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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

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

by Chautona Havig · Leave a Comment

The first book in the Sweetheart Series by Shannon Sue Dunlap released this week, and Lone Star Sweetheart has me in stitches. via @chautonahavig

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.

shannon sue dunlap

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 DunlapLone 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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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 467: A Chat with Elizabeth Goddard
byChautona Havig

Lovers of romantic suspense know the name Elizabeth Goddard.  How could they not?  I had a chat about her most recent release, Perilous Tides, and boy does this one sound great! Listen in to learn more.

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

 In this book, we head up to Washington state and encounter bad weather, murder, an ex-Green Beret (are you ever ex special forces, though? Really?), and a whole lot of danger!

Perilous Tides by Elizabeth Goddard

High-Stakes Romantic Suspense from USA Today Bestselling Author Elizabeth Goddard

Three years after her mother’s suspicious death, forensic artist Jo Cattrel is in hiding, working at a storm-watching lodge along the Washington coast. When her father sends her a disturbing and cryptic message, Jo leaves the safety of the lodge to find him. But during the ferry crossing, Jo witnesses a murder–and becomes a target.

More surprising to Jo than being in danger is the identity of the person who steps in to protect her–none other than her ex, former Green Beret Cole Mercer. Now a private investigator, Cole has been looking into her mother’s death. If he can just uncover the truth, maybe Jo can end her self-imposed captivity and the two of them can pick up the pieces and build a future together.

As Cole and Jo search for answers, the past rushes in like a dangerous tide before the truth can be revealed.

 Grab your copies from Bakerbookhouse.com available at 30% off with free shipping!!!

Learn more about Elizabeth Goddard on her WEBSITE and follow her on BookBub and GoodReads.

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

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  • and more!
Episode 467: A Chat with Elizabeth Goddard
Episode 467: A Chat with Elizabeth Goddard
September 15, 2025
Chautona Havig
Episode 466: A Chat with Jennifer L. Wright
September 13, 2025
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Episode 465: A Chat with DiAnn Mills
September 8, 2025
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Episode 464: A Chat with Amy R. Anguish
September 6, 2025
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Episode 463: A Chat with Jenelle Hovde
September 5, 2025
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Episode 462: A Chat with Mary Pat Johns
September 1, 2025
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Episode 461: A Chat with Roseanna M. White
August 31, 2025
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Episode 460: A Chat with Christine Hill Suntz
August 25, 2025
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Episode 459: A Chat with Angela Carlisle
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Episode 458: A Chat with Sara Brunsvold
August 18, 2025
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Pointed Suspicion released on September 1, 2025 AN Pointed Suspicion released on September 1, 2025 AND... one chapter is being released each weekday until it's all up! Find them at https://www.youtube.com/@christadelsorbo/videos . One chapter a day on weekdays.  When all chapters are up, @ChristaDelSorbo will put up the complete audiobook there as well. Don't miss the prequel through the series adjacent Christmas novel available in individual chapters OR as complete audiobooks.

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The fabulous @ChristaDelSorbo has narrated many of The fabulous @ChristaDelSorbo has narrated many of my books, including The Last Gasp--a mystery set in 1920s Hollywood and with a Cinderella twist.
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