Sally Bayless

Contemporary Christian Romance

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Favorite Christian Romance Novels

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Over the years I’ve read hundreds of Christian romance novels. Some—either because they touch on themes I love or because they are so well-written—stand out in my mind as the ones I most enjoyed. While there are many, many other fabulous Christian romances and numerous other authors who always deliver a wonderful story, if you asked me to recommend a Christian romance, it would probably be one of these. These are listed alphabetically by title. (KU) indicates titles that were available in Kindle Unlimited last time I checked.


Before I Called You Mine by Nicole Deese. (2020) (KU) This contemporary Christian romance features a hero bound to win your heart. And yet, the heroine, first grade teacher Lauren Bailey, fights falling in love with him. Their meeting happens at the very worst possible time, potentially ruining a plan she feels called by God to pursue. I loved this book so much that one night at dinner I told my husband the plot, up to where I had read. The next night, my husband (an engineer who’s never read a romance except for mine) asked how it turned out! Now, that’s high praise for a story! I highly recommend this book!


Full Steam Ahead by Karen Witemeyer. (2014) (KU) A humorous historical romance about a debutant and a reclusive engineer. Fabulous great characters that really come to life! A winner!


Gone to Green by Judy Christie. (2009) (KU) Have you ever read a book that’s been out for a while and thought “how have I missed this?” That was me with Gone to Green! I read it, and then tore through the other four books of The Green Series at about a book a day. If you’ve read Jan Karon’s Mitford series and wanted more books with that sweet, small-town feel, you’ll thoroughly enjoy these inspirational books about a big city journalist who moves to rural Louisiana and falls in love!


Irish Meadows by Susan Anne Mason. (2015) (KU) I readily admit that I’m biased. The author is my critique partner and dear friend. This book is truly fabulous, however, and I’m not the only one who thinks so. It has more than 450 ratings on Amazon with an average of 4.5 stars. A double romance set in 1911 on a Long Island horse farm, Irish Meadows has characters that stay in your heart!


A Match of Wits by Jen Turano. (2014) Gilded Age + delightful romance + laugh-out-loud humor. Jen Turano has written book after book with what to me is a perfect combination. But this book—this book!—also has a pet pig! What a hoot!


Now and Then and Always by Melissa Tagg. (2019) (KU) A sweet contemporary Christian romance about two emotionally wounded people who find love and healing. Add in a house full of secrets and charming small town and you get a story I loved!


Sweet on You by Becky Wade. (2019) I’m a huge fan of Becky Wade, and I think this is one of her best. It’s the third book in the Bradford Sisters series and features a heroine who makes gourmet chocolates. A delicious contemporary Christian romance!


To Whisper Her Name by Tamera Alexander. (2012) A fabulous historical romance set after the Civil War in Nashville, Tennessee. I read a whole pile of books by this author and although they were all wonderful, this was my favorite.

My favorite of the books I’ve written? That’s a hard one, and I’d say my favorite often changes. For today at least, I’ll say my favorite is Love Once More. I just really enjoy the combination of a sweet, second-chance romance with the scenes where the hero, Clay, is realizing what a challenge it is to take care of his twin baby nieces. When my kids were little, it seemed that no matter how well I planned, life with little ones always kept me hopping, but also brought more joy than I could have imagined.

Love Once More (2020) (KU) An uncle who’s suddenly parenting nine-month-old twins is in for even more surprises when his ex-fiancée moves in next door.

Love Once More is Book 4 of my Abundance Series, but it’s a stand-alone novel and you can easily read it without reading the earlier books in the series. It’s available in e-book, paperback, and Kindle Unlimited on Amazon. 

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I’ve been writing fiction for ten years. Over that time, I’ve learned a lot about plot, structure, dialogue, and all the other elements that contribute to a story. I’ve also learned that there are certain things that help fuel my creativity. They aren’t—as I would have at first expected—exotic, artsy things. Or even—since I write contemporary Christian romance—romantic things. No, for me the path to creativity is much more down-to-earth and practical.

Normally, when I’m drafting a book, my goal is two thousand new words a day. That’s about eight, typed, double-spaced pages. If I’m going to write that much every day, five days a week until the first draft is done, I turn to three “magic” ingredients.

First, and foremost, is quiet. You know those writers you hear about who take their laptops to coffee shops? Or get into the mood of a story by having a special song for each book? I’m not one of them. Most often I write at home, alone, and I usually have the door to my study closed. I don’t play music, not even instrumental, and I even have earplugs in my desk drawer for times when a dog keeps barking, like the day the utility people went door-to-door in the neighborhood. Quiet lets me focus on the story without distractions.

Of course, sometimes I can’t work at home, like when the power goes out. (Here in Appalachian Ohio it happens more than you’d think.) Earplugs can’t help with that! On those days, I go to the local university library. Up on the third floor, behind the art history books, is my favorite corner. I tell myself that being around all that art makes me more creative.

My second essential ingredient for new words? Tea. I don’t like coffee, and though I love it, I’m trying to cut back on diet soda. So I drink lots and lots of tea. Iced tea all summer, and cup after cup of hot tea in the winter. Strong English Breakfast, Prince of Wales, jasmine green, orange herbal… You name it, if it’s tea, I drink it! My current favorite is Taylors of Harrogate Yorkshire Red. It’s a rich, dark tea, similar to an English breakfast tea.

My final ingredient for creativity is positive reinforcement. Every day after I write, I open an Excel spreadsheet and put in the day’s word count. If I’m on schedule or ahead, the last column shows three smiley faces. If not, it says “Next time!” For you Excel folks out there, I used an IF formula. Currently I have three days of smiley faces in a row. It’s simple, quick, and—unlike positive reinforcement that relies on chocolate or other people—always available and calorie-free!

So those are my three magic ingredients for creativity: quiet, tea, and an Excel spreadsheet.

They don’t seem very magical or even very artistic, do they? But they work for me.

If you’re a writer, you probably have your own magic ingredients. If you’re just starting to write, I encourage you to trust what works, as long as it’s healthy. And don’t worry if the things that help seem rather unartistic. The art happens on the page. You just have to get the words down.

The main thing is that you trust yourself. Find the environment and tools that allow your creativity to blossom and embrace them!

http://www.sallybayless.com/1212-2/

Can’t Decide What to Read?

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Are you looking for a great book? These are the best Christian romance novels I read in 2018.

Some were published in 2018, some are older. All are fabulous! These are listed alphabetically by the author’s last name.

Please know that there are many, many fabulous books published in Christian romance. Some of them may be even more wonderful, but I haven’t read them yet. I can say that over the past year I truly enjoyed these books. I hope you do too!

To Whisper Her Name by Tamera Alexander (2012). A fabulous historical romance set after the Civil War in Nashville, Tennessee. I recently read a whole pile of books by this author and although they were all wonderful, this was my favorite.

The Lacemaker by Laura Frantz (2018). A historical Christian romance set in Colonial Williamsburg. Why wasn’t the American Revolution this interesting when I studied it in eighth grade? Filled with suspense and great historical details. Delightful!

All Made Up by Kara Isaac (2018). When reality TV brings together a world-famous makeup artist and a farmer from out in the boonies of Australia, you’d never expect them to fall in love… until you find out they have a past and until Kara Isaac works her magic. What a great book! I definitely stayed up too late reading this one!

The Best of Intentions by Susan Anne Mason (2018). This book, set just after WWI in Toronto, is the first of a new series called Canadian Crossings, and is the touching story of a romance between a Canadian aristocrat and a lowly English woman determined to protect her nephew. A fabulous, heartwarming love story! (Yes, Susan Anne Mason is my critique partner, but I would have loved this story no matter what!)

The Brushstroke Legacy by Lauraine Snelling (2009). I’ll be the first to admit I have a weakness for stories about women who leave their busy city lives and find peace, love, and happiness in the country. The Brushstroke Legacy is all that and more. A beautiful story.

Behind the Scenes by Jen Turano (2017). A delightful Gilded Age romance, full of the author’s trademark humor. Jen Turano’s quirky characters and the situations they manage to get themselves into always, always make me laugh!

Falling for You by Becky Wade (2018). I think this is Becky Wade’s best yet! That’s high praise, considering she is one of my very favorite authors. Don’t miss this touching romance about a model and a former NFL quarterback!

Just Let Go by Courtney Walsh (2018). A sweet romance between an uptight small-town florist and a bad-boy professional skier. My goodness, how I cared about these characters! Another winner!

Full Steam Ahead by Karen Witemeyer (2014). Oh what a fun book! A spunky heroine who grew up wanting to be a pirate tangles with an engineer. I’m married to an engineer and the character is spot on! Don’t miss this one!

Photo by Glen Noble on Unsplash.