Christian romance novels? (Full Version)

All Forums >> [Fun] >> Books



Message

beachcooky -> Christian romance novels? (8/18/2008 12:12:08 PM)

Do you know any Christian authors that write romance?



uncabeeil -> RE: Christian romance novels? (8/18/2008 12:41:53 PM)

The list of ones that don't is much shorter. 95% of Christian fiction is romance. 4.9% is end times, and .1% is other types of fiction. Seriously. Just go to CBD.com and browse.



beachcooky -> RE: Christian romance novels? (8/18/2008 3:34:52 PM)

I mean like, which authors write romance?

Ex. Janette Oke writes romance. Do you know any others? And thanks for the website!



uncabeeil -> RE: Christian romance novels? (8/18/2008 3:44:58 PM)

Here are a few of the biggies:
Lori Wick
Karen Kingsbury
Terri Blackstock
Dee Henderson
Francine Rivers
Renee Gutteridge
Janette Oke
Judith Pella
Brock and Bodie Thoene

ETA: Check out Trish's thread here, it should be lots of help.



Jenny-Fair -> RE: Christian romance novels? (8/18/2008 4:11:10 PM)

Terri Blackstock is suspense/mystery as well as romance. I enjoy her books.

I also like Karen Kingsbury books, and Francine Rivers.

I think Brenda Coulter is a good writer, as well--I am about to blog about her latest book. However, her books are single-release, but you may be able to find them used on Amazon.



PrincessButtercup -> RE: Christian romance novels? (8/18/2008 10:29:15 PM)

I like some Lori Copeland books.

My mom reads a lot of these four story novels, each written by a different author, and I enjoy some of those myself. I'm not sure who publishes them though.



stateofgrace -> RE: Christian romance novels? (8/19/2008 10:00:22 AM)

I really haven't found many Christian-market romance authors that I like. Maybe it's that I like historicals...but not westerns...and I'm sick and tired of the Amish. There are very few Christian romance authors writing Regency or Victorian period novels, for example.

Deeanne Gist is really good, though. Some of her novels are set in the western US but I wouldn't say that they are typical westerns.

The next time I'm interested in checking out Christian romance, I may give Tracie Peterson a try...she appears to have a series set in the Revolutionary War era, and there aren't many romances at all set in that time period.

I read more sci-fi and suspense from Christian-market writers (in mass market, it's like equal parts historical romance and sci-fi/fantasy, with a little suspense thrown in once in a while).



uncabeeil -> RE: Christian romance novels? (8/19/2008 10:27:38 AM)

quote:

I read more sci-fi and suspense from Christian-market writers
Where do you find it? Because I work in a Christian book store and the amount of SF, fantasy, and readable suspense can fit in a backpack. Unless you're including all the end times garbage in there. And Ted Dekker's rehashing of Stephen King's old plots, of course.



Jenny-Fair -> RE: Christian romance novels? (8/19/2008 10:53:44 AM)

quote:

There are very few Christian romance authors writing Regency or Victorian period novels

Have you checked Stephen Bly's books? Also, the Thoenes have a series set in Ireland that I thought was very good.

Speaking of the Thoenes, their son writes some good Clancy-ish books.



stateofgrace -> RE: Christian romance novels? (8/19/2008 4:25:26 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: uncabeeil

quote:

I read more sci-fi and suspense from Christian-market writers
Where do you find it? Because I work in a Christian book store and the amount of SF, fantasy, and readable suspense can fit in a backpack. Unless you're including all the end times garbage in there. And Ted Dekker's rehashing of Stephen King's old plots, of course.


LOL! Well, my 15 yo DD likes Ted Dekker...and, well, I guess if he'd stopped his alternate world storyline with the Circle Trilogy, maybe he wouldn't be accused as much of being overly inspired by Stephen King.

As far as Christian-market fantasy/sci-fi, most of it I found from online recommendations. Karen Hancock (liked The Arena very much but really didn't want to read her fantasy series cause I'm just not all that into medieval-esque fantasy), Kathy Tyers (she writes sci-fi). Randall Ingermanson and John B. Olson's Oxygen series is more hard sci-fi, also very a plausible general plot (Mars).

Of course, there has been some YA Christian-market fantasy/sci-fi that has become popular in the last few years, riding on the wave of interest in YA fantasy that is largely due to the popularity of J.K.Rowling, Stephenie Meyer, and Christopher Paolini . My 15 yo DD likes Bryan Davis' and Donita Paul's books (Bryan used to post on here sometimes, I guess he's too busy now!).

BTW, if anyone is wondering about my use of the term "Christian-market"...it's because these books are written for a Christian audience by Christians and published by lines that target Christians, and most of the time shelved in the "Christian Book" or "Religion" or "Inspiration" section of most bookstores. Ted Dekker has "broken out" and is also shelved in general fiction, but few others have. There are other authors who are Christians who write for other publishing lines who get shelved in general fiction or in specific genres.



stateofgrace -> RE: Christian romance novels? (8/19/2008 4:29:37 PM)

But back to the original topic...

Books-A-Million is doing their 3-for-2 sale right now on trade paperbacks.

Today I bought the most recent Deeanne Gist and the Tracie Peterson historical that I was referring to earlier. I'll post what I think after I read them. Depending on their readability and the demands of life, that may be as early as this weekend for one of them...I'm a fast reader. OTOH, I have a big "TBR" pile too.

I also bought the most recent Lisa Samson - I think she's quite good too, but her books are NOT romance and are not "chick lit" either - they tend to be rather "heavy" emotionally. Her characters tend to be very quirky and offbeat, which is what I really like about her books. No cookie-cutter Christians there.



cherish405 -> RE: Christian romance novels? (8/20/2008 7:55:43 AM)

I've got books by:

Janette Oke/T Davis Bunn
Lauraine Snelling
Tamara Alexander
Cathy Marie Hake
Kim Vogel Sawyer

Other authors who write that genre, (I'm looking at a Christian website right now):

Nancy Moser
Jane Peart
Meredith Resce (Australian)
Mary Hawkins (Australian)
Julie Klassen
Wanda Brunstetter
Kathleen Morgan
Julie Lessman



uncabeeil -> RE: Christian romance novels? (8/20/2008 12:08:48 PM)

quote:

As far as Christian-market fantasy/sci-fi, most of it I found from online recommendations. Karen Hancock (liked The Arena very much but really didn't want to read her fantasy series cause I'm just not all that into medieval-esque fantasy), Kathy Tyers (she writes sci-fi). Randall Ingermanson and John B. Olson's Oxygen series is more hard sci-fi, also very a plausible general plot (Mars).
Okay, all the same people I already knew about. I thought maybe you knew a secret. [:)]

Wow, Trish, you actually have names I haven't seen before. Gotta check some of them out for my mom.



beachcooky -> RE: Christian romance novels? (8/20/2008 4:32:44 PM)

Awesome! Thanks for ALL your responses. (:



cherish405 -> RE: Christian romance novels? (8/20/2008 5:08:50 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: uncabeeil

quote:

Wow, Trish, you actually have names I haven't seen before. Gotta check some of them out for my mom.[/font][/color]


You're welcome, Bill.



cherish405 -> RE: Christian romance novels? (8/21/2008 7:49:23 AM)

Another author you might want to check out is Debra White Smith. I haven't read any of her books, but a friend of mine has.



stateofgrace -> RE: Christian romance novels? (8/21/2008 8:19:26 AM)

Deeanne Gist's "Deep in the Heart of Trouble" has been very good so far. I was kinda LOL about the heroine, though, she's a bloomer-wearing bicyclist in her mid-thirties, who refuses to go gently into middle-aged spinsterhood. In the opening chapters she is accosted during a public ceremony by a man screaming about how unnatural and ungodly it is for women to be wearing bloomers.

My lab ate the Tracie Peterson book...or more accurately, shredded it. Wow, there's some money down the drain.



Tinkerbell_ -> RE: Christian romance novels? (8/21/2008 9:48:58 AM)

Lori Wick is good if you're in the mood for fluff. [8D] I think that most of the men in the stories are ridiculously perfect but it wouldn't be a true romance novel if they weren't. [;)]

I've only read one of Deeanne Gist's books, Bride Most Begrudging and enjoyed it. It's set in colonial times and fairly accurate from what I could tell. [:)]



stateofgrace -> RE: Christian romance novels? (8/21/2008 10:08:01 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Tinkerbell_

Lori Wick is good if you're in the mood for fluff. [8D] I think that most of the men in the stories are ridiculously perfect but it wouldn't be a true romance novel if they weren't. [;)]


Hmmmm...I think that a "true" romance novel can have an un-perfect hero. He just has to be appealing, in personality and character even more than appearance. Otherwise, why would the reader consider him the hero? I think an un-perfect hero can make for a BETTER novel in the romance genre. Certainly a more interesting one.

Of course there are the classic "tortured heroes" but as far as "unperfect" being more interesting, I was thinking more along the lines of one of Julia Quinn's Bridgerton brothers, who had a phobia about bees due to his father dying from a bee sting. His overly-agitated reaction to his future wife being stung resulted in the appearance of a "compromising situation" (not actually one, just the appearance of one, which of course in Regency culture was enough to "ruin" a woman) which forces their marriage. In a later book in the series, he grows highly agitated regarding being exposed to bees, showing that he still struggles with the phobia.

The qualifications for a novel be considered in the romance genre are just two, according to the Romance Writers of America:

A Central Love Story — In a romance novel, the main plot centers around two individuals falling in love and struggling to make the relationship work. A writer can include as many subplots as he/she wants as long as the relationship conflict is the main focus of the story.

An Emotionally-Satisfying and Optimistic Ending — Romance novels are based on the idea of an innate emotional justice—the notion that good people in the world are rewarded and evil people are punished. In a romance, the lovers who risk and struggle for each other and their relationship are rewarded with emotional justice and unconditional love.

quote:


I've only read one of Deeanne Gist's books, Bride Most Begrudging and enjoyed it. It's set in colonial times and fairly accurate from what I could tell. [:)]


Honestly, she is one of the very few Christian-market writers who I think is doing a really good job writing romances. Her characters are well developed and their faith is communicated as a natural part of their lives. It's not surprising, IMO, that Gist is getting good reviews across the board.



cherish405 -> RE: Christian romance novels? (8/21/2008 10:27:57 AM)

I like Deeanne Gist. I've read her:

A Bride Most Begrudging
The Measure Of A Lady
Courting Trouble
Deep In The Heart Of Trouble

I had to laugh too about the bloomer-wearing bicyclist in her mid-thirties, who refuses to go gently into middle-aged spinsterhood. Certainly not the demure little lady who sits there doing embroidery. LOL!



rae_of_light -> RE: Christian romance novels? (8/21/2008 10:09:00 PM)

People have already said most of the good ones, but one author that I also enjoy- because she makes me laugh!- is Tracey Bateman. She wrote 'Catch a Rising Star' and 'You Had Me at Goodbye', they're both really fun books.



Page: [1]



Forum Software © ASPPlayground.NET Advanced Edition 2.5 ANSI