Ruth Axtell Morren.
Let me start off by saying she has a blogspot!
Also, I reccommend reading all but her "Love Inspired" books in order, beginning with Winter Is Past (which, ironically, is the only one I've had yet to read). Her books are stand alones but have recurring characters.
She writes Christian fiction...but...they are amazingly different than the "average" Christian fiction book I've read over the years.
Her characters don't live in a pretty bubble where everything is as it should be and easy. I'm not saying all Christian fiction is like that, just that in my experience, an alarming number of them are.
Lately, due mainly to reading Amanda Quick, I've been drawn to the Regency era (I love history and btw that era does tend to be of popular interest among goths :-P). This is how I found her books. I recently decided to read more Christian fiction, as I've been dealing with an amazing amount of loss and needed that extra spiritual and mental boost. I went through every Heartsong Presents and Love Inspired books I own that take place in that era (btw also check out Kimberly Comeaux's Regency Brides anthology). Unfortunately when I was reading and buying most of my Christian fiction the Regency era wasn't as popular as it now is.
So, I went to the library. Working from Dec '01-Feb '09 at a bookstore enabled me to become quite adept at scanning book spines. That day I managed to find quite a few Regency Christian Fiction including most of Mrs. Morren's books.
Now here comes the GOOD part!!! Her books tackle tough issues with finness and grace while not lessining the importance, her characters are very well developed and multi-faceted, her worlds actually feel real, there is actual passion, temptation and sensuality between the heroes and heroines (thank you Mrs. Morren, as well as Linda Windsor btw, for this detail. Too many Christian Fic books make it seem just so easy to not give into sexual temptation....yeah right). Her books are quite simply endearing.
Check her out, I dare you!
