Friday, March 28, 2025

JustRead Tours Blog Tour: These Long Shadows by Jennifer MistMorgan

These Long Shadows JustRead Blog + Review Tour

Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for These Long Shadows by Jennifer Mistmorgan, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

Title: These Long Shadows
Series: On Victory's Wings #3
Author: Jennifer Mistmorgan
Publisher: Independently Published
Release Date: March 21, 2025
Genre: Historical Romance WWII

How do they rebuild a marriage that wasn’t real in the first place?

London, 1945: Two years ago, Jonty Ables married Katie Baines to save her and her unborn baby from shame. But now the war is all but over, the baby is gone and they must work out where their shaky marriage fits into lives irrevocably changed by war.

Clinging to the memory of a time before all happiness evaporated, Katie works hard during the day as a seamstress. At night she comes home to a tiny terrace on a bomb-scarred street, crammed with her extended family and their problems. Years of estrangement sit between her and her recently demobilized husband. She’s not even sure she loves him, so why is she so crushed that he calls out another woman’s name in his sleep?

Jonty is determined to honor the vows he made no matter how many ghosts now plague him, but with such separate lives his wife is more of a stranger than ever. When Katie’s friend goes missing, Jonty seizes the opportunity to help her find him just so they have a reason to talk. But the war casts long shadows over their efforts, and fighting for their future might just be the hardest battle of them all.

If you love epic wartime romance with a dash of intrigue, you’ll love this second-chance, marriage-of-convenience love story.

More in This Series

Jennifer Mistmorgan

Australian author Jennifer Mistmorgan sometimes feels like she was born in the wrong era. So she writes romantic historical fiction set in the 1940s, against the backdrop of WWII and its aftermath. She infuses her sweet romances with wartime drama, gentle faith and a dash of intrigue. She lives in Canberra with her family and a wonky-eared West Highland terrier.

Connect with Jennifer by visiting jennifermistmorgan.com to follow her on social media and subscribe to email newsletter updates.

(1) winner will receive a $20 Amazon Gift Card (US$)!

(5) additional winners will each receive an ebook bundle of all 3 books in the "On Victory's Wings" series!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight March 25, 2025 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on April 1, 2025. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. Open internationally. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

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Celebrate Lit Blog Tour: When the Sky Burned by Liz Tolsma (A Day to Remember Book 6)

Book: When the Sky Burned (A Day to Remember Book 6)

Author: Liz Tolsma

Genre: Christian Fiction / Romance / Historical Fiction

Release date: March 1, 2025

A Tornado of Fire and Embezzlement Sweep through a Community

Enjoy a series of 6 exciting novels featuring historic disasters that transformed landscapes and multiple lives. Whether by nature or by man, these disasters changed history and were a day to be remembered.

Promising painter Mariah Randolph longs to have her canvases displayed in the world’s best museums, and Hollis Stanford, the heir of a railroad tycoon, is her ticket to success. The railroad’s bookkeeper, Jay Franklin, discovers discrepancies and is convinced that Hollis is stealing from the company. But any proof of his dirty dealings go up in smoke when fire utterly destroys the town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin, October 8, 1871.

The fire leaves Mariah blind, but Jay befriends her and even helps her to start painting again. But a trip to Chicago to return Hollis’s daughter to him could put both Mariah and Jay in more danger than even the fire that devastated the town and their lives.

Click here to get your copy!

Liz Tolsma is the author of several WWII novels, romantic suspense novels, prairie romance novellas, and an Amish romance. She is a popular speaker and an editor and resides next to a Wisconsin farm field with her husband and their youngest daughter. Her son is a US Marine, and her oldest daughter is a college student. Liz enjoys reading, walking, working in her large perennial garden, kayaking, and camping. She is also the host of the Christian Historical Fiction Talk podcast.

More from Liz

I stared at my computer screen in front of me. For years, I had been searching for my great-grandmother, Anna. I got no good information. Census records in the US weren’t helpful. Some listed her birthplace as Czechoslovakia, while others had it as Austria. I had heard before that she might have been born in Czechoslovakia before, but never Austria. There were no records that I had come across that listed the city or town where she was born.

Until that one day. While searching for my great-grandmother, I ran across a passport application recorded in Warsaw, Poland, for an Anna with the same last name, though spelled differently. Her birthday was listed as 1903, which matched the birth year I knew for my great-grandmother’s niece. As I read through the application, my heart was pounding. This Anna was born in the United States but went to Dubne, Poland, with her family in 1906. It was now 1923, and she wanted to return to the US, and she would be living with…

I started to cry when I saw who her sponsor was. My great-grandfather. The name and address were correct. There could be no doubt about it. It had taken me years, but I finally made the jump to Europe and discovered that my great-grandmother was not born in Czechoslovakia but in what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire and is now Poland.

Of course, good little researcher that I am, I had to find out all I could about Dubne, the town they were from. That’s when I first came across the term Lemko. What on earth was that?

Lemkos are a Slavic people that settled in the Carpathian Mountains of Southern Poland, Northern Slovakia, and Western Ukraine. They are also known as Lemko Rusyns, Rusyns (especially those born in Slovakia, like my great-grandfather), and Carptho-Rusyns. The mountains kept the world at bay, and they developed their own language, customs, and form of Christianity. For the most part, they were very poor, many of them eking out a living from the rocky ground.

They lived in “black houses,” called that because the poorest people couldn’t afford to have a chimney built. The smoke from the cooking and heating fires stayed inside the house and covered the walls with black tar. If you look at the cemetery records from Dubne, you would be old if you lived into your fifties. Conditions were brutal.

The most the average Lemko could afford was one sheep or one pig. Since this was their most prized possession, they couldn’t take the chance of a wild animal or a neighbor taking it away, so it lived in the house with them.

With all of them. Up to eleven people would live in a two-room house. When I mentioned that in What I Left for You, my editor questioned if I had made a mistake. No, I didn’t. I have no idea how they fit all those people in there, but they did. As I was tracking one branch of our family tree, I kept coming up with people living in house 43. Over and over and over. They stuffed that house full. Grandparents, parents, and children all lived together. They may not have had much, but that forged the Lemkos into strong and resilient people.

I’m proud to be Lemko-Rusyn, and I’m thrilled to share this story with you. I infused Helena, the historical heroine, with as much of the Lemko spunk and spirit as I could. Last October, my daughter and I had the privilege to travel to Poland and Slovakia and see the Lemko homeland for ourselves. It helped me to write a better, richer story because I now understand where they came from and who they were. Enjoy Helena’s story and her journey during WWII and beyond. I hope you come to understand and appreciate the Lemko people as much as I have.

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, March 27
Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, March 27
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, March 28
Pens Pages & Pulses, March 28
Books You Can Feel Good About, March 29
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 29
Simple Harvest Reads, March 30 (Guest Review from Marilyn)
Texas Book-aholic, March 30
Betti Mace, March 31
Lily’s Corner, March 31
Life on Chickadee Lane, April 1
Devoted Steps, April 1
Locks, Hooks and Books, April 2
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, April 3
Blogging with Carol, April 4
Connie’s History Classroom, April 4
Tell Tale Book Reviews, April 5
For Him and My Family, April 5
Stories By Gina, April 6 (Author Interview)
Mary Hake, April 6
Bizwings Book Blog, April 7
Cover Lover Book Review, April 7
Becca Hope: Book Obsessed, April 8
Jodie Wolfe, April 8
Holly’s Book Corner, April 9
Pause for Tales, April 9

To celebrate her tour, Liz 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.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf54187

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Wednesday, March 26, 2025

JustRead Tours Blog Tour: Kate Landry Has a Plan by Rebekah Millet

Kate Landry Has a Plan JustRead Takeover + Review Blitz

Welcome to the Takeover + Review Blitz for Kate Landry Has a Plan by Rebekah Millet hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

Title: Kate Landry Has a Plan

Series: Beignets for Two #2

Author: Rebekah Millet

Publisher: Bethany House Publishers

Release Date: March 18, 2025

Genre: Contemporary Christian Romance

Forty-year-old Kate Landry's carefully planned life has become as messy as the powdered sugar on her famous beignets. Juggling the responsibilities of running her café, raising her teenage niece, and the emotional baggage from her breakup, Kate finds her world once again turned upside down when her first-ever crush, Micah Guidry, returns to town as the hunky local librarian.

As Kate struggles to implement her plans to expand her café amid the New Orleans Mardi Gras madness and the meddling of her conniving ex-fiancé, Micah becomes the unwitting hero of her misadventures, stirring up feelings she thought she'd long buried. How can falling in love in the Big Easy be this hard?

Christian RomCom books have fast become a genre I really enjoy. Kate Landry Has a Plan by Rebekah Millet is Book 2 in the Beignets for Two series. I read Book 1 and have been anxiously awaiting this release.

WOW, this book captured my attention from the very first pages. The setting is New Orleans. The 2 main characters in this book are Kate Landry and Micah Guidry. Kate Landry has her life planned out and really wants to make her life grand. She is running a cafe in New Orleans and raising her teenage niece. Seh also recently went through a tough breakup. Kate feels her life is spiraling and wants to grab the reigns and make things go according to her plans. Her niece has been spending time at the Library, her favorite place. Kate learns that Micah, her first crush, has returned to town and is now the Town Librarian. Kate if trying to implement plans that her late Sister and herself made for the Cafe and Kate wants to honor her sister in doing so. Kate if finding life difficult right now as her Ex-Fiance keeps showing up and now that Micah, her 7th Grade Crush, is back in town, her emotions are all over the place. I really LOVE how Micah is an encouragement to Kate and she recognizes this. She also realizes that God is right there in the midst of the struggles in life and she begins to give her troubles to God. I really LOVE the relationship between Kate and her niece and Kate and Micah. Kate opened up to allow her strict plans to be changed and that was a momentual moment in this book. The book also has many laugh out loud moments and I truly LOVED those also. This is a book about Second Chances and "God's plan is greater then our Plan". I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Christian Romance Fiction! AMAZING BOOK!

More Books from this Series:

Rebekah Millet

Rebekah Millet is a double Selah Award, Cascade Award, and ACFW First Impressions Award-winning author of contemporary Christian romance novels. A New Orleans native, she grew up on beignets and café au lait, and loves infusing her colorful culture into her stories. Her husband is an answer to prayer, who puts up with her rearranging furniture and being a serial plant killer. Her two sons keep her laughing and share in her love of desserts.

Connect with Rebekah by visiting RebekahMillet.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

(1) winner will receive a print copy of Julia Monroe Begins Again, Kate Landry Has a Plan, and a $20 Cafe du Monde gift certificate!

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight March 26, 2025 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on April 2, 2025. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

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Celebrate Lit Blog Tour: Spark of the Revolution by Megan Soja

Book: Spark of the Revolution

Author: Megan Soja

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release date: March 4, 2025

A spark ignites a flame that could burn down everything they hold dear.

Contrary to her name, Patience Abbott has long felt unsettled and anxious to leave behind her painful memories in England for a fresh start in America. But her new life isn’t quite what she expected, and as tension grows in her new home of Boston, so does the distance between Patience and her estranged father. So when Josiah Wagner walks into her life, it finally feels like she’s not alone. If only his patriotic leanings didn’t put him at odds with her father’s loyalties.

Josiah Wagner has spent his life yearning for a true home and family, something he works toward each day, forging tools as a blacksmith, and each night, forging plans with the Sons of Liberty. But when the destruction of tea in Boston Harbor lights the spark of the Revolution, Josiah finds himself drawn into its tumultuous wake, pulling the woman he loves along with him.

As tensions mount, will their search for belonging lead to each other, or will the obstacles between them be too great to overcome? In a land on the brink of war, can they find the home they seek in the One who calls them His own?

Click here to get your copy!

Christian Historical Romance is a favorite genre of mine. Spark of the Revolution by Megan Soja is the most recent book in this genre that I have read. It is Book 1 in the Harbor of the Spies series. It is also the debut novel by Megan Soja.

The Storyline in this book grasped my attention immediately and I couldn't put it down. The setting is November 1773 in Boston. The 2 main characters in this book are Patience Abbot and Josiah wagner. Patience Abbott has arrived in America from England with her older Brother Will. Patience was hoping for a new start in life and to leave behind the painful things that happened in the past. Will and Patience were hoping to start a relationship with their estranged father, who lives in Boston. Josiah Wagner is a local Blacksmith and part of the Sons of Liberty. Patience and Josiah connect and start a friendship. Life takes a turn for both of them when in the Harbor of Boston is just the beginning of the Revolutionary War. The dumping of Tea into the Harbor became known as the Boston Tea Party. Patience and Josiah had different view points on the happenings in the Boston Harbor and Patience knew her father wouldn't approve of Josiah's view points. Josiah and Patience were growing closer together at this point and Josiah was worried that he would lose the woman he had grown to love. Josiah has a strong faith and he is hoping he can show Patience that God will comfort and protect her through all the changes and sadness in her life, even through Wartime. I truly LOVED this book! The Boston Tea Party and Revoluntary War period is my favorite Era in History. I LOVE how the characters struggled with Life but that God's love surrounded them. Josiah is my favorite character in this book. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Chrisitan Historical Romance. GREAT BOOK!

Megan Soja is a multi-award-winning author who writes stories with strong faith, rich history, and sweet romance. She lives in western NY with her husband and two daughters and loves having adventures, both big and small, with her family. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading, hiking, canoeing and kayaking, and playing French Horn.

More from Megan

I have a confession. When I was in school, I didn’t really enjoy history classes. That sounds awful coming from a writer of historical fiction, doesn’t it? But it’s true. The whole concept of memorizing dates and names and places just didn’t excite me.

And yet, I have loved reading historical fiction for as long as I can remember, and have always found living history museums fascinating. I think it’s because those things made history feel real and made me feel like I was part of it. They took me deeper, beyond a list of events and famous names, into the everyday lives of ordinary people who made a lasting impact, whether they realized it or not.

It was the stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things that captured my attention when I began researching for Spark of the Revolution.

They were names most of us would never recognize. Ordinary people living ordinary lives, who stepped up one night to take part in something extraordinary. Who joined an event that would go on to impact history in ways few of them likely imagined.

Names like Sarah Bradlee Fulton, who has been credited with the idea of disguising men as Mohawks and helped her husband and brothers do just that. She later rallied women to care for wounded soldiers after the Battle of Bunker Hill and traveled across enemy lines to deliver an urgent message to General George Washington.

Or David Kinnson, a farmer from Maine who journeyed to Boston with the express purpose of destroying the tea. He went on to serve in multiple battles of both the Revolution and the War of 1812, was the father of twenty-two children, and lived to be one hundred and fifteen years old.

Or Samuel Sprague, who was on the way to visit the woman he loved when he saw what was happening at the harbor and decided to join. He climbed onto a rooftop to gather soot as a disguise. Don’t worry, he did later marry his sweetheart – Joannah Thayer – and they went on to have fourteen children together. Both lived to be ninety and are buried at the Central Burying Ground on Boston Common.

I was drawn in by these stories and so many others. They reminded me that each of us are living our own stories too. And while we may often feel ordinary, we are treasured and precious in the sight of God. He has a plan and purpose for every one of us, and whether or not our names are recorded or remembered in history, we are fully known by Him.

I hope you’ll see that message when you read Spark of the Revolution. One of purpose, of meaning in the midst of the ordinary, and of belonging to the God who is unchanging throughout all of time.

Stories By Gina, March 20 (Author Interview)
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 20
Texas Book-aholic, March 21
Locks, Hooks and Books, March 22
Life on Chickadee Lane, March 23
Pause for Tales, March 23
Simple Harvest Reads, March 24 (Guest Review from Marilyn Ridgway)
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 25
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, March 26
Sylvan Musings, March 27
Pens Pages & Pulses, March 27
Books You Can Feel Good About, March 28
Connie’s History Classroom, March 29
For Him And My Family, March 30
Paula’s Pad of Inspiration, March 30
Cover Lover Book Review, March 31
Holly’s Book corner, April 1
Leslie’s Library Escape, April 2

To celebrate her tour, Megan 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.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf54179

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Celebrate Lit Blog Tour: Redeeming Rupert by Susan Pope Sloan

Book: Redeeming Rupert

Author: Susan Pope Sloan

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release date: February 25, 2025

In the aftermath of the Civil War, a young woman’s fight to save her family’s legacy leads her to an unexpected alliance.

Hannah Whitfield has given up on her own dreams of love and marriage, dedicating herself wholly to her family’s welfare. But when a ruthless carpetbagger threatens to seize Whitfield Hall, Hannah’s last hope lies with the elusive trustee named in her late father’s will. Desperate to secure her brother’s inheritance, she steels herself to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Rupert McNeil, haunted by the loss of his loved ones, has vowed never to marry. Following in his uncle’s footsteps, he becomes the go-to person for those in need. When he inherits his uncle’s farm and the responsibility to help save Whitfield Hall, Rupert finds himself at a crossroads, torn between his own legacy and his duty to others.

As Hannah and Rupert’s paths intertwine, a marriage of convenience seems to be the answer to their problems. But with a scheming relative lurking in the shadows, will their newfound alliance be enough to safeguard both their inheritances? Can love blossom amidst the challenges they face, or will the wounds of the past prove too deep to overcome?

Click here to get your copy!

Historical Romance books are one of my favorite genres. Redeeming Rupert by Susan Pope Sloan is the latest book in this genre that I have read. It is Book 5 in the Rescued Hearts of the Civil War series. I have been enjoying the series from the start of the Series.

I was totally engrossed in the Storyline from the very first page. The setting is 1866 in Georgia. The 2 main characters in the book are Hannah Whitfield and Rupert McNeil. Hannah is facing a situation where she must save the Family Farm for her younger brother. A Union Officer believes he can take possession of the farm and Hannah needs a male to be able to help her save the farm. Rupert McNeil is focused on his Uncle Inhertience to him which also includes a farm. He has vowed not to marry and wants to honor his Uncle by This book by not only running his farm, but helping others in the community. I LOVE how Rupert hears of Hannahs's plight he really wants to help her save Whitfield Hall also. Rupert and Hannah come decide the best option to save Whitfield Hall is that they get married. The fact that neither have ever really had a desire to marry but each are willing to do so to save Hannah's family legacy, is so heartwarming. I REALLY enjoyed seeing Hannah and Rupert grow their relationship and gain the trust of one another. Rupert is a gentleman and a man whose Faith is strong. Hannah is humbled by Rupert's proposal to help her. The book is one of Faith, LOVE, and Marriage of Convenience. I HIGHLY Recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Historical Romance. WONDERFUL BOOK!

Born into a family of storytellers, Susan Pope Sloan published her first articles in high school and continued writing sporadically for decades. Retirement provided the time to focus on writing and indulge her avid interest in history. Her Civil War series begins (and ultimately ends) in her home state of Georgia with references to lesser-known events of that period. She and husband Ricky live near Columbus where she participates in Word Weavers, ACFW, and Toastmasters.

More from Susan

With Redeeming Rupert, I bring the series back close to where it started and closer to my hometown. This final book begins in 1866 with all the McNeil brothers picking up their lives after the Civil War. Rupert is the third son of John and Connie McNeil, introduced in previous books as a dependable helper. He is the opposite of older brother Simon, who was the impetuous, adventurous troublemaker in the family. In contrast, Rupert is a quiet, steady rule-follower who never gives his parents cause for concern.

When he inherits his Uncle Henry’s farm, Rupert is ready to settle into the peaceful life of a bachelor…until Hannah Whitfield shows up at his door and upsets all his plans.

For these Southerners, struggling to restore their homes and resume a sense of normalcy after the war, their family legacy is linked to the land. Both Rupert and Hannah consider it their richest inheritance and stand ready to defend it at all costs. But their marriage of convenience tests them in ways they never expected.