"An Unexpected Grace" by Tracie Peterson and Kimberley Woodhouse

About this book:

  “Can unexpected grace lay the foundation for a second chance at love?
    After a decade away, Parker Bennett returns home with a traveling troupe to perform a play based on Uncle Tom's Cabin at the Kalispell Opera House. Parker has relished his life on the road, but being home awakens long-buried emotions when he encounters his first love, Johanna St. John. He can't help but wonder if there might still be a place for him in her heart.
    Widowed for three years, Johanna devotes all her time to a demanding toddler, an injured father, and a successful millinery business. After the loss of her husband, she desires to move on, but reconnecting with her past love leaves her unsure of what lies ahead. Both committed to God's distinct calling on their lives, Johanna and Parker struggle to see how their futures can unite, and when strange things start happening around town, their second chance at a life together seems more unlikely than ever.”


Series: Book #3 in “The Jewels of Kalispell” series. Reviews of Book #1 Here! and Book #2 Here!


Spiritual Content- Scriptures are mentioned, remembered, read, & quoted; Bible reading & Feeling peace; Many Prayers, Thanking God, & praising God; Church going & Singing hymns; Witnessing to others; Many talks about God, Jesus, callings and gifts from Him, witnessing to others, & trusting Him; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God and Jesus; Johanna feels called to be a pastor’s wife & greatly looks forward to it; Parker wants to share his faith with others, but some have reacted poorly to him talking about God; Johanna has a moment of being mad at God for taking her husband, but still cries out to Him with her questions; Johanna feels peace from God; Johanna realizes she has been too judgmental about Parker’s career because God can use any of them anywhere He choses; Scenes from the play ‘Everyman’ are shown and quotes by the characters representing The Messenger, God, Death, and Everyman (which Johanna is very touched by seeing); Many mentions of God, Jesus, callings from Him, telling others about God, the gospel, His will, His presence, trusting Him, & peace from the Lord; Many mentions of prayers, praying, thanking God, praising God, & blessings over food; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, & those and events in the Bible; Mentions of churches, church going, services, sermons, pastors/reverends, hymns, & church events; Mentions of blessings & being blessed; Mentions of seminary school; A few mentions of the Lord’s Prayer; A few mentions of Heaven; A couple mentions of the Christmas story; A mention of a gang working with the Catholic Church to reform their streets; 
             *Note: Religious phrases such as ‘for heaven’s sake’, ‘Heavens!’, ‘thank heaven/heavens’, and ‘good heavens’ are said up to thrice each; James doesn’t think that his brother’s “so-called right living” with his “God talk” and Bible reading got him anywhere (because he died young); James thinks of women as “weak-willed” and that “even the Bible spoke of it”; James says he is in control (rather than God) in his life; James goes to church one morning, but doesn’t hear the sermon (as he is too focused on Johanna); A couple mentions of luck & being lucky; A couple mentions of Parker explaining to a reporter about having a new life in Christ, but the man took it and published an article on reincarnation and how Parker was a “serious believer of living more than once”; A mention of Parker recalling about people either laughing at him, mocking him, or telling him to shut his mouth when talking about God; A mention of superstitious people.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘biddy’, a ‘confounded’, a ‘drat’, a ‘stinking’, two forms of ‘shut up’, three form of ‘give/care a fig’, four forms of ‘idiot’, and ten ‘stupid’s; Some eye rolling; Being grabbed, Being hit, Passing out/Fainting, Pain, Injuries, & Blood/Bleeding (barely-above-not-detailed); Threatening others, Grabbing others (including planning to choke someone), & off-page murder (done by James, up to semi-detailed); Seeing someone who was attacked & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); A child is in a dangerous situation (up to semi-detailed); Grief (Johanna for her late husband & Parker for his father, up to semi-detailed); *Spoilers* James threatens Johanna with taking her daughter away if she doesn’t marry him; *Major Spoilers* Towards the end, he attacks her father attempting to kill him (saying it “invigorated him” to kill the man) and then kidnaps Emily after drugging her; One of the last chapters is him in court about it all and he dies from a cerebral hemorrhage, up to semi-detailed *End of Spoilers*); James drinks whiskey on-page (semi-detailed) & later wishes he could drink again; Mentions of possible suicides (including actresses attempting suicide to get stories about them in newspapers; *Spoilers* Also happens as a plan with an actress that James is working with to distract Parker away from Johanna; James gives her pills to take to overdose and says the doctor can pump her stomach; The woman does this because of the money from him and ends up being saved, but she ends up going mad at Parker and throwing things at him; It’s later said that she was sent to have a mental evaluation, but disappeared instead *End of Spoilers*); Mentions of deaths (natural, murder, and cerebral hemorrhages) & grief (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of fires, arson, & a family losing their home; Mentions of a gang, stealing, & their threats; Mentions of an accident, injuries, pain, & blood/bleeding (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of corrupt police officers; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of gossip & rumors; A few mentions of arrests; A few mentions of saloons, drinking, & beer; A couple mentions of mental asylums; A couple mentions of gambling; A couple mentions of throwing up; A mention of a car accident & death; A mention of thieves; A mention of cigars; 
             *Note: Parker is concerned that his father was disappointed in him and his decisions (*Spoiler* but receives a letter from him about how proud he was of Parker, which helps him *End of Spoiler*); James is very arrogant & thinks of those beneath him as peasants; Scenes and quotes from the play ‘Everyman’; Mentions of plays (Everyman, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Romeo and Juliet, & Hamlet); A few mentions of car brands.
 
 
Sexual Content- Three hair/head/forehead kisses, two cheek kisses, and three barely-above-not-detailed kisses; Wanting to kiss, touch, & embrace (barely-above-not-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Dancing, Hand holding, Tingles, Flutters, Nearness, & Smelling (barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes & Winks; Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); Parker’s manager has articles written about Parker implying he is a playboy/womanizer & rumors about his romantic interests; An actress presses herself against Parker (wearing “very little but her dressing gown”) and suggests they go to her hotel room (which Parker very firmly will not do and adds he won’t compromise either of their reputations); Later, the actress again tries to get him to go to her dressing room (which Parker is once again firmly against and does not go) & tells him to kiss her with “passion” (which, again, he does not do); James wants to marry Johanna and is possessive towards her (*Spoilers* because of the inheritance from his father that she should receive half of through her late husband; He is controlling and tries to threaten her with taking her daughter to get her to marry him; *Major Spoilers* Towards the end of the book, he attacks Johanna’s father (with the intent of killing him) and kidnaps Emily *End of Spoilers*); Johanna makes it clear that her late husband was not her second choice and that she had moved on from Parker; *Major Spoiler* At the very end, Johanna wishes that Parker doesn’t have to leave her, so they get married that night *End of Spoiler*; A few mentions of kisses & kissing; A few mentions of reputations & threats of being ruined; A few mentions of articles about Parker being a womanizer; A few mentions of blushes; A couple mentions of flirting; A couple mentions of jealousy; A mention of a man being said to have “countless love affairs”; A mention of a woman having “conquests” all over the world; A mention of a seductive smile; A mention of a lovesick look; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: A mention of a woman’s ample bosom.
 
-Johanna Easton St. John, age 28
-Parker Bennett, age 28/29
                                P.O.V. switches between them, James, Marvella, & Cora
                                           Set in 1905 (Prologue in 1895 & 1900)
                                                        327 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

Often times, when I’m reading a book I added to my TBR months before and finally get to it (and especially if I’ve already read the prior books in the series like this one), I don’t reread the back-cover or info blurb. So needless to say, I was just as blindsided as Johanna with Parker’s news in the first chapter. I think you could have knocked the two of us over with a feather. 

 

I’ve been looking forward to this book, but for some reason it’s taken me months to get to it—but I’m so glad I’ve finally read it! I really liked both Johanna and Parker as main characters and their hunger for the Lord. The faith content was strong throughout this whole trilogy, but this one was super strong and I really loved that element. 

 

I will say that I found the villain to be a little too basic—that is, a standard villain. Just an average one with the very normal goals and personality of a villain. An easy one to dislike, if you will. I found myself annoyed by him, but also feeling bad for him at times. I didn’t love the ending regarding him, but it made sense. 

 

I think it’s a bit odd that this series hasn’t been connecting. We see a few mentions of the prior couples in this book, but that’s it as far as it goes. What really connects this trilogy together is a side character’s POV who is easily my favorite character with her matchmaking (Marvella). There is the bonus of not having to read the previous two books before this one, but I would have loved to see Rebecca and Mark and then Carter and Ellie more and see what was new with them. 

 

As a final note for this review, my favorite parts—and the best parts, in my opinion—was definitely all the faith content. Nearly every page of the book had prayers, conversations, or thinking about God, callings from Him, and following Him, which I just adored. I also really liked our main couple and seeing them fall back into love.

 

 

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.

"Trust the Stars" by Tricia Goyer

About this book:

  “Olivia Garza, a woman committed to making a difference in the world, thrives in her unconventional, service-oriented life. By day, she helps troubled teens in inner-city Little Rock. By night, she creates a viral docu-series in an attempt to better understand her mother’s desperate decisions by retracing her steps with a camera. So far, Olivia has always been the anonymous narrator, but she’s promised to reveal herself in the last stop on her Kenya.
    Prince Louis, heir to the throne of the small European kingdom of Alloria, is in Kenya to run away from a broken heart—and the media circus that comes with it. When he meets Olivia, he recognizes her voice right away from the docu-series that has stirred his heart. Though they share a magical day on safari, any dreams of happily ever after come crashing down with the flash of the paparazzi cameras when Olivia realizes that he represents everything she most despises in the world.
    In World War II Rome, another royal, however, has her own life-changing choices to make. Princess Alessandra Appiani could have chosen quiet safety within the walls of the Vatican, but instead she risks her life—and her family—to save the Jewish children so in need of someone to show them the love of God.
    When Olivia is hired to help create a documentary about Alessandra, learning about the sacrifice of a royal who goes from palace to prison forces her to face the hardest questions of should she continue on the path she’s carved for herself or trust God to give her the future she never thought she wanted?”


Series: A stand-alone novel. 


Spiritual Content- Psalm 19:1-4 at the beginning; Scriptures are read & mentioned; Many prayers; Talks about God, Jesus, helping others, prayers/praying, showing the love of Jesus to others, & forgiveness;  Some 'H's are capital when referring to God and Jesus; Olivia recalls her answered prayers as a little girl & now wishes to be someone who shows the love of God to others as well; Half-way through, Olivia notes that she’s always thought of God as more of a “benevolent caretaker than a caring father” adding that “as long as she obeyed Him and stayed on His good side, the more likely things would go well” and that He would jump in when things got too overwhelming for her, but while that view as worked fine for her, a woman’s words make her wonder if there was more to a relationship with God; *Spoiler* Olivia asks God to help her forgive her grandparents towards the end & feels peace *End of Spoiler*; Alessandra hears God’s message stirred in her heart & also feels God’s Spirit whisper to her heart (not Scripture quotes, but for her situation); Many mentions of God, Jesus, submitting one’s self to Him, having faith, trusting God, His plans, & God’s creation; Mentions of prayers, praying, answered prayers, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, & services; Mentions of Bibles & Bible reading; Mentions of Jews, Roman Catholics, & Lutherans; Mentions of the Vatican (which is called “God’s holy city”), the Catholic Church, priests, & statues of saints; A few mentions of those & events in the Bible; A few mentions of Heaven; A couple mentions of a mission trip; A couple mentions of sin; A mention of a woman struggling with her faith; A mention of a blessing; 
             *Note: A concentration camp is called “hell” twice and the “pit of hell” once & the soldiers there “devils”; A woman tells Olivia about her future in a mysterious way (implied the words are from God); Louis thinks of Olivia as a woman fiercely determined to confront the “demons of her past”; Louis calls a large playground slide a “demon slide”because of it’s size; Louis is given the advice by his aunt to “go anywhere that allows you to follow your heart”; Olivia believes her grandfather hide about her mother due to being connected to Christian businesses and it would be bad PR for him; Mentions of luck & being lucky; A mention of Travis Scott being a group of girls’ “idol”; A mention of fate.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘shut up’, two ‘dumb’s, and three ‘stupid’s; A couple mentions of curses (said, not written); Some eye rolling & sarcasm; A drive-by shooting, seeing someone shot, & blood (up to semi-detailed); Seeing a pack of vultures fighting over and eating a carcass (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); *Spoiler, but regarding a death* Alessandra is taken to a concentration camp and dies there from injuries in a bombing by American bombers, up to semi-detailed *End of Spoiler*; The World War II setting shows Jews being rounded up, taken to concentration camps, being locked up as a political prisoner, & a bombing; Just before the book starts, Olivia is handed a child by a dying mother to take care of and takes her to a good orphanage (barely-above-not-detailed); Olivia travels through a big slum (Kibera) and it’s described (including a comment about it not being safe for “any white person” once it’s dark; up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of World War II, Nazis, historical figures like Adolf Hitler, spies and arrests, bombings, deportations of Jews, concentration camps, gas chambers and the smell, & smuggling Jewish children (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of seeing a death, deaths, & grief (including Olivia and Louis for their mothers & a husband for his wife); Mentions of a mother’s disappearance, her body being found, & it being an accident (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of arrests, crimes, & criminals; Mentions of gunfire, a drive-by shooting, someone being shot, & blood/bleeding (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of pain & injuries; Mentions of domestic violence & women staying in abusive relationships; Mentions of cancer, someone’s cancer being back, treatments, & a stroke leaving someone partially paralyzed (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of addictions to drugs & alcohol; Mentions of drugs, “bad drugs” that caused a death, & possible overdose; Mentions of lies, lying, & deceit; Mentions of rumors & gossip; Mentions of nightmares (including of deaths); A few mentions of a suicide/overdose (*Spoiler* Olivia’s mother, which was ruled as a suicide but some believed it was due to bad drugs *End of Spoiler*); A few mentions of a murder & witnessing one; A few mentions of a war concerning Russia & the refugee crisis; A few mentions of fires; A few mentions of starvation; A few mentions of poachers; A few mentions of being mugged; A few mentions of alcohol & drinking; A few mentions of hatred; A couple mentions of car accidents & deaths; A couple mentions of a possible serial killer; A couple mentions of other wars; A couple mentions of robbers & children being used as bait to lure people for robbers; A couple mentions of stealing; A couple mentions of two young guys having a “predatory gleam” in their eyes when looking at Louis and Olivia; A couple mentions of jealousy; A mention of cigarettes; A mention of throwing up; 
             *Note: Olivia calls her mother someone with a “Jekyll and Hyde disposition”; Olivia struggles with the feeling of abandonment due to her mother’s actions during her childhood and didn’t know the version of her mother that was compassionate and kind, but forgives her in the beginning of the book; Olivia recalls seeing her grandparents coldly reacting to her mother’s pain and not helping them which Olivia views as “disdainful rejection” and tries not to think about her biological family members who “never wanted her to be born in the first place”; Olivia tells Louis that she always thought her mother’s troubles were her fault and that her mother could have had a wonderful life if not for her; (*Spoilers* At the end, Olivia receives a letter from her grandparents explaining their side of the events and how they tried to help her mother; Olivia realizes that she’d been seeing her grandparents through her mother’s eyes as a “self-centered people who refused to help” but now knows because of her work that it is impossible to help others unless they wish to change; She decides to let go of the past for the sake of discovering her future *End of Spoilers*); After his mother’s death, Louis’ father had little to do with rearing his children; Princess Alessandra aches about the possibility of not being able to see her children again or their lives being cut short; A teenager comments about bottled water being a favorite “among white women” but says “no offense” to Olivia and she doesn’t take any; Olivia is aware she seems like the stereotype of a “privileged white girl playing the role of savior” and wishes to set someone straight about how she grew up in rough areas; Louis comments that “unfortunately some [in his country] still frown upon the notion of a female heir, despite the powerful reign of Queen Elizabeth proving it can work”; Olivia thinks about the elephants she has seen at a zoo being “shriveled and weak from their captivity”; Mentions of websites & social media (Google, People magazine, YouTube, TikTok, & Instagram); Mentions of songs & artists (‘Coming Home’ by Leon Bridges, ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’, ‘A Moment Like This’ by Kelly Clarkson, ‘True Colors’ by Cyndi Lauper, & ‘Little Rock’ by Collin Raye); Mentions of celebrities, movies, & TV shows (Brad Pitt, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Channing Tatum, Travis Scott, The Princess Diaries, The Prince and I, Gone With the Wind, & Law and Order); Mentions of royal family members (William, Harry, Kate Middleton, Megan Markle, Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth, & Grace Kelly); A few mentions of AIDS orphans & children effected with it; A few mentions of counselors & therapists (including a mention of a therapist telling Olivia that she puts up walls around her heart to protect herself from the hard things she faced in her childhood); A few mentions of brand names (Converse tennis shoes, American Girl dolls, Coke, & Jell-O); A mention of Disney princesses; A mention of Little Caesars; A mention of Nancy Drew; A mention of a couple being told that children would not be in her future, but having a child ten years later.
 
 
Sexual Content- Three fingers-to-lips touches, five hand/fingers kisses, five head/forehead kisses, a jaw kiss, two cheek kisses, two almost kisses (both up to semi-detailed), two barely-above-not-detailed kisses, four border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed kisses, and a semi-detailed kiss (which stops from going longer with Louis saying that he wants to honor Olivia); Remembering kisses (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to kiss (up to semi-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, Warmth, Butterflies, Electricity/Fireworks/Sparks, Shivers/Tingles, Nearness, & Smelling (up to semi-detailed); Blushes, Winks, & Flirting; Noticing & Staring (including his muscles, up to semi-detailed); Louis recalls embracing and kissing his then-girlfriend and her inviting him to her hotel room asking if he thinks it was time for that, but he replies “You know I would love to, and someday…after the wedding.” (They go to their separate rooms); Olivia thinks about her mother having “marks” (targets) and flirting with them to get her to help them (which sometimes lead to living with them or the men becoming possessive and then having to run away from them); Mentions of unplanned pregnancies (*Spoilers* including Olivia being told that one of the teen girls she knows through her work is pregnant; Olivia tells her that God has a plan, that they are here for the girl, and that all babies are a gift *End of Spoilers*); Mentions of women in abusive relationships (including Olivia’s mother going through ones); Mentions of kisses & kissing; Mentions of boyfriends/girlfriends, dates, dating, exes, break-ups, & broken hearts; A few mentions of jealousy & crushes; A mention of a forbidden affair; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Olivia was born out of wedlock and her grandparents viewed the pregnancy as “a shame” and Olivia’s mother left, deciding to raise Olivia alone “rather than face scorn”; It’s added that her mother met a man on an overseas trip and while he was trying to ease her fears about returning to the States, “she found herself in his arms. In his bed.”; Olivia doesn’t know who her biological father is; Alessandra shares about a nightmare of standing naked in front of her captors; Mentions of monkeys stealing women’s bras and them hanging on trees; A mention of a dress fitting Olivia’s curves; A mention of a “bosomy woman”; A mention of no cleavage being shown at a royal event.
 
 
-Olivia Garza, age 25
-Louis Castillo, age 27
                                P.O.V. switches between them, Alessandra, & Regina (x1)
                                         Contemporary & Scenes from 1943-1944
                                                        316 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

This ended up being a much different book than I was expecting. The topics discussed were heavier with what Olivia had gone through with her mother and then the scenes to World War II in a concentration camp. It’s not a light and fluffy contemporary royalty plot by any means, so please know that ahead of reading. 

 

At the beginning, I found Olivia to be a little overbearing at times. While I also had a time in my life where the wealth of rich people annoyed me because I thought they could do so much more with it for others, I had to come to a realization that what they do with their money is not my business and I can only control my actions and my bank account. Helping with non-profits and bringing awareness about the ministries close to my heart is a way to serve with my time and Olivia was definitely doing that, which was great to see. But she still came across a little self-righteous at the same time and I didn’t really like her for the first part of the book because of it. 

 

Louis was a little too poetic for my tastes and felt as if he had an instant connection to Olivia because of knowing who she is based on what she’s shared online. He was a bit of an odd duck compared to other royalty books I’ve read, but like Olivia, he eventually grew on me. I really liked that he encouraged her about her passions and interests plus how he was a gentleman towards her. 

 

As soon as we meet Olivia, it’s quickly gathered that she isn’t going to take the news of Louis being a prince well—and boy howdy, she did not. That made this book a little…difficult to read, so I liked the second half of the book better because of Olivia realizing things and starts being willing to step out in an act of faith—and be willing to finally put the past behind her and stop letting her mother’s actions dictate her life. I wish we had seen more about the YouTube documentary parts because it felt like just a side thing that Olivia does when it was actually a big part of how Olivia and Louis meet. 

 

While I’ve seen this book as marketed as a dual-time period story, I don’t think I would really consider it to be one. Perhaps only a fourth of the book is scenes from a non-present day time period or the diary entries during World War II. The faith content was particularly strong in these scenes and made reading about the horrible events somewhat bearable. How everything connected was neat, but at the same time, it didn’t fit into the tone of the rest of the story, in my opinion. A little out of left field, in a way? But I still enjoyed Princess Alessandra and her strong faith was inspiring. 

 

On the topic of faith content, I do wish Louis and Olivia would have had more discussions about their faiths because it seems to be important to them, but they didn’t have conversations about it. I thought Olivia was a strong Christian, but in the middle she said about feeling as if God is a benevolent caretaker that would jump in when things get too overwhelming for her, which felt more like a lukewarm reaction and it didn’t seem to change by the end, which was strange to me. 

 

It would have been great to see an author’s note at the end of the book with what was historical fact and what was fictional. Obviously Alloria is a fictional country, but the Vatican was a neutral place during WWII, so it would be nice to know more information about what was in this book and what was the author taking liberty. 

 

Overall, this book was very different from the typical “American girl falls for royal prince” plot-line and I ended up enjoying it more than I would. I would suggest it for 16/17+, however, due to some comments/suggestions and harder topics mentioned and shown.

 

 

 

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.

"Sarah Jane: Liberty's Torch" by Eleanor Clark

About this book:

  “Set in 1886 when the Statue of Liberty was dedicated.
    Ten-year-old Kimberly Dawn is trying to figure out what it means to "be a good witness," but is quickly discovering it's not as easy as she'd hoped. Her grandmother shares the story of Sarah Jane, a youngster from their family who traveled from Pennsylvania to New York to see the Statue of Liberty in the late 1800's. Through the life of this remarkable little girl, Kimberly learns what it means to "let your light shine."”


Series: Book #4 in “The Eleanor” series. Reviews of Book #1 Here, Book #2 Here, and Book #3 Here!


Spiritual Content- Matthew 5:16 at the beginning & quoted; Many other Scriptures are quoted, mentioned, thought about, remembered, & shared throughout the story and bonus content at the end; Prayers & Thanking God; Singing songs where the lyrics are on-page (‘This Little Light of Mine’ and ‘The Cross Is My Statue of Liberty’ by Neil Enloe); Talks about God, Jesus, asking the Lord into your heart, being a good witness, sharing the gospel with others, & freedom; 'H's are capital when referring to God and Jesus; Kimberly wants to be a good witness, but sometimes finds it hard because some of the kids at her school make fun of her for being a Christian; Sarah Jane wants to be a Christian that lets her light shine and be like the Statue of Liberty by shining her light so others who were lost could find their way to the Lord; Sarah Jane feels like she isn’t doing enough to let her light shine, but her mother encourages her that she is a wonderful example to all of her friends; Sarah Jane’s sister, Clarissa, also says she could do better shining her light and calls herself selfish, but their mother encourages them to pray for the Lord to give them courage to let their light shine; Sarah Jane and her family meet a woman who feels bitter about God taking her husband and thinks that her “good works” will put her in good standing with the Lord, but Sarah Jane and her family explain that it’s His grace that saves us and *Spoiler* when Sarah Jane asks the lady if she’s prayed to ask Jesus into her heart and the lady shakes her head no, so Sarah Jane offers to pray with her and they pray together *End of Spoiler*; Kimberly gets the idea to invite her school friends to church or tell them what Jesus did on the cross; Mentions of God, Jesus Christ, Christians showing God’s light, being able to worship freely, & everyone being equal in God’s sight; Mentions of prayers, praying, & thanking God; Mentions of those & events in the Bible (in bonus content); Mentions of being Blessed; A few mentions of churches, pastors, & Sunday school; A mention of Bible reading; 
             *Note: A couple mentions of being lucky.
 

Negative Content- A bit of eye rolling (from Sarah Jane’s sister); Sarah Jane is separated from her parents & greatly upset (*Spoiler* She finds a police officer who helps her and reunites her with her parents *End of Spoiler*); Sarah Jane is concerned that some “drifters” around the train station could be dangerous; Sarah Jane sees a beggar who says he hasn’t eaten in days and her heart feels heavy and she can’t stop thinking about the man (*Spoiler* At the end, she packs a lunch and give it to the man *End of Spoiler*); Sarah Jane sees children in New York working (and not at school), which makes her feel sad and want to bring them home with her family, but her father tells her that the children “aren’t all unhappy” as she imagines and that most have roofs over their head and food to eat, which is far more than some had before they came to New York; Sarah Jane is sad to learn about the orphans in New York (her father explains that some of them lost their parents to illness while traveling to America and others were abandoned by their parents “who could not afford to care for them”); Mentions of wars (including Sarah Jane’s teacher telling them “bloody, gruesome stories” about the Civil War), slavery (which Sarah Jane’s father says that “it will be many, many years before those who lived in bondage will truly experience freedom as it was intended by the Lord.”), & deaths; Mentions of a widow grieving the recent death of her husband; A few mentions of the 1900 Hurricane in Galveston & the many deaths from it; A couple mentions of a crime; A couple mentions of cigar smoke; A mention of a fire; A mention of jealousy; A mention of horse droppings & the smell; 
             *Note: After Sarah Jane’s sister complains about their traveling, Sarah Jane promises herself that she won’t be like Clarissa and complain; Sarah Jane apologizes to her parents for being “so much trouble”, how she can’t do anything right, and asks for forgiveness, but her father tells her that we all make mistakes; Clarissa admits to feeling selfish and stuck up; Patriotic songs are shared and fully written in the bonus content at the end of the book (‘My Country ‘Tis of Thee’, ‘American the Beautiful’, ‘The Battle Hymn of the Republic’, ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’, and ‘Yankee Doodle’); A couple mentions of a store (Macy’s).
 
 
Sexual Content- Sarah Jane sees her parents embrace and share a couple kisses; A few mentions of Sarah Jane’s older sister (age 15) having a crush on a classmate and flirting with him; 
             *Note: Sarah Jane wishes she was more like her sister who is more put-together in her manners and appearance (she thinks negatively a couple of times about her own appearance that she has “dull dark hair, boring green eyes, and dimples on her cheeks”; She thinks again later than she can’t look like her sister even if she tried her “all her life”, but even if she did, Sarah Jane wouldn’t boast about her appearance like her sister does; Sarah Jane thinks she will never be as lovely as her sister, so she doesn’t want to bother with trying); Sarah Jane’s sister comments about it being worth the pain of sleeping in rag curlers all night to be beautiful the next day; Sarah Jane’s sister comments on not eating dessert because she doesn’t want to ruin her figure (which Sarah Jane doesn’t know why someone would skip dessert).
 
-Kimberly Dawn, age 10
-Sarah Jane Powell
                                P.O.V. switches between them (Kimberly in Prologue & Epilogue only)
                   Set in present day (prologue & epilogue) & 1886
                                                        188 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

This one wasn’t my personal favorite of the series, but I did really enjoy how much faith content and discussions happened between Sarah Jane and her parents. She’s a very enthusiastic and kind girl with a big heart for others. I also enjoyed the traveling portion of this story because and Sarah Jane and her family having to travel by train. 

 

As a note for parents, this one does have a few comments about boys/appearances that the prior books in the series did not have because of Sarah Jane’s older sister, Clarissa. Sarah Jane negatively thinks about her own appearance compared to her sister and then there’s a few mentions of Clarissa flirting with a boy from school and wanting to skip dessert so she doesn’t “ruin” her figure (which makes no sense to Sarah Jane).

 

 

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.

"Of Bats and Belfries" by Shirley Raye Redmond

About this book:

  “When Celia Beem brings her dog for a visit to Cobble Hill Farm, Dr. Harriet Bailey learns that Celia is the new owner of the recently renovated historic Quill and Scroll Inn. Celia confides that opening the inn has been a bigger challenge than expected, as not everyone in town has been welcoming. But Celia is more concerned about the unexplained noises that she hears inside the building. Something strange is going on, and Harriet decides to help her new friend discover what it is.
    Meanwhile Harriet receives an unexpected gift from her young neighbor, Randy Danby, of a small porcelain dog. It is a sweet gesture, of course, but Harriet cannot help wondering where he got it—especially when he repeatedly dodges the question. Harriet digs deeper and discovers a story dating back to the 1940s. And as if all that is not enough to keep Harriet on her toes, her fiancé, Will Knight, finds an injured bat in the belfry at church. Now she has a whole nest of potential problems that may come with the invasion of a protected species!”


Series: Book #13 in the “Mysteries of Cobble Hill Farm” series. Click on the numbers to be taken to the prior books’ reviews: 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- Jeremiah 29:11 at the beginning; A couple Scriptures are mentioned & quoted; A couple Prayers; Church going (though Harriet has difficulty concentrating on the service); Many mentions of church, church going, pastors/ministers, services, sermons, hymns, & Sunday school classes; Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers, praying, thanking God, & blessings over food; Mentions of blessings & being Blessed; Mentions of “priest holes” in historical buildings (used during persecution for Roman Catholic priests); A mention of someone being a godsend; 
             *Note: Harriet’s new client believes she is hearing ghosts at her inn, but Harriet does not believe in ghosts at all and is determined to find out the true cause of the unexplained noises (hearing whispering voices, sudden loud noises, and the fireplace grate jumping; *Spoiler* Harriet finds out the truth and it is real people, not ghosts making these sounds *End of Spoiler*); Mentions of ghosts, unexplained noises, a possibly haunted place, & ghost stories; A few mentions of luck; A mention of animals being sensitive to “ghosts and things like that” (when Harriet dismisses as dogs are sensitive to all kinds of sounds and smells that humans can’t detect); A mention of a man looking at his girlfriend as if she is a “heavenly messenger”; A mention of a dessert tasting “heavenly”.

 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘dumb’, A bit of eye rolling; In the historical scenes, Flory’s husband is fighting overseas and there is concern for a possible invasion; Many mentions of World War I and II, Nazis, family members overseas fighting, attack/battles, invasions, bombs and bombings, weapons, & deaths (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of deaths & grief (including from a heart attack and a stroke; also a woman for her father, barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of WWII veterans coming back changed and having nightmares (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Mentions of smugglers, intruders, thieves, stealing, stolen items, & arrests; Mentions of crimes & criminals; Mentions of injured animals & Harriet’s veterinary clinic treatments (including vaccinations, a cat that was rescued from a burning trash bin, a dog that was hit by a car and paralyzed, & an owl being hit by a car with a broken wing); Mentions of rumors; A few mentions of lies & lying; A few mentions of vampire bats & a woman concerned with it sucking the blood out of people’s necks (which Harriet corrects that they only feed on animals like cattle and goats); A couple mentions of the possibility of a man with dementia injuring himself or wandering off; A couple mentions of the possibility of children being trapped or in danger; A mention of concentration camps (in bonus content at the end); A mention of someone possibly being tortured by the Nazis for information; A mention of jealousy; A mention of alcohol; A mention of smoking; 
             *Note: A few mentions of car brands; A couple mentions of WWII soldiers going through PTSD and depression after coming home; A couple mentions of Lady Godiva; A mention of a brand name (Cadbury); A mention of book and author (‘A Christmas Carol’ by Dickens); A mention of a singer and song (‘White Cliffs of Dover’ by Vera Lynn).
 
 
Sexual Content- Two forehead kisses and two cheek kisses; Some hand holding, flutters, blushes, & winks (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of a thirteen-year-old girl having a crush on a cute boy (which Harriet thinks isn’t unusual for her age, but the girl’s mother says the girl has lost her “head over him” and has been making “sheep’s eyes” at the boy); A couple mentions of blushes; Light love, being in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: A mention of Harriet struggling to find a wedding dress as some were “too immodest, with long slits up the side of the skirts or too low-cut in the front” which were “hardly the sort of wedding dress that should be worn by a pastor’s wife”.
 
-Harriet Bailey
                                P.O.V. of Harriet (and Flory)
            Mostly contemporary, but also six scenes from 1941, and one from 1946
                                                       247 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

Almost each of the mysteries in this series features a unique animal that Harriet has to care for and is somehow connected to the main mystery in the book. I have to say that I rate bats just above lobsters in the totem pole of animals I’m interested in, so I wasn’t very interested in that aspect of the book, but I really like Harriet, so I was going to read this book anyway. ;) 

 

There were some parts that felt like what I call “Googled information”—and by that, I mean that there’s something that is heavily over explained. In this book, it was particularly noticeable when Harriet is explaining about a dog’s skin condition, if a cat can get a sunburn, or the rules of a game that was played in the historical time period. I think some readers would call it “info dumping” as well. 

 

One thing I have noticed about the books in this series that are almost dual-time period with the extra historical scenes is that once that journal/letters are found or discussed in the modern setting, the ending is given way because a character already knows what has happened because the historical events have already happened obviously. This is kind of takes away the mystery of connecting the two time periods and makes the plot a bit lackluster, in all honesty. I’m already not a major fan of dual-time period books, but the spoiler about the details of what connects them together make me even less interested. 

 

All of that said, I did like the ending of this book (even if it felt very obvious to what was happening), but I really liked the event with a side couple in this book! I won’t say more because of spoilers, but it made me giggly and excited to see what happens in the next book.

 

 

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.