Novels Christian/Catholic

Heaven Intended #3 In A Love Such as Heaven Intended, budding Civil War socialite Josephine Bigelow is inspired by the words of Louisa May Alcott to make a name for herself as an investigative writer covering the plight of Confederate soldiers held in Federal prisons. Little does she know that one of the inmates she would encounter is her brother's roommate from West Point Military Academy.

Even though her father is a Union brigadier general, Josephine's infatuation with the handsome Confederate soldier Michael McKirnan is rekindled. As captivating as Josephine is, the last thing Michael needs is to entangle that beauty into his life of intrigue. The strong-willed Josephine will not be deterred and their lives become intertwined as they embark on a journey of a lifetime, trying to stay one step ahead of the military and a madman bent on revenge. As they journey from Washington, D.C., to St. Louis, Atlanta, and finally East Texas, the two of them discover what love, faith, compassion and loyalty truly mean.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury comes the first in a brand-new series about second chances--a dramatic story about a washed up baseball player, the love he left behind, and the miracles that might save them both.

When former national baseball star Tyler Ames suffers a career-ending injury, all he can think about is putting his life back together the way it was before. He has lost everyone he loves on his way to the big leagues. Then just when things seem to be turning around, Tyler hits rock bottom. Across the country, Tyler's one true love Sami Dawson has moved on.

A series of small miracles leads Tyler to a maintenance job at a retirement home and a friendship with Virginia Hutcheson, an old woman with Alzheimer's who strangely might have the answers he so desperately seeks.

A team of Angels Walking take on the mission to restore hope for Tyler, Sami, and Virginia. Can such small and seemingly insignificant actions of the unseen bring healing and redemption? And can the words of a stranger rekindle lost love? Every journey begins with a step.

It is time for the mission to begin...

This biographical historical novel focuses on Jacoba dei Settesoli - the woman who came to be known as Jacoba of the Seven Suns. A wealthy, beautiful Italian aristocrat, Jacoba lived in the tumultuous Middle Ages. In her early teens she moves from her family's palace to Rome's Septizonium when she marries into city's most powerful family - the Frangipani. Her husband, Gratien, who is nearly twice her age dies prematurely leaving the young widow in charge of his palaces and knights as well as raising their children. Jacoba also maintains a lifelong relationship with St. Francis - the reformed playboy who avoided women and considered them "honeyed poison." Why then was Jacoba the only woman he called to his deathbed? More puzzling, why do her remains share his crypt in Assisi? This is the love story that was never told. It is also a chronicle of conflict - internal battles as well as physical clashes. Steeped in medieval history, this novel explores how an extraordinarily close relationship may have developed between the powerful aristocrat and the future saint. This book transports you to a Rome and Assisi unlike the places we know today. It also provides in-depth insight into the often violent and always fascinating medieval period in Europe.

Beyond all doubt the greatest work of English literature before Shakespeare, Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales brings together an unforgettable group of pilgrims on their way to Canterbury, pilgrims who came from all ranks of society, from the crusading Knight and burly Miller to the worldly Monk and the famously lusty Wife of Bath. Their tales are as various as the tellers, including romance, bawdy comedy, beast fable, learned debate, parable, and Eastern adventure. The resulting collection gives us a set of characters so vivid that they have often been taken as portraits from real life, and a series of stories as hilarious in their comedy as they are affecting in their tragedy. Even after 600 years, their account of the human condition is fresh and true. David Wright's verse translation has long been admired for its brilliance and fidelity. This new edition adds representative passages from the important but overlooked prose tales, Melibee and the Parson's Tale, in new translations by Christopher Cannon, who also provides a new critical introduction and invaluable notes.

Catholic fiction unlike anything you've ever read! This heart-pounding adventure spanning forty years culminates in Childless, the third novel in Brian J. Gail's "American Tragedy in Trilogy." The reader is propelled from Manhattan boardrooms to European capitals to Middle East laboratories to Church chanceries and confessionals. Step into these pages and follow Fr. John Sweeney and the families he serves as they struggle to live their Catholic faith in a world that grows more hostile with every turn of the page. Gail throws back the veil on the architecture of the Life Sciences Revolution and its carefully planned milestones from the abortifacients pill to in-vitro fertilization to embryonic stem cell testing, and ultimately, to the very door of the Transhumanist project itself. You will see something of your own soul in these characters as they struggle to survive the great apostasy and navigate their way to the Church's promised New Springtime.

Winner of the National Book Award

The publication of this extraordinary volume firmly established Flannery O'Connor's monumental contribution to American fiction.

There are thirty-one stories here in all, including twelve that do not appear in the only two story collections O'Connor put together in her short lifetime--Everything That Rises Must Converge and A Good Man Is Hard to Find.

O'Connor published her first story, The Geranium, in 1946, while she was working on her master's degree at the University of Iowa. Arranged chronologically, this collection shows that her last story, Judgement Day--sent to her publisher shortly before her death--is a brilliantly rewritten and transfigured version of The Geranium. Taken together, these stories reveal a lively, penetrating talent that has given us some of the most powerful and disturbing fiction of the twentieth century. Also included is an introduction by O'Connor's longtime editor and friend, Robert Giroux.

Follow a young Catholic cleric as his faith is laid bare through his reflections on his parishioners in the "Best Spiritual Book of the 20th Century" (USA Today).

In this classic Catholic novel, Bernanos movingly recounts the life of a young French country priest who grows to understand his provincial parish while learning spiritual humility himself. Awarded the Grand Prix for Literature by the Academie Francaise, The Diary of a Country Priest was adapted into an acclaimed film by Robert Bresson. "A book of the utmost sensitiveness and compassion...it is a work of deep, subtle and singularly encompassing art." - New York Times Book Review (front page).

Elijah in Jerusalem, the long-awaited sequel to the acclaimed, best-selling novel Father Elijah: An Apocalypse,is the continuing story of the Catholic priest called to confront a powerful politician who could be the Antichrist foretold in the Bible.

A convert from Judaism, a survivor of the Holocaust, and a participant in the founding of Israel, Father Elijah was for decades a monk on Mount Carmel, the mountain made famous by his Old Testament prophet-namesake. In the events of the preceding novel, the Pope commissioned Father Elijah to meet the President of the European Union, a man rising toward global control as President of the soon- to-be realized World Government. Recognizing in the President a resemblance to the anticipated Antichrist, the Pope asked Father Elijah to call the President to repentance, a mission that ended in failure.

In this sequel, now-Bishop Elijah, wanted for a murder he did not commit, tries again to meet the President. Accompanied by his fellow monk Brother Enoch, he enters Jerusalem just as the President arrives in the holy city to inaugurate a new stage of his rise to world power. This time Elijah hopes to unmask him as a spiritual danger to mankind. As the story unfolds, people of various backgrounds meet the fugitive priest, and in the encounter their souls are revealed and tested.

Elijah perseveres in his mission even when all seems lost. The dramatic climax is surprising, yet it underlines that God works all things to the good for those who love him. 

Called a book of the century, powerful, gripping, deeply moving, hauntingly beautiful, masterfully done, a must read and a freight train page turner! An intensely human tour of the great spiritual battles in the US Catholic church during the late 20th century. Brian Gail takes us out into the trenches and shows what life was like for Catholics good and bad during this critical time. This book is a great opportunity for Catholics to take hold of who they really are. Meticulously researched, brilliantly crafted, Fatherless takes the reader on an unforgettable journey inside Fortune 500 boardrooms and Madison Avenue screening rooms, behind one-way mirrors in America's heartland and two-way screens in church confessionals, to the very peak of Ireland's highest mountain and inside the papal dining room of John Paul II in Rome. It is the searing journey to the center of conscience, however, that marks Fatherless as the signature Catholic novel of its generation. In its pages we meet flesh and blood characters - noble and flawed, driven and seeking; each struggling to achieve the American Dream ... discovering instead a uniquely American nightmare. How each confronts the reality of ethical and moral dilemmas - while struggling to balance faith, family, and career - goes to the very heart of the Catholic experience in America in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. This is a tale you will never forget.

Despite her royal heritage, Alice is the third generation of women in her family to be enslaved - and the last, if she has any say in it. The only thing standing between her and freedom is a certain Confederate soldier, First Lieutenant Marshall Kent. Follow Alice and Marshall's story as suspicion turns to trust and a sense of admiration turns to something more as they navigate life during the last year of the Civil War.

Further Up & Further In: Understanding Narnia by acclaimed Catholic author Joseph Pearce invites readers to return with the eyes of an adult to C.S. Lewis' magical land entered through that most important wardrobe in literary history.

Beloved by generations of readers, The Chronicles of Narnia are thought, erroneously, by some to be "mere children's stories." In this volume, Pearce thoroughly debunks the error as he skillfully explains why there is nothing "mere" about such stories.

Rather, the Narnia books contain profound insights concerning the human condition. Pearce, however, goes beyond even that and illuminates the deeper riches and profound truths found therein: the highest truths, in fact, those concerning God.

Join Pearce as he explores the "grown-up" themes that are so important for a proper understanding of Lewis' magnificent creation, including the deep and profound Christian symbolism, extensive literary allusions, and the constant theme of temptation, sin, and redemption.

The author of numerous literary works and an authority on the writings of Lewis, Chesterton, and Tolkien, Pearce is uniquely qualified to examine the deeper theological, philosophical, and historical dimensions of the Chronicles.

With Pearce as your guide, "return to Narnia," and come to understand in new and profound ways that place which has so marked the imaginative landscape of so many. Rediscover your love for Narnia, because "wardrobes are for grown-ups too."

With simple and profound prose, Joseph Girzone bringing to light incredible insights into modern Christianity and adds to his bestselling series with the story of the revolutionary Joshua in a contemporary setting.

It is the end of a bitter cold winter. A crowd of people files into a cathedral to celebrate the consecration of a new bishop--a good man, they think, strict in doctrine but capable of compassion. A man of tradition, not of reform. A "company man." His name is David Campbell.

And sitting in the last pew of the cathedral is a clean-shaven man of ordinary build, with gentle hazel eyes. His name is Joshua.

Within twenty-four hours of his first encounter with Joshua, David Campbell will propose the most far-reaching reforms in a millennium, reforms to destroy sectarian barriers, reforms to change the direction of the church, reforms to return Christianity to its founders with a simple message. With Joshua as his mentor, David Campbell--the Shepherd--preaches to Catholics, Protestants, Muslims, and Jews of the universal truth of God's love. It is a message that changes everyone it touches. And no one who reads Joshua and the Shepherd will ever forget it.

Leah

Unwanted, unloved, unappreciated, unknown, with few talents and no beauty that a possible mate would desire.

Yet she overcame her inadequacies and hardships to emerge as one of the premier women of the Old Testament.

Sad, confused Leah. Seeking but not receiving love and acceptance from those who should have loved her the most. And yet she emerges as blessed, happy, and fulfilled.

Leah's story is one that resonates through the centuries to guide and encourage women (and men) as they face the challenge all people must face each day though often not being appreciated by those around them.

Leah. An overcomer. Leah. A victor.

Leah. A true love story.

"The best thing I've done is "My Á ntonia,"" recalled Willa Cather. "I feel I've made a contribution to American letters with that book."

An unconventional novel of prairie life, "My Á ntonia" tells the story of a remarkable woman whose strength and passion epitomize the pioneer spirit. ´ Antonia Shimerda returns to Black Hawk, Nebraska, to made a fresh start after eloping with a railway conductor following the tragic death of her father. Accustomed to living in a sod house and toiling alongside the men in the fields, she is unprepared for the lecherous reaction her lush sensuality provokes when she moves to the city. Despite betrayal and crushing opposition, Antonia steadfastly pursues her quest for happiness -- a moving struggle that mirrors the quiet drama of the American landscape.

"No romantic novel ever written in America, by man or woman, is one half so beautiful as "My Á ntonia."" --H.L. Mencken

A letter brings him back to his Amish family. It will take someone truly extraordinary to make him stay.

Roman is on the verge of leaving the Amish ways. Feeling confined by the strict rules, he longs to do something more with his life. But when things don't go as planned, Roman's prospects outside of the community dwindle. Upon learning that his beloved grandmother has died and left a letter urging him to reconcile with his brother in Birch Creek, Roman decides to return home. But he doesn't plan to stay for long.

Leanna Chupp has always made her own way in her small community of Birch Creek. Though some may call her unconventional--strange, even--Leanna is happy. Her unique outlook on life has meant she's never had many suitors pursuing courtship, which Leanna doesn't mind. She is content being single.

But when Roman and Leanna find themselves working together again, everything changes. Though neither fit squarely within the strictures of the Amish faith, their differences could be the very thing to help them form a deeper connection to their community and to each other. The question remains: will this strengthening bond be enough to make Roman stay for good?

Enjoy this new series from Ann Hazelwood, The Door County Quilt Series. This first novel introduces you to Claire Stewart and her life in beautiful Door County, Wisconsin. Claire Stewart, a new resident of the county, joins a prestigious small quilting club when her best friend moves away. Claire is a watercolor quilt artist, and the beauty of Door County captivates her right away. Claire's new friends and her quilt group provide fun, but it's the man with the red scarf who intrigues her. As she grows more comfortable after escaping a bad relationship, new ideas and surprises abound as friendships, quilting, and her love life all change for the better.

In this intense and "absolutely brilliant thriller" (#1 New York Times bestselling author Brad Thor), a forensic anthropologist sets out to prove that the Shroud of Turin is a fake, but quickly discovers the opposite--and must race to stop the evil forces who want to use traces of blood in the fabric to clone Jesus Christ and bring on the second coming of their own design.

Throughout his career, forensic anthropologist and outspoken atheist Dr. Jon Bondurant has investigated many religious artifacts said to be real, but he knows better. Only weak minds rely on such obviously false relics to maintain their silly, pointless faith.

So when he is invited by the Vatican to examine the Shroud of Turin, said to be the burial cloth that covered the body of Christ--and the most revered of all Christian artifacts--he is delighted for the opportunity to prove once and for all that the Shroud is a fake. But when he meets Domenika Josef, the beautiful and devout Vatican representative who finds him arrogant and self-important, he realizes his task will not be as straightforward as he once imagined. Domenika believes that the relic is real, and wants nothing more than to rescue the tarnished reputation of the church by announcing the good news. As Bondurant and his team examine every element of the Shroud, he and Domenika begin to see each other in a whole new light. And as the evidence about the origin of this highly contested piece of fabric starts to pile up, he begins to realize that he's been seeing a lot of things incorrectly.

But when a sample of the blood from the Shroud--believed to be the real blood of Jesus Christ--vanishes, he realizes his problems are just beginning. The DNA in that sample could have earth-shattering consequences if it falls into the wrong hands. When Domenika vanishes too, Bondurant is caught in a globe-spanning chase to rescue the woman he loves--and stop the evil forces who have their own motives for bringing on the Second Coming.

Sophia House is set in Warsaw during the Nazi occupation. Pawel Tarnowski, a bookseller, gives refuge to David Schäfer, a Jewish youth who has escaped from the ghetto, and hides him in the attic of the book shop. Throughout the winter of 1942-43, haunted by the looming threat of discovery, they discuss good and evil, sin and redemption, literature and philosophy, and their respective religious views of reality. Decades later, David becomes a convert to Catholicism, and is the Carmelite priest Fr. Elijah Schäfer called by the Pope to confront the Anti-Christ in Michael O'Brien's best-selling novel, Father Elijah: an Apocalypse.

In this prequel, the author explores the meaning of love, religious identity, and sacrifice viewed from two distinct perspectives. The cast of characters also includes the notorious Count Smokrev, a literate Nazi Major, a French novelist, a terrifying Polish bear, the Russian icon painter Andrei Rublev, and Pawel's beloved Kahlia, the elusive figure who moves through the story as an unseen presence. As the story unfolds, the loss of spiritual fatherhood in late Western society is revealed as a problem of language in the heart and soul, and as one of the gravest crises of our times. The story points the way to rediscovery of our Father in heaven, and also shows us the path to renewal of human fatherhood. This is a novel about small choices that shift the balance of the world.

"Davis is a master storyteller and his ability to tell an ancient tale in a contemporary style regularly leaves readers wanting more."
--Dave Milbrandt, author, Chasing Deception

In his latest historical epic, worldwide bestselling author Davis Bunn takes readers on a journey through an ancient landscape. Travel with Empress Helena from Caesarea to Judea. Abandoned by her husband, in danger because of her faith, but with an implacable will to do what God calls her to, she takes a perilous pilgrimage. Along the way she meets those who would help her (the wizened and wise bishop Macarius; the rough-edged but kind-hearted sergeant Cratus; the young soldier Anthony, a man who has lost everything, including his faith) and those who would harm her (the menacing and murderous Roman assassin Severus). Miracles seem to follow this humble but determined woman as she wins many over to the faith, and changes lives forever--including her own.

This unforgettable story of the discovery of the True Cross will thrill readers with its adventure, and with its vivid portrait of one of Christian history's most important women.

"[Bunn] does something few Christian fiction writers do...his stories open readers to a bigger multicultural and multireligious world...he always seems to surprise and lead into places readers don't expect." --Publishers Weekly

The audio edition of this book can be downloaded via Audible.

A Roman centurion longing for peace and a Jewish woman hiding a deadly secret witness a miracle that transforms their lives and leads them to the foot of the cross.

My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

Nissa is a Jewish woman with a sharp tongue and no hope of marriage. Abandoned by the God she once loved, her only recourse is to depend upon Mouse, the best thief in Jerusalem, to keep her blind brother, Cedron, fed and the landlord satisfied.

Longinus is a Roman centurion haunted by death and failure and is desperate to escape the accursed Judean province. Accepting a wager that will get him away from the aggravating Jews and their threats of revolt, he sets out to catch the thieves harassing the marketplace.

When a controversial teacher miraculously heals Cedron, Nissa hopes for freedom from her life of lies. But the supposed miracle brings only more misfortune, and Longinus, seeking to learn more about the mysterious healer, finds himself drawn instead to Nissa, whose secret will determine the course of both their futures.

Cedron, Longinus, and Nissa are unexpectedly caught up in the arrest, trial, and crucifixion of Jesus. As danger closes in on them from every side, they must decide if the love and redemption Jesus offers is true or just another false promise. How can the so-called Messiah save them from their shackles, when he cannot even save himself?

Despite the ever-present oppression of the Jim Crow South around him, Tobit Messager had become a prosperous and well-respected man. Then one day forces beyond his control start a cascade of misfortune that leaves him blind and nearly destitute. It is then that an affable travelling musician, who calls himself Ace Redbone, shows up on his doorstep claiming to be a distant relative.

In an effort to alleviate his family's dire situation, Tobit allows his son, Tobias, to accompany Ace Redbone on a quest to collect a long overdue debt. Together, Ace, Tobias, and a most peculiar dog named Okra set off on a journey that will lead to unexpected consequences. Currents of grace begin rippling through not only Tobit's family but his entire community as hidden crimes are revealed and justice, which had almost been despaired of, is served.

This retelling of the biblical story of Tobit, set in North Carolina during the Depression, brings to life in surprising ways the beloved Old Testament characters, including the important but often overlooked family dog.

A single woman evicted from her family home. A terrifying specter that only she sees. A dark connection between his past and hers...

After her father's tragic death and her mother's recent passing, loss leaves an emptiness Jeannie Lyons can't fill. Now she must leave her family home, the one place where her parents' memory still lives.

An old house on the edge of town becomes Jeannie's new home, one too big for her and her three-legged cat, but she soon gets the impression she's not alone. Her brother blames her overactive imagination. Her sister-in-law suggests counseling. Her would-be boyfriend is the only one who believes her, but can she trust him? With nowhere to turn, Jeannie must face her inner demons and confront this soul from beyond the grave.

Set in modern times, this supernatural thriller is loosely based on the apparitions to Eugenie von der Leyen (1867-1929).

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO NARNIA is a journey further up and further into the imaginative world of C.S. Lewis. Along the way, Jonathan Rogers makes the case that this world-the one where we actually live-is a place no less wondrous than Narnia itself.Imagination is a serious business. It gives substance to our yearnings for something beyond ourselves. Imagination is what convinces us that there is more to the world than meets the eye. And isn't that the first principle of faith?