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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Warning: Unintended Consequences Will Make You a POW

by Chautona Havig · 21 Comments

Of fabulous WWII fiction.

No, really. When I got the opportunity to read Dan Walsh’s new book, Unintended Consequences, I had no idea what to expect. I’d never read anything by him before—no clue even to the genre. But I accepted the offer of a complimentary copy, dove into the book, and began reading.

Look, I had no idea where this book was even going at first. I can’t say I was bored—that’s too strong. Just… oh… confused? Yeah. Let’s go with confused.

It wasn’t that, “What on earth is happening? First, he was there and now he’s here and what?” kind of confusion. It was more like, “What’s the point of this?”

Yeah.

Unintended Consequences

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Okay, being frank here, most of the time when there’s a dual scene going on, one setting up the other, disappearing, and then reappearing at the end like a prologue/epilogue… I don’t like it. I read dual timeline books all the time, but that chunk in the middle thing just never really grabs me. And that part of this one didn’t either.

Until the end.

It wasn’t even that amazing of an ending (outside the middle story, anyway). But Walsh somehow not only made it work, he really made it interesting.

But the other story? The WWII suspense-slash-romance-drama? Fabulous. It’s actually what made the beginning/ending parts so good. I really did love the book. Loved it so much that I bought a copy despite having been given one.

Though the third in a series, Unintended Consequences stands alone quite well. I didn’t get too much “rehash” of prior books—no info-dumps that really overdid it or anything. And I suspect the dual scene thing had more to do with giving established readers a bit of an “epilogue” to the previous books than it did as showing a necessary part of the plot of Unintended Consequences.

The primary story, set in WWII includes all the best parts of stories that we love from that era—brave American soldiers/pilots, English settings, intrigue, good vs. evil. Oh, and of course, romance. Walsh weaves them all into the tale without overdoing any of it. Rich, well-rounded characters, believable and interesting scenes combine with a  story that captivated me from the moment we met Jack Turner on the ship on the way to England.

Oh, and one of my favorite parts—history so seamlessly woven into the story that it never feels forced. That’s  one of my pet peeves—almost as bad as preachiness in Christian Fiction

With all this praise, I should throw out a few caveats.

For those who are sticklers for historical tone, this book will jar you out of the story now and then. The modern use of “totally” and similar things did definitely jerk me out of the reading experience. Frankly, most of the time I would have been bothered enough by it that I would not have been able to truthfully say, “I loved it.”

But I did. I loved Unintended Consequences.

For those who dislike when stories lapse into “telling,” well, now and then it happens here. But honestly, that’s a part of historical fiction. He doesn’t overdo it, and except for a couple of repetitive places, it wasn’t excessive or annoying at all. But there you have it. If it bothers you—it is in there a time or three. Just saying.

Oh, and the original copy I received had several typos that will bother some readers, but they might have been corrected by the final copy.

Did I mention I loved it? The family history, the difference and similarities in characters, the difficult times and the joys? I loved it all. I loved how he made implausible parts, well, plausible. And that’s my favorite part of fiction—when the implausible becomes so real it is plausible.

And yes, Unintended Consequences held me as a POW for the duration of the book—or at least the majority of it. I think anyone would be captivated by a tale often told but never too often. Something about this book makes you more than happy to be a prisoner of this retelling of one tiny sliver of the war.

I recommend this book for anyone who loves a good WWII story, a genuine romance, and enough suspense to keep you turning pages but not so much you won’t stay awake all night.

Oh, and I’ll be buying the others in the series.  Definitely.

Unintended ConsequencesUnintended Consequences.

Jack Turner Suspense Series Book 3

Jack and Rachel leave Culpepper for their long-awaited honeymoon trip, a driving tour through New England. On day three, they stop at a little bayside town in Cape Cod to visit Jack’s grandmother. After he gets called away to handle an emergency, Rachel stays and listens as Jack’s grandmother shares a remarkable story about how she and Jack’s grandfather met in the early days of World War 2. It’s a story filled with danger, decades-old family secrets, daring rescues and romance. Jack is named after his grandfather, and this story set the course and direction for Jack’s life to the present day. After hearing it, Rachel is amazed that anyone survived.

Reviewer note: The publisher’s synopsis would never have enticed me to read the book, so don’t be dissuaded by it.  And really, who doesn’t want to see what storm is brewing on the horizon of that cover?

I seriously doubt Dan Walsh intended for people to read the book and immediately offer to do a giveaway, but maybe the title inspired me.  Who knows?  Regardless, I am.  So if you’d like to win a copy of Unintended Consequences, just tell me what about it sounds most intriguing to you!

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Comments

  1. Dacia says

    May 29, 2017 at 9:31 am

    Your review makes me want to read this book… as most (all?) your book reviews do. ; ). I don’t think I’ve ever read anything by Dan Walsh- but I’ll add him to my want to check out authors. =)

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      May 29, 2017 at 5:40 pm

      I just really liked the story. 😀

      Reply
  2. Alicia says

    May 28, 2017 at 1:54 pm

    Between your rating comments and review and what others are saying in here it sounds like a really interesting book. I love that era and would love a chance to read it. I just have a lot of other reading on my plate that I wouldn’t get to it right away …

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      May 28, 2017 at 4:40 pm

      I think you’d enjoy it. But it’s not going anywhere. 😀

      Reply
  3. Diana Nesbitt says

    May 27, 2017 at 7:02 pm

    I’m curious about how he makes the implausible, plausible! And the decades-old family secrets. I don’t think I’ve read any of Walsh’s books before, but I believe my mother read one of his Christmas ones and really enjoyed it. I’ve been up to my eyeballs in reading about WWII lately for my novel research but after taking a break to read the next Madeline book I’ll have to get back at it. 🙂

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      May 27, 2017 at 9:58 pm

      Well, there’s a bit of a familiar movie twist in it–one that you really don’t expect someone to make feel like it could work. In fact, he takes things that should be all cliched and hackneyed and turns them on their heads to make them feel real and new. It took me a while to realize what he’d done. It’s pretty impressive.

      I’ll be sure not to mail you my WWII book. Woudln’t want you to hate it. 😉

      Reply
  4. Rory Lynn says

    May 26, 2017 at 7:22 am

    I loved the part where Jack is called away and Rachel stays to her the story about how Grandma and grandpa met..Makes me wonder how Jack and Rachel will fair. Do they fall in love also!

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      May 26, 2017 at 4:34 pm

      I guess it’s not a spoiler since it’s in the synopsis, but Jack and Rachel are on their honeymoon in this book. They’d better be in love! LOL.

      Reply
  5. Kristen says

    May 25, 2017 at 7:14 pm

    Your review makes me want to read it!! Looking it up on Amazon now (just in case I don’t win… 🙂

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      May 25, 2017 at 7:24 pm

      Really did enjoy Jack’s, Elliot’s, and Renee’s stories.

      Reply
  6. Emma says

    May 25, 2017 at 12:09 pm

    Your review makes me want to read it. I wish I could figure out how to write reviews as well as you do!

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      May 25, 2017 at 3:40 pm

      Aw, thanks. Just “talk” to your readers–write it like you’d tell them if they were sitting at your table. Keep it conversational and about what you liked/didn’t instead of content. Once I did that, I feel like my reviews became a little more interesting. 😀

      Reply
    • Alicia says

      May 28, 2017 at 1:51 pm

      Emma you write amazing reviews!!

      Reply
  7. Eileen says

    May 25, 2017 at 4:14 am

    I love stories from WWII, both truth and fiction. I’m definitely intrigued by the sound of this series and would love to read the book.

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      May 25, 2017 at 7:04 am

      I agree. It’s a fascinating era.

      Reply
  8. Kathy says

    May 24, 2017 at 6:21 pm

    I have enjoyed the other books in this series and everything else Dan Walsh has written. Can’t wait to read it!

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      May 24, 2017 at 6:43 pm

      I’ll be reading the rest myself!

      Reply
  9. Diane says

    May 24, 2017 at 1:18 pm

    I love Dan walsh’s writing! Great, honest review that makes me want to read it.

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      May 24, 2017 at 2:38 pm

      I just really loved the book. Great story, and now I want to read the first two.

      Reply
  10. Susan (DE) says

    May 24, 2017 at 8:36 am

    I am very interested by World War II. 🙂 It sounds interesting to me. Thanks.

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      May 24, 2017 at 2:39 pm

      Super fun 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 215: A Chat with Henry O. Arnold
byChautona Havig

I had a chat with actor and author Henry O. Arnold a while back, and boy did we have a lot of fun. His Song of Prophets and Kings series features the advent of Israel’s kings from Samuel’s birth through David hiding from Saul (so far) and onward. Listen in as we chat about his most recent release, The Singer of Israel.

 

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

What Made David Such a Man after God’s Heart?

I think this series will show us. I love that Henry O. Arnold started back at Samuel’s story to prepare us for the story of arguably the most influential king of Israel. Yes, Solomon was the wisest and richest, but David offered something that Solomon didn’t have. He was an average guy—a shepherd, no less—chosen by God to lead his country.

In a sense, it’s kind of the ancient Jewish version of a poor, everyday guy growing up to become President of the United States. If you know what I mean.

This five-book series is available as an eBook, in print, and as an audiobook, too! Henry read a snippet of it to us, and boy you get a feel for his love of Scripture and God’s people as he reads.

And if that wasn’t enough, he even gave us a hint of his upcoming Christian suspense/thriller “series. He says he has two books planned for sure, so… at least a duology, but maybe we can talk him into a trilogy at least? Get those odd numbers and everything?

The Singer of Israel by Henry O. Arnold

A singer’s voice inspires a troubled nation…A shepherd’s courage vanquishes a giant

The last official act of the prophet of Yahweh was to secretly anoint a replacement for the king of Israel who has been brought low by an unbalanced mind. The great prophet of Israel lives in fear of the wrath of the king. Then out of the hills of Bethlehem emerges the last-born son of a family of shepherds to become the unforeseen hero of Israel.

When David sings of the glory of Yahweh, this shepherd wins the hearts of the royal family and restores King Saul’s troubled mind. But when the singer/shepherd defeats the champion of the Philistines in single combat, David becomes forever known as “the giant slayer.” Saul quickly sees that David is now a threat to his kingdom and secretly plots to have him killed.

David may be the champion of the people of Israel, but he must live under the constant threat of Saul’s wrath until he is finally forced to flee for his life.

The Singer of Israel is a tale of triumph and tribulation, deepest love, and burning rivalries; the new epoch is given a voice…and it is The Song of Prophets and Kings.

You can learn more about Henry on this WEBSITE.

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Episode 215: A Chat with Henry O. Arnold
Episode 215: A Chat with Henry O. Arnold
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