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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Sometimes the Second Time Is the Charm

by Chautona Havig · 7 Comments

In the Cradle Lies offers geneology, mystery, and a blend of historical and contemporary fiction in one, impossible-to-put-down book. Can't wait for the next. via @chautonahavig

“Wait, you didn’t like the first book so you asked to read the next one in the series?”

Look, I get it. My mother’s incredulity fit.  Who does that, anyway?

Apparently, I do.  I tried to explain. “I knew before I finished the last book that I would be reading the next.  The author is excellent with words, I loved this historical part of the story, and I loved the genealogical premise. I think it just took a bit of work to kick it off well.”

Still, I had a tiny bit of trepidation as I grabbed my book and hiked off to Denny’s for a good read and a book review.  I had to go back in for my box of Kleenex.

Yes, I am sick (sinus infection). No, it is not appropriate to spend your night at a restaurant when you’re sick.  Thankfully, Thursday nights at Denny’s are pretty dead, and I knew they’d keep folks far away from me.  I needed that distance from home so I wouldn’t be tempted to give up and crawl in bed.

Just keepin’ it real.

With a glass of Coke in one hand and a Kleenex in the other, I began reading.  For the record, you don’t want to borrow that book.  Or, if you do, spray it with Lysol first.  You’ve been warned.

Never has not plowing through a book from beginning to end been more difficult.  I kept reading and reading… until my sinuses said, “NO MORE.”

I looked at the clock.  It was only 2:00.  For me, that’s FOUR MORE HOURS until bedtime.  Oh, and get this.  I was only on chapter twelve.  I’d been reading for three hours.  The book should have been done.  But I was only on there????

That’s when I realized that I’d never make it.

I’m sitting here with my eyes barely open, my nose is threatening to put Ridgecrest on the map for volcanic eruptions now, and I’m trying to tell you guys why you want to read this book that I haven’t even finished yet.  #becausefiction

In the Cradle Lies review

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

Sometimes the Second Time Is the Charm

One of the best things about a great premise and a series is that if one of the books doesn’t do it for you, the next just might.  While I didn’t love The Inn at Hidden Run like I wanted to, I loved the premise and the author’s writing.  Something told me that the next book would knock it out of the park.

In one of those rare, lovely times that I enjoy so much… I was right.

In the Cradle Lies corrects everything that I didn’t love about the first book as well as standing alone as a great story period.  I sat glued to every page and wanted more even when I had to put it down to get that important little thing we sometimes call “sleep.”

Excellent characterization, interesting plot lines, and dual-time story that keeps you riveted to every page, there really isn’t too much to quibble with.

If I had to find any fault (and I may amend this review later to reflect this) it would be that it has a similar root to the first book’s story.  Additionally, the spiritual element dances along the lines of someone being “good at heart” when Scripture makes it clear none of us are good at all.  Still, I get what the author meant by that, and I chose to see that–that people sometimes make decisions that aren’t right because in the moment, they think it is the right option.  It’s a fact of life, not the author’s recommendation for how to behave.  She showed it well.

Tucker is a bit melodramatic, much like Meri in the first book was, but this one it seemed to fit more somehow.  I don’t know. It just didn’t bother me like it did in the first.  I’m thrilled to have requested a free review copy, to have read it, can’t wait for the next, and recommend it for anyone who loves light romance, a good mystery, and dual-timeline stories.

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Comments

  1. Olivia Newport says

    December 13, 2019 at 7:35 am

    Thanks for giving the series a second chance. Hope you feel better.

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      December 13, 2019 at 11:21 am

      So excited for the next!

      Reply
  2. Melissa Wenger says

    December 7, 2019 at 5:25 am

    I like a good suspenseful book as long as it’s not spooky enough to keep me up at night. This one sounds great!

    Reply
  3. James Robert says

    December 7, 2019 at 4:31 am

    Your book sounds like a great read and thank you for sharing it with us.

    Reply
  4. Emma says

    December 6, 2019 at 11:43 am

    I read this one a month or two ago, and could hardly put it down. Of course, I had most of Tucker’s mystery figured out long before the end, but loved seeing the changes in him and how everything was worked out.

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      December 6, 2019 at 10:32 pm

      That’s exactly my experience. I think. 😉

      Reply
  5. Amelia says

    December 6, 2019 at 10:43 am

    Thanks for the review!

    Reply

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
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Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 161: A Chat with Christian Women's Fiction Robin W. Pearson
byChautona Havig

Nothing says good, Southern women’s fiction like a feisty granny or a family secret, and Robin W. Pearson’s got you covered on both fronts. Stir in a pot of faith, and well… you’re bound to find a story you’ll never forget. And isn’t that a blessing? Award-winning, bestselling, and aspiring yodler on the other side of the Rockies, Robin writes stories of faith, family, and it sounds like some seriously delicious food.

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

What’s Better Than a Great Women’s Fiction Novel on a Summer’s Day?

New-to-me (or she was!) women’s fiction author, Robin W. Pearson writes God-centered, family-focused fiction. Robin is a delightful homeschooling mom of seven and if that wasn’t job enough, her debut novel won a Christy award! I mean, that takes some serious skills! Not to mention, it has a killer kick-off synopsis on Amazon. I was hooked from the first paragraph.

Robin says she wants people to see love in her books–how to love well even when we don’t know how. How to see each other as God does.  I think that sounds pretty amazing.

Her debut novel, A Long Time Coming, is more than just a great-sounding book, it really deals with family issues and I’ll just say I fell in love with the narrator of the audio.

The next book, Till I Want No More, rips your heart out with the synopsis, stomps on it, and says, “There. Now what’ll you do about that?  Well, I don’t know what I’ll do, other than read it of course!

And her latest novel?  Oh, my gravy. It released just last week and it’s amazing.  Well, the part I’ve read already is. Walking in Tall Weeds promises to keep your heart on tenterhooks as it takes you through a family’s pain and trauma.  And what more could you want?

Walking in Tall Weeds by Robin W. Pearson

From award-winning author Robin W. Pearson comes a new Southern family drama about one family who discovers their history is only skin-deep and that God’s love is the only family tie that binds.

Paulette and Fred Baldwin find themselves wading through a new season of life in Hickory Grove, North Carolina. Their only son, McKinley, now works hundreds of miles away, and the distance between the husband and wife feels even farther. When their son returns home, his visit dredges up even more conflict between Fred and Paulette.

McKinley makes it no secret that he doesn’t intend to follow in his father’s footsteps at George & Company Fine Furnishings or otherwise. Fred can’t quite bring himself to accept all his son’s choices, yet Paulette is determined McKinley will want for nothing, least of all a mother’s love and attention—which her own skin color cost her as a child. But all her striving leaves Fred on the outside looking in.

Paulette suspects McKinley and Fred are hiding something that could change the whole family. Soon, she’s facing a whirlwind she never saw coming, and the three of them must dig deep to confront the truth. Maybe then they’ll discover that their history is only skin-deep while their faith can take them right to the heart of things.

You can learn more about Robin W. Pearson on her WEBSITE.

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Episode 161: A Chat with Christian Women's Fiction Robin W. Pearson
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