There's something almost sacred about finishing a Tamera Alexander novel. You close the book with that satisfied sigh, your heart full of the kind of hope that lingers for days. Whether it's the sweeping landscapes of Tennessee in Rekindled or the artistic world of A Lasting Impression, Alexander has this gift for making history feel alive and faith feel intimate. Her romances don't just entertain—they remind us that even in our brokenness, God is writing a story of redemption.
If you've found yourself rationing the last chapters of her books because you don't want them to end, you're in good company. The wonderful news is that there's a whole community of authors writing beautiful historical romances that will give you that same feeling—stories where faith runs deep, love transforms, and hope always finds a way.
Here are fifteen authors who understand what makes a truly satisfying Christian historical romance, each bringing their own special gifts to stories you'll treasure.
Start here: The Girl in the Gatehouse
If you love Alexander's attention to historical detail and redemptive themes, Julie Klassen will quickly become a favorite. She writes Regency-era England with the same care Alexander brings to 19th-century America, creating worlds so vivid you can practically hear the rustle of period dresses.
The Girl in the Gatehouse tells the story of Mariah, a woman hiding from scandal in a gatehouse on a country estate, who secretly writes novels to support herself. When the estate's new owner arrives, her carefully constructed refuge is threatened. It's a beautiful exploration of shame, forgiveness, and how God redeems even our most painful mistakes.
Klassen writes characters who struggle with real moral questions—not cardboard saints, but people working out their faith in difficult circumstances. Her romances build slowly and authentically, and her historical research is impeccable. Like Alexander, she trusts that readers will appreciate depth and doesn't rush the emotional journey.
Why you'll love her: The same meticulous historical detail and redemptive themes, but set in Regency England. If you want Alexander's depth with an English countryside setting, Klassen is your author.
Start here: Candle in the Darkness or All Things New
Lynn Austin writes historical fiction that doesn't shy away from difficult topics while maintaining a hopeful, faith-centered perspective. Her books tackle slavery, war, and social upheaval with honesty and grace—much like Alexander's willingness to explore the complexities of history.
Candle in the Darkness follows Caroline, a Southern woman during the Civil War whose beliefs about slavery are challenged when she falls in love with someone who holds different convictions. Austin doesn't simplify the moral complexities—she shows how people struggled to reconcile their faith with the culture around them.
What makes Austin special is her ability to write about heavy historical realities while keeping hope at the center. Her characters experience genuine suffering and struggle, but their faith journeys feel authentic rather than preachy. Like Alexander, she shows rather than tells when it comes to spiritual growth.
Why you'll love her: Rich historical storytelling with substance. Austin gives you the emotional depth of Alexander with even more willingness to wrestle with difficult historical truths.
Start here: Treasures of the North (Alaskan Quest series) or A Truth Revealed (Sapphire Brides series)
If you love Alexander's ability to transport you to vividly realized historical settings, Tracie Peterson is a must-read. She's written over 100 novels, many set in the American West, with the kind of historical richness that makes you feel like you've traveled back in time.
Treasures of the North takes you to Alaska during the gold rush—a setting you don't often find in Christian fiction. Peterson captures both the brutal beauty of the frontier and the resilience of the people who settled it. Her heroines are strong without being anachronistic, and her heroes are honorable men of faith.
Peterson writes with Alexander's same commitment to historical authenticity and clean romance. Her stories often involve adventure alongside the romance, giving you that page-turning quality while still delivering the emotional and spiritual depth you're craving.
Why you'll love her: Vast catalog of well-researched historicals in diverse settings. Perfect for when you want Alexander's style but need a fresh setting—Peterson will take you everywhere from Alaska to Texas to the Pacific Northwest.
Start here: The Colonel's Lady or Love's Reckoning
Laura Frantz writes with a poet's sensibility—her prose is lyrical and rich, creating the same atmospheric experience you get from Alexander's best work. She specializes in American frontier settings, from Revolutionary War-era Kentucky to colonial Pennsylvania.
The Colonel's Lady is set during the American Revolution and follows Roxanna, who finds herself drawn to a conflicted military colonel. Frantz doesn't romanticize frontier life—her characters face genuine hardship—but she shows how faith sustains people through impossible circumstances.
What sets Frantz apart is her willingness to let her stories breathe. Like Alexander, she's not rushing to the happy ending—she's taking time to develop both the romance and the faith journey. Her descriptions of historical settings are so detailed and beautiful that you'll want to linger in every scene.
Why you'll love her: Gorgeous, atmospheric prose and deeply emotional stories. If you appreciate Alexander's ability to make you feel like you're living in the historical period, Frantz delivers that same immersive experience.
Start here: Against the Tide or With Every Breath
Elizabeth Camden brings something slightly different to Christian historical romance—her heroines often have unusual careers for their time period, and she weaves in elements of suspense and mystery alongside the romance.
Against the Tide features Lydia, who works as a translator at the US Navy's code-breaking department in 1890s Boston. When information she translated puts her in danger, she must turn to a man from her past for help. Camden balances the romance with genuine suspense while maintaining strong faith elements.
Like Alexander, Camden does deep historical research (she has a master's degree in history), so her settings feel authentic. But she also gives you heroines with agency and intelligence, women who are using their God-given gifts in meaningful work. The faith threads naturally through the story rather than feeling imposed.
Why you'll love her: If you want Alexander's historical authenticity plus heroines with interesting careers and a touch of mystery, Camden delivers. Great for when you want something that feels both familiar and fresh.
Start here: A Tailor-Made Bride or Short-Straw Bride
Karen Witemeyer writes Texas-set romances with warmth, humor, and heart. Her books have Alexander's strong faith foundation but with a lighter touch that makes them perfect for when you want something that's still meaningful but also just plain fun.
Short-Straw Bride features a heroine who literally crashes back into her childhood friend's life years after they parted. The four brothers she encounters live isolated on their ranch, suspicious of outsiders—until she changes everything. It's sweet, charming, and full of the kind of banter that makes you smile.
Witemeyer's characters face real challenges and grow in their faith, but she also knows how to write romance that makes you swoon and scenes that make you laugh. Like Alexander, she writes clean romance that's still deeply romantic, proving you don't need explicit content to create genuine emotional connection.
Why you'll love her: Alexander's depth and faith elements with added humor and lightness. Perfect for when your heart needs something hopeful that also brings joy.
Start here: The Number of Love (Shadows Over England series) or A Name Unknown (same series)
Roseanna M. White combines historical romance with espionage and mystery, creating page-turners that still maintain strong faith elements and clean romance. Her attention to historical detail rivals Alexander's.
The Number of Love is set during World War I and features Margot, a brilliant mathematician who gets pulled into code-breaking work, and Drake, a wounded pilot recovering at his family's estate. White weaves together romance, wartime tension, and questions of faith and purpose in a story that's both exciting and deeply moving.
White's faith elements are integral to her stories—her characters pray, struggle with God's will, and grow spiritually in ways that feel authentic. Like Alexander, she shows that Christian fiction can have both substance and entertainment value without compromising either.
Why you'll love her: For readers who want Alexander's depth plus added intrigue. If you're ready for historical romance with espionage and mystery woven in, White is phenomenal.
Start here: The Preacher's Bride or Unending Devotion
Jody Hedlund writes passionate historical romance—and yes, it's still clean and faith-centered, but she's not afraid to show the intensity of attraction between her characters. If you appreciate Alexander's emotional depth and want romance that makes your heart race, Hedlund delivers.
The Preacher's Bride is inspired by the true story of John Bunyan's wife and follows Elizabeth as she falls in love with John, a preacher whose faith costs him dearly. Hedlund portrays the sacrifice required to follow God's calling with honesty and power, showing how love must sometimes be braver than we think we can be.
Hedlund's characters face persecution, poverty, and impossible choices, but their faith isn't theoretical—it's lived out in difficult circumstances. She writes with Alexander's same commitment to showing faith under pressure, but with even more intensity in both the romance and the conflict.
Why you'll love her: More intensity while maintaining clean content and strong faith themes. Perfect for when you want Alexander's depth with even more emotional heat.
Start here: The Heiress of Winterwood or The Weaver's Daughter
Sarah Ladd specializes in Regency England, creating atmospheric settings and romances built on second chances and redemption. Her books have a gentle, elegant quality that fans of Alexander's more contemplative moments will appreciate.
The Heiress of Winterwood follows Amelia, who's caring for her late friend's baby and determines to honor her promise to raise the child—even if it means marrying a man she barely knows to protect the baby from being taken away. It's a beautiful story about love growing from duty and honor.
Ladd writes with a quiet strength—her stories aren't flashy or dramatic, but they're deeply satisfying. Like Alexander, she understands that sometimes the most powerful moments are the quiet ones, where characters make choices that reveal their character and faith.
Why you'll love her: Gentle, redemptive stories with strong faith threads. If you love Alexander's tender moments and want more Regency settings, Ladd is perfect.
Start here: A Noble Masquerade (Hawthorne House series) or An Elegant Façade (same series)
Kristi Ann Hunter writes Regency romance with wit, intelligence, and surprising depth. Her books have Alexander's strong faith foundation but with added humor and cleverness that make them incredibly fun to read.
A Noble Masquerade features a spy posing as a valet in an aristocratic household and the lady's companion who starts to see through his disguise. It's romance with intrigue, faith with fun, and characters who feel like people you'd actually want to know.
Hunter's faith elements are woven naturally into her stories—her characters wrestle with practical questions about how to live out their beliefs in their specific circumstances. Like Alexander, she shows that faith isn't just about big moments but about daily choices and growth.
Why you'll love her: Alexander's depth with more lightness and wit. Perfect for when you want something that's both meaningful and makes you smile.
Start here: After a Fashion or In Good Company
Sometimes you need a book that's just pure delight, and that's where Jen Turano comes in. She writes Gilded Age romances with screwball comedy elements—think mishaps, misunderstandings, and heroines whose unconventional behavior creates chaos wherever they go.
After a Fashion features Harriet, who agrees to pose as a wealthy gentleman's fiancée to help him secure a business deal. Naturally, nothing goes according to plan. Turano's books are light, funny, and filled with characters you can't help but love.
Don't mistake "light" for "shallow"—Turano still includes genuine faith elements and character growth. But if Alexander sometimes feels like a beautiful, heavy quilt, Turano is a cozy throw blanket. Both have their place, and sometimes your heart needs the lighter option.
Why you'll love her: For when you want clean romance with strong values but need to laugh. Turano delivers joy without sacrificing substance.
Start here: A Bride Most Begrudging or Courting Trouble
Deeanne Gist writes historical romance with a fresh, often quirky approach. Her heroines tend to be ahead of their time in delightful ways, and her books balance faith, romance, and humor in equal measure.
A Bride Most Begrudging is set in colonial Virginia and features a heroine who arrives as an indentured servant with no interest in romance, and a hero who bought her contract and definitely has romance on his mind. It's sweet, funny, and surprisingly moving.
Gist does extensive research (she's won awards for her historical accuracy) and creates heroines with modern sensibilities that don't feel anachronistic—just like women who were ahead of their time. Her faith elements are strong but never preachy, woven naturally into the characters' lives.
Why you'll love her: Historical accuracy with delightful heroines and sweet romance. If you want Alexander's research combined with more lighthearted storytelling, Gist is wonderful.
Start here: She Walks in Beauty or A Heart Most Worthy
Siri Mitchell writes historical fiction that explores how faith intersects with difficult social issues. She's willing to tackle topics like immigration, class disparity, and women's suffrage while maintaining her commitment to hopeful, redemptive storytelling.
She Walks in Beauty is set during the Gilded Age and explores the cosmetics industry when makeup was considered scandalous. Mitchell examines questions of beauty, worth, and how women find their identity in a society that tries to define them narrowly.
Like Alexander, Mitchell writes with intelligence and doesn't shy away from showing the harder aspects of history. But she also shows how faith provides answers to these difficult questions—not easy answers, but real ones. Her books make you think while still giving you satisfying romance.
Why you'll love her: For when you want depth and are ready to wrestle with bigger questions while still getting beautiful romance. Mitchell combines Alexander's thoughtfulness with even more willingness to explore social issues.
Start here: Out of Control (Kincaid Brides series) or In Too Deep (same series)
Mary Connealy writes Western romances that are pure fun. Her books feature strong, capable heroines, honorable heroes, plenty of action, and humor that will make you laugh out loud. They're the literary equivalent of comfort food.
Out of Control features Julia, a scientist's daughter living in an isolated canyon laboratory, whose world is turned upside down when a mysterious stranger arrives. There's danger, adventure, romance, and Connealy's signature humor throughout.
Connealy writes clean romance with clear faith elements but in a style that's more adventurous and humorous than contemplative. If Alexander sometimes requires you to sit quietly with emotions, Connealy lets you enjoy the ride. Both approaches have their place in your reading life.
Why you'll love her: Western adventure with faith and fun. Perfect for when you want something lighter but still aligned with your values.
Start here: An Untamed Land (Red River of the North series)
Lauraine Snelling writes sweeping family sagas that follow characters across years and generations. Her books are quieter and more contemplative, focused on the dailiness of life, the building of community, and faith lived out in ordinary moments.
An Untamed Land begins the story of Norwegian immigrants settling in Dakota Territory, facing harsh conditions as they build new lives. Snelling shows how faith sustains people through loss, hardship, and the slow, patient work of creating home in a new land.
Like Alexander, Snelling writes with deep respect for her characters and their faith journeys. Her pacing is slower, her focus on the accumulation of small moments rather than dramatic scenes. If you appreciate Alexander's contemplative quality, Snelling offers even more of that reflective, gentle storytelling.
Why you'll love her: Epic family sagas with quiet faith and gentle romance. Perfect for when you want to truly settle into a multi-generational story.
Start here: Redeeming Love or A Voice in the Wind (Mark of the Lion series)
No list of Christian historical romance would be complete without Francine Rivers. While her style is different from Alexander's—more intense, more explicitly focused on redemption—she's an essential author for any fan of faith-based historical fiction.
Redeeming Love is a retelling of Hosea set during the California Gold Rush, following Angel, a woman trapped in prostitution, and Michael, a man who loves her with God's relentless love. It's powerful, emotional, and one of the most beloved Christian novels ever written.
Rivers doesn't shy away from showing the depths of brokenness or the cost of redemption. Her books are more intense than Alexander's, dealing more explicitly with sin and suffering. But they also show God's love more directly and dramatically. If Alexander's books are gentle rain, Rivers' are a thunderstorm—both are needed.
Why you'll love her: Powerful redemption stories that will leave you in tears (the good kind). If you're ready for something more intense while still being faith-centered, Rivers is essential reading.
The beautiful thing about loving Tamera Alexander is that she's opened the door to an entire genre of authors who write with the same heart. Here's a quick guide to help you choose based on what you're craving right now:
For Alexander's historical depth and redemptive themes:
Julie Klassen, Lynn Austin, Laura Frantz, Siri Mitchell
For something a bit lighter while keeping the faith foundation:
Karen Witemeyer, Jen Turano, Mary Connealy, Deeanne Gist
For Alexander's style with added mystery/suspense:
Elizabeth Camden, Roseanna M. White
For more emotional intensity:
Jody Hedlund, Francine Rivers
For American frontier settings like Alexander often uses:
Tracie Peterson, Laura Frantz, Mary Connealy, Lauraine Snelling
For Regency England settings:
Julie Klassen, Sarah Ladd, Kristi Ann Hunter
The joy of this genre is that these authors are writing books that honor your faith while giving you the escape and entertainment you deserve. You don't have to compromise your values to get a truly satisfying reading experience. These are stories that will fill your heart, strengthen your faith, and remind you that love—both human and divine—is always worth the journey.
Happy reading, friend. May your to-be-read pile be ever full of beautiful stories.
