Is your ideal romantic lead the Marlboro Man? Do you like any story with spirited horses and men in ten-gallon hats and scuffed boots? Well, then, perhaps you should reach for one of the many Christian western fiction novels that are proving very popular. The wild west is a perfect setting for the strong heroines preferred today, since living close to the land requires fortitude. Of course, cowboys are alive and well and just as attractive as ever.
The west is as full of adventure today as it was in the days of the pioneers. The mountains are still rugged, the plains endless, and the sky huge and empty. This makes it easy to create believable settings and story lines that frame the characters and create complications. The Christian nature of these stories will be reassuring for those who hesitate to read conventional modern novels; both characters and action will stay within benign limits.
Since many women like horses as well as men, the settings and plots of this genre are popular. Heroines can be young and inexperienced, but they are often older but wiser in today's literature. One thing they have in common is strength, in their own characters and in the faith that keeps them going in the right direction. Of course, it could be the hero who has the faith to bring things to a satisfactory close and two lovers together.
The man, of course, will have his own shrouded past or present entanglements, and either or both might have children to add to the mix. Secrets can include failed marriages, children born out of wedlock before salvation turned things around, time spent in prison, or problems with drugs or alcohol. Christian principles and compassion can overcome obstacles that ordinarily might make a happy future impossible.
Traditionally, the hero is devastatingly attractive. He sets all hearts aflutter, whether innocent young ones or those which have been damaged beyond repair. Inevitably, our cowboy rides off into the Texas sunlight without a backward look. This is a real bummer for the pretty woman left behind who can't compete with the lure of the open road or the excitement of the rodeo.
A believing cowboy will have the conviction to accept responsibility and settle down with our heroine. She, of course, can and will make up for all the pleasures of the open road. No matter how much we the readers value realistic characters and believable plots, we still want the happy ending.
The fact is that romance is endlessly interesting. Most of us have one or more in our own past that we can relive a little when we read tales of love under the western skies. It's also fun to read about sincere conversions, when men and women accept the love of God and get healing for their past and hope for the future.
A man, a woman, the Lord, and the wide open spaces. It doesn't get much better than this.
The west is as full of adventure today as it was in the days of the pioneers. The mountains are still rugged, the plains endless, and the sky huge and empty. This makes it easy to create believable settings and story lines that frame the characters and create complications. The Christian nature of these stories will be reassuring for those who hesitate to read conventional modern novels; both characters and action will stay within benign limits.
Since many women like horses as well as men, the settings and plots of this genre are popular. Heroines can be young and inexperienced, but they are often older but wiser in today's literature. One thing they have in common is strength, in their own characters and in the faith that keeps them going in the right direction. Of course, it could be the hero who has the faith to bring things to a satisfactory close and two lovers together.
The man, of course, will have his own shrouded past or present entanglements, and either or both might have children to add to the mix. Secrets can include failed marriages, children born out of wedlock before salvation turned things around, time spent in prison, or problems with drugs or alcohol. Christian principles and compassion can overcome obstacles that ordinarily might make a happy future impossible.
Traditionally, the hero is devastatingly attractive. He sets all hearts aflutter, whether innocent young ones or those which have been damaged beyond repair. Inevitably, our cowboy rides off into the Texas sunlight without a backward look. This is a real bummer for the pretty woman left behind who can't compete with the lure of the open road or the excitement of the rodeo.
A believing cowboy will have the conviction to accept responsibility and settle down with our heroine. She, of course, can and will make up for all the pleasures of the open road. No matter how much we the readers value realistic characters and believable plots, we still want the happy ending.
The fact is that romance is endlessly interesting. Most of us have one or more in our own past that we can relive a little when we read tales of love under the western skies. It's also fun to read about sincere conversions, when men and women accept the love of God and get healing for their past and hope for the future.
A man, a woman, the Lord, and the wide open spaces. It doesn't get much better than this.
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