Clean Christian Romance for Your Beach Bag

Katie Fitzgerald suggests some light, clean romances perfect for summer reading.  

I love a good classic Catholic novel — The End of the Affair, Wise Blood, Brideshead Revisited — but at the beach or the pool, I want something lighter to enjoy. Mainstream romances can be eye-poppingly disturbing with some of the content they include, but romances from Christian publishers are usually good clean fun that is much more palatable. 

A booklist of clean summer reads to enjoy poolside

Harkening back to my years working as a librarian, I have created a book list for Catholic moms who want the sweetness of a love story without the “spicy” content. 

The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley by Courtney Walsh  

Isadora is a quirky university researcher who comes across an article on happiness and decides to try out its suggestions in an effort to prove them wrong. To her surprise, her efforts lead her to a handsome professor and the realization that perhaps she is actually on the path to true happiness after all. This book has wonderful supporting characters, including a sweet child. 

Famous for a Living by Melissa Ferguson  

When Cat Cranwell, a successful influencer, learns that her business partner has squandered their money committing financial crimes, she leaves the spotlight and flees to Kannery National Park in Montana, where her uncle offers her a job. Here she meets Zaiah, the down-to-earth park ranger who challenges her penthouse mindset and helps her understand that there’s more to life than fame. This book’s focus on outdoor activities is perfect for summer.  

A Novel Proposal by Denise Hunter  

Novelist Sadie Goodwin is trying to switch genres from westerns to romance, but staying at the beach is resulting in more procrastination than words on the page. Not only has she uncovered a mystery in a Little Free Library, but she’s also living right next door to Sam Ford, who is grumpy and finds her annoying, but also gives her butterflies. The resolution of the mystery is really sweet, as is the developing relationship between the characters.   

Dear Henry, Love Edith by Becca Kinzer  

While she waits for paperwork to clear for her mission trip to Africa, Edith takes a short-term job as a nurse in a small midwestern town and temporary housing in the house of Henry Hobbes. Edith and Henry keep opposite hours and never run into each other in the house, and each assumes the other is elderly based on information they hear from mutual friends. Meanwhile, they meet in person in public, not realizing that they are the same people who correspond daily with notes left on the kitchen counter. By the time Henry realizes the mistake, he has already shared personal details with Edith in his notes and started developing feelings for her. Now he must face the fact that might soon be going to Africa, leaving him behind. This is one of the most believable romance stories I have ever read.  

Authentically, Izzy by Pepper D. Basham 

Bookish Izzy spends more time with characters than flesh-and-blood people. When her cousin sets her up with an online dating profile, she doesn’t expect to meet anyone, but then she starts emailing with Brodie, who lives across the world in the kingdom of Skymar. This epistolary novel follows their courtship, first in letters, and then in person on Izzy’s first visit to Skymar. This is the first of a trilogy. The other two books are Positively, Penelope and Loyally, Luke. All three are very gentle love stories.  

Looking for Leroy by Melody Carlson  

When Brynna agrees to join her friend Jan on a trip to Sonoma Wine Country, she never dreams that telling Jan the story of her long-lost teenage crush, Leroy, will lead to looking for him, let alone finding him. When they do track him down, Brynna is mistaken for a job applicant, which leads to a bit of confusion before Brynna and Leroy finally get their second chance at love. The road trip aspect of this book makes it a great summer vacation read.  

All That Really Matters by Nicole Deese  

Molly manages a successful social media channel devoted to beauty and fashion. Her manager/boyfriend wants her to audition for a makeover show for underprivileged youth, but first she needs some experience. She decides to volunteer at a local summer youth program, where she meets Silas, who is devoted to the kids in the program and completely unimpressed by Molly’s superficial interests. As the two spend more time together, however, Molly begins to question what really matters. This book really challenges readers to think about authenticity.  

What are you reading this summer?

I hope you will find a new favorite title or author on this list! Happy summer reading!  

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Copyright 2024 Katie Fitzgerald
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