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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

What I Loved about The Heart of an Agent

by Chautona Havig · 9 Comments

My family were the Pinkertons—the detectives.”

I’ll admit it.  When my friend told me that, I just kind of nodded.  I’d never heard of “the Pinkertons.”  It took about two minutes and the help of Google to get a feel for what it was all about—a super-cool detective agency that worked more as bodyguards for railroad payrolls and dealing with strikes than anything else!

But, a few years later when I began working on a mystery series, I had to learn about them—to discover what else they did.  And the more I learned, the more fascinated I became.

What I Liked about The Heart of an Agent

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So when Celebrate Lit offered The Heart of an Agent (Book 2 of The Adirondack Pinkertons) for review, I jumped at the chance.

Was I sorry? 

Nope.  I had lots that I loved and a little I didn’t love so much about the book.  Let’s start with…

What I loved about The Heart of an Agent

Look, the truth is that I often get excited about ideas and then discover they aren’t as wonderful as I hoped—and you know what?  In a very small way, this book is no exception.  But for the most part, I actually did love most of it.

First, characterization:

Tracey Lyons created a rich, well-rounded cast of interesting and engaging characters.  Honestly, the characterization was my favorite part of the book.  Lyons made each character not only believable but also incredibly relatable and consistent.  The turmoil Owen still feels over the loss of his wife combined with new feelings for Lily make for a realistic character who sticks with you even when you want to slap him for being a selfish brute.

Look, I can’t say this without making it sound like I dislike what the author did.  And well, you’ll just have to trust me when I say it’s probably the most GENIUS thing I saw in the book.  You see, there were times in this book that Owen made Lily feel like she’d blown it when actually, she hadn’t.  I don’t know if it was deliberate or if the author really believed that she’d overstepped.

She hadn’t. 

But with her past, Lily absolutely believes it.  And it is so logical that she would believe it—with all she’s been through.  It is.

The supporting characters were equally well-developed.  I loved Mr. and Mrs. Cuddieback and their insightful wisdom.  But… speaking of them…  theirs and Lily’s last name… There are actually several last names in the book that I found crazy jarring.  Every time I saw them I had to backtrack because my brain wanted to do something else.

So, if you want to know what I didn’t like about the characters?  A few of the surnames—that’s it.

Next, description:

One beautiful thing about this book was how much the description worked to place you right in the setting.  I didn’t know anything I didn’t need to know and knew everything I did.  Sometimes authors bog down a story with so much setting it becomes a drag on the story, but Lyons avoided that pitfall beautifully.

The only descriptive objections I had were the random moments where she’d throw in an unnecessary adjective.  If you tell me a flower is delicate, I’m all for it.  If you tell me it’s “beautiful?”  Yeah.  What’s the point?  There aren’t a whole lot of homely flowers.

Nit picky?  Absolutely.  But I’m just doing the full disclosure thing here.

So what was just “okay”?

The plot. I don’t know just what I expected, but whatever it was didn’t happen.  This was a story about an ex Pinkerton who doesn’t want her past to come out and then just spills it because someone tells her to.

That’s it with the Pinkertons.

The rest of the plot is just your typical guy meets girl,they have a rocky start, things get great, there’s a glitch that might break them up, and back to all is happily in their ever after.

Honestly, if the characters weren’t so awesome, and the description hadn’t been so generally well done, this book would have been three stars.  But they were.  The characters are wonderful and multi-faceted people. The setting and description made those characters shine.   It all took an “okay” book and made me like it.

I almost loved it. 

If Amazon allowed half stars, this might be a four and a half star book just because of how I loved the characters.

And, Lyons made me interested in her books.  I’ll be reading the first in the series.  I suspect I know the whole story.  It came out in the course of this book.  So, maybe this proves how good a writer I think Tracey Lyons is.  She made me want to know what happened in the first book of a series that, if I’m right, I can already guess.

I don’t get much reading time.  But she made me want to do it anyway.

Recommended for lovers of historical romance or folks related to the Pinkertons.  😉

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Comments

  1. lelandandbecky says

    December 8, 2017 at 11:12 am

    The Adirondack Mountains setting sounds interesting, as does the book blurb. Thanks for highlighting this author and her books.

    Reply
  2. Susan (DE) says

    December 5, 2017 at 11:05 am

    Well, it sounds interesting! Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  3. Maureen Timerman says

    December 1, 2017 at 10:42 am

    Enjoyed reading your review and learning about the giveaway!

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      December 1, 2017 at 11:26 pm

      Hope it was helpful! I think people who just enjoy traditional historic romance would enjoy this one.

      Reply
  4. Trixi says

    November 30, 2017 at 8:55 pm

    Love the review! Thank you for sharing this, I have “A Changed Agent” and definitely want to add this one to my collection. 🙂

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      December 1, 2017 at 1:17 am

      I hope you enjoy it. The characters are really fabulous. They made me want to read the first. And if anyone is going to read them, I do recommend reading in order. I suspect it’ll be a lot more enjoyable if they do.

      Reply
  5. Robin in NC says

    November 30, 2017 at 4:13 pm

    Wow! Chautona! What an honest review! 4½ stars…love it!!!!

    Reply
  6. Paula Shreckhise says

    November 30, 2017 at 2:01 pm

    I love spy stories, so I’ll give these a try.

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      November 30, 2017 at 4:23 pm

      There’s no actual spying in this one, Paula. The Pinkerton aspect is almost nonexistent. You really do have to think of it as plain old historical romance.

      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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