Book picks similar to
Beyond the Blue by Leslie Gould


fiction
christian
young-adult
christian-fiction

June Bug


Chris Fabry - 2009
    . ." For as long as she can remember, June Bug and her father have traveled the back roads of the country in their beat-up RV, spending many nights parked at Wal-Mart. One morning, as she walks past the greeter at the front of the store, her eyes are drawn to the pictures of missing children, where she is shocked to see herself. This discovery begins a quest for the truth about her father, the mother he rarely speaks about, and ultimately herself. But when her father's past catches up with them, forces beyond his control draw them back to Dogwood, West Virginia, down a winding path that will change their lives forever.

Into the Free


Julie Cantrell - 2012
    But she’s the only one strong enough to break the family cycle.In Depression-era Mississippi, Millie Reynolds longs to escape the madness that marks her world. With an abusive father and a “nothing mama,” she struggles to find a place where she really belongs. For answers,Millie turns to the Gypsies who caravan through town each spring. The travelers lead Millie to a key that unlocks generations of shocking family secrets. When tragedy strikes, the mysterious contents of the box give Millie the tools she needs to break her family’s longstanding cycle of madness and abuse. Through it all, Millie experiences the thrill of first love while fighting to trust the God she believes has abandoned her. With the power of forgiveness, can Millie finally make her way into the free?Saturated in Southern ambiance and written in the vein of other Southern literary bestsellers like The Help by Kathryn Stockett and CrookedLetter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin, Julie Cantrell has created Into theFree—now a New York Times bestseller—a story that will sweep you away long after the novel ends.

Summer of Dreams


Elizabeth Camden - 2016
    Which is why Clyde Baxter, a West Point cadet on the verge of graduation, presents a problem. Their attraction is instantaneous, but it threatens Evelyn's lifelong dream of going to college. Clyde's brilliance in the new field of electrical power has him poised for a promising career in the Army's Corps of Engineers. The one thing he never anticipated was Evelyn White, a woman whose soaring ambition matches his own. As they fall in love over the course of one magical summer, they believe dreams are enough to weather any challenge. But when they are tested by forces neither saw coming, will the fragile bonds forged during those dream-filled summer days be strong enough to survive the storm?

Things We Once Held Dear


Ann Tatlock - 2006
    Will reconnecting with his past lead to Neil's rediscovering the validity of his childhood faith?

The Potluck Club


Linda Evans Shepherd - 2005
    The Potluck Club (The Potluck Club, Book 1)

While We're Far Apart


Lynn Austin - 2010
    Young Esther is heartbroken when her father decides to enlist in the army shortly after the death of her mother. Penny Goodrich has been in love with Eddie Shaffer for as long as she can remember; now that Eddie's wife is dead, Penny feels she has been given a second chance and offers to care for his children in the hope that he will finally notice her and marry her after the war. And elderly Mr. Mendel, the landlord, waits for the war to end to hear what has happened to his son trapped in war torn Hungary. But during the long, endless wait for victory overseas, life on the home front will go from bad to worse. Yet these characters will find themselves growing and changing in ways they never expected and ultimately discovering truths about God's love. . .even when He is silent.

Chosen: The Lost Diaries of Queen Esther


Ginger Garrett - 2005
    Leaving behind her only relative, her cousin Mordecai, and her first true love, Cyrus, she is thrown headlong into the unrestrained extravagance of palace living. Quick of mind and strong in spirit, she refuses to suffer the fate of her harem sisters and boldly challenges Xerxes to give of his heart before taking his pleasure, thus sealing her place beside him as queen. While conspiracy spins its diabolical web, Esther's mind and spirit waver, and she is forced to confront the past in order to save her future—and that of an entire nation.

The Way It Should Be


Christina Suzann Nelson - 2021
    Eve's troubled lifestyle causes the state to take custody of her two children and contact Zara and her husband, asking them to consider foster care. Newlywed Zara thought she'd finally been given a fresh start and feels wholly unprepared to care for a niece and nephew whose existence she wasn't even aware of.Meanwhile, Eve may have a real chance to start over this time with the help of Tiff Bradley, who's dedicated to helping women everyone else has given up on after facing a heartbreaking tragedy in her own family.

The Writing Desk


Rachel Hauck - 2017
    Now that her second book is due, she’s locked in fear. Can she repeat her earlier success or is she a fraud who has run out of inspiration?With pressure mounting from her publisher, Tenley is weighted with writer’s block. But when her estranged mother calls asking Tenley to help her through chemotherapy, she packs up for Florida where she meets handsome furniture designer Jonas Sullivan and discovers the story her heart’s been missing.A century earlier, another woman wrote at the same desk with hopes and fears of her own. Born during the Gilded Age, Birdie Shehorn is the daughter of the old money Knickerbockers. Under the strict control of her mother, her every move is decided ahead of time, even whom she’ll marry. But Birdie has dreams she doesn’t know how to realize. She wants to tell stories, write novels, make an impact on the world. When she discovers her mother has taken extreme measures to manipulate her future, she must choose between submission and security or forging a brand new way all on her own.Tenley and Birdie are from two very different worlds, but fate has bound them together in a way time cannot erase.

A Land of Sheltered Promise


Jane Kirkpatrick - 2005
    Three Eras. Three Miracles.1901Plagued by loneliness on the Big Muddy Ranch, a sheepherder’s wife awaits the outcome of her husband’s trial for murder. He is sentenced to life in prison–and she to life without him. But a startling event could redeem their pasts and transform their future.1984Against a backdrop of attempted murder, federal indictments, and the first case of bio-terrorism in the U.S., one woman seeks to rescue her granddaughter from within the elaborate compound of a cult that has claimed the land.1997On the much-reviled, abandoned cult site, one woman’s skepticism turns to hope when she finds that what was meant to destroy can be used to rebuild–and in the process realizes a long-held dream. For three women seekers united across time, a remote and rugged stretch of land in the Pacific Northwest proves to be a place where miracles really happen–and the gifts of faith, hope, and charity are as tangible as rocks, rivers, and earth. Based on True Stories.

Love on a Dime


Cara Lynn James - 2010
    Of opulent mansions that serve as summer cottages for the rich and famous. Home of railroad magnates and banking tycoons--dashing young men and the women who aspire to marry them.But it's not the place for lady novelists. Especially not those who pen disreputable dime novels. This poses a problem for Lilly Westbrook, because that's exactly what she does.No one in Lilly's social set knows she pens fiction under the nom de plume Fannie Cole. Not her family or the wealthy young man about to propose to her. And especially not Jackson Grail, the long-lost beau who just bought her publishing company...and who stirs her heart more than she cares to admit.But Lilly must put aside her feelings and follow the path that will maintain her family's social stature and provide the financial security that everyone is depending on.Now Lilly faces a double dilemma. Can she continue to protect her secret identity? And will she have the courage to choose the man who will risk it all just to win her heart?

Shiloh Autumn


Bodie Thoene - 1996
    . . in one day?In the autumn of 1931, Birch and Trudy Tucker are proud of what they’ve built with their love and labor in Shiloh, Arkansas. The farm produces fine cotton. The pantry and cellar are full of food for the winter. Tom and Bobby are old enough to help with the family chores but young enough to get into mischief. Little Joey is the joy of his mother’s heart.To the Canfield family—once sharecroppers—Shiloh is a dream come true. Jefferson and Lily, their babies, and his parents, Hock and Willa-Mae, are reunited, and Jefferson farms his own land. Then, on October 1, 1931, disaster strikes. The cotton market collapses in Memphis, and the little town of Shiloh is hit hard. It will take a miracle to save what Birch and Trudy and so many others have labored to build. Yet even the forces of nature seem to conspire against them. . . .Based on the lives of Bodie's grandparents, Shiloh Autumn is an inspiring story of courage, faith, love, and the healing strength of forgiveness in the face of loss and betrayal.

The Bright Unknown


Elizabeth Byler Younts - 2019
    A nurse has thoughtfully educated and raised Brighton, but she has also kept vital information from her in order to keep her close. Brighton befriends a boy whom she calls Angel—he doesn’t know his name—and as the two of them learn more about what lies beyond the walls they call home, they fight for their release and eventually escape.However, the world outside the only place they’ve ever known is not what they expect. They have no real names, no money, and no help—and they must rely upon the kindness of strangers as they walk and hitchhike from Pennsylvania to Michigan to find their last hope of a home.

Song of Silence


Cynthia Ruchti - 2016
    Trouble is, neither of them expected life to look like this. While Charlie retired early, Lucy is devoted to a long-term career . . . until the day she has no choice.Forced to retire from her position as music educator in a small Midwestern K-8 school, Lucy can only watch helplessly as the program her father started years ago disintegrates before her eyes. As the music fades and a chasm separates her from the passion of her heart, Lucy wonders if her faith's song has gone silent, too. The musical score of her life seems to be missing all the notes.When a simple misstep threatens to silence Lucy forever, a young boy and his soundless mother change the way she sees--and hears--everything.

The Masquerade


Melanie Dobson - 2012
    They've lost their family fortune, and Mrs. Bissette hopes to arrange a marriage between Elena and an elusive millionaire named Chester Darrington. Elena quickly tires of the extravagant dinners and masquerade balls, preferring to spend her evenings watching the stars in an abandoned lighthouse. There she meets Chase, a handsome stranger who shares her love for the night sky. Together they begin working to solve a mystery buried in the pages of a tattered diary until Chase unmasks what seems to be the ultimate masquerade. Legacy of Love is a series of historical romance novels based on the courageous people and significant events that wove together the rich tapestry of America’s freedom and faith. The print version of Masquerade is available online under its original title of Love Finds You in Mackinac Island, Michigan.