Awesome Looking Christian Fiction Books to Lust After Part 2

I started this list a month ago but here's part two of the awesome looking Christian fiction books to look forward to in 2011. It's taking all my willpower not to include the awesome looking books coming out in 2012, but I'll probably share about those soon enough. And just in case you missed it, check out Awesome Looking Christian Fiction Books to Lust After Part One.



The Captive Heart by Dale Cramer

Bandit troubles intensify as Caleb Bender's family tries to settle into their new life in 1920s Paradise Valley. When El Pantera kidnaps Rachel and leaves her brother, Aaron, for dead, Jake Weaver and the Mexican native Domingo pursue the bandit leader to his mountain stronghold in a hopeless rescue attempt. Jake and Domingo manage to escape with Rachel, with the bandits hot on their trail. In a desperate attempt to avoid recapture, Domingo puts himself squarely in harm's way, giving Jake and Rachel time to get away. This is not the quiet life Caleb Bender envisioned when he led his family out of Ohio. What is a father to make of his daughter's obvious affection for a man outside the fold? And how will a pacifist Amishman like Caleb respond to the events that threaten his family and their way of life? Okay this book technically comes out January 1st, 2012 but will be in stores before that. I loved the first book in this series, LOVED. But can we talk about the cover for a minute? It HURTS MY HEART. That guy looks fake. FAKE. And I'm afraid people will pass right by this book and not take it seriously and not realize that it's probably REALLY awesome because of that cover. But rest assured, the first book in the series is beautiful and thoughtful and I have no doubt this one will be as well. So ignore the cover and give it a chance. (Bethany House)



The Loom by Shella Gillis

Working beside her grandmother in the loom room, 7-year-old Sadie tries to make sense of her life---and its pain----as a slave in 1835 Maryland. Meanwhile Caroline, the plantation owner, harbors a secret that could rip everyone's world apart. If the truth comes out, will it set them free? I love the cover on this and it's a pretty interesting subject matter for Christian fiction. Looking forward to it a lot! (December, Guideposts)



Composing Amelia by Alison Strobel

Can a brand-new marriage withstand the weight of generations-old baggage?

Newlyweds Amelia and Marcus Sheffield are recent college grads, trying to stay afloat in LA while searching for their dream jobs. Marcus hopes to become a mega-church pastor. Amelia has an esteemed music degree, and longs to play piano professionally. The Sheffields are clearly city people.

But when a small town church offers Marcus a job, the couple’s dedication to their dreams and each other is tested. After a risky compromise is made, Amelia falls into a dark emotional place, where she finds skeletons she’d fought hard to deny. In desperation, she calls out to God. But why can’t she find Him? While Amelia struggles, Marcus learns news that nearly crushes him. He must lean on his faith to withstand the pressure… or risk losing his wife forever. I have to admit this book appeals to me hugely because of the cover, it's just so stunning in my opinion. But also being a PK and someone that studied church growth,models, trends, etc. in college stories about pastors and their families are always interesting to me as well. (September, David C Cook)



To Die For: A Novel of Anne Boleyn by Sandra Byrd

To Die For, is the story of Meg Wyatt, pledged forever as the best friend to Anne Boleyn since their childhoods on neighboring manors in Kent. When Anne’s star begins to ascend, of course she takes her best friend Meg along for the ride. Life in the court of Henry VIII is thrilling at first, but as Anne’s favor rises and falls, so does Meg’s. And though she’s pledged her loyalty to Anne no matter what the test, Meg just might lose her greatest love—and her own life—because of it.
Meg's childhood flirtation with a boy on a neighboring estate turns to true love early on. When he is called to follow the Lord and be a priest she turns her back on both the man and his God. Slowly, though, both woo her back through the heady times of the English reformation. In the midst of it, Meg finds her place in history, her own calling to the Lord that she must follow, too, with consequences of her own. Each character in the book is tested to figure out what love really means, and what, in this life, is worth dying for.

Though much of Meg’s story is fictionalized, it is drawn from known facts. The Wyatt family and the Boleyn family were neighbors and friends, and perhaps even distant cousins. Meg’s brother, Thomas Wyatt, wooed Anne Boleyn and ultimately came very close to the axe blade for it. Two Wyatt sisters attended Anne at her death, and at her death, she gave one of them her jeweled prayer book—Meg. I enjoy Sandra Byrd's books and I also really like the story of Anne Boleyn so this should be an interesting perspective! (August, Howard)

There are a few others I'm looking forward to but this pretty much covers it. Of course there's also all those Christmas books coming out...