Monday, April 27, 2020

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About the Book

Book:  Oh, Gracious!
Author: Chautona Havig
Genre:  Christian fiction, contemporary Romance, woman’s fiction
Release Date: March 31, 2020
Life is too short to settle for just anyone.
Grace gave her whole heart to Jesus, but now he wants a part of it.
All she ever wanted was to be a homemaker.
Sure, she has a degree in physics.  Yes, she could have a lucrative job in Rockland, but Grace Buscher enjoys her life as a single homemaker. As they say, it’s her choice.
As a successful business owner, a handsome guy, and heir to a small fortune, it’s no wonder Nolan Burke is one of Rockland’s most eligible bachelors. The problem is, he hasn’t met anyone who isn’t looking for a “trophy husband.”
Don’t family-centered women exist anymore?
Grace isn’t exactly eye candy. Nolan is a bit blind. So when an “accidental meeting” forges an unlikely friendship, it becomes obvious to everyone that it’s likely to become more.
But is Grace ready to give up the life she loves for the man she loves?
Find out in this completely updated, revised, and improved version of Chautona Havig’s first novel, Noble Pursuits.

Click here to get your copy!
 MY REVIEW 
I have never been disappointed with a book written by this author and after reading this story I know why. Her ability to give depth to characters makes me invest in them. Now I didn’t like Nolan when I first met him in the story. Okay he was handsome, smart and wealthy.  But really why does he think every woman falls at his feet? His intense search for the perfect girl for him irritated me at times. I laughed when he moved to another town where more single women were. But along my journey I discovered a man who wanted to be appreciated for his thoughtfulness and oh so enduring gentlemanly ways. Yes I came to like him and looked past his flaws to his heart. 
Grace is someone you want to be friends with. She has a big heart for children and has a brother who is a tad overprotective. He wasn’t exactly thrilled that Grace had dinner with a stranger on her front porch. Nolan has definitely met his match when Grace is casual around him and not overly interested in his charm.  I liked Grace’s way of life but it was obvious that she didn’t handle blessings very well. Oh it’s easy to give to others but when it comes to someone wanting to bless her, well that nasty pride starts coming out. 

 I loved getting to know Nolan and Grace as they stumble through getting better acquainted with each other. Grace is sure a stickler for wanting to do everything herself. The relationship is an honest look at two completely different personalities trying to mesh together to become a couple. I liked how the author gets to the gritty part of a relationship. I wanted to have them argue, have doubt and start to pull away and that is exactly what I got. I don’t like stories that are neatly wrapped up in a bow. I want to see the realistic relationships where each person has to examine themselves and see where pride is coming in. 

 I liked the story because faith played a big part in both Grace and Nolan’s life. Grace is the everyday girl who wants to please everyone and forgets that she deprives people from blessing her. Nathan is the guy girls want and his ego is bruised when Grace doesn’t fall all over him. One of the best relationship for me in the story was Grace and her brother. It is one that truly speaks how one should care for their family members. Yes, her brother was a bit of a helicopter brother, but he feels so passionate about making sure Grace is never hurt. 

 I loved the humor in the book and one particular part in the book which is a mistake on Nolan's part is one of the best oops I’ve read. Always read what you have written before sending it off is my advice to Nolan. I would love to see this book as a movie and have already picked out the cast. As I finished the book, I thought how special this story is. It is a story of love, forgiveness and trusting God in all things. There is no such thing as the perfect person, but there is the right person who God has chosen for each of us. 

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

About the Author

Havig_Chautona (1)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

Wow, My Beloved First Book Was a Hot Mess

On my blog, I sometimes answer readers’ questions, and one of the earliest ones was, “Since you zip out your books so fast, do you ever later wish you had done something differently with them?”
My answer today is the same as back then—usually.  No.  Yes, I sometimes regret not being able to tell a supporting character’s story because the book has given away that person’s past and/or future.  Still, most of the time, I tell the story as I want it.
But in that post about “regrets,” I said that as I learn, I definitely wish to improve sentences here, and others there.  I did this already with Argosy Junction, the second book that I published. The first two or three books were experiments where I made many serious mistakes.  Took bad advice. Didn’t know the right things to research. All the mistake-ness.
Total transparency here. I chose Argosy Junction to revise first because I made fewer mistakes on it.  Still lots, but not as many as my first book, Noble Pursuits.
Bad editing advice, horrible cover design (twice), and just basic writing craft stuff that I didn’t know when I started this whole journey all culminated in a book I both loved (the story) and hated (the final result). Many reviewers said the same thing, too.  That poor book has the worst reviews of all of my books combined.

And for good reason.

But it’s a good story—one I love, as I said—and it has some strong fans.  Some readers were able to look past the problems and see the heart of what I tried to do with it.  And that was a beautiful thing.  Those readers, actually, are the ones I’ve rewritten this book for.
Yes, I rewrote Noble Pursuits. While every sentence isn’t completely rewritten, enough are that I considered it a new book, not just a revised one.
A few readers have panicked to see the title changed, the story rewritten. They’ve asked if I took out this or even that.  I took out and added nothing that 99.9% of readers would ever notice. And it’s a better book for it.
I am updating the original Noble Pursuits file with the new text.  I’m doing this in hopes that those who already own that book can go into their digital content on Amazon and get the updated version.  I don’t know if it will work, but I pray it does.
Meanwhile, for those who’ve asked why they can’t buy the first book on my Suggested Reading Order list,  well… now you can!
Oh, Gracious! has been a long time coming, but she’s here with a new title, rewritten content, and even a lovely new cover by the brilliantly talented Perry Elizabeth. It took what seems like forever to settle on a title, but we finally did. Why we chose Oh, Gracious! however, is a story for another day.

Blog Stops

Among the Reads, April 24
Wishful Endings, April 24
Cultivating us, April 29
Emily Yager, May 4
Artistic Nobody, May 7 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Chautona is giving away the grand prize package of one paperback copy of each of the 3 fully revised novels: Oh, Gracious, Argosy Junction, and Thirty Days Hath…!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

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1 comment:

  1. AnonymousMay 8, 2020 at 6:52 AM

    I am someone who loves reading! This doesn't sound like your normal book. Looks like a great story

    ReplyDelete