During this episode of “The Romantic Side of Suspense” podcast, you’ll hear from three authors about their romantic suspense books available this month. Here’s the list of authors and books for July 2026, with the book’s release date if not available now.
Seralynn Lewis recently stopped by my newsletter to share about her writing life.
Why did you start writing romantic suspense novels?
I’ve always loved romance novels in almost every sub-genre there is. But I found that the romance stories that moved me had more than just a romance in them, they had a hint of mystery and a dash of suspense. I’ve included those elements in all of the novels I’ve written, but my editor suggested I focus on romantic suspense because that’s what I’ve been writing all along, the other novels were just not marketed as romantic suspense because they didn’t always have death in them. Some suspense books keep the reader on the edge of their seat for the entire book. That can be exhausting. I prefer to interject pauses in the story to keep that exhaustion at bay and possibly create niche readers who love suspense but don’t want to be overwhelmed by it to fall in love with my stories.
What is your favorite spot for reading or reflecting on your current work-in-progress?
My favorite spot is my gray easy chair in the living room. It’s comfortable and for the past five months, I’ve been using it to not only think about my stories but I update ideas and write on my laptop from there. My husband sits next to me and wears ear plugs when he watches television so he doesn’t disturb me. I will admit, however, that on occasion, I do get distracted by whatever is on the television.
How do you come up with titles for your books?
I usually like to take what moves me from the book and fashion the idea into a title. Many times, the title comes to me as I’m getting into bed. I know I won’t remember them in the morning, so I quickly type it on my phone in notes. That allows me to sleep on it, and determine if it’s right for the book. Oftentimes, I get the title long before I even start writing the story because I have already outlined it and the title is percolating along with the story.
Where do you get the inspiration for your plots?
The inspiration for my plots comes from a vast variety of places. They come from television programs and movies I’ve seen, books I’ve read, articles and true life situations. There are millions of combinations of plots and sub-plots that can be rearranged into forming a new plot. That is the beauty (and fun) of being an author, mixing and matching conflicts within a story. Many times, I go to sleep thinking about the basis of a novel and I’ll dream about it. And sometimes, I’ll figure it out as I’m falling asleep.
What did you want to be as a child (and did that dream come true)?
My family was in construction and I was always fascinated by residential floor plans. I wanted to be an architect, but when I shared that desire with my father, he laughed and said a woman can’t be an architect. That was back in the day when the majority of women’s aspirations were limited to being a wife and mother, secretary or teacher. I never did become an architect, but I believe God had a different blueprint in mind, one that led me to building faith-based stories instead of structures.
Which of your books is your favorite and why?
That’s a difficult question to answer. Like my children, I love all my books equally because each character is lovingly created to have human flaws and strengths. I write across several sub-genres of romance. Across Oceans Through Time is the one closest to my heart because it is based on my grandparents’ love story. However, for the Christian Romantic Suspense trilogy, Movers & Shakers, my favorite (thus far) is Surviving the Deal because Adam and Rini make a commitment to one another without considering the consequences. When that decision upends the relationship, it reminds me that we all need to look to God for our strength. Always.
About Seralynn
Seralynn Lewis came to Christian romantic suspense after first writing inspirational and historical romance. Fueled by faith, a second-chance marriage, and decades of life’s hard lessons, she writes stories where danger is real, relationships are tested, and God is never as far away as her characters think.
Connect w/Seralynn
Website: https://www.seralynnlewis.com/
Surviving The Deal by Seralynn Lewis!
When billionaire developer Adam Baylor is backed into a corner, there’s only one way to save the biggest deal of his life–get married. Temporarily. No strings. No emotions. Easy… until he meets Rini Miller.
Rini is a single mom, a woman of faith, and the last person Adam expected to upend his well-ordered world. But as their arrangement begins to blur the lines between business and love, secrets surface, past wounds reawaken, and. Deadly threat looms closer than either of them could imagine.
Can a marriage built on a lie become something real? Or will the cost of the deal be more than either of them is willing to pay
On this episode of “The Romantic Side of Suspense,” my guest is Ciara Knight, a USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestselling and award-winning author. She’s known for her “Southern Grace to Western Embrace” stories. She has captivated more than a million readers with her 60-plus novels. Her heartwarming and inspirational romances are inspired by her husband, children, and dream of sailing the world.
“I’ve always been a prolific writer—nothing ever gets in my way. I’ve never had writer’s block,” Ciara said. “When I first moved onto the trawler, I did. I was writing sweet, small town romance among other genres, and I just was having problems [writing]. So I took all of my fears—if I’m scared of something, I go for it. I don’t hold back. I think part of [writing] was my therapy when we got onboard. It was learning to live on a boat with storms and … those first two books in my Harbor Secrets series were a kind of therapy.”
Connect w/Ciara
Website: https://ciaraknight.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorciaraknight/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ciaratknight/
TickTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authorciaraknight
Listen to the podcast for more from our interview, plus an excerpt from Winter Harbor Secrets by Ciara Knight. Excerpt and back cover copy read by Janda Sample of Janda Sample Storytelling.
More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website
Wildflower Heart by Tara Baisden — She didn’t come to Serenity Crossing to fall in love. She came to disappear. Tori Hamilton has spent nearly her entire life being managed by a powerful family who gave her everything except the one thing she actually wanted — to be loved for who she is. After a lottery win hands her the means to finally break free, she leaves Atlanta behind and drives to a small mountain town in Tennessee where nobody knows her name, her family, or the secret she’s carrying. She buys a house, purchases a building for the flower shop she’s always dreamed of, and begins building the ordinary, beautiful life her parents would call beneath her. But the fresh start she’s counting on has a crack running through it — because the truth she left out of her new story is the one thing that could cost her everything. (Contemporary Romance, Independently Published)
Gone with the Woodwinds by Jennifer Lamont Leo — January 1921 brings two arrivals to Timber Coulee, Idaho: the Idaho All-State Music Competition, and a killer. Amanda Parrish, proprietress of Mountain Melodies Music Shop and newly engaged to Sheriff James Holcomb, has pulled off a small coup for the local planning committee—convincing her old conservatory friend to come up from the University of Idaho to judge the woodwinds competition. Gerald arrives on the train charming, warm, and unchanged after twenty years. He is dead before the week is out. Suspicion settles immediately on Amanda’s co-manager, Callan MacTavish—a Scottish WWI veteran whose midnight walks and troubled silences make him an easy target. Amanda knows better. The clock is ticking on finding the real killer before they vanish forever…or strike again. (Cozy Mystery, Independently Published)
Jane’s Secret by Jennifer E. Tirrell — Bound by blood, but separated by centuries, the two women unravel a hidden family secret in a thrilling quest for truth that could change everything. Jennifer E. Tirrell’s richly layered suspense story weaves between the Tudor period and present day, pulls readers into a world of hidden truths, historical intrigue, and modern-day discovery. (Dual Timeline from Ambassador International)
Freed by the Frontier by Denise Farnsworth, Sherry Shindelar, and Susan F. Craft — Three remarkable women find themselves caught between two worlds on the American frontier. A captive of the Comanche must choose between escaping to white society or her growing feelings for a rising war chief in 1850s Texas. A Georgia judge’s daughter flees an unwanted betrothal during the War of 1812, only to be captured by Creek warriors but protected by a mysterious brave. And in 1754, an English lady traveling the Great Wagon Road to become a music teacher discovers her carefully planned future may not survive her attraction to a protective frontiersman. (Historical Romance from Wild Heart Books)
Uncharted Blessing by Keely Brooke Keith — When Charlotte’s caregiving leads her into Josiah’s home and an orphaned baby into her arms, two wounded hearts discover an unexpected blessing. Uncharted Blessing (Book Sixteen in the Uncharted series) weaves past and future in a faith-filled story of life in a hidden land. Prepare to be captivated by this timeless romance, brimming with mystery and suspense. Perfect for readers seeking traditional family values, faithful men who are true heroes, and clean, heartwarming courtships. If you enjoy the simplicity of frontier romance and the wholesomeness of Amish fiction, you’ll adore Uncharted Blessing. (Historical Romance, Independently Publish)
Eye of the Beholder by Linda Shenton Matchett — Left with physical and emotional scars after the Great War, Hank Drake has been shunned by polite society as the Ugly Duckling. Fine by him. He’d much rather be alone. Until he meets the kind proprietress of a tea stand at New York’s World’s Fair who isn’t repulsed by his appearance. Can he hope for acceptance…or even love? (Historical Romance from Shortwave Press)
The Girl from Tomorrow’s Town by Naomi Musch — After being sent away on an orphan train and surviving years of hardship, nineteen year old Lily Mae Dodge is finally heading east, determined to find the mother she lost and a life shaped by hope rather than fear. On the journey she meets Francis Basnett, a kindhearted circus roustabout barred from the Great War by his failing vision and concealing deeper unworthiness behind a pair of dark glasses. Though branded a coward by strangers, Francis longs to prove his courage. Drawn to Lily’s quiet resilience, he offers friendship and refuge in the dazzling world of the traveling Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus, as she begins her search. There, amid the sawdust and spangles, Lily allows her guarded heart to soften. But when a runaway train slams into the circus cars in the dead of night—igniting a catastrophic fire—her fragile new beginning collapses. Dozens are dead, hundreds injured. . .and Francis is missing. (Historical Romance from Barbour Publishing)
Sarah’s Search by Jodie Wolfe — Can two searching hearts find the same path? All her life, Sarah McBride has gone along with whatever her guardian dictates. Now on the verge of graduating from the Shippensburg State Normal School, she questions her ability to teach in a classroom when her heart isn’t in the profession. What she wouldn’t give to pursue her heart’s desire of becoming a writer instead of following what’s expected. But how can Sarah defy her guardian’s plans? (Historical Romance, Independently Published)
A Heart’s Hope by Penny Zeller — To what lengths will one woman go to rescue her sister? She’s from high society. He’s a humble rancher. Can an unorthodox marriage lead to love? A Heart’s Hope is a heartwarming marriage-of-convenience love story that reminds us that God has a way of working out even the most unconventional things. (Historical Romance from Maplebrook Publishing)
Plus check out these recent additions to Fiction Finder published within the past month:
Find Me at the Table by Andrea Christenson — She ruined his career with one review. Now they have to cook together. (Contemporary Romance)
Three Good Lies by Luana Ehrlich — When CIA operative Titus Ray arrives in Panama, he discovers the intel is false, the sources can’t be trusted, and the objective is a lie. With his team under fire and the secret police closing in, Titus must rely on his training—and his faith—to survive and uncover the truth. (Romantic Suspense)
A Refuge in Montana by Allie Pleiter — In Big Sky Country, Sometimes forgiveness takes the most courage… For her son’s sake, widowed veterinarian Vicky Siden works hard to pretend all is well. But the arrival of game warden Nick Youngston at her family’s animal rescue—with a horse and donkey in tow—changes everything. (Contemporary Romance)
Callie’s Redemption by Tammie Edington Shaw — Can a pampered Eastern young woman, alone and betrayed, learn to trust and love again in the rugged West and a young man from the West pursue his calling to be a preacher and leave his love for a transplanted Eastern girl behind? (Historical Romance)
The Stained Glass Window by Crystal Walton — She’s fighting to heal him. He’s risking everything to protect her. In the line of fire, they’ll need a miracle to survive. (Contemporary Romantic Suspense)
During this episode of “The Romantic Side of Suspense” podcast, you’ll hear from six authors about their romantic suspense books available this month. Here’s the list of authors and books for June 2026, with the book’s release date if not available now.
The Romantic Frustration of Sami Abrams 
July 2026 New Releases in Christian Fiction 
How Seralynn Lewis Dreams Up Her Plots