"Your Heart's Desire" by Melody Carlson

About this book:

  “It's almost New Year's 1946, a perfect time for Caroline Clark to start a new chapter in her life. Widowed three years ago when she lost her husband in the war, she has decided to move with her nine-year-old son to join her sister's family in sunny California. Her sister's new house has a basement apartment for Caroline to rent, and though jobs for women are scarce with so many veterans returning from the war, it seems the local chocolate factory is hiring. The apartment turns out to be rather dingy, and the job may be working the assembly line--a step down from Caroline's office job as a secretary back in Minnesota. But Caroline is determined to make a great new life for herself and her son. As she goes about making that happen, she keeps running into a handsome stranger--at the diner, at church, and he even works for M.G. Chocolates. With a New Year, a new home, and a new job, is Caroline ready to find new love?”


Series: No, a stand-alone story.


Spiritual Content- Church going; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of churches, church going, services, hymns, a reverend, Sunday school, & stained-glass windows; Mentions of being blessed; A mention of God; A mention of a Bible; 
             *Note: A couple mentions of luck.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘doggone’ and three ‘stupid’s; A bit of eye rolling & sarcasm; Caroline drinks Champagne at a party (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of World War II, fighting overseas, deaths, & grief (including Caroline for her husband and a woman for her son, barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of drinking Champagne at a party; Mentions of cigarettes & smoking; A few mentions of hatred; A couple mentions of jealousy; 
             *Note: Caroline’s sister says that she should take off her wedding ring as it’s “high time” for that & be open to meeting a man again (Caroline isn’t sure at first, but does take off her ring the next day); Caroline thinks about how some people think that it’s her “moral responsibility” to find a replacement father for her son; A couple comments about working mothers and women in the workplace; A few mentions of magazines/newspapers (Life, Vogue, & Los Angeles Times); A few mentions of singers & songs (Glen Miller, “Little Brown Jug”, “String of Pearls”, & “Moonlight Serenade”); A few mentions of books & fictional characters (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Tom Sawyer, & Scarlett O’Hara); A mention of actress (Ginger Rogers); A mention of a brand name (Tiffany and Co.); A mention of a car brand; A mention of Boy Scouts.
 
 
Sexual Content- Two not-detailed kisses; Seeing a married couple kiss; A few touches, embraces, & dancing (barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes; Noticing & Staring (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of flirting, crushes, & secret admirers; A few mentions of boyfriends & dates; A mention of a possible affair (meaning a romance and not infidelity); A mention of a couple going to a hotel together for work (nothing happens between the two, but someone imagines it could have happen); Light love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: A mention of a woman’s low-cut gown.
 
-Caroline Clark, age 31
                                P.O.V. of Caroline
                                      Set in 1945-1946 
                                                        160 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating- 

That was really cute! The ending was a touch rushed because it’s only about 200 pages, so that makes sense. It reminded me of some other books I’ve read in the 1940s/1950s and I really liked the chocolate factory setting—especially around Valentine’s Day! I did bunny trails of research after reading about the heart-shaped chocolate box and found out that originally started in the 1860s! I was quite shocked to learn that!

 

As far as our characters, we only get Caroline’s POV—which I was a bit bummed about at first by not getting the love interest’s perspective—but I liked her and enjoyed reading her story. The romance was light and there wasn’t a lot of emotions, mostly just that she keeps thinking about him and should stop that, so it almost felt like a lighter romance book in that way, which I appreciated! The faith content was light and but so was the angst from a trouble-making woman; overall it was a cute book that made me smile while reading!

 

 

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.

"Arizona Love" by Olivia Jarmusch

About this book:

  “Princess Millie can’t think of a better way to celebrate her birthday week than spending it at Circle D Dude Ranch in the beautiful Colorado mountains. When Millie meets her dream horse at the ranch, she’s confident this is going to be the best birthday of her life! With endless trail rides, cattle round-ups, and rodeo competitions, what’s a girl not to love?
    But when Makayla meets a new friend, Millie starts feeling left out. To make matters worse, this friend just so happens to be…a boy! Has Makayla gone boy crazy? What happened to her endless love for horses?
    Millie is determined to get her best friend back…and win the rodeo competition while she’s at it! Can their friendship survive the wild, wild west? Or does one boy possess the power to break the M&M’s apart…forever?”


Series: Book #4 in the “Chestnut Academy” series. Reviews of Book #1, Book #2, and Book #3 Here! (Connected to the author’s other series, “The Tales of Tarsurella”, but does not have to be read first or together.)


Spiritual Content- A few Scriptures are quoted, read, talked about, & thought over; Bible reading; Prayers & Thanking God; Mentions of God; Mentions of Bibles & Bible reading; Mentions of prayers, praying, & thanking God; A couple mentions of being Christ-like and a Christian; A couple mentions of being blessed; 
             *Note: A couple mentions of luck.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: an ‘oh my golly’, a ‘stupid’, six ‘dumb’s, and calling a boy a ‘jerk’ (and other forms of it) a few times; Eye rolling, snapping at others, yelling, & bickering; Overhearing a mother berate her son’s acting abilities and pressuring him; Some boys vs. girls bickering and taunting; Dumping water on someone as a prank (and later apologizing); *Spoilers* Halfway through, Millie and Makayla give each other the silent treatment and end their friendship after accusing each other of being a rotten friend (due to Makayla spending time with a boy instead of Millie); Because of this a “dark and twisted and terrible” part of Millie wants to see Makayla feel “just as miserable as she [has been]” and wants to win a competition; Millie asks God for forgiveness shortly after as it was horrible of her to want that; The girls have a conversation and both apologize for being selfish and ask to be friends again *End of Spoilers*; Mentions of mean/snooty girls; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of rumors; Mentions of poop/manure; A few mentions of jealousy;
             *Note: Millie and Makayla have very little adult-supervision at the ranch by Makayla’s father (including giving his daughter permission to hang out with a boy); When Millie comments on the cows at the ranch being cute, her friend says that they are all “destined to be hamburgers” and Millie says “that’s so cruel!” and she may never eat a hamburger again (but later eats one); Mentions of brand names (Mario Kart, Cheez-Its, Goldfish, Twizzlers, M&M’s, Pocky, & Elmer’s Glue); A mention of Dolly Parton.
 
 
Sexual Content- Two new side characters have a crush on a celebrity and call him a “dreamboat” (which Millie and her friend shudder in disgust and go “blech” when overhearing this comment and seeing the girls freak out and scream over the boy; Millie’s friend calls them “airheads”); Millie’s friend, Makayla, however starts to sigh over the boy as well and starts spending time with him, which makes Millie feel left out and missing her friend; Millie doesn’t want to believe that her friend likes the boy in the “mushy, gushy, disgustingly romantic way” and prays for God to help her friend “snap out of this”; Millie and Makayla have an argument about the boy where Millie says boys are gross and she would know because she has brothers, but Makayla says they are allowed to like boys and Millie adds that if “you’re not getting married until you’re at least twenty-one, what’s the point?”; *Spoilers* Makayla writes a love song for the boy and he laughs at her attempt, so Millie dumps water on him which makes Makayla even more mad at her; Makayla learns that the boy was lying to her about writing his new song for her and is very hurt; Makayla and Millie become friends again and Makayla says she’s “swearing off boys forever”; The girls reenforce their rule of “no boys allowed” in their friend group *End of Spoilers*; Mentions of girls acting in a “foolish manner” and obsessing over a boy & being boy-crazy; Mentions of crushes & liking a boy; Mentions of “mushy love songs” and writing love songs;
A couple mentions of heartbreak; A mention of Makayla’s dad saying he wasn’t ready for his daughter to be “running around with boys”. 
 
-Princess Millie of Tarsurella, age 10-11
                                P.O.V. of Millie 
                                                        145 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

I’m not really a fan of boy-crazy plots in middle-grade books, so this book was a bit of a miss for me personally, but I do think it could be a decent option for a young girl who has a friend that’s maybe liking a boy for the first time and it’s changing their friendship. I appreciated that Millie apologized to those she didn’t treat well in her moments of anger/jealousy as it showed growth from her. 

 

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.

"No Lost Love" by Becky Melby

About this book:

  “Valentine’s Day is approaching, and Hannah Prentiss can’t wait to celebrate the romantic holiday with her boyfriend, Fire Chief Liam Berthold. That is, if they can find the time. With Hannah’s restaurant hosting both a private luncheon and a special Valentine’s dinner for her customers, and Liam being suddenly called away to attend a conference, it doesn’t look promising.
    But there’s more going on in Blackberry Valley this winter. When firefighter Archer Lestrade tells Hannah and Liam that he has been receiving a series of strange and possibly threatening photographs, they rally to his side and undertake an investigation. Working together, can they figure out what the photos mean, who sent them…and most importantly, why?”


Series: Book #9 in the “Mysteries of Blackberry Valley” series. Reviews of Book #1, Book #2, Book #3, Book #4, Book #5, Book #6, Book #7, and Book #8!


Spiritual Content- 1 Corinthians 13:4 at the beginning; Scriptures are read, remembered, & discussed; Prayers & Thanking God; Church going & a sermon (including a quote by Elisabeth Elliot); Talks about God & patience; ’H’s are capital when referring to God; Hannah questions why it seems like some people were born blessed and others into adversity, thinking that it’s an age-old question she won’t have an answer to, but knows the true answer is that God is in control of everything, even the “things that don’t feel good”; Mentions of God, His timing, & having patience; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, & devotions; Mentions of prayers, praying, thanking God, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, Sunday school classes, & pastors; A mention of Vacation Bible School; 
             *Note: A couple mentions of fairy pools; A mention of luck.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: Two ‘dumb’s and two ‘stupid’s; A couple mentions of curses (said, not written); Eye rolling; A cave-in due to an explosion, being trapped, & seeing a death (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Seeing someone have an allergic reaction (anaphylactic shock, up to semi-detailed); Mentions of an explosion, cave-in, deaths and possible deaths, injuries, & pain (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of deaths (including from cancer) & grief (including Hannah and her dad for her mom/his wife); Mentions of fires & possible arson; Mentions of stealing, stolen items, & thieves; Mentions of a possible stalker; Mentions of threats & blackmail; Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of hatred; Mentions of needles and injections at a hospital (which Hannah avoids looking at); Mentions of poisons & possibly being poisoned; Mentions of a family kicking their daughter out due to her relationship with a man whose family they dislike; A few mentions of crimes & a robbery; A couple mentions of the Civil War; A couple mentions of the Great Depression; A couple mentions of lying; A couple mentions of nightmares; A couple mentions of the possibility of a puppy being hurt or killed; A mention of the death of a baby (no details, implied miscarriage); A mention of a car accident; A mention of murder shows; A mention of a divorce; A mention of jealousy; A mention of poker; 
             *Note: In the historical time period, a young woman asks a young man why men call boats and automobiles a ‘she’ and he responds “I suppose because they’re pretty, and if we’re nice to them, they do what they’re told and don’t talk back.” (which she smacks him for saying and he says that he doesn’t prefer that and wants a woman who speaks her mind); Mentions of car brands; Mentions of Romeo and Juliet; A few mentions of actors/actresses (Clark Gable, Irene Dunne, & Carole Lombard); A mention of a movie (You Can’t Take It With You); A mention of a song (‘Always,’ by Irving Berlin); In bonus content at the end of the book, there are mentions of the Hatfields-McCoys feud and murder & TV shows/actors/fictional characters mentioned (such as Family Feud, The Andy Griffith Show, Bonanza, The West Wing, NCIS, Bones, My Little Pony, Buster Keaton, Betty Boop, Elmer Fudd, Rocky and Bullwinkle, and the Flintstones).
 
 
Sexual Content- Two hand kisses, a cheek kiss, two forehead kisses, a not-detailed kiss, and two barely-above-not-detailed kisses; Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, & Nearness (barely-above-not-detailed); Winks & Blushes; a ‘babe’; Hannah spends a night on Liam’s couch after a scary event (health-related); Many mentions of dates, dating, boyfriends/girlfriends, break-ups, & exes; A few mentions of couples kissing & kisses; A few mentions of crushes; A few mentions of jealousy; A mention of toes tingling; Very light love, falling in love, & the emotions.
 
-Hannah Prentiss, age 36
               P.O.V. switches between Hannah & a couple others (in the historical period)
                                        Ten chapters set in 1921 & 1931
                                                        281 pages
 
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

Because of a busy schedule, it took me a bit longer to read this book, but I really enjoyed it! I actually found myself super interested in the historical parts and the modern day mystery connected to it didn’t give away the ending to the historical timeline (which has happened before with other books I’ve read when it’s a dual time period book and the mysteries are connecting), so that was a nice surprise! My compliments to the author for that detail! 

 

While I still wouldn’t call this a “romance book”, it definitely had more romance in it with all the mentions of dates/dating and whatnot. But in all honestly, I expect that from a book set around Valentine’s Day and greatly enjoyed it! Hannah and Liam are really cute together and I was invested in both mysteries—I’m a little annoyed at myself for not figuring out the ending, but I liked it regardless. Another winner for the series in my books!

 

 

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.

"The Case of the Midnight Mystery" by Becca Wierwille

About this book:

  “Unusual sounds. Strange footprints. Disappearing items.
    Can Scout and Barnaby solve the midnight mystery before campers are sent home?
    Scout wants to be a real camper, not just a helper behind the scenes. And this is the week!
   But strange things are happening in the girls’ tenting area. Noises in the night. Missing items reappearing in bizarre places. Bare footprints on the trails.
   With her dog Barnaby by her side, Scout is on the case. They must uncover the truth before the campers’ parents are called and Blueberry Creek’s reputation is ruined.”


Series: Book #2 in the “Scout & Barnaby Mysteries” series. Review of Book #1 Here!


Spiritual Content- 2 Timothy 1:7 at the beginning & is later discussed, thought over, and quoted; Scout wonders why God hasn’t given her what she needs to “crack the case”; *Spoilers* Scout realizes at the end of the book that she is not afraid anymore of what others think of her and likes who God created her to be *End of Spoilers*; Mentions of God; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, devotionals, & praise music; 
             *Note: A mention of ghosts. 
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: two ‘dumb’s; Scout exclaims “pumpernickel!” four times; Scout eavesdrops on adults and other kids (thrice; there is no remorse by Scout over this); Scout later sneaks into another cabin to search for clues; *Spoilers* Scout is told not to stay up all night, but figures if she sleeps a few hours first and then woke up, that wouldn’t be disobeying (she struggles with it for a moment, but continues her search); Her mom later tells her that she was very brave, but that it isn’t safe to wander the woods alone at night and should have told an adult (which Scout agrees and apologizes for) *End of Spoilers*; Scout and one of her brothers pick on/tease each other a few times (including him calling her interest in being a detective “weird” and Scout thinks she should have expected this as “that’s how it was sometimes with big brothers”; Later, he is also rude to her and Scout is angry at him; Towards the end, *Spoilers* he helps her with the case by giving her a lead and at the end, Scout hugs him and says she’s glad he is her brother; Scout thinks that maybe it’s true that “family did not always understand one another. Big brothers sometimes picked on their little sisters. That didn’t mean they didn’t love each other.” *End of Spoilers*; Scout is concerned about what the other campers will think of her if she continues her investigation into the mystery, but decides she has to help solve it (she is still afraid of what her brother and other campers will say about her, though, *Spoiler* until the end when she realizes that she likes how God made her and she can be herself *End of Spoiler*); Mentions of missing/stolen items, pranks, & thieves; A few mentions of injuries & blood/bleeding; A few mentions of eavesdropping; A couple mentions of night terrors and screaming; A mention of criminals; 
             *Note: A mention of the camp not doing scary campfire stories because “things get out of hand”; A mention of a fictional character (Nancy Drew).
 
 
Sexual Content- N/A.
 
-Scout Bell, age 10
-Barnaby the Dog
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                                        178 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

This was another fun mystery for Detective Scout and her sidekick Barnaby! I enjoyed the first book more, but I actually wasn’t sure what the ending would be for this mystery, so I was curious and invested into the story. There was a little more sibling teasing with Scout’s older brother picking on her that some families might not like, but it does end on a better note for the two of them and I hope it will continue to improve as the series continues. Looking forward to reading the third book next month!

 

 

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.