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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Take a Romantic Vacation to Key West in This Compelling Book

by Chautona Havig · 1 Comment

At first, I wasn't sure I'd like Island Charm, but well, you could say it charmed me. Great characters, beautiful setting, sweet story. A delight. via @chautonahavig

While in the middle of writing my own island novel, I was given the opportunity to review Island Charm by Audrey Wick and snapped up the free review copy lickety-splickety!  Okay, so I just put in my request and waited for the day to read it to arrive.  Would I like it?  Would I love it?  Did I find a new, must-read author?

Well…

Island Charm

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

Take a Romantic Vacation to Key West in This Compelling Book

Okay, going to be honest here. Then again, when am I not?  Still, here’s the deal. Island Charm has several things that shouldn’t work for it. Conflict–almost none. Expected romance “misunderstanding?”  Yep.  Predictable and yet… not. Instant attraction?  Absolutely.  It’s all here.  The good, what should be the bad, and… oh so much more.

Here’s the deal. I should be writing that this book was a miss for me.  Seriously, as I got through the first few pages, I thought, “Oh, no…”

But something interesting happened as I read. Audrey Wick drew me into island life the characters’ lives and even the side characters’ lives.  I wanted to be sure Jack was taken care of. I wanted to be mad at Anna (of the palindrome) for not just going over and talking to Gunnar.

Oh and I totally expected to be complaining about the sensuality in the book.

And yet here I am oddly satisfied with a perfect read for a day at the beach (or by the kiddie pool on the patio surrounded by cornfields. I’m flexible). What threatens to be a fluffy read oddly has a few deep roots that holds it firmly in place and just allows things to sway where they should go.  Kind of like a palm tree.  Interesting.

Even the one hold-out complaint that I had fell flat at the end of the story.

You see… there’s basically nothing in the story that made me see it as Christian fiction. It’s clean (unless mention of wine offends you).  It has less sexual and sensual content than some of my favorite Christian authors, even.  I expected to argue that this book is actually clean and wholesome or sweet and clean romance.

But then the book finishes off with scripture and discussion questions that when you read them, you see a thread through the whole thing–a thread I hadn’t expected.

Bravo, Ms. Wick.

Would I have preferred to see it play out in the lives of the charcters?  Sure.  But what she did there was a lovely bridge between my favorite kind of Christian fiction and general market… a way to open a conversation about Jesus and His Word whenever the reader is ready for it.  I have to give kudos for that.  And yeah, I’m grateful for the free review copy I received.  I’m even more grateful that I ended up really liking it.

Best part of the book for me is the personality of Gunnar.  Something about him is just crazy endearing.

Recommended for lovers of contemporary romance, clean reads, and beach reads.  If you’re looking for deep, spiritual nuggets… well, you might like it anyway.

island charmAbout the Book

Book:  Island Charm

Author: Audrey Wick

Genre: Christian Contemporary Beach Read

Release date: May 14, 2021

An imposter in paradise.

When Anna Worthington’s twin sister gets jilted by her fiancé, Anna steps in with a plan for a girls’ Key West getaway instead of a honeymoon trip. Yet when her twin has her own crisis of commitment and doesn’t board the plane, Anna finds herself on a romantic getaway that she’s forced to navigate alone.

A vacation romance with an expiration date.

Gunnar Lockhart, whose specialty is island tourism, is the perfect match for helping Anna complete her vacation bucket list, but time together forges a connection more personal than either anticipates. As they make island memories, Anna has to untangle her mixed emotions. Are her feelings toward Gunnar real? Or like her sister’s wedding day, has this connection been doomed from the start.

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Comments

  1. Audrey Wick says

    June 23, 2021 at 11:28 am

    I really enjoyed reading your review, Chautona. Thank you! I especially appreciate your comments about the characters you enjoyed and the way you saw certain threads woven together. So glad you read ISLAND CHARM, and I am grateful for you featuring my novel! Best wishes for more great summertime reads.

    Reply

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 265: A Chat with Karen Witemeyer
byChautona Havig

Nothing says fairy tale like a sweet western romance by an author like Karen Witemeyer… unless it’s a fairytale retelling set in Texas in the late 19th century, right?  Fairest of Heart takes the familiar “Snow White” and turns it on its head with retired cowboys, a self-absorbed actress, a Texas Ranger, and a sweet girl who knows the true Source of her beauty.  Listen in to see all the genius Easter eggs Witemeyer planted in this book.

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

Sometimes All a Girl Needs Is a True Change of Heart

I fell in love with the cover of Karen Witemeyer’s Head Over Heels a few years back (only to learn it’s much older than that, even), and meant to read that book.  I didn’t.  #BecauseIdiot. Well, that’ll be rectified just as soon as I’m done listening to her first book in a trilogy of fairytale retellings. I loaded it up on my Audible app tonight and wheeeeeeee. Here I go! So much for no new books until October. HA! 

Karen talks about her heart for young women today and how they’re taught by every bit of media blasting at them that they need to use their bodies to get what they need or want when the Lord has a better plan. And I can’t guarantee it, but I strongly suspect she does it without preaching. SQUEE!

Fairest of Heart by Karen Witemeyer

Once upon a time in Texas . . .

Beauty has been nothing but a curse to Penelope Snow. When she becomes a personal maid for a famous actress whose troupe is leaving Chicago to tour the West, she hides her figure beneath shapeless dresses and keeps her head down. But she still manages to attract the wrong attention, leaving her prospects in tatters–and her jealous mistress plotting her demise.

After his brother lost his life over a woman, Texas Ranger Titus Kingsley has learned to expect the worst from women and is rarely disappointed. So when a young lady found in suspicious circumstances takes up residence with the seven old drovers living at his grandfather’s ranch, Titus is determined to keep a close eye on her.

With a promotion hanging in the balance, Titus is assigned to investigate a robbery case tied to Penelope’s acting troupe, and all evidence points to Penelope’s guilt. But Titus might just be convinced that the fairest woman of all has a heart as pure as her last name . . . if only he can prove it.

You can learn more about Karen Witemeyer and her books on her WEBSITE. Don’t forget the book is 30% off on BakerBookHouse.com.  

Follow Karen on BookBub and GoodReads.

And don’t forget her Posse Group on Facebook.

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

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Episode 265: A Chat with Karen Witemeyer
Episode 265: A Chat with Karen Witemeyer
September 29, 2023
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Episode 262: Chatting about The Legacy of Longdale Manor with Carrie Turansky
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Episode 261: Chatting with Christian Youth Fiction Author, Candice Yamnitz
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Episode 260: A Chat with Rachel Hauck
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Episode 259: A Chat with Debut Author, Laura Conaway
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