(Note: I am late with this post due to a family emergency. I notified Celebrate Lit that this would be late. Thank you for your understanding!)

About the Book

Book: Anchoring You

Author: Robin Patchen

Genre: Christian romantic suspense

Release Date: May 12, 2026

On the glittering waters of the Caribbean, a yacht captain’s fight for survival forces her to rely on a man she swore she’d never trust.

A fiercely independent yacht captain, Kenzie Wright has spent her life disregarding her family’s expectations. She thrives on freedom, charting her own course, and never staying in one place—or with one person—for long. But when a routine voyage thrusts her into the crosshairs of a deadly drug cartel, her carefully crafted agenda is blown apart. Her last hope to save herself and her crew is the partying playboy, Jaz.

DEA informant Jasper Aylett has spent years hunting the cartel leader known only as “the Phantom.” The mission has cost him everything—his family, his reputation, and his chance at redemption. When a beautiful yacht captain gets caught in the Phantom’s web, Jaz risks his life to rescue her. It’s his last chance to secure the information he needs to take his enemy down—and get his life back.

Kenzie is forced into hiding with Jaz, and now two cartels want her dead. With their lives on the line, Kenzie and Jaz must work together to unravel the Phantom’s network before it’s too late. But the closer they get to the truth—and to each other—the more their past wounds and buried fears threaten to tear them apart, leaving them vulnerable to an enemy who won’t stop until they’re both destroyed.

From a USA Today bestselling author… Don’t miss this heart-pounding suspense and swoon-worthy romance as Kenzie and Jasper discover their fight for survival—and for love—can only be won together.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Robin Patchen is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of Christian romantic suspense. She grew up in a small town in New Hampshire, the setting of her Coventry Saga books, and then headed to Boston to earn a journalism degree. Working in marketing, she discovered how much she loathed the nine-to-five ball and chain. After relocating to the Southwest, she started writing her first novel while homeschooling her three children. The novel was dreadful, but her passion for storytelling didn’t wane. Thankfully, as her children grew, so did her writing ability. Now that her kids are adults, she has more time to play with the lives of fictional heroes and heroines, wreaking havoc and working magic to give her characters happy endings. When she’s not writing, she’s editing or reading, proving that most of her life revolves around the twenty-six letters of the alphabet.

More from Robin

Too Far Gone? Writing a Prodigal Hero

When I started writing Anchoring You, I knew the hero was going to be a challenge.

On the surface, Jaz is everything my heroine Kenzie despises: a charming playboy who flits around the Caribbean with a different woman on his arm every week and a drink perpetually in his hand. When he tries to get to know her, she wants nothing to do with him. She’s heard the rumors. She knows exactly what kind of man he is.

Except she doesn’t know the real Jaz. Nobody does.

Underneath the polished persona, Jaz is drowning. A gambling addiction led to crushing debt, which led to a desperate deal with a dangerous man, which led to five years of living undercover as a DEA informant. He’s lost everything that matters—his money, his reputation, his relationship with his brother, Noah, and most painfully, his daughter Charlotte, whom he left with Noah to keep her safe from the criminals who control his life.

Somewhere in the midst of all that, Jaz also lost his faith.

The Prodigal Who Doesn’t Come Home

We all know the parable of the prodigal son. He squanders his inheritance, hits rock bottom, and returns to his father’s open arms.

But what happens when the prodigal believes he’s wandered too far, done too much, burned too many bridges to ever find his way back?

That’s Jaz’s life when we first meet him. He tells Kenzie at one point, “I’m not sure if I left Him or if He left me, but God and I haven’t had a relationship since I was a teenager.”

Jaz isn’t angry at God. He’s not wrestling with doubt. He’s just disconnected. Numb. He made choices that spiraled out of control. People got hurt, and somewhere along the way, he decided that men like him shouldn’t expect grace.

I think a lot of people can identify with Jaz, even if their circumstances aren’t as dramatic as his. It’s not always a crisis of faith that pulls us away from God. Sometimes it’s shame, the quiet belief that we’ve disqualified ourselves. We believe grace is real, just not for us.

A Faith That Doesn’t Preach

Kenzie could have lectured him or quoted Scripture at him. But Kenzie, a strong believer, doesn’t preach. Instead, she lives her faith, acting on what she believes. In one quiet conversation, when Jaz confesses how far he’s fallen, she offers him truth without judgment:

“There’s no such thing as too far, Jasper. Not with God.”

Kenzie’s relationship with God is evident in how she treats people, how she handles fear, how she extends grace to a man the world has written off. Kenzie’s witness begins to crack Jaz’s defenses.

Writing Broken Heroes

I’m drawn to characters who carry weight—who’ve made real mistakes with real consequences, not just minor flaws designed to make them “relatable.” Jaz gambled away half his family’s estate. He slept around. He abandoned his daughter—even if it was to protect her. He spent five years lying to everyone he met.

These aren’t small things. I didn’t want to minimize them or sweep them under the rug in the rush to make him likable.

I believe in redemption. I believe people can change—not by willpower but by the power of God.

Jaz doesn’t have a dramatic conversion moment in the middle of the action. His journey back to faith starts with prayer, the gentle testing of God in moments of crisis.

And God answered, protecting and guiding him through the most difficult time of his life. When it was over, Jaz realized God had been there all along.

That’s the heart of the prodigal story, isn’t it? The father doesn’t chase the son down the road. He doesn’t force him to come home. But when the son finally turns around, the father is already running to meet him.

Jaz spent years believing he’d gone too far. Kenzie helped him see that there is no “too far” for God.

Because if grace only works for people who haven’t messed up too badly, it’s not really grace at all.

My Impressions

“But I know God is big enough for my mess, no matter how ugly it is. Which means He’s big enough for yours too. The question isn’t whether He’ll take you back. It’s whether you’ll let Him.”

What an exciting, fast-paced romantic suspense novel Anchoring You by Robin Patchen is! We have arrived at the fourth and last daughter of Gavin Wright, in the Heroes of Maine series. Kenzie has fled her father’s overprotective cocoon tendencies and has established a yacht-running business in the Caribbean. She loves the freedom of the water, and she enjoys her Caribbean life until the day her life is upended.

Pirates attack Kenzie’s boat. Determined to protect her crew and herself, Kenzie puts on a brave front, but is rescued by an island playboy, Jaz, she had met the night before. Then the struggle begins as Jaz tries to protect her, and Kenzie strives to retain her hard-earned independence.

Kenzie discovers that Jaz’s carefully cultivated wild reputation is a front so he can work with the DEA. He has his sights on a very big fish in the ocean, indeed! But his methods require Kenzie to trust him. Kenzie has long ago decided that no man should be in charge of her future or her choices. In a world of fast living, fast guns, and the seemingly omnipresent evil bent on their death, Kenzie’s trust in Jaz is vital. But, can Kenzie relinquish control of her life to someone else?

Kenzie slowly begins to see past Jaz’s playboy persona to his deep longing for redemption. Jaz has lost everything, and is quite sure God cannot forgive the man he has become. Once upon a time Jaz had faith. But now, he’s turned too far away, done too much to ever be good enough. Kenzie gently reminds him, “Grace is a gift. Even when you don’t feel lovable, even when you think you’ve gone too far, God is right there, loving you, holding grace out to you, waiting for you to accept it.” Another time, she builds on that and challenges him to view himself and his past with more grace. “Maybe you need to quit thinking you’re smarter than God and start seeing yourself the way He sees you.”

I loved the high-action story and the romance that seems like it cannot go anywhere. Both main characters and a secondary one show significant growth in their lives as the book progresses. But what really stood out to me? It was Kenzie’s prayers. They were real, every day conversations with God. Neither super short nor long, just matter-of fact, here’s the issue, we need help. Plus, Kenzie is also an example of praying God’s Word back to Him. We know God’s Word is powerful. I loved those reminders of great prayers!

By the end of the book, I was so connected with the characters, I felt their cold, their terror, their confusion, and their astonishment as they finally figure out the surprising identity of the cartel!

Another Robin Patchen book you’ll not want to miss!

I received a copy of the book from CelebrateLit. I also bought my own copy. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.

Notable Quotables:

“He’d lived on the edge of a sword for so long he was starting to feel the stab, the dripping blood—his own and everyone else’s.” ( Jaz)

“She’d spent years on the water because it was the only place she felt safe. She’d built a business so she could control her own life, just to wind up a pawn in somebody else’s elaborate scheme.” ( Kenzie)

“She didn’t mind being known as Jesus’s girl. She wouldn’t mind being known as Jaz’s girl either.” ( Kenzie)

“What do you see? What can you use? Don’t just react. Think. Your greatest weapon is your mind.”- Kenzie’s dad

“She’d more than “do.” She looked…she looked like the kind of trouble that could blow up his whole life.”

My Rating

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Superior! I always love each installment in this series, and seeing how they all fit together!

Blog Stops

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, May 25

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, May 25

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 26

lakesidelivingsite, May 27

Texas Book-aholic, May 28

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 29

For Him and My Family, May 30

Cover Lover Book Review, May 31

Book Looks by Lisa, June 1

Blogging With Carol, June 2

Fiction Book Lover, June 3 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, June 3

Holly’s Book Corner, June 4

Pause for Tales, June 5

A Good Book and Cup of Tea, June 6

The Bookish Ledger, June 7 (Author Interview)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Robin is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card and a copy of Capturing You!!

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

https://gleam.io/XXPAN/anchoring-you-celebration-tour-giveaway

BLOG

Stronger Than the Storm by Deena Adams Review

April 14, 2026 Babbling Becky L

About the Book

Title: Stronger than the Storm

Author: Deena Adams

Publisher: Scrivenings Press

Genre: Christian Women’s Fiction

Releases: April 28, 2026

A runaway teen. A wife’s devastating secret. A family’s reckoning.

Beth Holbrook has spent years building a life centered on faith and family. As a pastor’s wife, mother of three, and respected parenting coach, she’s devoted herself to helping families raise godly children. Now, with a publishing contract within reach, Beth stands on the verge of realizing a lifelong dream.

Then her daughter runs away.

Eighteen-year-old Leesa is tired of living under expectations she feels she can never meet. One impulsive decision sends her fleeing to Myrtle Beach, determined to take control of her life. But when she returns home weeks later with shocking news, the fragile peace inside the Holbrook family fractures.

As tensions rise, Beth struggles with growing conflict in her marriage, painful criticism from her mother, and the crushing realization that the advice she’s given other parents may not save her own family. Worse still, the secret she’s hidden for nearly two decades threatens to destroy the very foundation of her life.

When a powerful hurricane barrels toward their Virginia Beach home, the Holbrooks must confront the storm raging inside their hearts.

Can grace and forgiveness rebuild what secrets and betrayal have broken—or will the truth tear their family apart?

Perfect for readers who love Christian women’s fiction filled with emotional depth, family drama, and themes of redemption and healing, Stronger than the Storm is a powerful story of faith, forgiveness, and the courage to face the truth.

Fans of Nicole Deese, Karen Kingsbury, and Amanda Cox will love this compelling and heartfelt novel about family secrets, healing after betrayal, and God’s power to restore broken lives.

Get ( or pre-order)your copy here!

https://www.amazon.com/author/deenaadams

About the Author

As a Jesus girl for over thirty years, and a pastor’s wife for most of those, Deena Adams has a wealth of experience counseling women who’ve navigated unimaginable adversity. Through these interactions she’s gained great insight into topics women relate to, which fuels her passion to inspire others through hope-filled fiction based on true-life stories.

Three-and-a-half years as a Court-Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer and completion of the Certified Mental Health Coach program through Light University have equipped her to write stories that address deep family-related themes with authenticity, wisdom, and compassion.

She is an active ACFW member, a six-year ACFW Virginia board member, and founder of the Marathon online writers group. Her writing awards include: 2019 Foundations Award finalist, 2019 ACFW First Impressions double finalist and winner, 2021 ACFW Genesis finalist and ACFW Virginia Crown Award winner, 2022 Cascade Award finalist, 2023 ACFW First Impressions finalist, 2024 ACFW Genesis double semi-finalist and winner, 2024 Foundations Award finalist, and 2025 ACFW Genesis finalist. She also enjoys promoting hope-filled fiction authors on her blog.

Deena lives with her husband near the coast in beautiful Virginia. When she’s not writing, reading, or serving in her church, you’ll find her hanging out with family and friends, playing board games, and doting on her seven grandchildren.

Connect with Deena through her website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, BookBub, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.

My Impressions

“God’s power can turn messes into ministry and trials into a testimony when we entrust our hurts to him. I’m living proof.”

Stronger Than the Storm by Deena Adams is a women’s fiction story I found more relatable than I would like. My family’s situation was not the same in many respects, yet I understood the pressure of living in a glass house because of being in a pastor’s family. Both Kevin, a pastor, and his wife, Beth, have hopes for the future based on their performance- Kevin hopes to advance to senior pastor of the church, and Beth hopes to publish her first book as a parenting expert.

Their dreams begin to crash around them like the winds of the hurricane that later attack the house. Their oldest daughter runs away, and when she does return, continues to make life choices that are both hurtful and dangerous. I found it interesting that Beth is the strict parent who wants firm rules and apologies from the errant young adult child. “God is full of grace and love, but His Word makes it clear there are consequences for sin. How will Leesa ever learn from her mistakes if we rescue her at every turn?” Kevin, much easier going, would rather “err on the side of grace.” “I’m more willing to offer grace and unconditional love.” And he does! Guess which parent Leesa gravitates towards? I wonder, if, in many marriages, there is a child-rearing theory conflict like this, each thinking themselves following God’s will and Word?

Things gets worse and stormier before they get better. The family is on the verge of total collapse. A secret kept for years. A grief that almost kills the marriage. I loved the fact that the two consider a Christian counselor to help. But one still needs to listen to any sound advice, pray a lot, and determine to obey God. Both Kevin and Beth are amazed by what they find when they take a look at their individual hearts. Will they have the strength to pursue reparation for their marriage and family? What about Leesa, who feels her life has ended before it has barely begun?

Isaac, Megan, Tyler, Jackson, and Teresa are all secondary characters with major influences on the three main characters. I love how accepting and helpful Jackson and Teresa are especially, but all are essential in this family drama.

Highly recommended! For mature readers, but possibly teens, depending on their exposure. For church people, to see what their expectations and gossip can do to their leaders. For leaders, to carefully re-evaluate the inner motives and transparency. And, of course, for parents of prodigals! Discussion questions at the end would make this book ideal for a book club.

I received a copy of the book from the author and publisher and pre-ordered my own ebook. No positive review was required and all opinions are my own.

Notable Quotables:

“Perhaps embracing every seemingly insignifcant moment with those you love transforms normal into extraordinary.”

“You know going against God’s Word is never His plan, but He can and will use anything for good. Even our worst mess-ups.” – Jackson

“We all need second chances … and third, fourth, and “fifth.” – Kevin

“I’m learning relatability is more important than a perfect reputation. It’s hard to point people to hope if we hide our messy stuff.” – Beth

“We do what we think is right in the moment. If we learn from our mistakes, they’re never wasted”…“When we give our regrets over to God, He can redeem them in ways we could never imagine.” – Beth

My Rating

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Superior!! Hard to believe this is Ms. Adams’s debut novel! She deals with such difficult, gritty topics so sensitively, connects with the reader’s emotions and shows how Hope can break through the storm.

ARC, BLOG, Celebrate Lit Tour, Favorite, Kindle, Launch Team, Purchase

Beyond the Horizon by Penny Zeller Review and Giveaway

December 10, 2024December 12, 2024 Babbling Becky L

About the Book

Book: Beyond the Horizon

Author: Penny Zeller

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release date: November 5, 2024

She’s desperate to keep her job.
He’s desperate for solitude.
What is God’s plan in this complicated situation?

Ruby Shepherdson has worked hard to secure her job as a reporter for The Horizon Herald. After a costly mistake, Ruby’s unforgiving boss gives her an ultimatum to either interview the handsome and reclusive Jake Lynton—or lose her job. But each time Ruby has attempted to obtain an interview, Mr. Lynton has refused. Why would anyone who has saved the lives of four people deny recognition? And why does she find herself drawn to the man?

Jake Lynton just wants to be left alone. Haunted by the past, he runs from both guilt and God by leaving home and somehow finding himself in Horizon, Idaho. His hopes of living as a recluse are foiled when a pesky, but beautiful reporter insists he allow her to interview him about a good deed gone awry. Despite Jake’s efforts, Ruby Shepherdson persists, soon endearing herself to him while somehow remaining endlessly annoying.

Jake’s story isn’t the only one Ruby seeks to publish. When rumors of ill dealings come to her attention, she sets forth to uncover the truth—truth someone does not want revealed. As danger emerges and an unanticipated enemy determines to keep Ruby silent, will Jake fit the pieces together in time to rescue her? Or will he lose the woman who has found a place in his heart?

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Penny Zeller is known for her heartfelt stories of faith-filled happily ever afters and her passion to impact lives for Christ through fiction. Her books feature tender romance, steady doses of humor, and memorable characters that stay with you long after the last page.

While she has had a love for writing since childhood, Penny began her adult writing career penning articles for national and regional publications on a wide variety of topics. Today Penny is a multi-published author of over two dozen books and is also a fitness instructor, loves the outdoors, and is a flower gardening addict. In her spare time, she enjoys camping, hiking, kayaking, biking, birdwatching, reading, running, and playing volleyball.

Penny resides with her husband and two daughters in small-town America and loves to connect with her readers.

More from Penny

Thank you so much for joining me for the Beyond the Horizon blog tour. I am super excited to share Ruby Shepherdson’s story with you and can’t wait for you to meet newcomer Jake Lynton. Below is an excerpt from the first chapter. Happy reading!

Horizon, Idaho, 1895

For a moment, she was the world-famous reporter, Ruby Shepherdson, author of the latest award-winning article.

Ruby closed her eyes and imagined seeing her name below the numerous articles and stories she submitted to Mr. O’Kane, the editor of The Horizon Herald. The editor from the prestigious Boise City Chronicle, who was just happening to visit his mother in Horizon, would peruse the pages of The Horizon Heraldand become engrossed in one of Ruby’s engaging articles. He would then invite her to submit a monthly story to his well-read publication.

But alas, such a fanciful dream would have to wait.

Ruby resumed scrubbing one of Papa’s shirts on the washboard. There was no fictional editor from The Boise City Chronicle visiting his mother in Horizon. And until Ruby’s shipment of her Smith Premier typewriter arrived from the R. Altman & Company in St. Louis, Missouri, she would continue to dip her pen in ink and handwrite each and every composition she submitted to the cantankerous man who’d become her boss just one year ago last week.

Not that she minded tending to everyday chores, including laundry on Mondays, for she didn’t. As a matter of fact, Ruby’s highest aspirations were to marry someday and be a wife and mother. But until the Lord saw fit to allow a suitable gent into her life, she would continue on the path of writing.

Ruby hung the shirt on the line and proceeded with washing the next item when she noticed a buggy rounding the curve to their farm. She stood tall and placed her hands on her lower back to stretch the tightness from hunching over the washboard. A closer perusal indicated Wilhelmina, one of Mama’s best friends, was paying them a visit.

Wilhelmina, a permanent smile on her round face, folded Ruby into a hug. “It’s so nice to see you. Your ma and I are planning some new recipe ideas, but first, I was asked to deliver a message.”

It didn’t surprise Ruby that Mama and Wilhelmina would be experimenting with recipes. After the Bible, Mama’s favorite book was Recipes from Augusta’s Kitchen, a book she’d purchased when she and Papa first married. “A message?”

“Yes. Tabitha said to tell you that your special purchase has arrived.”

The air caught in Ruby’s lungs. “My special purchase? It has arrived?”

“That’s what she said.”

Not caring how unladylike it might be, Ruby let out an enthusiastic squeal, threw up her hands in excitement, and danced a little jig.

“Might be that you are thrilled to hear this news,” teased Wilhelmina.

“Oh, yes. Not only thrilled but exhilarated. I’ve waited forever for this momentous occasion.”

My Impressions

“There’s nowhere better to be than resting in the Lord’s arms. Reckon that’s the safest place for us to be.”

It’s time for another visit to Horizon, Idaho, circa 1895, guided by Penny Zeller’s historical prairie western voice. In bk 3, Beyond the Horizon of the Horizon series, we meet a struggling female journalist and a curmudgeonly, isolationist farmer.

Ruby Shepherdson is fighting hard to make a career for herself as a journalist, starting by working for the local paper, where her competition is the editor’s rich, spoiled niece. When a chance for the story of a lifetime comes, she begins badgering newcomer Jake Lynton to give her an interview.

Jake is running from his past and God. He moved to Horizon for anonymity, and he has no desire to let a beautiful but pesky redhead bring his past where everyone can see and judge.

I always enjoy Penny Zeller’s humorous, easy story-telling style. The family camaraderie and banter is fun to see. As expected by now, I found several truth nuggets. What surprised me was how much a few of them would suddenly apply to me as real life took a turn as I read the story. That’s when I know I have read a novel I love and want to share- when I find bits that strengthen me in my daily life, even as I’m entertained. Thank you, Ms. Zeller!

I received a copy of the book from the author and publisher through Celebrate Lit. I also bought my own copy. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.

Notable Quotables:

“While perspectives have their place, truth is always the best option.”

“Because people were more important than articles. Even articles that ought to be written.”

“I realized that while I can blame God for what happened, I’ll never know the peace I could know while being distanced from Him.”

“…one day with the Lord is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day. He does not see time as we do. We see the tintype version, but He sees an enormous painting.”