4 fun Christian fiction finds for foodies

The more emotionally healthy I get, the more I see how absolutely okay it is to love and appreciate the art of preparing or enjoying a meal with the people I love. It often feels like I'm not supposed to appreciate food since I've got the endomorph body type but really, food is a very big part of life. We nourish ourselves with it, we use it as an opportunity to fellowship with our people and show them we care... And, if it's done right, it's a pleasant sensory experience our brains were designed to enjoy. 

I've found many Christian nonfiction books encouraging a healthy love for good meals with our people (Bread & Wine // The Daniel Plan // The Lifegiving Table // Nourished*) but I've never found myself looking for foodie fiction. 

After finishing 🌮Tacos for Two*🌮 I wanted to tell you about it, and also about three other foodie fiction novels I've enjoyed.  

🍽 Hadley Beckett's Next Dish*... Confession: I've never watched a cooking show or contest on television. So for that reason I may not be the best person to review this little gem (which I skimmed much of) but I still found it quite charming. Bethany Turner has brought another game-changer to the ideals of Christian romance novels. This book is fresh, flirty, and fun. Hadley Beckett's Next Dish would make for an excellent beach read.

🥗 Roots of Wood and Stone*... I absolutely adored this romantic time slip, especially the rich family history thread, and would recommend it to any timeslip fan. Sloane shows us her search for her birth family and her budding feelings for a new guy while we explore historic family journals with them... Delightful! Our male protagonist's sister is a healthy food blogger and I was frequently chuckling at his disdain for her cooking, which sounds a lot like mine 😅😂

🍪 Stories that bind us*... This was such a good one! Set in 1960s Michigan, our protagonist is right away a breath of fresh air since she's 40 (it's so rare that I find a heroine who isn't between 18 and 29!), childless, and newly widowed. This book tackles family ties, mental health, and (very lightly) race. Much of this story is woven around a family bakery that makes you want to to examine your own family legacies- preferably while baking cookies. I really liked this one and have added her other books to my list too.

🌮 Tacos for Two*... Contemporary romance is not my go-to genre, but every now and then a contemporary romance synopsis really speaks to me. This Modest, Texas story was one of them. Rory owns a food truck and Jude is stuck in a family business he doesn't want to be in. They're both falling for the person they're anonymously chatting with through an online dating site, of course unaware that they're talking to each other, and then (as in any good romance) things go a little haywire. Not only does this book have all the fun You've Got Mail feelings, it even has a few YGM references. I happen to adore that movie and think this is a great read for you if you do, too. 

*I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. 

Christian Fiction for Animal Lovers

🐎 Along a Storied Trail*... Tansy Calhoun is a Kentucky packhorse librarian serving 1930s Appalachia. If the horse and librarian angles aren't enough to pique your interests then perhaps the love triangle element will! I haven't read a lot of booms set in Appalachia OR the great depression but still the setting feels quite believable in my humble opinion. 

🐘 The Haunting at Bonaventure Circus*... This suspenseful timeslip isn't as animal-heavy as some others on this list but there were still plenty of circus animal mentions! (And you all know how much I love circus animals!)

🐎 The Heart's Charge*... This book is technically second in a series but I don't think you miss anything by starting with book 2. "The Hanger's Horsemen" are unexpectedly tangled up with a baby, a former flame, and a case involving missing children. Also, this one's set in Texas! This is one for those of you who love a good mixture of romance and intrigue. 

🐎 The Moonlight School*... I just loved this one! Very loosely based on a true story, this is a tale about "moonlight schools" set up to teach literacy in Appalachia. There are a couple of very interesting sub plots and I was guessing I'd like this book but surprised myself by giving it a five-star review. Lucy rides her horse Jenny out into the holler to read and transcribe letters and I was romanticizing horseback riding the whole time! 

🐕‍ Rock Harbor series by Colleen Coble... This suspense series' heroine is a search and rescue ___ along with her German shepherd. Suspense isn't my main genre these days but it was for a while and I loved this series! 

🐎 Second Chances for Trampled Hearts... Y'all know romance is not my preferred genre but Shoshanna Gabriel is such a kind soul, I had to read one of her books! This is the first in a series set in fictional Bear Creek, Idaho. Our heroine is restoring an old restaurant and is thrown into country life in the process. Our male protagonist is a horse guy and you'll see plenty of horse action through him! 

🐕 That Dog Won't Hunt by Brandilyn Collins... This southern contemporary novel, about a family meeting the youngest son's fiance for the first time, heavily features a very expressive Yorkie named Lady Penelope. I really liked it, but trigger warning- this book does contain memories of an abusive childhood. 

*I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.