Tuesday, June 9, 2026

Gingham Mountain by Mary Connealy

 

Another treasure of a story. It will make you laugh - hard, tear up, feel frustrated and angry and all because of the wonderful characters who will positively melt your heart. This is another special book that you're sure to love and want to read the rest in the series. 

I received this book free from the author, publisher and CelebrateLit book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

#GinghamMountain #MaryConnealy #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #CelebrateLit #ChristianWesterns #WildHeartBooks

About the Book

Book: Gingham Mountain

Author: Mary Connealy

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release Date: May 26, 2026

From beloved author Mary Connealy comes a heartwarming Western romance about faith, family, and finding love in unexpected places—a touching tale of a devoted bachelor rancher, a determined schoolteacher, and the orphaned children who bring them together. Perfect for fans of Tracie Peterson and Karen Witemeyer.

Grant Cooper has dedicated his life to taking in orphaned children others have overlooked, building a loving family on his rugged Texas ranch. When a new schoolteacher arrives in Sour Springs with strong opinions about his unconventional household, he finds himself drawn to her fierce spirit—even as she challenges everything about his carefully ordered world.

Hannah Cartwright’s own painful past as an orphan makes her wary of the bachelor rancher raising children alone. But as she gets to know Grant’s extraordinary family, she discovers there’s more to him than meets the eye. When dangerous enemies threaten both their futures, Hannah and Grant must learn to trust in God’s plan—and each other.

Can a man who’s sworn never to marry risk his heart for love? And can a woman who’s known only betrayal find the faith to build a true home at last? A touching story of healing, hope and the family bonds that transcend blood.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

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

Mary Connealy writes romantic comedy with cowboys always with a strong suspense thread. She is a two-time Carol Award winner, and a Rita, Christy and Inspirational Reader’s Choice finalist. She is the bestselling author of 75 books and novellas. She has over a million and a half books in print.

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

 

More from Mary

Gingham Mountain is the third book in this series. The first books I got published…though there were other things sprinkled in after Petticoat Ranch, the first in the series.

I think of Petticoat Ranch as my husband’s story. A mountain man who’d never been around women, finds himself married to a widow with four daughters.

Then Calico Canyon is my husband’s story growing up. He is one of seven sons. I tried to imagine how that would be.

Now comes Gingham Mountain and that’s my story. I grew up in a tiny farm house with eight brothers and sisters. We had two bedrooms until my sixth sibling was born. And two is a bit of an exaggeration because my folks slept on a couch in the living room that folded out into a bed. And the only ‘real’ bedroom was an upstairs, the kind that has sloped roofs and, well, it was just tiny.

Then my folks bought another tiny home and moved it to our home and stuck it on the end. Now our ‘two’ bedroom house had (drumroll!!!) three bedrooms. Mom and dad retired the living room couch. Huge family, tiny home, the thing was, everyone back then had a huge family. Hey, it was the baby boom, these things happened. No such thing as a kid having their own room. I remember being excited that I had my own DRAWER!

So, Gingham Mountain, all those kids in a house that really only had three bedrooms was completely believable to me. And it was hot inside and no room for nothin’ so we went outside to play all the time. And that’s how Grant’s kids had to function.

Grant with his little house and loneliness and the knowledge of how hard it was to be an orphan.

Hannah with her lioness heart for protecting children. And her utter poverty. Getting the job as school marm when she’d never been to school herself. With zero ‘womanly’ skills. The woman can’t cook or sew or do anything expected of a woman. But, because she had an abusive adoptive father who pressed her and a scad of sisters, into work at a carpet mill, she can thread a weaving look like lightning. Now she’d trying to save children from such a fate.

She and Grant are in perfect accord…if they just had a rational conversation. Instead, Hannah sees a man trying to make off with orphans, just like her abusive father. She sets out to save the children from Grant and chaos ensues.

Then set it in Texas and there’s trouble with oil, still a very underused natural resource and Grant doesn’t know he’s sitting on a gusher of wealth. But there are villains who know what he’s got and they want it.

Gingham Mountain, when I wrote it, was one of my favorite books ever. Helping those two find each other, well, I can’t even tell people about it without smiling. Grant and Hannah’s first kiss is one for the ages and, of course they are both horrified. And then they kiss again. What could be more fun?

Blog Stops

Giveaway



To celebrate her tour, Mary is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card!!

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

https://gleam.io/cy4lg/gingham-mountain-celebration-tour-giveaway


My reviews

Friday, June 5, 2026

Native Patriot by Pegg Thomas

 



I need 10 stars for this. Excellently good book. A Lenni Lenape Indian who is a Quaker and an illegitimate girl are part of a camp following in Pennsylvania during the Revolutionary war. Each are not fully accepted by the community yet earn their way through hard work and their nature. Interesting and realistic days in their lives as the war progresses and they have to deal with so much to both survive and fit in, even their own personal prejudices. Their journey of faith also grows as the story progresses. Enriching journey to immerse yourself and travel along with. Fulfilling read. 

I received this book free from the author. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

#NativePatriot #PeggThomas #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #SpinnerOfYarns #ChristianHistoricalRomance 

Synopsis
A sweeping historical romance set against the authentic backdrop of the Revolutionary War’s Pennsylvania campaign.

More than just blacksmith, Lenni Lenape Mark Running Bear was raised in a Quaker household since the age of ten. His loyalty was to the pacifist community that took him in until the battle brewing around him robbed him of his last link to the past. Mark must make a decision while surrounded by the chaos of a war he never wanted.

Left by her mother with the camp followers of Major General Nathanael Greene, Grace soon learns that danger and hungry eyes follow her even outside of the backstreets of Philadelphia. She trusts no man and never has, but the young Quaker blacksmith helps her several times without asking for anything in return.

As the savage battles of Brandywine, White Horse Tavern, Paoli, and Germantown rage around them, Grace struggles trust and to survive in the world of the military camp while Mark faces an impossible choice: honor his Quaker upbringing of nonviolence, or embrace the warrior heritage flowing through his veins.

In the crucible of America’s fight for independence, two souls must decide if love is worth fighting for—or if the divisions between their worlds are too great to overcome.

My reviews

Tuesday, June 2, 2026

In Pursuit of Civility (Merriweather Academy for Young Ladies Book #2): A Witty Gilded-Age Christian Historical Rom-Com Set in Chicago

 



Jen Turano never disappoints. Rollicking tale, twisting as much as a cat playing with yarn. If you read in public, you'll find yourself in a predicament as to how to explain why you're laughing out loud and snorting - and so often. It's also a lovely romance and is suspenseful and quite touching, as well as informative about things you've never thought of but is fascinating all the same. Another treasure of a book for yourself or for someone you care about. 

I received this book free from the author, publisher and CelebrateLit book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

#InPursuitOfCivility #JenTurano #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #CelebrateLit #ChristianHistoricalRomance #BethanyHousePublishers


About the Book

Book: In Pursuit of Civility (Merriweather Academy for Young Ladies Book 2)

Author: Jen Turano

Genre: Christian, Romance, Historical, Gilded Age

Release Date: April 21, 2026

LESSON TWO: Become headmistress and expect to find yourself partnering with an attractive inventor to search for treasure.

Annaliese Merriweather has been appointed the temporary headmistress of the Merriweather Academy for Young Ladies while her sister is on her honeymoon, but she doesn’t feel cut out for the role. Especially after she loses two of her most troublesome students during an outing to a county fair and has to recruit the help of Seth McCormick, an eccentric inventor, to retrieve them.

Soon after, one of those mischievous students disappears again, intent on pursuing a pirate map. Together, Annaliese and Seth set out to find her, accompanied by a menagerie of Annaliese’s rescued animal companions. As they stumble from one chaotic situation to the next, sparks fly between Annaliese and Seth. Somehow, they’ll need to outwit dangerous individuals also intent on seeking the treasure and bring everyone back in one piece—all while deciphering what their hearts desire.

With witty characters and humorous banter, Jen Turano takes readers on a lively tale of hijinks, humor, treasure hunting, and forced proximity in her latest historical rom-com set in Chicago at a finishing school during the Gilded Age.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Named one of the funniest voices in inspirational romance by Booklist, Jen Turano is a USA Today bestselling author known for penning quirky historical romances set in the Gilded Age. She and her family live outside of Ormond Beach, Florida.

 

 

More from Jen

Welcome Jen! Why don’t you start off by telling us a little about “In Pursuit of Civility.

  1. Thank you so much for hosting me. It’s always exciting to release a new book, and “In Pursuit of Civility” is no exception to that. The short telling of what the book’s about is this – it’s the second installment in the Merriweather Academy for Young Ladies series, and readers will get to travel with Annaliese Merriweather as she tries to adapt to being given the position of temporary headmistress of the academy while her sister goes off on holiday. Clearly, Annaliese is going to have some trouble with this new position, that idea proven when two of her students go missing – and on purpose – and go missing not once, but twice. That right there is exactly why Annaliese finds herself going off with the oh-so-charming Mr. Seth McCormick (and don’t worry, his mother is going off with them to chaperone) to track down her erstwhile students, finding herself involved in quite the adventure, and one that might include a bit of romance.

Annaliese Merriweather is a lady who enjoys saving animals. Any reason why you chose that particular pursuit for her?

  1. Years ago, when reading up on John Astor, I was appalled to discover that, while he amassed a fortune that was unheard of back in the nineteenth century, he did so by completely decimating the beaver population. That always stuck with me, as did what happened to the bird population due to overzealous plume hunters during that time, those plume hunters staying in business because ladies wanted to adorn their hats with an overabundance of feathers. I’d been waiting for the right storyline to come up where I could add an animal advocate, and when Annaliese popped to mind when I was crafting the outline for the Merriweather series, I knew she was going to be the lady I was going to use to bring just a little attention to what happened to birds and beavers during the Industrial Revolution.

Were there any parts of this book that gave you trouble?

  1. While I would love to say “Of course not,” that just wouldn’t be true because all of my stories give me trouble at some point. This one happened relatively early on because, at first, I had Annaliese rescue a whole mess of animals in the first couple chapters. I knew full-well that I had too many, but you know how I love writing those animal scenes, so…I left all of them in the original draft that I sent to my editors, knowing they’d spot the issue, but then leaving it up to them to suggest which animals I should cut. I’m sad to say that Bart the Bear got the boot. Yes, that’s right. However, because I was so attached to darling Bart, he makes an appearance in the third and final book of the series “A Dash of Decorum.”

What is a question you get asked the most as an author?

  1. That’s an easy one because people always ask me if I always dreamed of being a writer, and…nope. I really wanted to be a singer – and yes, I can carry a tune – but I suffer from extreme stage fright and anytime I would get up in front of an audience I would turn all sorts of queasy. That’s why I abandoned that dream and majored in fashion. I just started writing as something fun to do with my son when he was in elementary school, and it turned out that I really enjoyed it. It took me five years and seven manuscripts to secure a literary agent, and then it took her about a year before she sold “A Change of Fortune” for me. I’ve been writing ever since.

If you had to pick a character from your book to be stuck in a haunted academy with – since the Merriweather Academy was rumored to be haunted in book one – who would it be?

  1. I’d definitely go with Miss Seraphina Livingston because she has all of those delicious secrets, and secrets that revolve around how she’s capable of wielding a pistol with ease, taking out assailants with a good round-kick to the head, and…she might know a thing or two about how best to use dynamite to get out of a tricky situation.

How has your writing evolved since you began writing?

  1. I definitely write a tighter story these days, and I’m also more mindful of making sure my chapters are moving the story along at a rapid pace. Having had the pleasure of working with an editing team for years now, it’s like they’re sitting on my shoulder as I write that first draft, saying things like “Nope, that’s a total distraction from plot,” which is rather annoying, but saves me a lot of time in the end.

What advice would you give to aspiring authors?

  1. To always remember that it’s all about the reader. That means that an author needs to know their audience and write accordingly. Every genre has specific unwritten rules, and the best way to understand those rules is to make sure a writer reads a ton of books in the genre they’re hoping to get published in.

What are you working on now?

  1. I recently turned in developmental edits for the third and final book in the Merriweather series, “A Dash of Decorum.” That’s the step where I’ve turned in a first draft – although know that I go through a book seven times before I turn it in – and then my editors send me their suggestions. I then end up rewriting a good portion of the book because of ripple effects, and then turn it in again. I’m now waiting for them to send me copy/line edits, which aren’t all that difficult to do since I’m just making sure that nothing got cut during the editing process that I want to keep in. I also just turned in the first draft of a Christmas story I wrote, but I was really early with that one, so I won’t be seeing developmental edits for a while. And, the reason I turned that in early is because I just signed a new three-book contract and I need to get started on the first book of the Bluestocking series.

Thank you so much for hosting me. I appreciate everyone stopping in to see what I’ve been doing lately.

All the best,

Jen

Blog Stops

Giveaway



To celebrate her tour, Jen is giving away the grand prize of a book box with a copy of “A Lesson in Propriety”, “In Pursuit of Civility” and entire Matchmaker series – “Meeting Her Match” “To Spark a Match” and “A Match in the Making”!!

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

https://gleam.io/YjVmt/in-pursuit-of-civility-celebration-tour-giveaway


My reviews

Saturday, May 30, 2026

A Wealth Beyond Riches by Vickie McDonough

 

Beautifully, realistically written. A frightened but determined Sasha went looking for her uncle. Her mother, an actress, had left her to marry, abandoning her. Sasha had also worked and traveled with the theater, but she decided to take the chance to find her family. Jim worked for her uncle and was one of the most honest, caring men she'd ever met; someone she could trust without being concerned it was only because of her beauty. The story is interesting, taking place on Creek Indian lands being developed for oil fields. Beautiful, faith filled romance with page turning depth. I highly recommend this book.

I received this book free from the author, publisher and CelebrateLit book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

#AWealthBeyondRiches #VickieMcDonough #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #CelebrateLit #ChristianWesterns #WildHeartBooks

About the Book

Book: A Wealth Beyond Riches

Author: Vickie McDonough

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release Date: May 12, 2026

She’s searching for a place to belong. He’s haunted by the horrors of war. When danger threatens everything they hold dear, they must trust in God’s plan to find their way home.

Sasha Di Carlo has spent her life in her famous actress mother’s shadow, longing for family and roots. When she learns she has an uncle in Indian Territory, she seizes the chance for a new beginning. Upon arriving at her uncle’s ranch, she finds herself drawn to his quiet carpenter, Jim Conners, even as she struggles to embrace her Creek heritage.

Jim Conners came to Indian Territory hoping to escape the nightmares of his time in the Spanish-American War. Working for kind-hearted Dewey Hummingbird has helped heal his spirit, but Dewey’s beautiful niece stirs long-buried feelings. Just as his discovery of his own Native American ancestry offers the opportunity to build a bridge between them, corrupt oil companies target Dewey’s land. As Sasha and Jim work to protect their loved ones and help struggling oil field widows, they discover that true wealth lies not in riches, but in faith, family, and the courage to love.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Vickie McDonough is the CBA, EPCA and Amazon best-selling author of 54 books and novellas. Vickie grew up wanting to marry a rancher, but instead, she married a computer geek who is scared of horses. She now lives out her dreams penning romance stories about ranchers, cowboys, lawmen, and others living in the Old West. Vickie’s books have won numerous awards including the Booksellers Best, OWFI Best Fiction Novel Award, the Inspirational Readers’ Choice awards. When she’s not writing, Vickie enjoys reading, making cards, gardening, and traveling.

 

 

More from Vickie

If you read Sooner or Later, you met Jimmy when he was a young boy. He’s now grown and struggling with PTSD after fighting in the war. Oklahoma, at this time, was split in two, with the eastern section being Indian Territory and the western half, the Oklahoma Territory. Jimmy has left his family and taken a job building a house for an older Indian man. But he’s soon in for a big surprise.

Blog Stops

Giveaway



To celebrate her tour, Vickie is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card!!

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

https://gleam.io/UnDWs/a-wealth-beyond-riches-celebration-tour-giveaway


My reviews

Tuesday, May 26, 2026

Just One More movie trailer on Angel

 


Looks like a good opportunity to watch a faith based story of healing. Angel network always has good quality films.

Jess is trapped in the vicious cycle of opioid addiction, chasing relief that only pulls her deeper into darkness. When she meets Charles, a dying man spending his final days praying for anyone who will stop, her life begins to shift. Through an unexpected community and growing faith, Jess is forced to confront her past, her choices, and what it really means to be free. As Charles prays to be used “just one more” time, Jess must decide if she’ll surrender her life before it’s too late.

Just One More is now available to stream on Angel - click here!

Or see trailer on YouTube - Just One More | Official Trailer | Now Streaming | Angel - YouTube

 #JustOneMoreMovieMIN & @streamingonangel

Note: Due to mature themes & mild language & thematic elements, this film (though Christ-centered!) is recommended for ages 13+.