Many readers pick up books to escape reality, but I am passionate about reading stories where hope and healing can be found among the pages. I love depth and transparency. I love learning about history. As an author who ensures my books contain accurate biblical themes, I am always searching for books that are saturated with truth. Stories that will take me on an adventure and help me grow along with the characters. This list contains books that cover heavy topics, but they also infuse hope. I know that I have found encouragement through them!
Ysabella Fletcher’s life came crashing down just after she turned sixteen. In order to escape an unwanted marriage, she flees in the night and soon finds herself at the mercy of pirates. Seven years later, she has become the Fair Captain Ysa Marie—a feared pirate. Her goal? Revenge. But her plan teeters on the brink of failure when the British Navy forces her to spy on a fellow pirate who sells the vulnerable to brothels.
Nyle Wingate has made his home in the British West Indies. Known simultaneously as the island's most eligible bachelor and greatest nuisance to other plantation owners, he does his best to keep to himself. But everything he worked for is threatened when he becomes the target of a black-hearted pirate.
This retelling of the Book of Hosea reminded me that love is meant to be unconditional. Patient, healing, hopeful. No matter what Angel does, Michael loves her. I read this entire book in less than two days. I laughed, I cried, and while I couldn’t put the book down, I dreaded closing the cover for the final time. I had a book hangover for days.
If I could choose one book to reread for the first time, it would be this one. I haven’t experienced things that these characters have, but this story still inspired healing and sparked hope. It broke me and put my back together. I walked away with a clearer view of how much God loves me and the lengths He will go to prove it.
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE starring Abigail Cowen, Tom Lewis, Nina Dobrev, with Logan Marshall Green and Eric Dane, special appearance by Famke Janssen. Distributed by Universal Pictures with a screenplay by Francine Rivers and D.J. Caruso
CALIFORNIA'S GOLD COUNTRY, 1850. A TIME WHEN MEN SOLD THEIR SOULS FOR A BAG OF GOLD AND WOMEN SOLD THEIR BODIES FOR A PLACE TO SLEEP.
Angel expects nothing from men but betrayal. A child prostitute, she survives by keeping her hatred alive. And what she hates most are the men who use her, leaving her empty and…
This book encompasses why I am passionate about spiritual giftings and how important they are in spiritual warfare. I love high-stakes and adventurous plots, and Lisa kept me turning pages late into the night. I learned so much history regarding the Church before the Reformation and was reminded how easy it is for the enemy to make evil appear attractive.
This book gave me a new awareness of the spiritual realm and the power of prayer and discernment. Besides, it takes place in Italy, and I am obsessed with Italy!
Their coming was foretold for centuries… and their gathering threatens to change everything.
A portion of an ancient, beautifully illuminated letter—a letter believed to have been written by Saint Paul—has surfaced. The letter speaks of men and women with profound spiritual gifts and the illuminations bear a striking resemblance to those drawing together in medieval Italy.
Their gathering will strike fear in the heart of a Church dedicated to maintaining their considerable power. But there is another enemy on the hunt for them and he is darker still…
This book contains tough questions that I have struggled with in the past like, “Why would God allow this to happen?” “Does God see me?” “How can God use this for His glory?” I found comfort in these pages. I learned the struggle of many during the Jacobite uprising—something I knew precious little about, and I have Scottish heritage!
Laura always transports me into history, and I love how she combines stories of struggle with hope. I always walk away from her books with new knowledge of history and encouragement for my own life. Besides, I can never say no to a good romance!
"A masterful achievement of historical complexity and scintillating romance sure to thrill readers with its saga of love under siege."--Booklist starred review
In 1715, Lady Blythe Hedley's father is declared an enemy of the British crown because of his Jacobite sympathies, forcing her to flee her home in northern England. Secreted to the tower of Wedderburn Castle in Scotland, Lady Blythe awaits who will ultimately be crowned king. But in a house with seven sons and numerous servants, her presence soon becomes known.
No sooner has Everard Hume lost his father, Lord Wedderburn, than Lady Hedley arrives with the clothes…
I will read this book any time I need a good cry. Roseanna combines mystery and utter heartbreak, and I just couldn't get enough. I felt like I was in Gemma’s shoes as she dealt with a loss I could never imagine. I could hear Graham’s heart shatter as everything he once believed in dissolved.
I love books that make me FEEL, and I don’t shy away from hard topics. Among all the pain, these characters discovered forgiveness that never falters and love that never fails. I have so much love for this story. Weeks later, I’m still not recovered, but I would read this book over and over again.
In the opulent and perilous world of high society's most elite--and most dangerous--families, two investigators must set aside their broken hearts to uncover the truth.
Gemma Parks is known to the London elite as G. M. Parker, a columnist renowned for her commentary on the cream of society. Behind the scenes, she uses her talents to aid the Imposters in their investigations by gathering intel at events and providing alibis for the firm's members through her columns. Yet her clandestine work would be more exhilarating if it weren't for the constant presence of the gentleman who broke her heart.
A slow-burn story is great, but one mixed with regret and hope? Sign me up! I couldn’t imagine living through the trials and expectations that young ladies had to bear during the Regency era, but Julie gave me a pretty good glimpse through this English countryside window.
I felt compassion for some of these characters and anger toward others. The pain and betrayal felt so tangible that my own heart hurt. I feared for the life of more than one throughout the entire book, and I successfully cost a friend a good night’s sleep after recommending this one to her. I believe that the love and hope found in these pages can be found in real life, too.
Julie Klassen Is the Gold Standard for Inspirational Regency Fiction
Sophie Dupont, daughter of a portrait painter, assists her father in his studio, keeping her own artwork out of sight. She often walks the cliffside path along the north Devon coast, popular with artists and poets. It's where she met the handsome Wesley Overtree, the first man to tell her she's beautiful.
Captain Stephen Overtree is accustomed to taking on his brother's neglected duties. Home on leave, he's sent to find Wesley. Knowing his brother rented a cottage from a fellow painter, he travels to Devonshire and meets Miss Dupont,…
A spy school for girls amidst Jane Austen’s high society.
Daughters of the Beau Monde who don’t fit London society’s strict mold are banished to Stranje House, where the headmistress trains these unusually gifted girls to enter the dangerous world of spies in the Napoleonic wars. #1 NYT bestselling author Meg Cabot calls this exciting historical series "completely original and totally engrossing."
A School for Unusual Girls is the first captivating installment in the Stranje House series for young adults by award-winning author Kathleen Baldwin. #1 New York Times bestselling author Meg Cabot calls this romantic Regency adventure "completely original and totally engrossing."
It's 1814. Napoleon is exiled on Elba. Europe is in shambles. Britain is at war on four fronts. And Stranje House, a School for Unusual Girls, has become one of Regency England's dark little secrets. The daughters of the beau monde who don't fit high society's constrictive mold are banished to Stranje House to be reformed into marriageable young…
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