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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Is the Coast Guard the Red-Headed Stepchild of the Military?

by Chautona Havig · 3 Comments

The Killing Tide has a lot going for it, but one thing I really loved most was seeing a lesser-featured branch of our military in the spotlight. via @chautonahavig

I know where I was the day I learned about the Coast Guard, although I don’t actually know how old I was.  Dad was driving me to school along Olivas Park Drive.  Just after we passed the Olivas Adobe, whatever he was saying clicked.  Something about having an honorable discharge… from the Coast Guard. As far as I knew to that point, we had four branches of military, but if what Dad was saying was what I thought he said… We had five?  Really?

You know, to this day, I hear people talking about the military… and rarely do I ever hear the Coast Guard mentioned.

Of course, when Dani Pettrey’s book, The Killing Tide became available for review, I was ready just because of her name and that gorgeous cover.  When I learned that the book was the first in the series about the Coast Guard, well… I had to request a copy, didn’t I?

And when my mom read it and said, “Yeah.  That one was good,” I couldn’t wait to read it.  I had one question in mind…

the killing tide review

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Is the Coast Guard the Redheaded Stepchild of the Military?

You’d think so with the way it’s often overlooked in books about our military forces, but Dani Pettrey plunges us into a whirlwind of a story featuring both Coast Guard heroes and a dedicated journalist who wields words instead of weapons to keep our country safe. Am I connected with this series?  Will I be reading all the books?  Oh yeah.

Still, I have mixed emotions about this particular book.  It wasn’t the home-run I expected.

Why?  Well…

The Good, the Bad, and the Confusing on The Killing Tide.

The good:

I’ve never read anything by Danni Pettrey before, but man can this woman write.  Seriously, she kept me on the edge of my seat even in parts that weren’t… amazing.  She knows suspense, she knows mystery, and she’s not afraid to write real characters that do real amazing and stupid things.

The settings were stellar; the pacing, off the charts.  By the time I got just a few chapters in, I knew.  This was a series I’d follow all the way through.

That said… there’s…

The bad:

This will sound contradictory, but Pettrey wrote some seriously compelling bad guys.  I LOVED hating her bad guys.  I mean, isn’t that one of the benefits of fiction?  It’s not a sin to hate someone who doesn’t exist?  Catharsis, baby!  But then bad guy turns… stupid?  I mean, at the end of the book, all the brilliant bad guy-ness is just conveniently inadequate to the task.  Or, anyway, that’s how it seemed to me.  It felt that rather than the good guys out-smarting the bad guys, the bad guys just got tired and lazy.  How convenient.  As much as I hate saying that, it’s true. Like I said to start off, she wrote COMPELLING BAD GUYS.  I just wished they’d stayed compelling.  It would have meant the “good guy triumph,” had some real teeth to it instead of, “Oh, how convenient. We won.”  That’s how it felt.  🙁

But then there was Gabby.  What did Finn see in her?  What are we supposed to see in her?  Because, frankly, until the very end, there’s almost nothing to like about her. She claims to care about her family and not want them hurt, but then she seriously makes every possible decision she can to ensure they are put in danger.  Her job matters more than the people she claims to love most–and that began before the story began.  You know, back when she dumped Finn for a job.

Look, I don’t mind unlikeable characters.  However, I need a reason for them to be unlikeable, and I really need a reason to change my opinion.  Unfortunately, I just wasn’t given one.  In this book. Maybe throughout the series, that’ll change.  I really hope so.

The confusing:

I was confused in chapter two.  Right off the bat.  We have heroine showing up and… who are all these people?  What connection to the story?  Why do I care about–wait, what just happened?

Mostly, it had to do with lots of people showing up all at once and no idea who they were for pages upon pages.

Seriously, though. If that was all I saw, I might have ignored it.  I mean, it happens.  And sometimes, you just need to get your cast on the page and let them introduce themselves as it fits.  I get that.

However, because of her personality, I’m still confused about what Finn saw in her.  I want to love them together.  I just… don’t.

That said, I am not sorry I requested and received a free review copy, and I am definitely planning to read the rest of the series. I’m just certain it’s going to be great.  As far as this book goes, I enjoyed most of the story.  It’s better than most suspense out there, and I recommend it for readers who love suspense, enjoy military suspense, and like complex characters who don’t fit perfect little boxes.  Danni Pettrey’s The Killing Tide will keep readers glued to the page to find out what comes next, and isn’t that the best part of suspense?

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Comments

  1. James Robert says

    June 30, 2020 at 12:17 am

    Thanks much for sharing your book and a giveaway. Sounds great!

    Reply
  2. James Robert says

    June 29, 2020 at 12:24 am

    I appreciate getting to hear about your book. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
  3. Amelia says

    June 27, 2020 at 10:08 am

    Thanks for sharing! I love Dani’s books and I can’t wait to read The Crushing Depths!

    Reply

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 163: A Chat with Naomi Craig about Ezekiel's Song
byChautona Havig

Before I began the interview with Naomi Craig about Ezekiel’s Song, I kind of went crazy and left it in to give you a chuckle. But Naomi and I chat about her upcoming release, why she chose to write about Ezekiel, and what areas she focused on. Listen in and hear her heart for the Word and for stimulating readers to love it and live it.

Oh, and that song I couldn’t remember? Well, I found it after a BUNCH of hunting on YouTube. Here you go!

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

Has Ezekiel Always Confused You? How about a Little Fictional Clarity?

There’s SO much to write about in Ezekiel, but after talking to Naomi Craig, I feel like I got a pretty good grasp of where she’s taking this book without feeling like I don’t need to read it now that we chatted, and that’s always great. Naomi shows service in the temple, how Ezekiel could have had a mentorish relationship under Jeremiah, and even what kind of woman his wife might have been.

Personally, I love the “Darcy-ish” meeting where he totally insults her and accuses her of being an idolatress. Let me tell you something. I cannot wait to read that! Seriously!

God had Ezekiel do a lot of weird things, and I always wondered how he managed some of it, but Naomi brings out possibilities by focusing on this wife that we don’t know much (anything) about. How cool is that?

Naomi also gave us a couple of glimpses into what’s coming next!

She’s #TeamBlue in the Keeping Christmas novella collections, writing about Herod’s palace and the wise men’s appearance looking for “the King of the Jews.”  And… from a scribe’s perspective!  How cool is that?

Also… next up is a book about a woman in Ephriam’s lineage who built three cities. A woman credited with the building of these cities!  I cannot wait! I love how Naomi focuses on how strong Biblical women were. So often we think of them as downtrodden and little more than cattle, but God shows how much He loves His daughters in the Word, and He definitely allows them to shine. We saw that in Naomi’s debut novel Rahab’s Courage.

Ezekiel’s Song by Naomi Craig

A prophet’s heart broken, a woman’s joy gone. What does Yahweh have planned for His people?

On the brink of Jerusalem’s demise, devoted priest, Ezekiel, sees the insincerity of Judah’s worship. Despite his efforts to call the people back to true worship of Yahweh, priests, artisans, valiant warriors, and royals are exiled to Babylon. When God gives him messages of continued judgment for the people in his homeland, his heart breaks. How can he minister to the people from so far away?

The presence of the Lord is tangible when Shiriel sings in the temple, and her voice prepares the hearts of many to worship. When she is exiled to Babylon, her faith is shaken. Does the Lord’s presence extend beyond Jerusalem and His holy temple?

Ezekiel is struck mute and paralyzed as he begins his prophetic ministry, and Shiriel devises a plan to get the Lord’s message back to the unfaithful people of Judah. Shiriel struggles with discontentment as serving the Lord looks nothing like she’d imagined. Can she provide for her family and carry out her husband’s ministry when her joy is gone, and her own dreams are placed on hold?

How will Yahweh save His people from themselves? Find out in Ezekiel’s Song!

Ezekiel’s Song is available at 30% off paperback and at a discount for Kindle, too through release week, so visit Naomi’s WEBSITE for more information.

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Episode 163: A Chat with Naomi Craig about Ezekiel's Song
Episode 163: A Chat with Naomi Craig about Ezekiel's Song
August 12, 2022
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August 9, 2022
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July 12, 2022
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Episode 154: A Chat with Romantic Suspense Author, Sami A. Abrams
June 28, 2022
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Reposted from @tabithabouldin Reposted from @Sarah Reposted from @tabithabouldin Reposted from @Sarah Monzon The entire Carrington Family series is on sale for only 99¢! (Free with #kindleunlimited ) 

Split-time romances with high stakes and even higher rewards! 

#splittime #romance #booksale #kindlecountdown #bookstagram #christianfiction #readmorebooks #read #books #ebooksale #boxset
If only owning a bookstore didn't mean dealing wit If only owning a bookstore didn't mean dealing with people.
Harper Brevig has two skills—picking out snarky bookish t-shirts and alienating customers. 
Oh, and racking up bills out of thin air. Make that three skills. She loves the elderly and the very 
young—except the ones who destroy her beloved books. You could say she doesn’t have a very nice 
“book-side manner.” 
Milton Coleridge and his parrotlet Atticus (not Finch) come to the rescue… but is it too late to 
save this bookstore?
Twice Sold Tales: the first full-length novel in the Bookstrings Series releases on November 2, 
2022. Link to more information is in my bio! 
#amwriting
#amreading
#bookishbooks
#bookstrings
#comingsoon
#ChristianFiction
Reposted from @mwardwellwrites A mother/son road t Reposted from @mwardwellwrites A mother/son road trip isn’t always fun, but it was a bonding experience for Liz and her son, Matt.

Finding Hope in Savannah is on Sale now through the 19th, only on Amazon.

https://amzn.to/3vZypVq

#book #firstlinefriday #savannahgeorgia #romance #Christfic #singlemother #redemption
Fascinating moon tonight. Fascinating moon tonight.
If only owning a bookstore didn't mean dealing wit If only owning a bookstore didn't mean dealing with people.
Harper Brevig has two skills—picking out snarky bookish t-shirts and alienating customers. 
Oh, and racking up bills out of thin air. Make that three skills. She loves the elderly and the very 
young—except the ones who destroy her beloved books. You could say she doesn’t have a very nice 
“book-side manner.” 
Milton Coleridge and his parrotlet Atticus (not Finch) come to the rescue… but is it too late to 
save this bookstore?
Twice Sold Tales: the first full-length novel in the Bookstrings Series releases on November 2, 
2022. Link to more information is in my bio! 
#amwriting
#amreading
#bookishbooks
#bookstrings
#comingsoon
#ChristianFiction
#becauselunch #becauselunch
While I was in Minnesota, I went to Red Wing for While I was in Minnesota,  I went to Red Wing for research,  and the shop manager of the salon I've appropriated for my bookstore in Twice Sold Tales was so encouraging and helpful.  She even gave @catheswanson a great bang trim.
#amwriting 
#christfic 
#bookstrings 
#comingsoon
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