Today, I have a nonfiction, Christian spiritual growth book in our book spotlight! Learn about Full Phoenix Rising: Real Time Grace at the Speed of Jesus by Duncan Robinson! 

Real Time Grace at the Speed of Jesus

Date Published: August 5, 2025

Publisher: Lucid Books Publishing

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 What do a Russian in gold hot-pants, a cow-pat fight, and real-time grace have in common? They all show up in this wildly funny, deeply heartfelt exploration of what it means to live out faith in the mess of real life.

Full Phoenix Rising is not your typical Christian inspiration book. It’s part memoir, part stand-up comedy, and part soul-reflection, told by a black-sheep pastor with a knack for getting into trouble—and finding Jesus there. Duncan invites readers into his most awkward moments, spiritual insights, and hilarious disasters to remind us that God’s grace isn’t reserved for the polished and perfect—it’s for the ones still wiping off the cow poo and reaching for hope.

If you’ve ever felt like you don’t quite fit in at church, questioned your worth, or just needed permission to laugh at how weird this whole faith thing can be, this book is for you. Come for the cow-pats, stay for the grace.

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Before stepping into full-time ministry, Duncan spent years waking up Sydney with wisdom, wit, and questionable life choices as the host of one of the city’s most popular Breakfast Radio Shows.

With over 20 years of pastoral experience in Australia and the USA, he is fluent in both “G’day Mate” and “Bless your heart.” He’s married with two kids and an American Chocolate Labrador, who is convinced every sermon should include belly rubs.

Equipped to handle both heresy and headlocks, Duncan takes pastoral care very seriously—though whether a theological debate ends in grace or a grappling match depends entirely on the situation.

He proudly refers to himself as a Professor, purely to annoy actual academics. What can we say? He’s a man of many talents.

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Sometimes the best kind of love stories aren’t about candlelight and roses—they’re about survival, second chances, and finding connection in the chaos. Today’s spotlight dives into that kind of intensity with Invisible Monster by Angela Knight, a sci-fi romance that pits two haunted Rangers against unseen enemies—and their own inner demons. If you’re drawn to stories that mix high-stakes adventure with undeniable chemistry, this one’s going to hit all the right notes. Let’s take a closer look at this pulse-pounding new release.

Date Published: November 14, 2025

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Earth civilians are obsessed with selfies and social media, but my life revolves around alien starships, superhuman strength, and A.I. implants. Too bad none of it helped when I was captured and tortured. Now I crave revenge, but as a genetically engineered Ranger, I must obey Mothership’s rules: protect humanity. Never kill.

When another alien ship sends monsters to invade Earth, Mothership’s Rangers must stop them. My new Ranger teammate is everything I shouldn’t crave: handsome, skilled, and haunted by his own dark past. He helped rescue me from torture, but it cost him his entire team. Now I’m the mess he’s got to clean up.

Battling invisible monsters may be the death of us, but our mutual attraction is undeniable. Can we stop an alien invasion despite our dangerous chemistry?

New York Times best-selling author Angela Knight has written and published more than sixty novels, novellas, and ebooks, including the Mageverse and Merlin’s Legacy series. With a career spanning more than two decades, Romantic Times Bookclub Magazine has awarded her their Career Achievement award in Paranormal Romance, as well as two Reviewers’ Choice awards for Best Erotic Romance and Best Werewolf Romance.

Angela is currently a writer, editor, and cover artist for Changeling Press LLC. She also teaches online writing courses. Besides her fiction work, Angela’s writing career includes a decade as an award-winning South Carolina newspaper reporter. She lives in South Carolina with her husband, Michael, a thirty-year police veteran and detective with a local police department.

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Publisher on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok: @changelingpress

Save 15% off any order at ChangelingPress.com with code RABT15 

Sometimes a single dress can tell the story of an entire generation. In The Pink Dress, award-winning author Jane Little Botkin lifts the satin veil on 1970s beauty culture to reveal the grit, heartache, and awakening beneath the glitter. What begins as a whim—a college pageant entry in small-town Texas—unfolds into an unflinching memoir about identity, womanhood, and the power to rewrite one’s own story.

Told with honesty and grace, Botkin’s journey as the first Guyrex Girl captures a pivotal moment in American womanhood: when tradition clashed with liberation, and when beauty itself became a battleground for meaning.

🎧 Press play, settle in, and prepare to see beyond the sequins—this is one memoir that proves the truth behind the tiara is far more compelling than the crown.

Date Published: September 30, 2025

Publisher: She Writes Press/Tantor

Narrator: Ann Marie Gideon

Run Time: 8 hours and 4 minutes

Growing up in West Texas, Jane Little Botkin didn't have designs on becoming a beauty queen. But not long after joining a pageant on a whim in college, she became the first protégé of El Paso's Richard Guy and Rex Holt, known as the "Kings of Beauty"—just as the 1970's counterculture movement began to take off. 

A pink, rose-covered gown—a Guyrex creation—symbolizes the fairy tale life that young women in Jane's time imagined beauty queens had. Its near destruction exposes reality: the author's failed relationship with her mother, and her parents' failed relationship with one another. Weaving these narrative threads together is the Wild West notion that anything is possible, especially do-overs. 

The Pink Dress awakens nostalgia for the 1960s and 1970s, the era's conflicts and growth pains. A common expectation that women went to college to get "MRS" degrees—to find a husband and become a stay-at-home wife and mother—often prevailed. How does one swim upstream against this notion among feminist voices that protest "If You Want Meat, Go to a Butcher!" at beauty pageants, two flamboyant showmen, and a developing awareness of self? Torn between women's traditional roles and what women could be, Guyrex Girls evolved, as did the author.

About the Author

A NATIONAL AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR, JANE...

melds personal narratives of American families often with compelling stories of western women. Jane is a late bloomer as an author. After teaching for thirty years, she was honored by the Texas State Legislature by formal resolution for her work with local history and education in 2008. She edited and directed publishing fifteen volumes of Texas local history with her former students before she decided to write on her own. Jane's first book propelled her membership on the Western Writers of America board and later as its vice president. Jane continues to judge entries for the WWA's prestigious Spur Award; reviews new book releases; authors articles for various magazines; and speaks to groups in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas. 

JANE'S FIRST TWO WORKS HAVE WON NUMEROUS AWARDS IN HISTORICAL BIOGRAPHY AND WOMEN'S STUDIES... 

including two Spur Awards, two Caroline Bancroft History Prizes, the Texas Book Award, and the Barbara Sudler Award for the best book written on the West by a woman. Jane was also a finalist for the Oklahoma Book Award, High Plains Book Award, two Women Writing the West’s Willa Literary Awards, Independent Book Award, Foreword Indies Book Awards, and Sarton Book Award. 

Released in fall 2024, Jane’s third book—what she calls her Covid book—is The Pink Dress, A Memoir of a Reluctant Beauty Queen, a Foreword Indies Book Award winner in pop culture and Women Writing the West's Willa Literary Award finalist in creative nonfiction. The narrative brings far West Texas to life during the 1970s’ American Counterculture era. 

Jane's newest book, The Breath of a Buffalo, A Biography of Mary Ann Goodnight, will be released from the University of Oklahoma Press tentatively in fall 2026. 

Today Jane blissfully escapes into her literary world in the remote White Mountain Wilderness near Nogal, New Mexico, when she is not speaking at various events or preparing for her next nonfiction book.

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Author Julia Shovein channels her real-life sailing experience into sharp, sea-swept mystery Murder on the Squid Row Run — a blend of charm, chaos, and clever sleuthing that will make readers crave both the next clue and the next port.

⚓️ Drop anchor and dive in below for an exclusive peek at the voyage that’s making waves!

Mystery

Date Published: June 10, 2025

Publisher: MindStir Media

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In Murder on the Squid Row Run, oboist Georgiana Quilter is finally hitting her stride—with a dream orchestra job and a new apartment. But when she agrees to pose as a celebrity’s girlfriend during a glamorous international sailing rally, things take a dark and deadly turn.

A body turns up on board. A child disappears. A saboteur strikes. As the Squid Row Run heads from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas, Georgiana races to uncover secrets buried at sea—all while navigating a fake romance that’s becoming dangerously real. 

Perfect for fans of cozy mysteries, strong female sleuths, and nautical adventures, authentic maritime details inspired by the author’s own seven-year circumnavigation. Suspense, wit, and danger at every port

Love mystery series set on the water? This is your next great read.

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 Author Julia Shovein brings authenticity and edge to her mystery novels, drawn from a life spent at sea and in service. After a thirty-year career as a university professor of nursing (Professor Emeritus), Julia retired and embarked on a global sailing adventure with her husband, circumnavigating the globe over seven years. 

She lived and wrote in exotic locations like New Zealand, Turkey, and London’s St. Katherine Dock. Upon returning home to Paradise, California, Julia and her husband narrowly escaped the devastating Campfire wildfire. These life-altering experiences shaped her writing—and her heroine, Georgiana Quilter. 

Now living in Bremerton, Washington, with her husband Horst and husky Blue, Julia is a proud member of the Poulsbo Yacht Club. She’s truly, as Cruising World puts it, “the real thing.”

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Elbert Jones Jr.’s Real Men vs. Plastic Men dives deep into what it truly means to be strong, grounded, and authentic in an age of appearances. With honesty, grit, and heart, Jones calls on men to rise above performative masculinity and rediscover the values that build real character—discipline, emotional intelligence, and integrity.

Whether you’re on a personal growth journey or just tired of the noise, this book challenges and inspires in all the right ways.

📘 Plus—don’t miss the giveaway! Enter below for a chance to win a copy of Real Men vs. Plastic Men and start your own journey toward living with purpose and truth.

African American / Nonfiction

Date Published: 08-30-2025

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 About the Author

 Mr. Jones is entrepreneur with well over 33 years in the U.S. government and knows how to operate a successful business. He has had experience as well in the entertainment field. During the late 1970s' and much of the early 80s' Mr. Jones affectionately known to his many friends and loved ones as 'June' or 'Jonesie' collaborated on various singles by several local DC area recording artists and has mentored underground rap star "D Young". A phenomenal businessman who loves people and live talk radio Elbert Jones Jr. is a great access to KJ Publications,Inc..

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Sometimes the best way to rewrite your story is to stop chasing it altogether. Caila Klaiss’s Kennedy Sloane Gets Scooped is a witty, emotional read about rediscovering purpose, love, and balance when life refuses to stick to the script. If you’ve ever dreamed of trading chaos for coastal calm—or wondered what might happen if you did—this one’s for you. 

🌴 Don’t miss the giveaway at the end of this post! Enter below for your chance to win a copy of the book and a little something to encourage your book buying habit!

Contemporary Women's Fiction/Contemporary Romance

Date Published: November 6th, 2025

Publisher: Acorn Publishing

On a rainy Manhattan afternoon, career-obsessed writer and news producer Kennedy loses the interview that was guaranteed to catapult her to senior producer status. Hours later, revered and feared book editor Muffin Evans, aka the Manuscript Eater, shelves the publication of her promising debut novel.

Over a night of tears and too many glasses of wine, Kennedy responds to an internet ad for a villa on the picturesque island of Hilton Head. She books a five-week “hiatus from life,” to focus on herself, free from distractions. 

However, soon after arriving on the island, J.P. Long catches Kennedy’s hesitant eye. Despite a series of serendipitous encounters around the romantic oasis, Kennedy knows there’s no room in her life for a charming professional golfer turned businessman who is battling his own personal and professional insecurities. 

But maybe he’s worth the trouble.

If there’s one thing Kennedy’s learned, it’s that life rarely happens as expected, and sometimes, the best stories unfold when you stop chasing the perfect headline. 

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About the Author

 A graduate of Fordham University, Caila Klaiss is an award-winning network news producer who spent seventeen years crisscrossing the country to cover breaking and developing stories for platforms across ABC News. The bulk of her career was spent producing true crime documentaries for 20/20. 

Since making the difficult decision to leave a career she loved, Caila has pursued her other life-long dream of becoming a writer. When she is not reading, writing, or researching, Caila recharges by practicing yoga.

Born, raised, and currently living in northeastern Pennsylvania, Caila is a New Yorker at heart whose happy place is a warm sandy beach, under a palm tree.

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Music can elevate the soul—or expose its deepest cracks. In The Well-Tempered Violinist by Barbara T. Carlton, art, ambition, and emotion intertwine in a story that resonates long after the final note. Learn about this historical fiction novel and author--and be sure to enter for a chance to win a prize in the book tour giveaway at the end of this post. 

Book 1 of The Gift

Historical Fiction

Date to be Published: November 5, 2025

Publisher: Acorn Publishing

But the violin Marthe’s father left her is a constant reminder of the profound bond between them, and it gives her the strength to begin healing. When the Köln Conservatory offers her an unexpected scholarship, she seizes her chance to reach for excellence.

Under the rigorous tutelage of Professorin Wolff, and subjected to predatory harassment by a fellow student determined to destroy both her self-worth and her chances of success, Marthe quickly learns she will need more than motivation and talent to rise to the top.

Filled with heart, wit, and music, The Well-Tempered Violinist is an enduring coming-of-age tale about an artist striving for greatness against enormous odds.

The Well-Tempered Violinist, Book 1 of The Gift series, is her first novel.

Connect with the Author

Facebook: Barbara Thornburgh Carlton, Writer

Instagram: @btcarlton_writer 

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When the wilderness becomes both teacher and test, survival is only part of the story. In Never Lost by Aaron C. Anderson, man and nature meet in a raw, soul-stirring journey through the untamed heart of Idaho’s backcountry. Part survival tale, part spiritual odyssey, this novel explores what it truly means to endure — and to stay connected to the wisdom of generations past. Learn more about this book and its author--and be sure to enter for a chance to win a prize in the book tour giveaway at the end of this post. 

General Fiction

Date Published: October 23rd, 2025

Publisher: Acorn Publishing

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About the Book

 

Zane Carter and his sons, eleven-year-old Ty and thirteen-year-old Joseph, venture one hundred miles into the Idaho wilderness with only a knife and the knowledge of their Nez Perce ancestors. Danger awaits at every deadfall and lurks in every snowy shadow as the boys hunt, fish, make weapons, and build shelter, learning to survive, taking only what they need from the land, and leaving no trace.

 

During their eighteen-day journey, Zane’s determination to fulfill a promise to his grandfather, an Indigenous warrior who exemplified the tenets of a wise and spiritual existence, is thwarted by a fatal encounter that transports Zane into an ancient realm as he straddles the thin line between life and death.

 

He wonders what has become of his boys. Have they learned enough patience, resourcefulness, and courage to complete this rite of passage? Will they make it out of the wildlands alive? Or will the unforgiving forces of the natural world take them too far from home to ever return?

 

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About the Author

After high school, Aaron Anderson set out to see the world, embarking on adventures through North America, Europe, and North Africa. He enjoyed traveling as a bicyclist, motorcyclist, train passenger, and even as a hitchhiker, reveling in the excitement of the unknown.

 

At the age of twenty-two, Aaron returned to the US and worked on oil rigs in Wyoming. He later became a carpenter and eventually a real estate appraiser. However, his true passions have always been writing, developing powerful friendships, and exploring new country. 

 

During the 1980s he and his two sons hunted, hiked, and camped throughout the western states. Here, his love for the natural world and respect for Indigenous people prompted him to write his second novel, Never Lost.

 

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