By Iola Goulton
I do this every year.
I sign up to write a Top Ten post, then find it impossible to keep myself to just ten books. So this year I'm cheating ...
I'm sharing my Top Ten Contemporary Christian Romance novels.
This gives me a fighting chance of keeping myself to ten books, although it also means I miss some of the excellent historical fiction I've read this year (e.g. The Dishonorable Miss Delancey by Carolyn Miller and Where We Belong by Lynn Austin), as well as the outstanding Long Way Gone by Charles Martin. The list also excludes some excellent general market romances, and some not-quite-contemporary-romance novels like Grace in Strange Disguise by Christine Dillon. And it excludes the dozens of books on my to-read pile, and all the books I've been told I must read by other CCR fans ...
The neverending trials of a book reviewer. So here goes my 2017 Top Ten list, in no particular order ...
The Last Summer by Brandy Bruce
I bought The Last Summer after Narelle Atkins reviewed it here on Australasian Christian Writers. Click here to read her review.
The Carpenter's Daughter by Jennifer Rodewald
I haven't reviewed The Carpenter's Daughter, but Rel at Relz Reviews has. Click here to read her review.
Just Look Up by Courtney Walsh
Click here to read my review.
The Space Between Words by Michele Phoenix
This is a dual timeline story set in France and England. The modern story isn't overtly Christian, but shows a woman struggling to recover from a life-changing event. The historical story is outstanding—it starts with a punch and never lets up. How's this for an engaging first line?Click here to read my review.
The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck by Bethany Turner
Click here to read my review.
Then There Was You by Kara Isaac
I haven't reviewed Then There Was You, but Fiction Aficionado has. Click here to read her review.
The Long Highway Home by Elizabeth Musser
Click here to read my review.
True to You by Becky Wade
A heroine who's a bookworm? What's not to love? The plot was excellent, with the perfect (!) combination of predictable and surprising. The characters were excellent—intelligent, funny, and quirky. Basically, this was everything I want in a romance novel.Click here to read my review.
Sweetbriar Cottage by Denise Hunter
Click here to read my review.
Broken Like Glass by EJ McKay
A powerful novel of love and redemption. I’ve seen comparisons to The Shack in the way God is mentioned … although I’m apparently one of the few English-speaking Christians on the planet who hasn’t yet read The Shack. A must for those who are looking for Christian fiction that goes beyond the sanitised norm.Click here to read my review.
So what do my selections have in common? They are real people, broken people, trying to navigate their way through life with the help of family, friends, and Jesus.
What about you? What were your top reads of 2017?
About Iola Goulton

Iola holds a degree in marketing, has a background in human resource consulting, and currently works as a freelance editor. When she’s not working, Iola is usually reading or writing her next book review. Iola lives in the beautiful Bay of Plenty in New Zealand (not far from Hobbiton) with her husband, two teenagers and one cat. She is currently working on her first novel.
delighted that 'Grace in Strange Disguise' made your 'nearly' list. It's not romance - so that's fair enough. Still want to read some of the others - Where we belong. Sarah H one ...
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome :) I'm looking forward to reading the sequel!
DeleteSO THRILLED that The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck made the list! Thank you, Iola!
ReplyDeleteLoved it!
Delete10 more books on your to-read list? Mission accomplished!
ReplyDelete