Welcome to January’s #OpenBook. I’m joining up with host Carolyn Astfalk on CatholicMom.com to share my favorite recent reads by Catholic authors. Have you read any of the books below? Let me know what you thought!
(Note: I receive no compensation for recommending these books.)
Love by Design by Maddie Evans is the third in the Crafted by Love series and my favorite of the three. (You can read them separately or together.) This quick-read romance follows a marriage of convenience between yarn-store owner, Brooke, and her high school best friend, Jonathan, who recently discerned out of the seminary. As someone who has known many Catholic seminarians, and several who have discerned out, and several of those who found their wives soon after, this story really hit home. I loved Jonathan and Brooke so much both as individual characters and as a couple. They had a lovely dynamic together, some really fun banter, and made me cry, too! It felt like the author held Jonathan and Brooke’s story closer to her heart than the others, but maybe that was just how I read it. I’m sad to see this series end but glad it ended on such a high note.
Emma’s Hero by Carrie Walker is the first book in the Faith Endures series. Emma’s Hero is a powerful and inspiring pro-life debut about a single mom whose unborn baby receives a devastating medical diagnosis. This novel shows how God has a purpose in all things, even when they don’t seem to make sense, and the beauty of each person’s lasting impact, no matter their disabilities or how long their life may be. I wasn’t familiar with the baby’s diagnosis of HPE before reading and loved that the author was inspired because of her friend’s baby with the same condition. What a wonderful tribute! Note: While written by a Catholic author, this book is published for the general Christian market.
Treacherous by Susan Laspe was a re-read for me. After my 2nd reading – Love seeing all the foreshadowing! This second book in the Rise of the Charioteer series is best described as Percy Jackson set in the middle ages but with Roman mythology and a Catholic foundation. Our heroes face many challenges, an exciting new rival, and a mythological cast of characters that turn up the element of surprise. After my second reading, I can also appreciate the slow burn romance more now that I know where it ends up. I do recommend reading Book 1, Sorcerous, first.
I spent a lot of time over the past few months reviewing my narrator’s audiobook production of Unsettled Shores, the second book in my World War I historical fiction series. If you’ve followed me for awhile, you know that I toot a lot of horns for my narrator, Tawnya Rollingson. This lady is simply amazing with her multiple character voices, accents, and even singing. (Although, there’s no singing in Unsettled Shores. Check out my Larksong Legacy series for that.) While this can be read as a standalone, I do recommend reading Broken Lines first.
Get your audiobook of Unsettled Shores.
And in case you missed my Top Books of 2025 post, here are my Top 10 favorite books by Catholic authors. My Catholic reads were extremely varied this year from historical to fantasy to contemporary to paranormal with all but two being new to me authors.
Historical Fiction: Perpetual Rainbows by Jessika Caruso (1st in series), Secret Dwellings by Angelina Salvaggio (1st in series), Contemporary Romance: The Crafted with Love series by Maddie Evans, Pro-Life Romance: For Eden’s Sake by T.M. Gaouette, Emma’s Hero by Carrie Walker (1st in series), Paranormal: The Curse He Chose by Sr. Allison Regina Gliot (1st in series), Historical Fantasy Re-read: Sorcerous by Susan Laspe (1st in series), Religious Vocations Fiction: The Fire of Your Love by Erin Lewis (3rd in series, I recommend reading in order), Afterlife Fiction (because I still don’t know what to call it): A Hiker’s Guide to Purgatory by Michael Norton, Non-Fiction: Near Death Experiences by Scott L. Smith, Jr.
Want to know what I’m reading as I’m reading it? Follow me on GoodReads.
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Until next time, happy reading!
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
Kelsey
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