Hey friends!

Perhaps you’ve noticed: Several times in this space lately I’ve remarked that I’m not much of a fan of romance as genre. And then I’ve gone on to rave about a particular romance novel. Here, for example.

It’s happened so often that I think I must address what is beginning to feel like a fracture in integrity and rethink my stance on romance. Am I a fan of romance or am I not? Given recent experience, I must own that something has changed. Either I have, or the books I’m reading have.

Friends, I think it’s the books—which delights me and fills me with hope. Why? Because it seems to mark a shift in Christian fiction that has been a loooong time coming. And because, while an awful lot of fiction in general is falling into an abyss, when it comes to Christian romance, it seems fiction is not only holding the line but upping its game.

I recognize that these conclusions may be premature, and the handful of books I happen to have read is not enough to prove a trend. Nevertheless, I am compelled to pause to recognize the moment.

What is romance as genre?

The romance genre is defined by two characteristics that can be found in every romance novel: 1) a central love story; and 2) an emotionally satisfying, happy ending.

In Christian romance, we could add to that a general wholesomeness, which includes an absence of profanity and glorified premarital sex, plus spiritual development in one or more of the main characters.

Side note: I’ve abandoned reading secular romances because, without exception, in my recent experience, they contain sexual content as well as a host of values I don’t want or need to corrupt my mind and heart. I’ve actually tried to review a couple of mainstream romances lately that looked on the surface promising but have jettisoned as not worth it. Readers, if you know of exceptions, I’d love to hear them! Please enlighten us in the comments.

So what is this book that has me rethinking my stance on romance?

Pretty Little Pieces by Carmen Schobel.

I ended up absolutely loving this book, despite a couple of things that initially made it a not-obvious choice for me. Because 1) The author writes about unusual topics; in this case, she sets her story in the world of reality-TV home design/makeovers. Do I care about reality-TV home makeovers? Nope, but that doesn’t matter, because this is not what the book is about. And 2) The first few pages weren’t real grabbers for me. The whole set-up felt more than a little quirky—not usually my style—including the names of some of the characters.

But in rapid fashion, I went from slightly bemused, to charmed, to completely invested in the characters and their stories.

The story itself is surprisingly layered, with unexpected micro-twists undergirding its smart pacing. This story moves, and within it, Carmen moves her characters around with apparent ease. More than a few times, I found myself thinking, Oooh, I like how she did that! (and as a writer, took notes).

This novel checks all my boxes for what I love most in a great book. Not only is it masterfully written, it’s edifying of mind and heart, and entertaining in the most wholesome way. It gets extra bonus points for its beautiful cover and title.

Pretty Little Pieces is a book I wish I’d written. It’s also the book that’s making me cautiously optimistic about the future of Christian romance. If it proves to be a trend-setter in terms of depth, development, and relevance, it could mean that Christian publishing is finally starting to offer more of the kind of romance that serious readers can sink their teeth into.

❤️ Katherine

Featured image by Pin Adventure Map on Unsplash