About the Book

Book: Thirty Days Hath

Author: Chautona Havig

Genre: Christian fiction, contemporary romance

Release Date: Revised edition, Feb 26, 2019

Blind Dates Are for Wimps!

At least, that’s what Adric Garrison thinks.
Can you blame him? Thanks to his sister and brother-in-law, Adric is about to embark on a year of month-long, chaperoned, blind dates. Awkward.

He didn’t ask for it. But Adric still finds himself living what seems more like a bad TV reality show than a new life in Fairbury.

Once an ordinary (if prematurely gray and vertically challenged) guy, Adric is now Fairbury’s newest “most eligible bachelor,” and dreams of permanent bachelorhood loom on the horizon. Will he call it quits before the year is out, or will one of his “girls of the month” change his mind?

One man, twelve women, one happily ever after. 

About the Author

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 on the web and say howdy—if you can remember how to spell her name.

More from Chautona

A SILENT TRUTH NO ONE ADMITS: BLIND DATES ARE FOR WIMPS

Maybe I’m not the one to talk. After all, I never dated. Not really. My best friend in high school was a guy. We went to the movies. We did things. Still, we were just great friends.

I had what might be considered one date in Lubbock, Texas in 1987. Maybe. I didn’t consider it one, but I suppose the guy might have. Maybe.

Then I went from best friends with the guy I’ve been married to for 30 years to engaged in the span of a few seconds after what might have been a rhetorical question. He’s under orders not to tell me if it was. After all, he’s the fool who went on to say, “I do.” Just sayin’.

Still, in the first decade of the 21st century, I discovered a new “thing” in reality TV. The Bachelor. Though I tried watching it, I couldn’t after a while. It started out reasonably clean, but then it devolved into cat fights, spit-swapping sessions, and drama. Oh, the drama.

But one aspect intrigued me. The focused attention to finding the girl. What if Christians did that? What if we stopped playing the silly game of “pretend we’re not in this to see if you’re someone I could put up with for the next fifty or sixty years…”? Oh, man. What if the church rallied around its members and helped without pushing.

Trust me, you don’t want to push too much. You may discover that the people you’re pushing just get together and talk about it. Laugh at your antics. Mock the ridiculousness of it. Not that Kevin and I ever did that back in the day or anything. (Check out that story HERE.)

That “what if?” spurred an idea.

Sister churches. Chaperones. Not a couple of weeks in a giant house somewhere, but a whole month of real living with someone, day in. Day out. And again, with that chaperone to avoid that “appearance of evil” thing. If you could spend that much time with someone, seeing warts, virtues, best and worst sides… well, maybe you might just be right for each other.

At the least, you’d have a good idea if you even wanted to find out. That’s a healthier and quicker start than two or three months of a date here or there and hoping you’re seeing the real person. Right?

I created a character and ran with it. From giving him less than Hollywood good looks, to an anger problem and a blue-collar job, Adric had lots going for him… and not so much!

Then I tested it out. Acid test. I signed him up for eHarmony.

No, really. I did.

For the record, apparently short, prematurely graying mechanics with anger issues are a hot commodity. It took hours to get it set up, but man there were many women out there for him… supposedly.

And to this day, my Gmail email (that I never use) still says adricgarrison@gmail.com. No joke.

For what it’s worth, Adric learned one very difficult lesson that year.

As I’ve already confessed. I’ve never been on a blind date. I doubt anyone would even consider that I’ve been on a date. Still, after writing this book, I know for one thing. Blind Dates Are for Wimps.

I must say this is such a different type of book that I've read from the author. It is definitely unique as the author takes on a controversial show such as The Bachelor and tweeks it to fit a Christian prospective. Adric is a bachelor and has taken on a very unusual task. There are twelve women he has chosen to spend a month with and try to find true love. I liked that each woman had one month one on one with Adric and that there was a chaperone every time. 

As I started reading I began to realize a few things. Each woman was different but similar. They each had their little quirks but some of them were just so wrong for him. The chatterbox woman needed to be thrown out the door immediately. I was rooting for one woman in particular and won't say who it is. The author does give us a glimpse into flaws we all have and how none of us are perfect. Adric found himself looking inward at himself and knew he had some work to do. There is nothing better than having to face the hard facts. 

I appreciate how the author delves into insecurity, trust issues, communication skills and learning to love yourself.  If you really look at the story deeper, the author supplies great questions we all need to answer with truthfulness. I liked the book because it was more than finding a mate. It was really finding yourself and making a better you inside and out. I didn't like the last part  of the story where it got a bit dark. I thought it took away from the story and wished it had been left out. I'm not surprised who Adric ended up with, but it wasn't my choice for him. 

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

Blog Stops

Quiet Quilter, April 15

Through the Fire Blogs, April 15

For Him and My Family, April 16

cultivating us, April 16

Godly Book Reviews, April 17

mpbooks, April 17

Among the Reads, April 18

Multifarious, April 19

Inspired by Fiction, April 19

EmpowerMoms, April 20

SusanLovesBooks, April 20

Remembrancy, April 21

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, April 21

Rebekah’s Quill, April 22

Texas Book-aholic, April 22

Aryn The Libraryan, April 23

janicesbookreviews, April 23

Lots of Helpers, April 24

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, April 24

A Reader’s Brain, April 25

Bigreadersite, April 26

Inklings and notions, April 26

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, April 27

The Becca Files, April 27

Real World Bible Study, April 28

God’s Peculiar Treasure Rae, April 28

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Chautona is giving away a grand prize of a paperback copy of Thirty Days Hath, book cozy, and a $25 Starbucks gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into to the giveaway! Click the link below to enter. https://promosimple.com/ps/dee7/thirty-days-hath-celebration-tour-giveaway