Tag Archives: contemporary fiction

Spotlight on Contemporary Fiction — The Deep End of Love

27 May
The Deep End of Love JustRead Takeover + Review Blitz

Welcome to the Takeover + Review Blitz for The Deep End of Love by Christina Suzann Nelson, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About The Book

The Deep End of Love

Title: The Deep End of Love
Author: Christina Suzann Nelson
Publisher: Kregel Publications
Release Date: May 19, 2026
Genre: Contemporary Fiction

A refreshed and updated novel on the power of motherly love

When Izzy’s pregnancy comes to light during her junior year of high school, her future sinks like a stone and leaves waves of uncertainty in its wake. And suddenly three women are pulled into the undertow. A mother desperate to protect her child but battling hurt and fear from her past. A newcomer with empty arms and a deep longing. And a broken heart trying to survive amid grief.

An unborn baby growing closer to his unknown future brings together these four women with four completely different stories. Masterfully told in woven points of view, The Deep End of Love explores how one decision exposes shame, fear, and hope—and how grace surfaces in the least expected places.

Christy Award-winning author Christina Suzann Nelson draws readers in through this emotionally engaging and inspirational novel, now revised and updated.

Excerpt

Irene sets the knitting in a basket on the floor, stands up, and positions herself behind Nikki. Placing her hands on the girl’s shoulders, she waits without a word, more patient than I’ve ever been. But I can see Irene is wearing thin too when she tips her head up like she’s pleading with God for a break.

With one finger, she taps Nikki’s shoulder.

“What?” She twists to look at Irene, her expression less than respectful.

Irene waits a beat before answering. “You need to keep the monitor on. The baby needs you.”

“He’s fine. Children need to learn their mothers aren’t going to come running every time they cry. And, anyway, I’m tired. I just had a baby.” She turns her head away.

The folder slips from my grip and skitters along the floor.

Irene walks around the couch and stands in front of Nikki, her arms crossed, her body bent slightly forward with a large pendant swinging like she’s about to perform a hypnotism.

My attention is drawn to Sierra who shrinks into the corner of the couch as the conflict rises.

Collecting the folder, I stay on my knees near Sierra. Maybe the presence of someone else will soothe her in some way. Or am I only making it worse?

Irene clasps her hands together. “Your son is a newborn baby. All you teach him by not caring for him is that his needs will not get met by his mother.”

My jaw drops open. The words are clear, brutal, and . . . true.

“I take care of him fine.” She stands, broader and taller than Irene, then takes a step too close for comfort.

With her thumb, Irene slides the dial on the baby monitor to maximum volume.

Tiny frantic wails shake my heart and make me want to scale the stairs at superhuman speed. I would never let him cry that way, but I don’t have a son to soothe. The unfairness of it has a bitter taste.

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Kregel Publications | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook | Bookshop | BookBub

Also Available:

If We Make It Home

About The Author

Christina Suzann Nelson

Christina Suzann Nelson is an inspirational speaker and the award-winning author of several novels, including If We Make It Home, More Then We Remember, What Happens Next, and the Christy Award-winning The Way It Should Be.

Connect with Christina by visiting christinasuzannnelson.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a signed copy of The Deep End of Love and $20 Amazon gift card!

The Deep End of Love JustRead Giveaway

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight May 27, 2026 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on June 3, 2026. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

Enter Giveaway

Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

JustRead Publicity Tours

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If You Liked . . . The Words We Lost

31 Oct

My book club absolutely loved The Words We Lost by Nicole Deese. This thought-provoking contemporary novel checked all our boxes — characters to love, a subtle, yet strong faith thread, and an ending we all approved of. 😉 If you liked it too, here are a few more books to read.

On Moonberry Lake by Holly Varni

Cora Matthews’s life is a mess. A broken engagement and the unexpected death of her mother have left her wondering if things will ever return to normal. Whatever “normal” is. 

It certainly isn’t what she finds at Moonberry Lake. After she receives her family’s dilapidated lakefront lodge as an inheritance–with a surprising condition attached–Cora finds her life overrun by a parade of eccentric neighbors who all have something to say and something to teach her. 

As Cora works to put her life back together, she must decide if she is willing to let go of the past, open her heart to love, and embrace the craziest version of family and home she could ever have imagined.

Roots of Wood And Stone by Amanda Wen

This historic home holds the keys to their destiny . . . and their hearts.

Abandoned at birth, her family roots a mystery, historical museum curator Sloane Kelley has dedicated her life to making sure others know theirs. When a donor drops off a dusty old satchel, she doesn’t expect much from the common artifact . . .until she finds real treasure inside: a nineteenth-century diary.Now she’s on the hunt to find out more.

Garrett Anderson just wanted to clean out his grandmother’s historic but tumbledown farmhouse before selling it to fund her medical care. With her advancing Alzheimer’s, he can’t afford to be sentimental about the family home. But his carefully ordered plan runs up against two formidable obstacles: Sloane, who’s fallen in love with both the diaries and the house, and his own heart, which is irresistibly drawn to Sloane.

When He Found Me by Victoria Bylin

An injured athlete with a chip on his shoulder. A single mom with a devastating secret. Will history haunt them, or can love set them free? 

Once a strong Christian, third baseman Shane Riley lost his faith the night he injured his knee in a freak car accident. Determined to return to professional baseball and to find the sister he treated badly, Shane retreats to Refuge, Wyoming. There he meets Melissa June “MJ” Townsend, a single mom with an adorable son and a troubled heart.

MJ wants nothing to do with the handsome athlete—no doubt a womanizer considering the stories in the news. But when a mistake results in Shane renting her garage apartment, they become friends. That friendship blossoms into something deep and pure, leaving MJ with a painful secret to tell. Even more complicated, MJ discovers an unexpected tie to Shane’s missing sister—a wounded woman facing a life-or-death decision of her own.

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Mini-Book Review — The Words We Lost

30 Oct

This month my book club chose The Words We Lost by Nicole Deese. What an excellent choice! We all loved the story of three friends and the journeys their friendship led them through. The story within a story added depth and a real understanding of each characters’ perspective on life and love, grief and healing. We cannot recommend it enough! The novel is contemporary fiction with a subtle faith thread woven throughout.The characters are so relatable! And, it is a love story that is completely satisfying. It kept us turning the pages and thinking about it long after the covers were closed. If you want a story that touches your heart and makes you think, then this book is for you!

Highly recommended.

Great for book clubs.

Audience: adults.

(I purchased this ebook from Amazon. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

Three friends. Two broken promises. One missing manuscript. 

As a senior acquisitions editor for Fog Harbor Books in San Francisco, Ingrid Erikson has rejected many a manuscript for lack of defined conflict and dramatic irony–two elements her current life possesses in spades. In the months following the death of her childhood best friend and international bestselling author Cecelia Campbell, Ingrid has not only lost her ability to escape into fiction due to a rare trauma response, but she’s also desperate to find the closure she’s convinced will come with Cecelia’s missing final manuscript.

After Ingrid jeopardizes her career, she fears her future will remain irrevocably broken. But then Joel Campbell–the man who shattered her belief in happily-ever-afters–offers her a sealed envelope from his late cousin, Cecelia, asking Joel and to put their differences aside and retrieve a mysterious package in their coastal Washington hometown.

Honoring Cecelia’s last request will challenge their convictions and test their loyalties, but through it all, will Ingrid and Joel be brave enough to uncover a twice-in-a-lifetime love?

Nicole Deese is a Christy and Carol Award-winning, bestselling author of hope-filled, humorous, and heartfelt contemporary romance novels. When she’s not sorting out character arcs and story plots of her own, she can usually be found listening to an audiobook and multitasking at least four different chores at once. She’s a hoarder of sparkling water, a lover of long walks and even longer talks with friends, and a seeker of fun and adventure at all times. She lives in small-town, Idaho with her happily-ever-after hubby, two freakishly tall teenage sons, and one princess daughter with the heart of a warrior.

Find her online at http://www.nicoledeese.com.

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Top 10 Tuesday — Occupations

2 Sep

Happy Tuesday! Today’s TTT topic is a fun one — occupations in the title of books. There are a lot of directions you can go on this. I considered going a bad guy route — pirate, thief, etc. in the title — but decided to be straightforward with real honest-to-goodness, if a bit old fashioned, occupations. 😉 I included occupations that any one can reasonably achieve — no kings or queens. It was a bit challenging coming up with 10; I went pretty far back in the archives to find them. While the genres vary, most are historical fiction. I hope you find a book to love!

For more bloggers’ lists, please check out That Artsy Reader Girl.

Top Occupations in Book Titles

The Baggage Handler by David Rawlings

The Barrister And The Letter of Marque by Todd M. Johnson

The Bounty Hunter’s Surrender by KyLee Woodley

The Dancing Master by Julie Klassen

The Fashion Designer by Nancy Moser

The Governess of Penwythe Hall by Sarah E. Ladd

The Librarian of Saint-Malo by Pablo Escobar

The Preacher Wore Black Leather by Loree Lough

The Seamstress by Allison Pittman

Surgeon’s Choice by Richard Mabry, MD

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Top 10 Tuesday — Random Book Stuff

26 Aug

Happy Tuesday! This week’s TTT prompt is non-bookish freebie. My mind froze when I read this. LOL! I am a book blogger, after all, and I just can’t stop talking books. You should see me in real life. 😉 So of course I am going to ignore this and create my own topic. Sorry, really not sorry. There was an addendum to the prompt that said we could talk about bookish stuff. Whew! My list today is just a bunch of book randomness (or maybe not). Hope you enjoy!

For on topic bloggers, please visit That Artsy Reader Girl.

Top Random Book Stuff

Books in translation. Of course if you took any world lit class in high school and/or college, you have read books that have been translated into your own language. But do you ever read contemporarily written books that were originally published in a language not your own. It’s rare, but I have a couple to recommend.

The Girl from The Train by Irma Joubert (Joubert lives in South Africa)

The Librarian of Saint-Malo by Mario Escobar (Escobar lives in Spain)

Books written by American authors who live(d) abroad. Building on the last thought, do you read authors who are from your home country, but live and write (at least part time) in another country? Unique perspectives!

From The Valley We Rise by Elizabeth Musser (Musser lives in Lyon, France)

My Hands Came Away Red by Lisa McKay (McKay lives with her family in Australia)

Vendetta by Lisa Harris (Harris lived in Africa for 19 years while serving as a missionary)

Books set in distant lands. The books listed below are in countries I will probably never have a chance to visit. Thanks to the authors who took their readers to a very foreign place.

The Beloved Daughter by Alana Terry (North Korea)

Farewell, Four Waters by KateMc Cord (Afghanistan)

Red Ink by Kathi Macias (China)

Two authors in my backyard (not literally 😉 ). Two Georgia-based authors you need to check out.

The Gardins of Edin by Rosey Lee

The Hunted Heir by Jayna Breigh

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First Line Friday — When The Wildflowers Bloom Again

11 Jul

Happy Friday! I am happy to share the first line of a 2025 Carol Award Finalist — When The Wildflowers Bloom Again by Donna Jo Stone. As one endorsement says: this coming of age story contains a heartbreaking topic that Stone handles with grace and love (Danielle Grandinetti). I’m looking forward to reading this book. Look for my review in the coming months.

But for now, here’s the first line:

Sometimes I wished my momma understood me more, but sometimes I was glad she didn’t.

Babies are a gift of God, a fact Marigold Parker knows full well.

Fourteen-year-old Marigold (Mary) Parker spends the summer of ’78 with her cousin and best friend, Sharon, biking the roads of their rural neighborhood in Pleasant Waters, North Louisiana. The girls while away the days at the local pond, listening to the BeeGees and talking about boys. Caring for her emotionally fragile mother is Mary’s only worry, until Sharon’s older half-brother finds Mary alone at the pond one day.

She can’t speak of what happened in the woods. The truth will destroy her family and cost her the relationships she holds most precious.

But secrets have a way of making themselves known, and when Mary finds herself pregnant, she’s forced to grapple with hard decisions. Babies are a gift from God. Mary knows this full well, but she doesn’t know how to deal with a pregnancy, or who to turn to for help.

Trials seem to multiply as Mary struggles to keep faith in the God her parents have taught her to trust.

Richly detailed and evocative, When the Wildflowers Bloom Again captures the emotions and the heart, vividly detailing the struggle of facing impossible choices, the true test of family ties, and of the hope found in new beginnings. Infused with both sorrow and faith, Marigold Parker’s tale is a story you won’t soon forget.

Donna Jo Stone is an award-winning author of historical, contemporary, and young adult fiction.

Life is messy and beautiful. In everyone’s story, there is truth and hope. Donna Jo’s novels are about common struggles and finding the faith to carry on through those battles.

When she’s not writing, she loves to read and talk about books, poke around in old bookshops and museums, and spend time with her family.

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Mini-Book Review — Under The Magnolias

16 Jun

Lots of people have recommended T. I. Lowe‘s books to me. I read Indigo Isle for book club last January, and it was excellent! All of my group loved it. So, it was a no-brainer to pick up Under The Magnolias. My goodness what a great read! This coming-of-age novel set in the 1980s is filled with heart and heartbreak, love and longing, and a faith message that was subtle yet strong. The story follows Austen Foster and her family through her growing up years on a tobacco farm in South Carolina. From the beginning, Austen is faced with almost impossible expectations placed on her by family obligations. A father with mental health issues, newborn twins in need of care, and the younger siblings to shelter and encourage take up a lot of Austen’s time and energy. The secondary characters that enter the Foster’s lives are wonderful in their quirky and broken selves as well. The story really is about how God takes the broken and makes it beautiful in His own time — emphasis on His timing. I laughed and cried during this book, but the HEA (healing ever after last chapter) was a testament to faith, perseverance, and the wisdom of leaning on the people of God. I cannot recommend this novel enough!

Highly recommended.

Audience: Adults.

(I purchased the audiobook from Audible. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

This night not only marked the end to the drought, but also the end to the long-held secret we’d kept hidden under the magnolias.

Magnolia, South Carolina, 1980
Austin Foster is barely a teenager when her mama dies giving birth to twins, leaving her to pick up the pieces while holding her six siblings together and doing her best to stop her daddy from retreating into his personal darkness.

Scratching out a living on the family’s tobacco farm is as tough as it gets. When a few random acts of kindness help to ease the Fosters’ hardships, Austin finds herself relying upon some of Magnolia’s most colorful citizens for friendship and more. But it’s next to impossible to hide the truth about the goings-on at Nolia Farms, and Austin’s desperate attempts to save face all but break her.

Just when it seems she might have something more waiting for her―with the son of a wealthy local family who she’s crushed on for years―her father makes a choice that will crack wide-open the family’s secrets and lead to a public reckoning. There are consequences for loving a boy like Vance Cumberland, but there is also freedom in the truth.

Weaving together themes of hope, grief, mental health, and faith into a beautiful and moving novel, Under the Magnolias, T. I. Lowe’s gritty yet tender and uplifting coming-of-age tale reminds us that a great story can break your heart . . . then heal it in the best possible way.

T. I. Lowe is an ordinary country girl who loves to tell extraordinary stories. She is the author of 21 novels, including the #1 international bestseller and critically acclaimed Under the Magnolias and her debut breakout Lulu’s Café. Her novel Indigo Isle won the prestigious Christy Award in the contemporary romance category and was subsequently named Christy Award Book of the Year. She lives in coastal South Carolina with her husband and family.

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First Line Friday — Dysfunction Junction

28 Feb

Robin Pearson is a delight and her books are wonderful! I had the pleasure of meeting her last November at the Reading Rendezvous in Chicago and again at the 2025 Turning A New Page Book Festival in Perry, Georgia. I snagged a copy of Dysfunction Junction at the festival, but neglected to have her sign it. Just another reason to make sure our paths cross again. 😉

Here’s the first line:

“What time is it?” Annabelles’ voice quavered as she studied the shadows huddling under the sliding board in Lincoln Park.

When three women receive an unexpected phone call that leaves them reeling, they have no other choice but to reckon with a lifetime of memories they’ve long tried to bury. Only in facing the past will they find their path forward.

Frances Mae Livingston’s firm grip of her family’s destructive history makes her hold her husband and four children even closer. But she’s losing bits of herself while proving to everybody and her mama that she’s enough. There’s no way she’ll repeat her mama’s mistakes, even if it kills her.

Annabelle McMillan didn’t have trouble kicking the Eastern North Carolina dust off her feet. The tough part was replanting herself in familiar soil. Now she’s blending her old life with her new husband, stepson, and unborn child. And battling old memories of abandonment and new fears of rejection.

Dr. Charlotte Winters has built a career around helping others sort through their emotional baggage. She’s also spent a lifetime refusing to unpack her own. So what if Charlotte doesn’t recall all that her mama did to her and what her daddy didn’t do for her? Her only mission is to help others help themselves…until the women from her past and the man in her future undo her well-sewn life.

At the junction of healed and hurting, broken and whole, and past and present, three women wrestle with their inability to forgive and forget in this riveting Southern family drama about sisterhood from award-winning author Robin W. Pearson.

Robin W. Pearson’s writing sprouts from her Southern upbringing, her belief in Jesus Christ, and her love of her husband, seven children, and their dog, Oscar. Her novels are “rooted in the soul of the story” and include her Christy Award–winning debut, A Long Time Comin’, as well as ’Til I Want No More, Walking in Tall Weeds, and her latest, Dysfunction Junction. Robin has corrected grammar up and down the East Coast in her career as an author and editor and in her calling as a homeschooling mama of many. She loves to share about her faith and her family through her fiction; her blog, Mommy Concentrated; and at conferences such as Breathe, Fiction Readers Summit, and Vision Christian Writers; and with her friends and followers. These people and experiences are the source of all the characters living and breathing in the stories waiting to be told about her belief in Jesus Christ and the experiences at her own kitchen sink.

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Mini-Review — The Gardins of Edin

9 Jan

If you are looking for a book with plenty of Southern-sass, then you are in for a treat with The Gardins of Edin by Rosey Lee. Set in the fictional town of Edin, Georgia, this contemporary novel features four women in the Gardin family — Ruth, Naomi, Martha, and Mary. That’s right! The characters are named for the famous biblical mother-in-law/daughter-in-law and sister duos. While this is not a retelling of Bible stories, the women are definitely inspired by their namesakes and there are plenty of spiritual truths shared. The Gardin family loves fiercely, but they are a messy bunch! Full of real life relationship pitfalls and strengths, Lee delivers a poignant story that also made me laugh out loud.

With its strong characterization, The Gardins of Edin is a wonderful debut from Lee. I look forward to a continuation of the story, A Gardin Wedding, releasing in May 2025.

Recommended.

Audience: Adults.

(I purchased the audiobook from Audible. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

The four women of the Gardin family live side-by-side in Edin, Georgia, but residing in tight proximity doesn’t mean everything is picture-perfect. Ruth runs the family’s multimillion-dollar peanut business, a legacy of the Gardins’ formerly enslaved ancestors. But tensions have intensified since the death of her husband, Beau, and she feels like an outsider in the very place she wishes to belong. 

Sisters Mary and Martha fuel the family tension. Martha’s unfounded mistrust of Ruth causes her to constantly seek ways to undermine Ruth’s decisions with the business, while Mary, trying to focus on her new restaurant that serves healthy comfort food, is dragged into the family fray by Martha. 

For years, Naomi, the matriarch who raised the sisters after their parents’ death and supported Ruth in her grief, has played peacemaker. But as she decides to take a step back, hidden truths, life-and-death circumstances, and escalating clashes finally force the Gardin women to grapple with what it means to be a family.

A heartwarming Southern story of family and all its many complexities, The Gardins of Edin delivers a thoughtful portrayal of four women trying to hold on to their secrets. Women who just might—if they can only let go—find the peace they seek by holding on to one another.

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If You Liked . . . The Christmas Tree Farm

15 Dec

My book club chose The Christmas Tree Farm by Melody Carlson for our December selection. It was not my favorite by Carlson, but it was a quick, pleasant, Christmas-y read. If you liked it (or share my viewpoint) I have some more recommendations for you. I read all three of these books during the 2023 Christmas season and LOVED them! I usually schedule my If You Liked . . . posts on the last day of the month, but you really need to read these books before Christmas!

All’s Fair in Love And Christmas by Sarah Monzon

Two workplace rivals. One festive competition. And a romance that upends it all.

Every December two things are guaranteed for graphic designer Mackenzie Graham–Christmas celebrations and the annual promotion at her workplace. Those two things are by no means mutually exclusive. In fact, the better an employee is at harnessing the Christmas spirit, the more likely they’ll win the new job. With her social anxiety, Mackenzie never thought she’d be a contender in her company’s holiday competition, so how exactly has she found herself dueling her workplace crush with wrapping paper tubes and using tinsel as her weapon of choice for a much-needed raise?

Jeremy Fletcher’s life is meticulously planned out, including how to win this year’s promotion at work. Not only will the new position fulfill some of his career goals, but as a single guardian to his twin niece and nephew, he needs the salary increase to support his family. Jeremy has barely noticed Mackenzie Graham around the office, but now that she’s his rival, he can’t stop thinking about her. Her quirkiness intrigues him, and he’s afraid that if he can’t get his head on straight, the promotion isn’t the only thing he’ll end up losing to Mackenzie.

Better Watch Out by Natalie Walters

An accidental meet-cute, a case of mistaken identity, and a bucket-list of Christmas activities befitting a Hallmark movie make this holiday romantic adventure the perfect Christmas read.

Leave the candy canes, take the pepper spray!

Nothing screams Christmas like a week spent ice skating, visiting Santa, and sharing a kiss or two under the mistletoe. Frannie Frost has crafted the perfect bucket list of romantic activities to surprise her boyfriend in the most magical place at Christmas time—New York City. When he unexpectedly becomes her ex, her plans are derailed leaving her with a choice. Wallow in self-pity at Christmas time or take matters into her own hands.

Former NHL defenseman turned personal protection agent, Andrew Bishop, loves his job—when things go as planned—but Frannie Frost is definitely not part of the plan. Still, when her brother, the man who saved Andrew’s life last year, asks him to deliver his sister safely to the airport, he can’t say no.

The only problem? Frannie isn’t leaving. She’s determined to make the most of her trip by checking off a bucket list of cliché Christmas activities that would make even Santa’s elves jealous. Andrew’s content to let her go until he learns that Frannie’s been mistaken for his client and thrust into the midst of danger.

Better Watch Out is a sweet romantic holiday adventure that gives you all of laughs of a rom-com while adding a touch of suspense. Tropes you’re sure to love include the new girl in the city vibe, stranded at Christmas, under the mistletoe, forced proximity, and a touch of enemies to lovers. Enjoy this romantic adventure that’s sure to make your holidays merry and bright.

You Make It Feel Like Christmas by Toni Shiloh

It’s the most wonderful time of the year–for everyone except Starr Lewis.

As if going home for the holidays jobless and single wasn’t bad enough, she’s dragged into a holiday season full of activities leading up to her sister’s uber-romantic Christmas Eve wedding–to Starr’s ex-boyfriend. But when her brother’s best friend, Waylon Emmerson, attends their family Thanksgiving, she starts to wonder if maybe coming home for Christmas isn’t so bad after all.

As Starr finds the perfect distraction in helping Waylon make over his late mother’s Christmas shop, the most wonderful time of the year works its magic and the spark between them grows. But with the holidays fast approaching, Starr must decide what she wants out of life after the gifts are unwrapped and the ornaments are put away–to go back to New York City or to open her heart to a love that will last beyond Christmas Day?

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