In the world of the evangelical romance novel, sex and desire are mitigated by an omnipresent third party, the divine. This book states that women's interpretations demonstrate the constant negotiations that characterize evangelical living. It shows the aesthetic sensibility to help alter conventional understandings, both secular and religious.

The reading of inspirational fiction emerges from and reinforces an evangelical lifestyle, Neal argues, but women's interpretations of the stories demonstrate the constant negotiations that characterize evangelical living. Neal's study of religion in practice highlights evangelicalism's aesthetic sensibility and helps to alter conventional understandings - both secular and religious - of this prominent subculture.