Friday, January 28, 2022

everard

About the Book

Book: Everard

Author: Chautona Havig

Genre: Christian / Fantasy / Fairy Tale

Release date: October 2, 2012

Basic RGB A Prince, a friend, and a lizard walk into a trap…

Everard of Havilund—fierce warrior, brave soldier, loyal friend, heir to the throne, and painfully shy.
The war is over! Or is it? After four long years fighting in a war that has spanned a millennium, Everard is finally going home. He has faced everything he fears most—he thinks. Alas, trouble is brewing in the little hamlet of Hidden Hollow and he has only himself to blame.
Follow Everard as he tries to slay the Dragon of Ironia, face the Giant of the Tripp Mountains, bring the Enchantress of Enervatia to justice… just for starters.
Will he succeed? Will he overcome his personal demons that threaten all he is working for?
Find out in this second installment of the Not-So-Fairy Tales.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

media-headshot-sm-240x300 Author of the bestselling Aggie and Past Forward series, Chautona Havig lives in an oxymoron, escapes into imaginary worlds that look startlingly similar to ours and writes the stories that emerge. An irrepressible optimist, Chautona sees everything through a kaleidoscope of It’s a Wonderful Life sprinkled with fairy tales. Find her at chautona.com and say howdy—if you can remember how to spell her name.

More from Chautona

“Can you write a short story for Kaira’s birthday? Something about a paisley princess? We’re doing a medieval theme, and Cathe is making the most scrumptious dress…”

A short story. Sure, I could. Why not? I’d throw in some things that fit Kaira and her family and some to make it not a bad attempt to write about a girl I only knew through her mother’s eyes. I’d make her hopelessly ordinary (which Kaira certainly was not). I’d give her lovely skills with a harp (which Kaira definitely has), and I’d give her the name Paisley Paisley so that, as her father, the king of Jackalopany, said “She’d be eager to marry and change it someday.”

Seventy-thousand or so words later the “short story” was done.

The silliest thing I’d ever written, but man… that was fun. Complete with a human chess game, frog pox, and heartbreaking bravery, it wasn’t great literature—Andersson would never approve—but it was mine.

It also gave me a thirst for something more… something… real. Okay, so that sounds a little weird writing about a fairy tale as “real” but in truth, it’s how I felt. I wanted to write a deliberate one, not just a wild romp through story ideas. Some elements of the first book would have to stay. For example, I’d given the first book a cheeky narrator who did a lot of “explaining” about “fairy tale terms” and definitions. She had to return.

But this time, I wanted quests daring dos, and well… yeah. I wanted something a bit more structured. I also wanted it to reflect another family I loved and cherished. In this one, a prince returns from a war lasting almost a thousand years (he didn’t fight the whole time, never fear) to report victory and does something so out of character that it sends his life in a totally different direction.

In my opinion, it has the most truly romantic scene I’ve ever written in it, but even most boys of very tender years (who still think girls are “yucky”) haven’t complained. THAT is my kind of romance!

But more than anything, Everard has honor, bravery, self-sacrifice, and every kind of love you see in the Bible. It’s the second book in the Not-So-Fairy Tales, but it won’t be the last. Leicelin has something she wants to share with the world, too.

MY REVIEW

Oh my . Where do I begin with this story that had me laughing, wanting to rescue the beast myself and being set during a time period where knights were fierce and their heart was ready to fall in love. Wait, what? Oh yes my readers there is romance but it is so pure and graceful that I wept. Yes I said wept. The author amazes me every time I read a book from her. I love fairy tales but this one is so much more than your average fable.

My favorite character without a doubt is the dragon. With charm oozing from the flames the beast seems to capture Everard’s attention. The dragon is quite cleaver and has outwitted all the clumsy soldiers who have tried to slay the crafty beast. The gift of gab is definitely a trait of the sneaky little beast. She goes on for days I think just to tire her enemies. But let’s follow the trail and see where we end up as Everard tries to overcome something that has held him for so long. Does he fear that the woman he desires will reject him?

Everard has three tasks he must complete in order to marry the woman he wants. Her father is gruff and for some reason I think wants Everard to fail. How sad that someone would set up another for failure. I think we may have come across someone like that sometime during our life. They take pleasure in humiliating you so they feel better about themselves. Roana has been very quiet while the exchange between Everard and her father take place. Don’t you wonder what she is thinking? Well I sure am curious. Let’s just say she does fancy the charming prince but there is hesitation. My oh my are we playing hard to get Roana?

Oh I see pride sneaking into our dear Everard. Why must he prove himself to others? Is it that he doesn’t want to fail? Does he think he is weak if he doesn’t complete all three tasks? And what about his shyness that makes him keep from speaking to the woman who has captured his thoughts? The story is so much fun and along the way the author cleverly gives us lessons we all need. Slowly the author peels away the flaws in our dear prince. I loved how he sought godly advice and prayed for wisdom. My big question is “Who is he trying to get approval from?”

I thought this statement was very powerful and I had to include it in my review . “A kiss sealed the fate of Jesus. Now it has sealed the fate of our prince as well.” Do you remember the kiss that started this tale ? Well let it be said that a kiss can be deadly if it comes with deceit behind it. Must I remind you of the kiss from the traitor that sealed the fate of Jesus? The story has adventure, wisdom, sassy characters and a lesson in conquering your fears. Does the prince win his fair maidens hand? The answer is waiting for you when you grab a copy of the book.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.