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Inspirational Fiction July 2026 |
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| The Lumber Baron's Wife by Lynn AustinIn 1873, Hannah Wagner and her physician husband arrive in a rural village near Lake Michigan, recruited by lumber baron Henry Abernathy. Hannah meets Henry's young wife, ex-burlesque performer Kate, who later mysteriously vanishes. In the present day, newcomers Ashley Gilbert and her conservationist husband move into the Wagners' old home, and after finding old papers, Ashley investigates Kate's long-ago disappearance.
For fans of: Faith-filled dual-timeline mysteries. |
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| A Brewed Awakening by Pepper BashamIn Wisteria, North Carolina, Daphne runs her Jane Austen-inspired tea shop solo since the death of her beloved English grandmother the previous year. She's managing okay until a handsome Brit, Finn Dashwood, moves to town and opens a gastropub next door, becoming her business rival.
Why you'll like it: A witty, opposites-attract romance with a charming small-town setting and fun secondary characters.
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| A Chance for Kallie Mae by Ann H. GabhartIn 1911 Kentucky, 19-year-old Kallie Bertram dreams of both an education and a forbidden love. Caring for her siblings after her mother died in childbirth, she's never learned to read or write, but a new school for adults might change that. Meanwhile, she runs into Quinn Spencer, childhood friend and first love. While their feelings are still strong, their feuding families make a match seem impossible.
Read-alike: For another faith-filled romance set in 1911 Kentucky, read Suzanne Woods Fisher's The Moonlight School. |
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| The Manhattan Confessions by Jocelyn GreenIn 1926, New York Historical Society librarian Ivy Malone is dedicated to preserving Manhattan's history. When society matron Adeline King shares her secret past as a young Irish immigrant who joined a gang to survive, Ivy records the tale while hiding Adeline's criminal connection, leading to danger for both. Meanwhile, Ivy is scrambling to secure papers for her Italian cousin, Gina, who is being detained at Ellis Island and will be killed if she's deported back to Mussolini's Italy.
Series alert: Like the other books in the On Central Park trilogy, this evocative final entry works as a standalone. |
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| Harbor Pointe by Irene HannonWhen New York prima ballerina Devyn Lee gets a call that her estranged sister is in a coma, she rushes to her Oregon hometown. While she helps her sister with her recovery, Devyn also organizes a dance fundraiser for a local charity, growing close with a widowed millworker and his daughter. But what are the odds that such an accomplished, polished woman from the city could ever fall for a small-town lumberman with two left feet? Like all of Irene Hannon's Hope Harbor novels, this sweet romance can be enjoyed on its own.
Try this next: Denise Hunter's Before We Were Us. |
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| Birds on a Wire by Katie PownerNearing 40, mom-of-three Laura Gambler agrees to be a foster parent for the first time and takes in newborn Providence. The struggle of life with a newborn while navigating the foster system is more than she bargained for. Providence's biological mom, 18-year-old Bri, has no family to help and struggles with drug addiction, but wants her baby back -- if Child Protective Services will ever allow it. Narrated by both women, this moving realistic novel is a "gift of a book" (Library Journal) and is great for book clubs.
Read-alikes: South of Somewhere by T.I. Lowe; The Way It Should Be by Christina Suzann Nelson. |
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| A Heart on Consignment by Mindy SteeleAt 22, chatterbox Salina Stoltzfus is tired of her mom trying to marry her off. Meanwhile, Seth Weaver is staying with his aunt after his betrothed back home canceled their wedding. When Salina and Seth become friends while running a consignment shop, they agree to fake date to stop Salina's mom's matchmaking. Just as real feelings begin to develop, an emergency draws Seth back home, leaving Salina wondering if her happily ever after will forever remain beyond her grasp.
Read-alike: Shelley Shepard Gray's Her Secret Hope. |
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| Where We Belong by Kim Vogel SawyerAfter his wife dies during the Great Depression, Callum Holbrook takes his two girls to a New York City orphanage until he can get himself together. When he returns, he finds they've been put on an orphan train heading west and sets out after them. Evelyn and Winnie do all they can to avoid being adopted, but are finally left in Kansas with widow Hester Weber Haak, who's longed to be a mother. As they experience the growing pains of family, hearts gradually change, but no one is sure where they belong.
Similar Series: Jody Hedlund's Orphan Train trilogy. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Forsyth County Public Library
585 Dahlonega Street, Cumming, Georgia 30040
770-781-9840ForsythPL.org |
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