5 Absolutely Gripping Christian Romance Fiction That Will Keep You Up At Night
I still remember the first time I stayed up all night devouring a romantic thriller—the kind that mature Christians would probably label as demonic and, let’s be honest, written porn.
And I liked it. Oh, I loved it. The sheer thrill of 115 imaginary horses stampeding through my chest as I read those "loving scenes” because of course, the guy is just SO in love with her. I mean, his past is tragic, and he’s carrying the weight of it all, but if he could just realize he loves her...that they’re MADE for each other…!
And when he FINALLY does? A kiss wasn’t enough. Oh no. Who cares if they’re not married? Let me revel in my dream, people. This was the good stuff.
Except it wasn’t.
Thankfully, a lot has happened since then. I grew—by grace—in my relationship with the Truest, Purest Love (shoutout to Jesus), and I realized those books were just fluff. Empty calories for the mind, sprinkled with the seductive allure of forbidden frosting…
My, my…
That’s when my quest began: to find wildly interesting, totally mind-bending, deliciously written romantic fiction—WITHOUT the written porn. Because, newsflash: if a book’s only claim to “interesting” is its ability to get your body temperature up...that’s a ripoff. For your intellect AND your heart.
You might not watch it, but if you read it, that’s still a problem. And while I’m not here to condemn, I am here to challenge. Whether you’re listening to it, reading it, watching it, scrolling it, or clicking it—porn is destructive. It pollutes your mind, it damages your soul, and it’s not Yahweh’s design for your life. Flee from it like your life depends on it.
Okay, sermon’s over. Let’s get to the books already.
No. 5
A Name Unknown by Roseanna M. White
If I haven’t read this book six times already, call me a liar (or an honestly forgetful person). This is MY favorite book of all time.
I read this book when I’m happy. I read this book when I’m sad. I read this book when flowers are blooming in spring and when it’s 8 PM and the sun is still out in summertime. I read this book when I want to cry and when I want to laugh. I just love this blasted book.
You know that song that feels sooooo good that you want to listen to it over and over? And instead of hating the song because you’ve played it too many times, you give it a break, hit play again, and there you are, basking in all your dopamine-filled glory? This is that book.
I raised the bar high for this list, y’all. Get the book. Thank me later.
No. 4
Shadowed Loyalty by Roseanna M. White
Here’s a good book for real. Okay, I remembered I was trying to honor my sleep hours because sleep is actually our superpower.
Let me sidetrack a bit. Barbara O’Neill, my favorite naturopath says that “healing is accelerated when you sleep and as you sleep”. Can you believe that? There are TONS of Bible verses where God lets us know about the importance of rest.
The Sabbath. The quiet waters. The still pastures. The verse-turned-mantra “be still and know that I am God”… sleep is important.
Anyway, back on track. Since staying up past 3 AM wasn’t exactly the pinnacle of wisdom, I had to find another way to satisfy my curiosity. Enter: the audiobook on Spotify. And OH. MY. GOODNESS. I was hooked.
This book had me in a chokehold. It was that good. Listen, I don’t do summaries—I do reviews. I mean, if you want a summary, that’s what book samples are for but here’s what I’ll say:
This story is all about loyalty. Loyalty in love. Loyalty to family. Loyalty to friends. And it dives into the messy, heartbreaking reality of what happens when loyalty has to end—because, yes, sometimes being loyal to toxic people (even if they’re your parents) isn’t the move. And then there’s the gut punch of realizing you’ve been loyal to the wrong people while turning your back on the right ones.
This? This is an I-can’t-put-it-down book. Please drink read responsibly.
No. 3
The Masterpiece by Francine Rivers
No self-respected Christian romantic fiction book list (woah, that’s a mouthful!) is complete without Francine Rivers. Prove me wrong. I’ll fight you to death.
Mmmmmaybe not, but you can’t deny The Masterpiece IS one of Francine’s masterpieces. I mean, she has SO MANY. You must have anointing to do that, and Francine’s got loads of it. I see that oil drippin’.
Listen. I won’t tell you that I finished this book in two days and, after reading the last page, I immediately went back to page 1 to read it again. So yes, I read it back to back, but I won’t say that.
I also won’t say I read this book at least twice a year, just for fun.
What I WILL say, though, is that I found—whether legal or questionably legal (that’s up for debate)—a Spanish version of this book. I sent it to my want-to-be-Christian-but-don’t-want-to-fail-God friend who only speaks Spanish, and she said her marriage was in danger while reading this book.
She said her husband wanted her to go to sleep because it was 3 AM, and she was still up reading “that blasted book.”
Fellow human being, do yourself a favor and read this book. If you love clean fiction that’s still messy, if you love redemptive stories, if you just love reading, get this book.
That’s all I’ll say. Onward.
No. 2
Pearl in the Sand by Tessa Afshar
This one is biblical fiction and it is absolutely delightful. Talk about gripping—this one is gripping. It’ll take a hold of your heart and will lock your mind in a clinch, refusing to let go until you've devoured every last word.
Tessa rips the inner motives of each carefully developed character on this story. She’s respectful to the historical context without losing you in a bunch of facts and explanations.
She immerses you so much in the story that you hear the Jericho walls FALL in your heart. You feel the sweat of the spies when they’re hidden in Rahab’s place. Your heart deflates in disappointment at Rahab’s insecurities.
I mean, pure gold. Pure. stinking. gold.
Get this book if you want to have appetite to read the Bible again and again.
No. 1
Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
Don’t shame me. I read this book nearly three years ago. And I’ll probably regret not reading it sooner for the rest of my existence. I’m pretty sure God Himself has a copy of this book on His bookshelf. It’s that good. It captures the heart of God SO well. Honestly, this book, y’all.
There are thousands—THOUSANDS—of reviews of this book! And if there aren’t, then we AREN’T ADVANCING AS A SOCIETY. This book is pure gold.
And it’s one of the two books I’ll never read again in my life. This book shook me to my core, it really did. I was never the same. I just think about Angel and I’m ugly-crying, praying for any child experiencing sexual abuse.
This book is NOT for the faint of heart. Francine is not shy to show the underbelly of a sinful, bent-to-evil society, and she digs it. Oh, how she digs it.
This is all I’ll say:
“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.”
I’m done. I feel some PTSD residue coming back, and I won’t go there. Just get the book if you haven't read it. And if you HAVE, read it again for me 'cause I won't.
