Wednesday, October 28, 2026

The Ties That Bind (A Story of Grace book 1) by Jane Bayly Vaughan

 

 

One side of me longs to rebel against the submission I am called to as a woman and wife. Another side finds fulfilment as Richard’s wife and the mother of his children living under his protection.

Very moving. Interesting story getting to know Grace and her family. It's difficult to really know your spouse before you marry and know how they'll be under changing circumstances. But there's commitment. And your new family takes a place in your heart as well as your own that you came from and the one you make together. Very well written, easy to feel the difficulties, challenges and all of the relationships, things that make us who we are. You can never know all the paths that you will have to walk. Heart-wrenching at times, but full of strength. These people become imprinted on your heart and you want to learn more about their future. It fills you up.

#TheTiesThatBind #JaneBaylyVaughan #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #BritishHistoricalLiterature #IndianOrchardPress

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.

About the Book

Book: The Ties That Bind

Author: Jane Bayly Vaughan

Genre: Historical Fiction

Release Date: April 14, 2026

In 1830s Cornwall, Grace Bayly faces unimaginable events that threaten the survival of her family. Her father and half of her large family are an ocean away and her mother and remaining siblings are poised to follow. As hardships close in, hopes of a new beginning grow distant. She must summon fortitude borne of love and sacrifice to hold her family together. Amid the unyielding grip of loss and grief, Grace steels herself to persist as she faces the ultimate challenge that threatens to break her.

Will Grace find the strength she needs to ensure her family survives?

A poignant tale of loyalty, resilience, and the enduring bonds that shape a woman’s courage when everything she cherishes is at stake.

Inspired by real people and events.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Jane’s love of God and family permeates her life, including her passion to share stories rooted in genealogy and history. She weaves the theme of family into the fabric of her historical fiction and dives deep, by writing about true events and people.

Using her 20+ years of experience in genealogy research as a family historian, Jane has written articles and short stories. She was awarded a travel grant by the Cornish American Heritage Society and visited Cornwall to walk in the footsteps of her ancestors and research her roots.

Jane has won several awards for her writing, and invites readers to experience timeless lessons of faith, resilience, and heritage that echo from the past into our lives today.

She makes her home in the beautiful lowcountry of South Carolina with her husband of 45+ years. They have two grown children, and lots of cats.

To learn more about Jane, visit her at JaneBaylyVaughan.com and sign up for her newsletter to receive an award-winning short story that will introduce you to the series A Story of Grace.

More from Jane

I have been a long-time family historian for over twenty years. When COVID hit, I was at a crossroads and could choose the next grand adventure. As I took stock, I revisited a question that had nagged me on and off for some time: how do I ensure the family history is not forgotten? Around that time, a friend of mine invited me to observe a writer’s group. I accepted her invitation, and after one meeting, I became a member of Word Weavers International. I knew that writing stories about my ancestors would generate interest among my relatives.

I faced a learning curve and dedicated myself to writing brief scenes as submissions each month. At first, I considered this venture as something fun, not to be taken seriously, but after several months, someone I respect encouraged me, and so I applied myself. As my writing improved and my research continued, I thought of my fourth great-grandmother from Cornwall. A story formed, and I wrote all my submissions to the writer’s group about her in a fictional narrative. After a year or two attending the writer’s group, I was suffering from imposter syndrome and needed encouragement from sources who were not familiar with me. I wrote a short story and entered it into a contest as validation to either continue writing or quit altogether.

I attended the Florida Christian Writers Conference in 2024 and sat white-knuckled as they announced the short story winners. They announced third place first, and I didn’t win, so I almost stopped listening because I assumed I hadn’t placed at all. They announced second place, and of course, someone else won. Then the announcer paused and explained that the first-place winning piece was so good they said it was ready for publication. The words, “In first place is ’Becoming Grace’ by Jane Vaughan,” shocked me! That was a God moment, and I realized He was offering me a partnership.

Driven by my love for family history, I found my next grand adventure: partnering with my Creator to create stories that help us remember the resilience and sacrifices of our ancestors and how their lives affect us today. Ultimately, my stories are about how important it is to love each other. The Ties That Bind is the first book in the series A Story of Grace.

Blogs Stops

Books Less Travelled, October 20
Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions , October 21
Simple Harvest Reads, October 22 (Guest Review from Marilyn)
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, October 23
Texas Book-aholic, October 24
Blossoms and Blessings, October 25 (Author Interview)
For Him and My Family, October 25
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, October 26
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, October 27
Books You Can Feel Good About, October 28
Stories By Gina, October 29 (Author Interview)
The Bookish Pilgrim, October 29
Avid Reader Nurse, October 30
Cover Lover Book Review, October 31
Holly’s Book Corner, November 1
Pause for Tales, November 2

Giveaway


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

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

https://gleam.io/94vrw/the-ties-that-bind-celebration-tour-giveaway


My reviews

Thursday, October 22, 2026

Defiant Ones: Agent 355 by Heather Blanton

 

Sarah felt a strongly compelled to help earn the freedom of our nation. Her husband was part of a spy ring, so she naturally became one too. Women were not noticed as much so she was able to do well, but her circumstances were dangerous and an interesting story to read. History brought to life, making you appreciate how difficult it was to win our freedom.

#Agent355 #HeatherBlanton #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #USRevolutionFoundingHistory #ChristianShortReads #BeautifullyFlawedProductions #DefiantOnes @HeatherBlanton

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.

Tuesday, October 20, 2026

Wounds and Rescues by Kathleen Rouser

 



Excellent read. Easy to get caught up and interested in both Rose, Caleb and the kids. Then the mystery deepens and the pages turn faster until you know what happens. Likeable characters, faith lessons, heart wrenching moments. Rose is trying to be safe but steps out of her comfort zone for the kids from the orphanage and finds healing through the trials. Caleb is trying a new line of work and wondering if he's made the best decision. A nice couple you'll like getting to know and want the best for.

#WoundsAndRescues #KathleenRouser #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #ChristianHistoricalRomance #FildedAgeHistoricalRomance #WildHeartBooks

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.

About the Book

Book: Wounds and Rescues

Author: Kathleen Rouser

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release Date: October 6, 2026

A nurse with a wounded heart. A former lawman haunted by loss. An attraction neither can afford.

Rose Sinclair has built a careful new life in Stone Creek, hiding her painful past beneath a high lace collar. When private investigator Caleb Ellis arrives claiming he’s found a grandfather for two orphans she’s grown to love, she’s determined not to trust him—or let him take the children she’s come to cherish.

Caleb needs Rose’s cooperation to reunite the children with their family. But as questions begin to surface and shadows from Rose’s past reappear, it becomes clear someone is willing to do whatever it takes to keep the truth buried.
Forced to travel west posing as husband and wife, Rose and Caleb must protect the children while outrunning a past determined to destroy them. As danger closes in, Caleb must confront the faith he abandoned, and Rose must decide if she can risk her heart again.

Because this time, trusting the wrong person won’t just break them—it could cost them everything.

Perfect for fans of Karen Witemeyer and Mary Connealy, this faith-filled historical romance features a forced-proximity journey, blending danger, redemption, and a road that leads two wounded hearts toward love.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Kathleen Rouser is a multi-published, award-winning author of historical and contemporary Christian romance. She is a longtime member of American Christian Fiction Writers and a member of Faith, Hope and Love Christian Writers. She resides in southeast Michigan, a location which she often uses in her novels, with her hero and husband of forty-some years and two sweet cats who found a home in their empty nest.

 

 

 

More from Kathleen

Joining an Orphan Home with Foster Care

Rose Sinclair makes a quick appearance in the third Stone Creek Brides novel, Scandals and Mercies as the head nurse at the local unwed mother’s home. With a tender heart and hurts of her own, she desires to help in a different way and moves to a nursing position at the town’s small orphanage. It is a loving sanctuary to around a dozen children and youth waiting for forever families.

During the era of orphan trains, the Child and Family Services of Michigan was established in 1891. They started “receiving homes” which cared for children with the goal of adoption. By 1906, the organization advocated for children to be placed in foster care when they couldn’t remain with their natural families. Thus began the trend toward foster care rather than orphanages.

The care received in the Anna and Jared Barrington Home for Children falls in between the two. In Rumors and Promises, the first Stone Creek Brides novel, readers see a glimpse into Gloria Myles’s life and how she became the guardian for her granddaughter, Elise. From this situation came her passion to care for orphans, as well as her desire to memorialize her daughter and son-in-law.

While most orphanages were often harmful institutions, I’d like to think that there were places like the Anna and Jared Barrington Home for Children, though I may have taken a bit of literary license.

I thought about what might happen if some of the children had the opportunity to be reunited with a faraway relative. How may that have taken place? Enter private investigator Caleb Ellis, who has lost several people he loved. He’s on a mission to bring together the scattered family.

In Wounds and Rescues, Rose becomes deeply attached to orphans Sam and Nellie Tubbs. The childhood trauma she experienced prompts her to become fiercely protective of them. From small-town Michigan of 1903 to the hills of Montana, she embarks on a journey of forgiveness, healing, and facing the past.

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, October 10
Books Less Travelled, October 11
Texas Book-aholic, October 12
lakesidelivingsite, October 13
Simple Harvest Reads, October 13 (Guest Review from Marilyn)
For Him and My Family, October 14
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, October 15
Betti Mace, October 16
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, October 17
Locks, Hooks and Books, October 17
Devoted To Hope, October 18
Jeanette’s Thoughts, October 19
Books You Can Feel Good About, October 20
Artistic Nobody, October 21 (Guest Review from Donna)
Holly’s Book Corner, October 22
Pause for Tales, October 22
Cover Lover Book Review, October 23

Giveaway



To celebrate her tour, Kathleen 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/WuCup/wounds-and-rescues-celebration-tour-giveaway


My reviews

Wednesday, October 14, 2026

Belle’s Christmas Carol by Michelle Griep

 

Belle's been a teacher at an orphanage. It's now been bequeathed to her, so she's learning how to cope with running it. Rafe is a lawyer. Circumstances have them spending a lot of time together and their story unfolds as they get to know each other. Interesting twists to the story, wonderful, puzzling and complex characters throughout. Keeps you hooked until the very satisfying end. Great for Christmas or any time of year. Curl up before the holiday or give as a great gift. A Dickens of a story.

#BellesChristmasCarol #MichelleGriep #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #ChristianHistoricalRomance #HolidayRomance #BethanyHousePublishers #NetGalley

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.

About the Book

Book: Belle’s Christmas Carol

Author: Michelle Griep

Genre: Inspirational Historical Romance

Release Date: September 1, 2026

While all of London waits for snow, an orphanage in need holds holiday cheer, sparks of love, and secrets waiting to be discovered.

When Ebeneezer Scrooge’s former fiancée, Belle Beaumont, unexpectedly inherits a struggling London orphanage, she dreams of giving the children of Haven House the most splendid Christmas they’ve ever known. But her vision of snowflakes and merriment quickly collides with reality: Fire damage has rendered part of the building unsafe, and the paperwork is years behind.

Barrister Rafe Munro is fighting to clear an innocent man and searching for a child, who may be his relative. His pursuit leads him to Haven House, where Rafe offers to help Belle sort through the chaotic records that might lead to the missing child. Amid the mayhem of running an orphanage full of mischievous children and eccentric staff, will Belle and Rafe find love and the answers they seek this holiday season?

With characters from Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, this festive historical romance Christmas novella of family and second chances from Michelle Griep is set in Victorian England and perfect for fans of Julie Klassen and Mimi Matthews.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Michelle Griep is an award-winning author known for her captivating historical romances. With a keen eye for detail, she pens tales that transport readers to the past where they’ll experience romance, adventure, and unforgettable characters. When she’s not writing, you can find her in her garden scaring away armadillos.

 

 

 

 

More from Michelle

Why I Gave Scrooge’s Belle Her Own Christmas Carol

Guest post by Michelle Griep

I’ve always been suspicious of characters who appear just long enough to break your heart and then vanish without so much as a forwarding address. Belle from A Christmas Carol is one of those.

Scrooge, of course, gets the full treatment. Ghosts. Doom. Moral terror. A dramatic overnight transformation. Turkey delivery. The works. And yes, yes, it’s all very moving. But Belle? Come on. All she gets is one aching goodbye and then is shoved neatly into Scrooge’s past. So, excuse me, Mr. Dickens, but I have questions.

What became of the woman who loved Ebenezer before greed got to him? Did she regret walking away? Did Christmas ever sting? Did she build a fine, sensible life or did some little corner of her heart still ache for him or not? That wondering became Belle’s Christmas Carol.

In my story, Belle Beaumont unexpectedly inherits Haven House, a struggling London orphanage with fire damage, muddled ledgers, eccentric staff, and children who are more than rambunctious. Naturally, Belle decides she will set everything to rights and give the children the most splendid Christmas imaginable because—like me—apparently the woman has never heard of pacing herself.

Then along comes Rafe Munro, a handsome barrister searching for a missing child, and Belle’s tidy plans start to change. Oh, did I mention he’s single? That’s because I wanted Belle to be more than Scrooge’s lost love. I wanted her to have grit, flaws, hope, purpose, and a future all her own.

Because sometimes the story doesn’t end with goodbye. Sometimes that’s where the real story begins.

Blog Stops

Where Faith and Books Meet, October 6
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, October 6
Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions , October 7
The Avid Reader, October 7
She Lives To Read, October 7
Texas Book-aholic, October 8
Devoted To Hope, October 8
Betti Mace, October 9
Inkwell Inspirations , October 9
The Lofty Pages, October 9
For Him and My Family, October 10
Romances of the Cross, October 10
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, October 11
Jeanette’s Thoughts , October 11
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, October 12
The Vine and The Branch, October 12
Maureen’s Musings, October 13
Fruitfully Planted, October 13
A Good Book and Cup of Tea, October 13
Books You Can Feel Good About, October 14
Mornings at Character Cafe, October 14
Tell Tale Book Reviews, October 15
Simple Harvest Reads, October 15 (Guest Review from Donna)
Cover Lover Book Review, October 16
Mrs. Ryan Moser’s Book and Movie Reviews, October 16
Vicky Sluiter, October 16
Devoted Steps, October 17
Lily’s Corner, October 17
Holly’s Book Corner, October 18
Mary Hake, October 18
Blossoms and Blessings, October 19
Pause for Tales, October 19

Giveaway


To celebrate her tour, Michelle is giving away the grand prize of a $25 Amazon gift card and a signed copy of the book!!

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

https://gleam.io/KNJXt/belles-christmas-carol-celebration-tour-giveaway


My reviews
Barnes and Noble

Monday, October 12, 2026

Defiant Ones: Phillis Wheatley: Patriots, Prophets, Poets & Spies Book 4 by Heather Blanton

 

Phillis was a little girl when she was purchased at the slave trade by a Christian, praying couple who wanted to save one of the slaves. They were able to gradually earn her trust and as she became comfortable there, she began to learn, sometimes on her own, and as they discovered this, they taught her. She wrote a poem that was meaningful and touching about a prominent visitor to their house. As she wrote several more her owner pursued having them made into a book, and Phillis gained some fame. As she learned, they had all been concerned that she would never be able to go anywhere with freedom, but God made things right. Touching, meaningful, beautiful story. 

#PhillisWheatley #HeatherBlanton #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #USRevolutionFoundingHistory #ChristianShortReads #BeautifullyFlawedProductions #DefiantOnes @HeatherBlanton

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.

Thursday, October 8, 2026

Defiant Ones: Deborah Sampson by Heather Blanton

 

Another fascinating story of a young girl who was made tough and rugged, and determined to fight for our country's freedom at a time when desertion was high. As a little girl she was brought to live on a farm where she was raised among ten boys, shaping her muscles and skills. She made a tremendous contribution to our fight for freedom and supported top officials in her career. Very impressive and inspiring.

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.

#DeborahSampson #HeatherBlanton #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #USRevolutionFoundingHistory #ChristianShortReads #BeautifullyFlawedProductions #DefiantOnes @HeatherBlanton


My reviews

Monday, October 5, 2026

Defiant Ones: Sybil Ludington: The American Revolution's Bravest Women - Patriots, Prophets, Poets & Spies

 

Love history, strong women and want a quick read? Get to know Sybil Ludington who at the age of 16, in the spring of 1777 rode to rally patriots because the British were burning a nearby town. It's a pleasure to learn about her and her relationship with her family and neighbors, and about what a horsewoman she was at a time when women were only allowed to ride sidesaddle. Based on a true historical person. Engrossing short 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.

#SybilLudington #HeatherBlanton #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #USRevolutionFoundingHistory #ChristianShortReads #BeautifullyFlawedProductions #DefiantOnes @HeatherBlanton



My reviews