If you’re like me, you enjoy reading year-round. They say we read more in the summer, but I think any time of the year is a great time to read a great book. Spring is the perfect time to read outside when the weather is warm. If you’re looking to add some new books to your bookshelf, here are some recommendations that will keep you turning the pages.
1.Heart of a Cowboy by Alexa Verde
I’m currently reading Alexa’s Cowboy Crossing series and I’m loving it. she is a great writer. If you like cowboys and beaches, this is the box set for you. Includes the first five books in her Seaside Cowboys series, plus a bonus novella, about a family of cowboy brothers. These books all contain the tropes we love: romance, family, humor, mystery, suspense, and more.
2.Heart of a Cowboy Too by Alexa Verde
If you liked the Heart of a Cowboy box set, you’ll love Heart of a Cowboy. This set includes the last five books in the Seaside Cowboys series, plus a bonus novella. This series is Christian and clean.
3. Dark Star by Creston Mapes
I love rock star romance, but every time I start reading this trope, it turns into something gross and disgusting. So when I came across Dark Star and learned that it was a clean Christian suspense book, it caught my attention. This is a great book. This is the story of a rock star named Everett Lester, who achieves his dreams but falls behind due to depression, alcohol, and drugs. He is desperately searching for something that will bring peace to his soul. Seeking answers, he turned to a medium. What begins as a search for answers quickly turns sinister.
Then he received a letter from a young woman in Kansas who said she was not a fan but a friend. She prays for him and says her faith may be the only thing standing between Everett and destruction.
Afterwards, a mysterious murder case shocks the nation, and a high-profile trial unfolds in Florida. Amid fame, deceit, and spiritual warfare, the truth comes to light as the nation watches.
4. Full Tilt by Creston Mapes
Full-Tilt is the second book in the Rock Star Chronicles series. Everett Lester turned a new leaf and gave his life to Jesus. His new tour takes him on the road again to perform for a new purpose. However, he soon learns that he cannot escape his dark past.
His wife Karen receives world-shaking news, and his gambling-addicted brother Eddie and the rest of the family react to his new journey with hatred and contempt. As the mob closes in on Eddie, Everett and Karen are drawn into his nightmares as well.
To make matters worse, Everett’s nephew Wesley blames Everett for his brother’s death. Wesley soon ties up with a psychotic meth head named Tony Bandino, and the boy and his gang won’t stop until they defeat Everett and anyone else in his way.
I read this book in a few days and it was great.
5. Seaside Sisterhood by Jesse Guzman
Jesse Guzman is one of my favorite authors and I think her latest releases are amazing. This is the story of a woman named Quinn, who is left with nothing but a suitcase and a broken heart by her husband.
She must start her life over again in the Outer Banks and live with her stepmother, whose husband is financially ruined and slipping into dementia. Quinn worries that she may have jumped onto another sinking ship.
While cleaning a vacation rental and avoiding her critical sister-in-law, Quinn meets a group of women, Sharon, Ruth, and Cindy, who are experiencing their own storms.
As Quinn begins cleaning for the mysterious loner Jack Sullivan, cracks begin to appear in the walls she has rebuilt. He looks like a normal beach drifter, but there’s something about him that she can’t quite put her finger on. As the two slowly reveal each other’s secrets, Quincy must decide if she’s ready to take another chance at love.
6. Steele Family Saga Box Set Collection: Books 1-3 Written by Carey Lowrance
Escape into the heartwarming emotional world of the Steele family as they navigate love, loss, and second chances. The Steele Family Saga box set includes the first three books in this charming, clean romance series.
Book 1 – Someone who catches my tears
All country superstar Grantland Steele wants to do is step away from the spotlight after a personal tragedy. Meanwhile, chef MacRae Tollinson faces his own struggles. Fate brings them together when they both return to their hometown of Peachtree, Illinois. But through past hurts and a twist of fate, will they finally realize that each other is what they’ve been missing all along?
Book 2 – Affiliation season
Merrick Taylor is desperate to escape his toxic home life, while Hollin Steele is a survivor of abuse at the hands of her biological father. They met online and quickly became friends, but Merrick’s sudden disappearance leaves Hollin with more questions than answers. A phone call changes everything and they embark on a journey of healing and love.
Volume 3 – Finding Home Again
Larsin Steele’s life is falling apart. After losing a patient and learning of her husband’s infidelity, she returns to her hometown of Peachtree, Illinois, with her six children. Dr. Clayton Lane also finds himself in Peachtree, still grieving the loss of his wife and daughter. As the two try to recover from their pasts, they develop a strong bond. But with secrets and unresolved feelings between the two, can they really find a new home with each other?
7. Love Undercover Mandy Blake
Zach Wilson kidnapped Lauren Vincent to get answers. Then his brother took things too far. Rescuing Lauren is the only sane thing Zack has ever done. But that doesn’t erase a lifetime of bad choices. When he got out of prison, he was shocked to see Lauren waiting for him with forgiveness in her eyes.
That night haunted Lauren for years, and she couldn’t understand why Zach helped her, but she’s thankful she’s still breathing. Her cousin has been missing for years, and Zach is the only one with the resources and connections to find her.
Zach, who now lives next door to Lauren, is doing his best to distance himself from her. Still, Lauren thinks he’s trying hard to be a decent and honorable man. Zack doesn’t want to risk his safety, but he is determined to find his cousin, even if he has to surrender his heart to the man who held his life in his hands all those years ago.
8. “Chasing the Clouds Away” by Debbie Macomber
Debbie Macomber is also one of my favorite authors. When I read her book Marriage Problems as a teenager, I fell in love with clean romance. Her new book Chasing the Clouds Away also sounds like a great read.
Maisie Gallagher has many dreams, but when her father dies, she puts them aside to help her family. Even though she knows it’s the right thing to do, she still yearns for what could have been.
Chase Furst is a stalwart heir to a financial empire, primarily focused on his own life and work as a bank executive. Having had a traumatic childhood as his mother struggled with addiction, he is cynical and emotionally distant.
When Chase meets Maisie, he is faced with a kind woman who is able to get past his defenses. Her offer to help him in his time of need surprised and irritated him at the same time. She declines his offer of payment and tells him to pay it forward by a selfless act. The problem is, Chase doesn’t even know where to start.
9. Coming Home to North Dakota by Jesse Guzman
These are the first Jesse Guzman books I read. I’ve loved her writing ever since. This set includes eight clean, heartwarming romances set in the small town of Sweetwater, North Dakota.
10. Retying the Knot (written by Liwen Y. Ho)
This book is a story about two friends, Piper and Peter, who get married to inherit an inheritance. In the end, they end up going their separate ways, just on paper. It’s going to take a lot of work for them to find their way back to each other.
If you’re looking for a great read this spring, these books won’t disappoint. Grab one or two or a few and escape to a spot in the sunshine with a cup of tea or coffee.
Photo credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Daniel de la Hoz
Carrie Laurence is a freelance writer and author. Her work has been featured in Crosswalk, iBelieve, Huffington Post, and The Penny Hoarder. She is also the author of three children’s books, three pretty romance books, one romance novel, three poetry collections, and one nonfiction book. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking, baking, reading, and spending time with her husband and cute cat, Cupcake. For more information about Carrie and her writing, please visit www.carrielowrance.com.
