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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Why You Should Get This Wonderful Book Today

by Chautona Havig · 4 Comments

I can’t even remember why I put it on my Kindle shelf. Love, Laughter, and Luminarias. One thing I do know is that I had to read something else to make room for it. While I’m confessing, I should add that I distinctly recall wondering why I was going to all that effort for a book I didn’t know anything about.

The author? Jaycee Weaver.

Never read a thing by her.

What an idiot.

No, seriously. You know like that moment when someone’s been trying to convince you to try some bizarre food like… oh… chocolate… but you were so sure that brown melty stuff would be très gross? But then you take a bite just to shut her up and realize how delicious being wrong can be?

Yah. That moment.

Why You Should Get This Wonderful Book Today

Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.  Read the book with Kindle Unlimited.  Then I bought it.

Why You Should Get This Wonderful Book Today

Yeah, it’s a “Christmas” book.  It takes place at Christmas time, has elements of Christmas as important pieces of the plot.  So what?  (For my opinion on Christmas fiction, go HERE.)

Let’s start with the plot of Love, Laughter, and Luminarias, shall we?

Best friends since junior high. Old hat, right? Nope. Not. Fresh, delightful—like cilantro in the best taco you’ve ever crunched into. Like pico de gallo. Like… okay. You get it. Seriously, I felt like I’d never read that trope before.

And that, my friends, is what authors should do with tropes. They should take them and remodel them into something amazing.

Characters? I loved ‘em both. I loved their journey, their quirks, their faults, their highs and lows.

Nina made me want to bundle her up, bring her home, and say, “Here. We’re not the family you lost, but we’re still your family.” And Ms. Weaver did that without once making me feel like Nina was stereotypical, weak, or flat. Too often you get that with broken people.

Not with hers.

And Garrett? He was perfectly imperfectly perfect. I loved how he was clueless. Again, the clueless guy—trope. But not written in that oh-so-predictable tropeishness. Nope, there was a reason for it, and Ms. Weaver took that reason and ran with it. She turned it into an action movie before my eyes…

Complete with a snowball fight in a craft store.

Seriously, if nothing else would have made me love the book, that might have done it all by itself. I mean, my friend Cathe and I kind of went nuts in Michael’s once… we know for craft-aisle shenanigans. Ms. Weaver wrote it well.

Yep, Weaver knows how to weave a tale of perfection and delight—complete with similes and metaphors to make you chuckle all the way through. Don’t believe me? How’s this one?

…like a kid with a rogue Sharpie.”

It doesn’t stop there.

There’s a scene I want so much to describe… to share with you, but I won’t. You need to read the book yourself. I’ll just tell you this. Garret goes for a walk and sees the most beautiful example of my idea of real romance. And get this. He gets it. Seriously, I swooned.

Folks, I don’t swoon.

And if that wasn’t enough, just as I thought she couldn’t make the book any cooler, she brought in Doctor Who as if it’s just what every good book contains. She’s right, you know.

Look, I have no idea if Jaycee Weaver can write another book that I will love as much as Love, Laughter, and Luminarias, but I do know one thing.

I’m sure as shootin’ gonna find out. Soon. Like maybe today. Yeah… today.

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Filed Under: Book Reviews

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Comments

  1. Darlene says

    January 16, 2019 at 3:36 pm

    Going to check it out!!

    Reply
  2. Toni says

    January 16, 2019 at 8:26 am

    I love this book! And you should read Adrift next. Like today. 😉

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      January 16, 2019 at 1:53 pm

      Adrift it is.

      Reply
  3. Cathe Swanson says

    January 16, 2019 at 6:48 am

    Wow! Adding it to my Kindle now! Thanks for the recommendation!

    Reply

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 438: A Chat with Margaret Philbrick
byChautona Havig

 Oh, wow.  When I read the synopsis for House of Honor by Margaret Ann Philbrick, I knew this was going to be a fabulous book.  Forget all the endorsements and starred reviews, listen in to hear just how awesome this book is!  

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

When Margaret described the story within House of Honor, I not only learned a lot of art history, but I got a taste of Italy (sadly, without pasta and gelato… sniff). I can’t wait to see what she coes up with next.

 House of Honor by Margaret Ann Philbrick

Two Italian sons, one woman, linked by a masterpiece painting, are put to a test of loyalty and honor.

At the heart of this gripping tale is Orazio Bordoni, the wayward son of a construction magnate, living a reckless life like that of his artistic hero Caravaggio. He finds himself befriended by Nicolo Giotto, the devoted son of a powerful Sicilian mafia clan, who wants to uphold the honor of his family.

As the dark underbelly of the art world and the Vatican expose their true character, Orazio finds himself in a world where his loyalty is tested, honor is at stake, and the boundaries between life, love, and art blur. He and Nicolo discover just how far they’re willing to push those boundaries, even if it means sacrificing everything.

House of Honor is a pivotal story that weaves the threads of history, the ruthless allure of the mafia, the enigmatic power of the Vatican, and the timeless brilliance of Caravaggio.

Learn more about Margaret on her WEBSITE and follow her on GoodReads and BookBub.

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

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Episode 438: A Chat with Margaret Philbrick
Episode 438: A Chat with Margaret Philbrick
June 14, 2025
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Episode 437: A Chat with Kristen Hogrefe Parnell
June 9, 2025
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Episode 436: A Chat with Suzanne Woods Fisher
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Episode 435: A Chat with Rachel Keith
June 3, 2025
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Episode 434: A Chat with Lynn U. Watson
May 31, 2025
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Episode 433: A Chat with Megan Soja
May 26, 2025
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Episode 432: A Chat with Crystal Caudill
May 24, 2025
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Episode 431: A Chat with Heidi Gray McGill
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Episode 430: A Chat with Amanda Cabot
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