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

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 "Stronger than the Storm" by Deena Adams 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)

Blog Stops

Simple Harvest Reads, May 7 (Author Interview)

Artistic Nobody, May 8 (Author Interview)

Fruitfully Planted, May 8

Guild Master, May 9 (Author Interview)

Inspired by Fiction, May 10

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 11

Fiction Book Lover, May 12 (Author Interview)

Tell Tale Book Reviews, May 13 (Author Interview)

Blossoms and Blessings, May 14 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, May 15

Stories By Gina, May 16 (Author Interview)

Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, May 17 (Author Interview)

Happily Managing a Household of Boys , May 17

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

For Him and My Family, May 19

Blogging With Carol, May 20

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Deena is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card and a paperback 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/dYgBP/stronger-than-the-storm-celebration-tour-giveaway 

Vinny by MaryAnn Diorio

 

About the Book

Book: VINNY

Author: MaryAnn Diorio

Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense

Release Date: April 15, 2026

VINNY by MaryAnn Diorio
Book 1 in The South Philly Italians Romantic Suspense Series

Vinny Morello is on track for a promising career in the fine arts. But when tragedy suddenly hurls him headlong into a life-altering crisis, he faces a frightening fork in the road. Which one will he take? The road that leads to life or the road that leads to death?

VINNY is an edge-of-your-seat, romantic suspense story where tragedy and triumph merge into transformation. Don’t miss it!

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

I really think "Vinny" by MaryAnn Diorio has been the hardest book to finish that I have read in a long time! Not because it was a rotten or terrible book but because it had a lot of triggers for me, which I think the fact that tomorrow is Mother's Day and I am already feeling sad is part of the reason that it was a hard read.  This book is a clean read, and I really think if I didn't have the sorrow of my son death and having to deal with a coroner and a funeral and asking if the only if questions would end,( which is only asked once in the book but is my question to me all the time).And then to have a character died from cancer, which my mom and dad and other family members had.  Ok, enough personal info. Besides, all that I think anyone that likes suspense would enjoy this read. This book clearly tells that the only way to be truly happy is by being born again and not trying to run away from what God is wanting us to do. There is a little bit of violence mentioned such as gunshots to the head and another character has a gun pointed at their head.   I will be reading the next book in this series as soon as they become available. 

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

About the Author

MaryAnn Diorio writes award-winning fiction from a quaint small town in New Jersey where neighbors still chat while walking their dogs, families and friends gather on wide, wrap-around porches, and the charming downtown finds kids licking lollipops and old married folks holding hands. A Jersey girl at heart, MaryAnn is a huge fan of Jersey diners, Jersey tomatoes, and the Jersey shore.

More from MaryAnn

All Things Italian

by MaryAnn Dorio

 

I grew up in a home where Italian was my mother tongue. My late mother, one of the first war brides of World War II, was an immigrant from the romantic city of Naples, Italy. When I was born, she knew no English. So, we communicated in Italian. Although my mother eventually learned English, she and I always spoke in Italian until she passed away.

When I went off to college, I majored in French and minored in Italian. After I graduated, I spent a year of study at the University of Florence in Italy, earning my Master’s degree in Italian Language and Literature. Afterward, I taught Italian at the university level here in the States.

From my earliest days, Italy was a big part of my culture and of my heart. And it still is. It is no wonder then that I gravitate to writing fiction with an Italian flair. This is the milieu I know and understand best. It is the milieu I love. And I want to share it with you through my stories.

But, my fiction is far more than Italian. It is universal. In other words, it deals with issues that pertain to all of us humans. Issues of pride, rebellion, lust, and greed. Issues of deception, betrayal, hatred, and fear.  Issues that result from our failure to love.

When you read my stories, you will travel to the deepest places of the human heart. Places you might not want to go to because they are places of pain, of confrontation, of facing our past and our sin. But they are also places of truth where you will find the freedom from the past and from sin that only truth brings. For my stories not only explore the deepest issues of the human heart; they show you how to overcome them through Jesus Christ.

Won’t you join me on this entertaining journey of exploration and transformation? If you do, I have a feeling that at the end of my stories, you will discover that you have become a far better person than you were at the beginning.

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 9

Simple Harvest Reads, May 10 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, May 11

Artistic Nobody, May 12 (Author Interview)

For Him and My Family, May 13

Guild Master, May 14 (Author Interview)

Blogging With Carol, May 15

History, Hope & Happily Ever After, May 16 (Author Interview)

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, May 16

Pause for Tales, May 17

Fiction Book Lover, May 18 (Author Interview)

Cover Lover Book Review, May 19

Books, Books, & More Books, May 20 (Author Interview)

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, May 21 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, May 21

Books Less Travelled, May 22 (Author Interview)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour MaryAnn is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card and a print 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/loxwx/vinny-celebration-tour-giveaway

A Love Restored by Kelly J. Goshorn

 

About the Book

Book: A Love Restored

Author: Kelly J. Goshorn

Genre: Historical Romance

Release Date: June 18, 2018

Loudoun County, Virginia, 1873

With pert opinions and a less than perfect figure, Ruth Ann Sutton doesn’t measure up to society’s vision of a perfect lady. When she accepts a position teaching in a Freedman’s School, it threatens the only marriage offer Ruth Ann is likely to receive. She’s forced to choose between life as a lonely spinster or reinventing herself to secure a proposal from a man she doesn’t love.

Determined to rise above his meager beginnings, Benjamin Coulter’s reputation as a fast learner and hard worker earn him the opportunity to apprentice with a surveyor for the railroad—a position that will garner the respect he craves. After a chance encounter with Ruth Ann, Benjamin is smitten with her pretty face, quick wit, and feisty personality.

When others ridicule his choice, Benjamin must decide if he will follow his heart or put ambition first.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

 "A Love Restored" by Kelly J. Goshorn is another book that I truly enjoyed reading! This is a book that deals with prejudice and someone with a weight problem. I think that the author used her own struggles with weight issues made this story more realistic, I also struggle with weight issues. This book clearly shows that God loves and accepts us as we are. I am always amazed at the way prejudice was and is still a big part of some people's life. Love and trust is always a big part of this story.

I truly recommend this book. 

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

About the Author

Kelly Goshorn weaves her affinity for history and her passion for God into inspiring stories of love, faith, and family set in America’s vibrant past. She is the bestselling author of The Undercover Heiress of Brockton and A Love Restored. When she is not writing, Kelly enjoys binge-watching BBC period dramas, exploring historical sites with her husband, board-gaming with family and friends, and spoiling her Welsh corgi, Biscuit.

 

 

 

More from Kelly

Writing my Real-Life Romance

 

When I first began tinkering with storytelling in 2011, I wrote about an Irish mail order bride. I’m not sure what it is about mail order bride stories that fascinates me, but I will read everyone I can get my hands on. When my husband discovered that I was writing creatively he looked over my chapter and advised that it “wasn’t bad,” then suggested I write our story.

Honestly, God had whispered in my heart a long time ago that I would share our story, but I assumed I’d give my testimony in a ladies Bible study or something. I never imagined I’d share some of the most painful moments of my life with the world in written form. However, the more I thought about it, the more I agreed that our story had all the elements needed for a great romance—interesting characters, a strong spiritual arc, and enough conflict to drive a Mac truck through the hardest of hearts.

Like my full-figured heroine, Ruth Ann, I’ve struggled with weight issues my entire life. I’ve had cruel things said about my appearance. Oftentimes by people who were supposed to love me.

Boys don’t date chubby girls.

You have such a pretty face, you really should do something about your figure.

Men don’t marry overweight women.

 

But their insensitive words failed in comparison to the ugly way I spoke to myself.

You’re fat.

You’re ugly.

No one likes you.

No man…will ever…love you.

 

I’d become so defined by the negative comments and opinions of those surrounding me, I no longer saw anything to esteem. I’d allowed my self-worth to be determined by a yardstick that measured my value according to the size of my waist or the flatness of my stomach, always coming up short.

Then one night the unthinkable happened. Mike, the man I’d previously been dating told me the real reason he ended our relationship weeks earlier. “I made a vow that I wouldn’t marry a woman who was overweight.” My mind spiraled out of control recalling every unkind word that others or I had spoken about my appearance. Within an hour I was curled up on my bathroom floor, an entire bottle of ibuprofen emptied in shaky palm.

Thankfully, that is not where the story ended. Weeks earlier, knowing I was sad about the breakup with this man, my pastor’s wife asked if I had been thinking about suicide. Shocked, I told her no. Prompted by the Holy Spirit the two of us prayed against the spirit of suicide and that no harm would come to me by own hand. I firmly believe those prayers saved my life in that dark moment when the voice of the enemy was silenced, and I chose to live.

Although I learned that God loved me in a way no man ever could, he brought a soul mate into my life. A loving husband who, despite my fuller figure, often greets me in the morning with a loving salutation, “Good morning, Beautiful.”

Mike and I will celebrate 36 years of marriage in June.

Yes, the same Mike whose other words had sent me into a life-threatening tailspin.

God had to purge those negative thoughts from the minds of both Mike and me. We had to experience the fullness of God’s love for us before we could give and receive love unconditionally in marriage—to anyone. God could’ve decided to bring us new relationships, start over with a clean slate. Instead, He taught us about forgiveness, trust, and unconditional love.

He had not only chosen to heal, but to restore.

Our journey to unconditional love and acceptance is told through my characters in A Love Restored. At its core, A Love Restored is not only a story of love, romance, heartache and restoration, but also a story about the power of words over our lives. It is a story about the struggle each of us faces to take our thoughts captive to the truth of Scripture so we may experience the fullness of God’s unequivocal love for us. As my husband and I discovered, it is only then that we are truly able to give and receive love, unconditionally.

My prayer for you and your lovely readers is that you will not allow the enemy to steal the joy that is rightfully yours as a child of God. Speak the truth of the gospel over yourself every day and ask God to give you His eyes to see yourself as He does (1 Samuel 16:7b).

Your Turn: Have you ever been plagued by self-doubt? If so, in what area of your life? How did you overcome it?

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 8

Devoted Steps, May 9

Artistic Nobody, May 10 (Author Interview)

For Him and My Familiy, May 11

Simple Harvest Reads, May 12 (Guest Review from Marilyn)

Guild Master, May 13 (Author Interview)

Holly’s Book Corner, May 13

Life on Chickadee Lane, May 14

Fiction Book Lover, May 15 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, May 16

Happily Managing a Household of Boys , May 17

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, May 18 (Author Interview)

Pause for Tales, May 18

Books You Can Feel Good About, May 19

Cover Lover Book Review, May 20

Books Less Travelled, May 21 (Author Interview)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Kelly is giving away the grand prize of a canvas tote bag with XOXO printed on it, a print copy of A Love Restored, a few “novel teas” tea bags, one “I’d Rather Be Reading” notepad, a pen, a pair of booklover socks, and a “I can do all things through Christ” charm bracelet!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://gleam.io/wYPCS/a-love-restored-celebration-tour-giveaway