jack St. James is a matter of life or death—and when a masked assailant attacks them, a severe blow leaves Jack with amnesia. Beth and her K-9, Arthur, are determined to keep Jack safe while he regains his lost memories. Was he targeted due to a case he was working on…or does it have something to do with the son they placed for adoption decades ago? When their investigations lead them inside a booby-trapped amusement park, it’s a race against the clock to put all the pieces together and uncover the park owners’ nefarious plot…or die trying.

Click here to get your copy!

I loved this series and am sad that "Scent of Sabotage" by Dana Mentink is the last book in the series. This book brings the past into the future. This book really has a lot of danger packed into its pages but there are a few witty comebacks that breaks the tension. This book features the mother of the security team! This series is definitely worth the reading!

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

About the Author

Dana Mentink is a New York Times, USA Today and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author as well as a two-time American Christian Fiction Writers Carol Award winner, and a Holt Medallion winner. She is the author of over fifty titles in the suspense and lighthearted romance genres. She is pleased to write for Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense, Revell and Poisoned Pen Press.

More from Dana

How could we be at the end of a series? I’ve been having a wonderful time with the Wolfe family and their house full of hounds. The last book is finally Beth’s story. She’s the matriarch of the family who has experienced the loss of a spouse. In this story, she will meet the son she never knew and explore the idea of learning to love again. I feel especially fond of this book because Beth is an older heroine who has some living under her belt. She’s learned how to carry on, with her old dog Arthur, and stand faithfully in the face of adversity. Now that’s a heroine I can root for! I hope you enjoy this final installment of the Security Hounds series!

Blog Stops

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, December 16

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, December 16

The Avid Reader, December 17

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, December 17

Pause for Tales, December 18

EmpowerMoms, December 18

Bizwings Blog, December 19

Texas Book-aholic, December 19

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, December 20

Alyssa Amey, December 20

Life on Chickadee Lane, December 21

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, December 21

Leslie’s Library Escape, December 22

For Him and My Family, December 22

Devoted To Hope, December 23

Blogging With Carol, December 23

Because I said so, December 24

Artistic Nobody, December 25 (Guest Review from Donna)

Lily’s Corner, December 26

Mary Hake, December 26

Labor Not in Vain, December 27

Blossoms and Blessings, December 27

Holly’s Book Corner, December 28

A Good Book and Cup of Tea, December 28

Little Homeschool on the Prairie, December 29

Lights in a Dark World, December 29

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Dana is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card and a 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/T2I2F/scent-of-sabotage-celebration-tour-giveaway

Monday, December 15, 2025

Underestimated by Sherri Wilson Johnson

About the Book

Book: Underestimated

Author: Sherri Wilson Johnson

Genre: Romantic Suspense/Mystery

Release Date: December 9, 2025

Liam Holcomb is a no-nonsense forensic accountant, not a farmer—but when his grandfather dies under suspicious circumstances, Liam returns to the Anything Goats farm near Nashville to investigate. What he finds buried in old records suggests the death wasn’t an accident—and someone wanted the land badly enough to kill for it.

Wren Meadows, a free-spirited goat yoga instructor and single mom, is busy planning the church’s Christmas celebration at the farm when her daughters witness something they shouldn’t have. Now, threats are closing in, and Liam may be the only one who can protect them.

He’s serious, guarded, and sworn off relationships. She’s sunshine, spontaneity, and a walking invitation to chaos. But as danger deepens and sparks fly, Liam and Wren may discover that opposites don’t just attract—they just might save each other.

A cozy but gripping Christian romantic suspense full of heart, humor, and holiday hope.

Click here to get your copy!

"Underestimated" by Sherri Wilson Johnson is a mystery and a clean love story that I couldn't put own once I started reading it. It has plenty of twists and turns. This book also has a faith message. If you like romance and mystery and faith, and let's not forget children and animals that aren't usually part of yogi's classes, then you need to pick

up this book and read book 1 of this new series.

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

About the Author

Sherri Wilson Johnson writes romantic suspense from her home in Georgia where she lives with her husband, their two dogs and spoiled Bombay cat. Sherri loves spending time with family, vacationing at the beach, reading or working on her current work-in-progress. She dreams of a second home on some beach somewhere some day, where she can plot romantically suspenseful novels around the clock.

More from Sherri

In Underestimated, Liam Holcomb cooks his grandmother’s Beef Hash recipe. This is actually one of my mom’s recipes that I cook quite often. She passed away in 1993, and cooking her Beef Hash always brings fond memories to my mind. So I’ll share the recipe with you now. Keep in mind that just like Liam’s grandmother, I use lots of garlic salt. I sample along the way until I get just the right amount of seasoning. You may want to use more or less, depending on your preference.

But here are the basics:

Ingredients:

2 lbs lean ground beef

6-8 yellow potatoes (or 4 large Idaho potatoes) cut into cubes

½ cup finely chopped onions or dried minced onions

2-3 large cut carrots (or a ½ to ¾ bag of frozen cut carrots)

Black pepper to taste

Garlic powder and onion powder to taste

Lawry’s Coarse Ground with Parsley Garlic Salt (This is the secret sauce—use as much as you want to get that good savory flavor to your liking.) (I probably use ¼ cup for a large batch, but I’m not 100% sure, honestly. I always eyeball it and then taste it once it’s done.)

Instructions:

Season the ground beef with the garlic salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Brown, drain and rinse.

Cut the potatoes into cubes and slice the carrots into circles about ½ inch thick. Boil until tender (you can use an Instantpot or pressure cooker). You can add salt to the water, but I usually don’t because I don’t want to overdo the salt. I save the saltiness for the garlic salt.

After the potatoes and carrots are tender, scoop them into a pot with the ground beef and add the potato water as the broth. You can add as much as you like depending on how much broth you like.

Bring everything to a boil, smashing some of the potatoes until the broth thickens.

Toast hamburger buns until crispy then pour the Beef Hash on top and gobble it up.

Serve with a side salad.

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, December 9

The Sacred Line, December 10

Stories By Gina, December 11 (Author Interview)

EmpowerMoms, December 11

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, December 12

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, December 13

Simple Harvest Reads, December 14 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, December 15

Texas Book-aholic, December 16

Artistic Nobody, December 17 (Author Interview)

An Author’s Take, December 17

For Him and My Family, December 18

Betti Mace, December 19

Bizwings Blog, December 20

Because I said so, December 21

Guild Master, December 22

Giveaway

To celebrate her tourk, Sherri is giving away the grand prize of a $25 Amazon Gift Card and a 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://promosimple.com/ps/3edbd/underestimated-celebration-tour-giveaway

Sunday, December 14, 2025

Maxine Justice: Public Offender by Daniel Schwabauer

About the Book

Book: Maxine Justice: Public Offender

Author: Daniel Schwabauer

Genre: Science Fiction

Release Date: November 4, 2025

The case she didn’t need. The client she didn’t want. The trial she couldn’t win.

Fresh off her single-handed defense against alien adversaries in a galactic courtroom, Maxine Justice discovers that saving the Earth is not enough to earn a hero’s welcome back home. Once again broke and now looking for revenge, her return to night court as a public defender takes an immediate detour when she’s tasked with defending a Therapod murder suspect.

The case drags her into the quirky theories of her new client, Father Gilbert Barthes, and the corrupt underbelly of corporate robotics. As her defense takes on global significance, Maxine lands squarely in the crosshairs of new enemies determined to conceal their plans for acquiring the planet. Worse, her probably guilty client may be the only one who can expose what’s really happening.

Stripped of all credibility and most of her friends, can Maxine find some way to save humanity when the world is bent on self-destruction? Or will Earth finally succumb to the most unlikely deception?

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Daniel Schwabauer, ThD, teaches English at MidAmerica Nazarene University and writes award-winning fantasy and science fiction novels. His professional work includes textbooks, stage plays, radio scripts, short stories, newspaper columns, comic books, scripting for the PBS animated series Auto-B-Good, and theology. He earned an MA in creative writing under science fiction legend James Gunn and completed his doctoral work in semiotic theology with Leonard Sweet. He lives in Olathe, Kansas, with his wife and dogs.

More from Daniel

I tend to get three questions from people who only know me from the Night Court Channel or watching my defense of planet Earth on the global broadcast that made me famous. To the first, no, I haven’t seen a penny of the money I’m owed because the feds froze ALL of my bank accounts, even my personal savings. Second, traveling in a space-egg with a pastoroid was not as terrifying as it sounds—except that I had no way to escape Counselor Singh’s dad jokes. And third, no, even though my cat is still missing, I do not want one of your kittens, thank you very much.

Maxine Justice, LLC is your only source for first-hand legal advice pertaining to extraterrestrial medical malpractice, predatory off-world time-sharing contracts, and “surprise implants” experiences at the Coliseum.

We’re also the only law firm committed to exposing what’s really happening in the world of artificial humans.

Ever wondered how Counselor Singh could be targeted on the steps of the UN building during a heavily-covered press conference, yet six months later law enforcement still claims they have no idea who the shooter was? Doesn’t it seem odd that they turned the forensic evidence over to Singh’s manufacturer instead of using a neutral third party?

If I were an artificial person, I’d be screaming these questions from the rooftop. Yet we haven’t heard a peep from that community since it happened.

That’s not some wild conspiracy. That’s fear.

Which is where I come in.

If you’re a TheraPod concerned about your future in a world spiraling out of control— if you’re a pastoroid, a rabbot, a podre, an e-mam, a surgicon EZ Doc, or any other model of artificial person and you face a legal dilemma involving your own termination and/or the fate of biological humans, give me a call.

If you’re a regular human and you’ve been railroaded by York City’s legal system, targeted by ruthless corporate bullies, or victimized by inhuman—and I do mean not-at-all-human—business practices, talk to me.

I’m not in it for the money.

I don’t have any!

I’m in it for my name—for Justice.

And I promise you this: I won’t smile until you do.