Top Must-Read Books of 2025

2025 was a great year for reading! I finished 77 books with many wonderful 4 and 5 star selections. As the year comes to a close, here are my Top 10 recommended reads, listed first by genre, then by author’s last name. Have you read any of these? Which books should I add to my must-read list in 2026?

(Note: I receive no compensation for featuring the books below.)

This year, my reading list was light on Historical Fiction (surprising I know), so it was pretty easy to choose my Top 10. Historical Fantasy and Time Travel are included in the Speculative category below.

Tri-Timeline: Splinters and Seams by Courtney Rivera, Dual Timeline 1920s/1960s: The Bootlegger’s Betrayal by Tanya E. Williams, Protestant Reformation: Secret Dwellings by Angelina Salvaggio (1st in series), American Revolution: Perpetual Rainbows by Jessika Caruso (1st in series), American Frontier: On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder, 1830s: Some Melodious Sonnet by Jennifer Q. Hunt (1st in series), 1850s: The Bachelor and the Bride by Sarah Eden (4th in series, but I read as a standalone), 1910s: Hope Like Wildflowers by Pepper Basham (3rd in series, but I read as a standalone), 1920s: Whispers of Her Worth by Tanya E. Williams, World War II: The Girls of the Glimmer Factory by Jennifer Coburn (2nd in series, Note for clean readers: There is one open door sex scene.),

I read way more Contemporary Fiction this year, so narrowing the choices was more difficult. These are mostly romances with a few exceptions, such as The Fire of Your Love which is centered around religious vocations.

Between the Sound and Sea by Amanda Cox, For Eden’s Sake by T.M. Gaouette, The Crafted With Love series by Maddie Evans (Book 3 was my favorite, but the entire series was great), The Dating Charade by Melissa Ferguson, Summer Ever After by Kortney Keisel, The Fire of Your Love by Erin Lewis (3rd in series, I recommend reading in order), A Name to Remember by Hannah Hood Lucero, Emma’s Hero by Carrie Walker (1st in series)

I’m smashing all these genres together as I didn’t have enough in any one for a Top 10.

Paranormal: The Curse He Chose by Sr. Allison Regina Gliot (1st in series, I don’t usually enjoy paranormal, but I’ve already pre-ordered book 2), Time Travel: Braving Strange Waters by Sarah Hanks (1st in series), In this Moment and For a Lifetime by Gabrielle Meyer (2nd and 3rd in series), Dystopian: Scythe by Neal Shusterman (1st in series), Historical Fantasy Re-reads: Sorcerous & Treacherous by Susan Laspe (1st & 2nd in series), Afterlife Fiction (because I don’t know what to call it): A Hiker’s Guide to Purgatory by Michael Norton, The Historical Fiction/Dystopian/Magical realism/Romance series I didn’t know I wanted to binge read and then loved: The Land Uncharted series by Keely Brooke Keith (15-book series, I never start a series this long, but it was well worth it. Book 1 & 15 are pictured. Book 16 coming soon.)

I have to give an extra special shout-out to my fellow Catholic Christian 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 read my full reviews? Follow me on GoodReads.

Did you know reviews help both readers and authors? Even one sentence is enough, and every word greatly appreciated. Consider leaving a rating on Amazon, Goodreads, BookBub, and/or your favorite retailer!

Until next time, happy reading!
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
Kelsey

Purchase signed copies of my books: kelseygietl.com

Follow me on:
1454549143-1454549143_goodreads_misc
BB 96x96 S
COPYRIGHT © KELSEY GIETL 2025

Purple Mask Publishing

2025 Zumbehl Rd, Ste. 33

St. Charles, MO 63303

2 Days Left: Make your voice heard in the Reader Preferences Survey

Welcome back to the Extra Edition newsletter! December’s crazy busy so this edition has one request and a reminder. I hope you all have a Merry Christmas!

***A Quick Request*** – I received a comment from the Reader Preferences Survey asking, “I know very few Catholic authors and would love to know more! Can you email me if you know more?” The survey didn’t collect names or email addresses, so if this was you, please reply to this newsletter. I would love to talk more!

***Reminder!*** – My 2025 Reader Preferences Survey is still open until this Wednesday, December 17. With so many options available to readers, it’s important to pinpoint what brings you back to my individual stories and newsletter time and again. I would greatly appreciate it if you could take ten minutes of your time to complete the survey below. All the questions are optional, but I do hope you will consider completing them. Responses are anonymous, so please share all your thoughts! Thank you to all those who have already responded!

Provide Your Reader Preferences

Until next time, happy reading!
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
Kelsey

Purchase signed copies of my books: kelseygietl.com

Follow me on:
1454549143-1454549143_goodreads_misc
BB 96x96 S
COPYRIGHT © KELSEY GIETL 2025

Purple Mask Publishing

2025 Zumbehl Rd, Ste. 33

St. Charles, MO 63303

The Good, the Bad, and the So-so: Share Your Thoughts in the 2025 Reader Preferences Survey

Happy December, readers, and welcome to new subscribers from the O’Fallon Holiday Market and Francis Howell Craft Fair! Between family and church events, my day job, designing covers, and completing my Missionaries of Joy classes, there hasn’t been a lot of time for writing lately. But don’t worry; I’m still making progress on Astonished. Slow and steady wins the race!

What’s in this Edition:

  • 2025 Reader Preferences Survey – Let me know what you want to see!
  • Events! – Photos from 3 Recent Events
  • Christmas Gift Guide – Gifts from the Catholic Marketing Network
  • Releasing in December– Other authors’ new releases I’m most excited about

Reader Preference Survey

By Timothy Eberly on Unsplash

My last reader preference survey was in August 2022, over three years ago, which means it is past time for an update. (How does time always get away from us?) With so many options available to readers, it’s important to pinpoint what brings you back to my individual stories time and again. Obviously, you each signed up for this newsletter for a specific reason and there are reasons you continue with me month after month. There are reasons why you buy a book and reasons why you don’t. I want to know all those little details that help bring an ideal experience to my readers.

I would greatly appreciate it if you could take ten minutes of your time to complete the survey below. All the questions are optional, but I do hope you will consider completing them. Responses are anonymous, so please share all your thoughts! Thank you in advance! Survey closes on December 17.

Provide Your Reader Preferences

Events!

On November 8, I attended my first JustRead Rendezvous, an event that brings Christian authors and readers together for laidback discussion, community building, and of course, lots and lots of books! This year, the event was held in my own hometown of St. Louis which means I didn’t have to journey far to spend the day with over 150 other people who love Christian Fiction just as much as I do. The best part of the event was meeting bloggers I’ve only talked to online, talking to both familiar and new authors (yes, authors can still geek out about meeting other authors), and meeting readers who would literally chat all day about books. Seriously, so many free books. Out of this pile shown, I only ended up buying two of them. I’ve already finished Christy Award winner, Between the Sound and the Sea by Amanda Cox (5 stars!). Which one do you think I should read next?

On November 19, O’Fallon, Missouri had their Tree Lighting Ceremony which included a Holiday Market. Fellow author, Susan Laspe and I sold our books wearing festive hats within a corridor that doubled as an art gallery. The current exhibit showcased paintings by local author, Hannah Smith, including the one behind me in the photo above. I don’t know Hannah personally, but her acrylic paint and permanent marker art was a beautiful way to spend an evening. Here are a few of my favorite pieces linked from her site on Best of Missouri Hands.

Prickly Pear by Hannah Smith
Raspberry Vines by Hannah Smith

Finally, to finish out 2025’s events, Susan Laspe and I had a table at Francis Howell High School’s Craft Fair on December 6. There was a huge crowd at this one with lots of opportunities to chat about books and even take photos with readers. Thank you to everyone who came out to all three of these events. We look forward to seeing you at next year’s events!

Christmas Gift Guide

Still looking for Christmas gift ideas? Check out the Catholic Marketing Network’s 2025 Christmas Magazine. My books are listed on page 13 along with many other Christian books and gifts.

See the 2025 Christmas Catalog.

Releasing in December

Need another read? Here are the new releases I’m excited about:

  1. Every Voice Heard by N.Y. Dunlap, Sarah Hanks, & D.T. Powell – The third novella collection from the Brave Authors group focused on stories of overcoming church hurt and abuse
  2. Waking Courage by Madisyn Carlin, Samantha Seidel, & Courtney Ranger – A collection of fantasy fairy tale retellings
  3. My Fair Frauds by Lee Kelly & Jennifer Thorne – A high society fraud and a scrappy swindler team up to take down Gilded Age New York in a tale of intrigue, drama, and female friendship.
  4. The Relationship Remodel by Callie Thomas – Opposites attract during a cross-country RV roadtrip romance
  5. Perfectly Complicated Christmas Romance by Grace Worthington – A closed-door holiday hockey romcom, featuring a grumpy athlete with a soft heart, a sunshine single mom, and a bet that proves opposites don’t just attract—they make a perfect mistletoe match.

Want to know what I’m currently reading? Follow me on GoodReads.

Did you know reviews help both readers and authors? Even one sentence is enough, and every word greatly appreciated. Consider leaving a rating on Amazon, Goodreads, BookBub, and/or your favorite retailer!

Until next month, happy reading!
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
Kelsey

Purchase signed copies of my books: kelseygietl.com

Follow me on:
1454549143-1454549143_goodreads_misc
BB 96x96 S
COPYRIGHT © KELSEY GIETL 2025

Purple Mask Publishing

2025 Zumbehl Rd, Ste. 33

St. Charles, MO 63303

The One Movie You Need to Watch

Welcome back to the Extra Edition newsletter! I’m excited to bring you bonus content each month with a special inside look at my novels and the history behind them.

What’s in this Edition:

Priests Who Paint – The real-life priest who inspired my fictional one

Triumph of the Heart – The one movie you need to watch

Priests Who Paint – Blessed Fra Angelico

The Crucifixion with Saints via Wikimedia Commons

In my next book, Astonished, you’ll meet the fictional Father Angelico. While his name was originally chosen because Blessed Fra Angelico is one of the patron saints of my daughter’s school, his back story is actually pretty cool. Fra Angelico, or Fra Giovanni da Fiesole (1395-1455) was an Italian Dominican friar and known as the Angelic Painter of the Renaissance. He started out illustrating manuscripts and choir books and eventually moved on to painting interiors of convents, churches, and other religious buildings. This included commissions from both Pope Eugenius IV and Pope Nicholas.

Fra Angelico was beatified (the last step before sainthood) by Pope St. John Paul II in 1982 and made the patron saint of artists in 1984. When the Pope was asked which miracles were attributed to the beatification, he pointed at Fra Angelico’s artwork and said, “These are his miracles.”

The Annunciation by Fra Angelico via Wikimedia Commons

What started out as just a character’s name in my book has now begun to transform the character himself. After learning about Fra Angelico’s work, I’ve given my fictional Father Angelico more of an artistic background himself. He may even play a role in future books; who knows?

Fra Angelico’s painting of The Last Judgment (shown below) has special meaning for by book, Astonished, as much of the story involves a woman with a near-death experience. This painting shows Christ at the center surrounded by angels and saints with heaven on his right and hell on his left.

The Last Judgment by Fra Angelico, via Wikimedia Commons

Triumph of the Heart: The one movie you need to watch

I recently had the opportunity to attend a screening of the new movie, Triumph of the Heart, about St. Maximilian Kolbe’s heroic decision to take the place of a man sentenced to a starvation bunker at Auschwitz. While this movie isn’t related to my books, it is an inspiring story for people of all faiths or no faith at all.

Simply put, this was one of the best movies I’ve ever seen. It made me think about our choices in life and how we relate to others, even when they don’t share our beliefs. In the bunker with Maximilian Kolbe were nine other men, all randomly chosen to die because another prisoner from their area had escaped. While no one knows the full backgrounds of these men, the movie does an excellent job of creating characters who represent a diverse range of professional and religious backgrounds. Within their interactions over their 14 days without food or water (yes, 14), these men show the darkest parts of humanity, but also that the beauty of human dignity, compassion, and faith cannot be defeated. It is a hard movie to watch and yet, one essential to the times we’re living in where martyrdom is still a regular occurrence yet rarely discussed.

I won’t give an age recommendation as parents know their children best. Although there is some violence, it is not gratuitous and is certainly tamer than many PG-13 movies I’ve seen. My husband and I took our middle schooler and high schooler to see it and it led to some wonderful discussions.

Triumph of the Heart is available to stream on their website: https://www.triumphoftheheart.com/streaming

Also, check out Cimorelli’s song, The Race is Run, which was written for the movie’s closing credits.

Until next time, happy reading!
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
Kelsey

Purchase signed copies of my books: kelseygietl.com

Follow me on:
1454549143-1454549143_goodreads_misc
BB 96x96 S
COPYRIGHT © KELSEY GIETL 2025

Purple Mask Publishing

2025 Zumbehl Rd, Ste. 33

St. Charles, MO 63303

Top Ten Tuesday – Random Books I Own

Happy Tuesday, readers! Today’s Top Ten topic is “The First 10 Books I Randomly Grabbed from My Shelf.” Isn’t that fun? To keep it truly random, I used an online number generator and chose one book from 10 shelves. The genres chosen were all over the places.

  • Estuary by Lisa T. Bergren – Medieval Time Travel
  • Not By Sight by Kate Breslin – Historical Fiction
  • Meet Addy by Connie Rose Porter – Children’s Historical Fiction
  • Our Town by Thornton Wilder – Theatrical Script
  • The Grace Crasher by Mara Faro – Christian Romance
  • Uncharted Mercy by Keeley Brooke Keith – Historical Fiction/Dystopian/Magical Realism mashup
  • The Forgotten Queen by Kortney Keisel – Dystopian Romance
  • The Curse He Chose by Sr. Allison Regina Gliot, FSP – Christian Paranormal
  • The Haunted Showboat by Carolyn Keene – Nancy Drew Mystery
  • Death Panels by Michelle Buckman – Christian Dystopian

Have you read any of these books? Pick a book at random from your shelf. Would you recommend it to me?

*Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly blog challenge hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.*

COPYRIGHT © KELSEY GIETL 2025

Kelsey Gietl - Author

Historical Fiction with a Dose of Romance and a Dash of Intrigue

Skip to content ↓