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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Life Is Full of Second Chances What Was Yours?

by Chautona Havig · 8 Comments

Sometimes, second chances change the whole course of your life, and sometimes they don't last long enough to. Sometimes... sometimes it's both. via @chautonahavig

We planned a fiftieth wedding anniversary party–across the miles and one we never actually held.  My parents’ fiftieth wedding anniversary happened smack dab between #1son’s and #5daughter’s graduations from college.  Oh, and just after that, I had to teach at a conference.

It would have been awkward, I told myself.  Dad’s in a home now.  Mom wasn’t.  Since being at my mom’s house in Noel, I know even better why the Lord decided that our grand plans for a party weren’t to be.  He’s pretty good at that stuff if we just don’t try to force our ideas about things.

Around that time, I had a chance to read a book about another woman’s experiences in marriage–a long one and a short one.  I figured it would be a good book, so I requested a free review copy.

My parents had a second chance, once.  I’ve had second chances.  How about you?

Second Chances Review

Links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.  Additionally, I received a free copy of the book for review purposes and the following review is my opinion alone.

Life Is Full of Second Chances What Was Yours?

The genre for this book is listed as “Family and relationships/Death, Grief, Bereavement.  I’d call it a memoir.  Written almost as a diary of the author’s life over the span of about five years, we learn much of the two very different men she married, what she learned from each of them, and how the Lord blessed her with both easy and difficult marriages.

Saying goodbye to one husband is hard enough, but having to do it back-to-back has to be one of the hardest things a woman can live through, and while Ms. Mozena is raw and real about her pain, her faith shines through.  She encouraged me by her trust in the Lord in difficult times.

Still, I have to admit that some parts confused me. I find it difficult to understand why people choose which details they share. Some of the details in this are clearly very important to the author–clothing, food, decor.  But aside from a couple of things, they only confused me because I kept waiting for the point to them to show up. Unfortunately, it didn’t.

I’m glad I chose to request a review copy of the book.  If I’d known it was a memoir, I wouldn’t have, and I would have missed some encouraging stories.  Recommended for people who enjoy memoirs, seasoned romance, and encouragement in the Lord’s goodness even when it seems that He isn’t.

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Filed Under: Book Reviews

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Comments

  1. Trixi says

    November 3, 2019 at 7:43 pm

    Thank you for your review on this book. I like to read how people find strength in the Lord through difficult circumstances because it gives me hope for when I go through my own. 🙂

    Reply
  2. Bea LaRocca says

    October 25, 2019 at 6:29 pm

    Thank you for sharing your review of Second Chances. Your comments on the story were helpful.

    Reply
  3. James Robert says

    October 25, 2019 at 5:49 am

    So happy to have gotten to know about your book. Thanks so much for sharing.

    Reply
  4. Melissa Wenger says

    October 25, 2019 at 4:56 am

    I’m always looking for ways to understand what others are going through. Sounds like this book will be helpful!

    Reply
  5. Amelia says

    October 24, 2019 at 10:30 pm

    This book sounds really good.

    Reply
  6. Dianna says

    October 24, 2019 at 8:02 pm

    I’m not typically a fan of memoirs but just finished two. So, maybe I should start reading more of them!

    Reply
  7. Debbie P says

    October 24, 2019 at 4:21 pm

    This book sounds like a fantastic read.

    Reply
  8. Rita Wray says

    October 24, 2019 at 11:30 am

    Sounds like a good read.

    Reply

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 593: A Chat with Thomas Goodman
byChautona Havig

The best stories have a strong ring of truth. So when I heard about Through Many Dangers by Thomas Goodman… I knew I wanted to know more. Listen in and learn about the “pistol packin’ preacher.”

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

And don’t miss The Last Man. You’ll regret it if you do!

Through Many Dangers by Thomas Goodman

“Thomas Goodman again shows why he is one of the finest historical fiction authors we have. His vision of East Texas, both the place and the people, is as accurate as it is spellbinding.” —James Wade, Western Heritage Award-winning author ofNarrow the Road Inspired by a remarkable true story,Through Many Dangerstakes readers to 1905 East Texas, where a young preacher arrives to lead a church—and finds himself drawn into a war for the soul of a town. Rick Burleson expects his first pastorate in the timber boomtown of Groveton to test his preaching. He does not expect murder, illegal whiskey, and a criminal operation protected by a corrupt sheriff, an indebted lumber baron, and a cold-blooded enforcer known as the Blade. When Rick begins challenging the lawlessness from his pulpit, threats turn to violence. His church and home become targets. The danger reaches his congregation, his wife, Sarah, and their children. Rick believes in prayer, patience, and the rule of law. But what happens when the law refuses to act? Soon the young Methodist preacher is carrying a holstered Colt and setting the loaded pistol on his pulpit every Sunday. Yet possessing a gun is one thing. Deciding whether he has the resolve to use it is another. Sarah, his steady and clear-eyed wife, faces the danger with him as the threats close around their family. Through Many Dangers is a historical crime novel of corruption, courage, marriage, and faith tested under fire. When evil has taken hold of a town, how long can good people wait for someone else to stop it?

Learn more on Tom’s WEBSITE and follow on GoodReads and BookBub.

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