Today on the InspyRomance blog, I’m delighted to welcome my friend Emily Dana Botrous. She writes thoughtful, Christ-centred, realistic romance with some of the most well-developed characters I’ve ever read. I’ll shut up now, and let Emily speak!
What is your first thought when you hear “romantic hero”? A fearless firefighter, perhaps. A generous billionaire. A doctor who saves the lives of children or a farmer working desperately to preserve his family legacy. We see endless endearing variations of romantic heroes in romance. But one that might not come to mind as fast is a pastor.
A pastor as a romantic hero? Weird. But is it?
One series I enjoyed reading as a teen was the Cape Light series by the late Thomas Kinkade. While not strictly romance, it is an inspirational small-town series set in New England like his paintings. While I always preferred the romance subplots woven throughout the series, I appreciated that one of the other storylines was about the town reverend. And it wasn’t about his wonderful sermons, the scenes where pastors are generally relegated in fiction. No, it was about his personal struggles. His struggles with his walk with God. His struggles with his relationship with an estranged son. His struggles with anxiety that sent him to the hospital. His human struggles.
Yep. Pastors are human. Just like you and me.
I was stoked when Denise Hunter, my favorite contemporary Christian romance author, wrote a book with a pastor as the hero. On Magnolia Lane was the first contemporary romance I read with a romantic hero as a pastor. I love how we see Pastor Jack’s human side twined with his commitment to the Lord. He longs to love and be loved and isn’t sure how to go about it because he has an entire congregation and community watching his every move. His love interest, Daisy, has little confidence in herself, and as she begins to develop feelings for Jack, the idea of being a pastor’s significant other is intimidating.
I have a personal interest in pastors in fiction because I am a pastor’s daughter.
I don’t know precisely what it is like to be a pastor as I am not one. I don’t fully comprehend the pressure put upon a pastor’s wife because I am not one. But I witnessed these two roles more closely than anyone else in my community, and I understand how difficult it can be to balance the desire to please God with the duty to please the community. It’s a tightrope to walk, and I can honestly say pastors and their families need your grace. They have dreams and hopes and desires just like you and me. They have family issues and estrangements and fights just like you and me. They have love lives just like you and me.
My first romance novella, A Second Chance for Sugarplums, features a pastor’s daughter as the heroine, and she hasn’t exactly lived according to the light she knows. When she returns home, it is her pastor father who gently shepherds her, pointing her back to her Heavenly Father. His love, forgiveness, and acceptance of her make her believe God can do the same.
As much as I loved having a pastor as the father in that story, I wanted a pastor as a love interest. Pastors tend to have a lonelier life than you would imagine, and I feel that pastors deserve a real, moving, swoon-worthy love story. God is the author of love, and when a person dedicates him or herself in service to Him, what better reward is there than lasting love with a life partner?
It was terrifying, but I wrote a pastor as the romantic hero in my new release, The Promise of Picnics.
And not just any pastor, either. He’s an ex-con who served time before he came to Christ. His past is messy, which only adds to the pressures that naturally come with his position. Then his love interest is a single mom who refuses to step foot in church. As her best friend so aptly puts it, “Who better to delve into that particular issue than a man of God?”
Writing The Promise of Picnics challenged me in ways no other story has, but I was determined to give Pastor Ricardo de Leon the love he deserved. A love that we all deserve. A love that God longs to give us. After all, He is the original author of the Happily Ever After. Adam and Eve messed it up, but He graciously offers it to us again and again as only He can.
What about you? Have you read any romances that feature a love interest in a pastoral/ministry setting? If so, drop the title in a comment below because I want to read it! Are there any pastors or pastor’s wives or children reading this? Comment below so we can support you and lift you up today.
You can download a complimentary copy of A Second Chance for Sugarplums by subscribing to Emily’s newsletter. The Promise of Picnics is the fifth and final book in the Hometown Holiday Heartstrings series, but it can be read as a standalone.
Emily Dana Botrous is a wife and mom of four living in San Diego. When she’s not busy doing laundry, packing lunches, and picking toys off the floor, she enjoys reading, cooking, music, long walks, and writing. She is the author of seven inspirational romance titles and a Christian coming-of-age series. To learn more, visit her website.
I write fiction that reflects my Christian faith. I love happy endings, heroes and heroines who discover sometimes hard but always vital truths, and stories that uplift and encourage. My family and I live in the east of England where we enjoy rambling in the countryside, reading good books and making up silly lyrics to our favorite songs.
No book titles come immediately to mind.
I watched a beautiful movie, years ago, featuring a pastor. It was a sweet, uplifting romance.
I’d read that.
Thanks for a wonderful, thoughtful post, Emily. One of life’s curveballs derailed me last week, preventing me from reading The Promise of Picnics as planned. But I can’t wait to dive into it!
I wrote a book with a youth pastor as the hero, but I’d love to write (and read!) more.
Also, I don’t know whether it counts, but I’m a pastor’s grandkid! Although by the time I was born he’d been retired for decades.
Welcome Emily from SW Michigan. I am a retired pastor’s wife of 3 sons. Hubby served for 30 years. We served 3 churches and hubby was the chaplain at a retirement home. Depending on the congregation, some churches were a joy to serve. Our last church when my oldest sons were teens, being a pastor’s wife was a challenge. You are spot on in your assessment. There are some Inspy Romance authors that have pastors in their books. Valerie Comer’s Geocaching series has a pastor. Can’t remember who else. Best wishes. Oma duties call.
Valerie M. Bodden has a series where the pastor Dan plays an integral part in all the books but especially in the one where as the hero he falls for a messed up unbeliever. I love the fact that throughout the series the reader realises Dan may have the right answers but he too struggles to put them into practice., and yet at the same time it’s his authenticity that makes his ministry effective.
I love books that involve a preacher also. this book is one of my favorites. “Preacher Man” by Laurie Larsen It won the 2010 EPIC award – Best Scriptural Romance it is NOT a preachy book at all. he is a high school pastor who rides a motorcycle. this is a fantastic book. the story is fabulous. I recommend it to anyone who loves a christian story with a message.
Hi Emily! Thanks for visiting Inspy Romance today. I’ve read the first book in this series of yours and quite enjoyed it! The second one is on my Kindle. Alas, it has a lot of company…
I’ve written a couple of stories with young pastor heroes: Secretly Yours and Amethyst Attraction. My dad was a pastor, too. I recall all those extra pressures on the preacher’s kids!
I have read books that have pastors as heroes! Valerie Boden, as Jeannette mentions, plus Remember Me by Marion Ueckermann has a youth pastor, Jovie Grace’s new series, Mail Order Brides on the Run, is going to have a pastor as a hero, Jo Grafford has a pastor hero in Instantly Her Hero, Al Lacy had a wonderful hero who was sometimes a pastor in his books about The Stranger, and I know there are others, but these are the ones that immediately come to mind!
Hi Valerie, I’m so happy to be here today! And thanks for reading The Trouble with Tulips. In my humble opinion, that series gets better with each book. ;) But I, too, have a staggering TBR “pile,” both physically and on my kindle. I’m adding your books to it!
Good to hear from a fellow “PK.” Did you call yourself that?
So many books to add to my list! Thank you for all the recommendations.
Thank you for the recommendation. I added it to my list. It sounds like my type of book!
Oh my goodness, I HAVE to read these books! I have heard so many good things about Valerie Bodden’s books but haven’t read one yet. Time to start! Thanks for the recommendations.
In The Promise of Picnics, Pastor Ric is attracted to an unbeliever, too, so I would love to see how that plays out with different characters. It was challenging for me to write.
Hi Renate! So good to hear from a pastor’s wife. You are an underappreciated lot in my opinion, but God knows all the pressures you faced and values your service. Thank you for your faithfulness!
I am finding many wonderful recommendations for books that feature pastors. Exciting! Now I need to look for ones that feature pastors’ wives!
Hi Mary,
If you read the new comments, you’ll find lots of book recommendations with pastors. My list is already getting long!
Thank you for reading the blog today and joining the discussions. Blessings to you today!
Thank you for the opportunity to write a guest post on the blog today, Milla!
Which book of your features a pastor? Is it the last one in your Colorblind Love series? So much to read, so little time. Sometimes I want to give up writing to just read. It’s so hard to balance both!
I’ll give you an honorable mention as a pastor’s grandkid. ;)
The Promise of Picnics will keep until life settles. I’ve only heard good things about it so far! I will be eagerly awaiting your feedback.
Hi, your books sound like Great reads!
Thank you, Alicia! You can get my free novella if you subscribe, and then you’ll know for sure if you’d enjoy the rest of my books.
Blessings to you!
I do think of shepherds as romantic heroes! I love “nice guy” type heroes who are also sure of themselves! I remember seeing a movie with a pastor, the heroine was not a Christian and she confused the Protestant pastor with the Catholic priest.
Once both have come closer and he has spoken to her about his faith, the moment arrives where he confesses that he loves her and she tells him “but you are a man of God” and he replies “I am a sexy man of God “hahaha it was funny she couldn’t put together the idea that a “man of God” could also be her boyfriend.
I saw that movie! Raising Helen, with Kate Hudson. Very cute movie, and quite clean, too! In The Promise of Picnics, my heroine struggles to accept that a pastor can be her boyfriend, too.
I’m a preacher/missionary’s daughter. It was difficult at times growing up, but special, too. I enjoy reading books with a pastor as one of the main characters in a love story.
Hi Kathleen, thanks for joining the discussion today! It IS special, isn’t it? It gave me a lot of opportunities to develop my leadership and become comfortable speaking or singing in front of others even though I am introverted. I think I would be a very different person today if I hadn’t grown up in a ministry setting.
Bethany Turner’s book The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck has a pastor hero and a romance author heroine and quite a bit of humor.
Loved this post! A Second Chance for Sugarplums was great, and I have the rest of the series on my TBR list. :) A book that comes to mind is “For the Love of Joy” by Janet W. Ferguson.
I am not thinking of any books that I have read that has a pastor as the romantic hero. Thank you for sharing. God bless you.
I have heard SO MUCH about this book! I guess it’s time to just read it. Haha! Thanks for the reminder.
If you liked A Second Chance for Sugarplums, you’ll love the complete series. I also have a spin-off series planned, and the first two books will feature Allie’s sisters, and more of their pastor father. Can’t wait!
Thanks for the book recommendation. I’ve added it to my list.
Thank you for reading and joining the discussion, Debra. I got a lot of recommendations in the comments, and there are way more romantic hero pastors than I realized!
Thank you for reading and joining the discussion, Debra. I got a lot of recommendations in the comments, and there are way more romantic hero pastors than I realized!
I currently haven’t read any books or that type.
Well, if you’re interested in changing that, there were a lot of great recommendations given throughout the comments!
A Baby for the Minister by Laurel Blount
Thank you for the recommendation!
I just very recently read Nicole Deese’s book “All That it Takes” where our hero (Miles) is a pastor. He shows his human side with struggling with a past issue that he needs to overcome with God’s help. I love her writing because she features characters that feel very real and struggle with the same things I do sometimes.
The other one I can think of that I read back in 2019 entitled “Secret Agent Minister” by Lenora Worth….a Love Inspired Suspense published 2007. Oh what a fun one that was!! As the title suggests, he is a Pastor BUT the fun part is, he’s an undercover agent. His secretary (our heroine) has NO idea that he is one until….cue the first line….”Someone was going to have to explain about the dead body in the bathtub.” HAHA! It’s a great read in my book (pun intended). Yes it’s a suspense, but not like the ones written today with constant high stakes & tension. I think you might get a kick out of that one :-)
I’m sure I’ve read others, but I can’t come up with them right now. I do like seeing a hero as a Pastor :-) Such a unique theme!
P.S. I downloaded “The Promise of Picnics” since I have Kindle Unlimited….thanks for the recommendation :-)
Wow, thanks for these great recommendations! I have heard so many good things about Nicole Deese’s books. I need to bump her up on my TBR list.
I hope you are blessed by The Promise of Picnics! Thank you for giving me a try.
can’t think of any
This is one if my favourite tropes. The first pastor romance I read was A Husband for Holly, several years ago, by Marion Ueckermann. Oh, those bagpipes!! Lol. (BTW, it’s a year since Marion passed She is sadly missed)
I have read a lot of the stories already mentioned in the blog. I can’t wait to read The Promise of Picnics.
It’s hard to believe it has already been a year since she passed. What a blessing that her books live on to carry her legacy.
I hope you are blessed by reading The Promise of Picnics.