Thursday, August 27, 2026

The Reluctant Healer of Halifax by Terrie Todd

About the Book

Book: The Reluctant Healer of Halifax

Author: Terrie Todd

Genre: Christian Historical Fiction

Release Date: August, 2026

Her Family, Her Home, Her Future—All Leveled in One Thunderous Explosion

When life seems weighed down by challenges, there are always pillars of enduring hope and love to be discovered.

Three days ago, Pearline Campbell’s family was whole, and Oliver Hamilton still loved her. But upon returning to Halifax disfigured and shellshocked, Oliver ended their relationship. Then came Thursday, December 6, 1917, when the Halifax harbor was leveled by a tremendous explosion. . .and Pearline fears nothing will ever be whole again. Her parents are dead, her brother is missing, and her sister refuses to speak. Pearline must fortify herself to open her home to needy orphans, including an unidentified baby. Where can she find the strength for each new day as misery grips the city?

Click here to get your copy!

Just like the other 5 books in this series I enjoyed "The Reluctant Healer of Halifax" by Terrie Todd. This was a great book but it was a sad read as well. This book has sorrow and faith and had this reader heart feeling sad. But such a satisfying ending. I had never heard of this tragic explosion but this book is based on the real history of the 1917 Halifax tragic. I think this is my first read by this author but I can promise it won't be my last because I was kept turning the pages until the last page. I really liked every character in this novel. I really recommend this book and every book in this series.

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

About the Author

Terrie Todd is a Canadian author of nine historical and split-time novels and one nonfiction book. Her work has earned numerous Word Awards from The Word Guild, the 2018 Janette Oke Award from Inscribe Christian Writers Fellowship, and the 2022 Braun Book Award. She is also a Carol Award Finalist. From 2010-2024, she wrote a weekly “Faith and Humor” column for her hometown newspaper, and since 2021, a monthly column for the Heroes, Heroines, and History blog. Terrie lives with her husband, Jon, in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, where they raised their three children. They are grandparents to five boys.

More from Terrie

It wasn’t until I was interviewing a friend for a newspaper column that the Halifax Explosion of 1917 began to interest me. My friend, Gene, had gone blind from macular degeneration, and I wanted to write a series of columns about what it was like for him to lose his sight and now live with blindness. One of the books Gene mentioned as having inspired him was the true story of Eric Davidson. At the time of the explosion, Eric was a toddler, playing with his toy car on a windowsill in his Halifax home. The glass exploded, permanently blinding Eric. The north end of Halifax was destroyed, and roughly two thousand residents died. Nine thousand more were wounded, including hundreds blinded or partially blinded by flying glass. The mass blinding helped birth the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB). Eric’s daughter, Marilyn Davidson Elliott, wrote the book The Blind Mechanic about her father.

I found Eric’s story fascinating. When given the opportunity to try for a spot in Barbour’s series of books about historical disasters, I decided to write one about the Halifax explosion. The more I researched, the more I wondered why we didn’t learn about this in school, and the harder it was to imagine the devastation that the city and its people survived. This was during a world war and only five years after being highly involved in the recovery of the Titanic’s victims and survivors, a disaster that helped prepare them for this one. Story after story, many revealing the incredible determination of the stalwart people of Nova Scotia and the Bostonians who came to their aid, moved me to tears. It was difficult to choose which experiences to borrow for my characters. I was thrilled to visit Halifax in 2025, a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

Naturally, the book includes some blind and partially blind characters. I so appreciate the input from my two blind beta readers, Alexandra Banwell and Leanne Merren. One of my favorite things to do with each book I launch is to choose a charity to which I give a portion of the proceeds from my local book launch. For this book, I’ve chosen the CNIB’s Guide Dog program.

Although my book never became a part of that series, Barbour decided it would be a good fit for their “Enduring Hope” series. The rest is, literally, history. I’m thrilled to be part of this series and have enjoyed the first five immensely. I hope you read them all!

Blog Stops

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, August 26

Devoted Steps, August 26

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, August 27

Texas Book-aholic, August 28

Pause for Tales, August 29

For Him and My Family, August 29

Life on Chickadee Lane, August 30

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, August 31

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, September 1

Books You Can Feel Good About, September 2

Connie’s History Classroom, September 3

Cover Lover Book Review, September 4

Sydney Schmied Books, September 5

Mary Hake, September 5

Blossoms and Blessings , September 6

The Bookish Pilgrim, September 7

Devoted to Hope, September 7

Holly’s Book Corner, September 8

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Terrie is giving away the grand prize of a $25 Amazon e-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/9yOdf/the-reluctant-healer-of-halifax-celebration-tour-giveaway

Tuesday, August 25, 2026

A Guided Gratitude Journal by Donna Wyland

About the Book

Book: A Guided Gratitude Journal

Author: Donna Wyland

Genre: Nonfiction/Christian Guided Journal

Release Date: September, 2025

What would you change in your life if you could? Scientific and faith-based research prove that gratitude is the key! 5 minutes a day/7 days a week/7 weeks. CHANGE YOUR MINDSET. CHANGE YOUR LIFE. Let today be the day your new life begins!

Click here to get your copy!

"A Guided Gratitude Journal" by Donna Wyland is a great way to help us learn to have and establish a habit of gratitude! This book has devotions and questions to help us learn how to do this! It has plenty of space to answer these questions and plenty of blank pages at the end of the book as well. The prompts are easy to follow. The author shares some of her own story as well. The quotes at the beginning of some of the devotions are just wonderful. Soe of the devotions starts with Biblical Scripture. I am going to share two of the quotes with you!

"When Gratitude becomes an essential foundation in our lives, miracles start to appear everywhere." Unknown

" Gratitude turns what we have into enough". Anonymous

I recommend this book to everyone because we all need to be grateful even in the midst of chaos and struggles, (or I should say in spite of the chaos and struggles because if you can't find anything to be grateful for remember that Jesus died for us).

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

About the Author

Donna Wyland is an award-winning author of fiction, nonfiction, and picture books. Her most recent gift book, Last Best Year – A Short Guide to a Grateful Life – is a Golden Scroll Award Winner, and her picture books, ‘Twas the Night Before Jesus and Psalms in Rhyme for Little Hearts were both Readers’ Choice Award Finalists.‘Twas the Night Before Jesus also won the Illumination Award Silver Medal and Psalms in Rhyme for Little Hearts was the Christian Indie Award winner for picture books.

Though she began a career in financial planning, God interrupted those plans and called her to write more than twenty years ago. Donna responded, “Yes, Lord,” and today has numerous books, essays, and blogs attributed to her name.

In the future, Donna hopes to continue writing guided journals to encourage and inspire people’s faith and confidence in God and themselves. As a Certified Christian Life Coach, Donna learned the value of asking powerful questions. Through her guided journals she hopes to lead readers to greater clarity, peace, and purpose as they read, consider, and reply to the questions asked.

Donna is grateful for her husband, four grown daughters, sons-in-law, and grandchildren. She and her husband currently live in Southwest Florida, but her passion for travel frequently takes her to other states and countries around the world. Only God knows where she will live in five years. Thankfully she has a husband who says he will follow her wherever she goes.

More from Donna

What would you change in your life if you could? Scientific and faith-based research prove that gratitude is the key! 5 minutes a day/7 days a week for 7 weeks could change your life. Let today be the day your new life begins!

This journal was inspired by God and written as a result of many personal losses in my life. As I tried to move toward healing, I felt like I was still walking under a dark cloud each day, faking happiness and joy as I went about my responsibilities as a wife, mother, and grandmother. I was still hurting and desperately wanted to know why. That’s when I did a deep dive on the topic of gratitude and discovered its tremendous power to heal.

I pray that this journal becomes a legacy of readers’ journeys to joy, emotional and physical health, peace, and a thankful way of life. God knows you and sees you. He is excited to hear your praise and watch you grow into a gratitude-filled man or woman of God who lights the world on fire simply by being your wonderful, beautiful, joyful self.

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, August 22

Texas Book-aholic, August 23

Simple Harvest Reads, August 24 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, August 25

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, August 26

Its Mama Safe, August 27

Guild Master, August 28 (Author Interview)

The Vine and The Branch, August 28

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, August 29

Fiction Book Lover, August 30 (Author Interview)

Book Looks by Lisa, August 31

Cover Lover Book Review, September 1

Devoted to Hope, September 2

Mary Hake, September 2

Artistic Nobody, September 3

Life on Chickadee Lane, September 4

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Donna 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/tkOYA/a-guided-gratitude-journal-celebration-tour-giveaway

Sunday, August 23, 2026

Sarah’s Search by Jodie Wolfe

About the Book

Book: Sarah’s Search

Author: Jodie Wolfe

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release Date: June 30, 2026

All her life, Sarah McBride has gone along with whatever her guardian dictates. Now on the verge of graduating from the Shippensburg State Normal School, she questions her ability to teach in a classroom when her heart isn’t in the profession. What she wouldn’t give to pursue her heart’s desire of becoming a writer instead of following what’s expected. But how can Sarah defy her guardian’s plans?

Everything has been a hardship for Ezekiel Stouffer ever since his wife died giving birth to their second child. The last thing he needs is the responsibility of monitoring the new schoolteacher while still maintaining his farm. But when their paths entangle, he can’t help but notice the way his children respond to her tender concern. After his loss, Zeke doubts he’ll ever search for love again, but maybe friendship is an option.

Can two searching hearts find the same path?

Click here to get your copy!

I really enjoyed this novel! My heart was saddened for Sarah and Ezekiel and the children! I recommend this book if you like reading books about marriages of conveniences. I would read books about these characters if they were written. This is a story of faith and love and hope. There are messages of hope in the pages as well that all readers need to hear and believe and remember,

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

About the Author

JODIE WOLFE loves writing historical fiction after years as a homeschooling mom. She enjoys spending time with her husband in Pennsylvania, reading, knitting, and walking. Jodie creates novels where hope and quirky meet.

More from Jodie

Almost ten years ago, a big Victorian house was for sale. I had the pleasure of touring it and taking photos of the exterior and interior. I knew I would eventually set a story there. Fast forward to spring of this year, and it was finally time to write about the setting in Shippensburg, PA. The house has changed very little through the years, so it’s easy to imagine life in 1878 along Normal Avenue. The house is located at the bottom of the hill where the Cumberland Valley State Normal School started in 1873*. It soon changed its name to Shippensburg State Normal School and eventually Shippensburg University.

Since I have my heroine living in the old house at the start of Sarah’s Search, she also attends the normal school and graduates before she becomes a teacher in Newburg, PA at the Mount Jackson one-room schoolhouse.

It is no longer in Newburg, but is on the grounds at Shippensburg University and set up as it would have looked when used many years ago.

I love when I can envision history coming to life by visiting places like the house, normal school, one-room schoolhouse, as well as the local churches and towns that were around in the time period that I used in my recent book. I had the distinct pleasure of finding three local historians. Two with expertise in the two different towns I wrote about in Sarah’s Search, along with one who was a former archivist at Shippensburg University. What a treasure they’ve been to me.

As you read Sarah’s Search, I hope you’ll enjoy stepping back in time as much as I did while writing it.

*The cornerstone was laid May 31, 1871.

Blog Stops

Pause for Tales, August 20

Simple Harvest Reads, August 21 (Author Interview)

Artistic Nobody, August 22 (Author Interview)

Guild Master, August 23 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, August 23

Texas Book-aholic, August 24

Fiction Book Lover, August 25 (Author Interview)

The Bookish Ledger, August 26 (Author Interview)

Vicky Sluiter, August 27 (Author Interview)

For the Love of Literature, August 28 (Author Interview)

For Him and My Family, August 28

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, August 29

Tell Tale Book Reviews, August 30 (Author Interview)

Blossoms and Blessings, August 31 (Author Interview)

Stories By Gina, September 1 (Author Interview)

Holly’s Book Corner, September 2

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Jodie 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/FXNuc/sarahs-search-celebration-tour-giveaway

Friday, August 21, 2026

The Darling’s Daughter by Sydney Schmied

About the Book

Book: The Darling’s Daughter

Author: Sydney Schmied

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release Date: August 4, 2026

A woman chasing the truth. A man running from his past. And a secret that threatens the fragile trust between them.

Searching for answers about her mother’s suspicious death, artist Angelica Woods takes a job painting backdrops at the Majestic Theater—the very place her famous actress mother warned her to avoid. When she discovers cryptic notes and bloody evidence of an old murder, Angie realizes her mother’s warning may have been meant to protect her from a deadly secret.

Architect Trace Ackerman has worked hard to build a quiet, respectable life far removed from his former mistakes. Renovating the Majestic is meant to be a fresh start—until Angie awakens feelings he never planned to risk again. Drawn to her courage and vulnerability, Trace offers his protection as rumors swirl and danger edges closer. But the past he’s worked so hard to outrun threatens to surface, and Trace fears the truth could cost him Angie’s trust—and the future he longs to build.

With a killer determined to silence them both, Angie and Trace must decide if uncovering the truth about her mother’s death is worth risking their own lives—and hearts. Set against the backdrop of a historic theater in 1912 Ohio, this romantic suspense weaves together murder, betrayal, and the redeeming power of faith and forgiveness.

Click here to get your copy!

I was kept turning the pages in the book "The Darling’s Daughter "by Sydney Schmied. It is a romance, but it is a mystery as well. There were a few twists that I really didn't see coming. I am eagerly wanting for the next book coming in January. Such a great book for it to be a debut novel. There are a few truths about God's forgiveness as part of the storyline. I say READ THIS NOVEL if you like clean romance and mystery with faith elements. Secrets are revealed in a surprising way in this novel!

I received a complimentary copy from the author and Celebrate Lit and these opinions are mine!

About the Author

Sydney Schmied writes sweet and intriguing historical romantic suspense stories with a whole lot of faith. She is a 2023 ACFW First Impressions Contest finalist and a 2024 Genesis Contest Semi-finalist, as well as a two-time Scrivenings Press Get Pubbed Finalist. When she is not writing, she enjoys reading, painting, and sipping on a classic London Fog.

More from Sydney

Theaters tell so many stories, and in The Darling’s Daughter, The Majestic Theater itself has been shaped by the people who have passed through its doors. While it was known as The Masonic Opera House from 1853 to 1915, The Majestic has stood through nearly 173 years of history. I can’t help but wonder about all the individuals who walked its halls, performers, musicians, and attendees alike, and what stories they might tell about how their lives once intertwined with the Majestic.

In my research, I came across so many real accounts of people who visited theaters like this one, and I was able to glimpse bits and pieces of that connection. For Angie, the heroine in The Darling’s Daughter, The Majestic becomes a place of reckoning and reconciliation. Her mother was her only family, and even that relationship was strained. Angie carries a deep loneliness as she peels back the complicated layers of her late mother’s life, wrestling with questions of worth, belonging, and whether she is truly loved.

For Trace, The Majestic offers both a meaningful project and a chance to rebuild. Unfortunately, his identity has been constructed atop the fragile foundation of guilt, and that foundation begins to crack as his past resurfaces.

Just as The Majestic has stood strong through seasons of change and still stands today, Angie and Trace are refined through their struggles as everything around them begins to shift. Neither of them are defined by the broken parts of their story, but by their hope in Christ, even when that hope feels uncertain and their faith is shaky. If this resonates with you, I hope you’ll join Angie and Trace in The Darling’s Daughter and find encouragement in their journey.

Blog Stops

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, August 19

Devoted Steps, August 19

Books Less Travelled, August 20

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, August 21

Texas Book-aholic, August 22

Connie’s History Classroom, August 23

For Him and My Family, August 23

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, August 24

Lyssa Loves Books, August 25

Holly’s Book Corner, August 26

Locks, Hooks and Books, August 27

Pause for Tales, August 28

Devoted to Hope, August 29

Book Looks by Lisa, August 30

Paula’s Pad of Inspiration, August 30

Cover Lover Book Review, August 31

Lily’s Corner, September 1

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Sydney 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/TyDfI/the-darlings-daughter-celebration-tour-giveaway

Tuesday, August 18, 2026

Wildflower Bride by Mary Connealy

About the Book

Book: Wildflower Bride

Author: Mary Connealy

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release Date: August 11, 2026

From bestselling author Mary Connealy comes a thrilling Western romance about finding belonging in unexpected places—a tale of a fierce woman warrior caught between two worlds, a gentle-hearted rancher, and the faith that brings them together. Perfect for fans of historical romance and unconventional heroines.

Abby has lived with the Flathead tribe since they rescued her as a child, forgetting her white heritage. But when her village is massacred, and she’s saved by kind-hearted rancher Wade Sawyer, she’s forced to confront her past and future. Though drawn to Wade’s gentle strength, she refuses to be bound to the white world that once abandoned her.

Wade Sawyer has spent his life trying to please his tyrannical father while battling his own demons. When he finds Abby—fierce, independent, and unlike any woman he’s known—he sees a chance at real love. But winning the heart of a woman who trusts no man and bridging the gap between two worlds seems impossible.

As they face deadly rustlers, family conflicts, and their own fears, Wade and Abby must learn to trust in God’s plan for their lives. But can Abby let down her defenses and embrace a future with Wade? And can Wade prove that true strength lies in gentleness and faith?

A moving story of finding home, healing from the past, and discovering that love knows no boundaries in the untamed Montana Territory.

Click here to get your copy!

I have enjoyed each book in this series and this one has to be my favorite! I know I said that about the last one too! This story is filled with forgiveness and trust and love! I truly recommend this series! I recommend reading them in order because they continue where the others end! This author writes so well that I felt like I was watching the scenes unfold in my mind as I was reading them. I really think the main female and male characters in this book is my favorite in the series!

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

About the Author

Mary Connealy writes romantic comedies with cowboys and is celebrated for her fun, zany, action-packed style. She is a two time Carol Award winner, and a Rita, Christy and Inspirational Reader’s Choice finalist.

Mary Connealy writes romantic comedy with cowboys always with a strong suspense thread. She is a two-time Carol Award winner, and a Rita, Christy and Inspirational Reader’s Choice finalist. She is the bestselling author of over 80 books and novellas. She has over a 1.8 million books in print.

Mary lives on a ranch in eastern Nebraska with her very own romantic cowboy hero. Visit her website or find her at Petticoats & Pistols!

More from Mary

I try to write books I love, and I re-read my own books. I’m a big re-reader and if I find myself uninterested in a book I wrote, I take that as a bad sign.

I happen to LOVE Wildflower Bride as much as any book I’ve ever written.

I wrote for ten years before I got my first book published. On that fateful day when I earned my first contract, I had twenty finished books on my computer. And I didn’t just write them and move on. I’d go back (re-reading even then) and polish them. I took stand alone books and shortened them, lengthened them. Turned them into series, saved all versions in case an editor wanted a series or did NOT want a series.

Each book well, not ALL twenty of them, but a whole bunch, had about nine versions, all saved separately. Love Inspired length, trade fiction length, series, stand alone. I kept them all. But when I felt like I’d really improved one of them, I went back to the other versions and made those same improvements. I did a LOT of writing within those twenty books.

Wildflower Bride was the first book I wrote from scratch after I signed a contract for it. Maybe for this reason, I especially love it. I took everything I knew, everything I learned and put it into this book. I remember staring at that blank page…I had about six books published by this time…and holding my hand flat on the computer screen and praying, God help me to remember everything I’ve learned.

The hero is Wildflower Bride is the villain in Montana Rose. He is wretched. But to me, he was a broken man. My editor, when I told her Wade was the hero, said, “I can’t imagine it, but go for it.”

He is saved at the end of Montana Rose. A young Christian trying to do right in the face of enormous pressure from his powerful, abusive father, in The Husband Tree, and a sad, lonely, but strong man, still growing in his faith at the same time he’s very solid in it, in Wildflower Bride.

I just loved him.

I love the wild beginning of Wildflower Bride, the heroine is an adult woman taken in by an Indian tribe at the age of ten when they find her, alone in a cabin, with her family all dead from a fever. She loves the people who saved her.

Then people start trying to save her from the tribe and she is insulted and wants no part of this new world when her small band of native family is killed in a massacre. Again, she survives.

Abby, she only vaguely remembers her birth name, fits nowhere. And she’s so at home in the wilderness she’s planning to live on her own, somewhere.

Wade falls desperately in love with the strength he finds in her.

These two need each other so badly, but Abby is a hard one to convince she should spend her life with Wade.

Then Abby finds that one of her family, an older brother who didn’t come west with her family, is alive and living nearby.

The way they discover each other, well, I just love it. Wade is starting to look pretty good compared to the grouchy, quick to swing a fist, brother. Still, she begins to remember her big brother, and she remembers loving him. Abby is a confused woman.

Can Abby find her place anywhere in the world? Can Wade find enough backbone to stand up to his father…so far he’d just cut him out of his life. But Pa needs him even if he’s too awful to admit it. Wade’s pa needs God, too.

And those evil men who destroyed her village, haven’t gone away and they want more from Wade and Abby than anyone can imagine. They have to be stopped and Abby and Wade have to find a way to work together to stop them.