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Christian Fiction September 2026 |
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Christine's Library Journal Reviews |
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| Almost by Design by Jenny ErlingssonThis review by librarian Christine Barth was first published in the May 2025 issue of Library Journal.
Kenya Stewart is laser-focused on a promotion at work. Though she is skilled at hiding her dyslexia behind an effervescent mask and thousands of phone reminders, one misstep on the dance floor at a high-profile wedding derails her carefully laid career plans.
With her self-worth tied up in corporate success, forced time off work and sitting still is akin to torture, and she fears everyone will discover her learning disability.
As she rehabs her injured ankle, Solomon Anruchi, a physical therapist in training, makes her a deal. Pretending to be Solomon's date will give Kenya much-needed business connections, but it may cost her pride--and her heart. Also, Solomon is not being completely upfront about his Nigerian immigrant family's worldwide success and his own future with the company.
VERDICT: Erlingsson (Her Part to Play) returns to rural Alabama with a multicultural cast of characters and a heart for pairing humor with real-life dilemmas. This is an enjoyable and relatable rom-com for fans of Toni Shiloh's "Love in the Spotlight" and Sherryl Wood's "Sweet Magnolias" series. |
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| The Brunswick by Callie MurrayThis review by librarian Christine Barth was first published in the May 2025 issue of Library Journal.
Cora Cain looks forward to the Air Line Belle passenger train's arrival every day, dreaming of the day she can escape Norcross, GA to chase her elusive dreams. In 1939, however, obstacles abound. Her World War I hero father now barely moves or speaks due to melancholy, the Great Depression has turned the family's luxury hotel into a struggling grocery store, and Cora's own hands cannot quite make a fist or do the chores they used to, despite her young age.
When Cora is challenged to open the Brunswick hotel to Jewish refugees as the rumors from Europe grow more disturbing, she wonders if she can balance one more plate.
Thomas Watkins, a newcomer to the South from Chicago, knows he cannot change the world singlehandedly, but maybe he can at least impact Cora's life for the better.
VERDICT: Murray's debut novel, based on true events, is a sure hit for history fans of all faiths. The characterization of the young people facing deferred hope and terrible odds will resonate with many people today searching for the definition of home. |
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| Don't Upstage the Body by Naomi StephensThis review by librarian Christine Barth was first published in the May 2025 issue of Library Journal.Hippolyta Halpenny is dying to escape the family business, which is ironic since they are professional mourners hired to put on a good show at funerals. When she summons real tears over her mother's death at Lord Basil Montfort's service, she attracts the attention of Crispin, the future Earl of Montfort himself.Everything threatens to come undone, however, when Hippolyta discovers a body in the library and the motley crew is forced to remain on the Montfort estate until the slightly inept constabulary cracks the case. Taking matters into their own hands, Hippolyta and Crispin investigate the death, which may be tied to a legendary jewel theft from decades previously, while keeping secrets from each other.VERDICT: Set in the 1950s, the tale is equal parts farcical and mysterious. Stephens (The Burning of Rosemont Abbey) delivers a unique twist on the classic English house party mystery in the tradition of Agatha Christie. For fans of Anthony Horowitz and Alan Bradley who want a laugh along with their whodunit. |
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| The Spy Keeper of Marseille by Roseanna M. WhiteThis review by librarian Christine Barth was first published in the May 2025 issue of Library Journal.
Famous concert pianist Marcel Laurent's time in a POW camp almost broke his spirit, but meeting Zelie Bellerose might rejuvenate him. Zelie is far from a dutiful officer's wife. After her husband dies in battle, she joins the French Resistance, fooling the Nazis by collecting information from cultural spheres right under their noses.
She tasks Marcel with working deep undercover as a youth orchestra director for the very regime he hates. When a deeply personal betrayal threatens their network, Zelie and Marcel must step into leadership roles neither is prepared for. Obsessed with North Africa, their British handlers seem unaware of the immense risks the network of young artists is taking on behalf of a free France.
VERDICT: Don't miss this symphony of a book from White (The Collector of Burned Books), who highlights regular people making brave choices even as they are caught in a geopolitical web they can barely understand. Recommended for readers who enjoy World War II novels set in France, such as Until Leaves Fall in Paris by Sarah Sundin and The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff. |
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Check These Out from the Library!
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Belle's Christmas Carol: A Dickens-Inspired Holiday Novella
by Michelle Griep
Scrooge's former fiancée Belle Beaumont inherits a struggling London orphanage and longs to give the children a merry Christmas. She joins forces with barrister Rafe Munro, who's fighting to clear an innocent man's name while searching for a child who may be his relative. Secrets and unexpected love intertwine in this tale with echoes of Dickens.
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Fatal Pattern
by Kate Angelo
Behavioral Analyst Dr. Tori Crew has channeled her parents' unsolved murder into fierce independence--keeping Detective Blade St. James in her friend zone. When a stalker targets Tori, she and Blade uncover a conspiracy, but as bodies pile up, so do their feelings. Can they stop the killer before they become the final, fatal piece in the pattern?
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Autumn at the Cat Cafe
by Kathleen Fuller
From USA TODAY bestselling author Kathleen Fuller comes a cozy, kisses-only romance about fresh starts, fall leaves, and finding love right next door.
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The Ladies Hall: A Novel of Three Women Who Refused to Be Silenced
by Vanessa Miller
Based on the real lives of Mary Church Terrell, Anna Julia Cooper, and Ida Gibbs Hunt, The Ladies Hall is a mirror into times of great change--where progress and new possibilities are met with violence and resistance . . . but hope always rises. And it rises still.
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Riptide
by Chad Robichaux
A shadow war rages. Only one man can drag it into the light.Still haunted by his former teammate's betrayal and the unveiling of a conspiracy that runs deeper than he imagined, Foster Quinn is once more thrust back into the world he thought he left behind. In the sweltering heat off the coast of Key West, a mission to seize a billionaire's yacht ends in a chilling revelation: America's enemies aren't just beyond our borders--they might be sitting in Congress.
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Things We Cannot Keep
by Amanda Cox
Tess has built a new life in Alabama, repairing timepieces and avoiding her past--until a mysterious package bearing her old name and an anonymous note appears. Traveling to uncover the secrets of a lost heirloom, is she brave enough to face what she might find--and can she trust others with what matters most?
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When the Silence Breaks
by Elizabeth Goddard
Discovering a connection between a deathbed confession and a World War II mountain crash, Sarah Ellison enlists ex-Navy SEAL Ryder Goodwin's help. Their search for answers turns into a survival mission as they uncover secrets that put their lives at risk. They only have one chance to trust each other and confront the truth no one wants them to find.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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