Ties That Blind (Chautona Havig) – Review + Giveaway

Posted 20 August 2018 by Katie in Christian Fiction, Contemporary, Review, Suspense / 0 Comments

~ About the Book ~

He may not be the only person in the Rockland area to wake up without a memory, but he might be the only killer.

Simon Prescott, the latest victim of spontaneous amnesia in Rockland, is about to be arrested for murder. The evidence, though weak and circumstantial, points only to him. He’s confident he didn’t do it. He just can’t prove it. Grieving for a wife he doesn’t remember, Simon refuses to have anything to do with his family, keeps helping the police and ticking off his lawyer while he’s at it, and is heading straight for the pokey if he doesn’t figure out something and fast.

Enter Ella Weeks and Vikki Jeffries. The previous two victims are determined to help him, and with jail time looming, Simon capitulates. But what Vikki and Ella find as they work through Simon’s life reveals astounding and rather chilling evidence of a bigger scheme than any of them could have imagined.

They’re on the verge of total discovery, but the closer they get, the less confident they are that they want to know.

Ties That Blind is the third and final novel in the Sight Unseen Series.

Genre:  Suspense
Series:  #3 Sight Unseen series
Release date: 7 August 2018
Pages:  277
Publisher:  Independent

Amazon US // Amazon AU // Goodreads

~ Excerpt ~

“Mr. Prescott?”
“I’m not Prescott.”
“And your name was, then?”
Once more, he recited his part in the pantomime he’d been thrust into. “I don’t know. I think I got woken up before I was given a name.”
The second man stepped close and eyed him. “Sir, have you been drinking?”
“Don’t know. Doubt it. It doesn’t feel like something I do.”
“Can you tell us where you were last night between eight and ten o’clock?”
He shook his head. “I probably could when I wake up, but by then you’ll be gone with the dream.” He grinned. “That should be a book title. Want some coffee? I doubt Prescott will care.”
The men stared at their phones and back up at him. The lead officer pushed his phone forward. “Um, sir? Wouldn’t you say that’s you?”
He stared. Accepted the phone. Stared again. Without a word, he turned back to the entryway where a mirror had stood—one he hadn’t had time to fully examine. The man standing before him—a stranger. The phone had gone black. “Um, I can’t see it anymore.”
A swipe, exchanged confused glances, arms folded across chests in near perfect synchronization. But before he could attempt a joke, he compared. Aside from some stubble he needed to remove, the picture was him. Once more, understanding swept away the curtain of confusion. “So, I’m Simon Prescott? Cool.”
“Sir, this isn’t a joke. We need to know where you were—”
“Look. I don’t know. I don’t have that information. My dream began with a sound—probably you pounding on the door. So…”
The officer gave him a once-over and pointed down the hall. “I’m going to have to ask you to put on some pants, Mr. Prescott. Then you’ll need to come down to the station for questioning.”
“The station? This dream gets cooler and weirder every minute. What am I being questioned for?”
Features shifted from stern frustration to polite compassion. “I regret to tell you, Mr. Prescott, that your wife was run off the road last night. She didn’t survive.”
“I have a wife?”

~ Review ~

This has been a most intriguing series! In fact, it’s become more intriguing with each book—hence I suggest you start with None So Blind and then Will Not See before you pick this one up. Why is it intriguing? Well, first of all, the idea of someone waking up and having no idea who they are or what’s happened to them makes for a great premise. Each of these characters explores what that would be like in different ways, and with Chautona Havig holding the pen, you can bet there will be some quirks and humour along the way.

For me, the murder plot in this book took intriguing to a whole new level. I mean, can you imagine being the prime suspect in a murder and having no idea whether you’re innocent or guilty? How do you go about proving your innocence—if you even are innocent? The more Simon learns about himself, the stronger his motive seems to be, and yet…could he really have done it? He was such an interesting character as he struggled through an array of complex emotions from grief to anger to determination and everything in between.

And then there were the little clues Simon left himself that begin to lead Ella, Vikki, and him to even bigger answers. Each time I thought we were on the verge of answers it was something completely unexpected that only built up the anticipation even more!

And if all of that isn’t enough, Vikki and Simon have the added complication of trying to work out where their hearts are at when it comes to romance. If you’ve ever read Chautona Havig, you’ll know she doesn’t do clichéd romances. These characters required even more consideration than most, considering their circumstances, and I thought she handled their budding relationships with just the right touch.

This was intriguing, engaging, full of original characters, and in the end, quite satisfying.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not influenced the content of my review, which is my honest and unbiased opinion.

~ Previous Books in Series ~

Read my review for Will Not See.

~ Guest Post from Chautona Havig ~

WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN, ANYWAY?

“So why is this series called ‘Sight Unseen’ if it’s about people who lose their memories? Why the vision references?”

I can’t pretend I wanted to answer her question. She isn’t the first to ask, and I doubt she’ll be the last. I tried to explain.

Look, it’s a valid question. Originally, the first book was called From the Cinders, and if it had remained a stand-alone book, it still would be. But when I finished with another person waking up to no memories and a hint that something sinister might be behind it all, I had to change it to fit two books—no, three!

Recall. Rewind. Refresh. I liked those titles. But that still didn’t give me the name of a series. I kept studying. Tried again.

I read what would become None So Blind three times in a row, if I recall correctly. And as I read it, a theme emerged. Ella Weeks hadn’t been blind to her faults even before her memory loss. Even her husband hadn’t been, despite his obvious love for her. But those around her had been blind to her awareness of those faults—to her silent cries for help in overcoming them.

WILL NOT SEE EMERGED WITH A SIMILAR THEME.

Vikki had a past that she hid from and refused to acknowledge. And even as those around her drew closer to provide support, she still managed to block out all that she found frightening—even physically shutting down and shutting out life.

So, when it came time to plan the final book in the series, the one that would now tie together everything that had happened, I knew I wanted something that also fit with the other titles. And one night it came to me. Ties That Blind. So often our ties to people blind us to their faults—to the destructive influences they have in our lives. And Simon Prescott will learn that lesson in a rather lonely, horrible way.

THE SIGHT UNSEEN SERIES REMINDS US OF WHAT PAUL SAID IN CORINTHIANS.

Now we see through dark glasses… we can’t really make it all out. But with the Lord, when we’re truly with Him in eternity, we’ll see things as clearly as we do when we are face to face.

And that’s what faith is all about, right? It’s the “substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” When we “buy in” to the Lord Jesus, we’re taking it all in faith. We’re trusting in Him, “Sight Unseen,” just as the characters in this series do with every element of their lives.

I hope their journeys bless you as they have me as I wrote them.

~ About the Author ~

Author of the Amazon bestselling Aggie and Past Forward Series, Chautona Havig lives and writes in California’s Mojave Desert. With dozens of books to her name, Chautona spends most of her time writing, but when she takes the rare break, she can be found reading, sewing, paper crafting, or sleeping and dreaming of finishing the dozens of books swirling in her overly-active imagination at any given moment.

Connect with Chautona: Website // Facebook // Twitter // Pinterest // Instagram

~ Giveaway ~

To celebrate her tour, Chautona is giving away a grand prize of the entire Sight Unseen series in paperback!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter. https://promosimple.com/ps/d295/ties-that-blind-celebration-tour-giveaway