Thursday, February 27, 2025

Tides of Healing by Sandra Merville Hart

 

About the Book

Book:

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release date: February 11, 2025

A Southern belle fights to reclaim her home, but will her spying destroy the Union officer she never meant to love? 

Savannah Adair has endured the unimaginable, hiding in a cave while her beloved Vicksburg was under siege. With the city now occupied by Union soldiers, Savannah cannot stand by and do nothing. So when one of the gaunt, half-starved Confederate prisoners asks her to spy for the South, she can’t refuse the chance to take back her home.

First Lieutenant Travis Lawson takes pride in the Union army’s hard-fought victory, but he quickly realizes that the challenges of rebuilding and reconciliation are just beginning . . . and not everyone is appreciative of changes he’s making. Namely, the fiery and alluring Savannah Adair. Despite their differing loyalties and the societal divide between them, Travis cannot deny the growing feelings he has for her. When he is tasked with finding Southern spies in Vicksburg and he captures a female spy, Travis is forced to consider that the woman he’s beginning to love may be the enemy.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

I am going to start this review with this quote from the book. I really appreciate this quote. 

The book "Tides of Healing" by Sandra Merville Hart is the 6th book in this series and I think it was my favorite one. I recommend reading the entire series in order, I don't think you will be disappointed. It is about spies during the war, but it is also a clean love story. The ending had two surprises (well actually three) that I didn't see coming but it made the story that much greater. 
I received a complimentary copy from the author and Celebrate Lit and these opinions are my own. 


About the Author

Sandra Merville Hart, award-winning and Amazon bestselling author of inspirational historical romances, loves to discover little-known yet fascinating facts from American history to include in her stories. Her desire is to transport her readers back in time. She is also a blogger, speaker, and conference teacher.

 

 

 

 

More from Sandra

As I typed away on this final book in my Spies of the Civil War Series, it felt as if I’d written the entire series to tell this story.

Previously, I had felt a similar importance of an as yet unpublished two-book contemporary series, but the sense that the whole series climaxed with the final book was as surprising as it was welcome.

Because it seemed as if everything that happened in all the earlier books culminated in Book 6 for me as an author. Its significance reverberated in my soul while still researching the events…and weeks before I sat to pen the first page, the first paragraph, the first sentence.

That sense of importance made this book difficult to begin. The early chapters took far longer to write than normal.

I believe that those who only read Tides of Healing will have a satisfying, complete story. Those who read the entire series in order—or at least Books 4-6 set in Vicksburg—will experience a deeper impact as the characters’ stories build on one another.

There is a song in Tides of Healing. As an author, the impact of the lyrics within the story preceded it, meaning that I knew a certain song would play a significant role while still in the research phase.

Let me explain.

When I’m researching a story, I read a variety of nonfiction resources including diaries, journals, and newspaper accounts. My research for Vicksburg during the Civil War led me to song lyrics written by the enslaved.

African American Spirituals, also called Negro Spirituals, were sung before and after the Civil War. These Christian songs served a variety of purposes beyond bolstering hope and faith during dark days. They told stories about Biblical characters like Moses. Some comforted the sorrowful and some rejoiced with the joyful. They were sung in churches, in camp meetings, and in the fields.

They often contained secret messages. “Home” in a song can refer to Heaven, but the secret meaning was a free country. Author Frederick Douglas had been a former slave. He wrote that the lyrics to “O Canaan, Sweet Canaan” signified more than a hope of Heaven. Repeated singing of the lyrics “I am bound for the land of Canaan” announced an intention to go North, their Canaan.

The Underground Railroad is a theme in Tides of Healing. In 1828, Reverend John Rankin built his home on a hill overlooking the Ohio River in Ripley, Ohio. As a station on the Underground Railroad, this home was easily seen from the opposite side of the river in the slave state of Kentucky. Runaways waited for a boat to take them across the river.

It surprised me to learn that the lyrics of “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” are about this station. “I looked over Jordan and what did I see?” refers to the Ohio River. The band of angels are people who rowed them across the wide river to the free state of Ohio.

Neither of these songs is referenced in Tides of Healing. The tune that is in my story was a popular spiritual leading up to the war. I listened to it many times. The message took root in my heart long before it affected my characters.

My research trip to Vicksburg’s battlefield and museums inspired the writing of Streams of Courage, Book 4, River of Peril, Book 5, and Tides of Healing, Book 6.

Avenue of Betrayal, Book 1, is set in the Union capital of Washington City (Washington DC) in 1861, where a surprising number of Confederate sympathizers and spies lived. Boulevard of Confusion and Byway to Danger are set in Richmond, the Confederate capital in 1862. Actual historical spies touch the lives of our fictional family. The heroines in Books 1 – 3 are two sisters and their cousins. Another set of characters begin with Book 4, and three friends are the heroines in Books 4 -6.

Through both real and fictional characters, this series highlights activities spies were involved in and some of the motives behind their decisions.

I invite you to read the whole Spies of the Civil War Series!

Blog Stops

Bizwings Book Blog, February 26

Holly’s Book Corner, February 27

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 27

Locks, Hooks and Books, February 28

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 1

Pause for Tales, March 2

Texas Book-aholic, March 2

Devoted To Hope, March 3

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, March 4

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, March 5

Betti Mace, March 5

Life on Chickadee Lane, March 6

Cover Lover Book Review, March 7

Books You Can Feel Good About, March 8

Connie’s History Classroom, March 9

For HIm and My Family, March 10

Stories By Gina, March 11 (Author Interview)

Blossoms and Blessings, March 11

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Sandra is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon 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/00adcf54163

Monday, February 24, 2025

Hidden Secrets by S.F. Baumgartner




About the Book

Book: Hidden Secrets: A Thriller (Mirror Estate Series Book Four)

Author: S.F. Baumgartner

Genre: Christian Mystery, Thriller

Release date: September 24, 2024

Abducted. Trapped. Hunted. Grace Benson must find a way out… or die trying.

After her harrowing escape from a kill order, Grace thought she’d return to a normal life, only to be abducted from her home.

Meanwhile, FBI investigations into the murders of a congressman and his staff uncover a shocking link to Grace’s abduction, threatening international stability.

Desperate to survive, Grace allies with an unlikely partner—a child who knows the bunker’s secrets—but as they navigate the treacherous tunnel system, a misplaced step echoes through the corridors, alerting a deranged captor who now closes in, gun in hand.

If you like Alex Cross, Gabriel Allon, you will like this unpredictable, fast-paced suspense thriller.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

This book continues where the last ends. So, it is better to read this series in order. This book did keep me turning the pages, but I didn't find it as good as the others in the series. This book did have a few twists and surprises that this reader didn't see coming. Reading this series makes me think of the television show "Criminal Minds". The big difference is that the tv show usually deals with one main case at a time but this book has many investigations going on at once and I found myself wishing the author would have just focus on one crime at a time, and there were so many characters that at times it was hard to focus, but I am still giving this book 4 stars. 

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



About the Author

S.F. Baumgartner writes fast-paced Christian suspense thrillers. Book 1 of her Mirror Estate series, Living Secrets, was selected as one of the Top Picks in the thriller category at Killer Nashville, 2024. Her love for writing comes second only to her love of reading. When she’s not busy writing about complex characters, secretive operatives, and relentless agents, she spends her time binge-watching crime TV shows, such as NCIS, or playing with her cats. If you enjoy James Patterson’s style—specifically short chapters—you’ll love her Mirror Estate series.

 

 

More from S.F.

I’m so excited to share Hidden Secrets, the fourth book in my Mirror Estate Psychological Thriller series. For those who’ve been following Grace Benson’s story, this is the next chapter in her journey—a deeply personal one with plenty of the twists, danger, and suspense you’ve come to expect from my writing.

If you’ve read Tangled Secrets, you know that Grace finally uncovered the truth about her birth mother. That revelation opened doors to even more questions, and in Hidden Secrets, she takes the next step: discovering the identity of her birth father. Of course, in Grace’s world, nothing is ever simple. This isn’t just a straightforward search for a man from her past—it’s a journey wrapped in danger, deception, and murder.

Writing this book was such an adventure for me. Grace is a character I’ve grown to love, and putting her through these intense, high-stakes situations is always a mix of excitement and challenge. This time, she’s dealing with abduction, espionage, and a web of lies that keeps tightening around her. Every step she takes toward the truth comes with a cost, and watching her face these challenges while staying true to herself was as rewarding to write as I hope it is for you to read.

But I’ll admit, Hidden Secrets didn’t come together without a few struggles. I rewrote several scenes to make sure the story flowed the way it needed to. The pacing, the tension, and the timing of the twists had to be just right. I love keeping readers on the edge of their seats, but it takes some effort to make sure every piece falls into place.

One of the things I think makes this book stand out is how personal it is for Grace. Yes, there’s plenty of action, danger, and intrigue, but at its core, this story is about family and identity. Grace’s search for her father forces her to confront parts of herself she didn’t even know were missing. I wanted readers to feel that emotional depth while still delivering the suspense and surprises that make a Mirror Estate thriller what it is.

The reviews so far have been incredible. Hearing that readers are loving Grace’s latest journey means the world to me. Some have mentioned how much they appreciated the balance between the emotional moments and the fast-paced action, which makes me feel like all those rewrites were worth it!

If you’re already a fan of the series, I think you’re going to love where this installment takes Grace. And if you’re new to Mirror Estate, don’t worry—Hidden Secrets stands on its own. You’ll get plenty of context to enjoy the story, but starting at the beginning will definitely give you a richer experience.

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, February 20

Inspired by Fiction, February 21

The Lofty Pages, February 22

Vicky Sluiter, February 23 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 24

Book Looks by Lisa, February 25

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, February 26

Stories By Gina, February 27 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, February 27

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

Blogging With Carol, March 1

For Him and My Family, March 2

Artistic Nobody, March 3 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, March 3

Locks, Hooks and Books, March 4

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 5

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, S.F. is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card and an eBook 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/00adcf54158

Sunday, February 23, 2025

Guarding the Mountain's Man's Secret by Misty M Beller

 

About the Book

Book: Guarding the Mountain Man’s Secret

Author: Misty M. Beller

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release date: January 28, 2025

In the wild mountains of the Montana Territory, the Coulter ranch is a place of family, second chances…and a hidden fortune. 

Miles is the youngest of six brothers, and he’s spent most of his life helping guard the family’s secret: a sapphire mine hidden deep within the Montana mountains. With threats from a past enemy looming, a survey team’s arrival stirs suspicion—until he meets Clara Pendleton, whose presence captivates him.

Clara Pendleton joins her uncle on a survey team tasked with mapping the coming railroad’s path, only to find herself entangled with the enigmatic Coulter family. When her uncle’s accident leads them to find refuge in the Coulter home, Clara is irresistibly drawn to Miles Coulter and his quiet strength. This feels like the haven she craves…until a series of mysterious attacks endanger everyone on the ranch.

As Christmas approaches, a sleigh ride through a snowy wonderland fans the growing spark between Clara and Miles into a flame, but a broken runner leads Clara to discover the family’s secret. Now she’s faced with an impossible choice: betray the man she’s coming to love or risk the lives of his entire family—and her own uncle.

From a USA Today bestselling author comes a mountain saga filled with high-stakes adventure, forced proximity, a Christmas surprise, and love that heals wounded hearts.

 

Click here to get your copy!

Guarding the Mountain's Man's Secret by Misty M Beller is another book that this author has written that kept me turning the pages. This book has a twist that I didn't see coming. It is the 7th book of the series, but I think if you haven't read the others you would enjoy this one. But, once again I have to ask why a reader wouldn't want to read a series from the beginning to get the whole background and the complete stories. I think the next book in this series will be exciting because a character that has been missing in some of the other books makes a short appearance in this one. Like the other books in this series, this is a clean love story as well as historical. This book clearly shows that greed is capable and does make men cruel. I really liked the ending.


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

 


About the Author

Misty M. Belleris a USA Todaybestselling author with over 1 million books old. She writes romantic mountain stories, set on the 1800s frontier and woven with the truth of God’s love.

Raised on a farm and surrounded by family, Misty developed her love for horses, history, and adventure. These days, her husband and children provide fresh adventure every day, keeping her both grounded and crazy.

Misty’s passion is to create inspiring Christian fiction infused with the grandeur of the mountains, writing historical romance that displays God’s abundant love through the twists and turns in the lives of her characters.

Sharing her stories with readers is a dream come true for Misty. She writes from her country home in South Carolina and escapes to the mountains any chance she gets.

More from Misty

Surveying the Wild West: How Surveyors Mapped the Frontier in the 1870s

One of the things I love about writing historical romance is the detail I get to research for each book. So much of my research doesn’t make it into the story, but I still love to learn it!

In Guarding the Mountain Man’s Secret, our heroine and her uncle are working with a group of surveyors to map out potential routes for the coming railroad.

Surveying back then was no walk in the park. These brave folks had to trek through some seriously rough terrain, lugging around heavy equipment like compasses, levels, and surveyor’s chains. The chains were a whopping 66 feet long, with 100 links! Surveyors would stretch them out to measure distances, and let me tell you, it was no easy feat.

One of the surveyor’s secret weapons was triangulation. By measuring angles between distant points and doing some fancy math, they could figure out exactly where landmarks were and create a grid of reference points across the land. This technique was a game-changer, allowing for more accurate maps that covered bigger areas.

In my story, the surveying was done for the railroad. But history tells us that later in 1879, the U.S. Geological Survey stepped onto the scene with a larger mission: to create detailed maps of the entire country, including the wild, wild West. Surveyors working for this agency had their work cut out for them. They battled through dense forests, climbed steep mountains, and crossed dangerous rivers, all to gather the data needed for these maps.

So the next time you look at a map of the American West, give a nod to those early surveyors. These hardworking folks played a huge role in shaping the frontier, giving settlers the information they needed to build new lives and communities. Without their dedication and skill, the West might have remained a mystery forever!

I pray you enjoy Miles and Clara’s story in Guarding the Mountain Man’s Secret!

Blessings!

Misty

Blog Stops

Babbling Becky L’s

 Book Impressions, February 22

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 23

Books You Can Feel Good About, February 23

Melissa’s Bookshelf, February 24

Madi’s Musings, February 25

Simple Harvest Reads, February 25 (Guest Review from Marilyn Ridgway)

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, February 26

For Him and My Family, February 26

Life on Chickadee Lane, February 27

Betti Mace, February 27

Texas Book-aholic, February 28

Locks, Hooks and Books, March 1

Jeanette’s Thoughts , March 1

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 2

Cover Lover Book Review, March 3

Mary Hake, March 3

Devoted To Hope, March 4

An Author’s Take, March 5

Holly’s Book Corner, March 5

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, March 6

Blossoms and Blessings, March 6

lakesidelivingsite, March 7

Pause for Tales, March 7

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Misty 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/00adcf54159

Saturday, February 22, 2025

Miss Blaire in Blackwell’s Island by Grace Hitchcock

 

About the Book

Book: Miss Blaire in Blackwell’s Island (Heiresses of Adventure Book One)

Author: Grace Hitchcock

Genre: Historical Romance True Crime

Release date: July 31, 2024

Will Edyth prove her sanity before it is too late?

On Blackwell’s Island, New York, a hospital was built to keep its patients from ever leaving.

With her late parents’ fortune under her uncle’s care until her twenty-fifth birthday in the year 1887, Edyth Blaire does not feel pressured to marry or to bow to society’s demands. She freely indulges in eccentric hobbies like fencing and riding her velocipede in her cycling costume about the city for all to see. Finding a loophole in the will, though, her uncle whisks Edyth off to the women’s lunatic asylum just weeks before her birthday. And Edyth fears she will never be found.

At the asylum she meets another inmate, who upon discovering Edyth’s plight, confesses that she is Nellie Bly, an undercover journalist for The World. Will either woman find a way to leave the terrifying island and reclaim her true self?

 

Click here to get your copy!

 


"Miss Blaire in Blackwell’s Island" by Grace Hitchcock is a book that is inspired by how women used to be committed to an asylum for any reason. In this book Edyth is committed because her uncle and aunt wants her money. This is a great clean love story as well as an inspirational book on how just a couple of people can change the world for others. 
It also shows that just because someone is different it doesn't mean they aren't sane and healthy. This book shows that greed is capable of anything.                                                                          
I received a complementally copy from the author and Celebrate Lit and these opinions are my own.     

About the Author

Grace Hitchcock is the award-winning author of multiple his­torical novels and novellas, including the American Royalty, Best Laid Plans, and Aprons & Veils series. She holds a Master’s in Creative Writing and a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in History. Grace lives on the Northshore of New Orleans, with her husband, Dakota, sons, and daughter in a cottage that is always filled with the sounds of sweet little footsteps running at full speed. When not writing, or chasing babies, she’s baking something delightful and can usually be found with a book clutched in her fist.­­­­

 

 

More from Grace

I am thrilled to share with you my FIRST novel in the HEIRESSES OF ADVENTURE series, MISS BLAIRE IN BLACKWELL’S ISLAND, which is set in New York City in 1887. I loved writing about Edyth Blaire, our cat-rescuing, spunky heroine who spends her days painting, fencing with her dreamy instructor, and avoiding society at all costs, which as you can imagine, comes back to haunt her before the end. I’ve never written about a character who despised reading, so that was a new one for me. Edyth just doesn’t like to sit still long enough to finish a book, but you’ll find out why later.

While writing this book, I am pretty certain the librarians at my local branch were wondering what in the world my hobbies are, judging from the stacks of fencing books for beginners, histories of New York crime in the 19th century, and Nellie Bly’s Ten Days in a Mad-House, and more.

The inspiration for this book came from Nellie Bly’s scandalous exposé for Joseph Pulitzer’s newspaper, The World. In reading Nellie’s articles, I was shocked at the grounds by which the asylum would commit women and that’s when I discovered a tiny mention about an heiress with family members who had her tucked away so they could have her fortune. . . and Edyth Blaire was born.

I hope you will enjoy reading about our eccentric leading lady and her fencing master hero, Raoul “Bane” Banebridge in this friends-to-lovers romance. If you are interested in seeing pictures of the asylum and to see what I pictured the characters looking like, check out my Pinterest board here.

Are you part of a book club? I have discussion questions here!

Blog Stops

Pens Pages & Pulses, February 21

Allyson Jamison, February 21

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 22

Devoted To Hope, February 22

Texas Book-aholic, February 23

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, February 23

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, February 24

Locks, Hooks and Books, February 25

Maureen’s Musings, February 25

Melissa’s Bookshelf, February 26

Books You Can Feel Good About, February 26

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 27

Vicky Sluiter, February 27

Betti Mace, February 28

Cover Lover Book Review, February 28

Blogging With Carol, March 1

Connie’s History Classroom, March 1

lakesidelivingsite, March 2

For Him and My Family, March 3

Mary Hake, March 3

Labor Not in Vain, March 4

Holly’s Book Corner, March 4

Leslie’s Library Escape, March 5

Inspired by Fiction, March 5

Pause for Tales, March 6

Lights in a Dark World, March 6

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Grace is giving away the grand prize of a $20 gift card with FREE SHIPPING to Grace’s Autographed Bookshop!!

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/00adcf54161