Three Charming and Festive Holiday Novellas Spiced with Humor, Frontier Action, and Sweet Romance

In this 3-in-1 novella collection, bestselling author Karen Witemeyer presents the new story “A Texas Christmas Carol,” in which a town’s wealthy, Scrooge-like bachelor finds his world invaded by a woman set on earning his donation for helping the local poor, and by the penetrating questions of three mysterious visitors.

It also includes, for the first time in print, “An Archer Family Christmas.” When the Archer clan gathers for the Christmas holiday, an unexpected request for help leaves Cassandra Archer directly in the path of a dangerous outlaw. Desperate to protect the woman he loves, Jim Archer races to the rescue, only to find that Cassie’s life is not the only one in peril. It will take a Christmas miracle–and the entire Archer clan–to keep a second Archer Christmas from ending in disaster.

In previously published “Gift of the Heart,” a widow and her young daughter move to Hope Springs for a fresh start. But with no money to secure a home, Ruth must convince a wealthy resort owner to accept her heirloom brooch as collateral. Will the pin that brought love to three generations soften the heart of a wounded recluse and give Ruth a second chance at love as the holidays draw near?

Sprinkled throughout the collection, you’ll find a hope-filled Christmas devotion, Witemeyer holiday recipes, and fun facts about nineteenth-century Christmas celebrations!

I am a big fan of this author. Always have been. This little trip of novellas is just so very good. Witemeyer has a definite way with an historical. I love the Archer family and it was great to see their Christmas story in print. The very first story deeply ministered you a situation in my life, almost as if it had been written specifically to me. I love when that happens during the reading of a book. I loved this book and am so happy to have it on my shelves.

My thanks to the publisher and author for a copy of this book. The opinion is my own in this review.

Publisher: Bethany House
Publication Date: August 31, 2021
Genre: Inspirational Historical
Length: 299 pages
Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08XLDDDH1/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i2

Leah Williams is back in the quaint town of Heritage, Michigan, and ready to try again to make her business a success. But blank slates are hard to come by, and a piece of her past is waiting for her there. Heir to the Heritage Fruits company, Jonathan Kensington is the guy who not only made Leah’s past difficult, he also seems determined to complicate her present as well.

Jon is trying to prove to the Heritage Fruits board that he, not his manipulative uncle, should be running the business. The board insists Jon find a new owner for the building that will house Leah’s business. To avoid forcing a buyout of Leah’s part of the building, Jon strikes a compromise with Leah, and the two go into business together. With her vision and his know-how, it might work. And Leah might realize he’s loved her since high school. If only he didn’t keep on shooting himself in the foot by boxing her out of important decisions.

Sparks fly in this romantic story of two people who must learn to trust both each other and the one who called them to this journey.

About Tari Faris

I have been writing fiction for more than twelve years. It has been an exciting journey for this math-loving-dyslexic girl. I had read less than a handful of novels by the time I graduated from college and I thought I would end up in the field of science or math. But God had other plans and I wouldn’t trade this journey for anything. As someone told me once, God’s plans may not be easy, and they may not always make sense but they are never boring.​

When I am not writing or working, I spend time with my amazing husband. We have been married for fifteen wonderful years and have three sweet children. In my free time, I love coffee, rock hounding with my husband and kids, and distracting myself from housework.

I love to hear from readers. You can connect with me at my website at http://www.tarifaris.com

1.  First of all, tell us how you came to be a writer.

I didn’t fall in love with reading until after college. Then, I became an avid reader. But before the day of the internet, when I finished a book I had to wait until the library opened before I could get another. So, one night when I was out of anything to read, I sat down and starting writing about a funny event that happened to me involving planes, trains, and car rides with strangers—it had it all. And the more I wrote, the more I fell in love with it.

2.  What does a writing day look like for you?

With any luck, I get to start writing as soon as I drop the kids off at school. Then my goal is to write until noon, then do my part time job (work for My book Therapy) until I get the kids.

3.  How do you get ideas for a book?

All different ways – a few have been in a dream, but that is rare. Once, I saw a story on the news and it started an idea. Other times they just evolve from my mind.

4.  I have heard authors say they eavesdrop in restaurants, etc, to get book ideas.  Have you ever done that?

I have – although my favorite conversation I overheard probably wouldn’t make a great book. It was an older couple discussing marriage like it was the weather. Then she said. “What will I do if you die? I’m not dealing with your body.” I almost spit my water out.

5.  Do you plot the entire book out or do you just fly by the seat of your pants?

I always have the main points plotted, but every scene surprises me, and the truth the characters learn always seems to surprise me in the end too.

6.  How big a part does prayer play in your writing?

HUGE! And when it doesn’t, my writing suffers. I have seen it over and over that if I go to prayer before I write, the whole writing time goes so much better.

7.  Do you get ideas of how your characters look in your mind?  I love it when authors show us readers photos of how they imagine their characters.

I have an idea in my mind, but I should get better about getting actual photos like many authors do.

8.  What do you hope readers take away from this story?

A deeper sense of God’s love and purpose in their life. I want them each to see how God has been at work in their own life before they even realized. He is so faithful.

‘Everyone eventually gave up on her. It was only a matter of time.’

Tari Faris has now written three full length novels and one novella. Each of her stories only solidifies my opinion that Faris is a wonderful addition to Christian Fiction. One thing that is very important to me (actually, it is of paramount importance), when I read a book, is how easy I can connect with the characters. Faris does this wonderfully well from the first chapter. When this happens, my excitement builds throughout the book. I truly love when this does happen.

This is really two stories: Jon’s and Leah’s and Madison’s and Colby’s. Both are absolutely precious and there are four life lessons here, too, as well as a strong spiritual thread. It just ticks all the boxes for me. Well done!

My thanks to the publisher and the author for a copy of this book. I was not pressured to leave a positive review. The opinion here is entirely my own.

Publisher: Revell
Publication Date: September 7, 2021
Length: 336 pages

Will the magic of Christmas bring these two newlyweds closer together, or will the ghosts of the past lead them into a destructive discovery from which not even a Dickens’s Christmas can save them?

Mistletoe is beautiful and dangerous, much like the woman from Lord Frederick’s Percy’s past, so when he turns over a new leaf and arranges to marry for his estate, instead of his heart, he never expects the wrong bride to be the right choice. Gracelynn Ferguson never expected to take her elder sister’s place as a Christmas bride, but when she’s thrust into the choice, she will trust in her faithful novels and overactive imagination to help her not only win Frederick’s heart but also to solve the murder mystery of Havensbrook Hall before the ghosts from Frederick’s past ruin her fairytale future. 

‘There are times when my feelings are so large, they must burst into words.’

1913. Frederick Percy, Lord Astley, must marry for money to save his family’s financially strapped estate. So he goes to America to make a deal with a very rich man to marry his eldest daughter. He signs the agreement to wed Miss Lillias Ferguson. Then he inadvertently kisses her younger sister Grace. The situation then takes a turn Lord Astley never expected and Grace volunteers to marry him in place of her sister to turn scandal away from both families.

They marry and head home to England. But not before an attempt is made on Lord Astley’s life. Followed by more attempts.
Grace is convinced something sinister is afoot and is bound and determined to discover just what is going on in this family. After all, she reads Conan Doyle and is an amateur sleuth.

Pepper Basham has just created the best story! Her concoction of Grace Ferguson was so amazing! Grace is the most delightful creature, full of exuberance and longing for an adventure of her own. She is a total bookworm and completely guileless. Grace’s character is one you’ll love to love. She is full of life, totally to the brim. She is one of those people who lives 1 Corinthians 13: ‘love is patient and kind, not jealous, boastful or proud, or rude, doesn’t demand its own way, not irritable, keeps no record of wrongs, never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance.’ Grace sacrificed her own desire for adventure to help Lord Astley’s family and does it willingly. As she danced along the pages of this book, I smiled near continuously at her simply ‘being’. Grace longs for a grand adventure and believes this just may be it.

Lord Astley was developed quite well also. A man who feels he’ll never measure up and haunted by past mistakes discovers how loved he is by God and just how much he has to offer.
On the pages of this book, both Frederick and Grace discover that dreams can come true that you didn’t even know you were dreaming. Basham’s way with a story is completely irrepressible. Her way with characters is not to be missed as the reader is carried along on a wave of pure delight as the story unfolds. And she gives us more than a good dose of her charming humor. There were parts I laughed out loud! Basham also throws in a great Gothic-like mystery along the lines of Daphne Du Maurier and Agatha Christie. Well done!

I could not put this I could not put this book down! I tried, so as to prolong the reading pleasure, but my hunger to discover the ending captured me at every turn. This one is destined to be a top read for 2021! Highly recommended. This book is Pepper Basham totally unleashed!

My thanks to the publisher and author for a copy of this book via Net Galley.I was not compensated and the opinion here is entirely my own.

One wild and mysterious ghost town. Two second-chance love stories. And the century-old legacy that binds them together. 

Upon arriving in Kenworthy, California, mail-order bride Juniper Cohen is met by the pounding of the gold mine, an untamable landscape, and her greatest surprise of all: the kind and loving man who awaits her. But when the mine proves empty of profit, and when Juniper’s husband, John, vanishes, Juniper is left to fend for herself and her young daughter in the dwindling boomtown that is now her home.

Juniper pens letters to her husband but fears she is waiting on a ghost. Perhaps worse, rumors abound claiming the man she loves could be an outlaw. Surviving in a ghost town requires trusting the kindness of a few remaining souls, including the one who can unlock the mystery of her husband’s disappearance—and Juniper’s survival depends not only upon these friends but also the strength of heart she must fight to maintain.

Present day. Trying to escape the heartache of his failed marriage, Johnny Sutherland throws himself into raising his children and restoring a hundred-year-old abandoned farmhouse in what was once known as Kenworthy, California, in the San Jacinto Mountains. While exploring its secrets he uncovers Juniper’s letters and is moved by the handwritten accounts that bear his name—and as a love story from the past touches his own world, Johnny might discover yet that hope and resilience go hand in hand.

With The Gold in These Hills, acclaimed and beloved author Joanne Bischof returns with an absorbing masterpiece of faith, perseverance, and love that changes the course of history. 

• Inspirational fiction with historical and contemporary timelines
• Stand-alone novel
• Book length: 93,000 words
• Includes discussion questions for book clubs and a note from the author.

3.5.
Joanne Bischof dips her feet into a poignant dual time slip novel with this one. It took me a bit to get into the story, but it was easy to feel for Juniper, the strong heroine in the old west portion of the story. In the present, it was good to see how these folks were remembered. Bischof has always proved her writing talent.

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book by Thomas Nelson Publishers via Net Galley. The opinion here is expressly my own.

A terrible tragedy nearly broke him.

Can love put him back together again?

Widowed history teacher Neil Hamilton has lost his way—at work, with people and even with his faith. But Neil’s shut-down existence is disrupted when a small toddler and his would-be foster mother, vibrantly pretty Maggie Byrne, come crashing into Neil’s yard and his life. Can this absentminded teacher find himself again…and take a chance on love, too?

From Love Inspired: Uplifting stories of faith, forgiveness and hope.

I am so very pleased to have Laurel Blount as a guest on my blog today! I discovered her books earlier this year and read every single one as fast as I could. I love connecting so easily with a book’s characters and story line. So, I contacted Laurel and asked if she’d be willing to talk to us a few minutes and she graciously agreed. So, sit back and listen, and don’t forget to follow to the end of this post for a chance to win a copy of the book!

1. You live on a farm in Georgia.  I grew up on a semi farm until age 12.  Can you tell us about your life on a farm? We call our place a “hobby farm” which my husband says is code for “we make absolutely no money farming, and our animals are spoiled rotten.” We have about 46 acres, and we have a few Angus cows, one Scottish Highland cow with a feisty personality, and  two Jerseys. We also have some Oberhasli dairy goats—currently I have one goat in milk and am making cheeses when I can find the time. We also have a flock of laying hens and some ducks. We normally have large gardens and I can and freeze a lot of our vegetables and fruits for the winter time.

When did you know you wanted to be a writer and how did you get started?

As far back as I can remember, I’ve treasured books. I grew up out in the country back when there was no Internet, and only one television with a few channels. We had no close neighbors, so books were my primary source of entertainment—and oh, how I loved them!  I also loved to tell my own stories—as a little girl, I used to walk my parents’ long driveway bouncing a ball and telling stories to myself. So eventually,  it was a natural thing to start writing them down. In 2015 I entered a Love Inspired contest called Blurb to Book, and I ended up going through to the final round and selling my first book to Love Inspired! It was truly a dream come true.

• Tell us what a writing day looks like for you.

I get up around five a.m. and have a quiet time of prayer and Bible study on my front porch (weather permitting) with a cup of coffee. Then I start work on whatever project I’m most behind on. 😊 Nowadays I’m normally working on more than one book at a time, so I usually write new words in the morning and edit a different book later in the day. I also frequently do writing sprints on Zoom with my critique partner, author Amy Grochowski. On an average day, I write from about 6 to 11:30, then break for lunch and homeschool time with my kids. They are in high school now, and do a lot of their work on the computer, so their lessons are not as mom-intensive as when they were younger. I usually am back at work in my writing room by around 3:00 and I write until it’s time to fix supper. If I’m really in a pinch, I’ll sometimes come back in later in the evening, but I do try not to do that unless it’s truly necessary.

• How do you get ideas for your books. Ideas—or what I call “story seeds”—come  to me at the oddest times! I’ll jot them down on a slip of paper and tuck them into a file folder I keep in my office. When I’m ready to start a new book—if I don’t already have an idea in mind, I’ll rummage through that folder. It never fails to spark my imagination!

Often those ideas center around a character—I do love my story people! In Lost and Found Faith, I thought—what if a hard-to-reach foster child bonded, not with his loving foster mom, but with the least likely person in the world—a man who’d not only locked his heart, but who’d thrown away the key? Children (like animals) seem able to connect with thorny folks when nobody else can. I thought that would be an interesting and heart-tugging story—watching a troubled child lead a heartbroken man back to his faith—and into the kind of joy he never expected to experience again.

5.  Does prayer play a part in your book planning and writing?  Yes—absolutely. In fact, whenever I find that a book isn’t “working” I know I have neglected that part of the process, and I back up and spend some time praying and asking for guidance.

6.  What do you want readers to take away from this book? 

What a great question! I hope that they will take away the idea that God can reach us in our darkest places—that we may turn our backs on Him, but that He never turns His back on us. I hope they will smile to see a brilliant scholar’s heart stirred by a preschool Vacation Bible School Lesson—God has such a sense of humor sometimes. And I hope they will see the amazing impact that simple, unconditional love can have on a broken heart—how God can use unexpected people to love us back to health when our spirits are weary and hurt. Most of all I hope they close this book with a smile, feeling encouraged and uplifted.

‘His pain had settled in to stay, like a long spell of dreary winter weather.’

I discovered Laurel Blount’s writing last year and quickly read all the books she had written. I couldn’t wait for more to release. One thing I love about a book and for me, the most important part, is when an author is able to pull me in from the very start. Blount does just that. She understand human nature and knows exactly how to craft a character and make me feel like I am there and can see inside their heart. And she has a definite heart for God. It’s one thing to read a good book and quite another to have your faith uplifted during the reading. Well done!My thanks to the publisher and author for a copy of this book. I was not pressured to leave a positive review. The opinion here is entirely my own

.I am giving away one digital copy of Lost and Found Faith. Here’s how it works: I need you to comment on this blog post and leave your FULL name and your email in a non spammy way, such as : susan (at) yahoo (dot) com. Contest will remain open a week and I will email the winner, who will then have 24 hours to get back to me and I will send the book straight away to your account via Amazon. Good luck!

ecrets could turn deadly

if an officer and his K-9 don’t uncover them.

Following an anonymous tip, K-9 Trooper Will Stryker’s drug-trafficking investigation has a new suspect—Jasmine Jefferson, an Alaskan bush pilot he’s convinced is hiding something. But when someone tries to kill them, Jasmine confesses she’s in witness protection. Now Will and his K-9 partner, Scout, must work with Jasmine to figure out if the attacks are related to his case…or if someone’s out for revenge.

From Love Inspired Suspense: Courage. Danger. Faith.

Alaska K-9 Unit

Book 1: Alaskan Rescue by Terri Reed
Book 2: Wilderness Defender by Maggie K. Black
Book 3: Undercover Mission by Sharon Dunn
Book 4: Tracking Stolen Secrets by Laura Scott
Book 5: Deadly Cargo by Jodie Bailey
Book 6: Arctic Witness by Heather Woodhaven
Book 7: Yukon Justice by Dana Mentink
Book 8: Blizzard Showdown by Shirlee McCoy

‘No matter how this day ended, she was a dead woman.’

I love dogs and especially K-9 dogs. I also love books, especially the suspense genre. I also enjoy stories set in Alaska. So Jodie Bailey managed to tick all the boxes here! When K-9 Trooper Will Stryker gets a tip that bush pilot Jasmine Jefferson is hauling drugs on her plane, he is determined to bring her down. But there were no drugs on Jasmine’s plane. He does learn that Jasmine is in WITSEC, and it would appear someone is trying to kill her. Or him.

Jodie Bailey really knows her way around a good suspense novel. I never miss her books. She has crafted great characters and a really good plot with the perfect spiritual thread. All these combined make for a great read. Well done!

My thanks to the publisher and author for a copy of this book. The opinion here is my own.

ecrets could turn deadly

if an officer and his K-9 don’t uncover them.

Following an anonymous tip, K-9 Trooper Will Stryker’s drug-trafficking investigation has a new suspect—Jasmine Jefferson, an Alaskan bush pilot he’s convinced is hiding something. But when someone tries to kill them, Jasmine confesses she’s in witness protection. Now Will and his K-9 partner, Scout, must work with Jasmine to figure out if the attacks are related to his case…or if someone’s out for revenge.

From Love Inspired Suspense: Courage. Danger. Faith.

Alaska K-9 Unit

Book 1: Alaskan Rescue by Terri Reed
Book 2: Wilderness Defender by Maggie K. Black
Book 3: Undercover Mission by Sharon Dunn
Book 4: Tracking Stolen Secrets by Laura Scott
Book 5: Deadly Cargo by Jodie Bailey
Book 6: Arctic Witness by Heather Woodhaven
Book 7: Yukon Justice by Dana Mentink
Book 8: Blizzard Showdown by Shirlee McCoy

‘No matter how this day ended, she was a dead woman.’

I love dogs and especially K-9 dogs. I also love books, especially the suspense genre. I also enjoy stories set in Alaska. So Jodie Bailey managed to tick all the boxes here! When K-9 Trooper Will Stryker gets a tip that bush pilot Jasmine Jefferson is hauling drugs on her plane, he is determined to bring her down. But there were no drugs on Jasmine’s plane. He does learn that Jasmine is in WITSEC, and it would appear someone is trying to kill her. Or him.

Jodie Bailey really knows her way around a good suspense novel. I never miss her books. She has crafted great characters and a really good plot with the perfect spiritual thread. All these combined make for a great read. Well done!

My thanks to the publisher and author for a copy of this book. The opinion here is my own.