Category: Contemporary Fiction

Fiction Stories in modern-day everyday life settings. This is my favorite genre to read and write!

6 Christian Fiction Books for Autumn Reading (in bullet-point form)

Eliza NoelLeave a comment

It’s that time of year for cozy thrifted sweaters, Autumn Spice coffee, and a stack of Christian fiction books perfectly curated for Autumn reading. Here’s a quick overview of some cozy Autumn books I’ve enjoyed. You can click on the titles for longer reviews or more information.

6 Christian Fiction Books for Autumn Reading

Before We Were Us by Denise Hunter

  • enemies-to-friends-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers (if that makes any sense, haha)
  • memory loss
  • rustic resort in New Hampshire setting
  • Hallmark vibes
  • rescue dog

Specters in the Glass House by Jaime Jo Wright

  • PTSD
  • Autumn in the midwest
  • suspense and thrill of something possibly paranormal (spoiler, though: it isn’t paranormal)
  • dual timeline
  • family secrets

Martin Hospitality by Abigayle Claire

  • fun fact: the author of this book is the editor of my book series
  • Thanksgiving dinner in a big family
  • teen pregnancy
  • fall festival
  • rural Kansas setting

Dearest Josephine by Caroline George

  • cozy fall vibes
  • dual timeline
  • Jane Austen with a modern twist
  • England setting

Beyond Ivy Walls by Rachel Fordham

  • Beauty and the Beast retelling
  • set in 1903
  • sweet family relationships

The Second-Story Bookshop by Denise Hunter

  • “A Walk to Remember” vibes
  • small town bookstore
  • artfully done split timeline
  • good-girl-meets-bad-boy (at least that’s what the town thinks)
  • tear-jerker

What are some favorite Christian fiction books for Autumn reading that you would add to this list?

Riley + Sam by Ashley Schaller//Christian YA Romance Review

Eliza Noel1 Comment

Riley + Sam by Ashley Schaller is a sweet innocent Christian YA romance book.  Riley Anderson thinks her summer is gonna be pretty chill. She’ll work on some digital art commissions and just relax. Two things shake those plans up. 1) her little cousin Lou-lou is spending the summer with them (not terrible, Lou-lou’s great, but now Riley has some babysitting responsibility on her plate). 2) Sam Hong is back. Sam was Riley’s childhood best friend and neighbor. Once he got famous and he went on tour he left and never looked back. Until now. Now Riley’s got a challenging summer ahead of her because she promised herself she would be one girl who would not fall for Sammy Hong.

Audience

Teen Girls

Genre

Christian YA Romance, Contemporary YA Fiction

Author

Ashley Schaller

Riley’s little cousin Lou-lou starts out hating Sam because she remembers how sad Riley was when he left. But Sam quickly wins her over with his sweet charm. Soon the three of them have made a Summer bucket list. Sam’s sick of the spotlight and he wants to experience normal things (like going through the drive-thru), like a normal person. Riley and Lou-lou decide they’ll make that happen for him with some clever (or maybe not so clever) disguises.

A few of my favorite things…

  • The friends-to-more story
  • Sam helping Riley process grief (her mom died while he was gone)
  • Lou-lou. She’s so sassy, funny, and adorable. I love when stories have little kids as some of their main characters!
  • Sarge, the lovable golden retriever.
  • Riley’s faith. She models “pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) well. She also encourages Sam to turn back to the Lord, and use spotlight to bring glory to Him. There’s a part where she describes grace well.
  • “Celebrity sick of the spotlight” is one of my favorite storylines.
  • The humor. I was laughing out loud a lot! Whether it was at a situation, Lou-lou’s attitude or Riley’s inner thoughts.
  • Sweet family relationships. Riley is really close to her dad. They often drink tea together in the evenings. She’s also good friends with her older sister. You don’t often see good family relationships like that in stories!
  • Coffee. Here are some golden quotes: “I swear you barely qualify as a person in the morning [before coffee.” “Am I a mess? Yes. But a happy, coffee-loving one.”
  • Riley’s dream of being a mom. So often girls don’t feel the freedom to say that. They think instead that they have to have a big career plan.
  • A really horrible date that Riley goes on. It’s humorously described, but poor Riley learns her lesson. She doesn’t need to go on a date with just any guy who asks.

Know that…

  • Sam sleeps in the same tent as Riley and Lou-lou. Nothing happens. Nothing’s romantic or sexual about it. But in real life, that wouldn’t be a good idea.
  • There’s lots of times that Riley thinks about kissing. But it doesn’t actually happen except maybe once at the very end.
  • My book friend, Lindsey, has a more thorough content review over on her blog. You can read it here.

Perfect for…

Any teen girl looking for a sweet, innocent summer romance!

Amazon

If you’re looking for other clean Christian contemporary books, check out mine. You can find more information about my Dawn Chandler series here.

Notes: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I’m also an Amazon Affiliate, so I receive a commission on anything purchased through links I share.

Everything’s Coming Up Rosie by Courtney Walsh//Christian Contemporary Romance Review

Eliza Noel2 Comments

Everything’s Coming Up Rosie by Courtney Walsh was a sweet Christian Contemporary Romance novel. It’s about a girl who’s always dreamed of being an actress. After years of living month-to-month in New York City, her dream just doesn’t seem to be working out. She’s extra discouraged because all of her childhood best friends seem to be thriving. Desperate, she takes a theater job she knows absolutely nothing about. Turns out, she’s directing a musical acted out by an eclectic group of people in a retirement community. She wonders how this could ever possibly turn out good.

I’m actually running a giveaway for a different Courtney Walsh book now. You can get extra entries from signing up for my email list here.

Audience

Older Teen Girls & Women

Genre

Christian Contemporary Romance, Closed-door Romance, Rom-com, Christian Contemporary Fictions

Author

Courtney Walsh

A few of my favorite things…

  • Dylan, the moody teenager who really just needs a friend and something to do.
  • The retirement community setting. All the old people in it are adorable!
  • Door County. Love that it was set here! I actually happened to be on a trip there while I was reading it.
  • Lots of side character growth.
  • Rosie’s longing for close friends who know her and then realizing she has to let people into her life for that to happen.

Know that…

  • A female character is caught looking at a male character’s butt (unnecessary in my opinion).
  • A side character gets drunk at a bar.
  • A few very kissy pages I kinda just skimmed.  A kiss here and there is sweet, but I don’t need a front row seat to allll the details.
  • A male and female character accidentally fall asleep on a stage and are found there together in the morning. Nothing more happened despite what other characters hint at.
  • There may have been a few more things I missed…so not squeaky clean, but no major lines were crossed. A lot of cute aspects to the story though!

Perfect for…

Any woman looking for a humorous Christian contemporary romance centered around theater.

Amazon

Other Reviews of Courtney Walsh’s Books:
The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley

Notes: I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I’m also an Amazon Affiliate, so I receive a commission on anything purchased through links I share.

Where Secrets Lie by Colleen Coble and Rick Acker//Christian Suspense Review

Eliza Noel3 Comments

Where Secrets Lie by Colleen Coble and Rick Acker was a great Christian suspense novel. In some ways, it gave me National Treasure and Night at the Museum vibes because of the treasure smuggling ring. Of course, it was much more serious and heavy than those family movies.  Unfortunately, I somehow missed the fact that it was book #2 in the Tupelo Grove series, so I felt like I spent the first bit of the book trying to catch up on the storyline. I loved the book, “I Think I Was Murdered”, by the same duo of Christian suspense authors, so when I saw this one available on Netgalley I immediately requested it (with little research obviously, haha).

Audience

Older Teens & Adults

Genre

Christian Suspense

Author

Colleen Coble and Rick Acker

Savannah Webster and her ex-husband, Hez, have been through a lot together. They lost their daughter and were almost murdered by a smuggling ring, just to name a few things. Now it seems they’re finally able to process their grief together and maybe even remarry. But then things start going wrong. Something’s off at the university Savannah was recently chosen to be president of. On top of that, someone planted a wine bottle in Hez’s trash can and now Savannah’s afraid he has relapsed into alcoholism.

Read this Christian suspense novel to see what happens next!

A few of my favorite things…

  • The main couple learning to process grief together.
  • A suspenseful ending that demands another book in the series.
  • Unexpected plot twists and turns.
  • An adorable little British boy named Simon.
  • Southern culture and scenery.
  • Fun dog side characters.
  • Complex family history.

Know that…

  • There are heavy topics. Adultery is mentioned in someone’s family history, a couple who divorced but is trying to get back together, smuggling, murder, alcoholism, grief…definitely for an older crowd.

Perfect for…

Someone looking for a Christian suspense series.

Amazon

Notes: I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I’m also an Amazon Affiliate, so I receive a commission on anything purchased through links I share.

First Love, Second Draft by Becca Kinzer//Christian Contemporary Romance Review

Eliza NoelLeave a comment

First Love, Second Draft by Becca Kinzer was a sweet Christian Contemporary Romance novel. It’s about a couple, Gracie and Noah, who got divorced 5 years previously, but neither has quite moved on. There’s a sweet side romance between Gracie’s nephew and the girl who was his best friend all through high school. It had me laughing and crying. Also, I absolutely love the clever title!

Audience

Older Teen Girls & Women

Genre

Christian Contemporary Romance, Closed-door Romance, Rom-com

Author

Becca Kinzer

Noah and Gracie never learned how to grieve the fact that they weren’t able to have children. Gracie’s dream had always been to be a mom, and she was absolutely crushed. When she saw Noah continuing on with his professional baseball career, she could only assume he wasn’t affected by it all. So the two of them gave up.

Five years later, Gracie is dealing with a hip injury and a tight writing deadline. Her nephew, Matt, arranges behind her back for her ex-husband to come and take care of her. Saying Gracie is furious would maybe even be an underestimate. How could she possibly focus on her writing deadline with that handsome (and infuriating) face around? The only face she ever kissed?

As Gracie and Noah bicker, Matt is reconnecting with Rachel, his high school best friend he’s always been in love with, but feels friend-zoned by.

A few of my favorite things…

  • The friends-to-lovers story
  • Characters learning to grieve
  • Noah and Gracie are still learning new things about each other after many years of marriage
  • The humor
  • References to classic old movies

Know that…

  • There’s a part where Noah helps Gracie take a bath because she can’t do it on her own. At this point, they’re divorced…so ya, that’s a bit messy…

Perfect for…

Any woman looking for a humorous and Christian contemporary romance novel filled with bickering and processing grief.

Amazon

Notes: I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I’m also an Amazon Affiliate, so I receive a commission on anything purchased through links I share.