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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Was This Book Really the Best I’ve Read by This Author?

by Chautona Havig · 6 Comments

Won't deny it. To Steal a Heart by Jen Turano is the best book I've read by her. I'm anxiously awaiting the next in the series! via @chautonahavig

“I don’t notice point of view or historical anachronisms. I just like to read a good book.”

It’s not that I don’t envy my mother that.  I do.  It would be nice to just be able to sit down, read a book, and not notice repetitive words, anachronisms, or if the book was written in present tense.  Then again, Mom notices more than she lets on.  Like British spelling.  Drives her CRAZY that those Englishers can’t spell English correctly.  I still snicker at that one.  And in a recent book, she had a few words to say about the convenient landing of a head blown off a body.  Apparently, it ends up on a pillow.  When I asked what kind of metaphor she thought the author was going for, Mom said, “Quit while you’re ahead, I imagine.”

But Mom knows me well.  I do notice those things.  Real or imagined–in other authors’ works or my own, when I catch something off, I can’t ignore it.  But sometimes an author makes me not care.  Like that time I read this new book from this new series…

Was This Book Really the Best I've Read by This Author? steal a heart

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

Was This Book Really the Best I’ve Read by This Author?

Yes.  Definitely. To Steal a Heart did something fabulous for me. This book made me a Jen Turano fan.  Look, I’ve enjoyed other books by her, but I’ve never loved a book like this one.  And when you consider a few quibbles that I should have with it, that’s pretty impressive.

Laugh-out-loud funny (no, really. I cracked up all night long while I read it. No joke), the story kicks off as many of Turano’s do… at a party. And what a party it was!

In Turano’s classic style, she’s created some amazing characters.  Gabby–brilliant.  Look, this author took one of my pet peeves and thumbed her nose at it.  I hate it when authors turn all the girls in historical novels into strong, independent women who don’t care about conventions.  But Jen Turano did it again, and again, she made me love what she did with it.  She made the reasons believable even in their wacky improbability.

Did I roll my eyes at a guy from the 1880s telling a young lady to use “pirate speech” with his dog?  Yeah!  It felt insanely modern.  Did I care?  Nope. I was too busy cracking up at the whole scene (and taking a picture of the page and sharing with another author) to bother caring.

And that’s what I’m talking about.

Sometimes, an author is just so good that she can break rules and blow raspberries at all my pet peeves and I don’t even care.  Because see, when you write such a great story with engaging characters and a sweet and subtle message woven in and left unstated in all the subtext, you can get away with that.

When you write a book that readers can’t put down and with characters they can’t wait to see again, you’ve done it. You’ve succeeded at your job. To Steal a Heart is recommended for anyone needing a good laugh, anyone who loves a fun mystery, and everyone who likes their fiction sprinkled with faith that sparks life in their hearts instead of choking the life out of the story.  Not recommended for folks who like to be miserable.  It’s impossible to be miserable while reading To Steal a Heart.

In fact, I’d go so far as to say To Steal a Heart will steal your heart, but come on.  That’s about as cliche as you can get.  (Psst… it will, though!)

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Comments

  1. Faith says

    November 20, 2020 at 12:29 pm

    Okay, can someone explain to me how the Celebrate Lit and the blog stops work. I got lost in what I’m supposed to do etc. the couple of times I tried it, so I just quit trying. Didn’t even go there with this one. HELP! Sounds fun if I could figure it out.

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      November 20, 2020 at 3:59 pm

      Each day thre are one-two-three or so posts. You can enter the giveaway on any one of those posts. OR… you can go to each blog each day and comment on each one. Enter the giveaway again and tell them how you commented on the post. That gets you more entries and a better chance of winning. 😀

      Reply
  2. Paula Shreckhise says

    November 20, 2020 at 9:51 am

    Love your post about this funnier than funny book!
    Great responses by Jen, too! She is a favorite.

    Reply
  3. Andrea Stoeckel says

    November 20, 2020 at 9:15 am

    This sounds right up my alley! Yay!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Tour and Giveaway for To Steal A Heart by Jen Turano | splashesofjoy says:
    November 29, 2020 at 6:42 am

    […] The Write Escape, November 20 […]

    Reply
  2. To Steal a Heart Book Review – Michelle De Bruin says:
    November 22, 2020 at 5:46 am

    […] The Write Escape, November 20 […]

    Reply

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Episode 43: A Chat with Allison Pearl
by Chautona Havig

Great Things Happen When You Mix Danger and Donuts

Suspense is a personal favorite genre, so when I heard about Allison Pearl’s series, I knew I wanted to read them and chat with her about them.  I only made it about a quarter of the way into the book before the interview, but that’s mostly because I spent way too much time deliberating over whether I should finish the book, Sprinkled with Sabotage, or set it aside and go read the first two.  

That’s actually a difficult thing about books in a series that stand alone.  You can read them out of order, so the dilemma begins–kind of like whether to read The Narnia series in order of publication or in chronological order.

Nah, everyone knows you need to read in order of publication.  Hmm… maybe that solves my question on Allison Pearl’s books, too.  Hmmm…

From the fun way she named the protagonists to our discussing the idea of a high-speed chase through the West Virginia mountains (I bet she could get those folks up to forty miles-per-hour! Trust me, if you’ve ever driven some of those roads, you’ll know that IS high speed in that area!), we talked about just about everything.  Faith in fiction, what got Allison writing suspense in the first place, locales for books, and… of course, what is coming next!

The Love and Danger in St. Claire series by Allison Pearl is full of danger, tension, and sprinkled with romance for the heart-throbbers among us.

Sprinkled with Sabotage

Synopsis: Lizzy Bennet loves life as a lawyer in the city. And not just because of the miles it puts between her and her ex. However, when she’s attacked on the street just hours after learning her identity was stolen, she tries to call home for help and ends up with the last person she expects: the very same high school boyfriend who broke her heart.

He says he’s there to help, but she’s not so sure, and now, all the endless questions and regrets are clouding her judgment and preventing her from seeing the dangerous saboteur closing in. Small-town auto mechanic, Koby Knightly, is looking forward to seeing a car show in the city. But when an unexpected call from his old girlfriend disconnects suddenly, he rushes to her aid. Throwing his plans out the window, Koby makes it his mission to protect her and discover the identity of the person trying to frame her.

Will he also be able to figure out what went wrong between them back in high school or will a killer get to her first?

Available in print, on Kindle, and also through Kindle Unlimited.  Or, read the first books in the series:

  • Glazed Suspicion
  • Dunked in Trouble

You can learn more about Allison Pearl, her upcoming books, and more on her website.

Find out what else her publisher, Anaiah Press has to offer HERE.

Episode 43: A Chat with Allison Pearl
Episode 43: A Chat with Allison Pearl
January 19, 2021
Chautona Havig
Episode 42: A Chat with J'nell Ciesielski
January 13, 2021
Chautona Havig
Episode 41: A Chat with Jennifer Pierce
January 5, 2021
Chautona Havig
Episode 40: My Favorite Book of 2020
December 8, 2020
Chautona Havig
Episode 39: A Chat with L.K. Simonds
December 1, 2020
Chautona Havig
Episode 38: Dan Smith & Saving Ebenezer
November 24, 2020
Chautona Havig
Episode 37: A Chat with Sara Beth Williams
November 17, 2020
Chautona Havig
Episode 36: A Chat with Jennifer Beckstrand
November 10, 2020
Chautona Havig
Episode 35: What Is This NaNoWriMo Thing All About?
November 3, 2020
Chautona Havig
Episode 34: 5 Cheap & Easy Ways to Feed a Book Habit
October 27, 2020
Chautona Havig
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