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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

3 Things I Love Most about “That Boyfriend Book”

by Chautona Havig · Leave a Comment

Secret Beach Boyfriend releases today with a fun contest for the series authors, giveaway for readers, and a great book for all! via @chautonahavig

The manuscript hit my inbox with an electronic thud that still rings in my ears.  No joke. Secret Beach Boyfriend.  What had I gotten myself into?

Seriously!  One of the best things about these Independence Islands Series books is that I’m the content editor.  That means I get to read them first.  Or, in the case of Secret Beach Boyfriend, I have to read them first.

Yep. That’s how I saw it.  I’m not proud of that… but it’s what it is.

Here’s the thing. I knew I’d like the book. I really did.  What I didn’t know is that I would absolutely fall in love not only with the characters, their plots and quirks, but I’d fall in love with the book itself, too.

That’s the sign of a great writer, folks–when they can take something you’re not really interested in and make you a raving fan… look out!

secret beach boyfriend

Note: links are likely affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

3 Things I Love Most about “That Boyfriend Book”

 1.  Characters

In Secret Beach Boyfriend, you’ll find raw, real characters with the kinds of flaws and uncertainties that we all have in some way or another.  They’re recognizable, infuriating, and endearing.

2. Issues

Yes, Secret Beach Boyfriend is a contemporary Christian romance.  Most definitely. But it goes beyond “boy meets girl” and tackles real issues that many of us face in our daily lives: abandonment, mental health, and compensation to start. Annie and Rafe come from deeply dysfunctional pasts, or rather, their pasts have created dysfunction in some instances. Not only that, but this all created a twist that I did not see coming.  Brilliant.

3. Faith

One of my common complaints about contemporary Christian romance is that often the faith element feels tacked on as an afterthought. This isn’t what you find in Secret Beach Boyfriend. Instead, you have a woman trying to live her faith even in awkward and difficult circumstances and a guy who just doesn’t get that faith isn’t something you check off your life to-do list.

Secret Beach Boyfriend releases today!

And do the authors have a great celebration planned. Since Kari’s main character is an event coordinator (party planner), we decided to have a contest among ourselves. We’d all create a table centerpiece/setting and share it with you guys.  You can go from blog to blog to see which one you like, and on the last one, you can vote for your favorite! Your votes get you entries into a fun giveaway including gift cards, e-books, and audiobooks!

First, we were given a list of items and required to use at least SIX of the items on this list. 

  • Table Theme
  • Something silver or gold
  • Something crystal
  • Or maybe something unique to you
  • Something that represents your writing
  • Something floral
  • A gift
  • Something that offers light
  • Something borrowed
  • Food-related something or other

And this was my entry.  I’ll explain each thing below.

secret beach boyfriend

Table theme:

I chose “Time to Write” as my theme.  I confess that this is a bit of a cheat on the right side, because most of that sit just like that on my desk in my room.  Still, it is me and I loved it.  I had decided to use some super-cute vintage figurines (phone, radio, phonograph, camera, etc.) that Sandy had given me, but they just didn’t work–were too small.

Something silver or gold:

I chose… shockingly enough, “silverware.”  I know it’s kind of cheating, but really, nothing realy worked.  So, I put all two of my “silver” things away and went with simple.

Something crystal:  

Okay, so technically that hourglass isn’t “crystal.”  However, the only crystal thing I have just did not work at all.  So, I left it out and called this glass “crystal.”  #4daughter said I could, so I’m going with it.

Or maybe something unique to you:

I’ve slowly begun a random bottle collection. None of them are worth anything or are even that pretty. They’re just random things like #4daughter’s leftover face cleanser bottles and such. They just make me smile.

Something that represents your writing:

That little Brownie camera I bought off eBay as a memento of my Madeline. and while it is a much newer one than the tiny cardboard box one she had, it makes me smile every time I look at it.  Additionally, I have this little resin typewriter that doesn’t take up much room, but is a representation of my little typewriter logo (because I’ve never seen the little one that I actually use!).  Besides, black looks better against my duck blue walls. 🙂

Something floral:

While lavender isn’t my favorite flower (that would be lilacs or even daisies), I love the scent, flavor, and of course the sprays of lavender. #4daughter allowed me to use her potted lavender and I brought in my little bottles with faux lavender sprigs in them.  #becausebottles.

A gift:

The feather pen in the bottle was a gift to me from #4daughter from her trip to Ireland. It got a bit “ruffled” in the suitcase on the way home, but despite Neville’s best efforts to save me from the evil feather, it is one of my favorite decor items (and the nib really does work). Additionally, that same daughter bought me the small book on another trip.  I use that one as a commonplace book as I shared in THIS post.

Something that offers light:

I forgot to put the candle on the table!  Unfortunately, I cannot see the light!  😉

Something borrowed:

I borrowed the lavender pots from #4daughter, as mentioned above with the floral one.

A food-related item:

Okay, so we stretched it a bit with the tea bag and the pumpkin, but hey. I couldn’t get the single piece of chocolate I wanted, which turned out to be a good thing because…

Confession time:

That “tablecloth” is a door curtain.  The “napkin” is a tieback.  Because, you see… nothing I have matches the new plates I got for my birthday (two years ago).  It works… right?

Be sure to check out all the author’s tables before heading over to Celebrate Lit to vote on your favorite!

Kari Trumbo

Rachel Skatvold

Tabitha Bouldin

Carolyn Miller

Melissa Wardwell

Chautona Havig

Celebrate Lit!

secret beach boyfriendMeanwhile, be sure to get your copy of Secret Beach Boyfriend.

I seriously LOVE this book.  Here’s more about it.

Synopsis:  Annie Roman believes love is a fairytale.

She met Rafe on the beach when she was just five and it seemed like fate tied them together. When a chance encounter returns him to the islands twenty years later, Annie finds her beach friend has grown up and now needs her help.

Damaged and scarred from a past that still hasn’t healed, Annie needs help of her own. True to character, Rafe comes up with a perfect solution, but a temporary island romance does not fit into his agenda at all.

Will an offer to be her secret boyfriend give her heart a second chance? How can it turn into something more and prove there’s power in prayer and that love can triumph over a painful past?

He was Annie’s hero long ago, but can the man he has become save her now?

Secret Beach Boyfriend is the third “Merriweather book” in a new series featuring five islands, six authors, and a boatload of happily-ever-afters.

The Independence Island Series: beach reads aren’t just for summer anymore.

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 262: Chatting about The Legacy of Longdale Manor with Carrie Turansky
byChautona Havig

Chatting with Carrie Turansky is always fun, but guys, this gal is such a trouper!  But with her newest novel (Split-Time!!!), The Legacy of Longdale Manor coming out, and with it taking place in the Lake District (we were probably there at the same time!!!), I am crazy excited about this book. Listen in to see what a shepherd’s crook has to do with art and two women, a century apart, who both are dealing with daddy issues that only a Heavenly Father can truly help.

 

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

What Heart Issues Connect These Two Troubled Women Together?

Carrie Turansky and I were both in the Lake District in May (we probably overlapped a few days even! AAAK!), and I love the area she wrote about. I actually looked up Langdale Chase (the house that inspired Carrie’s book) as a potential for a book I’m writing in the area. I had decided to move it closer to Ambleside. Isn’t it amazing how two authors can take the same inspiration and write two totally different books?  I love that. 

The faith elements she’s put into The Legacy of Longdale Manor just touch my heart so deeply. Any time you are dealing with a shepherd or fatherhood, I’m all in, and I can’t wait to see what she’s done with it. 

The Legacy of Longdale Manor by Carrie Turransky

Two women–a century apart–embark on a journey to healing, faith, forgiveness, and romance.

In 2012, art historian Gwen Morris travels to England’s Lake District to appraise the paintings and antiques of an old family friend, hoping to prove herself to her prestigious grandfather. While at Longdale Manor, she meets David Bradford–the owner’s handsome grandson–who is desperate to save the crumbling estate by turning it into a luxury hotel. When Gwen stumbles upon a one-hundred-year-old journal and an intricately carved shepherd’s staff similar to one in a photo of her parents, she’s left searching for answers.

In 1912, after her father’s death, Charlotte Harper uncovers a painful family secret she can only confess to her journal. She and her family travel to the Lake District to stay on a sheep farm, hoping eventually to find a home with Charlotte’s grandfather at Longdale Manor, but old wounds and bitter regrets make it a difficult challenge. As Charlotte grows closer to shepherd Ian Storey and rebuilds her shattered faith, she must decide whether she will ever trust in love again.

Learn more about Carrie Turansky and all the goodies for preordering The Legacy of Longdale Manor on her WEBSITE.

Also follow her on BookBub and GoodReads

BakerBookHouse.com has The Legacy of Longdale Manor on sale for 40% off with FREE shipping.  And don’t forget to go get your goodies, too!

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Episode 262: Chatting about The Legacy of Longdale Manor with Carrie Turansky
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I love this book so much. And it wouldn't be an "A I love this book so much. And it wouldn't be an "Anne" story without Gilbert and Diana... meet Gage. He's not quite Gilbert, but he's got everything a Gilbert should have--including the ability to completely annoy Anne when he doesn't mean to. She's speaking to him here... barely.
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I love this book so much. And it wouldn't be an "A I love this book so much. And it wouldn't be an "Anne" story without Gilbert and Diana... meet Gage. He's not quite Gilbert, but he's got everything a Gilbert should have--including the ability to completely annoy Anne when he doesn't mean to. She's speaking to him here... barely.
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