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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Who Wouldn’t Be Excited to Read This New Series from a Debut Author?

by Chautona Havig · Leave a Comment

Crystal Caudill's debut novel, Counterfeit Love, promises to be amazing. I mean, I'm fighting to put it down already and I'm on chapter one! via @chautonahavig

This week, I got to chat with a wonderful debut author, Crystal Caudill.  The first of the three-book series, Hidden Hearts of the Gilded Age, releases on March 22, 2022, and oh wow!  I got my copy early (don’t ask me how, but it arrived the other day!) and it’s STUNNING.

Caudill takes readers into the Gilded Age and introduces us to Secret Service Agents who are out to stop counterfeiting!  A true history aficionado, this author not only writes historical fiction, but it’s also her favorite read, too!

Crystal Caudill interview

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

Who Wouldn’t Be Excited to Read This New Series from a Debut Author?

As I said in the episode, Lori Wick’s To Know Her by Name is about an undercover Secret Service agent in Colorado and has been one of my favorite books for a long time.  But based on what I’m seeing in Counterfeit Love by Crystal Caudill, I suspect this series might be as good… or better!

Taking place during the Gilded Age, the series promises to showcase three Secret Service agents over the three-book series, one of which is from one of those wealthy families we often associate with those years.

As I said, I don’t know how it happened, but my copy arrived yesterday, and though I am only on the first chapter, I am already riveted. For those who care?  I can’t STAND Theresa’s fiance.  DUMP THE BUM!  That’s my opinion, anyway. Obviously, she disagrees, and since I already like her, I’m giving her the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps this guy is only unreasonable, controlling, and a bit of a bully about her grandfather instead of about getting his way.  Yeah. Let’s go with that.

Note: no spoilers here… you can read that much on the first page of the “look inside.”  Just being honest.

But seriously, this book is already so good!  For example, we’re predisposed to love a grandpa who we know has made some dumb decisions from that first page as well. Any man who would give up something he loved to raise a granddaughter is a hero in my book, despite other… failings. 😉

The other books will probably release about every year or so.

Insert wailing and gnashing of teeth here.  Seriously, how are we supposed to wait this long? At least Crystal promises to come up with new book ideas as soon as she turns in book three of this series in May.

Okay, that might have been a bit of an exaggeration of what she actually said was that she couldn’t think about it until then, but that’s what that means. Right?  Of course, right!  (Name that movie!)

Crystal Caudill Counterfeit LoveCounterfeit Love by Crystal Caudill

Can this undercover agent save the woman he loves–or is her heart as counterfeit as the money he’s been sent to track down?

After all that Grandfather has sacrificed to raise her, Theresa Plane owes it to him to save the family name. That means clearing their debt with creditors before she marries Edward Greystone. But when one of the creditors’ threats leads her to stumble across a midnight meeting, she discovers that the money he owes isn’t all Grandfather was hiding. And the secrets he kept have now trapped Theresa in a life-threatening fight for her home–and the truth.

After months of undercover work, Secret Service operative Broderick Cosgrove is finally about to uncover the identity of the leader of a notorious counterfeiting ring. That moment of triumph turns to horror, however, when he finds undeniable proof that his former fiancée is connected. Can he really believe the woman he loved is a willing participant? Protecting Theresa and proving her innocence may destroy his career–but that’s better than failing her twice in one lifetime.

They must form a partnership, tentative though it is. But there’s no question they’re both still keeping secrets. That lack of trust, along with the dangerous criminals out for their blood, threatens their hearts, their faith, and their very survival.

Combining rich history, danger, suspense, and romance, Crystal Caudill’s debut novel launches this new historical series with a bang. Fans of Elizabeth Camden, Michelle Griep, and Joanna Davidson Politano will be thrilled to find another author to follow!

You can find out more about Crystal Caudill on her WEBSITE where you can also sign up for her newsletter and get her short story, “Banking on Love” FREE.

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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.

Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at:

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Episode 231: A Chat with RomCom author, Shannon Sue Dunlap
Episode 231: A Chat with RomCom author, Shannon Sue Dunlap
May 26, 2023
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Episode 230: A Chat with Bryan Timothy Mitchell
May 17, 2023
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Episode 229: A Chat about Murmur in the Mud Caves with Kathleen Denly
May 12, 2023
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Episode 228: A Chat with Author Emilie Haney
May 9, 2023
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Episode 227: A Chat about the New Jewels of Kalispell Series
May 5, 2023
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Episode 226: A Chat with Archaeological Thriller Author, Doug Powell
May 2, 2023
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Episode 225: A Chat with Dani Pettrey
April 28, 2023
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Episode 224: A Chat with Author Megan Besing
April 25, 2023
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Episode 223: A Chat with Tosca Lee about A Long March Home
April 21, 2023
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Episode 222: A Chat with Regina Rudd Merrick
April 18, 2023
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