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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Be Sure Your Sin Will Find You Out

by Chautona Havig · Leave a Comment

So, whose sin finds him out in Lawfully Innocent? Actually, everyone's. That's one of the brilliant aspects of the novel--we're all deceitful. via @chautonahavig

I’d like to apologize to both Robin Helm and the Celebrate Lit team for the lateness of this review of Lawfully Innocent. I’d signed up to have it posted on November 1, and here we are, half a month later. Things have been difficult lately, and I appreciate the grace both Celebrate Lit and the author have shown when I’ve not been able to do things at a pace I usually do.

Be Sure the Truth Will Find You Out  lawfully innocent

Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.  Additionally, I was given a review copy of this book and chose to share what I thought about it.

Be Sure the Truth Will Find You Out

When I requested a free review copy of Lawfully Innocent, I didn’t quite know what to expect. I’d seen a bit about the author’s reasoning for writing the book, so when it opened in the mid-19th century, I thought I’d gotten ahold of a split-time or timeslip novel.

Instead, Lawfully Innocent chronicles the changes in the life of Benjamin Beckett as he moves from his home in England to America and assumes control of a family-held plantation.

One of my pet peeves in historical fiction is when characters have modern sensibilities about things. I believe that repainting the past with a modern understanding of things does a disservice to those who endured injustice and cruelty and it cheapens the work so many did to fight against those things. So I was nervous about Benjamin’s attitudes about slavery, education for freedmen, and similar subjects.

It worked, however.

I think Benjamin’s English heritage and England’s earlier abolition of slavery, meant that he grew up in a post-slave era, making him a realistic and sympathetic character. I don’t believe I would have liked him as much as I did if he’d been reared even in the northern US states.

Character is the strongest element in this book. Each one is well-formed, not too perfect (although some come a little close for my taste), and distinct from the others.  Moses, actually, was my favorite character, and I’d love to see more about him.

For those bothered by such things, the text does get a little preachy.  Actually, very preachy in sections. No one could walk away from this book without knowing what God says about sinners and what God has done to redeem us.

Additionally, those bothered by info-dumping will find rather large sections of it in places–not only in narrative but also in dialogue. In dialogue, it’s more of the, “Well as you know, John,” type, and sometimes it was well hidden.

Because I enjoyed the characters and the general story, I’m giving Lawfully Innocent a rating of “I liked it.”  However, had the characters not been as interesting and memorable to me, it would have landed in the “it’s okay” category.  Had the issues I mentioned above not been present, I absolutely would have marked it as “I loved it.”

Recommended for lovers of historical fiction, of the antebellum era, and fiction where the gospel is prominently and thoroughly infused.  I read it through Kindle Unlimited, and I’m not sorry I did.

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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.

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

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Episode 231: A Chat with RomCom author, Shannon Sue Dunlap
Episode 231: A Chat with RomCom author, Shannon Sue Dunlap
May 26, 2023
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Episode 227: A Chat about the New Jewels of Kalispell Series
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