Christian Books that were too much for this sensitive reader

I have started and finished plenty of Christian nonfiction books I didn't agree with. An author was far too right-wing or far too left-wing for my liking, they firmly stood for or against an issue I had an opposing belief for, you name it. 

Fiction is somehow different. It feels physically painful for me to read certain things and I find myself viscerally affected even when the book is put away and I'm just washing dishes or folding laundry. Sometimes it was an adrenaline thing (I know some of you get excited about that!) and sometimes the subject matter was disturbing. Either way, here are some books that just about did me in. 

Abomination by Colleen Coble... I loved the Rock Harbor series but this particular book (also titled Haven of Swans) was way too freaky for me. Serial killer books are a different breed entirely. 

On a Distant Shore by Karen Kingsbury... The main focus of this one is trafficking. I was pretty quickly invested enough in the characters that I wanted to see them get their happy ending but I felt physically ill and really rushed through this one! 

The Girl Who Could Breathe Underwater by Erin Bartels*... I have been so excited for this one but my sensitive little heart couldn't finish it. I had a general awareness of some lurking darkness and a pretty obvious sexual assault of some kind but I found myself very jumpy and teary so had to put it down. If it's affecting my mothering, it's got to go. Ive since read reviews showing that other sensitive readers felt similarly and that we do indeed have sexual abuse on our hands along with trafficking and suicide. Apparently this book has helped the author process her own assault so I'm sure just as many women will find it helpful and even hopeful. 

House by Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker... I have no idea how I finished this one, basically about a haunted house and a horrible... demon?... coming after the people who were unfortunate enough to take refuge there. My legs were shaking through most of it and I had nightmares from it! 

The Memory House by Rachel Hauck... This book opens with animal abuse and moves right into a woman's casual affair with a married man. I'm sure it got lovely and had a brighter middle + ending but I didn't stick around to find out. 

Mind Games by Nancy Mehl... This FBI-chasing-serial-killer book had me on the edge my seat but once I finished and was jumpy for weeks I knew it hadn't been written for me! 

If it Rains by Jennifer L Wright... Chapter two had a detailed-enough description of a wedding night that I was a hair scandalized and I was worried the rest of the domestic abuse would be just as detailed. Didn't finish. 

Redemption by Karen Kingsbury... It took me six years and three tries to finally get excited about the Baxter family. The first book is about an affair and I had to put it down twice before finally pushing through book 1 to get to the rest of the series. 

Remember Me by Mario Escobar... I was so excited to learn about the Spanish civil war but my goodness! War atrocities, sexual child abuse, and suicide are all depicted in this novel. I felt no hope walking away from it!  

The String by Caleb Breakey... This thriller was so dark and twisted I still get the heebie geebies from it! People are blackmailed, extorted, and threatened into committing terrible crimes and sexual abuse of a child is eventually mentioned. Too, too much!!

* I received a free copy of The Girl Who Could Breathe Underwater in exchange for an honest review.