Recently I had the priveledge of previewing two brand new Christian Fiction novels.  Here’s what I thought of them: 

Snow Melts in Spring by Deborah Vogts (First in the Seasons of the Tallgrass series)

The Flints Hills of Kansas and the memorable people that love them take center stage in this stirring debut romance from Kansas native Deborah Vogts. Veterinarian Mattie Evans is sickened to see the state of her victim when she is called out to an automobile accident.  At first she wants to put the gelding down, but despite her better instincts she is talked into saving the horse for its owner, the local town hero who made it big as a football star.  Then that football star, Gil McCray, returns and walks right back into the strained relationship with his father that made him leave in the first place.   His sudden appearance shakes things up in Mattie’s world.  Mattie would love to help Gil and his father reconcile, but cannot undestand Gil’s attitude about his father’s ranch and the land she loves.  Why would he abandon all that for California?  She also has her own problems to deal with as the lack of business at her vet clinic threatens to take away her means of living in the Flint Hills.  But no matter what she is determined to stay—even if she goes bankrupt, or her family doesn’t understand her, or she falls for Gil McCray who seems determined to leave.
What stood out to me about this book were the way I was drawn to the characters—I could immediatedly identfiy with them and their struggles.  I could hardly wait to see how Maggie was going to rise above all her struggles.  And of course being from Kansas I also was impressed by the descriptions of the beautiful Flint hills landscape and the way it highlights the issues facing the residents of our rural communities.  I heartily recommend it, especially if you enjoy appealing characters and a vividly drawn setting.

The Sweetgum Ladies Knit for Love by Beth Pattillo (Second in the Sweetgum Ladies Knit Lit society series)

Beth Pattillo is a favorite author of mine as I greatly enjoyed her chick lit books Heavens to Betsy and Earth to Betsy.  So I was delighted to see this new installment in her Sweetgum Ladies series.  This delightful tale of females bonding over knitting and literature may look like just a light fluffy read, but plenty of issues are tackled between the pages as the group embarks on a plan to discuss classic romances.  This brings up issues related to their own love lives—or lack thereof.  The sleepy town of Sweetgum, Tennessee might look calm on the outside, but plenty threatens to disrupt its residents lives—such as the return of one of the member’s high school crushes.  Or the sudden arrival of first love.  Or the challendes of being a new wife at an advanced age.  Or husbands that ask too much of their wives.  As the ladies meet, knit and read together the strength of their community and guidance of above will hopefully set them on the right track in all these matters.
It takes a bit to get into this book, as with many characters and their differing problems there is a lot of jumping back and forth.  Once I got wrapped up in the ladies problems I didn’t want to put the book down until the end.  Fans of Christian fiction that tackles the issues that women face in today’s world—and the strength of friendship between women to help solve them—will devour this one and ask for more.

Other new notable Christian Fiction:

Ransome’s Honor (Ransome Trilogy #1) by Kaye Darcus 
The Regency-era romance of Jane Austen meets the sea-faring adventure of Horatio Hornblower!

Any Minute by Joyce Meyer and Deborah Bedford 
The bestselling bible teacher Meyer has teamed up with well known novelest Bedford for a novel that I’m sure will illustrate some of the principles Meyer teaches about.  The story focuses on Sarah Harper who is driven to achieve success no matter what the cost—but her desire to succeed in her career too often leaves little time for family.

The Justice Game by Randy Singer 
Bursting into a television station, the gun-toting target of an investigative report kills a co-anchor. When the gun manufacturer is sued, defense attorney Kelly Starling and prosecutor Jason Noble battle each other in court—-but the real conflict lies with unseen forces bent on destroying them both.

Valley of the Shadow by Tom Pawlik
Conner Hayden is certain he survived his near-death experience for a reason. He thinks it’s to save the life-and soul-of Mitch Kent.  A follow up to Pawlik’s debut novel Vanish.

Angel Train by Gilbert Morris (#4 in the Wagon Wheel series)
This mid-1800s tale introduces Charity Morgan, a beautiful yet businesslike young heroine whose devout religious community is losing its Pennsylvania homestead to the economic recession. To survive and stay together, the members plan to form a wagon train to Oregon where free land is aplenty.

Love’s First Light by Jamie Carie
Christophi, the Count of St. Laurent, has lost his entire family to the blood-soaked French Revolution and must flee to an ancient castle along the southern border of France to survive. But the medieval city of Carcassonne proves more than a hiding place.

Take Two by Karen Kingsbury (#2 in the Above the Line series)
Filmmakers Chase Ryan and Keith Ellison have completed their first feature film, and Hollywood is buzzing with the news. In the wake of that excitement, the producers acquire rights to a novel that has all the ingredients they want for their next project.

Offworld by Robin Parrish
The return of NASA’s first manned mission to Mars was supposed to be a momentous day. But when the crew loses touch with ground control before entry, things look bleak. Safe after a treacherous landing, the crew emerges to discover the unthinkable—every man, woman, child, and animal has vanished without a trace.

Pirate Hunter by Tom Morrisey
Following a captured slave who’s been freed by the sixteenth-century pirate who takes his ship, the novel weaves a rollicking tale of adventure. Paralleling this story in the present are the treasure hunters seeking the gold—and stories—of the past.