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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.

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 559: A Chat with Lisa Phillips
byChautona Havig

One of my favorite series is Lisa Phillips’ Brand of Justice. Listen in as we talk about the final book (Psst… it can be read as a stand alone) in this sixteen-book series!

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

I’ve been holding out on finishing the series since I finished book three. IT’s time. So once we got done talking, I loaded up the next book on my phone and wheeeeeee! here we go!

Now Until Forever by Lisa Phillips

**The Epic Stand-alone Finale**

Born into a legacy, Eliana must find her own brand of justice.

After moving to Chicago to work at the mysterious Shrine museum, Eliana is determined to uncover the family secrets she’s never been told. When she stumbles upon her first ever dead body, everyone around her believes she should try and solve the murder. But taking cases isn’t what she came here for. Despite her plans, things are about to turn far more sinister, and the path she’s on seems determined to drag her back into a nightmare. Chicago PD Officer Carlos Ryson was born into a legacy of his own. He’s here to look for his missing sister, Luci, and wants to enlist Eliana’s help. This is a family problem, and only family working together can solve it. But Eliana has never forgotten the way Carlos shredded her heart. If he wants them to team up, he’ll have to confront the damage he did and find a way to repair it. While the city around them descends into a chaos that resembles the end times, someone has seized the opportunity to get what they want from the Shrine. Only Eliana stands in their way, but if she’s going to figure this out she’ll need to trust that the people around her have her back. Before it’s too late. Now Until Forever is the stand-alone finale to the Brand of Justice series, and is set in the near-future. It features a happily ever after romance mixed with high-stakes suspense in this gripping crime fiction story.

Don’t miss The Lazerus Protocol preorder, too1

Learn more on Lisa’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 559: A Chat with Lisa Phillips
Episode 559: A Chat with Lisa Phillips
July 11, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 558: A Chat with Felicia Hurd
July 6, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 557: A Chat with Laura DeNooyer
July 4, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 556: A Chat with Sharon Wilharm
June 29, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 555: A Chat with Jil Koller
June 27, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 554: A Chat with Gloriaea
June 22, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 553: A Chat with Chris Underwood
June 20, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 552: A Chat with Laura Ashwood
June 17, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 551: A Chat wth Kayla E. Green
June 15, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 550: A Chat with Joan Lovestrand Farley
June 13, 2026
Chautona Havig
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