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!

Guest Review from Donna

What I think you should know:
Trust Fall by Chautona Havig is the twelfth book in the Suamalie Islands series. The series is Contemporary Christian Fiction set on a fictional set of Islands in the Pacific. The series is written by several authors with stories that have the common connection of the Islands. While you can read this book as a standalone, Ezra and Henri were previously featured in Title Wave and Under The Hibiscus, reading at least these books prior to reading this story would make this story much more enjoyable!

What you might need to know:
Kensi’s fiancé was killed prior to the start of this book. She also had serious injuries
*Havig Fans* This book has a loose connection to The Agency Files!

What I think about this book:
Havig is a genius, her books always leave me wanting more, in the best of ways. Once again we are swept into the beauty of the Islands, (although the centipedes did leave me wanting a shower myself). Kensi was a fascinating character, losing her fiancé has left her frozen in the past and unwilling to move forward for fear of dishonoring her memories of him. Simon has started feeling conflicted about this work and how it is impacted by his faith. This was a very fast paced story that brought the characters to life. I also love how Havig sprinkles little spiritual nuggets into the story. I especially loved “ No, but Jesus’ blood washed that away. He washed away my sins. Washed away yours. If Jesus can forgive and change a man from the inside out, who are we to reject him?” It really hit me hard. I look forward to whatever Havig has instore for readers next and can’t wait to see what else authors bring to life on the islands!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Celebrate Lit, this in no way influenced my 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?