adult Christian fiction

My biggest problem with Amish fiction is that many of the stories feature the same main problems:  what if I love someone who’s not Amish? and Should I stay within the Amish faith or leave?  Those are very valid concerns, and quite respectable story lines within the genre, but ….

That’s what makes Shelley Shepard Gray’s newest book A Son’s Vow one of the best Amish stories I’ve read in years:  her characters face incredibly realistic problems, yet their faith shines through brightly.  Nobody will mistake Gray’s new cast of characters as living with rosy glasses on; in one way or another, everyone is facing problems head-on.  These problems take Amish fiction to a new level:  we’re no longer talking only about love, but about physical abuse and forgiveness and abandonment.

Gray deals with these deep topics with wisdom and compassion.  I appreciate the way that her characters took time to determine a Biblical course of action.  They stood up for others, whether the people attacking them were Amish or English.  They took time to invest in relationships, regardless of the faith background of the other person. 

I’m glad that this book is the first in a new series.  I’ve read many of Gray’s books, and while she’s an excellent writer, this is definitely the best one yet.  I look forward to returning to Charm.

Nineteen-year-old Carrie Ann Bell is independent and spirited. The only thing she really fears are the Union soldiers fighting against her Confederate friends. When her youngest sister runs away from home, brave Carrie Ann is determined to find her and bring her back. Disguised as a soldier, she sets off—only to find she’s fallen into the hands of the enemy.

Her childhood friend Confederate Major Joshua Blevins has warned her against these Yankees: they’re all devils, ready to inflict evil on unsuspecting young women. When Colonel Peyton Collier arrests her for her impersonation of an officer, it seems to confirm all her fears.

Soon, though, she finds herself drawn to the handsome, gallant colonel. He rescued her, protected her, and has been every inch the gentleman. Carrie Ann discovers that her foe has become her ally—and more than that, someone she could love. But the arrival of Joshua in the Union camp as a spy will test her loyalties. Will she protect someone who has been like family or be loyal to this stranger to whom she wants to offer her heart? When her world is being torn apart around her, whom should she trust?

Set against the backdrop of the American Civil War, A Thousand Shall Fall is framed around compelling characters and a very romantic setting in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. Andrea Boeshaar’s extensive research guarantees historical accuracy and romance genre enthusiasts and Civil War buffs alike will enjoy the Christian perspectives on actual historical events.

Boeshaar’s characters Peyton and Carrie Ann will enthrall you with their spunkiness.  I love reading about characters who face challenges with spark, and Carrie Ann excels at that.  She never does what is expected and doesn’t know the fancy manners that Peyton’s social class required, and her mistakes are funny and lighten the dark mood of war.

Dark it is.  Boeshaar doesn’t gloss over the gruesomeness of battle in the 1860s, and one can nearly smell the gunpowder floating in the air.  The horrors of battle are vividly described, and those issues are important for us to remember if we’re to understand the time period accurately.

While the war is a fascinating topic, the story is a bit slow-moving at times.  The characters spend lots of time in conversation, which is important for them to deepen their relationship.  With so  many different types of action happening throughout this time period, there were many times when I wished that the author had picked up the pace fo the plot. I was ready for action long before the characters took it, and yet when it came it was quite satisfying.

One other interesting angle to me is the setting.  With family living in the Shenandoah Valley, I enjoyed reading about the place I’ve been exploring for the past 8 years.  Because Boeshaar sets the scene so well, I can almost see the way Winchester and Woodstock must have looked during the War.  This ‘virtual historical exploration’ was fun.

The pace aside, my biggest problem with the story was that it ended.  By the end I really wanted to know more about Carrie Ann and Peyton’s story, but the book ended just when it was getting really good.  I hope Boeshaar picks up right where she leaves off in the sequel.

Click here to read other reviews on this blog hop or here to purchase your own copy now.

Andrea Boeshaar is the cofounder of American Christian Fiction Writers and runs “The Writer’s ER,” a coaching service for writers. She is the author of thirty published works, including Threads of Faith, a finalist in the Inspirational Readers Choice Awards. Andrea is also the author of a popular devotional and regularly blogs on a number of sites.

Connect with Andrea: website, Twitter, Facebook

I received a free copy of this book from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review.

Lydia’s job at the library is her world—until a mysterious patron catches her eye . . . and perhaps her heart.

Just months after the closure of the Chicago World’s Fair, librarian Lydia Bancroft finds herself fascinated by a mysterious dark-haired and dark-eyed patron. He has never given her his name; he actually never speaks to a single person. All she knows about him is that he loves books as much as she does.

Only when he rescues her in the lobby of the Hartman Hotel does she discover that his name is Sebastian Marks. She also discovers that he lives at the top of the prestigious hotel and that most everyone in Chicago is intrigued by him.

Lydia and Sebastian form a fragile friendship, but when she discovers that Mr. Marks isn’t merely a very wealthy gentleman, but also the proprietor of an infamous saloon and gambling club, she is shocked.

Lydia insists on visiting the club one fateful night and suddenly is a suspect to a murder. She must determine who she can trust, who is innocent, and if Sebastian Marks-the man so many people fear-is actually everything her heart believes him to be.

Whispers in the Reading Room features the most exciting characters I’ve met in a long time!  Lydia isn’t your typical library lady.  She’s not shy or demure, and while she’s not exactly led an adventurous life, she’s not sheltered from life’s harsh realities, either.  She’s brave and gutsy and willing to face new experiences, except she’s never met a man like Sebastian Marks. 

Sebastian is the very best kind of leading man.  He’s strong, dangerous, and protective.  He cares for those around him but has no trouble making tough decisions.  He’s the kind of man you want guarding your family or leading troops into battle.  Despite that roughness, he’s nothing but gentle with those he loves, and that’s what makes him so much fun to read about.

The characterization is what makes Gray’s novel stand out.  Sebastian and Lydia are exciting to read about, and she puts them in suspenseful situations.  They also grow throughout the story, both emotionally and spiritually, and that’s rewarding to watch.

I liked the way that Lydia and Sebastian were aware of societal norms but didn’t necessarily follow them.  They behaved well, for the most part, but they didn’t worry about the silly rules that governed class structures.  I admire the people who didn’t let other people’s expectations hold them back, and both main leads broke free of typical limits.

Besides that?  The plot is suspenseful and the setting colorful.  The contrast between the Hartman and the Silver Grotto is vivid and highlights the differences between Lydia, Sebastian, and the lives that they want to lead.

I enjoyed reading Whispers in the Reading Room. It’s an excellent read and a fun historical story.  Gray’s books keep getting better and better.

Click here to read other reviews on this bloggy hop or here to purchase your own copy now.

Shelley Gray is the author of The Heart of a Hero series. Her Amish novel (written as Shelley Shepard Gray), The Protector, recently made the New York Times best seller list. A native of Texas, she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Colorado and taught school for ten years. She and her husband have two children and live in Southern Ohio.

Connect with Shelley: website, Twitter, Facebook

I received a free copy of this book from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review.

Grant and Audrey are adding grandchildren to their family left and right, but middle daughte, Danae, and her husband, Dallas Brooks, have been trying for years with no baby in sight.

Though Danae is ready to consider adoption, Dallas will not even discuss it. Despairing of ever having a family of her own, Danae decides to pour her passion and energies into volunteer work with a newly opened women’s shelter in town. Looking for a good cause to fill her lonely days, she never expects to give her heart to the hurting women she meets there. She’s finally learning to live her life with gratitude, but then heart-wrenching events on Thanksgiving weekend threaten to pull the entire Whitman clan into turmoil—and leave them all forever changed.

Another Way Home is the best book in the Chicory Inn series so far!  I love what Raney’s done with the characters.  Danae and Dallas are the most realistic characters to date.  They’re real and transparent and hurting, yet they’re trying incredibly hard to follow after God.  I love that aspect of this story. 

Danae’s struggle made Another Way Home real for me.  I appreciate the way that she fought selfish desires in her marriage, the way that she tried hard to find the good in days that seemed to have none.  Danae hung in there and looked for blessings and changed her outlook, and that’s the kind of character that I want to read about.

Raney leaves a great hook at the end of the story for the next book, too.  I’m looking forward to reading that story more than any of the others in this series.  Raney’s really hit her stride with these characters, and I look forward to seeing what comes next.

I received a free copy of Another Way Home from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review.

Reese Clawson’s work is mind-bending–literally. Her company specializes in global data analysis for an elite group of industry executives, and now a lucrative government contract is moving her into the realm of cutting-edge intelligence gathering. She is determined to crack the limits of consciousness–and in doing so, the boundaries of secrets and lies. But her experiment crashes as test subjects slide into a coma-like state. Reese is left scrambling to maintain control, drawing three disparate people into the search for answers–an adrenaline-amped thrill junkie with altered brain chemistry, an Italian scientist working on remote-viewing technology, and a math prodigy whose algorithms subvert computer encryption.

Will this piecemeal team prevail when a government operative is sent to investigate? As the threads of perception and reality become tangled and even time itself twists in unexpected directions, one warning remains clear: what you don’t know can kill you.

With a concept so daring and writing so gripping, readers will swiftly fall under the spell of Thomas Locke’s endlessly creative mind. This thrilling psychological journey into the very nature of causation and consciousness will leave them turning the pages and grasping for solid ground.

Trial Run (Fault Lines)‘>Trial Run in exchange for an honest review.

India Hartley, a famous and beautiful actress, is now alone after her father’s death and embarks upon a tour of theaters across the South. Her first stop is Savannah’s Southern Palace. On the eve of the second night’s performance, something goes horribly wrong. Her co-star, Arthur Sterling, is shot dead on stage in front of a packed house, and India is arrested and accused of the crime.

Overcoming these odds will take more than a miracle drug—it will take a miracle.

Every choice has a consequence in the explosive conclusion to the Carthage Chronicles as Lisbeth returns to third-century Carthage for a thrilling final adventure.