Book Review—Ghosted at the Altar

About the Book

Book: Ghosted at the Altar
Author: Chautona Havig
Genre: Christian fiction, Christmas romance
Release Date: September, 2020

He’s goin’ to the chapel and he’s gonna get… ghosted?

Guys don’t always “get into” the whole wedding thing, but there’s one thing Mitchell Bogaert has been anticipating for the last two years–that first glimpse of Brenna coming to meet him at the altar. So, when the back doors open to reveal a missing bride, he’s shocked, disappointed, hurt, angry–pick your negative emotion. It probably fits.

Brenna Kinsey didn’t know she’d bolt at the last minute, but now she’s trying to figure out what happened and how to prevent it happening again before Mitchell decides she’s not worth the emotional trauma–or the town drama!

Lauren Kinsey, on the other hand, is more than just the kid-sister bridesmaid. She’s a self-proclaimed sleuth and determined to ferret out the problem, arrive at a solution, and get things back on track before broken hearts shatter into more pieces than Humpty Dumpty.

Time’s running out, only the bride and groom don’t realize it. How will Lauren fix this mess before the “clock strikes midnight” and there isn’t a ghost of a chance to save the marriage that never got a chance to be?

My Thoughts:

Some books are a given—I know before they are even written that I will read them, and like them. Ghosted at the Altar is one of those. If Chautona Havig writes a book, I will read it, and I will like it. There is just no question about that. A couple of years ago, she wrote The Ghosts of New Cheltenham; this one is a sequel, telling the story of what happened to Mitchell and Brenna two years later.

Mitchell couldn’t wait to see Brenna coming up the aisle to him. Imagine his shock when the doors at the back of the church opened—to nothing. Where was Brenna? What happened to her? As for Brenna, she had no idea she would bolt from the altar until she found herself running desperately through the streets. What could have happened? What could fix this?

Enter Lauren, kid-sister, bridesmaid, and amateur sleuth. She set herself to finding the “why” of her sister’s flight, and fixing the problem. Brenna had to get married to Mitchell—she just had to! And time was running out. How could Lauren and Mitchell get everything solved so that Mitchell and Brenna could still get married?

This is a great story. It isn’t a deep one; I would consider it more fluffy than otherwise. It is a good glimpse into what effect past trauma can have on your life, and the need for forgiving yourself for dumb mistakes and moving on, accepting other people’s forgiveness for what you’ve done. If you enjoy light romance and second chances, give this book a try.

I received a free copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it.

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 at chautona.com and say howdy—if you can remember how to spell her name.

More From Chautona:

How Did One Silly Story Become a Favorite Series?

Dickens and his revival of the “ghost story” at Christmas inspired the kick-off book in a series I’d planned almost twenty years ago. The little village of New Cheltenham first appeared in None So Blind and Thirty Days Hath…. However, the touristy village with its obsession with all things English was actually conceived almost twenty years ago!

That first book… still isn’t in print. I’ve reimagined it, and it will be coming out soon. However, Dickens… well, that guy has a way of getting under your skin, and what better place for a Dickens Ghost Storytelling Contest than in a village that looks ripped from England’s countryside?

The Ghosts of New Cheltenham was born. I actually thought it would be a great way for me to force myself to finish that book I’d started so long ago. But then Amanda Tru sent me a message that said, “We’re going to do one about wedding dresses,” and Something Borrowed, Someone Blue became the second book instead. I wanted more of Mitchell, Brenna, and the loveable Lauren, so I concocted a story that would give me just that.

Is it any wonder, then, when Amanda messaged again with our next collection theme of jilted brides or grooms, I immediately thought, “Oh, dear! What if Mitchell got ghosted at the altar?” That is the fastest title I’ve ever come up with!

Because one more Christmas story in New Cheltenham wasn’t quite enough, I set a third one there this year! The Bells of New Cheltenham. In that one, Mitchell is done with this ghost storytelling stuff and starts a contest of his own!

While you can read these books as stand alones (both mine and the ones within the collections), mine will be a richer reading experience if they are read in the following order

The Ghosts of New Cheltenham (read the companion short story free on Kindle Unlimited HERE)

Something Borrowed, Someone Blue (in The Wedding Dress Yes CrossRoads Collection)

Ghosted at the Altar (in the Five Gold Rings CrossRoads Collection)

The Bells of New Cheltenham. (in the Melodies of Christmas Love Collection)

(note, the last two really can be read in any order.)

How did my silly idea for a plasmaphobic guy who had to tell a ghost story to inherit spark one of my favorite series? All things considered, how could he not?

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