2022 Top Ten Reads & a Giveaway
On this last post of 2022, I’m sharing my top ten reads of the year and offering winner’s choice as a giveaway.
I set a Goodreads goal to read 50 books, and because of the free library apps, Hoopla and Libby, I had the joy of listening to a ton of audiobooks, skyrocketing my total books read to over 115!! And some of them were absolutely fabulous! With so many great reads, it was extremely difficult to choose my favorites, but I gave it my best shot. I’ve ordered them based on when I read them.
You can check out my complete year in books here. Maybe you’ll find some to add to your 2023 Want-to-Read list.
For a chance to win the giveaway, simply check out my favorites and comment below by January 3! Share this post online so others can have a chance to win too.
RITA Award 2018 Winner – Romance with Religious or Spiritual Elements
Paige McAllister needs to do something drastic. Her boyfriend can’t even commit to living in the same country, her promised promotion is dead on arrival and the simultaneous loss of her brother and her dream of being a concert violinist has kept her playing life safe and predictable for six years. Things need to change. A moment of temporary insanity finds her leaving her life in Chicago to move to Sydney, Australia. There she finds herself, against many of her convictions, as a logistics planner for one of Australia’s biggest churches, and on a collision course with her boss’s son.
Josh Tyler fronts a top-selling worship band and is in demand all over the world. But, in the past, his failed romantic relationships almost destroyed both his reputation and his family. He’s determined to never risk it happening again. The last thing he needs is some American girl tipping his ordered life upside down. Especially one who despises everything he’s ever worked for and manages to push every button he has.
When Josh and Paige are thrown together to organize his band’s next tour, the sparks fly. But can they find a way to bridge the differences that pull them apart? Or will they choose the safety and security of what they know over taking a chance on something that will require them to risk everything?
“The world whipped around her in a dizzying funnel of lights and shouts, people in uniforms pressing in from all directions. Noelle sat motionless in the street, barely able to breathe. His little body was too still. Too broken.”
Noelle’s world shattered that night, like the pieces of headlights scattered across the dark street. There was no rebuilding her life around the grave of her child.
Adrift in her grief, Noelle finds herself drawn to an old house as rundown and weary as her spirit. She might not be able to mend her own brokenness, but maybe she can restore this abandoned structure to its former beauty. Determined, she throws herself into a renovation project with the unexpected help of a local. But she soon learns that her new home comes with a blood-stained history and a chilling reputation.
When she stumbles across a diary written by a child with a disturbing life, and a teenage girl vanishes from the village, clues leave Noelle wondering if her house might somehow be connected. Someone — or something — wants her gone, but she has no intention of leaving without discovering the truth.
Samantha’s only friends were characters in books, but her real life takes an extraordinary turn when a mysterious “Mr. Knightley” offers her a full journalism scholarship—on the condition that she write to him regularly. Will their long-distance friendship unlock her heart?
Sam is, to say the least, bookish. An English major of the highest order, her diet has always been Austen, Dickens, and Shakespeare. The problem is that both her prose and conversation tend to be more Elizabeth Bennet than Samantha Moore.
But life for the twenty-three-year-old orphan is about to get stranger than fiction. An anonymous, Dickensian benefactor calling himself Mr. Knightley offers to put Sam through Northwestern University’s prestigious Medill School of Journalism. There is only one catch: Sam must write frequent letters to the mysterious donor, detailing her progress.
Sam’s letters to Mr. Knightley become increasingly confessional as she begins to share everything from her painful childhood memories to her growing feelings for eligible novelist Alex Powell. While Alex draws Sam into a world of warmth and literature that feels like it’s straight out of a book, old secrets are drawn to light. And as Sam learns to love and trust Alex and herself, she learns once again how quickly trust can be broken.
Reminding us all that our own true character is not meant to be hidden, Katherine Reay’s debut novel follows a young woman’s journey as she sheds her protective persona and embraces the person she was meant to become.
When the ever-cautious Val Locklier moves cross-country with her son for a secure job, everything she’d planned unravels within the first week. After Val reluctantly agrees to rent an apartment from her best friend’s brother, an unexpected chance at an elite filmmakers’ mentorship ignites fresh hope for a dream career. But as Val’s community begins to expand, so do her insecurities, especially those heightened by her growing attraction to a certain friendly landlord.
Pastor Miles McKenzie returns home from a short-term mission trip to discover that not only does he have an intriguing new tenant living upstairs, he’s also been reassigned to a local ministry on life support. Disillusioned and restless, he distracts himself by throwing his energy into a host of new projects–not the least of which is pursuing Val–without stopping to consider the future.
As Val struggles to stop hiding behind the camera and Miles wrestles with shattered expectations, they’ll find that authentic love and sacrifice must go hand in hand.
How will she choose, knowing all she must sacrifice?
Libby has been given a powerful gift: to live one life in 1774 Colonial Williamsburg and the other in 1914 Gilded Age New York City. When she falls asleep in one life, she wakes up in the other. While she’s the same person at her core in both times, she’s leading two vastly different lives.
In Colonial Williamsburg, Libby is a public printer for the House of Burgesses and the Royal Governor, trying to provide for her family and support the Patriot cause. The man she loves, Henry Montgomery, has his own secrets. As the revolution draws near, both their lives–and any hope of love–are put in jeopardy.
Libby’s life in 1914 New York is filled with wealth, drawing room conversations, and bachelors. But the only work she cares about–women’s suffrage–is discouraged, and her mother is intent on marrying her off to an English marquess. The growing talk of war in Europe only complicates matters.
But Libby knows she’s not destined to live two lives forever. On her twenty-first birthday, she must choose one path and forfeit the other–but how can she choose when she has so much to lose in each life?
Sometimes the hardest road of all is the road home.
When confident and handsome Eric Larson is sent to a rural Montana town to work in the local branch of his uncle’s financial company, he’s determined to exceed everyone’s expectations, earn a promotion, and be back in Seattle by the end of summer. Yet nothing could prepare him for the lessons this small town has in store.
At forty-six years old, eccentric and outspoken Eunice Parker has come to accept her terminal illness and has given herself one final goal: seek forgiveness from everyone on her bucket list before her time runs out. But it will take more courage than she can muster on her own.
After an accident pushes Eric and Eunice together, the unlikely pair is forced to spend more time with each other than either would like, which challenges their deepest prejudices and beliefs. As summer draws to a close, neither Eric nor Eunice is where they thought they would be, but they both wrestle with the same important question: What matters most when the end is near?
Two couples in love. Two sets of impossible circumstances. One powerful God of grace.
After a tailspin in her late teens, Lauren Anderson’s life is finally back on track. Her battle with bulimia is under control, her career is taking off, and she’s surrounded by a loving family. Then a chance meeting with Carter Douglas, her first love and the man who broke her heart, leads to old feelings returning with new strength. And suddenly her well-balanced world is thrown off kilter.
Now a TV meteorologist, Carter is determined to make amends with Lauren. After all, she still owns his heart. But the reasons they broke up aren’t lost–and those old demons are forcing him toward the same decision he faced in the past. He isn’t sure he’s courageous enough to make a different choice this time around.
When Lauren’s elderly grandmother, Rosie, begins having nightmares about a man named Ephraim–a name her family has never heard before–a fascinating and forbidden past love comes to light. As Lauren and Carter work to uncover the untold stories of Rosie’s past in 1950s Wichita, they embark on a journey of forgiveness and second chances that will change their lives–and Rosie’s–forever. Along the way they’ll learn that God wastes nothing, his timing is perfect, and nothing is beyond his grace and redemption.
Combining heart-wrenching emotion with edge-of-your-seat tension, New York Times bestselling author Charles Martin explores the true power of sacrificial love.
Murphy Shepherd has made a career of finding those no one else could—survivors of human trafficking. His life’s mission is helping others find freedom . . . but then the nightmare strikes too close to home.
When his new wife, her daughter, and two other teenage girls are stolen, Murphy is left questioning all he has thought to be true. With more dead ends than leads, he has no idea how to find his loved ones. After everything is stripped away, love is what remains.
Hope feels lost, but Murphy is willing to expend his last breath trying to bring them home.
(I also LOVED the third in this series, The Record Keeper, which I read in 2022 as well.)
Cassie Kendrick is on the run. Her abusive father arranged her marriage to a despicable man, but she’s discovered an escape. Disguised as a man, Cassie enlists in the Union army, taking the name Thomas Turner. On the battlefields of the Civil War, keeping her identity a secret is only the beginning of her problems, especially after she meets Gabriel Avery, a handsome young photographer.
Anxious to make his mark on the world and to erase the darkness and guilt lurking from his past, Gabriel works with renowned photographer Matthew Brady to capture images from the front lines of the war. As Gabriel forges friendships with many of the men he encounters, he wonders what the courageous, unpredictable Thomas Turner is hiding.
Battling betrayal, their own personal demons, and a country torn apart by war, can Cassie and Gabriel learn to forgive themselves and trust their futures to the God who births hope and healing in the darkest places?
An unexpected, late-night visitor.
And a missing teenage girl.
Holly’s quiet evening at the investigative agency takes a curious turn when a frantic woman shows up on the doorstep after closing with a tale about a missing prostitute.
With JGH Investigations in financial distress, and a client who can’t afford their services, Holly decides to tackle this investigation on her own time. She soon learns, however, that this missing girl isn’t just missing—she’s been taken. Holly’s questions dredge up more danger than answers, and if she’s not careful, she might disappear just like the girl she’s trying to find, the girl some people believe is already dead.
Determined to keep Holly safe, Jordan joins the investigation, and together, they wade through a world of prostitution, wealth, and lies in search of the truth. But the truth is hard to find, when even the witnesses have secrets.
Join the conversation. Which of my favorites have you read? Are any of them on your favorites list? If you win the giveaway, which book will you choose? What was the best book you read in 2022?
Be sure to comment below by January 3 for your chance to win! Winner can choose any of these ten books in ebook or paperback format.
If you missed last week’s Zoom interview with Mary A. Felkins, check it out here. We had such a fun conversation!
I’m looking forward to highlighting many more Hope-filled Fiction authors and their novels in 2023! I hope you’ll continue to subscribe to the Hope Collective and engage in the fun … and maybe even win some books!
Happy New Year!!
Deena Adams
As a Jesus girl for more than thirty years, Deena Adams understands how important hope is to daily life, which fuels her passion to inspire others through hope-filled fiction based on true to life stories. She is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency and is a multi-award-winning writer, an active ACFW member, and ACFW Virginia president. Connect with Deena through her website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
67 Comments
Pamela Dunbar
I haven’t read any of these so I am definitely saving this list and going to look into them! Where the blue skys begins, cross the line, the letter keeper all sound so good! Thanks for sharing your favorites!
Deena Adams
I hope you get a chance to read them at some point, Pamela. They are all so good!
Anne-Marie Webster
An intriguing and varied list. I have not read any of these. I would probably lean toward Where the Blue Sky Begins, or The Letter Keeper or perhaps The Songs that Could Have Been or why not Where the Dandelions Bloom.
An awesome book that I just read was Across the Rooftops. Another I just finished was The School for German Brides. Looks like historical fiction is a favorite of mine!
Deena Adams
Thanks for sharing some of your reads with me, Anne-Marie. Before you read The Letter Keeper, I recommend reading the first in Charles Martin’s Murphy Shepherd series, which is The Water Keeper.
Faith Cox
I haven’t read any of the books yet, but they do look interesting. Deena, thanks for sharing your favorites! My first pick is “All That It Takes” by Nicole Deese.
Deena Adams
Hi, Faith. All That is Takes is a great choice! I love Nicole Deese’s books!
Vickie
Oh my gosh! These 10 books are a fantastic list! I have “ties” with Amanda Wen as she lives in the same city I was raised in. CC Warrens and Katie Powner are authors I have recently heard of and I love Nicole Deese’s and Gabrielle Meyer’s covers. Thanks for the chance.
Deena Adams
Good luck in the giveaway, Vickie! Thanks for commenting.
Marilyn Ott
I have not read any of these books. I would be happy to win any of them. Thanks for the chance.
Deena Adams
I hope you get a chance to read some of them, Marilyn. They’re fantastic! Good luck in the giveaway.
Laura Brandenburg
I have read Dear Mr. Knightley, The Letter Keeper, and Then There Was You! All great picks! If I win, I would probably pick Amanda Cox or Katie Powner. 🙂
Deena Adams
Hi, Laura. Amanda Cox or Katie Powner would both be great choices! Good luck in the giveaway!
Laura W
Thank you for this giveaway and for sharing your 2022 favorites, Deena! I see more books I need to read 😍. I recently read and enjoyed Dear Mr. Knightley!
Happy New Year to you, and may it be full of many more wonderful reads 💛.
Deena Adams
You’re welcome, Laura. Thanks for reading and commenting. I hope 2023 is full of wonderful reads for you as well!
Jan Gustafson
Thank you for sharing these titles and this opportunity to win one of them! I’m always looking for new books to add to my TBR pile. If I was chosen to win one of these, Firefly Diaries or Where the Blue Sky Begins would be my choices.
My favorite book this year was The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip – a rich story of faith and healing.
Thanks!
Deena Adams
Hi, Jan. The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip is on my Kindle just waiting to be read. I’m looking forward to it!
Janelle Will
Where the Blue Sky Begins was one of my most favorite reads last year! Such a moving story! I loved the characters! And When The Day Comes was a super intriguing time travel book. Interested in reading the others you’ve mentioned.
Deena Adams
I agree, Janelle! Such great reads. Good luck in the giveaway!
Jeanette Davis
Oh there are so many on here I’d like to read! Have read Firefly Diaries and All That it Takes and have Cross the Line in my tbr pile. My favorite for 2022 is difficult to answer although I did really enjoy the Unlikely Yarn of the Dragonlady by Saron Mondragon (about a prayer shawl group and I belong to prayer shawl group at my church. Rescuing Finley by Dan Walsh was also a wonderful book about redemption on many levels. If I am choosen to win a book, it will be a struggle to choice one but I would love to read the Letter Keeper.
Thank you for this opportunity and Happy New Year Deena
Deena Adams
Hi, Jeanette. I read Rescuing Finley a year or two ago. I remember enjoying it. Have you read The Water Keeper by Charles Martin? It’s the first in the series. The Letter Keeper is Book Two, and it wraps up with The Record Keeper.
Happy New Year to you as well!
Dianna Nance
Wow, you have so many wonder books on your list! I have read Where the Blue Sky Begins and All that it Takes. My absolute favorite book of 2022 is When the Day Comes by Gabrielle Meyer!! I would love to read Cross the Line by C C Warren’s. Thanks for the opportunity to win!!
Deena Adams
Hi, Dianna. Wasn’t When the Day Comes amazing?! Anything by C.C. Warrens is a win! Good luck in the giveaway.
Cindy Davis
OH, this is a GREAT LIST!!! I have read (and loved) about half of these!!! I read a little over 200 books this year and haven’t had time to narrow down my favorites yet (it’s so hard!). I meant to read Dear Mr. Knightley this year but didn’t get to it, so will be carrying it into 2023. I love C. C. Warrens books. I have not read Gabrielle Meyer, Chris Martin, or Tara Johnson.
Deena Adams
Wow, Cindy, 200 books! That’s awesome. I agree, it’s definitley hard to narrow down the favorites. We’re so blessed with some amazing Christian Fiction authors. When the Day Comes was my first Gabrielle Meyer book. I’m now a fan! I hope you enjoy Dear Mr. Knightly as much as I did.
Linda Kish
A few of the books I have. Several I would love to read. The one I would choose if I got lucky enough to win would be Cross the Line. That is definitely right up my alley. Thanks for the chance.
Deena Adams
Cross the Line is a great choice, Linda! C.C. Warrens writes a compelling story every, single, time.
REGINA R BALLARD
This looks like a great selection! I surpassed my reading goal this year, too. My tbr pile is growing even more now after these suggestions. 🙂
Thanks!
Deena Adams
My pleasure, Regina! Always happy to build someone’s TBR pile. LOL What was your favorite read in 2022?
REGINA R BALLARD
That’s a hard question. I read some really good books this year, from several different genres. I really liked All the Way Home by Ann Tatlock, The Children’s Blizzard by Melanie Benjamin, The Seat Beside Me by Nancy Moser, Catching the Wind by Melanie Dobson, and numerous books by Grace Livingston Hill, Autumn Macarthur and others!
Deena Adams
I haven’t read any of those you mentioned. Now I have to add to my TBR list! Thanks, Regina. 🙂
Brittany P.
Oh my goodness, what a fabulous list!!! 😍😍 I have so many of these on my TBR list!! I read Where the Blue Sky Begins, such a lovely, heartwarming story! It would be so hard to choose bc there are so many on your list that I’ve been wanting I read, but I think maybe The Letter Keeper would be my pick! I read so many good ones this year!! The Mark of the Lion series were some of my favorites…but good books are like children…who can pick a favorite?! Lol!
Deena Adams
Hi, Brittany. I read The Mark of the Lion series years ago and loved it! Hadassah’s faith is so inspiring. Have you read The Water keeper, the first in Charles Martin’s Murphy Shepherd series? I recommend reading them in order.
Patty
I’ve read The Letter Keeper, All that it Takes, and When the Day Comes. I’m pretty sure I have a copy of Where Dandelions Bloom, Dear Mr. Knightly, And Where the Blue Sky Begins in my TBR stack. The one that I don’t have a copy of that I would love to read is The Songs That Could Have Been. All in all I would say we have similar reading taste!
Deena Adams
They are all so great, it’s hard to narrow it down isn’t it, Patty? The Songs That Could Have Been would be a wonderful choice! Good luck in the giveaway, and Happy New Year!
Perrianne
It’s easier to say what I haven’t read, so I haven’t read: Then There was You, Firefly Diaries, The Letter Keeper, The Songs that Could have Been (but I have a copy) and Cross the Line. You have an awesome list and it seems that we have similar reading tastes. I’ll definitely be taking more cues from you! My top favorite books this year were When the Day Comes which comes in first place and The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip. I anxiously await Gabrielle Meyer’s next book! My favorites on your list are Dear Mr. Knightly (delightful!), Where the Blue Sky Begins, Where Dandelions Bloom, and All that it Takes. I have heard that I will love The Songs that Could have Been but I haven’t read it just yet. I would pick Dear Mr. Knightly because I read a library copy and don’t own a copy. I’m not normally a re-reader but this one is just simply delightful! It reminds me a lot of Daddy Long Legs which is a classic by Jean Webster (possibly free on Kindle?) that I have read more than once. I highly recommend it! I hope that you had a Merry Christmas and I wish you a Happy New Year.
Deena Adams
Hi, Perrianne. I think When the Day Comes is my top pick for 2022 as well. Such a unique storyline! The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip is on my kindle just waiting for me to devour it. I’m really looking forward to reading that one! I’ve heard others mention Daddy Long Legs but I haven’t read it. Happy New Year!
Maryann Landers
Good morning, I’ve not read any of these titles but I keep seeing “When the Time Comes” as a favorite and I’m intrigued to read this time slip novel if I were to win.
Deena Adams
Hi, Maryann. I wasn’t sure I would like When the Day Comes becasue of it being a time-travel book but it was so good. If I had to pick just one favorite for 2022, that would probaby be it.
Lual Krautter
Would love to win a print copy of When the Day Comes, The Songs that Could Have Been, or Where Dandelions Bloom. Thanks for the opportunity! God bless! Happy New Year!
Deena Adams
All great reads, Lual! Good luck in the giveaway and Happy New Year!
Paula Shreckhise
I own all but the Charles Martin book. And have read all but Then There Was You and When Dandelions Bloom.
Some of my top reads are also C.C. Warrens and When the Day Comes.
I would choose Cross The Line in paperback because I only have it on my kindle.
I have so many top reads for this year.
outstanding ones not mentioned are:
The Extraordinary Deaths Of Mrs Kip by Sara Brunsvold
Nightfall in the Garden of Deep Time by Tracy Higley
All the Lost Places by Amanda Dykes
The whole series from Roseanna White about the Scilly Islands.
The Lost Melody by Joanna Politano
I could go on because so many great books came out this year.
Hope you had a blessed Christmas.
Deena Adams
Hi, Paula. I have The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip on my Kindle and it’s one I’ve been dying to read. I have an ARC to read and another Christmas collection to read first, then I plan to read that one. I haven’t heard of Nightfall in the Garden Deep. I’ll look it up. Hope you had a wonderful Christmas as well. Happy New Year!
Elizabeth Litton
The Letter Keeper was fabulous!!
Deena Adams
Have you read all three of the Murphy Shepherd novels, Elizabeth? Such a great series!
Traci Winget
Excellent group of books! There are several to add to my ever increasing TBR list!
I believe I would choose The Songs That Could Have Been.
Deena Adams
My list keeps growing too, Traci. The Songs That Could Have Been would be a great choice! Good luck in the giveaway!
Heidi
I’ve read only one of your Top Ten so thanks for the recommendations. That TBR pile continues to grow, which is a good thing!
Heidi
I have read the Mr. Knightly book. I am interested in reading That Could have been Amanda Wen. Thanks for the opportunity to participate in your giveaway!
Deena Adams
Good luck in the giveaway, Heidi!
Deena Adams
My TBR pile is huge too. Which of my top ten have you read, Heidi?
Dana McReynolds
Where the Blue Sky Begins was one of my favorites also. I would choose Where Dandelions Bloom for the giveaway. It’s a hard choice, so many great books. My favorite overall 2022 read was The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan.
Deena Adams
Hi, Dana. I haven’t heard of Jennifer Ryan. I’ll have to check out her books.