"A Noble Life" by C.K. Heartwing

About this book:

  “A prince in search of his missing brother. Two sisters tucked away in a snowy wood trying to live in peace. When their paths cross, they find not all in the wood is as it seems.
    When their father the king is assassinated in the palace courtyard, Frederick Belvare can do nothing to stop his older brother Matthias from plunging into the Blackwald forest after their father's assassins to bring justice and to retrieve his stolen crown. Only the Crown Prince does not return, and Prince Frederick must go to the Blackwald to bring his brother back. He enlists the help of his father's knights and sets off into the Blackwald, but rumors lurk of strange men and monstrous bear tracks in the snow.
     Rosalind Everwright and her mother and sister only want peace. Secluded in their little cottage in the Blackwald, they've found for themselves a refuge from the painful past, that is until Rosalind finds a man wounded in the snow. The Everwrights take him in to their care. The huntsman seems to be more than he's letting on, and with his arrival what little peace they've found is shattered.
    Neither Prince Frederick or Rosalind know who to trust in the snowy wood, but one misstep may cost them their lives, for not all in the wood is as it seems.”


Series: Book #14 in the multi-author series, “Cornerstone”. It does not seem to be connected to any other books, however. A stand-alone novel. Click on the books to be taken to that review: Book #1, Book #2, Book #3, Book #4, Book #5, Book #6, Book #7, Book #8, Book #9, Book #10, Book #11, Book #12, and Book #13!


Spiritual Content- Romans 12:21 at the beginning; Scriptures are mentioned, remembered, & thought over; Prayers & Thanking God; Talks about God, trusting Him, forgiveness, & fear; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of a bishop at a wedding; A mention of being Blessed; A mention of meeting someone again in Paradise. 
 

Negative Content- The beginning chapter starts with Frederick seeing his father’s body and blood after he was assassinated (he later has a nightmare of this, the attack, & a wolf attacking him; all up to semi-detailed); A fire, smoke, & rescuing trapped horses (up to semi-detailed); Fighting, Being attacked, Being hit, Being chased, Being kidnapped and tied-up, Being held at knife-point, Being shot/Being shot at, Injuries, Pain, Blood/Bleeding, & Passing out (up to semi-detailed); Finding someone injured & near death (up to semi-detailed); Seeing a death (including the person’s horse sniffing the body and looking sad, up to semi-detailed); Grief & sobbing (up to semi-detailed); A horse is also injured (but will be fine, up to semi-detailed); Frederick drinks ale at a tavern; Many mentions of deaths, grief (for fathers and a wife for her husband), a body, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of assassins & an assassination; Mentions of wars, battles, & deaths; Mentions of attacks, fighting, weapons, injuries, pain, blood/bleeding, & passing out; Mentions of a tavern & ale; Mentions of hunting; A few mentions of a fire; A few mentions of pellets of bears with the head still attached (used for rugs); A couple mentions of lies & lying. 
 
 
Sexual Content- A cheek kiss and a not-detailed kiss; Some Touches, Embraces, & Flutters/Butterflies (barely-above-not-detailed); A blush; Seeing a couple hold hands, embrace, and share a kiss on the forehead; A bit of noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); Very light love, falling in love, & the emotions.
 
-Rosalind Everwright
-Frederick Belvare, age 21
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                                        159 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

I’ve read a couple other retellings of Snow White and Rose Red before and because I didn’t care for them, I was starting to think that this fairytale might just not be my cup of tea—but I enjoyed this one! The author did well with the elements of the fairytale, but it never felt like the fairytale was taking over the story, if that makes sense. It was balanced well between the fairytale and then her own story, which I liked. 

 

I thought it was funny that the sisters both met their men in the same scenario—finding them injured and nursing them back to health. I felt a little jipped by not getting Blanche and her guy’s story, but Rose and Frederick had their cute moments. I did really appreciate that they both focused on what was important now-and-then rather than let their emotions take over. It was a very sweet and very clean romance for sure! 

 

I will say that I didn’t quite understand all the details of the timing of events and what was happening towards the end, but that could have been me? I was a bit lost on it which unfortunately dropped my personal rating a bit. (*Spoilers* My question is that if Matthias was going to marry Blanche after knowing her a month after searching for his father’s assassins and the traitor-knight knew that, why was the traitor-knight’s motivation to kill the king was that the king would allow their marriage? I’m confused on this timing because Matthias and Blanche met after the king’s death? So how is that the traitor-knight’s motivation to kill the king as if the king knew of their relationship and approved? Someone please feel free to explain this to me! *End of Spoilers*) Regardless of this though, I did like this story and am curious to see what else the author has written or will publish in the future.

 

 

See y’all on Wednesday with a new review! 

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

"Break My Fall" by Lynn H. Blackburn

About this book:

  “Dr. Meredith Quinn always planned to return to Gossamer Falls to practice dentistry. Now that she's back home, she's made it a point to offer clinics to children and adults in nearby underserved areas. Unfortunately, those same areas are known to harbor drug traffickers, and Police Chief Grayson Ward suspects that local law enforcement is looking the other way.
    After too many losses, Grayson has closed off his heart. But when Meredith enters his life, his walls crumble, and he's left exposed and vulnerable. To keep her alive, he must keep her close, but that makes it impossible for him to retreat and rebuild. Will she be the one who finally helps him emerge from isolation? Or will this force of nature leave him shattered?”


Series: Book #2 in the “Gossamer Falls” series. Review of Book #1, Here!


Spiritual Content- Psalm 19:14 in the Acknowledgments; A Scripture is remembered; Prayers & a Blessing over food; A few talks about God & His plans; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Mentions of God, Jesus, & His plans; Mentions of prayers, praying, thanking God, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, pastors, services, & Sunday School classes; A few mentions of miracles (including using it flippantly, like Meredith and Gray saying that them kissing each other was a miracle); A couple mentions of Christians; A couple mentions of a Christian music station & worship music; A couple mentions of “better/holier-than-thou” attitudes; A couple mentions of people calling Meredith a saint; A mention of an event in the Bible; A mention of being Blessed; A mention of Gray having a hard time focusing on a sermon at church because of Meredith; A mention of a character thinking they have died, but that heaven isn’t wet with the rain they are feeling; A mention of a place smelling like heaven (good); A mention of a man who partakes in  criminal actions still going to church and giving to missions for the sake of his appearance in town;
             *Note: Someone says that two brothers are evil (literally, not teasing); Mentions of curses or someone being cursed (or acting like they are; *Spoiler* Meredith calls Gray out for acting like he is cursed where all the women he loves die horrifically *End of Spoiler*); A couple mentions of devilish grins; A couple mentions of luck; A mention of generational curses; A mention of a little girl thinking her dad has magical abilities; A mention of Meredith being told not to take everything out of a toddler’s mouth as gospel (condescending); A mention of Cupid; A mention of Pandora’s box; A mention of an alien abduction.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘crummy’, a ‘crud’, a ‘daggum’, a ‘hot as blazes’, a ‘load of horse manure’, a ‘moron’, a ‘sucking up, a ‘shoot’, a ‘shove off’, two ‘blasted’s, two forms of ‘ticked off’, three ‘dumb’s, three ‘shut up’s, ten forms of ‘idiot’, and thirteen forms of ‘stupid’; A couple mentions of curses (said, not written); Some Sarcasm & Eye rolling; Being chased, Being shot at, Gunfire, an Explosion, Hypothermia, Being shoved into a street and almost being ran over, Shock, Injuries, Pain, Blood/Bleeding, & Passing out (up to semi-detailed); Seeing dead bodies & what is left of them (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Meredith’s brother makes she she isn’t going to hurt herself “or worse” when she’s upset (she figures out what he means and says she would never do that); Meredith loses traction when driving in the rain for a moment; All about many mentions of crimes, criminals, drugs, drug trafficking, people making illegal drugs (meth, cocaine, and marijuana) and selling it, drug dealers, drug addicts, & crooked police officers (and them trying to turn others to their side); Many mentions of murders, murderers, attempted murders and possible deaths, & bodies being found (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Mentions of the death of a sibling (younger sister) & grief (*Spoilers* Gray’s younger sister was killed by a drive-by shooting and he held her in his arms until their mom got home from work *Spoilers*); Mentions of car accidents, deaths, & major injuries (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of gang violence, drive-by shootings, and a death (*Spoiler* Gray’s sister was shot and killed when she was eleven and died in his arms *Spoilers*); Mentions of fires, deaths, & two bodies being found in a burning car; Mentions of human trafficking of girls (particularly teens, who have ended up dead; barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of domestic violence, physical abuse, wives being bruised and badly injured (including one by her law enforcement officer husband), & another lady being beaten to death (*Spoiler* Gray’s mother *End of Spoiler*); Mentions of those in domestic violence situations feeling stuck & Meredith offering to help them; Mentions of a young man going missing, being found beaten, and having serve brain damage because of the assault; Mentions of guns/weapons, gunfire, bullets, being shot at, & people being shot and killed (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of injuries, pain, blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of someone pushed into a street, almost ran over by a car, being in shock, & passing out (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of abductions, possibly planned abductions, & ones where women were abducted and killed (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of a stalker (Book #1); Mentions of tracking and listening devices; Mentions of arrests & jails/prisons; Mentions of terrorists (teasingly, calling a group of kids or an elderly woman driving this name); Mentions of bombs/explosions; Mentions of trespassing; Mentions of mudslides; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of (breast) cancer, it rapidly growing, & aggressive treatments (Meredith’s mother); Mentions of poop; A few mentions of a warning sign being written in blood; A few mentions of bombs & explosions; A few mentions of stolen cars; A few mentions of threats & blackmail; A few mentions of drunks, alcoholics, & a mean drunk; A few mentions of people being buzzed, stoned, high, drunk, or all of the above; A few mentions of hypothermia; A few mentions of vomit; A few mentions of jealousy; A few mentions of hatred; A couple mentions of nightmares (particularly Gray’s being when he is awake and fears something will happen to Meredith); A mention of a firing squad; A mention of something not being poisoned; A mention of drinking moonshine at a young age; A mention of playing poker; A mention of MMA fighting; A mention of a divorce;
             *Note: Meredith has a near-panic attack (barely-above-not-detailed); Gray says that words have power and that if you say something negative to yourself long enough, you’ll start to believe it (and warns Meredith against saying anything negative about herself); Meredith recalls eating Mexican food and the ride home not being quiet; Mentions of dental care (root canals, blood, etc.); Mentions of car brands; Mentions of brand names, items, & places (Reese’s cups, Sheetrock, Bluetooth, Chick-fil-A, & Cherry Coke); Mentions of fictional characters (Anne of Green Gables, Willy Wonka, Hobbits, & Mary Poppins); A mention of plastic surgery; A mention of someone not being a sadist.
 
 
Sexual Content- A hand kiss, four head/forehead kisses, two cheek kisses, two chin/jaw kisses, an ear kiss, two nose kisses, two not-detailed kisses, four barely-above-not-detailed kisses, four border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed kisses, and four semi-detailed kisses; Remembering kisses (up to semi-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Snuggling, Hand holding, Warmth, Swooning, Flutters, Nearness, & Smelling (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to touch, embrace, & hold hands (including Gray wanting to pull Meredith into his lap to comfort her, up to semi-detailed); Noticing (up to semi-detailed); Jealousy; Flirting & Winks; Talks about kisses & kissing (barely-above-not-detailed); Seeing other couples kiss (up to semi-detailed); Gray never knew his dad and isn’t sure his mom even knew him; Meredith comments that guys need hugs too, but Gray comments that they usually prefer those hugs to come from women; Meredith fell hard for Gray shortly after meeting him and her interest morphed into something that “bordered in an unhealthy obsession” and continued to throw herself at him and in his path; Meredith teases her brother about him not wanting to think about her wanting to know a man “better”; Gray thinks that his feelings towards Meredith are the kind that would “get a man punched in the face by a big brother”; Meredith thinks about how “delicious” Gray’s voice sounds early in the morning; Meredith needs Gray’s help unzipping her dress & when he yanks it over her head, he closes his eyes; Meredith’s grandmother fusses at Gray for thinking that old people are clueless (about romance) and adds “How do you think you got here in the first place?” (which her husband overhears and gives her a look that isn’t “sultry or steamy”, but one that is “intimate and powerful”); A ‘baby’ and a ‘harpy’; Mentions of human trafficking (usually of teen girls, including one who ended up dead on the “first night” and the others who died later, barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of illegitimate children & a man giving the baby mamas money (while not acknowledging the children, but not letting them starve because of his appearance in town); Mentions of kisses & kissing; Mentions of couples kissing in front of others & giving “lingering looks” that “left little to the imagination”; Mentions of PDA; Mentions of flirting; Mentions of dates, dating, & girlfriends/boyfriends; Mentions of love, falling in love fast, & broken hearts; A few mentions of breakups; A few mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of a single mom and her son moving into a man’s house that was romantically interested in her (because of hard circumstances; *Spoilers* Gray and his mother; Later, the man beat his mother to death *End of Spoilers*); A couple mentions of snuggling; A couple mentions of sparks & tension between two people; A couple mentions of blushes; A couple mentions of young couples “canoodling”; A mention of a woman being assaulted (not said if sexually or just physically); A mention of the best case scenario being that a man is having an affair (the worst case could be that he is trafficking drugs and people); A mention of cheating; A mention of someone’s husky voice after a kiss; A mention of a woman sitting on her fiancé’s lap; A mention of jealousy; A mention of crushes; Love, falling/being in love, trying not to be in love, heartbreak, & the emotions;
             *Note: Meredith threats to harm the “tenderest parts” of a Gray’s body when upset despite knowing that he doesn’t have to have children and might not care; Gray decided as a teen that he wasn’t going to be a husband or father & feels some grief at times over that decision (see spoilers in Negative Section for more information); Meredith’s brother wonders if the two of them have a curse that detained them to love someone who doesn’t love them back; When Meredith says she has plenty of extra weight to lose, Gray interrupts and says to never let him hear her say that again as her “body is perfection, and it houses [her] beautiful soul”; A few mentions of a nineteen-year-old girl being forced into an arranged marriage with someone twenty years older; A few mentions of Meredith’s arrival ten months after her brother was born being a shock to her family and the town; A mention of being unsure if two boys have the same father or not; A mention of some women liking (unpractical) shoes because of how they make their legs look; A mention of a bikini; A mention of butting out of a conversation.
 
-Meredith Quinn, age 31
-Grayson “Gray” Ward, age 35 
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                                        352 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

After enjoying the first book in this series, I have mixed feelings on this second book. The romance had some really cute and sweet parts, but also frustrated me a bit at their reactions to different things/confessions. The suspense elements were unsettling—as they should be as it’s evil—but have also left me feeling heavy after finishing this book and it overshadowed the cute ending. 

 

As expected, I didn’t love all the dentist parts, but that’s not shocking at all if you know me. 

 

This one picked up pretty close to the first book and similar to Lynette Eason’s current series, I’m thinking that this series as well is going to be one to either reread the prior books before the newest one comes out or binge read them all together once all are released. Because it’s been about a year since the first book released and I’ve read a lot of books since then, it did take some time for me to remember the events and characters in that book. On that note, though, despite some info-dumping at times, there were a few things about characters or “inside information”, if you will, that were either explained later on or not explained at all and you would be lost if you haven’t read the first book before this one. 

 

I haven’t read the novella that could be considered Book #1.5 that was in the novella collection titled “Cornered”, so I was a wee bit lost with that couple and mentions of their story. Unfortunately, this book totally gives away the villain of that book—though, to be fair, I don’t know if it was a secret or if the person is pretty obvious. 

 

We see a glimpse of Faith from the author’s other series and characters from her prior series as well, which was kind of like a fun Easter egg. 

 

Gray has a heartbreaking past and is partially very protective of Meredith because of it—but also because of the feelings he refuses to admit he has for her. Most tragic backstories of main characters don’t affect me too much because I’ve read so many over the years, but I did really feel for Gray. That’s not to say I didn’t want to smack him to get his act together about Meredith, but I could honestly see his struggle and if this wasn’t a fictional story where I knew it would eventually end with a pretty little bow, I didn’t think it would end with them together and him working/worked through his past. That said, there were some points I felt he was dragging his feet too much and then when that 180 happened, it felt a little stark because there wasn’t much build up to it in his POV and just happened. 

 

A lot of the lines/things Gray said definitely felt like they were written by a woman, but it was usually when he was groveling or confessing his feels to Meredith, so I suppose that makes sense. It felt a little jarring to me, though, I suppose because he is this hardened police chief, but then sharing his emotions with her in depth and being all eloquent. It made me roll my eyes a few times, I’ll admit.

 

This book hit me harder than I was expecting and I’m not sure why. Perhaps it’s hormones (we can always blame those, right?) but the human trafficking, domestic violence, and drug trafficking mentions—and even though they were kept lighter than most suspense books I’ve read—still hit me while I was reading it. Which, I suppose in a way is good because I don’t want to ever become desensitized to evil, but at the same time, it left me with a heaviness while reading. The author kept it light enough on the details that I think avid suspense readers that are 16+ would probably be fine with it, but it felt different to me. Perhaps it is partially a me issue as I read this book when I wasn’t really in the mood for a suspense story and all of the elements that come with it, but perhaps it was also partially the fact that these awful things are happening in that next county over and it’s gutting to the main characters, so we feel their emotions about it. The ending was rough on this especially and was unsettling to me. 

 

Like the first book in the series, I did like all the family relationships of the Quinn family and how close-knit they are. They have each other’s backs in a great way and it’s honestly refreshing to see a healthy multi-generational family in a fiction series because most are broken, toxic, and/or a mess in many ways. This series is standing out to me because of this element, and I appreciate it. 

 

Whew. That was a lot of thoughts, but I hope you can tell my mixed feelings on this book. It was a hard one to rate, in all honestly, because of all the different elements. All of that said, I’ll definitely be reading the next book because this one hinted way too much about Mo and Bronwyn’s past without giving us any true information—which is just a mean tease! 

 

 

 

 

See y’all on Friday with a new review! 

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

*I received this book for free from the Publisher (Revell) for this honest review.

"A Noble Rescuer" by K.R. Mattson

About this book:

  “Whitney McRether is a Deronian, a fierce warrior of the north mountains where pain and death are viewed as something to be embraced. But when a stranger is dragged into the village by her brother, Whitney sees no other choice but to defy tradition and stand in the way of the stranger and death. The longer he stays, the more trouble lands on their doorstep…and the harder it is to let him go.
    Serve the Queen at all costs.
    As a bounty hunter to the Queen, that’s exactly what Knox Schilling did. Until his hunt for two traitors lands him in Deron and the gaping jaws of death. He's viewed the uncivilized warriors as barbarians, until a young woman risks everything to rescue him from his plight. For the first time in years, someone stands up for him and he finds himself drawn to the welcoming soul.
    Enemies of the past and present begin close in, loyalties are tested, and lies and dark truths are drawn to the surface. Can they weather the storms together or will it ultimately break their growing bond of friendship?”


Series: Book #13 in the multi-author series, “Cornerstone”. It does not seem to be connected to any other books, however. A stand-alone novel. Click on the books to be taken to that review: Book #1, Book #2, Book #3, Book #4, Book #5, Book #6, Book #7, Book #8, Book #9, Book #10, Book #11, and Book #12!


Spiritual Content- A few Prayers; God is called “the Maker” and “Give of Life”; Whitney notes that taking in people who need help is what the Maker commanded, but she “understood that not all were Believers”; Whitney believes in the Maker commanding life and death, while Knox does not after his father “believed in the unseen” and lost his life due to the Queen; Mentions of God (also called the Maker); A few mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food;
             *Note: A man tells Knox that he’ll see him in hell; The phrase “speak of the devil” is said once;   Knox has blades that are called his “Demon Blades”; Whitney recalls her grandmother saying that “violence against the innocent was a crime; but, against the evil, it was a mercy”; Whitney silently begs someone to listen to her, but because “she was not psychic” the person doesn’t hear her; There is a rumor that the Snow Queen is able to turn people in ice statues by looking at them.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘sucked’, two ‘gosh’s, two forms of ‘shut up’, two ‘wimp’s, three forms of ‘idiot’, and four ‘stupid’; A mention of a woman being called a ‘witch’ because it fits in more ways than one (not implied in a spells/potions way); A mention of a curse (said, not written); Name calling such as ‘bonehead’, ‘bozo’, ‘buzzard’, ‘double sided iceberg’, ‘jerk’, ‘loony’, and ‘nincompoop’;  Insults like “freeze in a lake” and “go sit in a lake” are said; Eye rolling; Whitney’s aunt is a harsh and brutal woman & Whitney is sent to live with her for a bit (Whitney also calls her a psychopath); Lots of fighting, injuring and harming others in fights, knocking others out, being tortured (almost drowning and being burned), being held at knife-point, being captured and tied-up, being hit and attacked, pain, injuries, blood/bleeding, & passing out (up to semi-detailed); Falling through a frozen lake (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Knox is captured, tied-up, and tortured by Whitney’s brother (almost drowning and being burned & thinks he may die, semi-detailed; Whitney catches this and stops it from going further); Whitney’s brother attacks and raids traders passing through their area to get supplies for their village (one attack is on-page and while they aren’t supposed to shoot anyone, he orders for her to shoot a man and she does when the man attacks her); Whitney feels a twinge of guilt for leaving an injured man when the wolves will probably get him; Knox uses a powder to blind a room & Whitney’s brother has a “tear gas” concoction; Knox lies to Whitney to protect himself; The Snow Queen has an underground ice pit where she keeps the frozen bodies of people who disappointed her; Many mentions of torture (including a different bounty Hunter being rumored to have stabbed a pregnant woman in her abdomen), people being shot, injuries, pain, blood/bleeding, & passing out (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Mentions of killing, willing to kill others, & planning to kill (including comments about slitting throats and Whitney’s brother killing guards of the Queen’s, up to semi-detailed); Mentions of deaths; Mentions of people being captured, injured, & threatened; Mentions of frostbite & people and animals dying or possibly dying in the harsh weather conditions (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of crimes & criminals; Mention of stealing & stolen items; Mentions of some breaking into a house; Mentions of someone almost being tarred and feathered; Mentions of tear gas & a blinding powder that causes pain; Mentions of a tavern; Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of tattoos (which those under the Snow Queen’s rule have); Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of hunting; A few mentions of throwing up; A couple mentions of possible murders; A couple mentions of the possibility of a wife killing her husband (she did not); A couple mentions of whippings/beatings; A couple mentions of a person being stolen (but actually ran away); A couple mentions of nightmares; A mention of an execution; A mention of drugging another; A mention of manure;
             *Note: Whitney recalls hearing about women in other places being “cowards” by staying at home sewing and tending gardens & she almost wonders if she is a descendant of “one of those weaklings”; Whitney’s brother taunts/threatens her pet weasel with roasting him over a fire; Knox thinks that his mother would rise from her grave and smack him if he didn’t help someone.
 
 
Sexual Content- Holding hands, a shiver, & a blush (all once); Knox calls Whitney pretty and she blushes; Know believes that true love is a myth and “one only married to further a legacy”; Mentions of a couple being in love; A few mentions of men in her village being interested in Whitney (but her brother threatening all of them);
             *Note: A mention of sore buttocks.
 
-Whitney McRether
-Knox Schilling
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                                        136 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

This was very different than I was expecting! I’m pretty sure this is one of the shortest of this multi-authored series and while I would have liked more about Whitney and Knox’s friendship-leading-to-more that’s quickly thrown in at the very end, it was a fast paced plot. 

 

Whitney's family and village are called barbarians, but some of them (particularly Whitney’s brother) reminded me of the Vikings with their eagerness to ruin other people’s lives. Her brother was really rough and even tortures someone, which was unpleasant to read about. That was what didn’t really make sense to me because Whitney followed the Maker (God) and her mom mentioned Him as well, and though she noted that not every believed in the Maker, but her brother was off trapping traders and stealing their stuff. You could argue they needed it for their village/people to survive, but then he starts torturing someone that is connected to the Queen. It didn’t quite add up for me. 

 

I did like the setting, despite it being set in the freezing cold and I’m not a cold weather person. The author did well creating a new culture and while it wasn’t really my cup of tea, those who like cold weather (freezing, really) settings and Viking-like barbarians may enjoy it more than me.

 

 

See y’all on Friday with a new review! 

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

 

"Truth Cursed" by Angie Dickinson

About this book:

  “Cressida Hoth is alone in the world. Orphaned and unwanted, she is inflicted with a peculiar curse by her mischievous aunts and banished to a finishing school in the secluded kingdom of Dernmont. Students train in every accomplishment suitable for young ladies: music, dancing, etiquette…and strangely, poison-making, fencing, and lock-picking.
     The school is a front for a rebel spy ring, and when her training is complete, Cressida is selected to join a mission to infiltrate the kingdom’s royal court. She has been thrown unceremoniously into a world of ball gowns and espionage, but she is still under a curse, and it threatens to expose them all.
     Defending her teammates and her secret, Cressida discovers that the kingdom’s buried history and the truth behind her curse run far deeper than she imagined.”


Series: As of now, no. Seems to be a stand-alone novel.


Spiritual Content- The phrase “God willing” is said once by Cressida; A head monk gives the blessing to a group that includes “May the white mountain open your heart and close your wounds. May its stones bring you truth, and in truth, may you find the peace of its Creator and the courage He imparts.”; Someone says she has faith in Mt. Vindeca “and it’s Maker”; Going to a monastery; Mentions of a monastery (also called a holy site) & monks; A handful of mentions of Cressida praying (but never said towards Whom; including a mention of praying for forgiveness from an action); A few mentions of paintings and tapestries depicting religious scenes; A mention of someone not being a miracle worker;
             *Note: “Damming” evidence against someone is said twice in different forms; Phrases like “for heaven’s sake” and “heavens” are used twice and once; There is no magic in this book as the dusts and powders used and discussed are from mines (which are illegal substances), including the one Cressida thinks she was “cursed” by (see Negative Content section for more information); A monastery has a pool with healing minerals that are said to have healed and strengthen those who drink the water; *Major Spoilers* At the end, Cressida has the thought of mixing dust from the healing mountain and the poisonous drugs to create an antidote which works on her and others; As a side effect, Cressida is able to tell when someone is lying by a tingling sensation in her fingertips *End of Spoilers*; Mentions of monks taking a vow of silence which someone says “the personal sacrifice aids in his devotion”; A few mentions of alchemy with healing stones from a mountain; A mention of someone speaking reverently about the stones of a mountain (in terms of a promise/swearing upon them); A mention of people raising a glass to a mountain.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: A ‘dumb’, a ‘what the blazes’, a ‘wretch’, two ‘shut up’s, and three ‘stupid’s; Fictional phrases like “(bloody) stones of Vindeca” (two forms) and “by the stones (of Vindeca)” (two forms); A mention of curses (said, not written); Some eye rolling & sarcasm; Eavesdropping; Killing someone in self-defense, burying the body, drugging others, & guilt about it (plus continuing to think about the body and felling like a murderer, up to semi-detailed); Being attacked, Fighting/Self-defense, Being threatened (including with harming another) and held at knife-point, Holding others at knife-point, Being tied-up and locked in a room, Pain, Injuries, Blood/Bleeding, Passing out, & Grief (up to semi-detailed); A bit of manipulating others; Remembering seeing the deaths of her parents (murdered by arrows) & being forced to drink a drugged tea (up to semi-detailed); Seeing fights & others knocked out (up to semi-detailed); *Spoilers* Cressida’s aunts are not her biological aunts and collected her to use as an experiment for the drug *End of Spoilers*; There are drugs for putting someone in a deep sleep, to only be able to tell the truth, and cause forgetfulness; Due to her aunts forcing her to drink a tea with a drug in it, Cressida considers herself “cursed” and unable to lie or not answer a question that is directed towards her (she recalls them forcing it down her throat, up to semi-detailed); Cressida is compelled by the “curse” to always answer the truth and quickly, if Cressida tries to prevent answering a question, she will be in pain, light headed, and eventually passing out and bleeding from her nose (said to cause her death if she tries to do it again; She tries to withhold answering a few times, up to semi-detailed); Cressida has no warm feelings for her aunts and how they abused her growing up by always forcing her to answer their questions; A girl at the school says insulting things to and about Cressida; Cressida has a glass of wine at a dinner (which she does not enjoy the sour taste) & side characters drink wine at dinners and parties; Many mentions of deaths/murders (including of parents and siblings plus Cressida’s own parents), grief, how they happened (arrows and slit throats), seeing it  happened, finding the bodies (Cressida saw her parents murdered), & the murderers (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of drugs, being drugged, & drugging others; Mentions of bodies (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of wars, battles, deaths, & someone wanting to start a war; Mentions of treason, traitors, prisons/dungeons, crimes, & arrests; Mentions of pain, injuries, blood/bleeding, & passing out (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of alcohol, wine, drinking (including at dinners and socially at parties), & those who are tipsy or had too much; Mentions of lies, lying, liars, deception, & manipulation (including a teacher telling Cressida to lie on the mission if needed); Mentions of gossip & rumors; A few mentions of hunting; A few mentions of hatred & self-loathing; A few mentions of a pipe & smoking; A couple mentions of breaking into someone’s room; A couple mentions of jealousy; A mention of wolves digging up a dead human’s body; A mention of freezing to death; A mention of thieves; A mention of robbing a place; A mention of an ale houses; A mention of vomiting;
             *Note: Cressida has a panic attack (up to semi-detailed).
 
 
Sexual Content- Two hand kisses (flirty greetings and lingering too long), a not-detailed kiss, and a border line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed kiss; Some touches, embraces, hand holding, being near another for their warmth, (barely-above-not-detailed); Some blushes & winks; Some noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); A man touches Cressida’s cheek and her skin crawls because of it; Another man skims over Cressida’s body in a “clinical” way after an injury, but it still makes her blush; Cressida meets a (handsome and young) male spy in the middle of the night and when they are caught by a maid, he makes it look like they were having a tryst (by embracing her, making a show of rebuttoning his collar, & grinning “rakishly” at her; the maid insults Cressida by calling her “rough” and one of those girls who “play around”; Rumors about the two of them meeting at night go around the staff); One of the girls says she has no interest in becoming a spy via the way of becoming the king’s mistress or “anything vulgar like that”; When a note from a prince is said about the “great pleasure” of meeting one of the girls, she panics that she’s “going to have to, that he means—“ and Cressida says they wouldn’t have been put on this mission if they had to do “unseemly, compromising things”; Mentions of flirting, flirtation, & a class for flirting (that Cressida doesn’t do well in); A few mentions of rendezvous between couples; A few mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of handsome men; A couple mentions of men ogling Cressida and the other girls; A couple mentions of a man getting too close to Cressida for her comfort; A bit of attraction, possibly love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: At age 15, Cressida is said to have “a woman’s shape already” & a few mentions about it (a roommate asks her if she likes it and Cressida responds “not really”; A couple years later, it’s mentioned by a teacher that the other girls were jealous of Cressida and the rude comments to her slower down when the other girls began to “mature”).
 
-Cressida Hoth, age 15-17
                                P.O.V. of Cressida 
                                                        336 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

One thing you can always count on me being interested in is boarding school or academy plots. Was it the Barbie Princess Charm School movie or Zoey 101 episodes I watched growing up? I’m honestly not sure, but it’s a trope/theme that makes me instantly interested in a book if it’s said to have that. (As a side note: I would personally compare this book more to Barbie and the Three Musketeers movie than the Princess Charm School movie.)

 

So, I was a bit bummed that we speed ran through half of the boarding school plot with two years quickly passing. Because of that, it felt a little like Cressida was a different character in some ways after the time has passed and I didn’t know her very well in the second part of this book. Now mind you, that’s not 100% accurate but perhaps more like 60%—which was enough for me to notice that difference. She did have a couple times where “you don’t think I can do it” and getting offended when someone told her about the mission being dangerous—which was a bit ironic because she had just done the same thing to one of the other girls.

 

The last half unfortunately fizzled a bit for me, which was a major bummer! I’m not sure if it was me or the book. I wasn’t expecting some events towards the end, though, which kept me on my toes. I do think this might have been better as a duology, however? It felt a little packed and then rushed towards the ending with the reveals. Because we only get Cressida’s POV and she’s not involved in every single thing or event, there’s a lot of telling by other characters and explaining their roles or what they found, which cut down on the action and excitement for me, personally. This is what ultimately dropped my rating a bit as my enjoyment of the plot lessened, unfortunately. That said, if there was ever a second book, I would definitely read it to see what happens next in this world!

 

I think avid YA readers and those in their teens might be willing to overlook the “flaws” I didn’t care for and I probably would have enjoyed this book more a handful of years ago. It was still interesting and entertaining, but I found the execution of some parts to be a little lackluster.

 

 

See y’all on Friday with a new review! 

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.