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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Did I Love or Hate Shadow Sister and Why?

by Chautona Havig · 9 Comments

The synopsis of Shadow Sister grabbed me. C’mon, Spanish, vineyards, vinters, and family? It’s like my Legacy of the Vines series but in Washington. I had to read it.

Women’s fiction? Awesome! It wouldn’t be steeped in heavy romance. Score!

I signed up to request a review copy within seconds of reading blurb and squealed with the book arrived—signed by the author, no less.

As much as I wanted to read it that day, I knew I had a couple of months before it was due, and I had books due before that time. The books still aren’t finished, but um, the review is due.

So today, I started reading.

Curled up in bed, with the turbine engine that masquerades as a fan blasting me, I put my hair in a net to save me from face tickles, grabbed my cheaters, and cracked open the book.

At last. Just me, Washington vineyards, a couple of sisters, and the Lord.

Did I Love or Hate Shadow Sister and Why?

Note: Links in this post 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 this is what I thought of it.

Did I Love or Hate Shadow Sister and Why?

The simple answer is yes.

But that won’t suffice. There’s so much to this book that I have to start with what I loved.

Characters: Katherine Scott Jones managed to create some of the most realistic and beautifully flawed characters I’ve seen in a long time. Every person in the story had multiple layers. Just as you became certain you knew what this one or that said or thought, another petal peeled away to reveal a sweeter, fresher fragrance to that person—one you didn’t know could exist.

She showed the strengths and the weaknesses of both protagonists and antagonists, and she never once fell into the trap of creating villains where they weren’t necessary just because that person was an antagonist. Neither did she justify people’s wrongs into poor, misunderstood fellows.

I loved that.

Settings: I don’t know if Ms. Jones has ever been to Bolivia or even to Washington state. I have no clue. What I do know is that she made me believe she had—that they were places deeply etched into her soul. This she did with careful, and where appropriate, lavish, description but never once with excess.

Story: We all know that for me it’s all about story. This one is a doozy. It jumps time, past and present, it shifts points of view, and it does it all without leaving the reader confused. Rather, she takes her time to anchor you into every moment before allowing it all to unfold, and she does this without dragging or weighing down the story.

You can understand why I said that I loved it, right? Who wouldn’t?

But I did say “yes” to whether I loved or hated it. There’s a reason for that. You see, despite the rich description, heart-rending story, and wonderful characterization, a shadow falls across the page that made every chapter work for me to read through.

Normally, I’d blame myself for that. You see, that shadow is that the entire book is written in present tense—both first and third person. I frankly despise present tense writing.

But recently, I was introduced to a book where it was done so skillfully that I didn’t even realize it was until three-quarters through the book. And that taught me something. Present tense can be done amazingly well. That one element of this book just wasn’t—not for me.

I thought I’d knock a star off for it.

Because it was hard work to slog through the writing style. But as I sit here thinking about the story, about the characters, about everything that I loved in this book, I realize that I do love it despite its glaring flaw. Like one of the characters in this book, it has what I consider to be a “birth defect.” A gaping slash that mars its initial beauty.

But the true beauty of the story comes from a deeper place than the method of telling it. And because of that, I’m giving it five stars after all.

Recommended for people who love novels of family, broken and restored relationships, and mild romance. For those like me who find present tense difficult to read, I’d recommend doing the “see inside” portion before purchasing.

Shadow Sister by Katherine Scott JonesAbout the Book

Book Title: Shadow Sister

Author: Katherine Scott Jones

Genre: Woman’s Fiction

Release date: August 28, 2018

Working on her father’s vineyard allows Sarah Lanning to bury memories of a lost love and a career that might have been. But then her fractured family receives word that her estranged sister, Jenna, is dead, leaving behind an unexpected request: that Sarah travel to Bolivia to scatter her ashes.

Accompanied by pilot Chase Maddox, Sarah embarks on an Andean journey that tests her devotion to home and exposes Jenna’s secret life. Each staggering discovery creates new mysteries—until the last, which leaves Sarah questioning everything she understood about family loyalty. At a crossroads, she must decide whether truth is worth the cost of forgiveness—and whether she can lay claim to a future of happiness without it.

Bittersweet and bold, Shadow Sister explores the mysteries of the human heart and the bond of unquenchable love.

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Comments

  1. Katherine Scott Jones says

    September 8, 2018 at 9:35 am

    Chautona, thank you for this wonderfully thoughtful, layered, and gracious review! I’m grateful.

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      September 8, 2018 at 1:20 pm

      Thank you for Jenna and Sarah’s story. It’s still with me this morning.

      Reply
  2. realworldbiblestudy says

    September 8, 2018 at 7:31 am

    As I was reading this, I wondered: how does writing these (great and much appreciated, if horribly tempting) reviews affect how you write?

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      September 8, 2018 at 1:22 pm

      I really don’t know. Funny, isn’t it? I do get reminders of what I love to read myself and what I don’t, so I’m sure it helps me remember not to do certain things and to do others, but I haven’t really noticed. I’ll be paying attention, though. Maybe it’ll be a blog post. Writing that down…

      Reply
  3. Margaret Kazmierczak says

    September 8, 2018 at 6:25 am

    I enjoyed your review Chautona and glad that you put the don’t like bit in but chose to give five stars anyway because of the great story. I love your honesty, and I am sure the author will feel blessed by your opinion, and readers feel encouraged to give the book a try.

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      September 8, 2018 at 1:23 pm

      I had every intention of four because reading it made it harder to like, but the more time that passed the more I just didn’t care. But if I’d had to review it in the middle or even near the end, I wouldn’t have. It’s just not my style. I find it hard to read.

      Reply
  4. susiesellnergmailcom says

    September 8, 2018 at 5:54 am

    Shadow Sister sounds intriguing and inspiring; I’m eager to read it!

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      September 8, 2018 at 1:22 pm

      I really think it’s a wonderful story.

      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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