{"id":26033,"date":"2020-10-01T21:08:07","date_gmt":"2020-10-02T02:08:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/?p=26033"},"modified":"2020-10-01T21:08:07","modified_gmt":"2020-10-02T02:08:07","slug":"jack-by-chautona-havig","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/?p=26033","title":{"rendered":"Jack by Chautona Havig"},"content":{"rendered":"

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MY REVIEW:<\/strong><\/p>\n

For the most part I found Jack<\/strong> to be entertaining and often humorous. Hazel and Jack were fairly interesting characters but at times I felt that their reactions to life situations were just a bit extreme. I will not give more details here because to do so would create spoilers. I did like the fact that although raised with every advantage Hazel seemed to be mostly unspoiled, compassionate, and generous. On the other hand Jack had a most difficult childhood that led to later behavior that he was not at all proud of and struggled to overcome the guilt despite his salvation and lifestyle changes.<\/p>\n

Besides the obvious romance the reader expects between Jack and Hazel, they will discover another possible romance in the works as the tale progresses. The verbal battles between Deborah and Dirk were amusing for awhile but later became somewhat tedious to me. Is it possible that their apparent disdain for each other covered their actual attraction?<\/p>\n

Jack<\/strong> was easy to read and I appreciated the frequent references to the faith of the characters. A tale filled with action, romance, betrayal, and high emotions, this novel should satisfy those who enjoy a simple western tale. \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by Celebrate Lit. A favorable review was not required. All views expressed are my own.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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ABOUT THE BOOK:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Book:\u00a0 <\/strong>Jack<\/p>\n

Author: <\/strong>Chautona Havig<\/p>\n

Genre:\u00a0<\/b> Historical Western Romance<\/p>\n

Release Date:\u00a0<\/strong>January 26, 2016<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a> to get your copy!<\/pre>\n<\/td>\n
\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Women are trouble\u2014lying, cheating, untrustworthy bundles of trouble.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jack Clausen doesn\u2019t need anyone but his horse and a boss who won\u2019t interfere in his personal life\u2014or lack of one.<\/p>\n

Sure, he\u2019s a lonely cowboy, but better lonely than brokenhearted.<\/p>\n

If only he hadn\u2019t met a girl who made him hope that honest and true women do exist. Maybe he wouldn\u2019t be riding off into a snowstorm with a fresh determination to avoid women\u2014indefinitely.<\/p>\n

When Hazel Meissner sees a cowboy risk life, limb, and horse to save a child, she knows he\u2019s someone special. When he finally gives her his heart, she considers herself the most blessed woman alive.<\/p>\n

However, when he rides off without a word, she wonders if her heart will survive the loss.<\/p>\n

One broken man. One trusting woman. One orchestrated misunderstanding that tears them apart. What\u2019ll it take to bring Jack home again?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s Shakespeare\u2019s Much Ado about Nothing<\/em> mashed up with the old ballad, \u201cCowboy Jack.\u201d\u00a0 Don\u2019t miss a cast of characters inspired by the Bard himself\u2014especially Dirk and Deborah (Benedick & Beatrice).<\/p>\n

Jack:<\/em> a lot of hullaballoo on the prairie.<\/strong><\/p>\n

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Chautona Havig<\/strong> 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\u2019s a Wonderful Life <\/em>sprinkled with fairy tales. Find her at chautona.com<\/a> and say howdy\u2014if you can remember how to spell her name.<\/p>\n

MORE FROM CHAUTONA:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Inspiration I Hate to Love<\/strong><\/p>\n

The plaintive notes of a ballad filled the living room. People sat on couches and chairs or stood in the doorway, listening. Three steps up the staircase, out of view of most of the room, a little girl sat, chin in her hands, listening.<\/p>\n

If you looked close, you\u2019d see freckles dotting her nose and crooked teeth that never were too large for her mouth like most children\u2019s were. Just a bit closer, and you\u2019d see wide, hazel eyes riveted to the man with the guitar seated on the hearth. To his right, a cup of coffee and sometimes a shot of whiskey.<\/p>\n

With a voice like Jim Reeves (the non-twangy Reeves, mind you), the songs told stories, like all ballads do\u2014a little blind girl praying for her father\u2019s future happiness, a girl of thirteen who barely escaped a massacre in 19th century Wyoming. \u201cHazel eyes,\u201d the man called her. California Joe\u2014he was a real man, although not as good of one as the song made out.<\/p>\n

Sometimes the man sang happier songs, but most of them were slow, western ballads that could keep Nicolas Sparks writing for decades.<\/p>\n

And the little girl loved them all\u2014especially California Joe and one about a cowboy who left his sweetheart alone on the prairie after a quarrel. One called \u201cCowboy Jack.\u201d<\/p>\n

As you\u2019ve probably surmised, I was the little girl, and that man who sang and stirred the hearts of our family at nearly every gathering was my father.<\/p>\n

How I miss those days.<\/strong><\/p>\n

For years, I wanted to give Jack a happier ending. See, the song goes like this. A lonely cowboy (with a heart so brave and true) meets and falls in love with a maiden (with eyes of heaven\u2019s own blue). Alas, as with all good romances, the couple quarrel and Jack rides away. He finds a new band of cowboys and would have been just fine, but someone asks him to sing a song to \u201cdrive all cares away.\u201d Alas, the song he devises is one about a \u201clonely maiden who waited for her Jack.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, he rides off to ask forgiveness. It\u2019s all his fault. He arrives too late. She died of a broken heart on the \u201clonely prairie where skies are always blue.\u201d<\/p>\n

After I began writing, the idea came to me to turn those songs Dad sang\u2014old ones that had been passed on and down through many different versions\u2014into novels. I\u2019d write all the subtext the songs left out.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d give them happy endings.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Of course, that\u2019s easier said than done. One by one, I figured out how to do it, but Jack\u2026 well, I didn\u2019t want to change <\/em>the stories. I just wanted to leave on hope instead of despair<\/p>\n

Shakespeare to the rescue!<\/p>\n

I was watching Kenneth Branagh\u2019s Much Ado about Nothing<\/em> adaptation, and the answer came to me so clearly. It had the solution I needed. So, I smooshed the song and the play together. Inside, you\u2019ll find the characters Shakespeare created (including Dirk and Deborah and their biting repartee\u2014they steal the show!) in the setting and with the elements of the ballad, too.<\/p>\n

Dad\u2019s older now. His hands are gnarled with age, swollen with arthritis. His mind is slipping away. Today, you\u2019ll find his guitar at my house. My son now owns it, but he doesn\u2019t know the songs I heard played on the old Goya. Still, when I take it out of the case, tune it up, and pluck the strings, everything shifts. Suddenly, I\u2019m nine years old again, sitting on my uncle\u2019s stairs, just out of sight, watching. Listening. Heart breaking.<\/p>\n

See, I\u2019ll never hear my father play again, and I can\u2019t play either. So, the songs will have to live on with stories of Mary, Jethro, Maggie\u2026 and of course, Jack.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

BLOG STOPS:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Debbie\u2019s Dusty Deliberations<\/span><\/a>, September 21<\/p>\n

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama<\/span><\/a>, September 21<\/p>\n

Connie\u2019s History Classroom<\/span><\/a>, September 22<\/p>\n

deb\u2019s Book Review<\/span><\/a>, September 22<\/p>\n

For the Love of Literature<\/span><\/a>, September 23<\/p>\n

Bigreadersite<\/span><\/a>, September 23<\/p>\n

Texas Book-aholic<\/span><\/a>, September 24<\/p>\n

lakesidelivingsite<\/span><\/a>, September 24<\/p>\n

Inklings and notions<\/span><\/a>, September 25<\/p>\n

Sara Jane Jacobs<\/span><\/a>, September 25<\/p>\n

For Him and My Family<\/span><\/a>, September 26<\/p>\n

Reviewingbooksplusmore<\/span><\/a>, September 26<\/p>\n

Locks, Hooks and Books<\/span><\/a>, September 27<\/p>\n

Hookmeinabook<\/span><\/a>, September 27<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Abba\u2019s Prayer Warrior Princess<\/span><\/a>, September 28<\/p>\n

Artistic Nobody<\/a>, September 29 (Guest Review from Joni Truex)<\/p>\n

21st Century Keeper at Home<\/span><\/a>, September 29<\/p>\n

Ashley\u2019s Bookshelf<\/span><\/a>, September 30<\/p>\n

Lots of Helpers<\/span><\/a>, September 30<\/p>\n

She Lives To Read<\/span><\/a>, October 1<\/p>\n

Mary Hake<\/span><\/a>, October 1<\/p>\n

Daysong Reflections<\/span><\/a>, October 2<\/p>\n

Godly Book Reviews<\/span><\/a>, October 2<\/p>\n

Simple Harvest Reads<\/a>, October 3 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)<\/p>\n

Captive Dreams Window<\/span><\/a>, October 3<\/p>\n

Spoken from the Heart<\/span><\/a>, October 4<\/p>\n

Pause for Tales<\/a>, October 4<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

GIVEAWAY:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

To celebrate her tour, Chautona is giving away\u00a0the grand prize package of a paperback copy of the book and a $25 Amazon gift card!!<\/p>\n

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/promosimple.com\/ps\/10101\/jack-celebration-tour-giveaway<\/a><\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MY REVIEW: For the most part I found Jack to be entertaining and often humorous. Hazel and Jack were fairly interesting characters but at times I felt that their reactions to life situations were just a bit extreme. I will not give more details here because to do so would create spoilers. I did like […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8,34,41,44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books","category-historical","category-romance","category-western"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26033","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=26033"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26033\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26039,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26033\/revisions\/26039"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=26033"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=26033"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=26033"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}