Five-year-old Abby is losing her battle with leukemia. Her only hope is a newly developed treatment her mother, Celeste, can’t afford, and their insurance won’t cover.

After escaping a brief, abusive marriage to a drug dealer, Celeste Barr vowed never to marry again. With Abby’s life hanging in the balance, she signs up for the therapy, trusting that God will make a way.

Still grieving the wife he lost to cancer, Hunter Harrington believes his dreams of family died with her, until he meets Celeste and Abby. Out of a growing conviction that God has brought them into each other’s lives for a reason, he offers an extraordinary solution: marry him, and Abby will qualify immediately for the coverage she desperately needs.

As hope begins to replace despair, a marriage born of necessity slowly unfolds into love. But danger closes in. Celeste’s violent ex-husband is watching, and his return threatens everything they’ve begun to build.

Can their faith, trust, and growing love protect the family they’ve become—for the love of a child?

The post For the Love of a Child first appeared on Shelves Bookstore.

Inspired by true events, Christy Hall of Fame author Cathy Gohlke delivers a powerful new historical novel weaving together the discovery of insulin—a breakthrough that revolutionized modern medicine—and one woman’s brave fight to cling to her family and hope against unspeakable odds.

New York City, 1918. When schoolteacher Gwendolyn Armstrong learns of her sister’s worsening illness, she travels to Marion’s stately home to tutor her young niece and nephew, kept from school by the Spanish flu outbreak. Though the family lives in luxury, Gwen is wary of Marion’s sophisticated, often-absent husband, Russell, who once cast Gwen aside for her sister, leaving wounds that never fully healed.

As Marion’s health declines, a sense of foreboding settles over the family. Gwen observes strangers coming and going from Russell’s study at all hours, and her lingering distrust turns to suspicion that he is hiding something that could threaten the family’s safety and security. But when the deadly flu claims victims among the family and mansion staff, Gwen and her nephew, Alistair, are forced to accept terrible losses caused by the epidemic followed soon after by his own fatal diagnosis of juvenile diabetes.

When a compassionate doctor becomes both an advocate and friend, chasing down every promising medical development in the race for a cure, Gwen clings to each shred of hope. But as Russell’s clandestine dealings erupt into a shattering revelation, she must summon every ounce of courage she possesses. With Alistair’s life hanging in the balance, Gwen pleads for a faith she doesn’t yet possess, realizing she must surrender him to God and the possibility of a miracle that could save him and reshape her future in ways she never imagined.

The post Every Given Day first appeared on Shelves Bookstore.

Not all abuse leaves bruises. Not all prisons have bars.

Wendi Burkham lives in an emotional prison she unwittingly walked into. Nobody understands, and her captor holds the keys.

Married to a respected pastor, Wendi lives a life others admire–with two children and a home that reflects faith, stability, and love. But behind closed doors, Wendi is trapped in a cycle of control, manipulation, and emotional abuse no one else can see–and no one would believe.

How do you escape when no one thinks you need to?

For sixteen years, she has stayed silent. Stayed faithful. Stayed afraid. Until one night forces her to choose between the life she has built . . . and the truth she can no longer ignore.

Her husband’s warning echoes: “Planting wind only reaps a harvest of tornadoes.”

But what if the storm is the only way out?

This powerful novel exposes the reality of emotional abuse—and the courage it takes to break free.

The post House of Wind first appeared on Shelves Bookstore.

From the multi-award-winning author of An American Immigrant comes the story of a woman walking through paralyzing grief and the unlikely friendship that might unlock a path to healing.

Leaving behind the only city she’s known, Sandra and her family move from New York City to East Nashville for her husband’s job and a fresh start. She’ll miss her family and thriving career, but she is desperate to leave behind the city that holds her greatest loss.

And yet even with moving into a new home she designed and having the freedom to be a stay-at-home mom for the first time, her new life in Nashville is not what she thought it would be. She quickly realizes grief still follows her, and no new place can fix it.

When she meets her next-door neighbor Mark—an elderly, widowed, retired Pastor—an unlikely friendship quickly forms. His humor, spiritual wisdom, and affinity for gardening—a skill he was forced to learn when his late wife passed—brings a welcome distraction from Sandra’s suffocating grief, giving her hope for the first time since her tragic loss. Will this friendship be just what Sandra needs to heal her broken heart? Or will more unexpected news leave Sandra with even more heartache?

Story Locale: East Nashville, TN

The post Where Wilted Flowers Bloom first appeared on Shelves Bookstore.

Your prayer was answered. Now what?

The spouse you prayed for is here, but a sadness sets in that you can’t explain. The job you prayed for came through, but now you are overworked and overwhelmed. The baby you prayed for has arrived, but you haven’t slept since. You wonder, Isn’t an answer to prayer supposed to feel better than this?

Melissa Miller knows the feeling. She prayed for a job opportunity across the country and wanted to grow her family through adoption, but she didn’t expect to wake up every morning disoriented and wondering if God had picked the right person. She was tempted to push down her struggles because, after all, this is what she prayed for (and she didn’t want to seem ungrateful). Instead, she dove deep into Scripture, research, and therapy to learn how to keep showing up in a story that was different from what she’d imagined. In But I Prayed for This, Melissa helps you face the hard parts of “good” transitions as you:

• Drop the guilt and recognize that mixed emotions are normal (and not forever)
• Grow in gratitude by reframing your thoughts and reclaiming your peace
• Let go of the lie that you are stuck or that you prayed wrong
• Allow Jesus to shape your story and your heart in new ways

But I Prayed for This provides a pathway to care for your soul, permission to be in process, and reassurance that God’s love is big enough for both your gratitude and your grief.

The post But I Prayed for This first appeared on Shelves Bookstore.

When the storm passes, can two guarded hearts believe in love again?

After six years of widowhood, high school biology teacher Clara Lewis has settled into a quiet life in Shady Springs, Arkansas, pouring her heart into her students, her church, and her garden. Romance, she tells herself, belongs to another season.

Sam Sullivan understands the safety of a guarded heart. A painful childhood and a broken engagement have convinced him that love is meant for others, not for him. Yet his long-hidden feelings for Clara become harder to ignore as they work together to encourage a withdrawn teen who needs them both.

Then a devastating tornado tears through Shady Springs, drawing Clara and Sam together in the storm’s aftermath as they help rescue the hurting, shelter the displaced, and rebuild the community they love. Amid the wreckage, Clara begins to wonder whether the steady, compassionate man beside her might be part of the new life God is offering.

But opening their hearts means facing old fears, unexpected competition, and the scrutiny of a small town that notices everything.

Perfect for fans of heartwarming Christian romance, this tender small-town story weaves together friendship, faith, grief, and healing as two guarded hearts must decide whether love is worth trusting again.

Start reading today and return to Shady Springs, where faith grows, hearts heal, and hope blooms in God’s perfect timing.

Read book 2: A Homecoming in Shady Springs

The post New Beginnings in Shady Springs first appeared on Shelves Bookstore.

A group of life-long friends. A secretive MLM cosmetics company. Some opportunities cost more than they’re worth.

Delilah Thomas has a stellar track record of avoiding conflict. Her life mantra? Keep the peace. Born to a family she has never fit in, Delilah learned early that no matter what it costs her, it’s best to keep quiet, nod, and agree. Now in her late thirties, she has mastered the art and employs it daily with the preschoolers she teaches.

Then Peach Pit sets up shop in her small hometown and infiltrates every female relationship, including Delilah’s lifelong best-friend group. A direct sales business, Peach Pit claims its beauty products are organic and all-natural and recruits women to become “Darlings” who host parties to sell products to friends and family. Delilah’s friend Betsy is ecstatic to join, drawn by promises of sisterhood and easy income. But something seems off to Delilah.

When customers, including her pregnant friend Eliza, start reporting rashes, Peach Pit refuses to take responsibility. Then Betsy lets an unsettling secret slip, and Delilah can’t hold her tongue any longer. With the help of her retired neighbor, Mrs. Chopra, and travel journalist Jasper–Delilah’s longtime pen pal and childhood crush, finally in town for a visit–Delilah investigates the company and uncovers the grim truth. She is faced with a choice: Stop pushing and keep the peace, or find her courage and expose Peach Pit’s shady business practices, even if it costs her the unthinkable.

A story about enduring friendship, Pretty as a Peach paints a vivid portrait of choosing bravery in the midst of uncertainty and reminds us that the sweetest things in life are worth fighting for. 

The post Pretty as a Peach first appeared on Shelves Bookstore.

They threw it away, and now they’ll kill to get it back.

Garbage collector Cassie Willis is used to hauling away other people’s messes. She’s not used to finding coded documents in a dumpster, being chased by a sinister biker, or stumbling into a murder investigation with a killer who refuses to play fair.

When Cassie brings home a packet of strange papers from her route, she hopes someone at a local gamer café can help identify a mysterious symbol. Instead, her search for answers pulls her into a mystery where online challenges, hidden clues, and dangerous assignments point to something far more sinister.

Soon Cassie is working with police to uncover a deadly scheme, but when the investigation reaches someone close to her boyfriend, the case becomes painfully personal. The closer Cassie gets to the truth, the more danger shows up on her doorstep.

With an evasive killer making threats and the stakes rising fast, Cassie must scavenge the clues before this game reaches its final, deadly level.

The post Dumpsters and Dragons first appeared on Shelves Bookstore.

On the eve of her fortieth birthday, a woman wakes up from a pickleball accident with the unexpected chance to relive her twenties in this sparkling novel from a fresh, new voice.

Sutton Layne is almost-forty and fabulous, with a happy marriage, three beautiful children, and a successful interior design business. But there’s plenty of chaos behind the scenes of early midlife. Her preteen son is going off the rails, her husband is bailing on the party he was supposed to throw her, and that thriving business? If she can’t land her next big client, it might all come crashing down. Then a surprise DM from someone in her past sends her spiraling into what-ifs. What if she settled down too young? Walked away from her big break? Never had her great adventure?

Despite her simmering mini-crisis, Sutton can’t wait for the birthday luncheon and pickleball tournament her friends have planned in her honor. But when an accident on the court knocks her out cold, she wakes up somewhere else . . . and is offered the chance to do it all over again. She can revisit her twenties—out of order and on her own terms. And this time around, anything goes: cities, careers, friendships. Even love.

From star-studded Hollywood nights to the jungles of Nicaragua, from the heat of Coachella to the snowy summit of the Matterhorn, Sutton chases the life she fears she might have missed, with unexpected results.

With a wink to the classic It’s a Wonderful Life, Twenty Something Else is a witty, wistful journey through the dreams we outgrow, the life choices that shape us, and the surprising detours that can lead us home.

The post Twenty Something Else first appeared on Shelves Bookstore.

The world’s main criticism of Christians: Too judgy.

Judgment. We feel it. Husbands feel judged by their wives. Parents are judged by their kids. Moms judge other moms. And maybe you’re worried that you’re the “judgy” one. Whether you’re conflicted over your son’s lifestyle, your daughter’s messy room, or social media outrage, you’re not alone.

At the same time, we live in a “Who am I to judge?” culture. And since the Bible both supports and warns against judgment . . . to judge or not to judge, that’s one touchy question.

With warmth and wisdom, Shannon invites us to step inside six stories: Noah, Rahab, Jonah, Simon the Pharisee, the Blind Man, and the cross. We’ll find biblical clarity on judgment and mercy and be moved by what matters to God. If you’re exhausted by conflict and judgment, you can trade condemnation for compassion and encounter God’s lavish mercy.

The post Kinda Judgy first appeared on Shelves Bookstore.