Best Religious Romance Books of 2025

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers is a historical Christian romance book set in the gold country of California in 1850. The story follows Angel, a woman who was sold into prostitution as a child and expects nothing but betrayal from men. However, she meets Michael Hosea, a man who seeks God's heart in everything and loves Angel unconditionally. Despite her resistance, Michael's pursuit of her begins to thaw her frozen heart. This retelling of the story of Gomer and Hosea is a powerful reminder of God's unconditional, redemptive love. The book is a literary masterpiece that will stay with the reader long after finishing it.

The Midwife of Auschwitz is a heart-wrenching historical novel inspired by a true story. It follows Ana Kaminski, a midwife who fights for love, life, and hope during the darkest period of World War II. Ana and her friend Ester secretly tattoo babies with their mother's numbers, hoping to reunite them one day. The book is a page-turner, and readers who enjoyed The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The Alice Network, and The Nightingale will be gripped. The novel is a poignant reminder of the strength of the human spirit in the face of unimaginable darkness.

The Mark of the Lion Series Gift Collection is a set of three Christian historical fiction novels by the New York Times best-selling author Francine Rivers. Set in first-century Rome, the series follows the stories of Hadassah, a young Jewish girl sold into slavery, Marcus, a wealthy Roman aristocrat searching for faith and meaning, and Atretes, a former gladiator fighting to return home with his infant son. The boxed set includes discussion questions and a preface from the author. The series is a powerful exploration of faith, love, and redemption in a tumultuous time.

The Shack by Wm. Paul Young is a heart-wrenching novel that deals with the question of where God is in a world filled with pain. The story revolves around Mackenzie Allen Philips, whose youngest daughter is abducted and possibly murdered. Four years later, he receives a mysterious note from God, inviting him back to the shack where his daughter was taken. The answers he finds there will astound and transform him. This book has the potential to become a classic in Christian literature, and it is a must-read for anyone searching for answers in a world of suffering.

“One of the most vital and original novelists of her generation.” —Larissa MacFarquhar, The New Yorker From the bestselling author of Americanah and We Should All Be Feminists Fifteen-year-old Kambili and her older brother Jaja lead a privileged life in Enugu, Nigeria. They live in a beautiful house, with a caring family, and attend an exclusive missionary school. They're completely shielded from the troubles of the world. Yet, as Kambili reveals in her tender-voiced account, things are less perfect than they appear. Although her Papa is generous and well respected, he is fanatically religious and tyrannical at home—a home that is silent and suffocating. As the country begins to fall apart under a military coup, Kambili and Jaja are sent to their aunt, a university professor outside the city, where they discover a life beyond the confines of their father’s authority. Books cram the shelves, curry and nutmeg permeate the air, and their cousins’ laughter rings throughout the house. When they return home, tensions within the family escalate, and Kambili must find the strength to keep her loved ones together.Purple Hibiscus is an exquisite novel about the emotional turmoil of adolescence, the powerful bonds of family, and the bright promise of freedom.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury proves it’s never too late for love in this heartwarming story about childhood friends, broken lives, and an age-old promise.. Years ago, the day before Ellie moved from Georgia to California, she and her best friend Nolan sat beneath the Spanish moss of an ancient oak tree and wrote letters to each other, sealing them in a rusty old metal box. The plan was to return eleven years later and read them in 2013, the year Nolan’s time traveling books say all the mysteries of the world will be understood. Now, as that date approaches, much has changed. Ellie, bereft of the faith she grew up with, is a single mom living in a tired apartment and trying to make ends meet. Nolan, now an NBA star, has dealt with terrible personal tragedies that fueled his faith and athletic drive in equal measure. Ever since his father and coach succumbed to a heart attack, Nolan has suffered from a transcendent loneliness. Drowning in an ocean of grief, he often thinks about Ellie and the innocence of their childhood days together. As Ellie and Nolan move toward the possibility of a reunion at the oak tree, Molly and Ryan, the central characters from author Karen Kingsbury’s previous novel The Bridge, return in their own ongoing story. Written by the “Queen of Christian Fiction” (Time) with eloquence and grace, The Chance is a beautiful tale of heart-wrenching loss, the power of faith, and the wounds that only love can heal.

At Home in Mitford is the first book in Jan Karon's bestselling series, which takes place in Mitford, America's favorite small town. The novel follows the story of Father Tim, a bachelor rector who longs for something more. When a large dog and an attractive neighbor move in, Father Tim's life takes an unexpected turn. This heartwarming story is a rich comedy about ordinary people and their ordinary lives. The book is a must-read for those who enjoy homespun tales about endearing characters.

A Voice in the Wind: Mark of the Lion Series Book 1 is a captivating Christian historical fiction novel set in 1st century Rome. Author Francine Rivers introduces readers to Hadassah, a young Jewish slave girl who becomes a shining light in the darkness of a depraved empire. As she struggles with her love for a handsome aristocrat, Hadassah clings to her faith in the living God for deliverance. The book includes discussion questions suitable for group discussions. Overall, this book is a must-read for those who love historical Christian romance novels that offer powerful life-changing messages.

The #1 New York Times bestselling author and “inspirational fiction superstar” (Publishers Weekly) presents this high stakes love story of danger, passion, and faith.. She was a child caught in a riptide in the Caribbean Sea. He was a teenager from the East Coast on vacation with his family. He dove in to save her, and that single terrifying moment changed both of their lives forever. Ten years later Jack Ryder is a daring undercover agent with the FBI and Eliza Lawrence still lives on that pristine island. She’s an untainted princess in a kingdom of darkness and evil, on the brink of a forced marriage with a dangerous neighboring drug lord, a marriage arranged by her father. This time when Jack and Eliza meet, there’s a connection neither of them can explain. Both of their lives are on the line, and once again, the stakes are deadly high. Can they join forces in a complicated and dangerous mission, pretending to have a breathtaking love…without really falling? Sometimes miracles happen not once, but twice…along a distant shore.