• News & Information
• A Shop's Choice of Ten Titles
• Our Latest Reviews

 Christian Fiction: Historical Romance

More Than Words - Daughters of Amana by Judith Miller The Amana Colonies are a group of settlements in Iowa USA comprising seven villages of a people who originated in Germany and Austria and who came to the US to follow their faith in the manner their choosing . Amanians are not to be confused with the Amish. This is the first time I had heard of this group of people, so there was a lot to learn and I always enjoy learning from a well written story. Set in 1885, we meet Gretchen Kohler tending her father’s general store and keeping house for the family since her Mother’s death. Her Grandmother is having episodes of dementia and needs constant watching, her younger brother is liable to get into mischief and doesn’t like heeding his sister, and their father has been stern, unsmiling and seemingly uncaring since the death of his wife. Gretchen’s friend Conrad is the barber in the shop just across the way. The story is told by Gretchen herself and involves community members, the Gypsies who came to camp nearby, a stolen child and of course the problem of Oma, Gretchen’s grandmother. All is resolved as you would expect, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading about how it all played out. Review by Mary Bartholomew  (14/02/12)

Hearts Awakening by Delia Parr Another story that sent me searching on the internet and if I had followed every link I would still be looking! Set on the imaginary Dillon’s Island across the way from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in 1840, the island, in the Susquehanna River, is accessible by boat and by ford if the river is low enough. Plain Elvira Kilmer (Ellie) has been left penniless after caring for her sickly mother until her death. She went for refuge to a cousin who turned her out when she confronted him about his Mistress. She then went to this cousin’s brother who reluctantly gave her shelter but insisted that she go to work ‘voluntarily’ for a widower with two young children on Dillon’s island. This necessitated a two hour walk to and fro and of course a boat ride across the river. This harsh treatment sets the scene for the story but it evolves in heart-warming ways after a very rocky start. I loved some of the characters introduced and enjoyed disliking others, it is certainly not all plain sailing for Ellie, or Jackson, the widower, who has his own secrets to confront. Review by Mary Bartholomew  (14/02/12)

An Unlikely Suitor by Nancy Moser Nancy Moser has used her obvious love of Victorian fashions, to weave a story about the ladies who make the clothes for other ladies to wear; the rich and fashionable ladies of 1895 New York. The descriptions of the clothes satisfy the imagination. Lucy Scarpelli is the older girl in an Italian immigrant family, struggling to make ends meet since the father of the family died in an accident at the docks. When the family are given notice to quit their tenement because it is going to be demolished, Lucy sets out to find a new home for herself, her mother and her sister. On a street in a better neighbourhood with pleasant shops, she looks for ‘To Rent’ signs and when she sees a gentleman struggling with a lock, steps forward to assist him. This is Mr Standish who turns out to be a landlord of several rental properties and owner of the dress shop outside which they are standing. He offers Lucy jobs as dress makers for her mother, her sister and herself, a home above the shop and in return for a rent they can afford, the cleaning of the shop and workroom in the evening. She accepts with gratitude, anything to get away from the tenement and the sweatshop they all worked in previously. When Lucy is able to help alter dresses to better fit a customer, a friendship forms with the young woman which leads into the rest of the story. Historically accurate, beautifully described, the whole book is a joy to read. Review by Mary Bartholomew  (09/02/12)

Westward the Dream - Ribbons West Book One by Judith Pella & Tracie Peterson Originally published in 1998, repackaged 2011. Set in the 1860s, on the opening page we meet feisty teenager Jordana climbing up the wall of a four story building! She has been sent to a fashionable school for particularly intelligent young ladies while her parents are abroad. Her brother Brenton is her guardian while her parents are away and he is understandably appalled by her action but knows his sister well enough not to be really surprised! She constantly rebels against the discipline and what she considers are the petty rules of the head teacher. Their adopted, much older, sister Victoria is in California with her husband Kiernan who is seeking their fortune in the gold fields. The stories of the younger siblings and Victoria and Kiernan run side by side through the book, complicated by the arrival of Kiernan’s sister Caitlan from Ireland and her need to go west to find her brother. A further complication is that civil war between the north and south makes travelling very difficult, and yet rich and powerful men are still pressing on with the idea of linking the east and west with a railroad. An exciting historical tale of endeavour, of love, and of adventure and this is only Book One! There is much yet to be resolved. Review by Mary Bartholomew  (09/02/12)

To Win Her Heart by Karen Witemeyer Usually I don't read romantic fiction however I opened this and quite frankly I didn't want to put it down. The story is about Levi and Eden. The book is set in the old west of the USA. Levi found Jesus whilst in prison, Eden was brought up as a Christian. It centres around the relationship between these two and how Levi fights with how to tell her about his past. He also makes her question how she says she is a good Christian but one who needs help, as at first she worries what people will think. Eventually the secret comes out about Levi’s past. Even though it is Christian fiction I think anyone can read it. There is romance for the non believer and also there is the Christian twist concerning how the main characters identify as believers. As I said at the beginning I would not usually read this type of book however I really enjoyed it. Review by Julia Bennett  (31/01/12)

Forsaking All Others - The Sister Wife series by Allison Pittman Camilla Fox was brought up as a Christian on her parents farm in Nebraska, USA, but she had met and fallen in love with a young Mormon man, Nathan, who was in a group travelling to their new land around Salt Lake City where their prophet Brigham Young said they would be safe to worship as they wished. Her parents begged her not to forsake her faith, not to go off with these strangers, but she was head over heels in love and did not heed them. She believed all her new husband said and all the teachings by which they were expected to live, until after many years Nathan took a second wife and she was ousted from her husband’s bed. Then all the doubts that had been stealing into her mind were crystallised into a firm belief that she should escape from this un-Christian way of life and somehow prevent her two daughters from being corrupted as she had been. This is a story with many historical facts woven into it, a story of hardship and a strong faith in Jesus Christ as the sole saviour of us all. The story of a woman whose love of her children leads her to actions she would never contemplate otherwise, of a Colonel of the US Army who takes care of her and falls in love with her, and a story with a happy ending, but not what you expect. Hopefully there is more to come. Review by Mary Bartholomew  (19/01/12)

The Blessed by Ann H. Gabhart
ISBN: 978-0-800-73454-1 Price: £8.99	Published: July 2011
More Information about this book >>

The One Who Waits for Me by Lori Copeland
ISBN: 978-0-736-93018-5 Price: £8.99	Published: 07 July 2011
More Information about this book >>

A Most Unsuitable Match by Stephanie Grace Whitson
ISBN: 978-0-764-20881-2 Price: £8.99	Published: September 2011
More Information about this book >>

When All My Dreams Come True - Colorado Runaway Series Book One by Janelle Mowery
ISBN: 978-0-736-92807-6 Price: £8.99	Published: January 2011
More Information about this book >>

The Preacher’s Bride by Jody Hedlund
ISBN: 978-0-764-20832-4 Price: £8.99	Published: 01 November 2010
More Information about this book >>

Striking a Match - The Complete series by Tracie Peterson
ISBN: 978-0-764-29565-2 Price: £25.00	Published: July 2011
More Information about this book >>

The Deepest Waters by Dan Walsh
ISBN: 978-0-800-71980-7 Price: £8.99	Published: June 2011
More Information about this book >>

A Great Catch - Lake Manawa Summers - Book Two by Lorna Seilstad
ISBN: 978-0-800-73446-6 Price: £8.99	Published: July 2011
More Information about this book >>

Masquerade by Nancy Moser
ISBN: 978-0-764-20751-8 Price: £8.99	Published: October 2010
More Information about this book >>

Tomorrow’s Garden - Texas Dreams Book 3 by Amanda Cabot
ISBN: 978-0-800-73326-1 Price: £8.99	Published: April 2011
More Information about this book >>

Return to Harmony - re-issued by Janette Oke & Davis Bunn
ISBN: 978-1-556-61878-9 Price: £8.99	Published: November 2010
More Information about this book >>

More Than a Dream - Return to Red River Book Three by Lauraine Snelling
ISBN: 978-0-764-20863-8 Price: £8.99	Published: 01 February 2011
More Information about this book >>

Believing the Dream - Return to Red River Book Two by Lauraine Snelling
ISBN: 978-0-764-20828-7 Price: £8.99	Published: 01 December 2010
More Information about this book >>

Beyond This Moment - Timber Ridge Reflections Book 2 by Tamera Alexander
ISBN: 978-0-764-20390-9	Published: May 2009
More Information about this book >>

Browse the archive:-

All books reviewed in this section, indexed by title:-
A B C D F G H I J L M O P R S T U V W