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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

When You Can’t Finish a Great Book

by Chautona Havig · 10 Comments

If you love thrillers, seriously... ignore my personal issues and try this book. Then tell me how it ends. I'm dying to know. So disappointed... in me. via @chautonahavig

No Turning Back was great–fabulous, actually. I couldn’t put it down.

Until I had to. The author is a phenomenal writer, and I hope to try something else of hers again in the future.  It’s a personal issue that I just can’t handle.  So I closed the book and chose to withdraw from the tour.  I’m very sorry for that. I’d love to know how it turns out, but I can’t read it.

For those who love realistic fiction that, while authentic-feeling, is relatively clean, give this book a shot.  For those who have problems with assault scenes involving women… beware.  I’m not sorry I requested a free review copy of this book, and I’m thankful the author provided it. I wish I could have finished the whole thing.

That’s what I wrote the day I was supposed to leave a review but…

No Turning Back Review

When You Can’t Finish a Great Book

You let the tour company know.  They let the author know, and authors like Katie Vorreiter send you a nice email assuring you that they understand.

And guess what?  She showed me where I could skip and keep reading.

So glad I did. Katie Vorreiter has written a fabulous book in No Turning Back–great suspense, excellent characterization, and an ending that one doesn’t see every day.

Recommended for those who love strong, intense suspense with a bit of a thriller vibe.  However, if the threat of rape is a problem for you, be aware it exists. You aren’t dragged into it, but you know it’s been a thing before and might be again.

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Comments

  1. Melissa Wenger says

    October 11, 2019 at 5:57 pm

    Thanks for your thoughts on the book. These tours are so helpful in giving different perspectives.

    Reply
  2. Vivian Furbay says

    October 11, 2019 at 3:09 am

    No Turning Back sounds like no other story I’ve ever read. When you can’t trust people you can always trust God.

    Reply
  3. Caryl Kane says

    October 10, 2019 at 3:01 pm

    Sounds like a page-turner!

    Reply
  4. Amelia says

    October 10, 2019 at 2:07 pm

    Thanks for the review!

    Reply
  5. Melissa Andres says

    October 10, 2019 at 1:25 pm

    Sounds like an amazing, if also intense read. Thank you for your honest review!

    Reply
  6. Katie Vorreiter says

    October 10, 2019 at 9:50 am

    Hi Chautona, thank you so much for your honesty about your response to my book! And for your kind words about the writing before you set it down. It didn’t occur to me to put a trigger warning out there for potential bloggers on the tour—I’m leaning about these things. I hope it didn’t trigger anything lasting or painful for you.

    The premise & setting are definitely not for everyone! I have good friends who haven’t read it because it seemed too intense. I totally get that.

    I tried to build tension & infuse reality by alluding to things that could happen to Livvy in that environment, without putting it too baldly. But I think I know what scene you mean.

    Anyway, blessings on you & your work. Thanks again for your transparency. If you want to know how it ends, feel free to email me! Or leave me a comment on katievorreiter.com.

    Best,
    Katie Vorreiter

    Reply
  7. Andrea Stoeckel says

    October 10, 2019 at 6:23 am

    This book’s premise is uncomfortable for many, even me, a retired minister. However, I am intrigued and curious for other responses on the tour

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      October 10, 2019 at 10:12 am

      It’s AWESOME. I loved it. And the author is going to tell me where I can start reading again. WOOT!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. No Turning Back by Katie Vorreiter • Aryn the Libraryan says:
    May 14, 2020 at 9:07 am

    […] Just the Write Escape, October 10 […]

    Reply
  2. No Turning Back by Kate Vorreiter with a giveaway | bigreadersite's Blog says:
    October 13, 2019 at 9:24 am

    […] Just the Write Escape, October 10 […]

    Reply

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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
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Episode 230: A Chat with Bryan Timothy Mitchell
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Episode 228: A Chat with Author Emilie Haney
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Episode 227: A Chat about the New Jewels of Kalispell Series
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Episode 226: A Chat with Archaeological Thriller Author, Doug Powell
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