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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Looked Forward to It, but Was the Book Worth the Wait?

by Chautona Havig · Leave a Comment

Lainey of the Door Islands: historical fiction for a more YA audience. Clean, sweet, &with a rich setting, this book also touches on faith. via @chautonahavig

So I was planning my week a couple of weeks ago, and put in the back-to-back reviews I had.  At the end of the session, I double-checked everything and found that I’d switched one book with another–opposite dates.  OOPS.  So, I covered them up with white stickers and rewrote. One of them. Only one.

Double oops.

Got a message today saying I hadn’t filled out a form.  For a book I was supposed to have read two weeks ago.  And hadn’t.  So, guess what I did today?

lainey of the door islands review

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

Looked Forward to It, but Was the Book Worth the Wait?

Considering much of the story is written about a young girl growing into womanhood, I’d have to consider this strongly in the YA or youth field. The descriptions of the islands, the coast, the lake–it’s all breathtaking and rarely does the author go overboard with it.  I really enjoyed feeling like I was there on the islands, in the gales, helping with the lighthouse. She managed to capture those things perfectly.

Outside of that, however, the book fell flat for me.

I never really cared about any of the characters except for Uncle Otis and a bit for Aunt Edith.  The characters were all rather flat and a bit… perfect. Lainey was a strong “Mary Sue” character. I just never felt like she was human. More of a cardboard cutout placed in the scenes of the book.

My understanding of Scripture differs from the author’s, and as such, I took issue with a few things. A vision, a few instances of God “speaking” to the characters.  Some of those times were closely connected to Scripture, so I was fine with that.  BUT… others… too specific and outside of Scripture.

All in all, those who enjoy books in the vein of the Lamplighter books or Elsie Dinsmore will enjoy Lainey of the Door Islands.  Also, if you’re just in the mood for a book with little believable tension and a lot of sweet interactions, Lainey of the Door Islands will be a perfect fit for you.  I wanted to love it so much, but it just wasn’t the book for me.

lainey of the door islandsAbout the Book

Book:  Lainey of the Door Islands

Author: Judy Ducharme

Genre: Historical Fiction and Young Adult Fiction

Release date: July 24, 2020

Walk with Lainey into the world of Door County and its islands in the late 1800s, a time of shipwrecks, lighthouses, and strong individuals who never gave up. Lainey becomes one of those rugged individuals as she faces tragedy and hardship. Her aunt and uncle, the lighthouse keepers on tiny Pilot Island, demonstrate the toughness needed to survive, but Lainey takes it a step further with her spunk and grace and becomes a shining light to all those around her. With humor, faith, close friendships and the young man who interferes with her ability to function, Lainey of the Door Islands will capture your heart, and she’ll inspire you to know that no matter what happens, God has a plan to prosper and not to harm.

judy ducharme lainey of the door islandsAbout the Author

Judy DuCharme grew up with Lake Huron next to her backyard and has always loved the water. She, her husband, daughter, and son moved to Door County in 1984. After teaching 5th Grade at Gibraltar School for 22 years, Judy followed the calling that tugged at her all her life to write. Lainey of the Door Islands is her 7th published book and she is the recipient of numerous awards. She also writes for Guideposts Magazine. If you visit Door County, you may find her hiking in the woods, jet skiing on the bay, worshipping at her church, teaching a Bible study, cheering for the Green Bay Packers, playing with her amazing grandson, or sitting outside enjoying the beauty around her.

More from Judy

Door County, where I live, is the destination of 3 million people in the summer and fall. Lainey of the Door Islands, my seventh published book, is the culmination of my desire to write a book about this wonderful area where I live. Tourists and residents alike love all things Door County, past and present. One day as I traveled on the ferry between Washington Island and the mainland of Door County and gazed out at tiny Pilot Island, I said again to myself, ‘I need to write a book about Door County’. I don’t recall if it was that day, the next, or two days later, but the story dropped into my spirit. I sat down at my computer and wrote well into the second chapter in one sitting. I said to my husband, “I’m writing and I can’t stop.”

Blog Stops

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, May 22

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 23

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, May 23

Texas Book-aholic, May 24

lakesidelivingsite, May 25

Blogging With Carol, May 25

The Write Escape, May 26

ABBA’s Prayer Warrior Princess, May 27

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 27

Inklings and notions, May 28

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, May 29

Simple Harvest Reads, May 29 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)

Connie’s History Classroom, May 30

For Him and My Family, May 31

Godly Book Reviews, May 31

She Lives To Read, June 1

Mary Hake, June 2

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, June 2

Locks, Hooks and Books, June 3

deb’s Book Review, June 4

Pause for Tales, June 4

Giveaway

lainey of the door islands giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Judy is giving away the grand prize package of a copy of the book and a $25 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/10c92/lainey-of-the-door-islands-celebration-tour-giveaway

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 231: A Chat with RomCom author, Shannon Sue Dunlap
byChautona Havig

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.

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 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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Episode 231: A Chat with RomCom author, Shannon Sue Dunlap
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