Tuesday, August 12, 2025

The Harvey Girls by Juliette Fay

1926: Charlotte Crowninshield was born into one of the finest Boston society families. Now she’s on the run from a brutal husband, desperate to disappear into the wilds of the Southwest. Billie MacTavish is the oldest of nine children born to Scottish immigrants in Nebraska. She quit school in the sixth grade to help with her mother’s washing and mending business, but even that isn’t enough to keep the family afloat.

Desperate, both women join the ranks of the Harvey Girls, waitresses who serve in America’s first hospitality chain on the Santa Fe railroad. Hired on the same day, they share three things: a room, a heartfelt dislike of each other…and each has a secret that will certainly get them fired.

Through twelve-hour days of training in Topeka, Kansas, they learn the fine art of service, perfecting their skills despite bouts of homesickness, fear of being discovered, and a run-in with the KKK. When they’re sent to work at the luxurious El Tovar hotel at the Grand Canyon, the challenges only grow, as Billie struggles to hide her young age from would-be suitors, and Charlotte discovers the little-known dark side of the national park’s history.

Amazon

About The Author

Juliette Fay is the bestselling author of eight novels, including, THE HARVEY GIRLS, THE HALF OF IT, CATCH US WHEN WE FALL, CITY OF FLICKERING LIGHT and THE TUMBLING TURNER SISTERS, a USA Today bestseller and Costco Pennie’s Book Club Pick. Previous novels include THE SHORTEST WAY HOME, one of Library Journal’s Top 5 Best Books of 2012: Women’s Fiction; DEEP DOWN TRUE, short-listed for the 2011Women’s Fiction award by the American Library Association; and SHELTER ME, a 2009 Massachusetts Book Award “Must-Read Book” and an Indie Next pick.

Juliette is a graduate of Boston College and Harvard University, and lives in Massachusetts with her family. Visit her at JulietteFay dot com, Facebook: Juliette Fay author, BookBub: Juliette Fay, and Instagram: Juliette_Fay.

My Review

I loved this read, from beginning to end, it was a page turner for me.
I find Fred Harvey's restaurants interesting, and it did provide, at the time, rather well paying jobs for these young women. This story takes place mainly at his elite El Tovar Hotel, at the Grand Canyon, and in 1926 we rub shoulders with the rich and famous.
We are with two young women whom are desperate for jobs, and both have reasons to flee and want jobs. Two different background, one with the silver spoon, and the other helping her family that is just barely getting by. We are there for their training, and then for their next destination.
You will feel like your at the canyon, and traveling the roads there, and this is long before dramamine!
This read included some sweet romance, friendship, along with some danger.
I loved that we are gifted with a final chapter in this read!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Gallery Books, and was not required to give a positive review.

Last Light over Galveston by Jennifer L. Wright

Galveston, Texas. September 1900. Only months ago, Kathleen McDaniel returned from finishing school in Switzerland to her family home in New York’s Hudson Valley with a future of promise and privilege set before her. But one horrific event shattered her picturesque life. Now she has fled as far as the train line and a pocketful of money would take her, finding refuge at the St. Mary’s Orphan Asylum on Galveston Island, where she helps the nuns care for their young charges and prays her past will not find her. Despite her tenuous standing at the orphanage—and the grief and betrayal that drove her from home—Kathleen slowly begins to make friends. There is Emily, the novice nun she rooms with; Maggie, the tempestuous young girl who only bonds with Kathleen; and Matthew, a kind, handsome man recently employed by Isaac Cline at Galveston’s office of the US Weather Bureau.

Then in one fateful day, Kathleen’s fragile new life begins to crack as it becomes clear that she can’t run far enough to escape the reach of her former life. Meanwhile, as troubling news about a storm crossing the Gulf from Cuba swirls in the Weather Bureau offices, Matthew holds fast to Cline’s belief that no hurricane can touch Galveston. But as darkness falls on the island, Kathleen must gather her courage and reach for a strength beyond her own if she—and those she loves—are to survive.

Amazon

About The Author

Jennifer Wright has been writing since middle school, eventually earning a Master’s degree in Journalism at Indiana University. However, it took only a few short months of covering the local news for her to realize that writing fiction is much better for the soul and definitely way more fun. A born and bred Hoosier, she was plucked from the Heartland after being swept off her feet by an Air Force pilot and has spent the past decade traveling the world and, and every few years, attempting to make old curtains fit in the windows of a new home.

She currently resides in New Mexico with her husband, two children, one grumpy dachshund, and a herd of overly demanding guinea pigs.

Her debut novel, 'If It Rains,' was nominated for a Kipp Award, and her second novel, 'Come Down Somewhere,' was a 2023 Carol Award-finalist. She is a member of ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers).

My Review

A read that grabbed me and didn't let go, yes a page turner!
A young woman who has everything, returning back home from a Switzerland finishing school, to her estate at Croton on the Hudson. Back to her servants and social life, and back to doing what her father wants.
This story does have a lot to do with water, from a dam to the Galveston Texas hurricane. This story is based on history and the author did a great job of bringing to light a lot of what happened at each site, all the while giving us people to follow. Annie aka Kathleen is leaving the disaster in New York and ends up on Galveston Island, but the lives she touches will warm your heart.
This is a beautiful faith based read, and with lives on the line, there are cries for help. We are given a delightful 7 year old, she has suffered so much loss in her young life, and you can see the immediate connection she has with Annie, but this could also lead to her demise.
I love that we are gifted with an epilogue, and when the last page was turned I wanted more!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Tyndale House, and was not required to give a positive review.

High Season by Katie Bishop

On a beautiful summer’s night twenty years ago, troubled seventeen-year-old Tamara Drayton was found floating face-down in the pool of her family’s idyllic mansion in the south of France, leaving her twin brother, golden-boy Blake, to pick up the pieces of their shattered family.

Also left behind was their sister Nina who, at six years old, became the youngest person ever to testify in a French murder trial. Because she’s the only one who saw what happened—who watched as her babysitter, Josie Jackson, pushed Tamara under the water, and held her there until she stopped breathing.

Didn’t she? Twenty years later, Nina's memories have faded, leaving her with no idea of what really transpired that night. When a new true crime documentary about her sister’s murder is announced, Nina thinks this might be her chance to finally find out.

But the truth always comes at a cost. Who will pay the price?

Amazon

About The Author

Katie Bishop is a writer and journalist based in the UK.

Her debut novel, The Girls of Summer published in 2023 with Transworld, UK and St. Martin's Press, US. Her second novel, High Season, is due to publish in August 2025.

My Review

A read that is dual time, a time before the death of seventeen year old Tamara Drayton, and then twenty years later. Tamara and her family are old money in Côte d’Azur in France, and we are there for the mother's birthday.
Friends, or people who use others, and then someone is accused of murder. Did she do it? A pod caster gets involved twenty years later, and I did guess whom the culprit was, but the journey there was full of surprises.
I did love that there is closure for some and some justice for others, I did feel sorry for Nina, and more so after the facts are revealed!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher St. Martin's Press, and was not required to give a positive review.

Monday, August 11, 2025

Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours Presents: Death at Rock Bottom: A Paranormal Mystery (Reluctantly Psychic Murder Mystery) by Kris Bock

Death at Rock Bottom: A Paranormal Mystery
(Reluctantly Psychic Murder Mystery)
by Kris Bock

About Death at Rock Bottom

Death at Rock Bottom: A Paranormal Mystery (Reluctantly Psychic Murder Mystery)
Paranormal Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – New Mexico
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tule Publishing
Publication Date ‏ : ‎ July 30, 2025
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1966593997
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0F2KN4ZSB

She can touch an object and sense the emotions of the people who’ve held it before…

After solving the mystery of her predecessor’s death, geologist Petra Cloch wants to focus on her new job as the rocks and minerals curator at a quirky, small-town New Mexico museum. But her friend and colleague Liberty is suspicious of the “accidental” death of Frank Underwood, a retired petroleum engineer and rockhound who unexpectedly died while hiking. Frank acted odd and secretive in his last weeks—mumbling about an incredible find in the desert and aliens. Was he showing the first signs of dementia, or were more sinister forces at work?

Petra agrees to help excavate the truth, and soon, instead of meeting for book club, she and her friends become amateur investigators. Petra uses her gift and her brains to sort through the contradictory stories and confusing clues as she and her friends dig for answers.

Did Frank’s heirs decide to hasten their inheritance? Or did his rock shop business partner decide to go solo? Petra joins the local geological club to discover whether someone there acquired a taste for murder, because they’ll need rock solid evidence to catch a killer.

Perfect for fans of Paige Shelton’s Alaska Wild Mysteries and Heather Graham’s Krewe of Hunters!

If you love supernatural sleuths, small-town intrigue, and mysteries with a geological twist, Death at Rock Bottom is your next must-read! Grab your copy today!

About Kris Bock

Kris Bock writes mystery, suspense, and romance, often with Southwestern landscapes. In the Accidental Detective humorous mystery series, a witty journalist solves mysteries in Arizona and tackles the challenges of turning fifty. This humorous series starts with Something Shady at Sunshine Haven, which made Barnes & Noble’s list of “Handpicked Favorites You’ll Love!” Kris’s romantic suspense novels include stories of treasure hunting, archaeology, and intrigue. Readers have called these novels “Smart romance with an Indiana Jones feel.”

Learn more about Kris’s books or sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter and get an Accidental Detective short story and other freebies. Then every two weeks, you’ll get fun content about pets, announcements of new books, sales, and more. As for Kris’s romance stories, the Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series stars the employees and customers at a cat café. Watch as they fall in love with each other and shelter cats. In the Accidental Billionaire Cowboys series, a Texas ranching family wins a fortune in the lottery, which causes as many problems as it solves.

Author Links

Website https://www.krisbock.com/

Author newsletter signup https://sendfox.com/KrisBock

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4735592.Kris_Bock

BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kris-bock

Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/author/krisbock

Mastodon https://mastodon.social/@KrisBock

BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/krisbock.bsky.social

With hotlinks:

Website

Author newsletter signup

GoodReads Author Page

BookBub

Amazon US page or Amazon UK page

Mastodon

BlueSky

Purchase Links

Publisher https://tulepublishing.com/books/death-at-rock-bottom/

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0F2KN4ZSB

B&N https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/death-at-rock-bottom-kris-bock/1147191720

Apple https://books.apple.com/us/book/death-at-rock-bottom/id6743813799

Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/death-at-rock-bottom

Google Play https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Kris_Bock_Death_at_Rock_Bottom?id=vHBREQAAQBAJ&hl=en_US&gl=US

With hotlinks:

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

July 29 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT

July 29 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT

July 30 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT

July 30 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

July 31 – Carla Loves To Read – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST

August 1 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT

August 2 – Deal Sharing Aunt – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

August 3 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – REVIEW

August 4 – Salty Inspirations – AUTHOR GUEST POST

August 4 – Angel’s Book Nook – SPOTLIGHT

August 5 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

August 6 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

August 7 – Sarandipity’s – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

August 7 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

August 8 – StoreyBook Reviews – AUTHOR GUEST POST

August 9 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

August 9 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT

August 10 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR GUEST POST

August 11 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?
Click Here to Find Details and Sign Up Today!
Want to Book a Tour?
Click Here

Celebrate Lit Presents: How to Sell 1000 Books a Month Author: Susan U. Neal RN, MBA, MHS

About the Book

Book: How to Sell 1000 Books a Month

Author: Susan U. Neal RN, MBA, MHS

Genre: Book Marketing

Release Date: May 15, 2025

Do you dream of being a bestselling author?

Have you written a book but have no idea how to sell it?

Can you envision your message in the hands of thousands of readers?

Unlock the secrets to epic book sales with Susan Neal’s book How to Sell 1,000 Books a Month. Whether you’re a new writer or an experienced author looking to elevate your marketing tactics, this book offers a treasure of insights to significantly boost your sales and increase the effective outreach of your unique message.

Susan Neal, an award-winning author and seasoned marketer, condenses years of successful sales and marketing strategies into practical steps that can turn your book into an award-winning bestseller. Learn how to:

create a focused and polished manuscript
captivate and grow your audience
master the art of online marketing
leverage the power of social media to create a compelling author brand
discover the potential of keywords to increase your book’s visibility
use the influence of reviews and blogs to increase sales

This guide doesn’t just tell you what to do—it shows you how to do it, with detailed action plans tailored for both new and veteran authors. From building a robust marketing plan to planning a book launch to navigating the complexities of Amazon ads, Susan covers everything you need to know to reach—and surpass—your book sales goals.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Susan Neal is an award-winning, bestselling author and certified writer coach with an MBA and MHS. She empowers Christian authors to publish and market their God-given messages. She has authored nine healthy living books. As the CEO of the Christian Indie Publishing Association (CIPA), Christian Authors Network (CAN), Christian Indie Awards, and director of the Blue Lake Christian Writers Conference, Susan’s leadership extends across multiple platforms.

More from Susan

Why I Wrote How to Sell 1,000 Books a Month
By Susan U. Neal, RN, MBA, MHS

When I first became an author, I had no idea how much marketing it would take to get my book into readers’ hands. Like many writers, I thought my job ended when I typed “The End.” But I quickly realized that if I truly wanted to reach people with the message God gave me, I needed to learn how to market that message effectively.

Over the years, I discovered what actually works. My book 7 Steps to Get Off Sugar and Carbohydrates has sold over 30,000 copies. In 2022, I reached a personal milestone: my overall Amazon author rank was 4,400. That placed me in the top 1 percent of all Amazon authors. As an award-winning, best-selling author and certified writer coach, I’ve gained a great deal of insight into what works—and what doesn’t—when it comes to book marketing. And I wanted to share those marketing secrets with you.

That’s why I wrote How to Sell 1,000 Books a Month. I want to equip Christian authors with the tools and strategies they need—not only to sell more books but to fulfill their divine calling. This isn’t just about numbers. It’s about spreading the message God gave you and watching Him multiply its impact.

Blog Stops

Madi’s Musings, July 29

Girls in White Dresses, July 30

It’s Mama Safe, July 31

Pens Pages & Pulses, August 1

Stories By Gina, August 2 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, August 3

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, August 4

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, August 5

Texas Book-aholic, August 6

Simple Harvest Reads, August 7 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, August 7

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, August 8

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, August 9

Jodie Wolfe, August 10

Guild Master, August 11 (Author Interview)

Lights in a Dark World, August 11

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Susan 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/00adcf54267

Celebrate Lit Ptesents: The Bible Companion Book 2 Leviticus-Deuteronomy Author: Karen Westbrook Moderow

About the Book

Book: The Bible Companion Book 2 Leviticus-Deuteronomy

Author: Karen Westbrook Moderow

Genre: Bible Study/ Devotional

Release Date: May 5, 2024

Do you struggle to relate to God in the Old Testament?

The Bible Companion Book 2 can help. Its simple one-chapter-a-day format lets you engage with Scripture without the pressure of schedules, homework, or heavy reading loads. Short daily readings and thought-provoking questions help you recognize God’s faithfulness even in your most difficult journey.

Though filled with unfamiliar symbols and rituals, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy hold treasures—the great promises of God. They show us the lengths to which God goes to be in our daily lives. Hard-to-read passages come alive as we travel with Israel to the Promised Land and discover the same God who guided His people in ancient times guides us today. If you want to know what God is like and what matters to Him . . . if you question His love for you . . . if you wonder how believing God can change your life, these books of the Law will speak to you. For personal and group study.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

KAREN WESTBROOK MODEROW is a Bible teacher and author who brings a storyteller’s perspective to Scripture. She holds master’s degrees in theology and creative writing and loves introducing others to Jesus through the stories told in God’s Word.

More from Karen

Breakfast with Leviticus

My father was a pastor and a man with lofty ambitions. He was known for setting goals others deemed impossible then achieving them. However, there was one that got the best of him. He determined our family would read the Bible through from cover to cover—together. On January first of each year, a morning ritual of Bible and Breakfast began. On cold days, Dad would entice us to the table with his version of a Hot Toddy. We’d sip on hot grapefruit juice and eat while one of us read the day’s Scripture out loud. We read Genesis… Exodus… then came Leviticus. No one had the nerve to say the book was boring and we didn’t understand it, but perhaps Dad felt the same. At some point we gave up. The next year, we’d start anew. Genesis… Exodus… then Leviticus. The next year, same thing. We started the day with images of bloody sacrifices exploding in our heads more mornings than I could count. We never made it past Leviticus.

We teased my father about this epic fail, but he took away something from this experience—the realization that most of us need a little help with some parts of the Bible. He started writing short daily devotionals to help people get through hard-to-understand passages. Years later, I took over where he left off. The Bible Companion series is the fruit of that “failed” venture.

Pastor Floyd’s Grapefruit Toddy

My dad’s version of a teetotaler’s “hot toddy” is easy, delicious, warming, and great for sore throats.

Squeeze juice from one half grapefruit into a mug.
Fill to the top with boiling water.
Sweeten with a half teaspoon of honey, if desired.

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, July 29

Girls in White Dresses, July 30

Lots of Helpers, July 30

Tell Tale Book Reviews, July 31 (Author Interview)

Fiction Book Lover, August 1

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, August 2

Blossoms and Blessings, August 3 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, August 3

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, August 4

Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, August 5 (Author Interview)

Older & Smarter?, August 6

Texas Book-aholic, August 7

Cover Lover Book Review, August 8

A Reader’s Brain , August 9 (Author Interview)

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, August 10

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, August 11 (Author Interview)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Karen is giving awawy the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card and a copy of the book!!

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

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf54261

Sunday, August 10, 2025

Celebrate Lit Presents: The Bartered Bride Author: Erica Vetsch

About the Book

Book: The Bartered Bride

Author: Erica Vetsch

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release Date: July 8, 2025

A rebellious suffragette and a steadfast sailor—tied by duty, divided by secrets, and tempted by a love that changes everything.

A born sailor, Jonathan Kennebrae thrives in his role running his grandfather’s shipping enterprise. That is until his grandfather delivers a crippling ultimatum—Jonathan will marry Melissa Brooke or lose his inheritance and everything he’s worked for. Though Jonathan finds himself drawn to Melissa, he can’t help feeling his intended may not be who she appears to be.

Melissa Brooke is tired of being voiceless. She’s been the perfect daughter all her life, doing what she’s told for the good of the family. Except she has a secret. Melissa lives a double life, teaching literacy to struggling immigrant women and fighting for the suffragette movement. If she goes through with the wedding, she’ll be forced to abandon her life’s work. Yet refusing the union could cost her any chance at an inheritance to fund her cause. To make matters worse, she can’t deny the tender feelings blooming between her and her fiancé.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Best-selling, award-winning author of The Debutante’s Code, first in the Thorndike & Swann Regency Mystery Series, Erica Vetsch loves Jesus, history, romance, and sports. When she’s not writing fiction, she’s planning her next trip to a history museum. You can connect with her at her website where you can learn about her books and sign up for her newsletter, and you can find her online where she spends way too much time!

More from Erica

Do you ever wish you could turn back time? That’s what I recently got to do, as I read through my very first published novel, The Bartered Bride, that is now being re-released by Wild Heart Books.

What a blast from the past. I was amazed at all the feelings that rushed back in as I revisited Duluth, MN in the last century. Melissa and Jonathan hadn’t changed a bit in sixteen years.

The story idea first came to me as I sat in church awaiting the start of the service. There I was, a not-yet-published-author, minding my own business when the plot sort of burst into my head. An arranged marriage set in Duluth, and using the “Gales of November” and the wreck of the Mataafa…

I jotted down a few notes, because face it, the best idea for a novel could pop into my head, and if I don’t write down the gist, I will forget it in two minutes.

I wrote The Bartered Bride in about six weeks, and I sent it through my critique group of the time. Then my agent submitted it to the publisher in the spring of 2008.

And we waited.

And waited.

We heard nothing for months. My agent sent word that the publisher was still considering it, and I was to be patient. It wasn’t a no, but it also wasn’t a resounding yes!

I had already started the sequel to The Bartered Bride, a story called Marriage Masquerade, so I finished that one, and then with summer upon me, I wrote a new story, Clara and the Cowboy, about an heiress to a ranch and one of the cowboys who rode for her father. Maybe the publisher would like that series better. I heard nothing all summer on either of the two series I had proposed and submitted.

Then in September of that year, I went to the American Christian Fiction Writers Conference. The conference was being held in Minnesota, just a hop up the road from where I live. I ferried agents and editors from the airport to the hotel, I met people, I sat in workshops, all the time wondering if I would ever be a published author. Would my writing ever be ‘good enough’? Was I wasting my time?

Imagine my surprise when the publisher to whom I had submitted The Bartered Bride took the stage at a general session and announced that they were offering a contract to me for that book! Not only that, but when I had an appointment with the editor later, she offered not only a three-book contract on the The North Star Brides, but an additional three-book contract for the Brides of Money Creek of which Clara and the Cowboy was book one!

I had sold six books! The rest of the conference, you could have bought me for a dollar.

Melissa and Jonathan will always have a special place in my heart. They were the couple that started it all. I’m so glad they are getting a new start, and hopefully they will touch readers’ hearts as much as they have mine.