To learn more: https://www.wildheartbooks.org/freed-by-the-frontier.html
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!
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.
Welcome Jen! Why don’t you start off by telling us a little about “In Pursuit of Civility.
Annaliese Merriweather is a lady who enjoys saving animals. Any reason why you chose that particular pursuit for her?
Were there any parts of this book that gave you trouble?
What is a question you get asked the most as an author?
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?
How has your writing evolved since you began writing?
What advice would you give to aspiring authors?
What are you working on now?
Thank you so much for hosting me. I appreciate everyone stopping in to see what I’ve been doing lately.
All the best,
Jen
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
Romance and mystery, smooth as fine chocolate. I'd truly love to see this acted out! Juliet is a lady who has fallen on times bad enough to make her poach game from the manor bordering her aunt's cottage. Luckily, she has the skills. When she's caught, those skills make Henry decide to employ her to help find who is stalking the manor, and his sister. Since Juliet has had a step-down in society, it's eventually a welcome break for her and a chance to provide for her aunt, but there is real danger here. Thoroughly engaging mystery with characters you have to love and feel involved with. This is romance of the best, truest kind and it's so pleasant to get caught up in, with a great ending.
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.
#TheBirdOfBedfordManor #MichelleGriep #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #CelebrateLit #ChristianHistoricalRomance #BarbourFiction
Book: The Bird of Bedford Manor
Author: Michelle Griep
Genre: Historical Christian Fiction / Regency
Release Date: February, 2026
Bedfordshire, England, 1820: Ruined by the sins of her father, Juliet Finch is cast into a life of self-reliance. Survival is a harsh taskmaster, but she is a quick learner and excels at tracking and snaring wild game to feed herself. Juliet embraces her new identity until the day Henry Russell catches her poaching on his land—a crime punishable by death. Henry, however, has other offenses on his mind: namely, the troublesome stalker who’s making a misery of his sister’s life. To try to put a stop to her torment, Henry charges Juliet with tracking the elusive villain so he can be brought to justice. Using her skills, Juliet hunts down the rogue. . .but may just become the prey herself.
Reader favorite Michelle Griep has penned yet another masterpiece with this page-turning adventure that has it all:
Click here to get your copy!
Michelle Griep’s been writing since she first discovered blank wall space and Crayolas. She is the Christy Award-winning author of historical romances: A Tale of Two Hearts, The Captured Bride, The Innkeeper’s Daughter, 12 Days at Bleakly Manor, The Captive Heart, Brentwood’s Ward, A Heart Deceived, and Gallimore, but also leaped the historical fence into the realm of contemporary with the zany romantic mystery Out of the Frying Pan. If you’d like to keep up with her escapades, find her at www.michellegriep.com or stalk her on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
The Waltz: The Dance That Shocked Regency England
Post by Michelle Griep
I’ll be the first to admit it…I can’t dance a lick. Not a jig, not a reel, and certainly not anything that requires turning in rhythm without stepping on someone’s toes. If you ever spot me on a dancefloor, it’s because someone shoved me there or I lost a bet. Which is probably why the waltz both fascinates and terrifies me. A dance that actually expects you to glide gracefully while holding someone close? Absolutely not. And yet in Regency England, it became the talk of the town.
When the waltz swirled onto the dancefloors of England in the 1790s, it caused more shock than delight. Imported from Austria and southern Germany, it was a turning, closely-held dance—far too close for the comfort of polite society. Many called it indecent, warning that no respectable couple should stand chest-to-chest before a room full of onlookers. Some critics even claimed the dance “ignited dangerous feelings” and threatened to erode proper English restraint.
Shocking, right?
But fashions shift, and all it took was the Prince Regent giving the dance his approval in 1814. Overnight, the waltz transformed from scandal to sensation. By the 1820s, it was everywhere.
Here are a few fun bits of waltz trivia from the era:
• Some etiquette books warned that too much turning could cause “disorientation” or “undue excitement.”
• Early chaperones sometimes counted the number of turns, convinced it reflected a couple’s level of impropriety.
• A lady’s hemline was said to act like a “barometer” of a gentleman’s behavior—if it swayed too wildly, he was holding her too tightly.
In The Bird of Bedford Manor, set in 1820, this same world of rigid rules and whispered scandals forms the backdrop for Juliet Finch—resourceful, determined, and driven into the woods by her father’s downfall. When Henry Russell catches her poaching on his land, everything changes. What begins as a crime punishable by death becomes something far more dangerous as he charges her with tracking the stalker tormenting his sister.
Juliet can track anything. But this time, she may become the hunted.
To celebrate her tour, Michelle is giving away the grand prize of a $25 Amazon Gift Card and a print 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/zqeQC/the-bird-of-bedford-manor-celebration-tour-giveaway
Book: Ambush of the Heart
Author: Mary Connealy
Genre: Historical Romance
Release Date: February 3, 2026
When bandits strike in the wilderness, can love and faith overcome the shadows of danger?
As Owen Riley and his fellow Marshals escort Delaney Bridger, her brother, and an escaped prisoner to Fort Russell, a gang of outlaws ambushes them, bringing death and devastation to their party. With their lives on the line and the outlaws in pursuit, Owen directs the rest of his battered group to temporarily seek hiding at a remote ranch.
After the attack leaves her brother seriously injured, Delaney helps Owen, nursing him and a wounded Marshal back to health while danger looms ever closer. Despite the threat at their heels, romance sparks between Owen and Delaney as they fight for survival on their perilous trek to the fort. Can they overcome the obstacles and find a future together?
Click here to get your copy!
Mary Connealy writes “romantic comedies with cowboys” and is celebrated for her fun, zany, action-packed style. She has sold more than 1.5 million books and is the author of the popular series A Western Light, Wyoming Sunrise, and many other books. Mary lives on a ranch in eastern Nebraska with her very own romantic cowboy hero.
Two things drove my interest in The Rocky Mountain Marshals Series. In book #1, Ambush of the Heart, I got to begin that adventure.
The first thing: U.S. Marshals. I did a bit of research and just began discovering how much I didn’t know. I mean…what are U.S. Marshals? The only one I could think of was Rooster Cogburn in True Grit. But my research was confusing. Yes, there were lawmen out hunting for outlaws. But a lot of that was because Oklahoma Territory back then was Indian territory and thus, had no law beyond tribal law. And, because of that, outlaws had gotten to running into Oklahoma and treating it like they’d reached base in a game of tag.
Because it was federal, the government came up with a federal solution. The U.S. Marshals Service already existed. But chasing outlaws into a place with no law…that was new. I went to Fort Smith, Arkansas, known back in the past as the gateway to Indian territory. So many outlaws passed through there that a part of my research led me to the brand-new U.S. Marshals Museum in Fort Smith.
I could write an entire series about Bass Reeves alone, a former slave who became a U.S. Marshal. Some of my reading suggests he was in part the inspiration for the Lone Ranger and it’s said in his 32 year career as a marshal he arrested 3000 outlaws. He has a TV Series on Paramount+ TV. A network I don’t have.
I found so much of this out because I went on a research trip. (I don’t do that often.) Very fun and I learned a LOT.
My second driving interest was…just how lost could someone get in the wilds of the Rocky Mountains? I’ve read so much about Pathfinders…Kit Carson, John Colter, James Beckwourth, John Mullen (a guy I’d never heard of who is so interesting he deserves his own book!). I definitely count Sacagawea among them. These bold, adventurous explorers who went out in the wilderness and found their way through. It was NOT easy.
One thing I found really interesting (all those pathfinders are interesting!) was talk about The Donner Party. That Donner Pass cut 400 miles off the trip to California on the California trail. That might sound ridiculous to us, but back then, in a wagon train, especially in rugged country, that 400 miles was a huge lure. Of course they tried it. People were always trying to find a shorter way through those treacherous mountains.
So, my hero Owen, is transporting a federal prisoner who escaped jail, from Denver to Fort Russell near Cheyenne, Wyoming—where he’s due to hang.
An attempt to break him free by his gang drives the escorts and those with them—including beautiful Delaney, into the Rockies and whoa…they didn’t know how to get out…especially one pair who got separated from the main party.
One other twist is, my three heroes…the guys (the women are heroes, too of course) but the men, Owen, Morgan and Tex, all appeared in the book Marshaling Her Heart, book three in my Wyoming Sunrise series. Writing that book awakened my interest in U.S. Marshals. And I loved those tough men and wanted to … ahem … well, maybe tame them just a little.
So come and join me as my travelers, including the bold and brave Owen Riley and the beautiful and trail savvy Delaney Bridger, are chased from behind and more lost with every step they take ahead. They fight the outlaws, the Rockies and their growing attraction, to find their way home.
To celebrate her tour, Mary is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Bookshop.org 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/3eYes/ambush-of-the-heart-celebration-tour-giveaway