Review: Speak Now by Chautona Havig

Book Title and Synopsis:

They met at a wedding and his children stole her heart. What started as a polite dance at the reception initiated a whirlwind romance. He admires her heart–not to mention her beauty. She feels more comfortable with him than anyone she’s ever met.

Their chemistry–so intense that they can’t risk affection. Their temptation threshold is simply too narrow to risk.

Cara has a unique talent for making anyone feel at ease. Jonathan prefers to listen rather than speak.

But some things must be spoken–never assumed.

My Thoughts:
Speak Now explores the subject of temptation within a relationship, as noted in the Author's Note at the beginning of the book. The attraction between Cara and Jonathan is so powerful that they scarcely touch at all; it's even too risky for them to hold hands. It's a difficult and fairly uncommon topic for a Christian novel to tackle, but I was impressed by how tactfully it was handled. The characters sort of dance around the issue, both with their actions and words, which works to keep things level and mild despite the intense attraction between them. The dialogue is kept vague when needed; what is left unsaid is sometimes just as significant as the actual spoken words.

Cara and Jonathan connect on a level that is nearly unheard of, almost to the point of reading each others thoughts. Their "wordless" conversations are charming, although a few times this made it a bit difficult for me to follow the dialogue. For the most part I enjoyed watching their interactions as they spent time together and worked to build a relationship, despite not knowing if a future together was feasible or not. The conversations often have a flirty vibe, more so than I would expect in a new relationship, but it's still fun. However, I do confess to being a bit weirded out when one of them would just stare at the other for minutes on end...I felt like it was a visual undressing. I understand it goes along with the intense attraction plot, but it still just kind of creeped me out a bit.

The main thing that I'm hesitant about came in the latter part of the story, when Cara and Jonathan's relationship starts to move quickly towards permanent commitment, despite the fact that they've only known each other for a few months. Yes, sometimes a short amount of time is all it takes, but in this case Cara and Jonathan's rush to be married stems from the difficulty of their "no-touching" policy, and their desire to be able to touch without the fear of things sinfully going too far. Even though they seemed to really connect and understand each other, I couldn't help but wonder what might happen later on in their marriage, after the intense attraction between them tones down.

Overall, I found this book to be very unique; I can't remember ever reading anything quite like it. I do prefer to see characters get to know each other for a longer period before tying the knot, but the nature of the story simply didn't allow for that....and ultimately, those circumstances are what made the story unique. It's not the way I'd want my personal life to go, however I really did enjoy the unique angle and spin on the typical romance story.

My Rating: 4 stars

Thanks to the author for providing me with an ebook review copy.

Review: 31 Kisses by Chautona Havig

Book Cover and Synopsis:

When one plus one equals thirty-one…

It happens every day.
Guy meets grandpa–and girl.
Guy knocks grandpa off ladder
Guy kisses girl to make it “all better.”
Every day.
For a month.
Just your normal, average, all-American romance…

Meet Chessie and Carson. She goes “all out” for Christmas (and every other holiday including Columbus Day, Cinco de Mayo, and Flag Day); he doesn’t own a single thing that could be considered decorative–unless you count the stickers he stuck to his dresser back when he was three.

Neither of them have ever had a serious relationship; both are opposed to frivolous expressions of affection. How on earth did they get tangled up in a “kiss-a-day-during-December” pact?

My Thoughts:
This is a light and fluffy read, with great characters and a fun storyline. Chessie and Carson's first meeting was humorous, and I found it quite amusing how Chessie's grandfather ("Gumpy") immediately started trying to fix them up.

The "Kiss-a-bell" is a cute idea, substituting a plastic bell container full of Hershey's Kisses for the traditional mistletoe. With the huge role that chocolate plays in this book, it's hard indeed to not want some of those chocolates that Chessie and Carson are constantly exchanging! ;)

Chessie's personality often reminded me of Dr. Temperance Brennan from the TV show Bones. No, Chessie is not a scientist, but she has the same blunt way of communicating, and an overly-rational way of looking at things, both of which add up to create many amusing moments. Thankfully Chessie isn't crass like Dr. Brennan, so there's not any objectionable content here. :)

This is a great read for the Christmas season; it's very fun without seeming cheesy or fake. There's just enough conflict to keep a nice balance, but not enough to stress you out or dampen the fun feeling of the story. If you're looking for a fun Christmas tale that won't get you down, look no further, this is the ticket! 

My Rating: 5 stars

Review: Advent by Chautona Havig

Book Cover and Synopsis:
Curtis Brighton is the enigma of Delta Advertising. Why is the highest paid, most successful man in the office not getting the promotions that he has earned? Why is his wallet worn out, his briefcase falling apart, and why doesn’t he at least participate in the office “Secret Santa?”

These are questions that plague Lita Cathey. After three years sitting across from him, she knows only his work ethic and strange propensity to disappear from the office in a rush.

As the month counts down, the most unlikely relationship builds until Lita’s heart is so entangled that she has to face her own fears.

My Thoughts:
This is overall a fun and very enjoyable read. Lita is quite pushy in her pursuit of Curtis, which is something you don't see a lot of in Christian fiction, but in this case it makes for a really fun time. Curtis's love for his mother is amazing; he is unbelievably patient with her and is very self-sacrificing in his own desires, to the point that you might think "is this guy for real?", but somehow it completely works and doesn't seem forced at all.

Towards the end I lost a little enthusiasm when an issue from Lita's past suddenly pops up and starts to cause trouble in her relationship with Curtis. I wasn't thrilled how she had so doggedly pursued Curtis when she must've known this particular issue would eventually cause problems. It's just a minor annoyance, it certainly didn't stop me from reading, but in my mind it just didn't quite fit with the rest of the story.

Chautona Havig is a very unique voice in the Christian fiction market; I'm so glad to have discovered her books. Her stories and characters are fresh and original; definitely not cookie-cutter copies of everything else out there! As for this book, Advent, I do recommend it if you're looking for a nice Christmas-time story. It's unique and enjoyable, and I'm glad to have read it. 

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Review: Discovering Hope by Chautona Havig

Book Cover and Synopsis:

What do Brigadoon, saris, epic laser tag games, and Jesus have in common? Hope.

Hope Senior—all-American girl and student at Rockland University. Her family came over on the Fortune, less than a year after the Mayflower arrived at Plymouth.

Jay Brown—a charming blend of Indian heritage and American dreams. He arrived in the United States as a boy, something he hardly remembers.

A chance meeting introduces them, and in time, Hope introduces Jay to Jesus.

Her faith both intrigues & repels him. He respects & admires her Jesus. The stories in the Bible tug at his heart, but he can't accept that without the blood of Jesus, he deserves only hell.

Where Hope fails, can faith move the mountains protecting his heart?

My Thoughts:
This is a cute story with likable characters. Hope is fun and spontaneous--the kind of person everyone likes--and is very easy to become attached to. Jay is genuinely nice, and (much to Hope's surprise!) is quite American acting for someone who was born in India.

It was fun to watch their meeting and the subsequent growth of their friendship. Eventually their relationship changes to something more, and I found it particularly sweet when they started acting different and letting their feelings show, but at the same time they're not quite sure what to make of the subtle change in direction of their relationship.

At times I felt the "preachy" level got up just a tad too high, although considering that Jay's search for truth and understanding is a fairly large part of the plot, I'm not sure it could be helped. Honestly, "preachy" isn't really even the right word....It's not heavy-handed, there's just a fair amount of conversations between Jay and Hope where they discuss Bible verses or various points of her faith.

Overall, this was an enjoyable story, and though it's the first book I've read by Chautona Havig, I'm sure it won't be the last! I'm looking forward to checking out some of her other books in the future.

My Rating: 4 stars