Who is ready to fire up their e-reader, put on sunglasses, and hand-hug a paperback? Summertime can be the best time for reading, and some great new releases are coming in the Christian fiction book world that should be on your to-be-read list for this summer.
Break out the lawn chairs, the iced tea, the shorts and t-shirts, and those great summer reads! Who is ready to fire up their e-reader, put on sunglasses, and hand-hug a paperback? Summertime can be the best time for reading, and some great new releases are coming in the Christian fiction book world that should be on your to-be-read list for this summer.
Did you know Christian fiction is a thing? It's such a great place to find edifying romance, thrilling but not overstepping suspense and mystery, adventures into fictional worlds and speculative fantasy, and even traditional historical romance and Amish stories.
Let's look at some must-haves for this summer's reading list!
With Every Memory – By Janine Rosche
Published by Revell – Release date June 6, 2023
Written in the Women's Fiction genre, Janine Rosche pens a vivid story --
Summary:
Is the life she can't remember one she'd rather forget? One year after her family was in a tragic car accident that killed her teenage son, Lori Mendenhall returns home with a traumatic brain injury that has stolen the last eight years of memories from her. She is shocked to find that the life she was leading before the accident is unrecognizable. Her once-loving husband, Michael, is a distant workaholic she isn't sure she can trust, and her once-bubbly daughter, Avery, has spent the last year hidden away in her room.
For Avery, life stopped when she lost her twin. If she wants to graduate high school, she'll have to accept help from Xander Dixon, her brother's best friend and the boy who relentlessly teased her for years. And if Lori wants to reconnect with her husband, she'll have to grapple with information her brain is trying to keep secret. With every memory that returns, she can't help but wonder if the life she can't remember is one she'd rather forget.
Man of Shadow and Mist – By Michelle Griep
Published by Barbour Fiction – Release date June 1, 2023
Michelle Griep loves to take her readers on thrilling rides in the Gothic elements of fiction while weaving in faith and romance.
Summary:
England, 1890
Vampires are alive and well in North Yorkshire, leastwise in the minds of the uneducated. Librarian Rosa Edwards intends to drive a stake through the heart of such superstitions. But gossip flies when the mysterious Sir James Morgan returns to his shadowy manor. The townsfolk say he is cursed.
James hates everything about England. The weather. The rumors. The scorn. Yet he must stay. His mother is dying of a disease for which he's desperately trying to find a cure—an illness that will eventually take his own life.
When Rosa sets out to prove the dark gossip about James is wrong, she discovers more questions than answers. How can she accept what she can't explain—especially the strong allure of the enigmatic man? James must battle a town steeped in fear and the unsettling attraction he feels for the no-nonsense librarian.
Can love prevail in a town filled with fear and doubt?
The All-American - By Susie Finkbeiner
Published by Revell – Release Date July 11, 2023
A 1950s coming-of-age story, Susie Finkbeiner continues to bless and entertain with her thought-provoking and lyrical writing.
Summary:
Two sisters discover how much good there is in the world--even in the hardest of circumstances.
It is 1952, and nearly all the girls 16-year-old Bertha Harding knows dream of getting married, keeping house, and raising children in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan. Bertha dreams of baseball. She reads every story in the sports section, she plays ball with the neighborhood boys--she even writes letters to the pitcher for the Workington Sweet Peas, part of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
When Bertha's father is accused of being part of the Communist Party by the House Un-American Activities Committee, life comes crashing down on them. Disgraced and shunned, the Hardings move to a small town to start over, where the only one who knows them is shy Uncle Matthew. But dreams are hard to kill, and when Bertha gets a chance to try out for the Workington Sweet Peas, she packs her bags for an adventure she'll never forget.
The Happy Life of Isadora Bently – By Courtney Walsh
Published By, Thomas Nelson – Release Date, June 13, 2023
Courtney Walsh writes a fun and thoughtful romance, keeping it fresh and faithful to the values Christian readers want to enjoy.
Summary:
She's out to prove there's no such thing as choosing happiness.
Isadora Bentley follows the rules. Isadora Bentley likes things just so. Isadora Bentley believes that happiness is something that flat-out doesn't exist in her life—and never will.
As a university researcher, Isadora keeps to herself as much as possible. She avoids the students she's supposed to befriend and mentor. She stays away from her neighbors and lives her own quiet, organized life in her own quiet, organized apartment. And she will never get involved in a romantic relationship again—especially with another academic. It will be just Isadora and her research. Forever.
But on her thirtieth birthday, Isadora does something completely out of character. The young woman who never does anything "on a whim" impulsively purchases a magazine featuring a silly article detailing "Thirty-One Ways to Be Happy,"—which includes everything from smiling at strangers to exercising for endorphins to giving in to your chocolate cravings. Isadora decides to create her own secret research project—proving the writer of the ridiculous piece wrong.
As Isadora gets deeper into her research—and meets a handsome professor along the way—she's stunned to discover that maybe, just maybe, she's proving herself wrong. Perhaps there's actually something to this happiness concept, and possibly there's something to be said for loosening up and letting life take you somewhere happy.
The Laws of Attraction – By Mary Connealy
Published By Bethany House Publishers – Release Date, June 20, 2023
Mary Connealy has made her mark in the world of inspirational western historical romance. She will not disappoint those who want adventure and that good vintage feel of a dusty western town.
Summary:
Can they risk giving in to the attraction between them while their lives are on the line?
If widowed seamstress Nell Armstrong has to make one more pair of boring chaps for the cowboys in her tiny Wyoming town, she might just quit the business altogether! So meeting Brand Nolte, a widower struggling to raise three girls alone, seems like her dream come true. Brand has no idea how to dress the girls properly, and Nell finally has a chance to create beautiful outfits while also teaching the girls to sew.
But Nell is much more than a seamstress. The investigative skills and knowledge she picked up alongside her late lawman husband soon become critical when a wounded stagecoach-robbery survivor is brought to town. As danger closes in from all sides, Nell and Brand must discover who has a target trained on them before it's too late.
And these are just five of the many amazing books releasing this summer! Be sure to check out other great authors like Kimberley Woodhouse, Jennifer L. Wright, T.L. Lowe, Misty M. Beller, Robert Whitlow, and Tim Shoemaker! There's a plethora of great reading to be had, and you only need to wait until that book order appears in your mailbox, at your library pick-up, or at your local bookstore!
Photo credit: ©Unsplash/Priscilla Du Preez
Jaime Jo Wright is an ECPA and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author. Her novel “The House on Foster Hill” won the prestigious Christy Award and she continues to publish Gothic thrillers for the inspirational market. Jaime Jo resides in the woods of Wisconsin, lives in dreamland, exists in reality, and invites you to join her adventures at jaimewrightbooks.com and at her podcast madlitmusings.com where she discusses the deeper issues of story and faith with fellow authors.
