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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Is Above the Fold Really the Best Place to Be?

by Chautona Havig · 10 Comments

Above the Fold--Is it a great fiction novel to kick off the new year or... well, shocker of shockers, you'll have to read and find out. *whistles via @chautonahavig

“I found a picture.”

Okay, so I should point out that I can’t remember who I said this to. Was it my friend? My launch team? In my Reader Group? Whoever I said it to wasn’t surprised. But I couldn’t stop talking about it.

“Can’t you see it? She could be Madeline’s daughter—a reporter. But with a mother like Madeline… she couldn’t help but be curious. And observant. Not only that, she’d be just about the right age in the 1920s…”

And just like that, I had a new series planned.

Is it any wonder that when I found out about a new book about a female wannabe reporter in 1920s Pittsburgh, I immediately decided to review it? Although I requested and received a free review copy of Above the Fold, I read it on Kindle Unlimited #becauselostbook.

Okay, so my Reading Challenge just happened to have a need for a “Book set in the 1920s.” How convenient was it that this just happened to fit that? Woot! But… would I like it?

Is Above the Fold Really the Best Place to Be?

Note: links are likely affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you. Additionally, I was provided with a free copy of the book and chose to review it.

Is Above the Fold Really the Best Place to Be?

Well, if you’re a newspaper reporter, definitely. It’s such a big deal, that website designers still call the first full screen when you land on a website “above the fold.” So, what about the book? Um… I’d say behind Above the Fold is where you want to be… those words right in front of your eyes so you don’t miss a single one.

Why? So many reasons, but one of the biggest is that Rachel Scott McDaniel tackled a bunch of things that I usually groan to see and did them well. I can’t tell you all of them without giving some spoilers, but I’ll say this.

In novels, sometimes girls’ attitudes about why they won’t trust a guy grow old and tedious—predictable. You’ve seen that same thing, over and over again. It bores the brain. Ms. McDaniel seems to have walked in and said, “Someone has to do something decent with this idea, and if no one else will, then I’ll have to.”

Abandoned years ago, Elissa Tillman still smarts. Her childhood “traumas” still fester and affect her decisions. Everything she said and did had been tainted and influenced by her past, but in a way so believable it didn’t annoy. Thank goodness!

Okay, so I tend to figure out mysteries pretty quickly.

It comes from inhaling them from age about eight. Or so I assume. Did I know who did it and why pretty early? Most of it. But not all. And a surprising twist at the end really did catch me by surprise. It shouldn’t have. It wasn’t a cheap trick like some authors have done. There were plenty of clues. I just was so wrapped up in the story that I missed it.

Just as Rachel Scott McDaniel intended. Well done.

For some foolish reason, I thought I’d remembered it being a Thomas Nelson book and was thrilled at the depth of spiritual truths layered into the story. Then I saw that I’d been wrong. Thank you, Smitten Historical Romance, for publishing rich Christian fiction. I’m grateful for the free review copy I was provided with, but I read the book on Kinde Unlimited. Maybe now I’ll find that copy… *whistles*

There’s more to Above the Fold than immersion into the 1920s newspaper and Prohibition scene. Amid speakeasies and the seedier side of Pittsburgh, a solid mystery, a beautiful tale of faith, and a troubled but tender romance flourish on the pages.

My first book to make my favorites of 2020 list. Impressive.

Recommended for lovers of Christian fiction, historical fiction, 20s fiction, and words. In the words of Publisher Tillman: “I work with words every day, but in the end, only His Word matters.”

Amen.

Oh, and don’t’ let the lackluster synopsis/description dissuade you.  The book is a million times better.

Above the FoldAbout the Book

Book: Above the Fold

Author: Rachel Scott McDaniel

Genre: Historical Romance

Release Date: December 3, 2019

Confined behind a secretarial desk at her father’s struggling newspaper, Elissa Tillman longs for her father and the world to take her seriously—not just as a suffragette, but also as a full-fledged journalist.

Cole Parker regrets the day he’d abandoned Pittsburgh to chase a high-profile journalism job in New York, but now he’s returned to the steel city to amend his mistakes and win back the woman he once spurned.

The murder of a millionaire offers the perfect chance for Elissa to nab the headline and prove her skills. But there’s a catch. To get her story above the fold, she must compete for it. Her rival is none other than Cole Parker, the very man who shattered her heart.

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Comments

  1. Peggy Nunn says

    January 20, 2020 at 5:17 am

    This sounds very interesting and I am looking forward to reading it.

    Reply
  2. Caryl Kane says

    January 17, 2020 at 3:03 pm

    Above the Fold sounds like one not to miss! Thank you for being part of the tour.

    Reply
  3. Arletta says

    January 16, 2020 at 6:15 pm

    I have not read very much CF that takes place in the 20s. I love this synopsis. Sounds like an interesting read.

    Reply
  4. Rachel McDaniel says

    January 16, 2020 at 10:48 am

    This made me tear up. Thank you for your honest and thoughtful review of Above the Fold. It made my day ??

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      January 16, 2020 at 3:54 pm

      Aw… glad you liked it?? I loved the book. Brilliant. And I think you and your husband and I and my husband would really enjoy chatting movies. We’re Marple fans, too. 450 to Paddington is my favorite, but I do love The Moving Finger.

      Joan Hickson is my favorite Miss Marple, and not just because Agatha Christie handpicked her YEARS before she was old enough to play the role.

      Reply
      • Rachel McDaniel says

        January 17, 2020 at 5:03 pm

        450 to Paddington was genius. I didn’t see that ending coming!!! The Moving Finger is a great one, too. I LOVE Megan’s character. I also really liked Sleeping Murder that whole premise is just brilliant. One of those- Oh man, I wish I would’ve thought of that first!- kinda things.
        And I totally agree with you Joan Hickson is Miss Marple as much as David Suchet is Poirot! ????

        Reply
        • Chautona Havig says

          January 18, 2020 at 7:53 am

          Is sleeping murder the one where it’s the house she lived in as a little girl and had forgotten about?

          Reply
          • Rachel McDaniel says

            January 18, 2020 at 5:29 pm

            Yes! That’s the one!!

  5. Suzanne Sellner says

    January 16, 2020 at 9:12 am

    I’m impressed with Above the Fold and look forward to reading it!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Review of “Above the Fold” by Rachel Scott McDaniel-A “Celebrate Lit” Book Tour - She Lives to Read says:
    January 21, 2020 at 5:37 am

    […] Just the Write Escape, January 16 […]

    Reply

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 231: A Chat with RomCom author, Shannon Sue Dunlap
byChautona Havig

Shannon Sue Dunlap isn’t new to rom-coms, and her first book in the Sweetheart Series promises to be a literary riot, and it lives up to that promise. I’m only halfway through it and am thinking mean, ugly thoughts of everything keeping me from being able to escape into the crazy small-town politics and quirky characters. So far the com far outweighs the rom, which makes me thrilled to bits. Listen in to discover what makes Lone Star Sweetheart so much fun.

Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

Why Did This Author Write a Rom-Com about a Loveable Shrew?

Well, I think we can safely blame Shakespeare for that. Shannon Sue Dunlap has taken inspiration from Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew in her Katherine, but unlike Katerina, Dunlap’s character is actually trying to learn to tame the tongue. Maybe someone should send her over to the book of James. There’s that whole bit about not being able to tame it, being an “unruly evil, full of deadly poison.”

Kate’s isn’t that bad, but not for lack of trying. Or something.

Shannon Sue Dunlap isn’t joking when she says that her Katherine is a “loveable” shrew. Seriously, I love this character. She’s forthright, no-nonsense, and “what you see is what you get” in her approach to life. I respect that. Add to that her boss who has shaken up the town of Sweetheart, Texas, and you’ve got the makings of a great story. I’m loving Lone Star Sweetheart.

But this isn’t all Dunlap has written.

Under the pseudonym, Shannon Kent, you can find her sweet and clean romances (including one Christian romance) inspired by Korean dramas. If you said I’d be not only chomping to read a sweet and clean romance about Korean tour guides and all that entails but also ready to watch a Korean drama on Netflix… Okay, I might not have laughed in your face, but I’d’ve been laughing on the inside.

Best part… one of them ties into her Sweetheart Series

Lone Star Sweetheart by Shannon Sue Dunlap

Katherine Bruno’s passionate, unfiltered temper makes her the shrew of small-town Sweetheart, Texas. When she’s drafted to help the mayor’s wife run against her own husband, Katherine meets opposing big city political consultant Ryan Park. The good-looking, flirtatious campaign manager gets under her skin, but fraternizing with the enemy is off-limits.

Katherine must battle her lack of experience, campaign sabotage, and her growing feelings for Ryan as she strives to succeed. His unprejudiced acceptance of her strong-willed character beckons her heart, but his jaded rejection of God is an insurmountable barrier. Will Ryan return to his faith and stay with her in Sweetheart or leave when the election ends?

You can find out more about Shannon Sue Dunlap AND get that first novella in the Korean Crush series free on her WEBSITE.

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