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:
Chautona Havig’s books are always delightful ,and this one certainly lives up to that description. There’s much to love about the two main characters, Nolan and Grace. Both are caring and giving people who are devoted to their faith. They quickly become great friends. Romance would not seem to be likely to develop between the two of them, but that’s what makes this story so sweet.
I wasn’t sure about this book in the beginning. Although it was necessary to set up the rest of the story, there was a little bit too much emphasis on Nolan’s problems with women coming on to him because of his wealth and good looks. But Nolan is not a shallow character, and we see his true measure as the story progresses. The book finds its heart with the character of Grace. Her attitude in the way she wanted to live her life as a godly, independent woman was a nice contrast to the women who had previously been in Nolan’s life. She’s not “fashion model perfect”, but she’s a young woman who’s known for her love for God and being a loyal friend.
There’s a section of this book that did not seem to fit with the rest of the storyline. Paige, one of Grace’s friends, suffers a violent attack, and Nolan and Grace want to help Paige identify her attacker. Although this is all handled quite appropriately, it did not seem to fit with the overall storyline. I could see Paige’s story being in another book in this series, but not this one. Overall, I enjoyed this book with its emphasis on faith, hope, and love.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
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 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
Truth and Grace Homeschool, April 25
The Meanderings of a Bookworm, April 25
Inklings and notions, April 26
deb’s Book Review, April 26
Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, April 27
Texas Book-aholic, April 27
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, April 28
Kat’s Corner Books, April 28
Aryn The Libraryan 📚, April 29
Cultivating us, April 29
Through the Fire Blogs, April 30
For Him and My Family, April 30
Locks, Hooks and Books, May 1
The Collaborative Press, May 1
Connect in Fiction, May 2
Spoken from the Heart, May 2
Read Review Rejoice, May 2
She Lives To Read, May 3
Books I’ve Read, May 3
Emily Yager, May 4
Captive Dreams Window, May 4
Book Bites, Bee Stings, & Butterfly Kisses, May 5
Back Porch Reads, May 5
Lots of Helpers, May 6
As He Leads is Joy, May 6
Artistic Nobody, May 7 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)
Pause for Tales, May 7
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.
https://promosimple.com/ps/f8f7/oh-gracious-celebration-tour-giveaway
I enjoyed reading your thoughts about the book.
I really liked this book!
Thank you for reading and reviewing. Had I not promised my readers that I wouldn’t cut anything, I would have pulled that section with Paige out, too. I can’t remember why I thought it was so necessary to the story 10 years ago, but it really isn’t. Alas, I kept my word and left it theer, but I completely agree with you that it isn’t necessary to the story.