Dani and Ella Weeks-two women who share one thing in common-the same life, the same family, and the same body. When Dani wakes with no knowledge of who or where she is-no memories of her life at all-David and Dani Weeks discover that "til death do us part" takes on an entirely unexpected meaning. Practically speaking, Dani died. But she didn't. In a desperate attempt to separate the old life from the new, Dani insists on a new name-Ella. Ella's doctors can't explain what happened. Her children can't understand why she doesn't know them, and her husband finds himself torn between admiration for the "new" version of his wife and missing the woman he's known for over fifteen years. Will Ella ever regain her memory? Why does their pastor suspect it's one great hoax?

Give me a moment to fangirl. I loved this book! I loved the premise, the execution, just the whole amazing mysterious thing. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't perfect but good gravy Mavis, it was amazing. Picture yourself in Daniella Weeks' shoes. Imagine waking in a body you don't recognize, with a family that are strangers, in a house that creeps you out. Imagine being poked and prodded at the hospital where they figure absolutely nothing out and give you the choice of going to this unloved house full of strangers or to an institution where you feel as though you will become a science experiment. Can you even begin to imagine the edges of it, forget putting yourself all the way in, just pick a part? As you learn about who you 'were' you become determined to be everything you weren't. And what to do the husband and kids?

There's one ball I feel like was dropped in a way that leaves me feeling confused and like there's a bigger story at play. Perhaps in sequels? Perhaps... Just a mini spoiler here but what about the money?!? I mean that's a chunk o' change that seems like it could be a big deal but then seems to fade into the ether. I also felt like the idea that the 'episode' was all a hoax was played up more in the synopsis and even in the story and didn't quite measure up to the hype it might have been. More on that later! That and one comma that feels awkward, that's all I got for the drawbacks for this book. I mean seriously people, it was so well crafted, so well told, so well...everything. Something I can't imagine in my wildest dreams and here Dani/Ella is living it at Havig has created it so almost seamlessly that I can almost put myself there. OK, perhaps just a moment of fangirl wasn't enough. I'll get back on track.

Mystery is the way to my heart and this book has it in such a refreshing way that I fell in love with the genre all over again. Add a little intrigue with the money and the idea that maybe perhaps Dani did this completely on purpose to force her to deal with the life changes she seems to not give two wits about but maybe? I mean Ella is bound and determined to be the opposite of Dani in almost every area of life. The romance of the book was even refreshing to engage while Ella and David worked at getting to know each other. The difficulty he had with not comparing and her difficulty with the idea he truly loved her for who she was now and not who she was or because he 'had to'. I'm excited to see where this series is going to develop next and with the next book coming out so very soon I don't have to wait too long!

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by CelebrateLit and the author. I was not compensated for this review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.

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About Chautona Havig

I am fortunate enough to live in the great state of California (in the Mojave Desert) with my husband Kevin and five of my nine children. My eldest is married with five children, so I have the fun of a son-in-law and grandbabies to enjoy. I’ve graduated six out of my nine children from our home school, and they’re all doing quite well in their lives. My younger children keep me from getting too selfish, and someday I’ll be fully retired as their teacher. I have to say, I’m lookin’ forward to it. Teaching about gerunds was fun the first time… not so much anymore. I salute all of those in the education field. You are my heroes.

When I’m not writing (which I admit isn’t often) I enjoy blogging (a totally different kind of writing, trust me), paper crafts, sewing, smocking, photo editing, and old music. No, really, I like OLD stuff… the Beatles are too newfangled for me. Yeah,I know they’re before my time… but I like stuff before my PARENTS time.
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About the Book

Book title: None So Blind

Author: Chautona Havig
Release date: September 29, 2013
Genre: Contemporary

Dani and Ella Weeks–two women who share one thing in common. The same life, the same family, and the same body.

When Dani wakes with no knowledge of who or where she is–no memories of her life at all–David and Dani Weeks discover that “til death do us part” takes on an entirely unexpected meaning.

Practically speaking, Dani died. But she didn’t.
What’s a gal to do?

In a desperate attempt to separate the old life from the new, Dani insists on a new name, a twist of her old one–Ella.

Ella’s doctors can’t explain what happened. Her children can’t understand why she doesn’t know them. David, her husband, finds himself torn between admiration for the “new” version of his wife and missing the woman he’s known for over fifteen years.

Will Ella ever regain her memory? Why does their pastor suspect it’s one great hoax?

About the Author

Chautona Havig lives and writes in California’s Mojave Desert with her husbnd and five of her nine children. Through her novels, she hopes to encourage Christians in their walk with Jesus.

Guest post from Chautona Havig

“Who are you, again?”

“I’m Joe’s, daughter. Vyonie.” My sister pointed to me. “This is Chautona.”

For some odd reason, the niece she spent the least amount of time with, Aunt Doris remembered—somewhat. But she didn’t remember Vyonie from what I could tell. She smiled at me, that amazing, sweet smile I’d never forget. She asked how I was. I always thought that Mrs. Sanderson—mother of John, Alicia, and Carl on the TV show, Little House on the Prairie—looked and sounded like Aunt Doris. Of course, that memory of me didn’t last. A minute or two later, she gave me a big smile and asked if she knew me.

It gave me a picture of what it must have been like for my character, Ella Weeks—to wake up every day with these children there—children who knew her, but she didn’t remember. The hurt she caused every time she had to struggle to admit she didn’t know something she probably should—again. So, I thought I’d ask her to tell us about it.

Ella: People often assume that the worst part of losing my memory are the memories that disappeared, too. But it’s not. A much as I’d love to remember my wedding day, my daughter’s first steps, my son’s first words, or that moment I realized I was pregnant with my third, those are blessings that I don’t think about often. No, what hurts most is seeing the pain in my children’s eyes when they need me to remember something and I can’t. For me, not remembering their first day of kindergarten is an inconvenience. For them, it’s a further reminder that if they didn’t tell me, I wouldn’t know them. That without them pushing themselves into my life, I wouldn’t care about them any more than any other human in my path. I do now, of course, but not at first. I hate that they heard David say once, “…she doesn’t know me. She doesn’t trust me. She doesn’t know our children. She tries, but she could walk out of our lives tomorrow and never miss us.”

Living so close to it every day, I missed those little bits of pain that I inflicted without meaning to, but when I went with our Bible study to a nursing home and visited with the residents, then I saw it. Women with tears running down their cheeks as loved ones patted their hands and tried to comfort. I heard one man offer to find a woman’s father. She squeezed him close and whispered, “It’s okay, Daddy. I love you. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

The man promised to try to find her father in the meantime.

Those people there—most of them didn’t realize they didn’t remember someone important. They didn’t struggle to remember this or that. Their dementia had gotten bad enough that their lives had gone from constant frustration to, by comparison, blissful oblivion.

And their families withered with each forgotten face, name, moment.

That’s what my “episode” did for my family. It caused them pain that just resurfaced every time something new happened. Pain that I didn’t know I inflicted. And since that visit, I have a greater compassion and awareness of just how amazing and powerful memories are.

I also have a greater appreciation for those beautiful words in Isaiah when the Lord promised… “I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins.”

You see, there’s a lifetime of the sins that Jesus died for buried somewhere in my brain—or, at least at one time there was. I know that those sins were in there, because the ones I committed yesterday are there today. The ones I’ve already confessed and been forgiven for—I beat myself up for the next morning. A week later. A month. But the Lord has wiped them clean. I just keep smearing them back out there again as if to say, “But You don’t get how BAD I was.” Yeah. The arrogance, right? Because an almighty, holy God can’t possibly understand how sinful a sinner that He had to DIE to save from those sins… is. The arrogance? That’s an understatement.

But all those years before that horrible morning… gone. Maybe I stole something. I don’t know. It was forgiven, wiped clean, and then wiped from my memory. I can’t rehash it with the Lord over and over. I can’t drag it back up like a wife who won’t let her husband forget the one time he forgot her birthday. I can’t use it as a whip to beat myself up with. And I think there’s something beautiful in that.

Do I wish I could stop hurting my family with my blank past? Of course. But am I also grateful for a living picture of the fresh start the Lord gives His people at salvation? Definitely. I hope I never take it for granted again.