Jun 6

Giveaway & Tour: Trust Fall by Chautona Havig

About the Book

Book: Trust Fall

Author: Chautona Havig

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Release date: April 30, 2024

Protecting her without her knowledge might get them both killed.

Grief has held Eve “Kensi” Kensington captive long enough. Determined to move on after the death of her fiancé six years ago, Kensi moves to St. Alyn to help Ezra with the new boat book business. That there’s a great therapist on the island is just a bonus.

When the West Coast Agency learns that the former fiancée of a deceased informant is under the radar, Simon Garver is tasked to protect her—without her knowledge, if possible. Great. Listening in on her therapy sessions might be the worst thing he’s ever had to do as an agent.

Nope… scrap that. Falling for his client takes the cake.

When Kensi learns Simon has been keeping secrets from her, she’s done. Too bad the arrival of a guy sent to “take care of her” means she needs him. She’ll cooperate until she’s safe, toss the trust exercises her therapist has insisted on in the trash, and get back to her job on Ezra’s boat.

If only her heart would listen to the plan…

Take a trip to the Suamalie Islands where palm trees sway, the sand and sea pulse with life, and the people will steal your heart.

Click here to get your copy!

My Review

5 stars

Chautona Havig’s fun, witty personality comes through in this sweet romantic suspense. (How do I know? Just listen to her Because Fiction Podcast.)

I was instantly hooked on private security agent Simon’s inquisitive and slightly self-deprecating point of view. Sent to protect Eve “Kensi” Kensington, he is frustrated by his boss’s pushback on what Simon thought was the best way to keep Kensi safe.

I also enjoyed Kensi’s character. She clearly had a way to go in healing after such painful losses. Yet, she wanted to move beyond it. When she meets Simon by chance a few times, she is a little suspicious of him but quickly overcomes her concerns.

The author delivered authentic characters in an upbeat, yet realistic way with just the right amount of intrigue. She kept me engaged, and the last two thirds of the book flew by. I was a little sad when I finished the story because I enjoyed it so much.

Fans of Christian, sweet, clean romantic suspense or cozy mysteries will love this book.

Romance: Squeaky clean. Brief kissing mentioned.

Faith: I loved Simon’s spiritual arc and the way the author tied it together at the end. Both characters sought to grow in their walk.

Disclaimer: I requested and received an advanced copy of this book courtesy of the publisher through Celebrate Lit Tours. I was not required to give a favorable review. 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 on the web and say howdy—if you can remember how to spell her name.

More from Chautona

Sometimes life doesn’t go as you’d planned. Like at all. You think you’re going to have a great wedding, an idyllic honeymoon, followed by the perfect, picket-fence existence with the love of your life.

Then some crazy author comes along and rips it all away. Fiancé? Dead. Honeymoon? Not hardly. And by the time she’s done, that fence feels like someone rammed those pickets into her heart. All in a day’s work, and all before the first word of the story.

It’s a wonder that characters don’t revolt or something.

Look, here’s the deal. I just thought it would be cool to bring my Agency Files to Suamalie. And for that, we needed a tough background, because The Agency doesn’t get involved in disputes over spa appointments or boat rental rescues (most of the time).

So, after many hours of plotting and planning, I finally figured out how to torture my Kensi—I mean, give her an interesting backstory—while not tormenting readers. Too much. It’s been a couple of years (okay, it’s been six!), she’s having trouble coping, and…. Then what? How does The Agency fit in?

That started off as a conundrum that got really cool the more I thought about it. I mean, here’s the thing. The Agency is a protective entity. They swoop in and protect people from imminent danger while law enforcement does their job to remove that threat. Sometimes, as in Justified Means, this involves “involuntary” protection where they extract someone from his or her life until it’s safe to return—whether that person wants to be extracted or not.

I didn’t want that this time, but I also didn’t want Kensi to know she was in danger. So, off she goes to visit her friend Ezra in the Suamalie Islands and there she meets Ezra’s therapist fiancé. This much was easy to figure out.

And then it hit me. What if the agent was secretly protecting her? She doesn’t know it… but it’s happening.

Now I feel like Kronk from The Emperor’s New Groove. “Oh, yeah. It’s all coming together.”

Sometimes, I feel like Trust Fall is more romcom suspense than straight-up romantic suspense, but that’s okay, right?