• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Bio
  • Bookshelf
    • Audio
    • Complete List of Chautona’s Books
    • The Rockland Chronicles
      • The Vintage Wren
      • The Aggie Series
      • The Hartfield Mysteries
      • Sight Unseen Series
        • Sight Unseen Series Archives
      • The Agency Files
      • Christmas Fiction
    • Legacy of the Vines
    • Meddlin’ Madeline
      • Madeline Blog Archive
    • Ballads from the Hearth
      • Ballads from the Hearth Blog Archive
    • Legends of the Vengeance
    • Journey of Dreams
    • Wynnewood
    • Webster’s Bakery
    • The Not-So-Fairy Tales
    • Heart of Warwickshire
  • Start HERE
    • If You Like…
    • Characters
    • Suggested Reading Order
    • Free Books
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Podcast
    • Podcast Guest Information
    • Podcast Interview FAQ
  • Merch Shop
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • Bonus
  • New & Coming
Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Just What Does God Have to Do With Her Love Life, Anyway?

by Chautona Havig · Leave a Comment

If you're looking for rich Christian fiction with diverse cultures and relatable topics then look no further than Joan Embola! via @chautonahavig

Sovereign Love. The words evoke that rich, deep, faith-filled fiction I love so much, and Joan Embola has a whole series focused on God’s sovereignty in all areas of our lives–even love. What more could a romance lover ask for? Rich characterization? Got it. Diverse cultures? Yep. More books to come?  Mmm…hmmm… Listen in and learn why I opened the first book on my Kindle tonight.

Joan Embola

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

Just What Does God Have to Do With Her Love Life, Anyway?

Look, life is too short and love is too important to get it wrong, right? Yet how often do we dive into it without even considering what the only omniscient Being in history might think about it? Just throwing that out there!

Joan Embola has a series of Christian romances that deals with much more than warm fuzzies and “following your heart” (thank the Lord for that!). Instead, she deals with some pretty deep topics, adds some rich African culture, and weaves it all through the threads of faith. What more could you want from Christian fiction?

I’ve only read the first chapter, but I’m already hooked, so there’s that!

Joan’s books deal with the after-effects of high school bullying, family expectations, floundering faith, and so much more. Even better… get this. Joan (a Brit from London), wrote these books and set them in America and added West African culture in to spice things up for us. How cool is that?

One of the things we talked about was how the darker times are often when we learn to rely on the Lord (or we run from Him) the most. It reminded me of this song here, and I was so excited to find this acapella version.  The words to one line go, “The darker the valley the more I learn to pray.”

There is another line that these guys seem to sing a bit differently from the words I know, but I can’t quite understand what they say. The words go, “Thank You for every hill I’ve climbed–for every time that the sun didn’t shine. Thank You for every lonely night I prayed ’til I knew everything was all right.”  But I don’t quite understand the word they use instead of “climb.” Can you tell?

 

Joan Embola The one who sees meThe One Who Sees Me: A Contemporary Christian Workplace Romance by Joan Embola

IS GOD SOVEREIGN OVER MISTAKES AND FAILURES?

Heather Osborne’s past consisted of partying, drugs, and thriving on the attention of men… until her cycle of pain and rejection brought her to the feet of Jesus. For four years, she has been struggling to shake off her demons, and when her business fails, she returns home to start a marketing internship. But Heather gets more than she bargained for when she is assigned to work with the handsome son of the CEO.

Emmanuel Madu, the managing director of Madu Health, is not sold on his father’s plan for him to take over the family business. When he is coerced to supervise the new marketing intern, he accepts it for fear of disappointing his father. But when the red-haired, green-eyed intern walks into his life and challenges his cowardice, their budding friendship forces Emmanuel to reassess his values and convictions.

When Heather starts developing feelings for Emmanuel, she finds herself torn between returning to her old habits and fighting to embrace her new life of faith in God. And with time running out for Emmanuel, he must decide whether to continue living in his father’s shadow or break up his family by walking away.

The One Who Sees Me, book three in the Sovereign Love series, is an uplifting standalone novel about forgiveness and learning to take comfort in the sovereign goodness of a loving God who sees all our struggles.

Learn more about Joan Embola on her WEBSITE.

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

  • Apple 
  • Castbox 
  • Google Play
  • Libsyn 
  • RSS
  • Spotify
  • Stitcher
  • Amazon
  • and more!

 

Share
Pin
Post
Email
Share
Pin
Post
Email

Filed Under: Because Fiction Podcast

Previous Post: « Why Are Avid Suspense Readers Looking Forward to Summer Heat?
Next Post: What Makes Me Think a Cyber Attack Sounds Like a Good Read? »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Or, you can subscribe without commenting.

Primary Sidebar

The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 579: A Chat with Lauren Smyth
byChautona Havig

Dystopian in the desert? Sign me up! Seriously, listen in while Lauren Smyth and I chat all things “glowy” in the desert!

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

Not a lot of people write books about the boring Mojave Desert. When they do, I take note. Especially when it’s a super-cool dystopian delight! EEEP!

All That Glows by Lauren Smyth

The apocalypse didn’t take everyone. It just took us. Ever since the rain turned green, Kyrie’s world has been bathed in glowing dust. She packs it into old mascara tubes and sells it as makeup alongside dried cacti, threadbare blankets, and long-expired canned food. There’s not much else to do when everyone outside Kyrie’s small town in the Mojave Desert died from the plague-bearing rain ten years ago. Everyone—except the man in the rubber mask. He’s on the dangerous side of the fence, huffing infected air like it’s nothing, babbling to Kyrie about college and umbrellas and yogurt and everything else that disappeared the day it rained. He doesn’t seem to know that the world ended, and he has no explanation for how he survived the apocalypse. But Kyrie doesn’t believe in ghosts. She can’t trust him, but he’s right about one thing: Towns without secrets aren’t surrounded by chain-link fences. And chain-link fences won’t keep out the plague forever.

Learn more on Lauren’s WEBSITE and follow on GoodReads and BookBub.

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

  • Apple
  • Castbox
  • Google Play
  • Libsyn
  • RSS
  • Spotify
  • Amazon
  • YouTube
  • and more!
Episode 579: A Chat with Lauren Smyth
Episode 579: A Chat with Lauren Smyth
September 9, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 578: A Chat with Carolyn Bourke
September 7, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 577: A Chat with Denise M. Colby
September 5, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 576: A Chat with Ann Swindell
August 31, 2026
Chautona Havig
A Chat with Dante Lupinetti
August 29, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 574: A Chat with Laura DeNooyer
August 24, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 573: A Chat with Cheryl Weber
August 22, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 572: A Chat with Kari Trumbo
August 19, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 571: A Chat with Lucas and Shauna Fischhaber
August 17, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 570: A Chat with Niki Florica
August 15, 2026
Chautona Havig
Search Results placeholder

Love Audio Books?

audio book ad

Featured Books

Take Cover

Take Cover

CrossWords

CrossWords

Be My Inspiration

Be My Inspiration

Upcoming Posts

Sorry - nothing planned yet!

Or just subscribe to the newsletter

Recent Blog Posts

  • So, There Was That Time I Forgot What I Knew…
  • “Be Careful Little Mouth What You Say” Ain’t No Lie
  • Why Romance Is a Hairy Proposition (or is that proposal?)

I buy my stickers here! (affiliate)

Custom Stickers, Die Cut Stickers, Bumper Stickers - Sticker Mule
One foolish night sparks an accusation that threat One foolish night sparks an accusation that threatens to ruin multiple lives. Savannah never meant to let things go so far, and she certainly never meant to say anything so heinous. When she disappears the whole town knows it has to be HIS fault, that Mac.
Quite possibly my favorite book of all I've written.
Available in print and on Kindle Unlimited. https://amzn.to/4gONyQa #affiliatelink
#ChristFic
#ChristianRomance
When Hollywood's prince abdicates his cinematic th When Hollywood's prince abdicates his cinematic throne for Bible college and a cigarillo girl, Gary Prinz assumes all threats against him are hyperbole rather than serious. But when shots ring out and people start dropping at his final movie premiere, things look dire--especially when that cigarillo girl is arrested for the murders.
Set in 1926 Hollywood, this Cinderella-esque mystery is available in print, on Kindle (and Kindle Unlimited), and audiobook (available on all platforms), or listen FREE on YouTube @ChristaDelSorbo.
https://amzn.to/4xvQRCQ #affiliatelink
#ChristFic
#ChristianMystery
#HistoricalChristianMystery
One foolish night sparks an accusation that threat One foolish night sparks an accusation that threatens to ruin multiple lives. Savannah never meant to let things go so far, and she certainly never meant to say anything so heinous. When she disappears the whole town knows it has to be HIS fault, that Mac.
Quite possibly my favorite book of all I've written.
Available in print and on Kindle Unlimited. https://amzn.to/4gONyQa #affiliatelink
#ChristFic
#ChristianRomance
When Hollywood's prince abdicates his cinematic th When Hollywood's prince abdicates his cinematic throne for Bible college and a cigarillo girl, Gary Prinz assumes all threats against him are hyperbole rather than serious. But when shots ring out and people start dropping at his final movie premiere, things look dire--especially when that cigarillo girl is arrested for the murders.
Set in 1926 Hollywood, this Cinderella-esque mystery is available in print, on Kindle (and Kindle Unlimited), and audiobook (available on all platforms), or listen FREE on YouTube @ChristaDelSorbo.
https://amzn.to/4xvQRCQ #affiliatelink
#ChristFic
#ChristianMystery
#HistoricalChristianMystery
One foolish night sparks an accusation that threat One foolish night sparks an accusation that threatens to ruin multiple lives. Savannah never meant to let things go so far, and she certainly never meant to say anything so heinous. When she disappears the whole town knows it has to be HIS fault, that Mac.
Quite possibly my favorite book of all I've written.
Available in print and on Kindle Unlimited. https://amzn.to/4gONyQa #affiliatelink
#ChristFic
#ChristianRomance
When Hollywood's prince abdicates his cinematic th When Hollywood's prince abdicates his cinematic throne for Bible college and a cigarillo girl, Gary Prinz assumes all threats against him are hyperbole rather than serious. But when shots ring out and people start dropping at his final movie premiere, things look dire--especially when that cigarillo girl is arrested for the murders.
Set in 1926 Hollywood, this Cinderella-esque mystery is available in print, on Kindle (and Kindle Unlimited), and audiobook (available on all platforms), or listen FREE on YouTube @ChristaDelSorbo.
https://amzn.to/4xvQRCQ #affiliatelink
#ChristFic
#ChristianMystery
#HistoricalChristianMystery
One foolish night sparks an accusation that threat One foolish night sparks an accusation that threatens to ruin multiple lives. Savannah never meant to let things go so far, and she certainly never meant to say anything so heinous. When she disappears the whole town knows it has to be HIS fault, that Mac.
Quite possibly my favorite book of all I've written.
Available in print and on Kindle Unlimited. https://amzn.to/4gONyQa #affiliatelink
#ChristFic
#ChristianRomance
  • Home
  • Bookshelf
  • New & Coming
  • Blog
  • News!
  • Disclosure & Policies
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2026 · Chautona Havig · All Rights Reserved · Coding by Gretchen Louise

Don't go before you grab your FREE short story collection!