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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

What Do Pretty Ribbons Have to Do with Ugly Murder?

by Chautona Havig · 4 Comments

The Red Ribbon is the next in the brilliant True Colors Crime Series, and Pepper Basham has outdone herself with this one. via @chautonahavig

I remember my father saying, “You have to watch out for those mountain folks. They have long memories that extend back before they were born.”

I didn’t really get what that meant until I read Catherine Marshall’s Christy. Suddenly, those words had context.  Meaning.

It only makes sense, then, that one of the True Colors Crime Series books would involve a story that still evokes strong feelings a hundred years later.  When I learned Pepper Basham was writing this book, I knew I had to read it.  No one could tell the story of the Allen Tragedy like I knew Ms. Basham could.

the red ribbon review

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

What Do Pretty Ribbons Have to Do with Ugly Murder?

Not a lot–and everything.  In true Basham style, Pepper uses kisses to show the beauty and the depravity of man.  The heart that beats beneath those lips becomes the difference between the kiss of a lifetime and, forgive the poetic license, the kiss of death.

In unquestionably the most quotable book I’ve ever read by Pepper Basham, The Red Ribbon combines the tale of a seamstress and would-be writer and a mountain woodworker with moonshiners and feuding families. Add to that the seamstress (Ava)’s family history and you have layers upon layers to unravel.

I think one of the best parts of this book is what actually bugged me at first. I couldn’t tell when or where the inciting event would occur–at least, not the one that would spark the massacre we know is coming. Instead, Basham sets up all parts of the story so seamlessly you don’t even realize she’s done it until it’s all laid out before you.

Characters?  I fell lin love and hate with all of them–the ones I should, that is.

Plot?  Pepper Basham took the actual events and wove those into the lives of the characters she created instead of the other way around (or so it felt to me as I read it). This gives both elements of the story a richer perspective than I would have expected.

Faith?  The Red Ribbon goes beyond historical fact and poetic fictional license.  It also offers a look into the beauty of Truth instead of the ugliness of fear and cruelty.  Jeremiah and her grandmother lead Ava onto a faith journey that I suspect I’ll ponder for weeks.

Recommended for lovers of history, lovers of romance, and lovers of liplock of any kind. If you don’t like those, this probably isn’t the book for you, but I’d try it anyway.  If anyone can make you love a book you were sure you wouldn’t, Pepper Basham can.

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Comments

  1. Debbie P says

    November 13, 2020 at 6:18 pm

    This sounds like a really good read.

    Reply
  2. Pepper Basham says

    November 10, 2020 at 8:01 pm

    Chautona!!!! Thank you SOOOOO much!!!! Mountain folks are scary! It’s true 🙂
    I’m glad you liked Jeremiah and Ava’s story…and didn’t even mind the kissing parts too much 🙂

    Reply
  3. Emma says

    November 10, 2020 at 7:19 pm

    I am not a lover of romance or liplock, but I love history! I already have this on my Kindle, waiting its turn.

    Reply
  4. Rita Wray says

    November 10, 2020 at 11:10 am

    Sounds like a great book.

    Reply

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 265: A Chat with Karen Witemeyer
byChautona Havig

Nothing says fairy tale like a sweet western romance by an author like Karen Witemeyer… unless it’s a fairytale retelling set in Texas in the late 19th century, right?  Fairest of Heart takes the familiar “Snow White” and turns it on its head with retired cowboys, a self-absorbed actress, a Texas Ranger, and a sweet girl who knows the true Source of her beauty.  Listen in to see all the genius Easter eggs Witemeyer planted in this book.

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

Sometimes All a Girl Needs Is a True Change of Heart

I fell in love with the cover of Karen Witemeyer’s Head Over Heels a few years back (only to learn it’s much older than that, even), and meant to read that book.  I didn’t.  #BecauseIdiot. Well, that’ll be rectified just as soon as I’m done listening to her first book in a trilogy of fairytale retellings. I loaded it up on my Audible app tonight and wheeeeeeee. Here I go! So much for no new books until October. HA! 

Karen talks about her heart for young women today and how they’re taught by every bit of media blasting at them that they need to use their bodies to get what they need or want when the Lord has a better plan. And I can’t guarantee it, but I strongly suspect she does it without preaching. SQUEE!

Fairest of Heart by Karen Witemeyer

Once upon a time in Texas . . .

Beauty has been nothing but a curse to Penelope Snow. When she becomes a personal maid for a famous actress whose troupe is leaving Chicago to tour the West, she hides her figure beneath shapeless dresses and keeps her head down. But she still manages to attract the wrong attention, leaving her prospects in tatters–and her jealous mistress plotting her demise.

After his brother lost his life over a woman, Texas Ranger Titus Kingsley has learned to expect the worst from women and is rarely disappointed. So when a young lady found in suspicious circumstances takes up residence with the seven old drovers living at his grandfather’s ranch, Titus is determined to keep a close eye on her.

With a promotion hanging in the balance, Titus is assigned to investigate a robbery case tied to Penelope’s acting troupe, and all evidence points to Penelope’s guilt. But Titus might just be convinced that the fairest woman of all has a heart as pure as her last name . . . if only he can prove it.

You can learn more about Karen Witemeyer and her books on her WEBSITE. Don’t forget the book is 30% off on BakerBookHouse.com.  

Follow Karen on BookBub and GoodReads.

And don’t forget her Posse Group on Facebook.

Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at:

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Episode 265: A Chat with Karen Witemeyer
Episode 265: A Chat with Karen Witemeyer
September 29, 2023
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Episode 262: Chatting about The Legacy of Longdale Manor with Carrie Turansky
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Episode 261: Chatting with Christian Youth Fiction Author, Candice Yamnitz
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Episode 260: A Chat with Rachel Hauck
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