My favorite books & authors by genre (Christian/Clean edition)
Sometimes it can be like searching for a needle in a haystack when trying to find a Christian or clean book that will hold my attention …its even more difficult to locate a Christian fiction book with a diverse cast of characters with a wide range of experiences and a slightly spicy plot that won’t make me roll OR cover my eyes. My favorite genre depends on my mood upon reading but it typically includes contemporary fiction, mystery/suspense, psychological thrillers, & romantic suspense (closed door). Urban Christian is a goodie as well since at this point we all know that ‘urban’ is just a politically correct euphemism for ‘black’.
Anyway….
This list will be updated periodically as my taste expands and I explore more up to date titles within my preferred genres, but for now, its a semi-current list of (mostly) clean/Christian authors and books that I’ve read and didn’t find corny, irritating, or boring. Corny being that the characters and/or plot was unrealistic—being a Christian doesn’t mean that any of us live or have lived a perfect, sinless life. Irritating, meaning that I didn’t find the main character and/or plot relatable or worth my time (i.e. I have zero interest in Amish stories written in the perspective of a 19 year-old Caucasian girl. Also, as a black woman with enslaved ancestors, pre-1960 historical fiction just isn’t my preference). And boring…well that’s just self explanatory. Over the years, I’ve forgotten more books than I can remember that I’ve read but that’s not a dig against any book or author not listed…I just read a LOT.
Moving forward, my goal is to delve deeper into the independent publishing industry by networking with writers, authors, & other readers; and supporting both indie and mainstream Christian authors by purchasing books, writing book reviews, and doing other things I will talk about later on my Aspire blog. Aside from the fact that I plan to be an indie author myself, I strongly believe that any book that doesn’t fit into the cookie-cutter, status quo of what’s mainstream and ‘popular’ gets the raw end of the deal when it comes to book marketing and promotion which is why we too often see the same types of stories over and over—publishers tend to stick with the formula that sells. I get it to a certain extent, but it would be a balm to my soul to see more diverse characters and perspectives in the books cranked out by major publishing houses. Thankfully, the indie industry is now booming and change is on the horizon! At any rate…..not everything on this list will be overtly ‘Christian’ and ‘clean’ can be a matter of perspective, and yet, here we are:
Yve’s Reads by Genre
Contemporary Fiction
Kara R. Hunt #
Paper Dolls Priscilla +
Karen Kingsbury
Anything sis has written. In Christian Fiction, she’s at Danielle Steel status— the publisher just puts her photo on the back cover instead of a description and its still a guarantee it will be a bestseller.
Neta Jackson
The Yada Yada Prayer Group series
Souled Out Sisters series
Mary Monroe * #
Robin W. Pearson #
Contemporary Literature
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie * #
Purple Hibiscus
Edwidge Danticat * #
Breath, Eyes, Memory
Richard Paul Evans *
The Carousel
Josephine Hart *
Damaged
Celeste Ng *
Mystery/Suspense
Christy Barritt
Terri Blackstock
Agatha Christie *
Tosca Lee
Anne Perreault
If I Dream +
Alana Terry
Natalie Walters
Jaime Jo Wright
I’ve heard she writes with Edgar Allan Poe vibes!
Non-Fiction
Maya Angelou #
Memoir series* including “I know why the caged bird sings”
Kevin “KB” Burgess #
John Bevere
Lisa Bevere
Dharius Daniels #
Liz Curtis Higgs
TD Jakes #
Michelle McClain-Walters #
Joyce Meyer
Jackie Hill Perry #
Carlos Whittaker
Psychological Thriller
Ted Dekker
Bro is the Karen Kingsbury of this particular genre. Anything he has written is just GOOD!
Robyn Harding *
Dee Henderson
Evie Blackwell series
James Patterson *
Frank Peretti
Romantic Suspense/Contemporary Romance
Stacy Hawkins Adams #
Worth a Thousand Words
Betsy St. Amant
Tacos for Two +
Brenda S. Anderson
Brenda Barrett * #
Lynn Blackburn
Michele Andrea Bowen #
ReShonda Tate Billingsley #
Sara Davison
Jenn Faulk
Majority of her books to be honest. She cranks them out quickly and I had to go on her website to figure out which order to read them in, but even without that as reference, each book is standalone which is LOVE. Her books are “chick lit” with believable storylines.
Rose Fresquez #
The Entrepreneur’s Nurse +
Lisa Harris
Millie Holt #
Marilynn Griffith #
The Sassy Sistahood series
Nadine C. Keels #
Sandra Kitt #
Kimberly Rae Jordan
Hannah Hood Lucero
Erynn Mangum
Lauren Holbrook series, Paige Adler series, & Maya Davies series—although these books are fluffy with unrelatable characters, surprisingly enough I still enjoyed them. But I started reading these when my addiction to coffee began and I needed a break from the intensity of my everyday life so I’m sure both of these factors had something to do with it…
J.D. Mason * #
Tia McCollors #
A Heart of Devotion
Joy Ohagwu #
Francis Ray * #
Toni Shiloh #
Pat Simmons #
Michelle Stimpson #
Jacquelin Thomas #
Kim Cash Tate #
Faithful
When I’m Tempted
Though I Stumble
Amanda Tru
Supernatural/Spiritual warfare
Note: I haven’t read any of these authors yet but they come HIGHLY recommended by other Christian fiction readers for their supernatural content so they’ve each made it on my TBR list. Some of the authors may have other works that can also be included within the romantic suspense and/or thriller categories.
A.J. Avila
Amaranth +
Rain from Heaven +
Nearer the Dawn +
Chuck Black
Kingdom series +
Shannon Dittemore
Angel Eyes trilogy +
Rachel Dylan
Windy Ridge Legal Thriller series +
Tosca Lee
Demon: A memoir +
Theresa Linden
Jane Lebak
Seven Archangels series +
Mark Andrew Olson
Covert Missions series
Frank Peretti
Kimberly Rae
Shredded series +
Matthew John Slick
The Influence +
Tawni Suchy
Secrets, Lies, and Deadly Ties +
Doug Veeder
Behind the Veil +
Roseanna M. White
A Soft Breath of Wind +
Urban Christian
E.N. Joy #
Vanessa Davis Griggs #
Blessed Trinity series +
Sherri L. Lewis #
Vanessa Miller #
Not sure I would call her plot lines gritty enough to be considered “urban” but her characters are definitely multi-dimensional with diverse backgrounds and life experiences.
Victoria Christopher Murray #
Plot lines are full of drama with an enticing level of spice and intrigue!
Kimberla Lawson Roby #
The Reverend Curtis Black series is the only reason I put her in this category. She has other books that are more in the romantic suspense genre.
Tiffany L. Warren #
I’ve recently learned via #booktube/#booktok/#bookstagram, that there are other Christian genres out there and the genre as a whole has come a LONG way since I stepped out of it several years back, so after I do more exploring, I may add more authors/books to the list: new-ish genres include dark Christian romance and dark Christian fantasy. I’m learning that essentially any Christian faith based book with the pre-fix “dark” in the title just means that its not your run of the mill Christian book, and it has a plot and/or characters that experience everyday life in this sinful world like the rest of us while doing their best to make biblically/Jesus-centered choices.
My next book list will be for tweens/teens. My 11 year old angel is also a voracious reader and finding appropriate titles for her is even more of a trial….
Until next time,
Yve
Annotation legend:
* Not a Christian book or author
# Black Diaspora Author
+ TBR (To be read, review pending)
P.S. Follow me on goodreads…my only new year resolution is to track my reading progress more consistently and goodreads will have the latest and greatest.
If you have a book or an author to suggest, please leave me a note in the comments🙏🏾👇🏾.
#ChristianFiction #UrbanChristian #ChristianRomance #AfricanAmerican #ChristianSuspense #ChristianThrillers #ChristianBooks #BlackAuthors #CleanReads #ClosedDoorRomance
