About the Book

Sometimes, happily ever after is as elusive as a pirate’s treasure.

Darcy Riggins dove headfirst into the online dating pool and sank. Every time.

Her lifelong dream of becoming a wife and mother becomes more elusive every year. So, taking the lack of a Mr. Right in her life as a decided “No!” from God, Darcy gives up altogether.

Single and happy is not an oxymoron. Right?

Nigel Jones has loved Darcy for ages, but her father (his boss, of course) ordered him to keep his feelings to himself, thanks to a stupid mistake that Darcy (thankfully) doesn’t know about.  Too bad her dad does.

Being single and content turns out to be tougher than Darcy imagined, and when she begins doubting everything she’s ever known, Nigel decides it’s time to admit his mistakes, tell the truth, and trust God for the outcome.

In this “forbidden-love-meets-friends-to-more” novel, Stealing the First Mate continues the Elnora Island romances of the Independence Islands Series featuring five islands, six authors, and a boatload of happily-ever-afters.

The Independence Islands Series: beach reads aren’t just for summer anymore.

Click here to get your copy!

My Thoughts

About the Author

Tabitha Bouldin has a bachelor’s degree in creative writing/English from Southern New Hampshire University. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and has been writing since 2015. When she’s not homeschooling her kids, you’ll find her curled up with a book. Tabitha’s genre of choice is Contemporary Christian Romance which she describes as: Adventure with heart.

More from Tabitha

I love the friends-to-something-more trope. There’s something invigorating about the challenges of stepping into a different kind of relationship with someone you already know and trust. The risk of losing the friendship if things go badly comes to the forefront and each character has to decide if they’ll take the risk or keep things as they are.

For Nigel and Darcy, there’s the added difficulty of Nigel’s unrequited love. They’ve been best friends forever, and he’s loved Darcy all that time. And she’s clueless! How does that happen?

I wish I could say this story came from my own experience, but that isn’t the case. While my husband and I knew each other for several years before we started dating, we were hardly friends. High school social circles are brutal things. Plus, he had a crush on my cousin, and I was dating someone else.

But it all worked out.

And we’re best friends now.

When it came time to write Stealing the First Mate, I knew Nigel and Darcy were friends. It wasn’t until I worked my way through the first chapter that the depth of their relationship started to emerge, and I realized they were best friends. Darcy runs to Nigel for advise (even dating advise, which became really awkward for Nigel).

Darcy has been looking for Mr. Right so long she can’t see the truth staring back at her in Nigel’s eyes.

Writing their story is one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve had in writing.

Blog Stops

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, June 14

Life, Love, Writing, June 14

lakesidelivingsite, June 15

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, June 15

The Sacred Line, June 15

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, June 16

Blossoms and Blessings, June 16

Texas Book-aholic, June 17

Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, June 17 (Author Interview)

Inklings and notions, June 18

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, June 18

Cultivating Us, June 18

deb’s Book Review, June 19

Connect in Fiction, June 19

Locks, Hooks and Books, June 20

Blogging With Carol, June 20

Sodbuster Living, June 20

Remembrancy, June 21

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, June 21

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, June 22

For Him and My Family, June 22

Aryn The Libraryan 📚, June 23

Lots of Helpers, June 23

Labor Not in Vain , June 23

She Lives To Read, June 24

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, June 24

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, June 25

Joanne Markey, June 25

Splashes of Joy, June 26

Kayem Reads, June 26

Reflections From My Bookshelves, June 27

Simple Harvest Reads, June 27 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)

Giveaway

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

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

https://promosimple.com/ps/10d56/stealing-the-first-mate-celebration-tour-giveaway

About the Book

We want to love God with all our hearts, but we often find ourselves striving in our efforts to please Him, acutely aware of our weaknesses. As our failures pile up, we become frustrated and discouraged.

Have we missed the essence of the gospel? Is there a simple but true way to serve God that can fill us with joy and peace rather than fear and discouragement?

St. Thérése of Lisieux faced similar struggles. As a young woman who desired to abandon herself to God, she felt daunted at the thought of climbing “the steep stairway of perfection.” Thérése searched the Scriptures until she discovered a path to freedom she called her “little way.” This is “the way of spiritual childhood, the way of trust and absolute surrender.” It is a recognition that while we are small and imperfect, we have a mighty God who reaches out to us with infinite love, grace, and strength to take care of all our needs.

As Thérése followed this new path, she considered herself a “little flower” in Jesus’s garden. She understood that she was beloved by her heavenly Father and delightful in His eyes. And she could bloom right where He planted her as she daily demonstrated His unconditional love to others in small but meaningful acts of kindness and interceded on their behalf.

This beautiful gift book highlights St. Thérése’s deep insights into faith and devotion, while visually capturing, through simple floral illustrations, the theme of simplicity that permeated her life. As you read excerpts from St. Thérése’s autobiography, poetry, and letters, with accompanying Scripture verses, you will learn to rest in the loving arms of your heavenly Father, allowing your own faith to grow and flourish.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

St. Thérèse, known as the “Little Flower,” was born Marie-Françoise-Thérése Martin on January 2, 1873, in Alençon, France, the youngest of five surviving children in a loving Christian family. Desiring to devote her life to God, she persuaded the religious authorities to allow her to join the Carmelite convent at Lisieux at the age of fifteen. Feeling unable to meet the perceived demands of Christian perfection, she sought a simpler, scriptural way to reach God, an “elevator to take me straight up to Jesus.” The “little way” she discovered—that of humility, trust, sacrifice, and resting in God’s deep love—captured the essence of the gospel with profound simplicity. It transformed her relationship with her heavenly Father, and its ripple effects surged to a global impact that continues to this day. Thérése died of tuberculosis on September 30, 1897, at the age of twenty-four. Her autobiography, The Story of a Soul, published shortly after her death, eventually became a worldwide bestseller, with millions of copies in print. The work has been translated into more than sixty languages and dialects. Thérése was canonized by the Roman Catholic Church on May 17, 1925, and was declared a Doctor of the Church on October 19, 1997. Pope John Paul II described her insights into faith as “vast and profound.”

More about St. Thérèse

St. Thérése of Lisieux faced similar struggles. As a young woman who desired to abandon herself to God, she felt daunted at the thought of climbing “the steep stairway of perfection.” Thérése searched the Scriptures until she discovered a path to freedom she called her “little way.” This is “the way of spiritual childhood, the way of trust and absolute surrender.” It is a recognition that while we are small and imperfect, we have a mighty God who reaches out to us with infinite love, grace, and strength to take care of all our needs.

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, June 3

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, June 4

Cats in the Cradle Blog, June 4

Texas Book-aholic, June 5

Inklings and notions, June 6

For Him and My Family, June 7

deb’s Book Review, June 8

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, June 9

Locks, Hooks and Books, June 10

Mary Hake, June 10

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, June 11

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, June 12

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, June 13

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, June 14

Writing From the Heart Land, June 15

CarpeDiem, June 16

Giveaway

To celebrate their tour, Whitaker House is giving away the grand prize package of a $20 Starbucks gift card and a copy of the book!!

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

https://promosimple.com/ps/10d02/the-little-way-celebration-tour-giveaway

About the Book

Innocent mistakes can have dire consequences. 

Pricilla Middleton only attended the Lemoore house party to keep her friend out of trouble. Now, her only chance to keep from becoming a gossip column headline is to sneak aboard her brother’s ship and pretend she’d been visiting him instead of taking part in the debacle. Before she can speak to her brother, the ship sets sail, and the man in charge is not at all who she expects.

Captain Tobias Prescott, son of an infamous war hero, has been assigned on a critical mission to deploy warships in St. Kitts for battle in New Orleans. Unfortunately, his orders require him to assume command of a friend’s ship, and he must weigh anchor the instant the former captain is escorted down the gangplank. When they reach open waters, the last thing he expects is to find a woman hiding in the captain’s cabin, yet his mission is too urgent to return her to England.

The Middleton name has always brought Tobias trouble, and Pricilla is no exception. As the waters clear and the temperature warms, the danger escalates too. Yet Tobias discovers the intuitive and strong woman who struggles to hide her anxiety is nothing like her disloyal brother. He may lose the opportunity to help his country, but perhaps he can still save the woman who’s rescued his heart.

Click here to get your copy!

My Thoughts

About the Author

Lorri Dudley has been a finalist in numerous writing contests and has a master’s degree in Psychology. She lives in Ashland, Massachusetts with her husband and three teenage sons, where writing romance allows her an escape from her testosterone filled household. Find her online at www.lorridudley.com.

More from Lorri

Priscilla Middleton’s character begged for her story to be told. The Captain’s Quest is the fourth book in the Leeward Island series. While it can read as a stand-alone, the heroine, Priscilla, had a brief guest appearance at the beginning of book two, The Merchant’s Yield, as Lottie’s closest friend. With Lottie now living on the isle of St. Kitts, that left Priscilla to navigate the London season all on her own. I imagined what mischief a young woman would find whose parents allowed her too much freedom, especially with her friend, the voice of reason, across the Atlantic.

When my close friend moved to Michigan, the loss of her physical presence left me feeling disoriented, lost, and out of place, even in familiar surroundings. There was loneliness, a desperate need to replace what was missing, and fears about being forgotten. In Lottie’s absence, Priscilla clings to an unhealthy friendship, landing herself in a precarious situation, with no other option but to hide aboard her brother’s ship to save her reputation and that of her family.

The biggest issue with running from problems is that we can’t run from ourselves. Priscilla avoids one catastrophe only to walk right into another as Captain Tobias Prescott takes command of the ship. She blames the brooding captain for her predicament only to realize she’s battling the wrong enemy. The more Priscilla tries to hide from the problems she must face within herself, the further she drifts from everyone she knows and the chance to be fully loved.

Although Priscilla’s story was drafted pre-pandemic, her struggles are similar to those that surfaced during the lockdowns. Anxiety, loneliness, isolation, fear, and feelings of being disregarded mounted as the pandemic spread. Vacations, Thanksgivings, and Christmases were canceled. Families couldn’t visit or see each other—the feeling of being forgotten sliced open raw wounds.

Cory Ashbury’s song Reckless Love was popular as I plotted The Captain’s Quest, and the lyrics from the book of Matthew of how God will leave the ninety-nine to chase after the one lost sheep developed Priscilla’s story. Through its comical mishaps, dramatic twists, and struggles to prevail, The Captain’s Quest is a reminder of the heights, depths, and lengths that our great God will go to show His passionate love for us.

To learn more, checkout my website at LorriDudley.com, or watch The Captain’s Quest book trailer by clicking here: The Captain’s Quest trailer.

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, June 1

Blossoms and Blessings, June 1

Texas Book-aholic, June 2

Just Writing, June 2

For Him and My Family, June 3

Connect in Fiction, June 3

Inklings and notions, June 4

Life of Literature, June 4

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, June 5

Batya’s Bits, June 5

deb’s Book Review, June 6

Kayem Reads, June 6

She Lives To Read, June 7

Betti Mace, June 7

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, June 7

The Adventures of a Travelers Wife, June 8

Mypreciousbitsandmusings, June 8

Rebecca Tews, June 8

Locks, Hooks and Books, June 9

Blessed & Bookish, June 9

Remembrancy, June 10

Genesis 5020, June 10

Connie’s History Classroom, June 11

KarenSueHadley, June 11

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, June 12

Daysong Reflections, June 12

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, June 12

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, June 13

Simple Harvest Reads, June 13 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, June 14

HookMeInABook, June 14

Giveaway

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

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

https://promosimple.com/ps/10cce/the-captain-s-quest-celebration-tour-giveaway

About the Book

A sweet and sentimental contemporary romance with a uniquely witty voice.

There are three things you should know about Brittany Masters:

1. She’s a single mom and a nurse manager at the local cancer clinic
2. She has big plans for a quiet summer
3. She’s convinced that fudge pops are the answer to almost all of life’s most important questions

A new neighbor, Matt, making friends with her son while simultaneously pursuing her blow plans for a predictable summer right out of the water. A chance meeting at the cancer clinic where she works renews a connection with an old friend and gives her the perspective she’s been missing. From quiet nights on her front porch swing in Matt’s company to long talks in the clinic with her old/new friend, Brittany’s summer is anything but routine.

Click here to get your copy!

My Thoughts

About the Author

LM Karen writes contemporary Christian fiction romance. As a longtime lover of words, she can generally be found behind her laptop or with a book in her hand. A graduate of Toccoa Falls College, her heart is in the mountains. She eventually made use of the voices in her head by putting them on the page.

More from LM Karen

I am not artistic. I’m not someone who can look at a space, or an item and see it’s potential. If you give me white space, I will have no idea what to fill it with. Even if I had an idea of what I wanted it to look like, there is no way I could make it look like the picture in my head. My stick figures have always been lop-sided.

What I am pretty good at is making up stories in my head. At restaurants I enjoy observing other customers and giving them stories. In the grocery store I consider what a post-apocalyptic shopping experience might look like. On my drive home I might imagine the lives of the occupants in any given house I pass.

It became a hobby when I slowly began to write these stories down. If I considered a particularly interesting character the natural progression was to wonder what their story was. What started as a hobby quickly evolved into an obsession. Often times I consider myself a citizen of the world in my head more than reality (which has it’s pros and cons). I spent a lot of time quietly working on my stories, trying to become a better writer and honing my craft.

As an avid reader from a young age, I can’t count the characters that have influenced my life and the stories that have touched my heart. My deepest hope is to use my predilection for make believe to touch someone else’s life. That maybe a young girl would be positively influenced by one of my characters.

Blog Stops

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, June 2

Vicky Sluiter, June 2

The Write Escape, June 3

She Lives To Read, June 4

Locks, Hooks and Books, June 4

Inklings and notions, June 5

The Christian Fiction Girl, June 6

Batya’s Bits, June 6

Texas Book-aholic, June 7

For Him and My Family, June 8

Genesis 5020, June 8

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, June 9

deb’s Book Review, June 10

The Meanderings of a Bookworm, June 10

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, June 11

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, June 12

Kayem Reads, June 12

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, June 13

Wishful Endings, June 14

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, June 14

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, June 15

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, L.M. is giving away the grand prize package of a signed paperback copy of the book and $25 Amazon Gift Card!!

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

https://promosimple.com/ps/10cfe/summertime-lilies-celebration-tour-giveaway