Inspy Romance

Inspy Romance—Fall in Love With a Good Book

My Favorite CCR Reads of 2020 + #Giveaway

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Happy New Year, InspyRomance Readers!!

I can’t believe I get to be the first post of 2021!!! (Not like that creates any pressure or anything, lol.) I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year’s celebration. I pray that this year blesses you richly. And I pray that you get to read all the great books that 2021 will bring us.

Now let’s talk about My Favorite Christian Contemporary Romances of 2020. :)

Although 2020 gave us some hits, it gave us lots of great reads in my opinion. I read almost 300 books and thanks to Goodreads, I was able to keep track of my favorites. Although I think I need to create a shelf so that it’s easier then scrolling through 300 reads, lol.

Anyway, here they are!

Their Wander Canyon Wish by Allie Pleiter

I’ve been reading Allie’s books for awhile so picking this one up was a no brainer. But y’all it had so many good things in it and gave me all the heartwarming feels.

Blurb: Their mother needs a fresh start…Could he be what they’ve been waiting for?

Back in her hometown with her twin daughters, widow Marilyn Sofitel is set on never falling in love again. She’s sure her heart is safe spending time with Wyatt Walker as he works to fix the carousel her girls love. Everyone knows he’s handsome, charming…and trouble. But as they grow closer, might their unlikely friendship to develop into something deeper?

Before I Called You Mine by Nicole Deese

Y’all, if I had to pick a number one out of all the books, it would be this one. ALL. THE. FEELS!! Seriously, I may have needed tissues. May have stared at the back cover for awhile once I finished The End. May have prodded bookish friends to read it with a quickness so that I could gush over every detail. I may have even reread it.

Blurb: Lauren Bailey may be a romantic at heart, but after a decade of matchmaking schemes gone wrong, there’s only one match she’s committed to now–the one that will make her a mother. Lauren is a dedicated first-grade teacher in Idaho, and her love for children has led her to the path of international adoption. To satisfy her adoption agency’s requirements, she gladly agreed to remain single for the foreseeable future; however, just as her long wait comes to an end, Lauren is blindsided by a complication she never saw coming: Joshua Avery.

Hadley Beckett’s Next Dish by Bethany Turner

I’m a huge fan of Bethany as an author and a person so reading her 2020 release was a no brainer. And I laughed and sighed and loved all the nods to Food Network stars.

Blurb: Celebrity chef Maxwell Cavanagh is known for many things: his multiple Michelin stars, his top-rated Culinary Channel show To the Max, and most of all his horrible temper. Hadley Beckett, host of the Culinary Channel’s other top-rated show, At Home with Hadley, is beloved for her Southern charm and for making her viewers feel like family.

When Max experiences a very public temper tantrum, he’s sent packing to get his life in order. When he returns, career in shambles, his only chance to get back on TV and in the public’s good graces is to work alongside Hadley.

As these polar-opposite celeb chefs begin to peel away the layers of public persona and reputation, they will not only discover the key ingredients for getting along, but also learn the secret recipe for unexpected forgiveness . . . and maybe even love. In the meantime, hide the knives.

Whatever Happens Next by Jaycee Weaver

Jaycee is an InspyRomance author and one of my critique partners. Her books always have me sighing over dreamy heroes and rooting for a happily ever after. This book is a must read.

Blurb: He needs to stay. He has orders to go. They’ll have to trust God with whatever happens next.

Growing up in small town Oklahoma gave US Air Force vehicle maintainer TSgt Dyson what his momma calls itchy feet. His wanderlust has kept him from romantic entanglements for years, until the day an over-dramatic, strawberry-scented chatterbox slams into him and turns his world upside down.

Jenna Davis was a quintessential good girl, deeply rooted in her family and faith until one mistake three years ago changed everything. Unable to admit her failure, she goes through the motions watching everyone else live their dreams. But it’s hard to find her purpose when opening up to anyone—even God—feels impossible. Then she meets Dyson, who personifies the strong, silent type.

Dyson gets her to open up and begin dreaming again, rebuilding the trust she’s lost in men and especially in herself. But Dyson has something important to tell Jenna, and he knows it’ll be the end of all they’ve built. After all, how can he ask her to leave everything and everyone behind when he can never stay?

Molly by Sarah Monzon

Sarah is another one of my critique partners so it’s no surprise I love all of her work either. She had two releases in 2020 and I loved them both, don’t make me choose between them.

Blurb: If there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that I absolutely refuse to tell a lie no matter the consequences. So don’t ask me a direct question unless you’re prepared for a direct answer—that’s something my SoCal sewing girlfriends have learned the hard way.
But who would have thought my honesty policy would get me fired from my job at the preschool? Or that a desperate—and not to mention devastatingly handsome—single father of one of my (now-former) students would hire me that same day as a nanny for his daughter?
I’m an education professional. How hard can taking care of a four-year-old and her over-stressed, over-worked father be?

Jocelyn by Sarah Monzon

Blurb: WWSOD—What would Scarlett O’Hara do?
Anything to survive, that’s what. But instead of a man-eating Southern belle in hoop skirts and big hats, my version of existence looks an awful lot like a financial conglomerate employee staring blankly at budget analysis spreadsheets. Either way, the motto has served me well most my life. Until now, that is. The corporate retreat location has just been announced, and this city girl is headed to a dude ranch in the country. How will Scarlett help me survive that? No, this time I’ll turn to the sage advice of preteen YouTubers and their ponies to keep me from making a fool of myself.
But who’s going to help me navigate the kind yet reticent cowboy in the black Stetson—the cattle ranch owner who’s slowly claiming corners of my heart?

Sea Glass Castle by T.I. Lowe

I read the whole series but this book was by far my favorite.

Blurb: Sophia Prescott is still mending from the embarrassment of a highly publicized divorce from a pro football player, and the now-single mother is back in Sunset Cove, surrounded by the supporting love of her family and the Sand Queens. Sophia doesn’t think there’s any hope for starting over until an unexpected trip to the pediatrician’s office gives her a second chance after all.

Dr. Weston Sawyer knows all about lives shattering into millions of pieces. His own all but ended when a truck driver fell asleep at the wheel and barreled head-on into his pregnant wife’s sedan, killing her instantly and leaving Wes with a soul so wounded that it has refused to heal. He packed up and left swampy southern Alabama for South Carolina with the hope of fading into the sleepy coastal town of Sunset Cove. Instead, feisty brunette Sophia Prescott will have him braving something different and entirely unexpected. If Sophia and Wes can take the leap to give love another try, they just might find that hope has a way of coming back around and weaving into one’s heart.

Autumn Skies by Denise Hunter

This is another book that was part of the series but this one was my favorite of 2020!

Blurb: Facing the past is easier if you don’t have to face it alone.
The Bluebell Inn is turning a profit, and it’s time for the Bennett siblings to sell it and move on. Only Grace has plans to stay in the small lake town of Bluebell, North Carolina, where she hopes her growing outfitters business will save her from the loneliness of her siblings’ departure and the persistent sense of unworthiness in her life.
A gunshot wound resurrects the past for Secret Service agent Wyatt Jennings, and a mandatory leave of absence lands him in Bluebell. There he must come to grips with the tragedy that altered his life fourteen years ago.
When Wyatt books a room at the Bluebell Inn, sparks fly between him and Grace. She volunteers to be his mountain guide, and he soon opens up to her, drawn to her strength and sense of humor. But both are reticent to talk about the survivor’s guilt they each carry, and when their pasts finally collide, their budding romance might not survive the truth.

Suddenly Forever by Teresa Tysinger

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Teresa in some book collections. I also had the pleasure of reading this book before it published and all I can see is grab some tissues!

Blurb: On the outskirts of Laurel Cove, North Carolina sits a quiet lake tucked into gentle mountains carpeted with the brilliant colors of autumn. Grief binds the lake’s only residents into an unlikely family, where old and new love build a bridge between loss and hope.

For years, best-selling author Cora Bradford has worked tirelessly to tread the unrelenting waves of grief in solitude. That is until a new neighbor moves in down the road and threatens to disrupt what she’s carefully preserved of the life she once knew. Will God ever answer her prayer for peace and calmer waters?

Following a scandal, Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Luke Bassett escapes to the one place in the world he’s ever experienced peace—his mother’s cabin on the lake where he spent childhood summers. But the memory of her and the mistakes he made are hardly peaceful. To make matters worse, he gets off to a rocky start with his bitter, but breathtakingly beautiful, neighbor. Was running away from the life he’s always known the biggest mistake of all, or the beginning of something he never knew he wanted?

Spunky, opinionated, and recently widowed Ina McLean is alone for the first time in over ninety years. When Cora and Luke come together to care for their only other neighbor, Ina’s belief in God’s goodness through life’s ups and downs works to restore their hope in learning to live—and love—again.

Some Bright Someday by Melissa Tagg

I adore this series and didn’t know if Melissa could make me love a hero more than I did Marshall (in Now and Then and Always), but y’all Lucas deserves all the book boyfriend love.

Blurb: He’s torn between love and honor…

Lucas Danby has always regretted the decisions that caused his dishonorable discharge from the military—and he’s never stopped trying to redeem his honor. He’s spent the past decade taking on dangerous short-term missions as an elite private soldier—the only part of his life that’s ever gone right. But the high-risk work never cures his shame. Now he’s stuck stateside, mentoring a new recruit. Worse, he’s sick of lying to the people he cares about most—including the woman he’s secretly loved for years.

She can’t escape her house of memories…

Jenessa Belville should be happy. She’s the hometown girl everyone loves, after all. But she’s also the last Belville left—and if she had her way, she’d leave the name and all its painful memories behind. Which is exactly what she hopes to do once she sells Belville Park, the massive estate she inherited from her parents. First, though, she needs to restore the property’s once-glorious gardens. But on the same day she puts up the “For Sale” sign, she discovers three children hiding in the caretaker’s cottage, thrusting her into the unexpected role of temporary guardian.

Fighting for their future means healing from the past…

Struggling to mentor a young man with scars nearly as piercing as his own, Lucas offers to help Jenessa restore the Belville grounds. Though drawn together by a trio of kids who tug on their hearts and the sparks they can’t deny, past secrets and current sorrows threaten to pull them apart. Only the brightest love and hardest sacrifice can turn the house Jenessa never wanted into the home she and Lucas have always longed for.

Hope for Freedom by Elizabeth Maddrey

Another InspyRomance writer, Elizabeth Maddrey’s book 4 in the Hope Ranch series had me involved with the characters (I may have fussed at them and bugged said author while reading). I can’t wait for book 5!

Blurb: A vegan alpaca farmer, a ranch hand, and an accidental pregnancy.

Indigo Hewitt reluctantly decides a move to Hope Ranch is the best of the few options available. Despite not knowing her grandparents well, she moves in a few days before her baby sister’s wedding. Based on conversations she’s had with ranch hand Joaquin, Indigo figures she’ll manage to fit in just fine.

Joaquin Rivera has been pushing the Hewitts to bring livestock to Hope Ranch. When Indigo relocates with her herds, he’s excited to lend a hand with the sheep and alpacas. Working alongside Indigo isn’t going to be a hardship, either.

After a tipsy evening together, Joaquin is determined to get his relationship with Indigo back to a place that honors God. One mistake isn’t going to ruin either of their lives. Until those two pink lines appear.

Will they find a way to make a family, or will Indigo’s need for freedom be too much for love to overcome?

Giveaway

For a chance to win a $10 Amazon gift card and buy one (or more) of these reads, tell me your top five Christian contemporary romances of 2020. Comment by 1/6/21 3:00pm EST and I will pick a random winner.

Toni Shiloh (60 Posts)

Toni Shiloh is a wife, mom, and Christian fiction writer. Once she understood the powerful saving grace thanks to the love of Christ, she was moved to honor her Savior. She writes to bring Him glory and to learn more about His goodness. She spends her days hanging out with her husband and their two boys. She is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). Find out more on her website at http://tonishiloh.com.


Comments

  1. Oh my, no pressure, just akin to which is your favourite child, lol!!!
    Honestly I’ve been ill and can’t remember the book titles. Thank you though for some new titles to read this year! Happy New Year everyone and thank you for the blog.

  2. Ooooh so hard! Lots of good ones here.
    Before I Called You Mine by Nicole Deese was very close to my heart because we are preparing to grow our family through Adoption. That is my #1 book of 2020. The Edge of Belonging by Amanda Cox was so powerful! The Haunting of Bonaventure Circus was probably the most intense book I read last year (loved it). Stay with Me by Becky Wade was exceptional. And last but not least, A Mosaic of Wings by Kim Duffy was a very deep and emotional read that allowed me to “travel” while stuck at home during quarantine.

  4. Happy New Year Toni and to all our inspiring Indy Romance authors and their readers. This avid reader has been part of this blog since it started. As I reviewed my 2020 reading during a most unusual year worldwide, I at first thought I didn’t have favorite books for 2020. I read a variety of genre in addition to CCR. Historical fiction, cozy mysteries, cookbooks, children and YA books.

    Since I was introduced to this blog by Valerie Comer and as a Midwesterner that is friends with local farmers, I love her Urban Farm Fresh Romance series. Valerie Comer released 3 books: Glimpses of Gossamer, Lavish in Lavender, and Cadence of Cranberry. This retiree loves the smell of lavender and our SW Michigan county has a lavender farm and a blueberry farmer also harvests cranberries ever October.

    As a teen, I worked in a bakery. Therefore I made a connection when Elizabeth Maddrey wrote the Baxter Bakery family series. I enjoyed her Hope Ranch series 2020 releases: Hope for Tomorrow, Hope for Love, and Hope for Freedom. Who isn’t intrigued by a vegan alpaca farmer?

    As a World Language teacher, I am intrigued by other countries and their cultures. Our church sponsored missionaries in Africa. Therefore another connection is with Marion Ueckermann from South Africa. The African Coast sounds similar to our West Coast. Living in a resort town on the beautiful shores of Lake Michigan, I enjoy her Chapel Cove Oregon series. So similar to Michigan small towns resorts on the Great Lakes.

    Laurie Larsen and Valerie M. Boden are new authors to Inspy Romance and this avid reader. I enjoyed Meet the Moms, because I read historical matchmaking romances. Love the modern twist. I also enjoyed Not Until this Day by Valerie Bodden, because of its Midwest setting of Hope Springs, Wisconsin. This Midwesterner has lived on both sides of Lake Michigan. I have visited Wisconsin often.

    Thanks Toni for forcing me to take a closer look at my 2020 reading. This year I plan to not only track my reading on Goodreads, but I purchased The Mosaic Collection Total Booked – a Book Lover’s Companion / 2021 Journal Planner Diary. Recommended it. Best wishes for 2021. Enjoy the weekend.

  5. #1 Christmas on Ocracoke (Hey, I have to vote for myself, right?)
    #2 Becky Wade’s Her One and Only
    #3 Laurie Larsen’s Finding Love for the Playboy
    #4 Raeanne Thaye’s Coming Home for Christmas
    #5 Rachel Hauck’s The Fifth Avenue Story Society (my actual #1 to be honest)

    Thanks for more ideas!

  6. I can’t choose a top 5, but there are several books I’ve read this year and loved. I’m really enjoying the Bloom Sisters series by Tara Grace Ericson as well as the continuation of the Hope Ranch and Urban Farm Fresh series by Elizabeth Maddrey and Valerie Comer. I also always love Carol Moncado’s books and she released a few in 2020 as well. Your Faith and Fortune series was also a favorite this year!

  15. Some of my top books for 2020 were:

    The Edge of Belonging by Amanda Cox
    Sown in Peace by Joy Avery Melville
    Shanty by the Sea by Kelli Pizarro
    Meant for Her by Joy Avery Melville
    Mistaking the Cowboy by Mandi Blake

    However, there were more!!!

  16. Top FIVE?? No pressure there! I’ve read so many good ones this year!! I’ll have to go with most memorable! Lol
    1. Fifth Avenue Story Society – Rachel Hauck
    2. Now and Then and Always – Melissa Tagg
    3. The Bird and the Bees – Neena Gaynor
    4. The Solid Grounds Coffee Company – Carla Laureano
    5. Magnolia Storms – Janet Ferguson

  17. Before I Call You Mine, Deese
    The Solid Grounds Coffee Company, Laureano
    Stay With Me, Wade
    Then Again, Maybe, Tuttle
    Under Scottish Stars, Laureano

    Before I Call You Mine was great!

  18. So many good books! I don’t know if I can choose, but here are five of my favorite books read in 2020.

    The House on Foster Hill by Jamie Jo Wright- I’m a little late to reading her books but oh this one was so good!
    The White Rose Resists by Amanda Barratt – seriously, this book was so moving and amazing, it stayed with me long after I finished it.
    A Reluctant Bride by Jody Hedlund – this is the start of her brideship series and was so amazing!
    Gentleman Jim by Mimi Matthews – this one was so swoon worthy and turned me into a total Mimi Matthews fan.
    On Wings of Devotion by Roseanna M. White – I read this one in a day, it was that good!

    Happy New year Toni, and thanks for sharing your favorite reads!

  19. Happy New Year and the best wishes for you and your family! I hope that 2021 will be a great reading and writing year with a lot of new releases! I have read a bunch of books last year, mostly Dutch books, and besides that: I can’t choose my top 5 because I have read so much beautiful books!

  20. This is so hard, I read so many good books last year. I know that all of your books have made my top five but there are just too many to choose

  21. An Uncommon Woman (#LauraFrantz), Mountain Laurel (#LoriBenton) and The Sound of Falling Leaves (#LisaCarter)

  23. 1. Stay With Me by Becky Wade
    2. If For Ant Reason by Courtney Walsh
    3. A Match Made at Christmas by Courtney Walsh
    4. Autumn Skies by Denise Hunter
    5. The Trouble With Love by Toni Shiloh

    Thanks for sharing your favorite novels. I added some to my TBR.

  24. Hello Toni and Happy New Year I read so many great books. And I just got through reading Their Wander Canyon Wish and I Loved it ! Blessings to You and Yours!

  25. Hi Toni and Happy New Year to you and your family. I read ” A Nurse for Jacob” “Meant for Her” “Finding Love for The Playboy” , “Amish Snow White” , and “Once Upon a Dicken’s Christmas” and “One Groom Is Not Enough” , they were all Great reads, I Loved them all. Have a Great day, God Bless you.

  26. Welcome today. Wow that is a lot of books for one year. Woohoo.
    – With This Click, I Thee Wed by Bonnie R. Paulson Book 1
    – Home Town Hero’s Redemption by Jill Kemerer
    – A Meddled Match by Jill Kemerer
    – His Wyoming Baby Blessing by Jill Kemerer
    – Back in The Saddle by Ruth Logan Herne

  27. 1. Trustworthy by Lysa Terkuerst
    2. 100 Days of Joy and Strength by Candace Cameron Bure
    3. Treasured Moments with Mother Graham by Rose Adams
    4. Jingle All The Way by Debbie Macomber
    5. Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan Henry.

  28. Falling Like Snowflakes by Denise Hunter
    Take a Chance on Me by Susan May Warren
    Just Look Up by Courtney Walsh
    The Recipe by Candace Calvert
    True to You by Becky Wade

  29. Great list, Toni! I must confess that I’ve read many more historical fiction books this year than contemporary. I’m really loving historical fiction right now. My top contemporary reads are:
    Before I Called You Mine by Nicole Deese
    Set the Stars Alight by Amanda Dykes (split-time novel)
    Love & a Little White Lie by Tammy Gray
    Some Bright Someday by Melissa Tagg
    Start With Me by Kara Isaac

  31. I read mostly historical but I enjoy contemporary also.
    1. The Edge of Belonging
    2. Love and a Little White Lie
    3. The Joy of Falling
    4. A Dazzle of Diamonds
    5. Before I Called You Mine

  32. These are some of the books I enjoyed reading in 2020.

    The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin
    Coming Undone by Staci Stallings
    Second Impressions by Pepper D. Basham
    A Mountain Worth Moving by Amanda Mason
    South Of Skye by Mandi Blake

    Thank you and Happy New Year

  56. Top five?? Oh, that’s a hard choice & difficult at best to narrow down, lol! I’ll try (no particular order):

    1. More Than We Remember by Christina Suzann Nelson
    2. Before I Called You Mine by Nicole Deese (my first, but certainly NOT my last)\
    3. Hadley Beckett’s Next Dish by Bethany Turner
    4. The Cedar Key by Stephenia H. McGee
    5. A Christmas Courting novella collection by Jennifer Moore, Chalon Linton, Jen Geigle Johnson, and Heidi Kimball (because I ADORE Regency fiction)

    Here’s series books I’ve enjoyed:
    Jody Hedlund: The Lost Princesses YA
    Irene Hannon: Hope Harbor
    Erica Vetsch: Serendipity & Secrets (again, because Regency)
    Suzanne Woods Fisher: Three Sister’s Island (can’t wait for the third one in April!)
    Denise Hunter: Bluebell Inn

    There are many, many more I read of course. It’s just SO hard to narrow down to just a few. I also use Goodreads to do a yearly challenge to keep track of what I read. But I set my goal for 100 a year, usually exceeding it by a few. This year I read 117 :-)

  58. I am just going to go with my Number 1 this year and it was ADORE ME by Autumn Macarthur. It was my ‘feel good’ book of the year. Definitely my NUMBER 1.

    I read a lot of Jean Grainger books and love them all. The ‘War Girl Ursala by Marion Kummerow was very well done. I enjoyed the first three in the Jewel Series by Hallee Bridgeman.

  62. Christina, Thanks so much for mentioning my book and I love most of Rachel Hauck’s book as well!

  64. So many…here are a few:
    Once Upon a Christmas by Amanda Tru
    Meant for Her by Joy Avery Melville
    The Art of Rivers by Janet Ferguson
    Montana Marshalls series by Susan May Warren
    Ready to Trust by Tina Radcliffe
    And many many more

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