Awesome Looking Christian Fiction Books to Lust After Part 1

At the beginning of the year, I shared about some of the books I was looking forward to in 2011, but most of them were released in the first half of the year. So now that new catalogs have gone out, I'd thought I'd share about the books I'm interested in for the rest of the year. As I was making this list, I realized THERE WERE A TON of Christian fiction titles that look fantastic. So I've divided it up into two parts, get your wish lists ready! Oh I've linked all the titles to Amazon with my affiliate account so if you click over to Amazon and buy something I get the tiniest bit of commission.




The Doctor's Lady by Jody Hedlund

Priscilla White knows she'll never be a wife or mother and feels God's call to the mission field in India. Dr. Eli Ernest is back from Oregon Country only long enough to raise awareness of missions to the natives before heading out West once more. But then Priscilla and Eli both receive news from the mission board: No longer will they send unmarried men and women into the field. Left scrambling for options, the two realize the other might be the answer to their needs. Priscilla and Eli agree to a partnership, a marriage in name only that will allow them to follow God's leading into the mission field. But as they journey west, this decision will be tested by the hardships of the trip and by the unexpected turnings of their hearts. September, Bethany House. Jody Hedlund is the bee's knees, The Preacher's Bride was the kind of book you inhale that makes your heart flutter and your stomach get that melty feeling with all the passion and romance.



Reclaiming Lily by Patti Lacy

A storm the size of Texas brews when Gloria Powell and Kai Wang meet in a Dallas hotel. They have come to discuss the future of Lily, a rebellious, hurting teenager whom Gloria adopted from China and is the sister Kai hopes to reclaim.

Kai is a doctor who had to give up her baby sister during the cultural revolution and has since discovered that an inherited genetic defect may be waiting to fatally strike Lily.

When their best hope rests back in China, a desperate journey brings Gloria and Kai to the brink of despair. But God has plans for both women to reclaim Lily and fulfill destiny in a way that exceeds their wildest imaginations. October, Bethany House Really enjoyed reading Rhythm of Secrets and this sounds lovely, too.



A Lasting Impression by Tamera Alexander

To create something that will last is Claire Laurent's most fervent desire as an artist. It's also her greatest weakness. When her fraud of a father deals her an unexpected hand, Claire is forced to flee from New Orleans to Nashville, only a year after the War Between the States has ended. Claire's path collides with that of Sutton Monroe, and she considers him a godsend for not turning her in to the authorities. But when they meet again and he refuses to come to her aid, she realizes she's sorely misjudged the man.

Trading an unwanted destiny for an unknown future, Claire finds herself in the middle of Nashville's elite society and believes her dream of creating a lasting impression in the world of art may finally be within reach. All that Sutton Monroe holds dear lies in ruin. He's determined to reclaim his heritage and to make the men who murdered his father pay. But what he discovers on his quest for vengeance reveals a truth that may cost him more than he ever imagined.

Set at Nashville's historic Belmont Mansion, a stunning antebellum manor built by Mrs. Adelicia Acklen, the richest woman in America in the 1860s, A Lasting Impression showcases the deep, poignant, unforgettable characters that set Tamera's stories apart and provides an inspiring love story that will capture readers' hearts and leave them eager for more. November, Bethany House CAN'T COME FAST ENOUGH TO BE HONEST. I love and adore Tamera Alexander, etc.



Dry as Rain by Gina Holmes

From the bestselling author of Crossing Oceans comes a powerfully moving story that tests the limits of love’s forgiveness.

Like many marriages, Eric and Kyra Yoshida’s has fallen apart slowly, one lost dream and misunderstanding at a time, until the ultimate betrayal finally pushes them beyond reconciliation. Just when it looks like forgive and forget is no longer an option, a car accident gives Eric the second chance of a lifetime. A concussion causes his wife to forget details of her life, including the chasm between them. No one knows when—or if—Kyra’s memory will return, but Eric seizes the opportunity to win back the woman he’s never stopped loving. September, Tyndale Probably cried a bucket of tears during Crossing Oceans this sounds interesting, too.



A Sound Among the Trees by Susan Meissner

A house with a turbulent Civil War history becomes home to a new bride and stepmother in Susan Meissner’s richly absorbing tale of a line of women stuck living in patterns of regret.

On a historic Fredericksburg street, Holly Oak stands in quiet elegance. The cannonball wedged between stone and timber is a silent reminder of what the house endured in the Civil War. When Marielle Bishop marries into the Holly Oak family, she soon hears rumors that the ghost of Susannah Page, a Yankee spy, haunts the halls and she uncovers letters written during the Civil War. Adelaide, 83, who also lives there says it’s not her great-grandmother who is the ghost, but the house itself. September, Waterbrook Friends, I am IN LOVE with the cover of this book and does it not sound WONDERFUL and CIVIL WAR.



Barcelona Calling by Jane Kirkpatrick

From bestselling author Jane Kirkpatrick comes this relational story about a close-knit group of five women and their pursuit of life goals. You’ll be encouraged and entertained!

In the tradition of Neta Jackson’s Yada Yada Prayer Group series, Kirkpatrick invites you into the lives of five women friends who promise to help each other achieve their life goals.

Annie Shaw's goal is far from simple: become famous. But she’s in trouble after quitting her day job to write full-time. Her second novel tanked, and her new editor wants her to re-write the ending of her latest work to ensure this one is more successful. In order to pursue fame and an elusive bestseller, Annie travels to Chicago, acquires a rambunctious dog, and participates in antics better suited to a television reality show than real life. Can Annie’s best friends help her achieve her goals without destroying her future?

Award-winning author Jane Kirkpatrick, known for her superb historical novels, writes this bold, fresh, contemporary story she always threatened she’d one day “put down on paper to make people laugh and consider the true treasures of their hearts.” September, Zondervan Love her historicals, eager to see her tackle contemporary!



Protection for Hire by Camy Tang

Tessa Lancaster's skills first earned her a position as an enforcer in her Uncle Teruo's Japanese Mafia gang. Then they landed her in prison for a crime she didn't commit. Now, three months after her release, Tessa's abilities have gained her a job as bodyguard for wealthy socialite Elizabeth St. Amant and her three-year-old son. But there's a problem or two ... or three .... There's Elizabeth's abusive husband whose relentless pursuit goes deeper than mere vengeance. There's Uncle Teruo, who doesn't understand why Tessa's new faith as a Christian prevents her from returning to the yakuza. And then there's Elizabeth's lawyer, Charles Britton, who Tessa doesn't know is the one who ensured that she did maximum time behind bars. Now Tessa and Charles must work together in order to protect their client, while new truths emerge and circumstances spiral to a deadly fever pitch. Factor in both Tessa's and Charles's families and you've got some wild dynamics---and an action-packed, romantic read as Tessa and Charles discover the reality of being made new in Christ. October, Zondervan Wa-hoo! Camy Tang is baaaaack!



Kiss of Night by Debbie Viguie

Centuries ago, Raphael was a blasphemous knight who fought in the Crusades purely for his own mercenary benefit, and to satisfy his taste for killing. Now, condemned for his evil passions and hypocrisy, he wanders the earth a vampire, cursed with first-hand knowledge of the supernatural world he once denied existed. The powerful relic he still possesses from his days as a Crusader has been stolen by a rival vampire who has recruited an army of soulless underlings to aid him in spreading evil. At the time he learns this, Raphael has been hunting this vampire for nearly a century, and it seems the final battle is destined to take place in Prague.
For help in this quest, Raphael must enlist the aid of two humans, David and Susan, who suddenly find themselves immersed in a world they never imagined, entangled with supernatural forces they can't control. Susan, in particular, finds herself conflicted as she struggles with her inexplicable attraction to Raphael. In the end, both Susan and Raphael will be called upon to exercise courage and faith, and in the process, the question What would happen if a vampire truly accepted God? is answered. FaithWords, October. Why I am a glutton for punishment I don't exactly know, yet I will continue to read these Christian vampire books until I find one I like.



Southern Fried Sushi by Jennifer Rogers Spinola

Ride the rollercoaster of Shiloh Jacobs’s life as her dreams derail, sending her on a downward spiral from the heights of an AP job in Tokyo to penniless in rural Virginia. Trapped in a world so foreign to her sensibilities and surrounded by a quirky group of friends, will she break through her hardened prejudices before she loses those who want to help her? Can she find the key to what changed her estranged mother’s life so powerfully before her death that she became a different woman—and can it help Shiloh too? October, Barbour Books I love this description!!! It might have a little to do with Tokyo, yes.



Shadow in Serenity by Terri Blackstock

Carny Sullivan grew up in the zany world of a traveling carnival. Quaint and peaceful Serenity, Texas, has given her a home, a life, and a child. Logan Brisco is the smoothest, slickest, handsomest man Serenity, Texas has ever seen. But Carny Sullivan knows a con artist when she sees one---and she's seen plenty, starting with her father. As far as Carny Sullivan can tell, she's the only one in town who has his number. Because from his Italian shoes to his movie-actor smile, Logan has the rest of the town snowed. Carny is determined to reveal Brisco's selfish intentions before his promise to the townspeople for a cut in a giant amusement park sucks Serenity dry. Yet, as much as she hates his winning ways, there is a man behind that suave smile, a man who may win her heart against her will. Shadow in Serenity is a modern-day Music Man, penned by a Christy Award-winning, New York Times bestselling author. September, Zondervan MODERN DAY MUSIC MAN Y'ALL. I lived in Mason (River) City Iowa when I was in elementary school...oh the love.

We neeeeeed more hours in the day to read all of these wonderful books! Part 2 coming soon! And they YA, etc, etc. Read my list from the beginning of the year to make sure you didn't miss anything!