Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for Seeds of Hope by Teresa Wells, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
About the Book
Title: Seeds of Hope
Series: The Truitts of Texas #2
Author: Teresa Wells
Publisher: Scrivenings Press
Release Date: 07/14/2026
Genre: Christian Historical Romance
Two wounded hearts. One fragile hope. A love that dares to take root.
Blooming Grove, Texas, 1896
Deputy Rabb Truitt has sworn to protect Blooming Grove. But when a clerical error sets a criminal free, Rabb blames himself. He should’ve admitted he can’t read, and now he must resign. If he failed the town once, he could fail it again.
A recent survivor of a devastating fire, Sallie Parker refuses to let Rabb give up the job he loves. She helps him make sense of letters on the page, and as his knowledge grows, so do their feelings for each other.
When a series of mysterious events surround Sallie’s school, Rabb fears a connection to cattle rustlers he’s pursuing. Each day without arrest, the demands for mob justice increase. Rabb races to protect the town and the woman he loves. But is he too late?
Perfect for fans of Karen Witemeyer, Mary Connealy, and Jody Hedlund, Seeds of Hope is a faith-based historical romance filled with small-town danger, friends-to-lovers tenderness, found family, courage, and the promise that God can grow hope in even the hardest places.
PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Scrivenings Press | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | BookBub
Book Excerpt
Rabb shifted his stance. “I gotta tell you something first.”
Sheriff Akin lifted his chin and waited.
Rabb swallowed. “The trial, it didn’t go very well.”
“I heard. Read the paper too.”
Paper? He just spoke with Turner Jones. “I didn’t mean to ruin everything. I-I’m real sorry.”
The sheriff studied him a moment, his wiry brows knit. “Son, if you think I care about some story the paper prints, you’re wrong. I know your character. You’re a good man. Nobody thinks you threw that trial on purpose.”
Rabb stepped back, his jaw slack. “Who said I threw the trial?”
The older man nodded. “Haven’t seen it yet? Special edition, they’re calling it. I call it hogwash.”
Rabb drew a hand down his face, stunned by the accusation. That must be what Turner meant when he apologized. It had to be bad for the sheriff to call it hogwash. He shook off his dismay and tried to think clearly. “Actually, Sheriff, I feel pretty bad about that trial. I think I oughta step down. Let another man, someone more qualified, take on this job.”
Akin’s face hardened. “I don’t want to hear that kinda talk, Rabb. I chose you. Why? Because you’re a crack shot, got common sense, and you can read people. But mostly, you care about this town. Ain’t no replacing that.”
More in This Series
About the Author
Award-winning author Teresa Wells writes stories threaded with hope and redemption. She loves meeting people, touring old homes, and studying the Bible. She lives with her husband of 45 years outside of Dallas, Texas. Her debut novel, What Brings Us Joy (Scrivenings Press, 2025), is a double winner for the 2026 Holt Medallion Award. Seeds of Hope, Book 2 in The Truitts of Texas series, releases in July of 2026. You can find her online at teresawells.com
Author Interview
Q: What inspired you to write Seeds of Hope?
Teresa: The premise for Seeds of Hope came from my background in education combined with a Texas-sized fascination with all things western.
Q: How long did it take to write this book?
Teresa: I began plotting Seeds of Hope about a year and a half before it was due to my publisher.
Q: What surprised you while researching/writing this novel?
Teresa: Several things! That’s the fun part of historical research. You never know what you’ll find out! Two things stand out most of all: first, I had no idea school gardens were a big deal at any time in our nation’s educational history. At the end of the 1800’s until WWI, there was an educational movement called the School Gardens Movement, which was an effort to round out the education of children, particularly those in urban settings. But for those kids whose schools were in more rural places, the push was to teach the students principles of horticulture so they would be able to sustain themselves one day.
The second fascinating (and shocking) tidbit had to do with cattle and horse rustling. It seems that in my esteemed state of Texas in the late nineteenth century, a person who stole a horse was lucky to make it to trial (think mob justice). But murder? Not near as serious a crime.
Q: Do you have a favorite quote from Seeds of Hope?
Teresa: Here’s one of my favorites: For the first time in the last grim months, hope bloomed. Maybe God had a purpose for her.
Q: When did you first know you wanted to be an author?
Teresa: I was in elementary school when I first longed to be a writer. I entertained myself writing stories in my bedroom and illustrating them with pictures from the J C Penneys catalog. I grew up in a home where words and lovely phrases were revered, which pointed me toward writing.
Q: Would you share something about yourself that most readers wouldn’t know?
Teresa: I have ADD, and my elementary years were miserable. When I became a teacher, I promised myself I’d be the kind of teacher I needed.
Q: What are you currently reading?
Teresa: Even After This by Deborah Clack.
Q: What is your favorite genre to read?
Teresa: Historical Romance and Contemporary Romance
Q: What is your favorite hobby?
Teresa: I love to do counted cross-stitch.
Q: What is your favorite season and why?
Teresa: Fall, because of the temperature relief after very hot summers!
Tour Giveaway
(2) winners will each receive a signed copy of Seeds of Hope, items related to the book, and a $25 Amazon gift card!
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight August 3, 2026 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on August 10, 2026. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
