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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Who Will Love These Stories the Most?

by Chautona Havig · 9 Comments

The stack of books wasn’t that tall, and there weren’t many kids who would want them—not when there were Barbies and Legos in the offing, anyway.  Still, as they got to know the kids and tried to find the perfect gift for the perfect child, the woman’s lips stretched thinner.  Tighter.  Her heart heavier.

She’d been wrong. Half the room, it seemed, loved to read. Choosing which one of the dozens of children would get one of about a dozen books—heartwrenching.

If a child wants a book, a child should get a book!

List of titles in hand, she traversed the room, crisscrossing back and forth among laughing children enjoying a Christmas party put on just for them—foster kids.  Every last one of them, kids whose parents would spend Christmas “behind bars,” as they say.

A two-minute talk with one boy made the first choice easy.  He’d like the book about knights.  Another couple of minutes with a girl with twisty braids and she decided the one about the magical desert world would be a perfect fit.  Spy book here… teen angst there.  Her job description had morphed from being a gift organizer and wrapper to a matchmaker—book soul mates as it were.

In all of it, she answered one simple question.

Who Will Love These Stories the Most?

Links used may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.  Additionally, I requested a review copy of this book and it was my pleasure to review it.

Who Will Love These Stories the Most?

That’s the point of any review, isn’t it?  Who is this book a good fit for?  Well, I think Love’s Christmas Blessings would be a good fit for three specific people.

First, Amish fiction skeptics.

Yeah, that seems kind of weird to write about an Amish book, but I don’t really think it is. One of the biggest complaints about the genre is how each book is too much like the next.  And it’s a valid point.

Of course, it’s a valid point for any genre when authors don’t mix things up a bit. Every genre has its tropes.  The question isn’t whether one is used but if it is used in a new and fresh way.

I think Laura Hinton’s Winter’s Treasure does just that.  One common complaint in any book is how romantic conflict would often be solved if people would just talk. Here’s where Amish culture and the perception of Amish culture work in the genre’s favor.  Because few people would expect an Amish young woman to just admit she’s had a crush on a guy for most of her life, when she doesn’t do that to explain her issues, it makes sense.

We don’t expect Amish young people to have nasty, petty jealousies, so what would be cliche in an urban setting looks new and interesting when set in an Amish district.

Foster care isn’t new for most people. It occurs in books all the time—but how many Amish books have you read where the Amish worked with the foster system to adopt?

So… I’d say one of the perfect readers for Love’s Christmas Blessings  are the Amish fiction skeptics.

Second, I’d say Amish fiction lovers.

Conversely, one of the reasons people love Amish fiction is a tiny bit of predictability.  They don’t want the same-old, same-old, no.  But they do expect an emphasis on family and community, sweet, restrained but genuine romance, a glimpse into the reality of Amish life, and often either animals or children. In that respect, it’s very specific—much like a cozy mystery with its small town, off-screen death, and amateur sleuth (preferably one with cat, dog, or pink stuffed rabbit).

Rachel Good’s Mistletoe & Miracles fits this to a proverbial tee.  However, rather than being that same story you’ve read over and over, this one took all those familiar elements, added a few locations and personality issues, shook them up, and drew a winning lottery interesting characters, situations, and events. (And there’s a raffle in the book, too.  Just sayin’).

Yes, Amish fiction lovers will love this collection.

Finally, I’d say Christmas story lovers—for any time of year.

While both books take place at Christmas and have a strong Christmas element, neither felt like I needed a candy cane and hot cocoa to enjoy the story. I would enjoy them both in July as well.

Still, setting, detailed elements like the aforementioned mistletoe and also a Christmas tree farm keep things squarely in the Christmas camp for those who love a strong feel of the holidays in their holiday reeds.  So whether you’re a “I only read Christmas stories in November & December” or you’re a “Christmas in July, YEAH!” person,  I  honestly think both camps will enjoy this book equally.

Recommended for:

As one who rarely reads Amish fiction, I enjoyed this collection and Love’s Thankful Heart  (for interviews with the authors, check out the link!). If Amish fiction isn’t something you’ve tried, this would be an excellent dip in the water, so to speak.  If you’re a die-hard Amish fan, I suspect you’ll love these stories.  Neither one felt rushed or draggy—just a perfect length for a quick read.

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Comments

  1. Rachel J. Good says

    November 21, 2018 at 10:07 pm

    Thanks so much for reviewing the books and hosting us on your blog, Chautona! As always, your reviews are a delight to read! I love how you turn them into stories. Have a blessed Thanksgiving!!

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      November 23, 2018 at 6:22 am

      Thanks for fun stories to write about!

      Reply
  2. Patty says

    November 21, 2018 at 5:51 pm

    I am a bit of an Amish fiction skeptic m, but I do love a good Christmas story!

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      November 23, 2018 at 6:28 am

      I’m not the biggest fan usually, but sometimes they are a nice little escape.

      Reply
  3. karaleigh2 says

    November 20, 2018 at 11:34 am

    This sounds like a lovely book–I’d love to read it.

    Reply
  4. NZ Filbruns says

    November 20, 2018 at 10:22 am

    I think people often forget that Amish are human, too. They have the same feelings, thoughts, and problems of most of the rest of humanity! So, of course, they would have crushes, like you mentioned about the first book.

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      November 20, 2018 at 4:19 pm

      Exactly. But I think that’s why things that are “old hat” works with Amish where it wouldn’t as well elsewhere. Because people have unrealistic expectations of the Amish–as if they never get angry, they never have pride or jealousy issues, and they never “like” someone who is oblivious to them. In other words, they’re aliens who are here to convince us of a greater way…

      Reply
  5. laurav1219 says

    November 20, 2018 at 8:36 am

    Ha! I said thank you and they said my comment is too short. 🙂 Maybe this is long enough. Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving.

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      November 20, 2018 at 4:20 pm

      Wow. Picky, aren’t they? Harumph! Happy Thanksgiving to you, too!

      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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September 26, 2023
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Episode 263: A Chat about The Love Script w/ Toni Shiloh
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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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