Christian Fiction Favorites of 2017!

Here are my favorite Christian fiction releases of 2017, In order of time period:

  

An Inconvenient Beauty by Kristi Ann Hunter (Bethany House); Hawthorne House, book 4. Both funny and poignant, the book is another marvelous regency era tale.

Lady Jayne Disappears by Joanna Davidson Politano (Revell). A different sort of tale than usual, mysterious, with hints of Dickens and a different period of British history than we generally see (1860's).

Holding the Fort by Regina Jennings (Bethany House); Fort Reno, book 1. Delightfully sweet and funny, while taking place in one of America's historical frontier forts (1880's).

  

Out of the Ordinary by Jen Turano (Bethany House); Apart from the Crowd, book 2. I laughed so hard when I read this book. I always think Jen Turano is funny, but this might be the funniest yet. (1880's)

Heart on the Line by Karen Witemeyer (Bethany House); Ladies of Harper's Station, book 2. The geeky telegrapher saves the saves the day (and wins the girl)! Sweet, funny, and a delight to read. (1890's)

A Dangerous Legacy by Elizabeth Camden (Bethany House); Empire State, book 1. Smart characters who make the most of their intelligence! Not to mention, the story is clever and suspenseful, with some wonderfully unexpected turns. (1900's)

  

A Name Unknown by Roseanna M. White (Bethany House); Shadows Over England, book 1. A thief who hates books is forced to masquerade as a librarian for the job--what could be more fun? (WWI)

The Illusionist's Apprentice by Kristy Cambron (Thomas Nelson). A spectacular jazz-age mystery where so little is precisely how it it appears. (1920's)

When Tides Turn by Sarah Sundin (Revell); Waves of Freedom, book 3. I love the author's attention to WWII history, but this is one of my favorites yet for wonderful characters and intriguing plot.

 

True to You by Becky Wade (Bethany House); Bradford Sisters Romance, book 1. Sweet, funny, and poignant. With a much bigger--and harder--problem to overcome than I ever would have guessed.

The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck by Bethany Turner (Revell). About an erotic romance writer who meets Jesus and falls in love with her pastor; it was incredibly funny, but also rather pointed and sadly true about aspects of church life.

Melissa Tagg's "One Enchanted Noël"

Melissa Tagg rounds off her Enchanted Christmas collection with "One Enchanted Noël," about the final Renwycke sibling, Leigh--a woman who has made a lot of mistakes and knows everyone, including her own daughter, is just waiting for the next relapse. When Seb Pierce applied to his grandfather for a loan, he didn't expect a year of month-long jobs revitalizing businesses in exchange for an inheritance rather than a loan. His latest job takes him to Maple Valley, IA where he is in charge of renovating the town's movie theater and preparing a reopening event in less than three weeks. The short turnaround time is a shock, but even more so the sight of Leigh, a woman he met years ago--even if she doesn't remember him. Leigh's desire to become an event planner gets her hired on for the opening event of the theater, and she's thrilled for a chance to start over with someone who doesn't know every detail of her sordid past. But starting over may not be as easy as she hoped when she learns the truth about Seb.

It's nice to see Leigh make progress in her life. After so many self-inflicted problems, she's finally on the right path. If only people would trust her to keep on it. I can understand her frustration that every time some little thing goes wrong, everyone--especially her own family--assumes she's on the verge of a relapse. In spite of the heavy details about Leigh's past, I'm impressed by the author's ability to maintain her characteristic humor, while not lessening the impact of Leigh's choices.

I enjoy how the author ties together these stories with her Walker Family ones--not that the Walkers play much a role, but if a new thing appears in a Walker book, it frequently makes an appearance here--such as the horse ranch that is being revitalized in All This Time, just in time for some Maple Valley Christmas shenanigans in this one.

With the conclusion of the Enchanted Christmas Collection, could this be the very last Maple Valley story? I hope not! The quirky town has easily become one of my favorite fictional places.

Enchanted Christmas Collection (now together in the omnibus Enchanted: A Christmas Collection)
1. One Enchanted Christmas
2. One Enchanted Eve

3. One Enchanted Noël

Related Series: Walker Family
0.5: "Three Little Words"
1. From the Start
2. Like Never Before
3. Keep Holding On
3.5 "A Maple Valley Romance" (published in Right Where We Belong collection of small-town novellas)
4. All This Time

Maple Valley Romance
1. Now and Then and Always

2. Some Bright Someday

"The Ladies of Ivy Cottage" by Julie Klassen - continuing the tales from Ivy Hill

In the village of Ivy Hill, impoverished gentlewoman Rachel Ashford has moved into Ivy Cottage with her spinster friend Mercy Grove and her aunt. Needing an income, Rachel lets the ladies of Ivy Hill convince her to start a subscription library with her father's massive collection of books. Mercy's heart is for teaching, and she's long given up hope of finding a husband--but now she suddenly has the opportunity to become the official guardian of one of her students, though she's afraid to hope in case it doesn't come true. And at the coaching inn, Jane Bell is finally embracing her role as innkeeper, but she's still searching for healing. As the three ladies embrace a way of life different from their upbringing, will they be willing to embrace hope and find love as well?

In some ways this is very much a middle book of a trilogy--there are a number of things left hanging and it isn't good as a stand-alone. But I was pleased to find some more solid conclusions in this book than even the first, which means it isn't wholly painful to wait another year book three. Just mostly painful (I really want good things for Mercy!). Since I didn't have much for expectations in the way the story would go, I was pleased by the twists and turns the tale took, with some surprising secrets coming to light in the village.

I reread book one before reading this one, and I'm glad I did--I'd forgotten a lot since last year. It certainly added to the experience, being reminded of who the characters are and how far they've come (there really is a lot of character growth between the two books!). How much more will they grow in book three? Plus, this one picks up right where the other leaves off, making it even more like a BBC miniseries period drama. I can only imagine book three will be the same.

I have my personal hopes for a suitor for Mercy, but as I've come to learn from this author, no suitor is guaranteed to win the girl--sometimes her choice is surprising. For instance, I didn't know who would end up with Rachel until she herself finally determined her true love. And I have to say, there are a lot of appealing bachelors in little Ivy Hill to choose from, with all manner of backgrounds and things to recommend them. I really look forward to the conclusion to the series! I think it will be best read as a whole.

Thank you Bethany house for a free book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.

Tales from Ivy Hill
1. The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill
2. The Ladies of Ivy Cottage
3. The Bride of Ivy Green

3.5 An Ivy Hill Christmas (novella)

"Holding the Fort" by Regina Jennings

When dance hall singer Louisa Bell loses her job, she decides it's time to check up on her reckless brother at Fort Reno, but when she arrives, she's mistaken for the governess Major Daniel Adams has been waiting for. His two daughters are growing up faster than he'd like, and he needs a refined womanly presence to take them in hand. Miss Bell is hardly what he was expecting, and there's definitely something about her that doesn't ring true--but there's something about her that won't let him send her packing, either. Louisa hadn't intended to masquerade as a governess, especially with her lack of education, but it's employment and allows her to keep an eye on her brother. How hard can it be faking an upstanding governess for a few days? Or weeks? Or months?

I really enjoyed the story (though I had some small initial hesitation, even having loved the author's previous works--nothing good ever comes from lying about who you are). But it's delightfully funny, it's sweetly romantic, and it's a marvelous example of grace--everything I've come to expect from the author, while at the same time tackling a difficult subject.

Anytime the main character is masquerading as someone they're not, no matter how innocently begun, you know trouble is coming. The truth will out. Louisa certainly should have told Daniel the truth right away, but I like how the author treated it (it wasn't nearly as painful as I feared it would be). Daniel deserves some credit for that--he's a man of grace, who suspects she's not all that she seems. He knows she has secrets, but while he doesn't know what those secrets are, he has observed enough of her character and heart to love her regardless. Between his grace, his authority, and an unexpected reckless streak, he's a supremely attractive hero.

It was fun to recognize a smidgen of the history included in the story; I didn't know a thing about Fort Reno, but I am familiar with General Sheridan and have read enough about the Indian Wars and frontier forts to recognize commonalities across the board (not always things to be proud of . . . but history cannot be changed at this point). I can't wait for more stories about the fort--I hope to hear more about Louisa's brother and the learned lieutenant.

Thank you Bethany House and NetGalley for the free e-book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.

Fort Reno
1. Holding the Fort
1.5: "Bound and Determined" (from the Hearts Entwined novella collection)
2. The Lieutenant's Bargain 
3. The Major's Daughter

A Mary Connealy Series Guide

If you've read a few of Mary Connealy's books, you may feel like you've missed some backstory, or maybe a name seems really familiar . . .well, it's probably true, on both accounts. Though each of her series can stand alone, there are a lot of connections and cross references, where characters occasionally travel from one trilogy to the next. So with the conclusion of another trilogy, I thought it a great time to compile a guide to reading her series, for my benefit, as well as yours.

Each collection of related series is listed in chronological order (as best as I can make it), with any connected novellas that I know of inserted in order as well. Important characters - particularly those who are related or connected to characters in other books - are listed, so if you see multiple people with the same last name, even if in different series, you can bet they're related.

  

Lassoed in Texas - Montana Marriages - Sophie's Daughters Connections

Lassoed in Texas
1. Petticoat Ranch ~ Sophie (Edwards), Clay McClellan
2. Calico Canyon ~ Grace (Calhoun), Daniel Reeves
3. Gingham Mountain ~ Hannah (Cartwright), Grant Cooper

Montana Marriages
1. Montana Rose ~ Cassie (Griffin), Red Dawson
2. The Husband Tree ~ Belle (Tanner), Silas Harden
3. Wildflower Bride ~ Abby (Linscott), Wade Sawyer

Sophie's Daughters
1. Doctor in Petticoats ~ Beth (McClellan)
2. Wrangler in Petticoats ~ Sally (McClellan)
3. Sharpshooter in Petticoats ~ Mandy (McClellan), Tom Linscott, Mark Reeves, Emma Tanner-Harden, plus cameos of most of the above mentioned people in the three series


"Sophie's Other Daughter" (published in Hope for the Holidays Historical Collection of e-novellas, reprinted in The Calico and Cowboys Romance Collection) ~ Laura (McClellan), Ike Reeves

"Texas Tea" (published in With This Spark Historical Collection of e-novellas, reprinted in The Calico and Cowboys Romance Collection) ~ Libby (Cooper), Luke Reeves

"A Bride Rides Herd" (originally published in The 12 Brides of Summer, reprinted in The Calico and Cowboys Romance Collection) ~ Betsy Tanner-Harden, Matt Reeves

"Sweetwater Bride" (originally published in Lassoed by Marriage novella collection, reprinted in The Calico and Cowboys Romance Collection) ~ Tanner Harden.

"His Surprise Family" (originally published in Spring Into Love Collection of e-novellas, reprinted in The Calico and Cowboys Romance Collection) ~ Silas Harden, jr.

"Hope for Christmas" (published in Hope for the Holidays Contemporary Collection of e-novellas, reprinted in The Calico and Cowboys Romance Collection) ~ to quote the author: "Tanner Harden the IV (or maybe V or VI) a contemporary great-great-great-however many great grandchild of Belle and Silas Harden"

***(The novellas are in order as close to chronologically as I can figure, and they are all about descendants of the aforementioned heroes and heroines)

  

Kincaid Brides - Trouble in Texas - Cimarron Legacy connections

Prequel: "Closer than Brothers: Surviving Andersonville" (published in With This Kiss Historical Collection of e-novellas) ~ Luke Stone, Dare Riker, Vince Yates, Jonas Cahill, Big John Conroy, Seth Kincaid, Callie Stone

Kincaid Brides
1. Out of Control ~ Rafe Kincaid
2. In Too Deep ~ Ethan Kincaid, Audra (Halsey)
3. Over the Edge ~ Seth Kincaid, Callie (Stone)

Trouble in Texas
1. Swept Away ~ Luke Stone
2. Fired Up ~ Dare Riker
3. Stuck Together ~ Vince Yates, Tina (Cahill), Jonas Cahill, Missy (Yates)

"Runaway Bride" (novella published in With This Ring?) ~ Big John Conroy, Carrie (Halsey)


Cimarron Legacy
0.5 "The Boden Birthright" ~ Chance Boden, Veronica (Chastain) (free novella prequel)
1. No Way Up ~ Heath Kincaid, Sadie Boden
2. Long Time Gone ~ Justin Boden, Angie (DuPree)
3. Too Far Down ~ Cole Boden, Melanie (Blake)

"The Tangled Ties that Bind" (novella published in Hearts Entwined) ~ Connor Kincaid, Maggie Kincaid

    

Wild West Weddings (unrelated to other series thus far)
1. Cowboy Christmas ~ Elijah Walker, Annette (Talbot)
2. Deep Trouble ~ Gabe Lasley, Shannon (Dysart)


Wild At Heart (unrelated to other series thus far)
1. Tried & True ~ Kylie (Wilde), Aaron Masterson
2. Now & Forever ~ Shannon (Wilde), Matthew Tucker
3. Fire and Ice ~ Bailey (Wilde), Gage Coulter

High Sierra Sweethearts - Brothers in Arms connections
High Sierra Sweethearts

1. The Accidental Guardian ~ Trace Riley, Deborah (Harkness)
2. The Reluctant Warrior ~  Cameron Scott, Gwen (Harkness)
3. The Unexpected Champion ~ John McCall, Penny (Scott)

Brothers in Arms 

1. Braced for Love ~ Kevin Hunt, Winona (Hawkins)

2. A Man with a Past ~ Falcon Hunt, Cheyenne (Brewster)

3. Love on the Range ~ Wyatt Hunt, Molly (Garner) *crossover with The Unexpected Champion

The Brides of Hope Mountain (unrelated to other series thus far)
1. Aiming for Love ~ Josephine (Nordegren), Dave Warden
2. Woman of Sunlight ~ Ilsa (Nordegren), Mitch Warden
3. Her Secret Song ~ Ursula (Nordegren), Wax Mosby

Lone Tree, Nebraska Novellas
"The Advent Bride" (originally published in The Twelve Brides of Christmas, reprinted in The Calico and Cowboys Romance Collection)

"Homestead on the Range" (originally published in The Homestead Brides Collection, reprinted in The Calico and Cowboys Romance Collection)

Mary Connealy's "Calico and Cowboys Romance Collection"

At last, a good selection of Mary Connealy's novellas are under one cover, so when I want to reread the Lassoed in Texas--Montana Marriages--Sophie's Daughters series, I can find all the subsequent novellas without digging through stacks of volumes (or worse, trying to find them in Kindle copies). All had been published elsewhere originally, so a few of these I've already read, but there were some that were new to me that I enjoyed finally getting to read.

"The Advent Bride" is one that isn't actually connected to any of the author's novels (that I can tell), but it's a sweet story about a teacher finding a way to reach her student--and the student's father--with a puzzle box. You know those kids who can't sit still and make trouble rather than do their work, but you know that it's all a plea for love and attention? Where you know somewhere is a simple key for unlocking the sweet and clever and attentive child you know they can be, if only you can find it? That is Simon. And since I've known a couple Simon's, I could really appreciate this story. "Homestead on the Range" takes place near the same town of Lone Tree, Nebraska as "The Advent Bride," so while they don't have the close connections of the other stories, they do share a setting.

"Sophie's Other Daughter" might just be my favorite, being about the last McClellan girl and the rambunctious Reeves family. Grace and Daniel, as well as Sophie and Clay, all have a larger role in this one than the other related novellas, and it's fun to see them again, especially now that Grace has her girl. It does not surprise me in the least to read about Luke Reeves's success in "Texas Tea"--he always was the wily one. However, I'm glad to see he's far from heartless, and that Libby Cooper can find love!

"A Bride Rides Herd" was a fun addition to the stories about the Reeves and Harden families (with cameos of certain friends and relations from the other books and stories). I loved the humor of this one, as the three small children appear to be trying to kill themselves at every turn, while their two babysitters have the supposedly simple task of keeping them alive. There is a video game based on this precise concept.

Tanner's story in "The Sweetwater Bride" was creative and fun, and quite fitting for the Harden family. I loved the old longhorn bull. Considering how disastrous mail order bride schemes could go, Si really doesn't end up too badly off in "His Surprise Family," though I understand his disappointment and lack of trust, considering his bride's significant lie of omission.

"Hope for Christmas" has pretty much everything to love about one of Connealy's stories--the humor, the cowboys, the strong family ties--but in an updated, modern setting. Modern legalities add a fun (well, fun but also frustrating, given the ease of abuse of the law,) twist to the story. It's quite fitting to the Harden family.

One thing I would have preferred--I wish they were printed in chronological order. It's clear that Sophie's Other Daughter comes first, followed by Texas Tea,  A Bride Rides Herd, The Sweetwater Bride, His Surprise Family, and [definitely last] Hope for Christmas. And of course, The Advent Bride and Homestead on the Range go together, so I'd have preferred them next to each other at either the beginning or end, while instead they were all mixed up.

Thank you Barbour and NetGalley for a free ARC. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.

Related novels (all which come before these short stories, and thus highly recommended reading):

Lassoed in Texas
1. Petticoat Ranch
2. Calico Canyon
3. Gingham Mountain

Montana Marriages
1. Montana Rose
2. The Husband Tree
3. Wildflower Bride

Sophie's Daughters
1. Doctor in Petticoats
2. Wrangler in Petticoats
3. Sharpshooter in Petticoats

"The House on Foster Hill" by Jaime Jo Wright - dual timelines with dual suspense

When her husband died two years earlier, Kaine Prescott's pleas to have the suspicious death investigated further came to nothing. In an effort to start a new life, she buys a house across the country sight-unseen--and regrets it the moment she sets eyes on the eerie, long-abandoned house. It doesn't take long before she learns snippets of the house's dark history--a history that comes to haunt her. A century earlier, a young woman is found dead on the property, and Ivy Thorpe, daughter of the town doctor and medical examiner, seems to be the only one who cares who the woman was. With the help of a man from her past, she begins investigating the woman's death, but will it mean her own?

Dual timelines can really be hit or miss with me, especially if one timeline is noticeably slower or less interesting than the other. However, this one is really well done. With how complex the story is and how interwoven the plots are, I can't imagine being the author and charting it all out, but it's perfectly balanced, with equally intense story lines. And unlike some other dual timeline books, the two timelines in this one have not just the same setting, but the same tone--somewhat dark and ominous--which helps the story flow. Others I've read have been rather jolting when switching from one timeline to the other, but these fit together really well.

I'm glad that there wasn't a specific timeline that I liked significantly more than the other; both women had their issues, but both were easy to root for. Ivy is a very nontraditional heroine, being somewhat obsessed with--not so much death, as the lives that the dead had lived. She helps her father with postmortems without cringing, a highly unusual activity for a girl in 1900, and that alone makes her stand out. Kaine was easier to relate to, being a modern woman near my age. But more importantly, her profession, her passion, the thing that makes her herself--her ability to help women out of cycles of abuse--is turned on its head when she finds herself in the same position as those she's helped. She recognizes it, and intellectually she knows all the steps, yet she isn't able to fix herself. While I've never known abuse like that, there have been times when I intellectually know all the right steps to get out of my problem yet can't seem to implement them without outside help--an opportunity for God to reveal His strength through my weakness.

Given the subject matter, this is a fairly dark book, especially for Christian fiction, yet it is surprisingly faith-filled, and it offers significant hope even in the most horrific of circumstances. I really enjoyed it; it's fast-paced, intense, full of suspense, and takes a number of surprising turns. And it is the winner of the 2018 Christy Award for Mystery/Suspense/Thriller!

Thank you Bethany House and NetGalley for the free e-book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.