When we talk with Christian friends about the latest books we’ve been reading, names like Mark Batterson, John Piper, and David Platt are often tossed around. We all know that there are countless wonderful books in Christianity that bring additional insight on scripture or help us to understand a contemporary problem in a Biblical way. We often don’t discuss the Christian fiction books we’ve been reading, though. Fictional stories are a great way to pass the time, but they can also teach us something new about God or life that we hadn’t imagined. Jesus did teach in parables after all. We wanted to take a moment to discuss some of the great Christian fiction books to come out in 2017. Here are a few of our favorites.
With dozens of Christian fiction books under her name, there are few authors who have had a career like Beverly Lewis. She grew up just outside of Amish country, which is why the majority of her storytelling revolves around this world and other spiritual communities. “The Proving” is about a woman who had previously left her community returning home to inherit her mother’s business. Along with the struggles of coming back to one’s hometown, she also must deal with religious differences, family struggles, and more. “The Ebb Tide” follows the story of a different young woman working as a nanny who must decide where she is going to align herself in the areas of marriage, vocation, and beliefs.
Another bestselling author with a long list of writing credits is Karen Kingsbury. Though she has written all kinds of Christian fiction books, a popular well which she often returns to is the story of the Baxter family. In “Love Story,” the reader follows along as the family patriarch, John, shares with his grandson how he first met and fell for his wife. The Baxter family has been a favorite among Kingsbury’s readers for years and now they can hear how it all started. “Love Story” is the start of a new series which should see another installment by the end of 2017.
Although browsing through Christian fiction books can feel like you are drowning in a sea of romantic and historical plotlines, there are plenty of other choices. This year brought us a new legal thriller from Robert Whitlow, who has contributed great work in this area with past novels like “The Trial” and “A House Divided.” The new book, “A TIme to Stand,” is one that is pertinent to today’s culture where racial politics, law enforcement, and social media have us at each other’s throats.
Here we have another prolific author bringing us a pair of new Christian fiction books in 2017. Lynn Austin has delivered several great fictional stories over the years, most of which are of a historical nature. Some take place in Biblical times while others are more contemporary, dealing with the American Civil War and so on. “Where We Belong” tells the journey of two Victorian sisters who travel to the Middle East on an adventure and find more than they bargained for along the way. “Fly Away” is a much more present day story about a widower who is looking for one last thrill before the end of his life and a retired woman eager to make a difference with the time she has left.
If you’re into political thrillers along the lines of Tom Clancy and Vince Flynn, you may like the new novel from Randy Singer. Since the days of Nixon (and earlier than that if we’re honest with ourselves), we’ve known that sometimes the most sacred institutions can be guilty of terrible crimes. “Rule of Law” explores the possibility of corruption in the executive branch of our government and the lengths one would go in order to find the truth.
Is anyone else starting to question the way they budget their time after seeing so many Christian fiction writers putting out multiple books in 2017? Anyway, Jody Hedlund brought two stories to life this year, one of which kicks off a new series. The first is “For Love and Honor,” the story of a lady and a nobleman who are each looking for a way to solve their problems through marriage. “With You Always” is the beginning of the Orphan Train series, which will get a follow-up in 2018. The story follows an impoverished seamstress and a hopeful heir as each look to care for their families while also securing their own futures.
Jocelyn Green had a very fruitful 2017 as she had a hand in several books being published throughout the year. We’ll focus on one of her new Christian fiction books, “The Mark of the King.” Green delivers in this tale a historical plot that will take you back to the 18th century. Like many Christian fiction books set around this time, the story follows a young woman as she embarks on a new journey in America. Her passage, however, is not through the normal channels as she is being sent to Louisiana in exile after being convicted of a crime.
It’s not every year that an author publishes two installments from the same series, so this is a great time to be following Kristi Ann Hunter’s Hawthorne House franchise. Each book from the series deals with the romantic hopes of a different family member. With these latest books, “An Uncommon Courtship” and “An Inconvenient Beauty,” readers will see who ends up with whom and whether or not true love can win out against political ambitions and social expectations.
With the popularity of DNA tests and sites like Ancestry in recent years, we’ve all become a little more curious about where we came from. In “A Name Unknown,” an early-20th century man named Peter is looking to understand his family’s lineage as things become more and more tense in Europe. The woman who helps him uncover his past has a few secrets of her own, but nothing is more important than finding out whether Peter’s intentions are to side with the British royalty or if he is in fact loyal to the Germans. With a World War looming in the horizon, it may be life or death.
Dani Pettrey is another author on this list who released two series installments in 2017. Pettrey’s Chesapeake Valor books are page-turning thrillers that also feature romance and faith content. In the year’s first offering, “Still Life,” a former crime scene photographer teams up with her old co-workers to hunt down a crazy killer. Then in “Blind Spot,” FBI agent Declan Grey looks for a terrorist promising doomsday with the help of a crisis counselor. If you’re into suspenseful stories featuring police work, this series is right up your alley.
These are just a few of the new Christian fiction books that made the rounds in 2017. Taking you from Victorian England to Amish country to a present-day hunt for a killer, these stories let you know that Christian fiction books come in all shapes and sizes. Look through these and other new releases and see if there’s something out there for your reading list.
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