In books, you meet various types of female protagonists, some that you hate, some that you love, and others that stay in your heart because of their actions, beliefs, and, most importantly, their strength. These books have female characters that are strong even when they are weak and have the power to fight even when they want to give up, just like every woman in this world. Below I have listed books with female characters that I truly loved and believe to be a personification of resilience and power to read during this Woman’s History Month (and for the rest of the year).
Heartache Falls by Emily March – This is the second book in the Eternity Springs Series which encompasses 18 books. The book is set in Eternity Springs, a small town in Colorado which is said to be a place of refuge and healing for those whose souls need it. In this book, Ali Timberlake is a stay-at-home wife and mom who realizes that she is not happy in her life. She takes the decision to go to Eternity Springs without her husband Mac, a successful judge, to look for the missing piece of herself that is focused on finding the lost part of her. Mac goes to Eternity Springs to get the woman he loves back but finds a different version of his wife there. This is a story about learning to find yourself, to give love a second chance, and to grow with the people you love.
The Me I Used To Be by Jennifer Ryan – The book follows Evangeline Austen as she returns from jail for a crime she never committed to her family’s ranch, hoping to rebuild her life. For Evangeline, life froze in jail but it moved on for everyone else and now she is out in the world again. Now, she has the opportunity to help her family ranch, put away the people who framed her, and just maybe become the woman she was meant to be before her arrest. This book broke my heart but also healed it, teaching various lessons on life that everyone should hold true to their heart. This is a story of redemption, suspense, hope, learning to accept the past, and forging your own future.
Lost and Found Family by Jennifer Ryan – Sarah Anderson has been protecting her husband’s secrets from his mother and their sons since his death. The keeping of these secrets causes her mother-in-law, Margaret, to hate Sarah and threaten to take away her sons. To maintain the peace, Sarah does a six-week visit to Margaret which may bring the past to light. An unlikely ally comes in the form of Luke Thompson, Margaret’s attorney, who learns that Sarah’s truth is different from what he believed. This story is about one woman’s sacrifices and struggles, family, love, hope for the future, and losing the past to gain a future.
The Ending I Want by Samantha Towle – This book is about Taylor Shaw, who recovered from a brain tumor at the age of 16 but then lost her entire family in a tragic way. From that day on, Taylor has never lived her life until her brain tumor returns, so she decides to take control of her life, deciding that she wants to join her family. That’s the ending she wants but before she goes, she has to complete her bucket list, which brings her to Liam Hunter, the man who may change things, and he just might change her ending. This book is about illness, facing your fears, finding love, and living life to the fullest because there is no other option.
Arden and the Girl Downstairs by Amber Davis – The book is about Arden who bought an apartment block to turn into a house for him and his friends but it came with a tenant who lives downstairs – Ella. Ella deals with chronic pain and gynecological issues that have never been resolved, which makes her life immensely difficult and lonely. Ella and Arden meet through a series of pranks and forgotten nights as they both try to deal with their pain, both emotional and physical. This book is worth reading just for the simple understanding of the strength it takes to live with a chronic illness but also because of the banter, love, maturity, and understanding that can grow between two people once they meet their match.
As a side note: The order of these books is not my ranking of them, I have read these books and thoroughly enjoyed reading these female characters. To know more about these books please go on to Goodreads to learn more.
I read mainly the romance genre, which is considerably large, but still a small part of the various genres of books. There are many additional books present that showcase a strong female main character that can be an inspiration, guiding light, a voice of reason, and more to other women and even men in the world. I hope the ladies in these books connect with you as they have with me and provide your life with some strength, wisdom, emotion, and self-love.