Monday, December 11, 2017

Christmas Embers by Chautona Havig


About the Book



Name of book: Christmas Embers  
Author: Chautona Havig  
Genre: Contemporary Christmas  
Release Date: November 25, 2016  

It’s a truth universally unacknowledged that sin will hunt you down and advertise its presence the moment you try to hide it. Emily Byrne sits in her daughter’s classroom listening to the deepest wishes of twenty kindergarteners as she sketches them. But when little Joey Cordell breaks down, weeping and insisting the only thing he wants to find is his father, she isn’t sure where her Christmas project will take her. Davia Cordell came to Rockland for one purpose–find her son’s father before she dies. An ex-prostitute, she’s well aware that the news will cause waves, but what’s a mother to do? As these women join forces to search for Joey’s father–a Rockland area pastor, no less– Emily learns compassion for a woman who just wants the best for her son and can’t quite imagine that Jesus wants anything to do with her. Each day, Davia weakens until Emily isn’t confident she’ll find the boy’s father in time–if at all. Doubts form. Should she look? Is it right to risk destroying a family like this–an entire church? The weight of that responsibility crushes her as Davia wastes away before her eyes. A mother’s love. A boy’s confidence. A family’s faith. A preacher’s failure. Is redemption even possible anymore? Christmas Embers: a story of love, failure, and redemption.
                                                              Click HERE to purchase your copy!


My Review

I read ... and I wept. Our author tackled a weighty and often abandoned topic in the church- the reality of adultery and its prevalence in the church. Totally unexpected by the title- when you hear it's a Christmas book you think Hallmark movie where you get that fuzzy feeling and all ends well. Our author had a much more needed topic to tackle at hand. A lesson that I had to learn in my past that this book reminds us of is that no one- no Christian- is above ANY sin at ANY time. We have the power in Jesus to say no- but we must use it. We are oh so quick to judge and forget our human frailty, our constant need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The Scripture says we should yearn for the words of God like daily food- it's a need to not only survive, but to grow and become stronger. We can not be "spiritual" or "good" enough on our own to put ourselves in compromising situations that we know are not right just because we think we're strong enough to handle it. Like Joseph in the Bible, we need to be aware of the Lord's voice and run from sin when he warns us to run! I can tell you, you will not put this book down until you've finished it. The depth of emotion and reality impacted me in such a raw and heart-breaking way. The description of the characters, the interaction in dialogue, and the plot all were threaded together seamlessly to make it a clear to understand read. Forgiveness was a real theme here that is not such a popular one- the Christian view of forgiveness when it comes to adultery is one that is quickly shut down as being passive or a door mat. The redemption found within our story was one of beauty. While each situation is different, the reality is that adultery and divorce are prevalent in our churches. What we have forgotten is to keep our eyes on the Lord and our ears open for His voice. We can not let our emotions or pride get in the way and lead us to compromising situations- we must only be led in word and deed by the Holy Spirit. Don't miss this timely and to the point read!

I received a complimentary copy of this book, and all opinions given are my own. 




About the Author



Author of the Amazon bestselling Aggie and Past Forward Series, Chautona Havig lives and writes in California’s Mojave Desert. With dozens of books to her name, Chautona spends most of her time writing, but when she takes the rare break, she can be found reading, sewing, paper crafting, or sleeping and dreaming of finishing the dozens of books swirling in her overly-active imagination at any given moment.

Guest Post from Chautona Havig

Infidelity to the Tune of Adeste Fideles

“I think my husband is having an affair.” An explanation followed. Look, I tend to be one who assumes the best of others—to a fault even. I read the “evidence” and frankly could see it going either way. It’s hard to tell across thousands of miles. While others on the message board saw red flag after red flag—and frankly, I did, too—I also saw perfectly innocent explanations for things. It’s a curse sometimes—that ability to see both sides of an issue. I cautioned against assumptions no one would want other people to make of themselves. And I prayed she was wrong. She wasn’t. It wasn’t the first time I’d come face to face with infidelity. As a child, there was an extended family member. As a newlywed, one of my wedding party—then another. Then another. The excuses, the justifications. Friends and I went to confront a sister in Christ on her affair with her husband’s best friend. We foolishly asked “what happened?” regarding her marriage. Her words: “We drifted apart.” I wanted to scream the words that battered my brain and heart. “Then row back together!” But over the years, it just grew worse. One by one, wives and husbands tossed aside vows made to a brother or sister in Christ—vows made before the Lord—in favor of what sometimes were serial affairs. Abuse. Horror. I’ve prayed women I love through court cases, medical visits, and disclosures from children no mother should ever have to hear. I’ve prayed for men I didn’t even like because of the pain their wives inflicted each time she left them alone with the kids. He knew. He always knew. Adultery is real. It’s ugly. And there’s absolutely a cure for it. Jesus. 100% surrender to Jesus. But as long as we rely on those little loops on the back of our boots instead of the saving, healing, strengthening power of Jesus, we’re just as vulnerable as the next person. And that’s why I wrote Christmas Embers. I took every heartbreaking story I’d observed over the years and put in each character for a reason. Every scene, every plot point, every twist—I put them exactly how and where they are for a reason. They’re there as a warning. This isn’t your lighthearted Christmas novel. Some have suggested I shouldn’t have set it at Christmastime. But you know what? Over half the disclosures I’ve ever heard of happened between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. I couldn’t get the idea of Joey’s story out of my head. And to write his story, it had to be at Christmas. Let me say it again. While Christmas may not seem like the optimal time for a hard-hitting book like this, I had to do it. Adultery is reaching epidemic proportions in the church. There’s a solution. His name is Jesus.



Blog Stops

Carpe Diem, December 5
Mary Hake, December 5
Daysong Reflections, December 6
Fiction Aficionado, December 7
Genesis 5020, December 7
Blogging With Carol, December 8
The Power of Words, December 8
Bigreadersite, December 8
A Greater Yes, December 9
Radiant Light, December 9
Just Jo’Anne, December 10
For The Love of Books, December 10
Aryn the Libraryan, December 11
Quiet Quilter, December 13
Allofakindmom, December 14
Texas Book-aholic, December 14
Pursuing Stacie, December 14
Pause for Tales, December 15
margaret kazmierczak, December 15
Red Headed Book Lady, December 16
Purposeful Learning, December 16
Janices book reviews, December 17
Christian Bookaholic, December 17
Karen Sue Hadley, December 18
Remembrancy, December 18




Giveaway



To celebrate her tour, Chautona is giving away a grand prize of a 6 month Kindle Unlimited Subscription!!
Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! https://promosimple.com/ps/c512
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2 comments:

  1. ChautonaDecember 11, 2017 at 11:42 PM

    Thank you for reading and reviewing. I love your emphasis on forgiveness. It's such a hard part of the adultery process, but such an important one. Sigh.

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownDecember 16, 2017 at 12:06 PM

    I find the book cover very clever and creative and I hope the book will be as well.

    ReplyDelete