Using interviews with those involved in creating, distributing, and reading evangelical romance novels, as well as analysis of the novels, fan mail, and poll information, I examine the ways women read and interpret Christian romances. For the readers, I argue, the novels divine a destiny firmly under God's control, while still allowing them to address struggles and hopes--with family, with God's love, with entertainment-in their lives. Through daily Christian romance reading, evangelical women escape family life, construct religious identity, and redeem secular entertainment. Reading provides these women with a space that affords privacy, pleasure, and the promise of God's enduring love. Their interpretations do not parrot authors' prescriptions, but rather, readers actively participate in the stories and apply them to their lives through concepts of relevance and spiritual edification. Through examining this neglected source and reading practice, this study contributes to scholarship on evangelicalism, and addresses one of the central concerns of popular culture and popular religion: the daily lives of ordinary people. This dissertation reveals how readers transform romance reading into a practice with religious significance, and as a result, it helps illumine the popular religion of many evangelical women.