I’ve recently been on a book-buying binge and (wonder of wonders!) I’ve actually read the books as I’ve bought them. (My usual habit is allowing them to languish on my to-read pile). Today I thought I’d share a few of my recent contemporary Christian romance reads.
I bought and devoured With Love, Melody, the first book in the Scripted Love series by Emily Dana Botrous, which features the Halverson siblings. I then had to read the rest of the series: Forever Yours, Lucy, and With All My Heart, Joy, followed by the prequel, Hugs and Kisses, Charity.
Yes, I did have to read all of them.
Yes, perhaps I should have read them in order. However, the prequel was probably my least favourite of the four, so I don’t regret reading them slightly out of order.
The fact I bought and read all four books in under a week tells you something about how much I enjoyed them. Perhaps I should have read them in order, but they are all standalones and they are romances, so there’s no big secret about how they are going to end. As with all romances, we’re reading for the journey.
With Love, Melody was my favourite for many reasons.
It was a friends-to-more plot, and that’s one of my favourite romance tropes. Melody, the heroine, has been best friends with TJ Halverson for close to half her life, but she’s never allowed the relationship to move beyond the friend zone because that would mean trusting TJ–and God–with her past. Yes, this is definitely a Christian romance, and I loved that.
TJ was the perfect Christian romance hero–faithful, loving, and dedicated. His only possible fault is that he is too perfect (oh, what a problem in a light-hearted romance). I loved the characters and the plot, which is why I read through the series so quickly.
The title of the story comes from the notes (and cards and emails) the hero and heroine of each story share with each other, and which help bring them together. That was a fun link, but what I liked most about each of the books was the clear Christian themes of love and forgiveness. I hear there will be one more book in the series, so I’ll be pre-ordering that as soon as it’s available.
I then read three of the four books in Jennifer Rodewald’s Rock Creek Romance collection: It Will Be Forever, Reclaimed, and Ordinary Snowflakes, (I’d already read The Cupcake Dilemma). Of the four, Ordinary Snowflakes was my favourite because of the underlying message about snowflakes … but you’ll have to read it to see what I mean.
I realised Jennifer Rodewald had a new release, Lake Shore Wandering, the first book in her new Redemption Shores series.
It’s an amnesia romance, and that’s another of my favourite tropes …
Hazel Wallace makes a living guiding hunters on her family land in remote Elk Canyon. Unknown to her, her latest client, Bennett Crofton is actually a friend of her brother’s, and he’s scouting to see if he can make an offer on the property to build a fancy resort.
Hazel loathes Hunter on sight, and her opinion sinks further when she discovers Hunter’s plan, because she doesn’t want to leave the family land. When Bennett knocks his head and loses his memory, Hazel lies and tells him they’re married. Oddly enough, they start getting on a lot better …
Well, that’s a cue for a big bust-up when Bennet finds out the truth, as we know he will. I loved watching Hazel and Bennett get together even while waiting for the inevitable breakup and hoping for a reunion (just in case I’d misremembered and this wasn’t actually going to be a romance).
Anyway, the ending delivered exactly the emotion hit I was looking for, and I immediately preordered the sequel, Lake Shore Return (which is going to be Hunter’s story).
Memory Lane by Becky Wade is another amnesia story.
Sculptor Remy Reed rescues a drowning man from the ocean outside her island home. He has no memory of who he is or how he ended up in the ocean.
The two draw closer, and eventually discover his true identity … a discover which raises its own set of problems.
Becky Wade novels often have a suspense subplot, and Memory Lane is no exception. It’s also the start of a series–Sons of Scandal–and the sequel, Rocky Road, is now available for preorder. Oh, my poor bank balance.
Thanks very much for this, Iola; I am always on the lookout for Christian romance!
Great job on reading them! (Yes, that is sometimes a problem for me too!)
Hi Iola, Thanks for sharing your recommendations. Emily’s books are in my TBR, Becky’s book is excellent (and book 2 is releasing Feb 2024), and Jennifer’s book is on my wish list. I’m trying to be disciplined and not adding books to my tbr until I have time to read them. 🙂