New Christian Fiction: April 2026

More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website
Amish Romance:
A Secret Amish Arrangement by Amy Grochowski -- After stumbling upon Reuben Bender’s hidden library in the woods, Nan Burkholder strikes a deal with the reclusive Amish farmer. She’ll keep his sanctuary secret if he’ll accompany her to an upcoming wedding to discourage an unwanted suitor. But when a natural disaster hits, their onetime arrangement turns into a partnership to save the community. Soon Nan discovers the courageous heart behind Reuben’s aloof demeanor, and feelings she never expected begin to bloom. But as Reuben withdraws to his isolated world, Nan will have to convince him to forgive his past for a chance at a life together after the storm. (Amish Romance from Love Inspired [Harlequin])

  Contemporary Romance:
More Than Friends by Denise Hunter -- Jenna expected to enjoy visiting her mom, Tyson, and his whole family. She'd expected to feel closer to her deceased father on the island where the foal they'd named years ago now roams the wild salt marshes of Assateague like its ancestors have for hundreds of years. What she didn't expect was for her feelings for her best friend to change. But she's always sworn she'd never date a firefighter. Plus, Tyson is fresh off a betrayal. And also, there's that teensy commitment problem she seems to have. Would she even have the courage to finally give her heart away? And should they really risk their beautiful friendship in the hopes they could someday be something more? (Contemporary Romance from HarperCollins Christian Publishing)

The Art of Starting Over by Tara Baisden -- Nicole Sullivan came to Serenity Crossing, Tennessee, to find herself again. After walking away from a two-year engagement—and a fiancé who loved the version of her that fit his plans—she's determined to build a life on her own terms. Her new third-grade classroom is the fresh start she's been praying for. But when her brightest student turns out to be a motherless little girl with sad eyes and matchmaking schemes, Nicole finds herself drawn to the one man who could make her repeat every old mistake: a grieving widower who might only see her as a solution to his daughter's longing. (Contemporary Romance, Independently Published)

Hometown Second Chances by Megan Besing, Tabitha Bouldin, Andrea Christenson, and Rebecca Reed -- Sky-diving, sled dogs, Russian photographs, and buried journals add up to 4 novels filled with sweet romance, excitement, and mystery enough to red-line your romantic adventure meter for days. (Contemporary Romance from Two Dogs Publishing)

The Top of the World by Elizabeth Camden -- They were perfect together—until powerful forces pulled them apart. Now fate has given them a second chance at the top of the world. (Contemporary Romance, Independently Published)

Not What We Pictured by Becca Kinzer -- McKenna Boston is feeling stuck. She’s spent years growing her photography skills only for her career to hit a wall. She’s ready to move on, and she will, just as soon as she helps her sister’s boyfriend stage the perfect proposal. But when her best laid plans go awry and a handsome stranger accidentally ends up with the heirloom ring, McKenna hops on a flight to retrieve it. Piece of cake, right? Nate Lambert was hoping to enjoy a relaxing summer before starting his new job as a literature professor, but he arrives in Tennessee to discover his mom’s bed and breakfast is struggling and there’s a long list of repairs to be tackled. The last thing he needs is a gorgeous, determined photographer searching for a ring he doesn’t have since the airline lost his luggage somewhere on his route from Nebraska. (Contemporary Romance from Tyndale House)

A Second Chance for a Dancer by Carolyn Miller -- Poppy James is on the brink of attaining national fame, just like her friend and fellow dancer Bailey Donovan, when a blast from the past leads to a devastating injury. Jake Guillemette is used to being overshadowed by his NHL-playing younger brother. When a job opportunity leads him to start afresh somewhere new, he never thought he’d run into the person who made him second-guess everything, but who ultimately led him to become a better man. Horrified, Poppy is desperate to keep their past a secret, and it takes some time to learn to trust this different version of the man she’s long loved to loathe. Can Jake win her trust and prove he’s changed? And will Poppy learn to trust God with all her future? (Contemporary Romance, Independently Published)

  Contemporary Women’s Fiction:
Birds on a Wire by Katie Powner -- A troubled teen whose baby Providence is taken by CPS, a mother of three who takes baby Providence in, and a tenuous friendship that leaves the two very different women asking the same impossible question: Who is the best mother for Providence? (Contemporary Women’s Fiction from Kregel Publications)

  Dual Timeline/Historical Mystery:
The Lost Story of Via Belle by Melanie Dobson -- In 2006, searching for a story to adapt for film, an aspiring screenwriter becomes captivated by a 1940 bestselling classic novel and the mysterious disappearance of the woman who wrote it. (Dual Timeline – Historical Mystery from Tyndale House)

  General Contemporary:
Stronger than the Storm by Deena Adams -- In Stronger than the Storm, Kevin, a devoted pastor, and Beth, a parenting expert, are blindsided when their teenage daughter runs away and returns home pregnant. As they struggle to hold their family together, a long-buried secret from Beth’s past threatens to destroy all hope of reconciliation. (General Contemporary from Scrivenings Press)

  General Historical:
Sani – The German Medic by Aubrey Reiss Taylor -- There are two sides to every story. Can he navigate between them? Frederick’s childhood was spent in America, helping care for his ailing grandparents. Now, he has come of age and craves the adventures he missed out on. It begins with a return to his family’s homeland, into the heart of a continent gearing up for war. His new friends say he can't possibly understand. Can a German army chaplain help bridge the gap? Or does the man’s own past disqualify him from becoming Frederick’s confidant? (General Historical, Independently Published) 
Norwegian Nights by Linda Shenton Matchett -- The second anniversary of Germany’s occupation of Norway has passed with no end in sight, so Gustav Westgard and his wife are still exiled on Shetland. He’s convinced Oda’s miscarriage would have been prevented back in Norway and decides he must return to his homeland to do whatever possible to rid the country of its invaders. Will he live to see liberation? Grieving the loss of her baby, Oda turns toward her heavenly Father as Gustav retreats inside himself. Rather than try to stop him after she discovers he plans to join the Norwegian resistance, she stows away onboard the ship taking him home. Can she convince him that they are better united in a cause than apart? (Historical Romance from Shortwave Press)

  Psychological Suspense:
The Girl Upstairs by Jessica R Patch -- She bought this house to save her marriage. Unearthing its secrets might just claim her life. (Psychological Suspense from Love Inspired Trade [Harlequin])

  Romantic Suspense:
Witness Safeguard Mission by Carol J Post -- When Nicole Woodard and her young sister witness their father’s murder by an unknown assailant, Nicole knows they’re next on the killer’s hit list. Now they must rely on Officer Braydon Feldman and his K-9 partner, Caesar, for protection. The killer will stop at nothing to silence the sisters and keep the crime hidden. But what could their father have been involved in that got him killed? (Romantic Suspense from Love Inspired [Harlequin])

  Speculative/Fantasy:
Paradise Unfallen by Chuck Richardson -- What if Adam and Eve had resisted the serpent? Welcome to Erimea—Earth’s twin world, untouched by original sin. Solis and Livi, the first parents of Erimea, begin their lives in perfect fellowship with God. But their obedience does not end the war. Satan and his legions simply turn their fury upon the new world. As the population of Erimea rises, tensions crack the harmony of paradise. A powerful life-giving resource becomes scarce. Rumors spread. God is silent. And a restless humanity flirts with fear, force, and false gods. To save their descendants from repeating Earth’s tragedy, Solis and Livi must confront deception, division, and the relentless pressure of darkness. Their journey—from innocence to holiness—will determine the future of an unfallen world. (Speculative/Fantasy, Independently Published)

Darkfell

Reading Fiction through the Eyes of Faith:

Darkfell (Book #1) by Amanda Wright

Genre: YA high fantasy

The Story: A librarian-mapmaker is sent to find and close the door between the human realm and a realm of evil.

Content Notes: War violence, gorier violence perpetuated by the villain; romance is sweet and clean; strong supernatural elements with minimal explanation of type/source.

Why I loved this book: Likeable characters with fun brother banter, engaging plot, beautiful spiritual threads and allegory, the perfect soul-satisfying climax.

Pair with John 15:12-14.

Ponder where your priorities lie.

Pray for a heart that loves God with obedient submission.

What Is Right

Doing what is right in our own eyes does not always manifest as evil.

In fact, many times what is right in our eyes can appear quite good. Obtaining a better job that increases financial freedom. Volunteering to serve in a ministry. Living in a neighborhood deemed safer for our kids. Getting married. Protecting those we love.

In and of themselves, none of these are evil. Desiring them is not sinful. But if they are not what God has asked us to do, then doing them is wrong.

Because we don't get to define what is right or wrong. That is the exclusive prerogative of God, and what He defines as right is obedience to Him. Obedience first to His commands as revealed in Scripture, then obedience to His Spirit's leading (which will always fit within the framework of the biblical commands). Anything else is disobedience and therefore wrong, no matter how good it seems.

It is a difficult lesson to live, as my heroine Yosi learns in Perplexity, because sometimes what is right in God's eyes doesn't seem good in ours. But when we follow Him in obedience, it will always lead to what is best.

Learning from Perplexity

~from Perplexity by Chawna Schroeder

Writing, for me, is more than just telling a fun story. It is also a venue through which I explore my faith. It is a way God teaches me truth. The Sceptre & Stylus series has been no different this time.

Perplexity and really this entire series has been challenging me to reconsider what it means to follow Christ and depend on Him completely. It isn’t that what I believed before was wrong. Rather, it has shown me that my application to my life was incomplete. That I have often lived, inadvertently, with a dependence-plus mentality. “I trust Him—but I’ll also do xyz.” In the course of writing these books, it has almost become a mantra in my life to ask, “How much do I really trust Him?”

The Gift of Perplexity

In just a little over a month, my next novel, Perplexity, releases. And though it has been almost a year since I submitted that manuscript to the publisher to begin the editing process, I still find myself shaking my head in wonder over it. 

For you see, I'm a terribly slow writer.

Before starting this series, the fastest I had ever completed a book was 18 months. So when I reached three months before the deadline and still only had a little over half a book (and a fragmented one at that), panic set in.

I considered reaching out to my publisher for an extension. But I felt very strongly God said no.

When I signed this contract, I prayed awhile about the deadlines. At the time, I felt that He would provide what I needed when I needed it. I pretty much told the publisher the same when I signed. Now, with three months to go, did I trust God? Did I believe that He would provide?

So I kept writing. Editing on the side when I was too tired to create. I finished the first draft 12 hours before deadline. I turned it in less than an hour before, without a chance to read the thing through.

But the story was all there. Not perfect. But complete and solid, with no major plot holes that the editor found. Something my past experience with writing would have said was impossible.

Thus the dedication to this book begins:

"For My All-Sufficient Lord

From the start You promised me

All I needed I would see;

Right on time it would be."

For God is never late, but always on time.

Gelato at the Villa

Reading Fiction with the Eyes of Faith: 

Gelato at the Villa (Suitcase Sisters #2) by Robin Jones Gunn

Genre: Adult Contemporary Women's Fiction

The Story: Best friends travel to Italy looking adventure and find a pilgrimage.

Content Notes: Reference to past sexual assault (off the page, no explicit details)

Why I loved this book: The sense of travel, the quiet beauty of wandering and wonder and discovery on every level, with bubbles of humor and times of quiet reflection, free from life's chaos. Quote, "The bride of Christ is not beautiful. But, you see...today is not her day."

Pair with John 15:1-17.

Ponder where you might need to trust God more.

Pray for the ability to trust Him in that area.

An Unexpected Award

A few weeks ago, I received an unexpected email form my publisher: Illuminary had won the Tome Society Award.

I admit, my first thought was, This must be a scam.

I had never heard of this award or this organization. But sure enough, when I checked them out, they appeared to be a legitimate nonprofit promoting literacy in schools through clean, age-appropriate fiction. A neat little program actually.

But for a book to be selected for their list, it has to be submitted for consideration. Neither my publisher nor I had entered Illuminary. Which meant someone else had to find and nominate my book for me.

That was astounding enough. But the timing made it even more significant.

In the week preceding I had been struggling with the area of results. I know I need to trust God’s provision there as much as in money and time. But many days I feel like I see very little fruit from the work I do, in writing and otherwise.

When that email arrived, however, it felt like little tap on the shoulder from God. It was if He was saying, “I have this under control. I can do what wish, bring about whatever I wish, and I don’t need your help to do it.”

So, yes, Illuminary won an unexpected award, and that is cool and exciting. But even more, I was reminded of a very important truth: I can trust God is at work, even when I can’t see it.

And that was the sweetest reward of all.