Speak Now

Title: Speak Now
Author: Chautona Havig
Major Themes: Romance
Synopsis: Jonathan and Cara are extremely attracted to each other—but both have things they must work through, as well as learning to communicate.

I first read Speak Now about six years ago. It was one of the few books by Chautona Havig that I actually bought—she gave me copies of most of her books! I was pretty disappointed in it at that time; it is focused on the romance more than a lot of her other books, and I prefer to have more of a plot than just romance. I signed up to review it now, though, just because I like Chautona so well, and read it again. What do I think of it now?

Speak Now has an interesting twist for a romance book. Cara is a bridesmaid at a wedding, and a toddler mistakes her for a bride. The little girl loves her at first sight, and ensures that her daddy, Jonathan, a widower, meets Cara. For them, too, it is love at first sight. Jonathan, unfortunately, lives a thousand miles away, but while he is in Rockland for a week he and Cara see each other several times a day.

The basic premise of Speak Now is maintaining a pure relationship. Jonathan and Cara are very strongly attracted to each other, and realize that if they allow themselves to kiss, or even hold hands, they won’t be able to stop themselves from going farther. They set themselves a rule from the beginning that they will not allow that to happen—and they stick to it, even when it seems impossible to resist temptation. How long can they hold out?

I appreciated the portrayal of a couple who were determined to honor God in their relationship and not sin with each other. I also appreciated Chautona’s carefulness to not arouse feelings in her readers with descriptions of kisses. The cleanness of her romances always favorably impresses me. I enjoyed the story this time through, although it still isn’t my favorite of her books. I may well read it again sometime, however—I really appreciated a lot of aspects of it!

I received a review copy of this book from the author, although I had bought it six years ago, and these are my honest thoughts about it.

No warnings!