adult Christian fiction

Colleen Coble delivers excitement and loads of angst in her latest novel Prowl! The second book in the Sanctuary series, this story will keep you turning pages late into the night.

I love the twistiness of this story. Each time I thought I had an element figured out, she’d dribble out more information that would make me rethink my theories. Plots that keep me guessing are my favorite kind!

Lead character Paradise has more than enough on her plate, and I enjoy the way that her past is colliding with her future in this series. New information is revealed and more questions asked in this book, and it makes for a fun mystery alongside the drama happening at the animal park. As a hurt but strong character, I love the way that she stands up for herself and works to heal. This doesn’t always go smoothly, but it is real, and it’s a wonderful example of what healing might look like.

So if dramatic, found-family, suspenseful stories are your jam, give Prowl a try. You’ll be glad you did.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

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Return to Patricia Bradley’s Logan Point world in her next novel On the Edge of Trust – it’s a doozy! You’ll be caught up in murder, mayhem, and mystery from the very first page.

There’s so much happening in this book that seeing how Bradley ties it all together is impressive. The action never stops, and it’s not all explosions and gunshots but sometimes more devious issues, too.

I love how Bradley contrasts both deep friendship with the way that those we love can also wound us. Sometimes those closest to us are the ones who hurt us the most, and Bradley digs into forgiveness and good versus evil in this story. I enjoyed having those lessons to ponder while I was trying to figure out who the real villain is.

It’s not easy to do. Every time I thought I had it figured out something else threw me off, and I never did quite get it. The best books keep you on your toes, and this one does!

While I love a story that a sizzling romantic element, sometimes that’s not my top reading priority, you know? Bradley penned this one fantastically, because while there’s definitely a budding romance, there are other relationships that are also top priorities in this book. You can definitely get your romance cup filled here, but you’ll also turn the last page pondering how to be a better sister, daughter, friend, and mentor.

On the Edge of Trust has it all: suspense, mystery, fantastic characters, and lessons to learn. If suspense is your genre, don’t miss this new novel.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Wow! Steinbeck from Susan May Warren hits all the notes: it’s explosive and deep but also challenges your ideas of purpose, faith, and future. It’s the perfect conclusion to the Minnesota Kingstons series – but I’m really hoping to see this family in future books, because they’re awesome.

I love Steinbeck. He’s a major character because he’s been integral in the other books, too. His plotline has been building through each and crescendos in Steinbeck, which perfectly pairs with how he lays everything on the line for his family and for Phoenix.

Can it get any better than a cute, brilliant guy who would do anything to save his love – and the world? Only that she’s a match. Steinbeck and Phoenix are here to untangle the national security threat that faces the US and to save a bunch of lives along the way, and of course while they’re doing that, they’re learning deeper lessons about purpose, faith, and trust. I’m here for it all.

Steinbeck is definitely a fall must-read if you’re a fan of hunky action stories, but it could be a springboard to more. It’s always hard to leave great characters behind, but bring us more in this world, please. Tell us about Nim, more about Luka’s family, and keep going with Steinbeck and Phoenix, because I’m pretty sure the world isn’t totally done in terms of rescue needs. Unfortunately, the villains keep popping up.

Fortunately for us, Steinbeck and Phoenix are on the job.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Burning Justice grabs you by the throat on the very first page and doesn’t let go. The stakes are impossibly high in this story, leaving you with an adrenaline high before you finish the first chapter. It’ll all make you rethink your definition of ‘hard.’

Because Susan May Warren and Lisa Phillips, co-authors of the Chasing Fire: Alaska series, really know how to put their characters through the ringer. Yet that’s one of the many things I like about this series – and especially Burning Justice: not only will you get an amazing literary escape, but it also puts great lessons into a stark perspective that you won’t see anywhere else.

Because while we can all identify with feelings of loneliness and doubting our worth, it’s also not our job to save the literal Western World. The way these expert authors contrast these relatable lessons with hardcore heroes make these books a blast to read. They’re not just fluff, though they are fun – but you’ll be drawn into the story with a heroic cast of characters who all have their fatal flaws, too.

And that’s what makes them real: they’re not perfect, and because of that, Kane and Sanchez are people I want to know. I can understand their pain, but I also want to be in their inner circle, because we all want a family to which we can truly belong. That fellowship concept is one that both CS Lewis and TRR Tolkien learned during World War 1 and mastered in their own novels, and now Warren and Phillips have joined their club.

So that’s what makes Burning Justice the absolute perfect summer read – and it’s also why I’m not ready to leave the Chasing Fire: Alaska world. Though I feel like there were a few threads left to tug, so maybe we’ll get to revisit these characters in a future book. I’ll be hoping – in the meantime, I might just have to read this book again, because I’m not ready to say goodbye to my new story friends.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Kelly Underwood brings the next installment of the Chasing Fire: Alaska series with Burning Truth, and it’s a doozy! You won’t be able to put this exciting opposites-attract novel down.

I love the way that the surprises just keep coming in this story. Grizz is a totally fun lead, and I love the way that he just keeps pulling stuff out of his hat … er, cabin. Dani’s much deeper than she seems at first glance, too, and the combo makes for a really fun story, if you can call non-stop literary action ‘fun.’ I do, so Burning Truth was a blast for me to read.

This book contains some major hints about what will happen in the last book in the series, and I can’t wait to read it. With each book driving home lessons about faith through the lyrics of ‘Amazing Grace’ and hardcore action, this entire series has been exactly the kind of fiction I believe we’re meant to read: fun, entertaining, and full of hope and truth.

So if you’re ready to dig into a new book, give Burning Truth a try. You’ll be glad you did.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Roseanna M. White does it again! The Collector of Burned Books is a provocative, fresh take on how people survived World War II in Paris – even when they came into constant contact with the Nazi administration.

The Collector of Burned Books isn’t your typical story from this time period – it’s not about the Holocaust, Hitler, or even any of the resistance movements, particularly. Instead it’s about the force behind it all: the overwhelming importance of ideas, the power of the printed word, and what happens when people begin to fear that which is different from their own.

This book will challenge what you know and ask you to go deeper, and you’ll want to go. Full of quotable truths that need to make their way onto t-shirts and posters, White pulls it all in: hate vs. love, genocide and eugenics, prison camps and blind loyalty and greed and idealism.

Main character Christian Bauer’s idea of sacrificial love is one that you want to read. Tested to the extreme, he gives everything he has. Corinne Bastien has met her match in Bauer, because he challenges not only her skills but her ideas, hopes, and dreams.

The Collector of Burned Books fits so many niches: World War II/history, romance, historical suspense, and literary. Because of that, I’m sure it’s one you’ll enjoy. Give it a try – you’ll be glad you did.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.