It’s a new year and high time for a new book list! Inspirational fiction has no shortage of compelling reads about characters with painful pasts who only long for one thing: a fresh start. You can’t go wrong with any of the fantastic authors mentioned below:
The Solid Grounds Coffee Company by Carla Laureano– Analyn Sanchez can handle the long hours and arrogant clients that come with her job as a crisis management associate at Denver’s largest publicity firm. The high-powered job, expensive condo, and designer wardrobe are all part of her plan to prove to her family that her life choices haven’t been in vain. But when she’s asked to cover up a client’s misdeeds with serious moral and legal ramifications, she can no longer sacrifice her conscience for her career . . . and the cost is no less than her job.
Ever since a devastating climbing accident in South America eight months ago, and a bad decision that dried up his sponsorships, professional rock climber Bryan Shaw has found himself at similar loose ends. When the opportunity to buy a coffee farm in Colombia arises, he jumps on it–only to discover his wandering ways have left him utterly unprepared to run a business.
When Bryan returns home and offers Ana a role in his company as a solution to both their problems, she’s desperate enough to consider working with the far-too-flippant and far-too-handsome climber, even though he’s the polar opposite of her type A nature. As they delve deeper into the business, however, she begins to suspect there’s much more to Bryan than she’s given him credit for . . . and that sometimes the best plans are the ones you never see coming.
My Thoughts: To my astonishment, this is the first Carla Laureano book I’ve read, though it certainly won’t be the last. I’m looking forward to backtracking in the Supper Club series and reading both The Saturday Night Supper Club and Brunch at Bittersweet Café because I think they’ll add another layer to the friendships and romantic relationships explored in book 3. However, Solid Grounds exists as an enjoyable read on its own. Laureano quickly catches readers up to speed with the at-arms’-length relationship between romantic leads Ana and Bryan, and the simmering tension between them alone– heightened because both of their careers hinge on the other’s help– drives the novel forward. Learning the ins and outs of running a coffee business is also pretty entertaining. SGCC is a smart novel about redemption and second chances and should be at the top of your TBR pile.
The Happy Camper by Melody Carlson– Home is the place to heal, right? At least, that’s what Dillon Michaels is hoping as she leaves her disappointing career and nonstarter love life behind to help her grieving and aging grandfather on his small Oregon farm. The only problem? Her eccentric mother beat her there and has taken over Dillon’s old room. After a few nights sleeping on a sagging sofa, Dillon is ready to give up, until she receives an unlikely gift–her grandfather’s run-down vintage camp trailer, which she quickly resolves to restore with the help of Jordan Atwood, the handsome owner of the local hardware store.
But just when things are finally beginning to run smoothly, Dillon’s noncommittal ex-boyfriend shows up with roses . . . and a ring.
My Thoughts: I admit that I picked this one out because of its delightfully cheerful cover, which features paper lanterns in citrus shades and the cutest vintage camp trailer. I’ve also been interested in all things RV and camper-related since a few years ago when my husband and I took our two young boys on a vacation via RV to the Great Smoky Mountains. This book would be a great summer read– light and with many sentimental moments scattered throughout as Dillon embraces the charm of small-town life and gets invested in the camp trailer community. This one is a sweet story that shows just how great starting over can be.
Sweetwater Gap by Denise Hunter– When Josephine’s family insists she come home to help with the harvest, the timing works. But her return isn’t simple benevolence-she plans to persuade the family to sell the failing orchard.
The new manager’s presence is making it difficult. Grady MacKenzie takes an immediate disliking to Josephine and becomes outright cantankerous when she tries talking her family into selling. As she and Grady work side by side in the orchard, she begins to appreciate his devotion and quiet faith. She senses a vulnerability in him that makes her want to delve deeper, but there’s no point letting her heart have its way-he’s tied to the orchard, and she could never stay there.
My Thoughts: Reminiscent of the main character in Beth Vogt’s Things I Never Told You, Hunter’s Josie Mitchell is likewise a woman with a secret. What that secret is, I won’t tell you, because you need to read the entirety of Hunter’s achingly beautiful story to discover the truth for yourself. What I will tell you, though, is that this book starts off with a deceptively simple premise- Josie doesn’t want to return to Shelbyville to help out with her family’s failing apple orchard- before leading us into the progressively deeper physical and emotional waters of her hometown’s Sweetwater Gap. The distance implied by that “gap” manifests in Josie’s narrative, as we get her side of the story, intercut with the POV of her “Marlboro Man” love interest, orchard manager Grady. The plot of Sweetwater Gap is expertly pieced together, and Hunter’s writing is excellent, clean and crisp without sacrificing elegance. The faith theme is also naturally interwoven, which makes for a more powerful punch when Josie finally confronts her past. I wholeheartedly recommend this novel.
A Refuge Assured by Jocelyn Green– Vivienne Rivard flees revolutionary France and seeks a new life for herself and a boy in her care, who some say is the Dauphin. But America is far from safe, as militiaman Liam Delaney knows. He proudly served in the American Revolution but is less sure of his role in the Whiskey Rebellion. Drawn together, will Liam and Vivienne find the peace they long for?
My Thoughts: I’ve done a micro review on this book before, but it definitely deserves to be mentioned twice. The story of Frenchwoman and lacemaker Vivienne is a compelling one, as she flees revolutionary France to start over in Philadelphia’s French Quarter. The character development feels authentic, and the story moves quickly, driven by a suspenseful plot. The historical details are deftly woven into the story and never seem intrusive. Even if you’re not a regular reader of the historical genre, pick this one up. You won’t be disappointed.
Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers– California’s gold country, 1850. A time when men sold their souls for a bag of gold and women sold their bodies for a place to sleep.
Angel expects nothing from men but betrayal. Sold into prostitution as a child, she survives by keeping her hatred alive. And what she hates most are the men who use her, leaving her empty and dead inside.
Then she meets Michael Hosea. A man who seeks his Father’s heart in everything, Michael Hosea obeys God’s call to marry Angel and to love her unconditionally. Slowly, day by day, he defies Angel’s every bitter expectation until, despite her resistance her frozen heart begins to thaw.
But with her unexpected softening come overwhelming feelings of unworthiness and fear. And so Angel runs. Back to the darkness, away from her husband’s pursuing love, terrified of the truth she can no longer deny: Her final healing must come from the One who loves her even more than Michael Hosea does…the One who will never let her go.
A life-changing story of God’s unconditional, redemptive, all-consuming love.
My Thoughts: I know I’m incredibly late to the party with this absolute masterpiece, but I was gifted a copy in a Christmas exchange, and I devoured all five-hundred-plus pages in the course of an afternoon. The book is a retelling of the Biblical story of Gomer, the wayward prostitute, and Hosea, the man whose undying love for her compels him to pursue her, time and time again. Rivers’ story gets a fresh update by being set at the end of the Gold Rush. I can’t wait until the movie version of this novel releases, though I’m sure I’ll be nothing but a puddle of tears at the end. Powerfully written and emotionally absorbing, this book deserves all the accolades it’s received over the years.
If you’ve read any of these books, let me know in the comments below, or join Shaen Layle’s Reader Room on Facebook, where we chat about all things bookish. I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Keep reading!
Shaen
