Book picks similar to
Playgrounds & Black Markers by Libby May
christian
contemporary
american-fiction
21st-century
Unintended Detour (Unintended #3)
D.L. Wood - 2021
After Chloe's job loss, Jack's writer's block, and a disheartening personal disappointment, they could use a break. However, instead of hot chocolate and horseback rides through the snow, things are all wrong at the Stonehall Estate Resort. First, they learn of months of unexplained mishaps.Then there's a murder–and it's not the first at this historically tragic mansion.It soon becomes clear someone wants the resort to fail and will stop at nothing to make that happen. The question is…why?Eager to help the family business, Chloe picks up where the hotel’s last historical curator left off. But things quickly become dangerous when her research uncovers truths hidden for decades—clues related not only to mysteries sparked by a young girl’s death in 1931, but also those haunting the estate today. Before long Chloe finds herself in a deadly race to expose the mansion’s secrets before more innocents become victims of the malevolent force behind it all.Will Chloe bring the long-lost truth to light in time, or will she be the next to fall prey to the dark scheme that could claim everything, including her life?If you enjoy riveting intrigue, heart-warming romance and heroines and heroes you can't help but root for, you'll love USA TODAY bestselling author D.L. Wood's third installment in the award-winning Unintended Series of thrilling suspense novels laced with romance and faith.
Hinds' Feet on High Places: The Original and Complete Allegory with a Devotional for Women
Darien B. Cooper - 2013
They will help you to understand your own struggles and regain confidence in your walk with the Lord.I know that you sense Him drawing you ever nearer to Him. That's why you are considering this devotional. Some of you even feel your heart aching for more of His Presence in your life.This allegory with the devotionals will help satisfy the yearning of your heart. He is challenging you to keep saying "yes" to your Lord as He beckons you on in your own journey to the High Places.
The Billionaire's Reluctant Bride
Elle E. Kay - 2019
What could go wrong?When people see Zachary Williams they see a billionaire entrepreneur who changed the face of an entire industry, but without love and family it's worthless to him. Lonely and frustrated with the dating scene, he remembers an agreement he made with his best friend when they were in their teens. Zach searches out Addison and offers her the deal of a lifetime.When Addison hears from her childhood friend and he invokes a pact they made as teenagers, she thinks he’s joking. By the time she figures out how serious he is, she’s committed herself to his crazy marriage scheme with no way to back out gracefully.After a quick beach wedding on his private island, the staff and their families depart. Not long after, the hurricane hits and it's just the two of them battling nature together. Find out how childhood friends find romance and love while they weather the storm of a lifetime in The Billionaire’s Reluctant Bride.
Eden Hall
Veronica Heley - 2004
Now the fate of many people depends on what she will do with it. At the age of four, Araminta 'Minty' Cardale was exiled from Eden Hall on the wings of a scandal. Twenty years later, summoned by her half-sister, she has returned to see her dying father. But her hopes of a warm family welcome are shattered, and she is rejected once again. Making a place for herself in the village at the gates of Eden Hall, Minty begins to learn the truth about her father and her long-dead mother. She has yet to understand the threat she represents to family members who care only for money, power, and self-advancement, or the hope she offers to the community she is growing to love. And there are some who will do anything to prevent her finding out until it's too late. Thankfully, Minty has friends to stand by her, and, in this modern Cinderella story, she find an unlikely and unpredictable champion. At stake are the soul of her father on his deathbed---and the future of the entire village.
Crossing the Deep
Kelly Martin - 2012
Four days later, injured and scared, Rachel prays to just make it home alive.Asher Jenkins, fellow hiker and handsome skeptic who is only on the hike so he doesn’t have to go home and face his abusive ‘uncle’, finds Rachel in the woods and tries to get her back to Deep Creek Trail. A small hole hidden under the fall leaves causes her ankle to twist and forces Asher to leave her to get help. As night falls, he comes back, unable to find the right trail.As hours stretch into days, an unexpected rainstorm bears down the mountain, flooding Deep Creek and cutting off their way home. Rachel puts all of her faith in God to save them. Asher thinks believing in God is a waste of time and does what he can to prove to Rachel that He doesn’t exist.
A Painted Summer
Amy Matayo - 2015
As a homeschool graduate, a small town resident, and the only child of two over-protective parents, she’s dreamed of chasing big dreams. But big dreams take big courage. So in a moment of uncharacteristic boldness, Darby leaves the only life she’s ever known and sets off for California to test her skills in Hollywood. It works...until she runs out of money. That wasn’t part of her spur-of-the-moment plan, and she finds herself stuck in an unfamiliar city with too much pride to call home for help.With limited options, Darby finds herself working for dangerously hot Lennon Dixon, the owner of a downtown Los Angeles tattoo parlor. Lennon needs help and finds it in Darby. What he doesn’t expect is her odd aversion to his place of business...or his attraction to her. As for Darby, to call her new job unfamiliar is the world's biggest understatement. But to call her mutual attraction to Lennon unexpected is a very close second.Previously published as part of the Just One Summer collection.
Brothers at Arms: Treasure & Treachery in the Amazon
John J. Horn - 2012
Lawrence is a realist, fascinated by the study of science, mathematics, and history, while Chester longs for the knightly adventures of chivalrous times past — hard-fought battles, gold-filled caves, damsels in distress.When Chester’s impetuosity engages the unlikely pair as bodyguards to a Spaniard and his beautiful ward Pacarina, the twins quickly realize that the 19th century calls for a chivalry of its own. Protecting Pacarina’s secret leads all of them into the steaming jungles and dizzying mountains of Peru, a foreboding territory made all the more dangerous by Lawrence and Chester’s strivings against each other. Can the twins learn to trust God and work together before it’s too late? Or will they fall prey to the mysterious schemes of Pacarina’s enemy — an enemy they know nothing about?
He Restores My Soul
LaShonda Bowman - 2015
Though Mahalia Langston was known as a gospel music pioneer among the church community, her daughters knew her as someone else altogether. The three women hope that, along with their mother, they can finally bury the secrets that plagued their childhood. But that's no longer an option when tragedy strikes and the sisters are forced to deal with the past they’ve spent their whole lives trying to forget. With the help of a praying woman, the sisters begin to think emotional healing is a real possibility. Until, that is, they learn their mother had one final secret. A secret so earth shattering, only the grace of God will help them get through it.
Snow Country
Kristin Neva - 2016
JILTED THREE WEEKS BEFORE HER WEDDING, Beth Dawson escapes sunny California for the snowy Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where a young State Trooper challenges her to let go of her rules for Christian courtship. Her domineering mother chides her to stay single and wants her to talk her ailing grandmother into moving to Los Angeles. COPPER ISLAND averages over 200 inches of snow annually. The fictional towns of Douglass and Quincy mirror the actual towns of Houghton and Hancock, and although the names of businesses and persons are imaginary, the history, landmarks, and spirit of the region described in the novel are real. Reader praise for Snow Country: “Her novels—and the characters that live in them—are endearing and wholesome. But they’re also so real, full of healthy grit, humor, flaws and appetites. She creates an authentic Yooper world that I think other readers, including those who don’t know anything about life in da UP, will find as fascinating as I do.” (Cyndi P.) "Kristin Neva’s fiction invites the reader to consider the weightier questions of life and offers wise insights to ponder. It’s not just entertainment – it’s worth your time. Snow Country offers a fascinating look into the local culture of an isolated part of the United States. With surprising, yet believable characters and storyline twists, it is at once captivating, suspenseful, funny, and reflective. The light-hearted scenes balance some very intense – but real-life – drama. (It may be more believable to those of us who have lived in the unique cultural landscape. Outsiders beware: truth IS stranger than fiction!) More than a romance novel, it is a story of life in its many complexities: family loyalties and secrets, faith, vocation, AND love.” (Alexandra L.) “Fun book, and with a message or two! The characters and conflicts feel real.” (Dan R.) About the Author: KRISTIN NEVA grew up in an old farmhouse on Copper Island in Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula where the hard-working, rugged residents persevere through harsh winter weather, sustained by friendship and family, surrounded by natural beauty. As an adult, she lived in the Chicago and Milwaukee areas for seventeen years before returning to her hometown with her husband and two children. Kristin’s first book, Heavy, co-authored with her husband, Todd, journeys through the first year after Todd’s ALS diagnosis as the Nevas struggle to find meaning, hold on to faith, and discover joy in the midst of pain. It is this life experience that brings authenticity to Kristin’s fictional works as she explores themes of love, loss, and faith on Copper Island. Learn more about Kristin and explore Copper Island at KristinNeva.com.
Double Exposure: A Novel
Blaine M. Yorgason - 1983
Nelson and Angela Armstrong are wealthy, successful, determined, and stubborn. The freshness of their love has gradually turned to the staleness of noncommunicating separateness. And Angela wants the separateness to be permanent. Nelson acquiesces, for he knows no way to recapture the glow which Angela seems so determined to snuff out entirely. But there is someone else who is concerned - one who died in 1848, yet his presence is uncannily real. And because of his own mistakes, he is determined to teach the Armstrongs what he learned about life, love, and survival.
Wonderland Wishes: 7 Never-Before-Released Christian Christmas Romances
Lynnette Bonner - 2017
So when she learns her father is dying, her first inclination is to leave the old curmudgeon on his own. Only adding to her stress are the unexplainable feelings of attraction she's suddenly having for her best friend, actor Dixon Nash. Can a Christmas kitten named Star point the way to the Answer she so desperately needs?Finding Christmas and You, by Jan ClineNot only is Jolene Miller struggling to regain her memory after an injury, she's drawn to two men with opposite personalities. As the mystery of her past unfolds in the weeks before Christmas, Jolene discovers the truth about one of them just in time to give her a Christmas miracle.Once upon a Christmas Star, by Kathleen FreemanWhen Misty discovers Papa wanted to be an astronomy professor and gave it up to raise her, she signs him up for grad school and donates her savings to the cause. Unbeknownst to her, Papa has sold his telescope equipment so Misty can quit her ferry job and go to medical school. A handsome med student only confuses the situation. This Gift of the Magi retelling could lead to disaster, unless wishes and prayers really do come true.A Christmas Hallelujah, by Dori HarrellRomance is the last thing on their minds--who'd take on their drama anyway? Piper is dealing with her troubled teen sister. Alex's young son is glued to his side 24/7. And each thinks the other lives on the wrong side of the Cascade Mountains. But as a surprising and heartwarming friendship unfolds before their eyes, will Piper and Alex orchestrate a Christmas hallelujah out of the beautiful messes that are their lives?The Second Noel, by Chautona HavigWhen Breanne Homstad learns that a local family got scammed out of thousands for a Diabetic Alert Dog for their little boy and must find the money for another one ASAP, she embarks on the seemingly impossible task of raising $25,000 dollars...now!Breanne, friends, and a local fireman she still hasn't forgiven for a "date and dash," work to fulfill one little boy's Christmas wish--and maybe a second chance at romance.Home for the Holidays, by Lesley Ann McDanielWhen a handsome stranger fails to respond to Victoria's flirting the way men usually do, she's perplexed. She discovers that he runs an organization that builds affordable housing, and decides to volunteer. So what if it's a faith-based ministry. She can pretend to be a "church person," right?Montana Skye, by Sylvia StewartSkye hadn't envisioned serving the supper crowd in plans for her future. So when Shell, a handsome, flirty cowboy, comes into the Starlight Café, she puts him in his place along with his supper, coffee, and pie. She doesn't need him reminding her of all she's lost back home. But will Shell prove more than she bargained for?
Captive of Raven Castle
Jessica Greyson - 2013
Alexandra knows that her value to her country consists mainly in her ability to marry well, but when she is kidnapped by the rebels and taken to meet the man claiming to be both Chambria’s true king and her real father, her entire world falls apart. Will Princess Alexandra be able to untangle the web of lies and discern who is the true king and her father?
The Collins Case
Julie C. Gilbert - 2012
Although not officially assigned to the case, Ann and her partner, Patrick Duncan, take up the cause of finding Rachel, Jason, and Emily Collins. As if that task wasn’t enough, Ann and Patrick also have a baffling case of internet thievery to investigate.Who is Christopher Collins and what about his past is endangering his family? Where are Rachel and the kids being held? Where is God in the midst of chaos? Will Ann and Patrick arrive in time or will they find only pain?__________________Alternate Cover, ASIN: B009ZN1V2E
Just Look Up
Courtney Walsh - 2017
With her cell phone and laptop always within reach, Lane aims to check on her brother while staying focused on work--something her eclectic family doesn't understand.Ryan Brooks never expected to settle down in Harbor Pointe, Michigan, but after his final tour of duty, it was the only place that felt like home. Now knee-deep in a renovation project that could boost tourism for the struggling town, he is thrilled to see Lane, the girl he secretly once loved, even if the circumstances of her homecoming aren't ideal.Their reunion gets off to a rocky start, however, when Ryan can't find a trace of the girl he once knew in the woman she is today. As he slowly chips away at the walls Lane has built, secrets from his past collide with a terrible truth even he is reluctant to believe. Facing a crossroads that could define his future with Lane and jeopardize his relationship with the surrogate family he's found in the Kelleys, Ryan hopes Lane can see that maybe what really matters has been right in front of her all along--if only she'd just look up.