Deeanne Gist Books In Order

Publication Order of Essie Spreckelmeyer Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Deeanne Gist is an award-winning and international bestselling Christian, inspirational and historical romance novelist who has sold millions of novels. Her novels have captivated readers and made bestseller lists across the world. They have been critically acclaimed by the likes of USA Today and the New York Times. Among her many awards include a Best Long Historical of the Year RITA Award, Golden Quill, National Readers’ Choice Award, Book Buyers’ Best, Librarians Choice and RT Reviewers Best Historical of the Year among many others. Deeanne wrote her debut novel “A Bride Most Begrudging” in 2005 and has never looked back since. She has since then written more than ten novels including the Essie Spreckelmeyer series. According to USA Today, Gist writes in an eye-opening, never intrusive and absorbing manner that captures all the historical details while her characters are authentic and rich. Her credits include informative and entertaining presentations in the Wall Street Journal, features in publications such as Parenting, People Magazine and Parents. Given her success, she is a judge of historical romance for the Romance Writers of America RITA Award. She currently lives with her husband in South Carolina and when she is not writing her novels, she loves to boat and keep up with her fans on social media and on her blog, which has a very active community.

Deeanne took a circuitous route to publishing though she has asserted that faith has always been an integral part of it. She was introduced to Christ at about the same time she was learning about the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, and Santa. But one by one, the imaginary fairy tales fell by the wayside as she grew older and took her faith more seriously. When she was nine, she committed her life to Christ and faith is now an integral part of everything that she does. She has cited her closest friends, the Holy Spirit, her pastor and parents as the biggest influences in her fiction. Speaking about her journey to publishing/writing, Gist retired from a teaching job to become a stay at home mother since she had four children all of whom were under four. However, she did not start writing straight away as she got a job as a freelance journalist working out of home and achieved some considerable success in her new career. She had always loved reading romances but over time she was more concerned that the heroines in the stories she read did not reflect her moral values. Gist therefore decided to write Christian and inspirational novels about people that come from adversity but who also honor God while finding love.

One thing that Deeanna Gist is known for is her directness in describing the realities of attraction between women and men and her characters’ desires. Surprisingly, for a Christian romance author, none of her characters are censured as they feel desire, they swear when they want to and even have uncharitable thoughts. In a recent interview, she said that she does this as she needs the novel to be as realistic as possible though she does give her editor a little leeway when it comes to the editing. This is probably because she is a huge reader of romances and knows what makes a story work. Deeanna does not necessarily stick to Christian or inspirational fiction as her favorites are historical romances, particularly those set in American history. However, her favorite novel of all time is “To Kill A Mockingbird,” which surprisingly has nothing to do with romance. As for Christian romance, her favorite authors are Liz Curtis Higgs, Beverly Lewis, and Francine Rivers. For secular authors, she loves the works of historical romance authors Pamela Morsi and Spencer LaVyrle.

“Courting Trouble” by Deanne Gist is the story of Essie Spreckelmeyer who is tired of waiting for the man who would make her his wife. She had long since given up looking for a match made in heaven and now wants a perfect Texan. But despite her lack of suitors, she is quite the achiever as she can catch snakes, slide down banisters and ride bikes like no one else in town. However, most people in her hometown including her mother believe she is not the ideal woman. Essie believes that it would take an extraordinary man who appreciates her impulsiveness and carefree nature much like her father. Despite their hopes, such as man does not seem to live in the small town of Corsicana, Texas. When she turns thirty in 1894, she thinks that maybe the Lord does not have the time to find her a husband. She decides to take things into her own hands and find one herself. Essie compiles a list of all the eligible men in Corsicana including all their worst and their best attributes. Always the impulsive one, she closes her eyes and twirling her finger picks one of the suitors. But it is not going to be easy to convince him that he won the lottery. Is she just courting trouble or will she succeed in snagging the dream husband?

“Deep in the Heart of Trouble” by Deanne Gist is set four years after the first novel. Essie Spreckelmeyer was looking for a husband at the end of “Courting Trouble” but now seems to have passed on that. She is now running her father’s business and has made quite a name for herself in the male-dominated business. She also founded and runs the local bicycling club and she would not change her life for anything even if it was the husband made in heaven. But while she can deal with the testosterone and pitfalls that come with running her company and the bicycle club, she was never prepared for Tony Morgan, a headstrong and handsome man that barges into her life without warning. He had been expecting to inherit a massive fortune only to learn that he had been cruelly and abruptly disinherited from the family’s oil empire. He sets out to find a living in the industry he has worked in his whole life only to run into the biggest challenge – earning the love of the woman that is now his employer. At first, he only wants to work and prove to everyone that he deserved his name and fortune. But a few months in, he is falling for the independent, bossy and blond Essie. Will she put her pride aside and give love a chance and will he take the chance when it is finally presented?