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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

What I Loved about Running and What I Hated

by Chautona Havig · 3 Comments

He joined our group as if he’d been there forever.  Laughing, joking. The two of us were the disruptive influence that night.  That probably shocks everyone… that I could be a disruptive influence, I mean.  I love fun repartee.  Dave knows how to do it and do it well.

So, when he asked on the Facebook page if anyone had time to read his newest release, Running, well, I kind of owed him.  You know, after roping him into my disruptive shenanigans.

I sent a few copies out to folks on my launch team and began reading.  Immediately, I liked what I saw.

But… I was behind on my own book and had half a dozen reviews pending.  So, with much reluctance, I set aside my Kindle and wrote.

But it taunted me. Beckoning.

When I finished milestones, I let myself read a chapter… or two.

Then it happened. While making some handy tips things for the blogging group I’m in, I needed to test something.  I used Dave’s upcoming blog tour to do that.  I didn’t actually mean to sign up.  After all, I already had bought the book. I’d already committed to this. Why take a spot from someone else?

But… the delete thing didn’t work, so I ended up on it.

Turns out, I still wasn’t finished with that book as of Thursday night.  It’s a good thing I oopsed.

Because I really wanted to finish this book.  There were things I loved about it, and a few I suspected I’d hate.  Here they are.

What I Loved about Running and What I Hated

Note: Links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission, but hey. It doesn’t cost you anything extra.  Also, while I am on the Celebrate Lit blog tour, I purchased this book before I knew the tour even existed.

What I Loved about Running and What I Hated

Let’s start with characters.  Jim Mitchell has everything a good character should.  He’s appealing, interesting, humorous, and delightfully flawed.  Let’s face it. I’m a sucker for a good guy who gets a well-deserved smackdown now and then… as long as he’s got something more going for him, too.

Jim’s wife, his friends, his advisors… they all just really had a lot going for them. I loved it. Even the antagonists… fit. They weren’t too over the top for the most part.  And the couple of moments I wondered about, I eventually decided made sense.

Description.

Aside from one scene early on where I was afraid he’d be that guy who gave way too much description about every little thing, I loved how he managed to give us everything we need without bogging us down. The things he chose to show generally had a point to them beyond just anchoring us to the scene, which is some seriously good writing right there.

Faith.

One thing that resonated with me the most was how authentic and natural the faith of the characters was.  It wasn’t perfect or forced.  Instead, we got a glimpse of just how those people we know from church or Bible study live lives when we’re not around.  Mistakes, strengths—all of it is shown in natural outpourings of a life lived for God.  Beautiful.

Plot.

It’s a familiar one—one simple guy against corrupt government. And I never get tired of that. I cheered when Milbrandt referenced Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.  We see it every day on the news—more political corruption, more violence. Just more.  This book addresses it again for the same reason romance writers address romance in every book.  Because it’s a part of our lives and we need the political/legal “happily ever after” just as much as the guy/girl thing.

I also loved that he made me want to buy and read the rest.  It made me want to know what came first.  Not once did I feel like I got a spoiler for the other books (although, technically I’m sure I did), and not once was I lost as to what was going on.

Okay, so what I hated about Running?

Well, the only thing I really hated was that I hadn’t read the other two first and didn’t have time to do it before reading this.  That was sad. I do have them scheduled in my TBR list and I look forward to it.  I suspect I’ll read this again afterward, too.

There were a couple of things that bothered me now and then. I’m known for being a bit of a book snob—even about my own books! Hey, I’m an equal-opportunity snob that way.

The main thing that bothered me was that occasionally the conversation was a little too “on the nose.”  Subtext would have gone a long way to keeping the flow natural while still conveying all the information. Still, it wasn’t all the time and I kept turning the page because the story was compelling enough.

Nothing else poked at me enough to make me be able to remember it a few hours after closing the book, so I’m leaving it there.

Who do I recommend this book for?

The quickest way to describe this book is Alton Gansky’s Distant Memory meets Robert Whitlow’s legal/political novels. So, if you liked either of those, you’ll probably like the Jim Mitchell series—or at least, Running.

Running by Dave MilbrantAbout the Book

Book Title: Running

Author: Dave Milbrandt

Genre: Christian Suspense

Release date: May 1, 2018

An assassin’s bullet sends Jim Mitchell running. When he’ll stop is anybody’s guess.

A tragedy propels Jim into a vacant state assembly seat. The new lawmaker and his wife have a baby on the way, but that doesn’t stop the people trying to keep him from a job he never wanted in the first place. Then Jim gets involved in a plan to thwart a major terror attack that could either make him a hero or get him killed.

 

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Comments

  1. NZ Filbruns says

    July 28, 2018 at 11:48 pm

    This sounds intriguing! I might have to look these books up. I like the way you tell both what you like and what you don’t about a book.

    Reply
    • margaretkazmierczak.com says

      July 29, 2018 at 3:09 am

      Great review as usual Chautona. I really enjoyed the book too and will be getting the previous ones to read as well.

      Reply
      • Chautona Havig says

        July 29, 2018 at 4:14 pm

        I have to know what happened! 😀

        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.

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Episode 231: A Chat with RomCom author, Shannon Sue Dunlap
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