June McCrary Jacobs's Blog: ~ Author June McCrary Jacobs ~
September 1, 2026
~ WEDNESDAY MIDDLE-GRADE FEATURE OFF THE RAILS ~
Off The Rails - A Wilderness Survival Adventure
by Susan Count
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Off The Rails - A Wilderness Survival Adventure
Middle Grade Fiction Reading age : 8 - 12 years
2nd in Series
Setting - Montana Publisher : Hastings Creations Group
Publication date : September 1, 2026
Print length : 204 pages PaperbackISBN-10 : 1952371236
ISBN-13 : 978-1952371233
Digital will be available too.
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After planning a fun experience for a year, two Texas cousins make their first trip to Montana. When their train stalls, the boys leap from it into the white wilderness, beginning a perilous run for their lives.
As a blizzard hits, the boys spend a miserable night trying not to freeze. They struggle along the tracks to find shelter, but a disaster leaves them exposed to the elements and every famished wild creature.
Frustrated by their too-real situation, Davy and Anderson struggle to endure. Instead of vacationers at a wolf sanctuary, they become players in an unplanned survival experience.
Just because your cousin jumps from a train in the wilderness doesn't mean you should too.
EXCERPT:
One hand on Davy’s back, Anderson pushed him through the door into the next compartment. He rushed to the first window, looking both ways, then bee-lined to an empty row of seats in the rear. Travelers raised their eyes momentarily and returned to their diversions.Without a word, Anderson pointed into the snow-covered wilderness. He motioned for Davy to follow him. They popped out of the car and stood on the platform connecting to the next car. “I saw something moving in the woods.”
“Strange. Was it red? Pileated Woodpecker’s are red. They live in Montana. Some say they are a sign the forest isn’t healthy because they use big dead trees for their nests. They dig in the bark…”
“Not red and it’s not a bird.” Anderson insisted. “It was on the ground weaving through the trees.”
“A fox maybe. Wouldn’t it be amazing to see a wild fox?”
“That’s what I’m thinkin’ or a wolf.”
“I was hoping to see an Arctic fox while we’re here. I researched it and they don’t live this far south of the tundra. Their snow-white tails are over a foot long and they use them for balance and to keep their noses warm. They find mice and things to eat buried deep in the snow with their super-sonic hearing.”
“Easy on the animal kingdom lessons.” Holding onto the metal grab bars, Anderson moved down the steps. Then from deep in the woods something yelped in pain. “Did you hear that? Something needs help.”
“Whatever it is, it’s wild. You can’t help it. Whatever wants to eat it would eat you too.”
Anderson moved down another step. “How can I stand here and listen to a helpless animal crying in pain?”
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BONUS CONTENT:
I have had the pleasure of featuringfour previous posts about this author and her books on myblog over the past few years. Here are links to those posts:
https://authorjunemccraryjacobs.blogspot.com/2024/11/monday-middle-grade-book-feature.html
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https://authorjunemccraryjacobs.blogspot.com/2022/09/blog-tour-stop-abbys-pony-love.html
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https://authorjunemccraryjacobs.blogspot.com/2020/10/great-escapes-firefly-warriors-club.html
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https://authorjunemccraryjacobs.blogspot.com/2020/03/mmgm-dream-horse-series-blog-blitz.html
Susan Count is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, American Christian Fiction Writers, and Texas Association of Authors. She takes studying the craft of writing seriously. Revision is her super-power.
Ms. Count has published Texas Boys Adventures, Dream Horse Adventures, and Dream Pony Riders. All series are for young readers ages 8 – 14.
Susan is a life-long equestrian and owned by a Rocky Mountain Horse that is kind-hearted enough to take her on long, forested trail rides. She says the only thing more fun than riding might be writing adventure stories for children.
Answer to why did I write Off The Rails :
Ten of my novels are horse books for girls. But on the rare occasions that I do an event book table, I’m inevitable asked if I’ve written any books for boys. So, I wrote this two book series (Texas Boys Adventures) because you asked and kept asking. You and my four grandsons. Finding wholesome books that will engage 8- to 12-year-old boys is a parental challenge.
I’m so old school. Let the kids keep their childhood for as long as possible. I believe in protecting their young hearts and minds. Give them adventures where they learn to build friendships and be the hero of their own stories. Capture their interest and then encourage and strengthen them to grow into the arrows they are destined to be.
Social Media Links:
Website http://www.susancount.com
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/susancountauthor/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/susancount/
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/susancount/
Twitter/X https://twitter.com/SusanCount
GoodReads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14771062.Susan_Count
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-count-7bba4427/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtHR27qiVUc
BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/profile/susan-count 🚆❆🌲❅⛺❄🚆❆🌲❅⛺❄🚆Buy Link - Amazon
🚆❆🌲❅⛺❄🚆❆🌲❅⛺❄🚆 BLOG TOUR GIVEAWAY! PRIZE IS A $25 AMAZON GIFT CARD! LINK TO ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY 🚆❆🌲❅⛺❄🚆❆🌲❅⛺❄🚆 TOUR PARTICIPANTS: September 2 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT September 2 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – SPOTLIGHT September 3 – Jody's Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT September 3 – Sarandipity's – CHARACTER INTERVIEW September 4 – Baroness Book Trove – REVIEW September 4 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – AUTHOR INTERVIEW September 5 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT September 5 – Escape With Dollycas IntoA Good Book – SPOTLIGHT September 6 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT September 7 – Boys' Mom Reads! – SPOTLIGHT September 7 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT September 8 – Books1987 – SPOTLIGHT September 9 – deal sharing aunt – AUTHOR INTERVIEW September 10 – Sarcastically Yours, Jen – SPOTLIGHT September 11 – Book HookUp – REVIEW🚆❆🌲❅⛺❄🚆❆🌲❅⛺❄🚆
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August 31, 2026
~ TUESDAY DEVOTIONAL FEATURE SONG OF OUR HEART ~
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~ TUESDAY BIBLE STUDYDEVOTIONAL FEATURE ~-- 'THE HEART OF OUR SONG' --
AUTHOR KATHY DYE
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Welcome to the Blog Tour for The Song of Our Heart
by Kathy Dye, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖 About the Book[image error]
Title: The Song of Our Heart: Remembering God's Faithfulness Through Every Season
Author: Kathy Dye
Publisher: Westbow Press
Release Date: April 9, 2026
Genre: Bible Study
Life doesn’t always sound like we expect. Disappointments come, relationships fracture, health fails, and dreams fade. In these moments, we need something—Someone—to be the steady song of our hearts.
The Song of Our Heart presents a five-week Bible study journey through Psalm 71. It provides a way to discover how to make God your song through every season of life—not just the easy ones, but especially the hard ones. This isn’t about superficial positivity or pretending everything is fine. It’s about honest faith that clings to God when life is messy. Through daily readings, reflection questions, and practical application, you’ll explore what it means to find God as your refuge when you’re overwhelmed, your hope when circumstances look bleak, and your praise even when you don’t feel like singing. Each week focuses on a specific aspect of making God your song:
Week 1: God Is Our Song
Week 2: A Life Led by God
Week 3: God as Our Refuge
Week 4: God as Our Hope
Week 5: God as Our Praise
Whether you’re in a season of joy or walking through shadows, this study will help you rediscover that God isn’t just with you—He is your song. And when He becomes your song, you’ll be able to build a legacy of faith that sings long after you’re gone.
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EXCERPT:
From “The Master’s Song”— The story of Lilly the lamb
Meet Lilly, the wandering lamb every one of us hasbeen.Did you know that God sings over us? Zephaniah 3:17 says, “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in His love, He will no longer rebuke you but will rejoice over you with singing.” Yet often, like sheep, we wander away, too caught up in our desires to hear His song.
In a green pasture bordered by gentle hills, there lived a shepherd who knew each of his sheep by name. He was a kind Master who watched over his flock day and night, singing songs of love and protection as he tended them. Among his sheep was a young lamb named Lilly, who, like many young ones, had a habit of wandering.
“Lilly, please come back to the flock,” her mother would call, watching her daughter chase butterflies across the field. “You know how dangerous it is out there.”
But Lilly was too enchanted by the butterfly’s dance to listen. “Oh, Mama, it’s so much fun! Look how it flutters around my head!” she would laugh, bouncing further away.
Each evening, the master would call his sheep home, counting them by name as they passed through the gate. “Hello, Lilly,” he would say with knowing eyes and a gentle smile. “I see you had quite an adventure with that butterfly today. Try not to wander too far—I wouldn’t want to lose you.”
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REVIEW:
An inspirational Bible Study Devotionalthat leads readers on an introspective, interactive journey to remember God'sfaithfulness through every season . . . From the Contents and Preface and otherFront Matter in this book, the author's warm, welcoming, and organized mannermade this devotional an uplifting learning experience for me. Following the Front Matter, readersbegin a five-week thematic study with five devotionals for each week. The scriptureschosen for these weekly themes were meaningful to me and applicable to thetheme for the week. Some of the passages were new to me and some were oldfavorites. Each daily devotional includes anopening prayer, the author's narrative regarding the theme and scripture, andspace for readers to write down their own thoughts in the Quiet Reflection andPrayer section. More applicable scriptures are provided. The devotional closeswith a few questions in the For Discussion section. The Back Matter includes a heartfelt,encouraging Letter from the Author. I received a copy of this book from theauthor through JustRead Publicity Tours. All of my thoughts and opinions sharedhere are completely my own. 📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Publisher's Website | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | BookBub
About the Author[image error]
Kathy Dye resides in Evansville, Indiana, with her husband Sid. A retired elementary teacher turned Christian author and speaker, Kathy has taught women's Bible studies for over 40 years. She is the author of A Song in Her Heart, the Kit Kat Camp series, and the newly released Bible study The Song of Our Heart—a five-week journey through Psalm 71 helping women make God the song of their hearts through every season of life. Her commitment is to equip mothers and women to build a legacy of faith across generations.
Connect with Kathy by visiting kathydyeauthor.com to follow her on social media and subscribe to email newsletter updates.Tour Giveaway(2) winners will each receive a print copy of The Song of Our Heart and a $10 Amazon gift card!
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Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight September 1, 2026 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on September 8, 2026. Winners 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 JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
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August 27, 2026
~ FRIDAY FICTION FEATURE TAKEN WITHOUT TRACE ~
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Welcome to the Blog Tour for Taken Without a Trace by Hope Welborn,
hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
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About the Book[image error]
Title: Taken Without a Trace
Author: Hope Welborn
Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense
Release Date: August 25, 2026
Genre: Romantic Suspense
A missing person case…
or a deadly cover-up?
Georgia Special Agent Cash Brenner gets an anonymous tip on a cold case that’s haunted him for years—but following the lead has him walking into a deadly ambush. He’s saved by his ex, private investigator Maya Reid, who is on a mission to find her missing sister. As eerie similarities between their investigations emerge and Cash grapples with memory loss from the attack, they must put their rocky past aside to find answers. With danger lurking at every turn, Cash and Maya need to act quickly to solve the case and locate Maya’s sister—or risk losing everything they hold dear.
From Love Inspired Suspense: Courage. Danger. Faith.
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EXCERPT:
Cash Brenner? She hadn’t seen him in over two years. Notsince he’d carelessly ended things between them. And broken her heart.
Pushing the though aside, she stepped toward him. “Cash?”
Crystal-blue eyes met hers, and her breath caught. She’dforgotten how piercing his gaze could be.
But his eyes looked through her, not seeming to recognizeher. “Go.” He glanced at the road behind them. “Have to…go.”
“You’re not going anywhere.” A deep cut at his templemingled with his short, dark hair. He probably had a concussion. “You needmedical attention.”
He took two steps and almost toppled. Definitely aconcussion.
She positioned herself next to his good shoulder and bracedunder the impact of his weight. Maya was not a tiny woman, but Cash was a bigman. Tall and muscular.
She directed him away from the wreck. “Let’s get you to mycar, and I’ll call for help.”
He mumbled something that sounded like—
“Bones? Yeah, you probably have something broken. We’ll letthe paramedics che—”
The sound of another motor caught her attention. A sleek,dark street bike skidded to a halt at the edge of the pavement. Before shecould speak, the rider raised a weapon.
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REVIEW:
Can forgiveness lead to healing andredemption between two strong-willed individuals who have each faced trauma andgreat loss in the past?
Cash Brenner, a Special Agent for theGeorgia Bureau of Investigation, is suffering from memory loss after aheart-pounding action event that kicks off this fast-moving romantic suspensestory. He is an intense, serious person—on and off duty.
He is rescued by Maya Reid, a privateinvestigator who just happens to be his ex-girlfriend. She is hesitant to workwith Cash on her case because he deeply hurt her in the manner in which heclosed down their relationship a couple of years earlier.
After the two compare notes on theirrespective cases, they realize the disconcerting similarities between theirmissions. Eventually, it is decided that they will work together with ahard-working law enforcement team who are dedicated to solving two differentmissing person cases—the current case of Maya's sister's disappearance and along-ago case that Cash has been unable to solve for many years.
The villains in the story are truly eviland relentless in attaining their goals. There are many red herrings which willappeal to fans of this genre. The action scenes are varied and well-written.
The faith thread running throughout thestory is a strong point of the plot. The book is completely clean in languageand content.
I received a copy of this book from theauthor through JustRead Publicity Tours. All of my thoughts and opinions sharedhere are solely my own.
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PURCHASE LINKS:
Goodreads | Harlequin | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | ChristianBook | Bookshop | BookBub
Also AvailableAbout the Author[image error]Award-winning author Hope Welborn writes spine-tingling suspense, sprinkled with romance, and saturated with faith. By day, she masquerades as a digital content marketing technology specialist, and by night, she stays up too late putting words on the page. Hope is also co-owner and design/technology manager for Spark Flash Fiction and a member of the Suspense Squad. She has two indie published works, and her next novel will release from Love Inspired Suspense in August 2026. She is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency.
Connect with Hope by visiting hopewelborn.com to follow her on social media and subscribe to email newsletter updates.Tour Giveaway(1) winner will receive a signed paperback copy of Taken Without a Trace, a copy of both Hidden and Trail of Danger (also by Hope Welborn), and a $15 Amazon gift card!
[image error]Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight August 24, 2026 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on August 31, 2026. Winners 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 JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
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August 20, 2026
~ FRIDAY FICTION FEATURE LOT LIKE LAVENDER ~
~ FRIDAY FICTION FEATURE ~-- 'A LOT LIKE LAVENDER' -- AUTHOR B.R. GOODWIN
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Welcome to the Blog Tour for A Lot Like Lavender
by B.R. Goodwin, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
About the Book[image error]
Title: A Lot Like Lavender
Series: Happy in Honey Hill #3
Author: B.R. Goodwin
Publisher: Independent
Release Date: August 3, 2026
Genre: Closed door romantic comedy
Operating Purple Pastures & Alpaca on my own was not ever in my plans, but neither was becoming a widow and a single mom at twenty-two. Though I love this land and the life I’ve built for myself and my daughter—including the alpacas we adore, the strays we’ve taken in along the way, and the rolling hills of lavender surrounding our farm—all the years of hard work and one-woman juggling since James’ death may not be enough to keep it all together.
In fact, I’m failing. Miserably. At farming, running a small business, managing the wild women of the Honey Hill PTA, and maintaining any semblance of a personal life.
To top off my utter insufficiencies, I’m now being forced to accept help from the last person I ever expected to show his face again, Jordan Love. But—though it pains me to admit—having him around repairing fences, caring for my fur babies, and bonding with Molly is the first time I haven’t felt so alone in all this since I lost my husband.
And most unexpectedly, Jordan's return to my life feels a lot like mending my heart.
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For ten years, I’ve done a great job working through the grief of losing my best friend and the shame of selfishly walking away from the people we both cared about when I should have stayed. Even still, I knew coming back home to Honey Hill would dredge up regrets for past decisions. But when I see Emory Nelson for the first time since James’ death, I don’t expect the feelings I’ve kept well-suppressed for so long to come bubbling to the surface. Feelings I’ll need to get well under control if I intend to stick around.
I ran away when she needed me most. With a second chance to show up for Emory and her daughter, there’s no way I can walk away again. I'm determined to be someone she can depend on, even if it means forever pretending I don't want more.
Challenging. Beautiful. Forebearing. Resilient. Worthwhile…
Love looks a lot like lavender.
EXCERPT:
PTA moms arecrazy.
I’m not quitesure how I got roped into this PTA gig in the first place, but I vaguelyremember being guilt-tripped on day one of Molly’s Honey Hill Elementaryeducation. A woman in a perfectlypressed linen pantsuit and a French bun handed me a plate of freshly bakedwelcome brownies and gave me a, frankly, inspiring speech about shaping mydaughter’s future with my voice and my presence.
I don’t know whatsort of witchcraft she put in those brownies, but I remember feeling energized. And powerful. And filled with gooey, warm, melt-in-my-mouthchocolate. After that, it’s all a bit ofa blur.
Taking Molly’seducation into my proverbial hands and showing the world what a single mom wascapable of while in the midst of a chocolate-induced haze, I vaguely remembersigning my name and life away on that dotted line five years ago and havefaithfully shown my face, biweekly, for this vast wasteland they call a PTAmeeting ever since. And never once haveI seen those brownies, or any other chocolate baked goods, at a meeting again.
PTA is a lie.
PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | RomanceLandia | Amazon
More in This SeriesAbout the Author[image error]
B.R. Goodwin is a Georgia native, married to her college sweetheart, and the mother of three wild animal children she adores.
When she isn’t writing Christian Fiction, she’s reading, hiking, bee-keeping, soccer mom-ing, or planning her family’s next big adventure while drinking copious amounts of tea & coffee. Above all else, the heartbeat of everything she does in life, friendship, and writing is with an eye to sharing the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ with everyone she meets. Connect with her at Facebook or Instagram.Tour Giveaway(3) winners will each receive a signed paperback copy of Grits and Glamor (A Romance on the Menu Christian Romcom) as well as an exclusive swag pack including stickers and character print!
[image error]Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight August 17, 2026 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on August 24, 2026. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US/CAN only. 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!
August 18, 2026
~ WEDNESDAY AMISH COZY SECRET IN THE SAMPLER ~
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The Secret in the Sampler: A Plain Truth Mystery
by Abigail B. Hartwell
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About The Secret in the Sampler
The Secret in the Sampler: A Plain Truth Mystery
Amish Adjacent Cozy Mystery with Slow-Burn Romance
1st in SeriesSetting - Ohio Publisher : Plain Truth Press
Publication date : May 31, 2026 Print length : 358 pages
Digital ASIN : B0GX372D82Paperback Coming Soon!
What would you do if the family heirloom hidden in your aunt’s estate could expose a stolen inheritance—and make you the next person someone needs silenced?
Two years after losing her husband, Nora Bell returns to the quiet Ohio Amish-country town of Briar Creek to settle her late aunt’s estate. She expects dusty type drawers, unpaid bills, and enough sympathy casseroles to survive a minor siege. Reopening The Bell & Quill, Aunt Lenora’s old letterpress and stationery shop, is supposed to be a temporary project—not the beginning of an entirely new life.Then Nora discovers an antique hand-stitched sampler concealed inside a cedar trunk.Its mismatched initials, reversed border, and nearly invisible name suggest that the sampler is more than a family keepsake. It may be the only surviving record of a child erased from Briar Creek’s history—and an inheritance quietly stolen decades ago.Before Nora can uncover what her aunt knew, a local estate appraiser is found dead. He had been asking questions about the sampler, searching for a missing auction ledger, and meeting privately with someone determined to keep an old land transfer from being examined too closely.Now Nora is following a trail of altered records, old letters, disputed property, and carefully guarded family secrets. Her unexpected ally is Eli Yoder, a reserved Amish widower and auction clerk who knows Briar Creek’s family histories almost as well as he knows when people are refusing to tell the truth.Eli’s dry humor and steady presence make him useful. The grief he recognizes in Nora makes him dangerous in an entirely different way.As suspicion spreads through the Amish farms, antique shops, auction houses, and polished tourist businesses surrounding Briar Creek, Nora realizes the sampler does not simply reveal what happened in the past. It threatens someone’s money, reputation, and future.And the person who killed to keep its secret hidden may already know Nora has begun to unravel the pattern.
Readers will discover: A clever, emotionally grounded amateur sleuth whose knowledge of printing, paper, handwriting, and design helps her notice what others overlook. An atmospheric Amish-country setting filled with rural roads, estate auctions, quilt work, family businesses, and small-town secrets. A layered, low-gore cozy mystery involving an antique sampler, a hidden heir, altered records, and a disputed inheritance. A clean, chaste slow-burn romance between two widowed people rebuilding their lives through trust rather than instant attraction. Warm community characters and lightly witty dialogue without turning the mystery into slapstick. A satisfying standalone investigation that opens the door to more secrets from The Bell & Quill.The Secret in the Sampler is the first novel in The Plain Truth Mysteries, a gentle Amish-adjacent cozy mystery series about old objects, hidden histories, rural grudges, and the truths people leave behind on paper and cloth.Perfect for fans of Amanda Flower’s Assaulted Caramel, Laura Bradford’s Hearse and Buggy, and Vannetta Chapman’s Falling to Pieces.
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EXCERPT:
Nora moved the packet of letters aside without opening it. Beneath the linens was another layer of tissue, more brittle, folded around something flat. She touched it and felt fabric beneath.
Not quilt batting. Not linens.
Embroidery.
She lifted the bundle carefully and set it on the floor between them. The tissue sighed as she unfolded it.
A sampler emerged in muted colors, cream linen browned with age, stitched borders, tiny flowers, a verse from Scripture, initials placed at odd intervals, and a date worked in thread so faded she had to bend close to read it.
Rain tapped the glass. Somewhere in the shop, water dripped into a bucket with slow, patient plinks.
Nora forgot to make a joke.
The sampler was beautiful in a restrained, deliberate way. Not showy. Not decorative only. The stitches were small and even, though one side of the border seemed wrong. Reversed, perhaps. Turned inward where the others opened out. Near the lower right corner, a set of initials had been worked in pale thread almost the same color as the ground cloth.
Nora traced the air above them without touching.
“A.K.,” she whispered.
Eli did not answer.
She looked up.
He was staring at the sampler.
“You recognize the initials,” she said.
“I recognize the name they could be.”
“Keim?”
His jaw tightened.
“That careful silence again,” Nora said.
“This is not my history to speak first.”
“No, it’s my aunt’s trunk in my shop.”
“It may be more than that.”
“Everything in Briar Creek seems to be more than that.”
“Yes.”
The simple agreement irritated her. It also steadied her, which was inconvenient.
Nora lifted the last fold of tissue.
A slip of paper slid free and landed face down on the floor.
Eli saw it at the same moment she did.
Neither moved for half a second.
Then Nora picked it up.
The handwriting struck her before the words did. Aunt Lenora’s hand. Firm, slanted, precise, with the capital D shaped like a half-open door. Nora had seen it on birthday cards, recipe notes, Christmas labels, and once on a stern letter to a utility company that had overcharged her by twelve dollars and learned regret.
She turned the note over.
Do not sell until the initials are understood.
Nora read it once.
Then again.
The words seemed to draw the cold from the brick walls and lay it directly along her spine.
Eli rose slowly.
“What does it say?” he asked.
Nora held the note out.
He did not take it. He leaned close enough to read, hands at his sides, careful even now not to claim what was not his.
His face changed.
Not much. Eli Yoder did not appear to be a man who allowed his face to conduct town meetings. But the stillness in him sharpened.
“You know something,” Nora said.
“I know enough to say you should not show that to Vernon Pike.”
“The appraiser?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Eli looked at the sampler, then the trunk, then the locked cabinet across the room.
“Because Vernon admires old things most when someone else does not understand their value.”
“You still have not told me why Vernon matters.”
“It is the answer I can give now.”
Nora stood, the note trembling slightly in her hand. She disliked the trembling. Her body had taken liberties since Daniel died, expressing things before she had approved them.
Outside, the rain thickened, turning the windows silver. The shop lights hummed overhead. The sampler lay between them like something quiet that had waited years to be found and had not forgiven anyone for taking so long.
Nora looked again at Aunt Lenora’s note.
Do not sell until the initials are understood.
Aunt Lenora had not left her a keepsake.
She had left her a warning.
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AUTHOR GUEST POST
A Different Kind of Impression: TheDifference Between
a Letterpress and a Printing Press
People often use letterpress and printing press as though the terms mean the same thing. They do not, although the confusion is understandable. A letterpress is a printing press, but a printing press is not necessarily a letterpress. That is the cleanest distinction, and perhaps the only clean thing one can say about printing once ink, oil, paper dust, and human beings become involved.
A printing press is the broad category. It is any machine designed to reproduce words or images by bringing an inked or prepared image surface into controlled contact with paper or another material. Across history, that category has included wooden screw presses, iron hand presses, platen presses, cylinder presses, lithographic presses, rotary machines, and offset presses.
A letterpress is one particular method within that larger family. It prints from a raised surface. Individual pieces of metal or wood type, an engraved block, or a modern relief plate carry the image above the surrounding surface. Ink touches those raised areas, and the press forces paper against them. The design transfers directly to the sheet.
That raised surface is the heart of letterpress printing. If I lock movable type into a form, ink it, and press cotton paper against it on the Chandler & Price machine at The Bell & Quill, I am using a letterpress. The pressure may leave a slight impression in the paper. Modern customers tend to admire that impression. Earlier commercial printers usually sought a clean image without driving the type deeply into the sheet, because type was expensive and crushing it for decorative enthusiasm was not considered good workmanship.
The history of the printing press is broader than the history of letterpress, although the two begin closely entwined in Europe. Printing from carved woodblocks had existed in East Asia for centuries. In fifteenth-century Europe, Johannes Gutenberg brought together movable metal type, suitable ink, type casting, and a press mechanism into a practical system for producing books. The exact design of his machine is unknown, but historians believe it was probably a wooden screw press operated by a lever. The screw-and-platen arrangement remained fundamental to type-printing presses for centuries.
Those early machines were letterpresses because they pressed paper against raised, inked type. Over time, printing presses became stronger and faster. Wooden frames gave way to iron. Lever mechanisms improved pressure. Cylinder presses carried sheets over flat forms of type, and rotary presses eventually printed from curved plates at speeds an old hand printer might have regarded as both miraculous and morally suspicious.
By the nineteenth century, small platen job presses became common in American printing offices. They were designed for short commercial work such as tickets, handbills, letterheads, notices, cards, and labels. Chandler & Price, founded in Cleveland in 1881, became one of the best-known American manufacturers of these machines. The press at The Bell & Quill belongs to that tradition. It is a compact job press designed to bring an inked form and a flat platen together repeatedly and efficiently.
Meanwhile, the larger category of printing presses kept expanding. Lithographic presses print from a flat surface rather than raised type. Offset presses transfer an image from a plate to a rubber blanket and then to paper. Rotary newspaper presses use cylinders and rolls of paper for enormous production runs. These are printing presses, but they are not letterpresses.
That distinction matters when considering an Amish community.
The sentimental explanation would be that letterpress is appropriate because the Amish reject modern machinery and prefer everything old. It is also wrong. Amish communities do not all follow identical rules, and they do not reject technology simply because it is new. They assess tools according to local church standards and the likely effect on family, humility, independence, and community life. Many Old Order groups reject electricity from public utility lines while permitting selected technologies powered by batteries, generators, compressed air, or other locally controlled sources.
A treadle-powered or mechanically adapted letterpress can fit that approach. It can operate without connection to the electrical grid. It is durable, understandable, repairable, and suited to modest local production. It does not require a computer network, online ordering, or dependence on a distant commercial printer. None of those things is automatically forbidden, but they can shift control away from the community.
Letterpress is also well matched to the printed needs of a rural Amish district: auction bills, school-benefit notices, business cards, jar labels, seed packets, memorial cards, wedding invitations, and simple stationery. Platen job presses were created precisely for neighborhood printers producing short-run local work.
At The Bell & Quill, that scale matters. Aunt Lenora served both the Englisch town and nearby Amish families by printing auction flyers, recipe cards, memorial programs, church bulletins, wedding invitations, and private stationery. The shop’s Chandler & Price press and drawers of movable type make the business local, deliberate, and personal. A customer can stand at the counter, settle the wording, choose the paper, and know who will handle the names and dates.
Letterpress is therefore not appropriate because Amish people belong to the past. They do not. It is appropriate because the machine can support local control, limited scale, practical independence, repair rather than replacement, and careful work performed by someone accountable to the customer.
A printing press is the larger invention: any of many machines developed to reproduce text and images. A letterpress is one branch of that invention, defined by raised, inked forms pressed against a surface.
The difference is technical, but it is also philosophical. A high-speed press is built to make many copies quickly and consistently. A letterpress asks the operator to remain close to every part of the work: the type, the ink, the pressure, the paper, and the person whose name is being printed. In Briar Creek, names have consequences. I prefer to keep my hands near the machinery.
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About Abigail B. Hartwell
Short - Abigail B. Hartwell, aka Abby, writes warm Amish-country-adjacent cozy mysteries rooted in rural Ohio, where handmade clues, old family secrets, quiet faith, and plainspoken women bring buried truths into the light.
Long - Abigail B. Hartwell writes gentle Amish-adjacent cozy mysteries rooted in the small towns and wooded backroads of east-central Ohio. Though she is not Amish, she lives near Amish communities and draws inspiration from the region’s quiet rhythms, close-knit families, old stories, and rural traditions. She shares a modest home on five wooded acres with her long-haul truck driver husband. They have two grown daughters and three grandchildren. When she is not writing, Abigail enjoys church activities, family time, and the peaceful beauty of the Ohio countryside.
Social Media Links:
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/abigailbhartwellauthor/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AbigailBHartwell
Website https://abigailbhartwell.wixsite.com/amish-cozy-mysteries
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/stores/Abigail-B.-Hartwell/author/B0H71WD53Y
Purchase Links – Amazon Book Amazon Series
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TOUR GIVEAWAY
PRIZE: 5 Digital Copies of The Secret in theSampler:
A Plain Truth Mystery
by Abigail B. Hartwell - Free novelette for emaillist sign-up (in progress)
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TOUR PARTICIPANTS:August 18 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea- SPOTLIGHT August 18 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW August 19 – Jody's Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT August 19 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – AUTHOR GUEST POST August 20 – Boys' Mom Reads! – SPOTLIGHT August 20 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT August 21 – Christy's Cozy Corners – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST August 21 – Escape With Dollycas IntoA Good Book – SPOTLIGHT August 22 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT August 22 – Sarah Can't Stop Reading Books – REVIEW August 23 – Sarcastically Yours, Jen – SPOTLIGHT August 23 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT August 24 – StoreyBook Reviews – CHARACTER GUEST POST August 25 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW August 26 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW August 27 – Salty Inspirations – AUTHOR GUEST POST August 28 – Sarandipity's – CHARACTER INTERVIEW August 28 – Book HookUp – REVIEW August 29 – Romance Novel Giveaways – SPOTLIGHT 📜⏳🪡🧵📖💗📜⏳🪡🧵📖💗📜Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?
Click Here to Find Details and Sign Up Today!
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August 13, 2026
~ FRIDAY FICTION FEATURE BEACH HOUSE RESCUE ~
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Welcome to the Blog Tour for Beach House Rescue by Hope Toler Dougherty, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
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About the Book[image error]
Title: Beach House Rescue
Author: Hope Toler Dougherty
Publisher: Scrivenings Press
Release Date: June 23, 2026
Genre: Contemporary Christian Romance
Two strangers. One beach house. Zero plans to share it.
Tessa Trask expects a quiet summer restoring a friend’s beach house—not waking up to an intruder and defending herself as best she can. Wyatt Henry isn’t a burglar, though. He’s just as surprised to find her there—and just as determined to stay.
Under protest, the two agree to an uneasy truce. Tessa is creative and spontaneous. Wyatt is disciplined and guarded. Keeping their distance should be easy…until a surprise visitor arrives and turns their temporary arrangement into something far more complicated.
As sun-soaked days lead to deeper conversations, irritation softens into a fragile peace and grows into something worth protecting. While Tessa begins to trust God’s leading for her future, Wyatt wrestles with a past that makes trust feel dangerous.
Are their growing feelings worth the risk—or is walking away the only safe choice?
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EXCERPT:
“I don’t think she’s armed. She’s asleepon my couch.”
Tessa Trask blinked her eyes open, hitby the fog that always accompanied a nap stretching longer than fifteenminutes. What a crazy dream.
A man’s voice. Calm, but firm.
A squatter in a beach house.
Requesting police.
The beginning bloom of a headache seepedbehind her forehead. Her eyelids fell back in place, giving her a chance toregroup and take a minute to consider waking up.
The dream continued. The voicecontinued.
Wait. What?
She pressed her eyelids together.
“Just send someone right away, please,and no sirens. I don’t want to startle her. Just get her out of here.”
Heart galloping from lounging to horrormovie gear with the speed of a Kentucky Derby darling, she squeezed the book ontop of her chest in a death grip. Her lungs struggled to keep up, whooshing outbreaths in short puffs.
Somebody—some man is in this house withme. Think, brain, think.
Lord God, help me.
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REVIEW:
An awkward first meeting leads to afriendship fraught with hesitancy and hidden past life events that cause bothcharacters to be cautious and apprehensive in new situations . . . Tessa Trask is house sitting for herbest friend, Wren, and Wren's husband, Peter, at the couple's beach house. Whensomeone enters the home while she is napping and accuses her of breaking andentering into the home, she accuses him of being an unwanted intruder. After discussing the matter with a localpolice officer, Alex, and confirming with Peter and Wren that both individualshave permission to be in the home, Tessa and Wyatt try to make the best of anuncomfortable situation. Wyatt is intense and abrupt; Tessa iscreative and impulsive. How could things get any worse for these two misfits? This story includes a lot of heartacheand traumatic past experiences for both characters. However, when they jointogether to nurture another character to get past her own traumatic events,they find that there is light on the other side of their own troubles. I enjoyed reading about Tessa's artisticendeavors including her sewing designs and how she creates new items from repurposedlinens and home décor. Wyatt is a successful businessman who is also an Armyveteran. The story has a good faith thread alongwith many new relationships with others in the community who need to experiencesome kindness and joy in their own lives. I received a copy of this book from theauthor through JustRead Publicity Tours. All of my thoughts and opinions sharedhere are solely my own.💘🌅🌊🎨🧵📖 💘
PURCHASE LINKS:
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | BookBub
Also Available
Hope Toler Dougherty holds a Master’s degree in English and taught at East Carolina University and York Technical College. Her early novels are Irish Encounter, Mars…With Venus Rising, and Rescued Hearts. Her Forever Series includes Forever Music, “A Hatteras Surprise,” a novella featured in Candy Cane Wishes and Saltwater Dreams, Forever Home, Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA)’s 2023 Romance Novel of the Year, and Forever Free, first place in the Faith, Love, & Hope Reader’s Choice Award for 2025.
A chronic community volunteer as well as a member of ACFW, NC Writers’ Network, and Neuse River Writers, she shares her belief in God “Who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” in her daily life and stories.
She and her husband, Kevin, live in North Carolina and delight in visits with their two daughters and twin sons.
Connect with Hope by visiting hopetolerdougherty.com to follow her on social media and subscribe to email newsletter updates.
Tour Giveaway(3) winners will each receive a signed copy of Beach House Rescue and a $20 Amazon gift card!
[image error]Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight August 10, 2026 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on August 17, 2026. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only for print copy. Ebook available instead if winner is outside the US. 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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August 6, 2026
~ FRIDAY FICTION FEATURE SEEKING KIDNAPPED CHILD ~
~ FRIDAY ROMANTIC SUSPENSEFICTION FEATURE ~ -- 'SEEKING THE KIDNAPPED CHILD' --
AUTHOR DEENA ALEXANDER
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Seeking the Kidnapped Child (Missing Person Investigations)
by Deena Alexander
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About Seeking the Kidnapped Child
Seeking the Kidnapped Child (Missing Person Investigations)
Inspirational Romantic Suspense 1st in Series Setting - Montana
Publisher : Love Inspired Suspense Publication date : July 28, 2026
Print length : 208 pages Mass Market PaperbackISBN-10 : 1335919074
ISBN-13 : 978-1335919076 DigitalISBN-13 : 978-0369784308 ASIN : B0FXRPXKY9
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When his daughter’s taken, getting her back is all that matters.
FBI Agent Tristan McAvoy just learned he’s a father—but his little girl’s been abducted by his enemies, and he’s caught in a deadly shoot-out the moment he tries to rescue her. He barely flees unscathed with his ex, Avery Taylor, and his K-9 partner in tow. The criminals have a deadly agenda—if Tristan testifies at an upcoming trial for a major crime boss, he’ll never see his child again. Stranded in the mountain wilderness, Tristan and Avery are trailed by ruthless mercenaries, who are closing in. Can they survive long enough to save their daughter—or will they be silenced forever?
From Love Inspired Suspense: Courage. Danger. Faith.
Missing Person Investigations
Book 1: Seeking the Kidnapped Child
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EXCERPT:
Avery Taylorclutched her sleeping daughter tighter, her fight-or-flight instincts beggingher to do anything other than stand there, frozen, staring down the two maskedgunmen blocking her from entering her home. “Please, I…”
But what could she say? Had she stumbled upon a home invasion? Shecouldn’t imagine having anything either of them could possibly want. She livedoff the beaten path. The small but cozy two-story bungalow she’d inherited fromher grandfather sat alone on a cul-de-sac at the end of a long, windingmountain road. And she worked from home as a medical transcriptionist,supplementing her income with her inheritance to make ends meet. Well, whateverthey wanted, they could have it, as long as they left her and herfour-year-old, Liliana,alone. She opened her mouth to say as much.
The taller of the two lifted his weapon, his hand rock steady.
She could only assume he’d done this before.
“Where’s Tristan McAvoy?” he demanded.
Her mouth snapped right back closed again. Once she recovered enough totry to answer, her voice shook before she could utter more than a grunt, andshe worked to steady it. Although she didn’t know why she bothered. It wasclear she was terrified, and even more so now that she knew what theywanted…because she couldn’t give it to them. “I don’t know where Tristan is. Ihaven’t seen him in almost five years.”
Since he’d walked out on her and never looked back, despite hernumerous attempts to get in touch with him and tell him he was going to be afather. He’d been her best friend, her love, her future, and then he’d beengone.
Her arms began to tremble beneath Liliana’s weight, and Avery heftedher up higher so the little girl’s head rested more comfortably on hershoulder. The last thing she needed was Lily waking to this mess. They’dattended a church festival that evening, and her daughter had passed out on theway home. It was a good thing Lily was a heavy sleeper.
The shorter man, who outweighed her by a good hundred pounds of puremuscle, gestured toward the front door with his weapon. “Get inside.”
She hesitated.
“Look, Avery…”
The fact that he knew her name and had associated her with Tristan senta chill racing up her spine, despite the heat of the summer night. If they knewall that, she had to figure they knew Lily was Tristan’s daughter as well, evenif Tristan didn’t know. But how had they found out? True, she’d listed him asLily’s father on her birth certificate, but why would this stranger have accessto that?
“All you have to do is tell us where to find McAvoy.” The man’s easyshrug belied the tension in his posture. “Once we have him, we’ll let you and hiskid go. Easy enough?”
It would be if she believed him, and if she had any clue where to findTristan, but she wasn’t buying it. Then again, they did have on ski masks,which gave her some hope that they planned to let her go. If not, they’d haveno reason to conceal their identities. Of course, she couldn’t give them whatthey wanted. If she knew how to get ahold of Tristan, he’d know about hisdaughter.
An image of him flashed in her mind—his shaggy brown hair that justbrushed his collar and always seemed in need of a trim, a smile that could melther heart in an instant, his brilliant blue eyes that used to cage hers andfill her with hope for their future together. A hope that died when he walkedaway with promises to return once he’d gotten his head on straight. An emptypromise, as it turned out.
She’d wanted to talk to him after he’d left, to tell him he was goingto be a dad instead of imparting the news via voicemail, email or text. She’dwanted to gauge his reaction, so she’d simply asked him to call her back. Timeand time again. And he hadn’t. Not once. So, he’d never learned about hisdaughter. But that wasn’t really fair. He’d left after his parents had beenmurdered, bitter and grief-stricken and so filled with anger she hadn’t knownwhat to do for him. Still, he could have answered at least one of her messages.
Focus, Avery.
She weighed her options. She could make a run for the car, where she’dleft the doors standing open and her bags inside in hopes of retrieving themafter she’d gotten Lily into bed, but she’d never outrun a bullet if these menintended to shoot her. Then again, they couldn’t get information from her ifshe was dead. But they could incapacitate her. How could she risk leavingLiliana alone with these monsters? She couldn’t. Which left her no choice butto do as they’d instructed.
Lily’s weight was becoming a strain on her back and shoulders, and shedidn’t want to set her down on the stone walkway and risk waking her. But shedid have to put her down. If it came down to it, she couldn’t fight withLiliana in her arms. What did it matter if she went inside with them anyway? Itwasn’t like there was any chance of someone driving past to notice what washappening or being close enough to hear her screams. The secluded home she’dgrown up in, that she’d always viewed as so peaceful and serene, a safe haventucked against the side of the mountain, surrounded by fields and wildflowers, nowseemed nothing but isolated. She’d never felt so frightened and alone, evenafter Tristan had left and her grandfather had passed away.
But if she could get inside, if she could get to her grandfather’shunting rifle hanging above the mantel, maybe she’d stand a chance of defendingherself and her daughter.
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About Deena Alexander
Deena Alexander grew up in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island, where she met and married her high school sweetheart. She recently relocated to Florida with her husband, three kids, son-in-law, and four dogs. Now she enjoys long walks in nature all year long, despite the occasional alligator or snake she sometimes encounters. Deena's love for writing developed when her youngest son was born and didn't sleep through the night.
Author Links: Webpage: http://deenaalexander.com/index.html Blog: http://deenaalexander.com/blog.html Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeenaAlexanderAuthor Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/DeenaAlexanderA Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20382104.Deena_Alexander BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/deena-alexander Newsletter: https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/492177/92188784823633445/share Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Deena-Alexander/author/B08C1VKZFZPurchase Links:
Amazon Barnes & Noble Kobo Apple Google Play
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~ TOUR GIVEAWAY ~
PRIZE: $25 AMAZON GIFT CARD
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TOUR PARTICIPANTS:
July 28 – Salty Inspirations.com – CHARACTER GUEST POST July 29 – Christy's Cozy Corners - REVIEW, AUTHOR GUEST POST, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY July 30 – Angel's Book Nook – SPOTLIGHT July 30 – Sarandipity's – CHARACTER INTERVIEW July 31 - Sarcastically Yours, Jen – REVIEW July 31 - Read Your Writes Book Reviews – AUTHOR INTERVIEW August 1 - Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT August 2 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT August 3 – StoreyBook Reviews – CHARACTER GUEST POST August 4 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW August 4 – Escape With Dollycas IntoA Good Book – REVIEW August 5 – Baroness Book Trove – REVIEW August 6 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW August 7 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – SPOTLIGHT August 7 – Novels Alive – REVIEW August 8 – Romance Novel Giveaways – AUTHOR GUEST POST August 9 – Carla Loves to Read – REVIEW, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY August 10 – Boys' Mom Reads! – SPOTLIGHT August 11 – Books1987 – SPOTLIGHT August 12 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews - REVIEW
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August 4, 2026
~ WEDNESDAY HISTORICAL ROMANCE FEATURE SEEDS OF HOPE ~
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Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for Seeds of Hope
by Teresa Wells, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
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About the Book[image error]
Title: Seeds of Hope
Series: The Truitts of Texas #2
Author: Teresa Wells
Publisher: Scrivenings Press
Release Date: 07/14/2026
Genre: Christian Historical Romance
Two wounded hearts. One fragile hope. A love that dares to take root.
Blooming Grove, Texas, 1896
Deputy Rabb Truitt has sworn to protect Blooming Grove. But when a clerical error sets a criminal free, Rabb blames himself. He should’ve admitted he can’t read, and now he must resign. If he failed the town once, he could fail it again.
A recent survivor of a devastating fire, Sallie Parker refuses to let Rabb give up the job he loves. She helps him make sense of letters on the page, and as his knowledge grows, so do their feelings for each other.
When a series of mysterious events surround Sallie’s school, Rabb fears a connection to cattle rustlers he’s pursuing. Each day without arrest, the demands for mob justice increase. Rabb races to protect the town and the woman he loves. But is he too late?
Perfect for fans of Karen Witemeyer, Mary Connealy, and Jody Hedlund, Seeds of Hope is a faith-based historical romance filled with small-town danger, friends-to-lovers tenderness, found family, courage, and the promise that God can grow hope in even the hardest places.
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EXCERPT:
Rabb gave the newsprint a sidewaysglance. “Aw, it’s just two old men blowing smoke, that’s all.”
“Didn’t you read it?”
“I don’t have time to read thathogwash.”
“I think you should. Here.” She waggledthe paper at him.
He drew away. “Quit waving that thingin my face. Besides, the words are too small. Can’t make out what it says.”
Sallie removed her spectacles. “Thesewill help.”
He kept his gaze on the horizon,ignoring the offering.
With a sigh, Sallie replaced herglasses. “So I’m right.”
His neck prickled with sweat. Did shesuspect? “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She laid her small hand on his forearm.“Rabb, stop the wagon.”
It crossed his mind to ignore herrequest. But it was no use. Reluctantly, he pulled to the side of the narrowroad outside town.He kept his gaze on the horizon and rubbed the knuckle of hisleft thumb, dread corkscrewing his gut.
“You can’t read.”
He ought to tell her she was crazy.Deny it. Something. But he was tired of pretending. With the fading winterlight casting shadows around them, he sighed. “No.”
“Didn’t you go to school?”
Was she criticizing him? He narrowedhis gaze to discern her meaning. Her blue eyes held no scorn, only questions.If he could trust anyone, he’d choose her. “I went. Doesn’t mean I learned anything.Too busy cutting up, acting crazy. Old Miss Gallagher would send me outside forpunishment and then forget I was out there. I spent my time dreaming up ways tomake her life miserable.”
He snuck a peek at Sallie, smilingsheepishly. “I was a pretty bad kid.”
“Who had a terrible teacher.”
He laughed off her sympathy. “I gaveher all kinds of grief.”
“But now you can’t read.”
If only he could deny it.
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PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Scrivenings Press | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | BookBub
More in This SeriesAbout the Author[image error]
Award-winning author Teresa Wells writes stories threaded with hope and redemption. She loves meeting people, touring old homes, and studying the Bible. She lives with her husband of 45 years outside of Dallas, Texas. Her debut novel, What Brings Us Joy (Scrivenings Press, 2025), is a double winner for the 2026 Holt Medallion Award. Seeds of Hope, Book 2 in The Truitts of Texas series, released in July of 2026. You can find her online at teresawells.com
Tour Giveaway(2) winners will each receive a signed copy of Seeds of Hope, items related to the book, and a $25 Amazon gift card!
[image error]Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight August 3, 2026 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on August 10, 2026. 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 JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
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July 28, 2026
~ WEDNESDAY ROMANCE FEATURE COWBOY TO CALL HER OWN ~
[image error]
Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for A Cowboy to Call Her Own by Cari Lynn Webb, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours! 💗🐎👢🌻🌼💠💗🐎👢🌻🌼💠💗 About the Book
Title: A Cowboy to Call Her Own
Series: The Bluegrass Blackwells #1
Author: Cari Lynn Webb
Publisher: Harlequin Heartwarming
Release Date: July 28, 2026
Genre: Contemporary Romance
This big-city cowboy
Just swept her off her boots!
Saving his family’s Kentucky racing stables is priority number one for cowboy Asher Blackwell. Love is not on his agenda. But when pretty chef Kelley Munroe pulls him into a clumsy two-step, he’s charmed. And making a deal with her to cater for the stables adds a little sunlight to his days. As a shared love of horses draws them together, and they’re roped into planning the town’s Fourth of July celebrations, the sparks between them blossom into fireworks. Asher wasn’t looking for a fresh start, and his life is in New York. But Kelley’s healing support is cracking open his guarded heart. Could she be the cowgirl he’d always hoped for?
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EXCERPT:
“It’s not exactly easy, cooking in this place,” Ashersaid.
But Kelley felt at ease with him. The more time shespent with her cowboy, the longer she wanted to stay and share secrets. “Once Ifigured out the quirks around here, there was nothing to it.”
Asher eyed her like he didn’t believe her. “You aren’tlike most people I know.”
You aren’t like I expected either. Andshe was not certain if she was happy about that. “Is it good or bad that I’mnot like most people?”
“It was a compliment.” Asher finished his drink andadded, “I imagine most chefs would have walked in here and then walked out.Probably even most home cooks.”
“I like a challenge,” Kelley said.
“That’s not it.” Asher shook his head. “You see thebest in things, not the worst.”
“Not always,” Kelley confessed. “Especially not aftermy divorce.”
“What changed?” he asked.
I met a cowboy.
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MY REVIEW
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Painful memories of failed relationshipswith others burden the main characters until they discover ways to cut free andfind happiness in a new relationship . . .
I have read several of this talented author'sclean and wholesome western romances; and I am always glad to read anotherstory filled with her warm, welcoming feeling tone and fabulous characters!
Chef Kelley Munroe has returned to herhometown of Gold Finch, Kentucky, after two dreams vanish into thin air. Sheneeds to get away from New York and return to her family and her roots in thissmall town located in Bluegrass Country.
At the request of his father's cousin,Big E, Asher Blackwell returns to his family's ranch in Gold Finch after hisfather dies. Asher has avoided the ranch for the past few years and has built alife for himself in the Big Apple. A successful financial advisor, hisprofessional services are always in demand; but he needs to take some time offto sort out the ranch's financial situation.
When Kelley and Asher meet by chance inan entertaining and clever meet-up, things turn interesting. She needs a joband Asher needs a cook for the ranch, so they get to know each other better onlyto learn that they have a lot in common.
Kelley and Asher's story is one of myfavorite books from this author. Lots of great characters and humor are infusedinto the plot making it an enjoyable and engaging read—from beginning to end.
This story is completely clean inlanguage and content. I received a copy of this book from the author throughJustRead Publicity Tours. All of my thoughts and opinions shared here aresolely my own.
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USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR
PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Harlequin | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | BookBub
Also Available[image error] [image error] [image error] [image error]
About the Author[image error]
Cari Lynn Webb lives in Florida with her husband. She's been blessed to see the power of true love in her grandparent's 70 year marriage and her parent's marriage of over 50 years. She knows love isn't always sweet and perfect, it can be challenging, complicated and risky. But she believes happily-ever-afters are worth fighting for. She loves to connect with readers.
Connect with Cari by visiting carilynnwebb.com to follow her on social media and subscribe to email newsletter updates.
Tour Giveaway(2) winners will each receive a $25 Amazon gift card and 2 print books by Cari Lynn Webb from the Blackwells Backlist!
[image error]Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight July 28, 2026 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on August 4, 2026. 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 JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
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July 23, 2026
~ FRIDAY FICTION FEATURE UNTIL APRIL ~
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~ FRIDAY FICTION FEATURE ~ -- 'UNTIL APRIL' -- AUTHOR JANET W. FERGUSON 💖🌅🌊📘💖🌅🌊📘💖[image error]
Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for Until April by Janet W. Ferguson, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours! 💖🌅🌊📘💖🌅🌊📘💖About the Book[image error]
Title: Until April
Series: Coastal Hearts
Author: Janet W. Ferguson
Publisher: Southern Sun Press LLC
Release Date: June 25, 2026
Genre: Contemporary Christian Romance
Michael Galloway has always believed freedom means living life on his own terms. His career is dedicated to saving the environment and teaching others the importance of taking care of the earth, rivers, and oceans. He’s building a life with no room for complications. Especially in his love life.
Then tragedy turns April Yancy’s world upside down.
After her husband’s death, April discovers he’d been hiding devastating secrets, leaving her buried in debt and struggling to protect her children’s future. The last person she expects to come to her rescue is Michael—the man who shattered her heart years ago.
Michael has few regrets, but hurting April back in grad school still haunts him. When her situation grows desperate, he devises a risky plan to help her rebuild her life…even if it means jeopardizing his carefully guarded independence.
Accepting Michael’s shocking offer could cost April more than her pride. His resistance to her faith clashes with the convictions she holds dear, and trusting him again feels impossible. Yet as doors keep opening and her prayers keep nudging her toward him, April begins to wonder if God is offering her a second chance at more than survival.
An emotional second-chance love story of forgiveness, redemption, and unexpected faith.
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EXCERPT:
“No.” He rose as her posture wilted,strode the few steps to her, and wrapped her in his arms. “Shh. It’s not yourfault that you trusted Robert.”
Her muscles flinched. “It is, though. Iknew how impulsive he could be. How reckless. For Jack’s sake, I should havestayed on top of the finances.”
He reached up with one hand to touch hercheek, the skin soft beneath his fingers. “You did not deserve any of this,April. Robert knew better.” Then guilt harpooned his heart. Hadn’t he done thesame thing to her? Abandoned her out of selfishness? Because he’d wanted tolive life his own way. “Neither Robert nor I proved worthy of a woman asspecial as you.”
Her gaze lifted and locked on his. Theforce of it jarred him. A whirlpool of emotion swirled between them, swallowinghim in like a tangible force of nature. It drew him closer, so near to her, thewarmth of her breath mingled with his.
He should move away. Back off and saygoodnight. Instead, his fingers slid to her chin and tilted it upward. Thisis a mistake. The words banged in his skull.
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PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub
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More in This Series
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Janet W. Ferguson is a Christy Award finalist, Maggie Award Winner, and the FHL Readers Choice Award winning author of realistic inspirational fiction. An avid reader, she loved books so much she found a job as a librarian so she could be around them all day. Then she turned that love of story into writing faith-filled novels with characters who feel like best friends. You’ll laugh and cry as the quirky heroes and heroines chase their happily ever after.
Janet and her husband live in Mississippi where they say y’all a lot, and she forces him to visit the beach as often as possible. They have two grown children and a cat that allows them to share the space. Connect with Janet by visiting janetfergusonauthor.com to follow her on social media and subscribe to email newsletter updates.Tour Giveaway(1) winner will receive a paperback copy of Until April, a hummingbird feeder, a fabric bookbag (made by Janet's daughter), and lip balm!
[image error]Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight July 20, 2026 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on July 27, 2026. 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 JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
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~ Author June McCrary Jacobs ~
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