Book picks similar to
Sex in the Sanctuary by Lutishia Lovely


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christian-fiction
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romance

A Sin and a Shame


Victoria Christopher Murray - 2006
    She vows to attend church every Sunday, swears off married men, and begins her search for the soul mate she is sure God has for her. Now living in the Big Apple, she has shed twenty-five pounds, shaved ten years off her age, filled her expensive apartment with designer clothes...all to begin her man-finding mission. She quickly meets her dream mate -- a preacher -- who falls head over heels in love with her. Surely, God is good! But things start slipping when another man from Jasmine's past refuses to stay there, and an unexpected pregnancy threatens to sabotage all of her dreams. Will Jasmine's lying and scheming continue? Or will she finally learn that honesty is the only path to redemption?

How Did I Get Here?


Ahmad Williams - 2009
    He has everything a twenty-five year old man could ever want in life: a miraculous looking wife (Delight), kids, dog, and a career lined up after seminary school to top it all off. Although, very intelligent and keen with words you will find out how Preston’s strengths will ultimately turn into his center of weakness. Preston finds himself in a series of unfortunate events that makes it difficult for him to even believe in himself after some time. Preston’s ambitious attributes meet the test when he finds himself caught up with a woman that attracts him in every way. Preston soon finds himself in a dilemma of whether to stay married or get a divorce. The first of a three part series will read to you a story about failure, struggle, and redemption at its greatest capacities. Find out how the consistent faith of his wife delivers him from evil and how Preston finds humility as the greatest spiritual relief he has ever felt. Other books in this series include:How Do I Get Out of HereNever Going Back ThereQuest for IshmaelShort Stories:I Can't Stand Your KidsStop Taking All the Covers

This Fire Down in My Soul


J.D. Mason - 2007
    Choir girl Elise thinks she's found a good man in Jay, a truck driver who came blowing into her life one sultry night. Irresistible and sensual, he's caught up in romancing Elise. However, when she's ready for happily ever after, he realizes that he can't just walk away from his wife and two children. And Elise just can't seem to let him go. Everyone knows that singles ministry leader Renee is full of herself. When she starts her latest interior decorating project, she thinks her client's husband is hot, and together, they're on fire. Meanwhile his wife wants to be friends, and it's not long before a twisted game starts to unravel. For twenty-five years Tess's life revolved around her unfaithful husband (who sits on the deacon's board) and their two wonderful sons. But now the kids have left the nest and Tess wants to spread her wings. While busy seeking her first job and creating a new social life outside the church, Tess meets a new man--a most forbidden man--who rides into the picture to rock her world off its steady axis. All the while, First Lady of the church and counselor, Faye is keeping a secret of her own that is much deeper than any one of them could ever imagine.

Friends and Lovers


Eric Jerome Dickey - 1997
    In contemporary mores and humanity, they investigate and celebrate the gender gap.

Casting the First Stone


Kimberla Lawson Roby - 2000
    And yet, none of it can hide the growing turbulence in her marriage, which suddenly has Tanya doubting what she once cherished.Then Curtis goes too far, and Tanya's confronted with the worst betrayal a woman can face. Plunged into a bittersweet journey of discovery, she suddenly finds herself learning painful new lessons about love, loyalty, and sensual temptation. . ..and discovering the wisdom to celebrate the victories that are hers alone.Casting The First Stone listens in on the heart of a woman torn between loving who her husband was and hating who he has become. Roby weaves a fast-paced story about faith's challenges in a world made up of material desires and other physical temptations. Taken right from the headlines, Roby's cautionary tale looks at the other side of church politics and the emotional toll it takes.

Soulmates Dissipate


Mary B. Morrison - 2000
    . .Fashion photographer Jada Diamond Tanner may have her pick of fine men, but no one has captured her heart like gorgeous financial advisor Wellington Jones. From their first embrace, Jada knows he is the soulmate she has waited for. But while the love she shares with Wellington is exhilarating, Jada faces challenges she never imagined--from a beautiful rival, hungry for love, and from Wellington's overbearing socialite mother, who believes Jada will never fit into her circle. Forced to make difficult choices, Jada learns painful lessons about trust and commitment. . .and discovers the courage to celebrate each day, with or without the man she loves.

Disappearing Acts


Terry McMillan - 1989
    She was pretty and independent, petite and not too skinny, just his type. Franklin Swift was a sometimes-employed construction worker, and a not-quite-divorced daddy of two. Zora Banks was a teacher, singer, songwriter. They met in a Brooklyn brownstone, and there could be no walking away... In this funny, gritty urban love story, Franklin and Zora join the ranks of fiction's most compelling couples, as they move from Scrabble to sex, from layoffs to the limits of faith and trust. Disappearing Acts is about the mystery of desire and the burdens of the past. It's about respect, what it can and can't survive. And it's about the safe and secret places that only love can find. --

Bring on the Blessings


Beverly Jenkins - 2009
    She was hurt—angry, too—but she didn't cry woe is me. Nope, she hired herself a top-notch lawyer and ended up with a cool $275 million. Having been raised in the church, she knew that when much is given much is expected, so she asked God to send her a purpose.The purpose turned out to be a town: Henry Adams, Kansas, one of the last surviving townships founded by freed slaves after the Civil War. The failing town had put itself up for sale on the Internet, so Bernadine bought it. Trent July is the mayor, and watching the town of his birth slide into debt and foreclosure is about the hardest thing he's ever done. When the buyer comes to town, he's impressed by her vision, strength, and the hope she wants to offer not only to the town and its few remaining residents, but to a handful of kids in desperate need of a second chance. Not everyone in town wants to get on board though; they don't want change. But Bernadine and Trent, along with his first love, Lily Fontaine, are determined to preserve the town's legacy while ushering in a new era with ties to its unique past and its promising future.

Redemption


Jacquelin Thomas - 2007
     Jacquelin Thomas has embraced the power of love and forgiveness in her award-winning novels. Now she explores the rewards of Redemption as a woman's desperate choices threaten to destroy her.

Divine


Karen Kingsbury - 2007
    Now a divine power has set Mary free to bring life-changing hope and love to battered and abused women living in the shadow of the nation's capital.Emma Randall is a single mother fleeing an abusive relationship, wondering whether there is hope for her and her young daughters. She is desperate, broken, and unloved, tempted to commit the unthinkable. Then Mary Madison introduces Emma to the greatest love of all, greater than any either of them has ever imagined.

Sarai


Jill Eileen Smith - 2012
    Even as a young girl, she is aware of the way men look at her, including her half brother Abram. When Abram finally requests Sarai's hand, she asks one thing--that he promise never to take another wife as long as she lives. Even her father thinks the demand is restrictive and agrees to the union only if Sarai makes a promise in return--to give Abram a son and heir. Certain she can easily do that, Sarai agrees.But as the years stretch on and Sarai's womb remains empty, she becomes desperate to fulfill her end of the bargain--lest Abram decide that he will not fulfill his. To what lengths will Sarai go in her quest to bear a son? And how long will Abram's patience last?Jill Eileen Smith thrilled readers with The Wives of King David series. Now she brings to life the strong and celebrated wives of the patriarchs, beginning with the beautiful and inscrutable Sarai.

A Dollar and a Dream


Carl Weber - 2003
    Reprint.

The Last Woman Standing


Tia McCollors - 2009
    After being married to their careers instead of each other for ten years, "Ace" and Lynette Bowers ended their marriage.  Four years later however, it seems as though their love never ended - to both of their surprise and denial.  Sheila Rushmore is Ace's current girlfriend and a woman who is used to getting what she wants - except Ace's commitment to marriage.  When Sheila realizes Lynette may be the cause, she launches a plan to play the hand of God, instead of allowing God to bring the love they all desire in His way.

Holy Rollers


ReShonda Tate Billingsley - 2010
    From #1 Essence bestseller, ReShonda Tate Billiingsley, a touching and funny story of faith, love, and tenacious friendship.

The Prayer Box


Lisa Wingate - 2013
    Hidden in the boxes is the story of a lifetime, written on random bits of paper--the hopes and wishes, fears and thoughts of an unassuming but complex woman passing through the seasons of an extraordinary, unsung life filled with journeys of faith, observations on love, and one final lesson that could change everything for Tandi.