2023 Monthly Themes – Unlock an Adventure

January – A Book with Spies

February – A Book with the Underground Railroad

March – A Book with a Gold Rush

April – A Book with a Lawman Hero

May – A Book with Exploration or Pioneering

June – A Book with a Treasure Hunt

July – A Book focused with Heroines in Unusual Professions for Their Time

August – A Book with a Bounty Hunter

September – A Time Travel Novel

October – A Book with a Medieval Setting

November – Book with an Archeologist or Paleontologist

December – A Christmas Novel/Novella set somewhere you’ve never been

(2024 I have plans for a trope-based challenge. 🙂 )

Prize Shelf

Historical Fiction

A Bride So Fair by Carol Cox – Things aren’t always what they seem at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair–
Emily Ralston finds more than she bargained for when she joins the crowds of young women making their way to Chicago in search of independence and adventure…

Love Held Captive by Shelley Shepard Gray – After the War Between the States, a Confederate officer longs to heal the heart of a beautiful woman – but first he’ll have to right the wrongs that were done to her.

Shadow Among the Sheaves by Naomi Stephens – A Timeless, Beautiful Allegory of the Biblical Love Story of Ruth and Boaz (set in 1857 India/England)

That Certain Spark by Cathy Marie Hake – Gooding, Texas, is about to gain a double blessing–a veterinarian and a doctor. But when siblings Enoch and Taylor Bestman arrive, the discovery that Taylor is a lady doctor has the town up in arms. Especially Karl Van der Vort, the town blacksmith, who becomes the first patient…against his will.

To Disguise the Truth by Jen Turano – When a man arrives at the Bleecker Street Inquiry Agency, anxious to hire them to find a missing heiress, Eunice Holbrooke realizes her past has finally caught up with her . . . and that she may no longer be able to hide under the disguise that has kept her safe for so long.

Ladies of Intrigue by Michelle Griep (3 Novellas) – 3 Page-Turners Under One Cover from Reader Favorite Michelle Griep! Can truth and love prevail when no one is as they appear?

A Bride of Convenience by Jody Hedlund – Unemployed mill worker Zoe Hart jumps at the opportunity to emigrate to British Columbia in 1863 to find a better life and be reunited with her brother, who fled from home after being accused of a crime.

To Find Her Place by Susan Anne Mason – In the midst of WWII, Jane Linder pours all her energy and dreams for a family into her career at the Toronto Children’s Aid Society. As acting directress, Jane hopes for a permanent appointment so she can continue making a difference in the lives of troubled children. But if anyone were to find out she is divorced, everything would change.

The Lone Star Romance Collection – Enjoy two series of romances under one cover from authors Kimberley Comeaux and Cathy Marie Hake. First head to Springton, Texas, where two Texas belles—a pretty outcast and a shy nurse—find rattlesnakes easier to lasso than the hearts of the men they desire. Then join the Gregor brothers from Scotland—doctor, cobbler, lawman—as they settle in the Wild West, seeking wives to help them live out a legacy of faith that their father rooted in them. Watch as God’s love unfolds a grand design into each life.

Sarah’s Choice by Wanda Brunstetter – Widowed Sarah Turner has her hands full, raising three young children, tending the lock on the canal, baking bread, and washing clothes for boatmen. Although she’s not looking for love, she’s vowed not to lose her heart to a boatman. Yet she didn’t count on meeting Captain Elias Brooks. Will she follow her heart where it leads or accept the proposal of a handsome land-loving blacksmith?

Love Inspired-Love Inspired Suspense (LIS)

The Bull Rider’s Homecoming by Allie Pleiter – An injured rodeo rider returns home to recuperate—and rekindle an old flame—in this heartwarming Western romance.

Cave of Secrets by Shannon Redmon (LIS) – What she uncovers may get her killed…

Everglades Escape by Kathleen Tailer (LIS) – Pursued by a drug ring, she depends on a stranger to survive.

Falling for the Lawman by Ruth Logan Herne – Piper McKinney’s got her hands full. Busy saving her farm from developers, and her family from trouble, she has no time for love. Not even for the handsome state trooper who becomes her new neighbor. But Zach Harrison can’t ignore the girl next door. Even though he gave up the farming life years ago, Piper intrigues him, and her plight calls out to the protector in him. Piper may not want a man, especially one with a badge, but Zach will show her that he’s here to serve and protect…and love.

The Soldier and the Single Mom by Lee Tobin McClain – When Buck Armstrong rescues Gina Patterson and her baby from a dark country road outside town, he intends to keep his distance. Gina and little Bobby remind the handsome veteran too much of all he’s lost. The vulnerable single mom seems equally wary of getting involved. But things change once Gina and her son settle into his sister’s boardinghouse. Being with Gina and Bobby makes Buck question his plans to leave town for a fresh start. Suddenly he has dreams of forging a new family, even though it will mean risking his heart. But can he escape his past for a chance at a happy future?

The Hand-Me-Down Family & The Maverick Preacher (2 Book Combo) – The Hand-Me-Down Family -When mail-order bride Callie Gray arrives in Sweetgum, Texas, she gets the shock of her life. Her husband is dead, and his brother proposes she marry him, for the sake of his orphaned nephew and nieces. Jack Tyler warns her this is strictly a marriage of convenience. But Callie yearns for a true partnership. Now she must convince Jack what he needs is a lifetime of love, faith, and family—with Callie. The Maverick Preacher -Once one of Boston’s most righteous ministers, now Joshua Blue is a guilt-stricken man scouring the West to find the sister he drove away. The trail leads him to Denver, where beautiful boardinghouse owner Adelaide Clark and her young son might hold the key to unlocking past secrets. Adie fears Josh’s presence could tear her family apart. But his strong faith sparks Adie’s long-buried hope for a future with a God-sent partner…

In a Mother’s Arms & The Widow’s Secret (3 Book Combo) – Three touching tales of love, family, and faith.

A Rancher of Convenience by Regina Scott (Love Inspired Historical) – Sweet mail-order bride Nancy Bennett can’t believe it when her husband is exposed as a cattle rustler—and killed. And when the banker holding the ranch’s mortgage questions whether she can run the ranch on her own, the pregnant widow has nowhere to turn. Until steady foreman Hank Snowden proposes marriage…

Hunted in the Wilderness by Kellie Vanhorn (LIS) – Protecting the evidence means facing down assassins and an unforgiving wilderness. . .

Tracking Concealed Evidence by Sharee Stover (LIS) – Unearthing clues in a murder could be the last thing they do . . .

Contemporary

Full Disclosure by Dee Henderson – Ann Silver is a cop’s cop. As the Midwest Homicide Investigator, she is called in to help local law enforcement on the worst of cases, looking for answers to murder. Hers is one of the region’s most trusted investigative positions. Paul Falcon is the FBI’s top murder cop in the Midwest. If the victim carried a federal badge or had a security clearance, odds are good Paul and his team see the case file or work the murder.

Mending Fences by Suzanne Woods Fisher (Amish) – Every saint has a past. Every sinner has a future. Luke Schrock is a new and improved man after a stint in rehab, though everyone in Stoney Ridge only remembers the old Luke. They might have forgiven him, but nobody trusts him.

Fantasy/Steampunk

Tainted by Morgan L. Busse (MP3 – book 1) – What Happens When Your Soul Dies?

Awakened by Morgan L. Busse (MP3 – book 2) – The monster has awakened.