"Don't Upstage the Body" by Naomi Stephens

About this book:

  “Hippolyta Halfpenny and her family of professional mourners have perfected the theatrical art of grief. When the reclusive Lord Basil Monfort engages her family's services for his own funeral, she vows it will be her last performance as she's tired of the disguise. Then she discovers the undertaker's body in the library and finds herself cast as an amateur sleuth in an undercover investigation. 
     Rain washes away the roads, trapping the funeral party at Lord Monfort's estate--with an unidentified killer in their midst. Bound by her father's wishes to maintain their charade, Hippolyta must navigate a web of secrets spanning decades. But sorting truth from deception proves even more difficult when Lord Montfort's charming yet perceptive heir suspects Hippolyta is not all she appears to be. 
     Concealing her family's true identities while unraveling secrets might be the role of Hippolyta's life, but with a murderer among them, she must unmask the truth before the final curtain falls.”


Series: No, it seems to be a stand-alone novel.


Spiritual Content- Colossians 1:18 at the beginning; A Scripture is mentioned; Prayers & a blessing over food; Prayers from ‘The Book of Common Prayer’ are read at a funeral; Going to a chapel & seeing crosses and a stained-glass window; Talks about God, Jesus, & grief; ’H’s are capital when referring to God and Jesus; Mentions of God & Jesus Christ; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches/chapels, vicars and other clergymen, & services; Mentions of confessions & repenting; A few mentions of those & events in the Bible; A few mentions of Heaven; A few mentions of church fathers & saints; A couple mentions of being blessed; A mention of someone crossing himself at the end of a prayer; A mention of a young boy trying to see if he could walk on water; A mention of a guardian angel; 
             *Note: Religious exclamations such as a ‘for heaven’s sake’, a ‘for Pete’s sake’, a ‘heavens to Betsy’, a ‘the devil’ (instead of ‘the heck’ or stronger), two ‘merciful heavens’, three ‘heavens’, three ‘thank heavens’, and three forms of ‘what/how the devil’ are all said; Hippolyta imagines a swirling lake being stirred by three witches (a reference to Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’); A scene is described as if everyone at the dinner table was congregated for a “midnight séance” and waiting for a “ghoulish figure” to rise; The love interest is described as having a “devil’s grin” when teasing Hippolyta; He tells another man to tell someone to “go to the devil”; Mentions of a superstitious man & his many superstitions about death (despite being a devout Christian); Mentions of luck & bad luck; A few mentions of ghosts (said as a phrase or examples, not seriously meant); A couple mentions of things being called “unholy” (such as bad weather); A mention of someone being hell-bent on finding out the murderer; A mention of jinxing something.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘blazes’, a ‘bloody’, a ‘dash it’, a ‘how in thunder’, a form of ‘shut up’, a ‘what the blazes’, two ‘blimey’s, two forms of ‘darn’, two ‘idiot’s, two ‘stupid’s, and three forms of ‘blast/blasted’; Mentions of curses (said, not written); Hippolyta and her family lie often due to their roles (which she feels bad about); Hippolyta also eavesdrops (mostly while snooping to figure out the murderer); Some eye rolling & sarcasm; Finding a dying body & seeing the person pass away (from poison; also remembering seeing the body; all up to semi-detailed); Being held at gun-point, Being Threatened, Almost drowning, Gunshots, & Fainting (up to semi-detailed); Grief & Seeing others grieve (up to semi-detailed); Hippolyta and the love interest trick a police officer to be able to search the house without him bothering them; Many mentions of funerals, grief, & deaths (including Hippolyta for her mother & her father’s major grief over the death of his wife, up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of murder, poison, someone being poisoned and killed, & the murderer; Many mentions of robberies/burglaries, thieves, pickpockets, stealing, & stolen items; Mentions of a car crash, injuries, & death (Hippolyta’s mother); Mentions of a physically abusive brother; Mentions of wars, bombings, & injuries; Mentions of gunshots & pistols being aimed and used to threaten others; Mentions of arrests & prisons/jails; Mentions of a woman who disappeared; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, drunks, & hangovers; Mentions of cigars, cigarettes, tobacco, & smoking; Mentions of gambling & gamblers; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; A few mentions of fights & fighting; A few mentions of gossip; A couple mentions of throwing up; A mention of a man stabbing another; A mention of wild parties; A mention of a vampire; A mention of a dog running away; 
             *Note: Mentions of actors/actresses, movies, plays, authors, & fictional characters (Vincent Price, David Niven, Laurence Olivier, Katherine Hepburn, Rita Hayworth, Ingrid Bergman, Sophia Loren, Joan Crawford, Hedy Lamarr, Marlon Brando, Grace Kelly, Hitchcock films, Sherlock Holmes, ‘The Prince and the Showgirl’, Oscar Wilde, Shakespeare, ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream’, ‘Hamlet’, ‘The Winter’s Tale’, ‘Othello’, ‘The Prince of the Pagodas’, &‘Frankenstein’; Some are also quoted as well); Mentions of brand names (Coca-Cola, Guerlain Shalimar perfume, Zenith player, & Pond’s Cold Cream); Mentions of songs & singers (‘A Pocketful of Dreams’, ‘Jambalaya’ by Hank Williams, ‘Dance to the Duke!’ by Duke Ellington, Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, & Big Bill Broonzy); Mentions of car brands; A few mentions of BBC & a newscaster (Richard Baker); A few mentions of artists (Rembrandt, Edward Hopper, & Vermeer); A few mentions of Socrates; A couple mentions of authors & books (Oscar Wilde & Aldo Nadi); A mention of a TV show (Picture Parade).
 
 
Sexual Content- a hand kiss, an almost kiss (up to semi-detailed), and a semi-detailed kiss; Staring at lips; Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, & Nearness (barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes; Noticing & Staring (barely-above-not-detailed); When investigating the murder, Hippolyta and the love interest are alone in his bedroom (nothing sexual happens); A couple implications of an unmarried man and woman sharing a room and bed (they do not get married, though the man wanted to marry her); Mentions of possible illegitimate children & affairs; A few mentions of a man wanting his sister to become a mistress to a rich man & her accusing him of turning his own sister into a prostitute; A few mentions of kisses & kissing; A few mentions of flirting; A couple mentions of jealousy; A mention of a man probably being used to being caught in “embarrassing situations” with young ladies; A mention of a man possibly having ill intentions when around a maid; Love, falling in love, & the emotions.
 
-Hippolyta Halfpenny
                                P.O.V. of Hippolyta 
                                         Set in 1957
                                                        304 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

Well, that was a very interesting murder mystery! I haven’t read a lot of murder mysteries lately because they can often feel dark, depressing, and just overall sad, but I was curious about this one due to it being set in 1950s. It was very reminiscent of Clue with the people being trapped in a house after a funeral and then a murder happens. Just the concept of Hippolyta and her family being professional mourners was an interesting element to the book, but I was curious about how everything was connected and would end in regards to the mystery.

 

I didn’t love the love interest as he was rude and demanding for most of the book—he very much had a “devil may care” kind of attitude that didn’t endear him to me. That said, by the end, he had grown on me at least a little bit and even made me laugh with the unexpected humor throughout the book. They definitely aren’t my favorite couple—and I would have preferred to see some faith discussions between the two of them besides a comment about him confessing to the vicar, so I could believe they were a little more equally yoked.

 

I don’t recall this in the author’s previous book, but there were many times that dialogue wasn’t written as dialogue. Instead, it was written in a paragraph with actions or other comments. I had to pay close attention because the dialogue wasn’t always easily noticeable and could be missed when reading. 

 

Overall, I personally enjoyed this book more than “The Burning of Rosemont Abbey” by Naomi Stephens (though that one was hard to read personally because of the topic of sibling loss). I would suggest Older High School teens and above due to the murder content and romance threads.

 

 

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.

"Seichō Summer" by Bethany Faulk

About this book:

  “Sarah had plans for her summer.
    They didn’t include being in Japan.
    Visiting her grandparents and spending two months at a lakeside camp with an international community might suit her brother and her friend Melanie just fine, but all Sarah Jones can think about are the friends she’s leaving behind—and the lost revenue from the job she’s supposed to be working. She’s resigned herself to a solitary summer of reading and writing, but an unexpected encounter with a boy who loves books, being persuaded to join the cast of Brigadoon, and meeting families from all over the world begin to stretch Sarah in new ways. Maybe the lake is not such a bad place to be after all.
    Sarah discovers that growing up means learning about herself, friendships, and the world around her—all during her seichō summer.”


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


Spiritual Content- Singing hymns; Mentions of churches/chapels, pastors, church services, & singing hymns; Mentions of missionaries (including Gladys Aylward); A couple mentions of God & praising Him; A couple mentions of blessings over food; A mention of a stained glass of Jesus; A mention of a family Bible; A mention of Bible retreats; A mention of a mission trip; 
             *Note: Sarah writes that she’s not afraid of demons because she believes in a higher power; Seeing a shrine dedicated to a god of mountains, sea, and war; Mentions of shrines & idols of Shinto gods; A few mentions of luck & being lucky; A mention of hero-worship.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘dumb’, a ‘idiot’, and a ‘sucker’; Eye rolling & Sarcasm; A bit of eavesdropping (accidentally); Playing games that feature murder (called ‘murder-wink’ and ‘mafia’); Mentions of War World II, suicide pilots, bombings, & internment camps; Mentions of crimes, thieves, & stealing; Mentions of kidnappings (in the story of the Pied Piper); Mentions of lies, lying, & deception; Mentions of jealousy; A few mentions of possible vandalism & thugs; A few mentions of wine & drinking (a flight attendant accidentally offers a teenager wine, not realizing the girl is a minor; The girl does not except the offer); A couple mentions of concern about plane crashes; A couple mentions of graffiti; A couple mentions of a bartender in a play; A mention of murder, kidnapping, & theft in mystery novels; 
             *Note: Sarah comments about it being hard to be fourteen because she’s not a kid who relies on her parents to make all her plans (as she has a job and people she wants to see), but doesn’t have a say when the adults make plans to go overseas for the summer (*Spoiler* At the end, Sarah realizes she’s not a adult or a child and understands now that it’s okay as all changes take time *End of Spoiler*); Sarah worries about others back home forgetting about her while she’s gone for the summer, but quickly realizes that it’s a silly and childish thought; Sarah’s mother tells her about the time she hitchhiked through the country and camped at night (which Sarah says she would never let her do that and her mother completely agrees, adding that it was a different time then and Japan had low crime rate); At a gathering, Sarah is uncomfortable with the direction of a conversation between some adults and older teens (not written, but implied to be crass/crude) so she gets up and goes to another part of the house (noting that one of the difficulties of getting older is to know what conversations to participate in and which ones to walk away from; She is proud of herself for discovering she can walk away from a social situation that makes her uncomfortable); Sarah isn’t allowed to wear makeup normally, but does for the play and is impressed by her appearance with it on (one guy says she looks “kind of pretty” with makeup on); A side character (older teen boy) has a realistic looking gun that shoots BBs and darts; Going to & mentions of Tokyo Disneyland; Being part of a play of the movie ‘Brigadoon’ & many mentions of it, different scenes, the characters, & songs; Many mentions of and references to authors, books, & fictional characters (such as ‘Magnificent Obsession’ by Lloyd Douglas and other books by him, ‘Quo Vadis’, Agatha Christie and a handful of her books, ‘The Lord of the Rings’, Frank Peretti, Robert Browning, Emily Dickinson, Shakespeare, ‘Jane Eyre’, ‘Sense and Sensibility’, ‘Wuthering Heights’, ‘The Princess Bride’, ‘Little Women’, ‘Little Men’, Romeo and Juliet, Lancelot and Guinevere, Professor Higgins and Eliza, & a quote from ‘Little House in the Big Woods’ by Laura Ingalls Wilder is shared at the end of the book in the author’s note); Mentions of movies, Broadway musicals, actors, actresses, & fictional characters (‘Brigadoon’, ‘Singin’ in the Rain’, ‘Wallace & Gromit’, ‘My Neighbor Totoro’, ‘The Sound of Music’, ‘Deep Impact’, ‘Pirates of Penzance’, ‘The Phantom of the Opera’, Gene Kelly, & Cyd Cherisse); Mentions of pop culture & brand names (Barbie, Wonder Woman, Cleopatra, SkyMall, Encyclopedia Britannica, Yahoo! News, McDonald’s, Signo pens, Hello Kitty and other Sanrio characters, Sesame Street and Big Bird, Walkman, Pocky, Kit Kat, Boggle, Costco, Dr. Pepper, Star Wars, & Mickey Mouse); A couple mentions of other songs (‘My Heart Will Go On’ & ‘Oh Shenandoah’); A mention of a pimple; 
 
 
Sexual Content- Sarah thinks it would be gross to be an actor and have to kiss random people; Sarah and her friend flush when an older boy make eye contact and compliment them (Sarah writes that eye contact with a boy like him is like “chocolate cake—too rich for more than one serving”; Sarah adds that while she admires him, it’s more like hero-worship than in a starry-eyed way); A side character has a crush on a boy and comments on the boy being a “catch”, which makes Sarah uncomfortable because the girl is only thirteen & the boy is her friend and it seems like the girl’s comment is “crass and objectifying” him (Sarah thinks it’s “grossly inappropriate” to think of the friend in any other way besides friendship); A side character asks a boy who he thinks is the ideal woman (because of her crush on him); Some of the boys tease about the kisses/kissing in the play; Mentions of kisses & kissing in a play (the play is acted by teenagers and the director says it will all be “stage kisses”); Mentions of boyfriends/girlfriends, dating, & crushes; A mention of a song that talks about “kissy lips” often (from the ‘Brigadoon’ play); 
             *Note: A reference to the scandals of the current president (Bill Clinton) and the “unsavory accusations” against him; A girl asks Sarah if her legs look okay or does she need to shave (which confuses Sarah as it’s a random question).
 
-Sarah Jones, age 14
                                P.O.V. of Sarah (1^st person, through journal entries)
                                            Set in1998 
                                                   232 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

What an interesting debut book! I haven’t read a book fully told in journal entries in a while (letters yes, journals no) so that was a fun feature about this book. I enjoyed learning about Japanese culture as I’m not super familiar with it. It was interesting to learn a little bit through this book and our main character, Sarah, who is half-Japanese. There was some humor thrown in with her thoughts that unexpectedly made me laugh throughout the book.

 

Because of the journal entry style of this book, it felt like a calm, summer-themed book as a friend is telling us about her vacation. There’s not really any drama or angst moving the plot, just Sarah sharing her days and activities while in Japan. One of those activities is acting in the chorus of a play. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the ‘Brigadoon’ movie the play was based on, so the play that Sarah and the other kids put on of it and all the mentions of the characters (plus the characters they were playing) were a little lost on me for a while, but I was able to follow along better by the end. I think those who have seen the movie would probably enjoy these many scenes more than me as it made the book a little slow as I didn’t really know what they were referring to—along with all the classic literature references as well. For me, this book was around 3 stars because I didn’t know all of these references concerning the movie, classic literature, and how heavily both elements are mentioned in the story, but others may enjoy it more. 

 

Set in 1998 (the year before I was born!), it was kind of funny to read about cassettes, pagers, and VHS tapes. But because of the lack of cell phones and social media mentions, it added a summer and the charm of being on the cusp of childhood to the 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.

*I received this book for free from the Author for this honest review.

"Forged in Fire" by Stephanie Coleman

About this book:

  “When her mother's younger sister decides to visit Blackberry Valley, Hannah Prentiss is delighted! As she readies her apartment for Aunt Fiona's arrival, she comes upon a loose brick in her living room wall. Behind it, she finds a compass, along with a letter written in 1986 from “Sunshine” to “Apollo.” Who are these mysterious correspondents, and why did the items end up hidden in the old firehouse? Turns out Hannah needs her aunt's help to get this investigation headed in the right direction.
     Meanwhile, Hannah can't help but feel unsettled about the future of her relationship with her best friend. Lacy is nearing the end of her pregnancy, and Hannah is in the middle of planning her own wedding. Will these life-changing events mean they'll no longer have time and space for each other, or will they need their friendship more than ever?”


Series: Book #14 in the “Mysteries of Blackberry Valley” series. Reviews of 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- Proverbs 3:5-6 at the beginning & quoted later in the book; Prayers & Blessings over food; Talks about God, leaning on Him, & trusting Him; ’H’s are capital when referring to God; Mentions of God, trusting Him, & God being gracious; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of church, church going, services, & a pastor; A couple mentions of gifts from God; A couple mentions of blessings; A mention of going into ministry; A mention of a missionary; A mention of a godly man; 
             *Note: Mentions of a character from Greek mythology (Apollo); A mention of being lucky.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: A bit of eye rolling & sarcasm; Some grief & visiting a grave of a loved one (Hannah for her late mother); All about & many mentions of fires, wildfires, possible arson or an accident with fireworks, evacuations, & a family losing their home and all their belongings; Mentions of deaths (including from cancer) & grief (including Hannah for her mother & a woman for her sister); Mentions of thieves, stealing, & stolen items and money; Mentions of crimes, criminals, & possible jail time; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of a divorce (implied to be messy/bitter); A couple mentions of wars; A couple mentions of injuries; A couple mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of smoking; A mention of vandalism (teenagers egging an old woman’s house); A mention of eavesdropping; 
             *Note: Mentions of car brands; A few mentions of Boy Scouts; A few mentions of authors & fictional characters (Shakespeare, Sherlock Holmes); A couple mentions of Julia Child; A couple mentions of yoga; A mention of a movie (Casablanca); A mention of someone on the verge of a panic attack.
 
 
Sexual Content- A bit of touches, embraces, hand holding, & nearness (barely-above-not-detailed); A bit of noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of boyfriends/girlfriends, dates, & dating; Mentions of blushes, winks, & flirting; Very light love, being in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: A few mentions of contractions & pain in labor; A mention of two teenaged boys sowing “a few wild oats” (causing trouble, not implied to be sexual).
 
-Hannah Prentiss
                                P.O.V. of Hannah & another person
                                            Four scenes from 1985-1986
                                                        259 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

Well, this ended up going in a different direction than I was expecting with the mystery, everyone involved and affected by it, and the ending result! I thought the main mystery would be tracking down those mentioned in the letter Hannah finds, but that’s resolved pretty quick—and more connecting mysteries appear! It was a solid cozy mystery book that kept my attention and kept me guessing to figure out how everything was connected.

 

 

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.

"Destroy" by Tricia Mingerink

 This review has spoilers for the prior three books, please read with caution.

 

About this book:

  “Before the war, before the Blades, before the Leader…There was a boy and a scullery maid and a secret shame. One moonlit night of blood and knives destroyed their country and their lives forever. The Leader failed to die, but will he also fail to lead?”


Series: Book #3.5 in the “Blades of Acktar” series. Reviews of Book #1 Here, Book #2 Here, and Book #3 Here!


Spiritual Content- 1 Kings 3:5-9 & 4:29 at the beginning; Scriptures are read, mentioned, & remembered; Prayers; Church going; Swearing on a Bible; Talks about God, Jesus, & forgiveness; Keevan wonders if God is punishing him by taking away his looks and voice (that he used to use for luring maids into kissing him); Mentions of God, His will, trusting Him, His purpose for us, & forgiveness; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of Bibles & Bible reading; Mentions of church services & ministers, & worship; Mentions of Christians; A few mentions of those & events in the Bible; A couple mentions of blessings & being blessed; A mention of Christians being arrested.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a “what in Acktar”; A couple lies (to protect one’s feelings); Fighting, Being stabbed and nearly killed, Intense pain, Major injuries/wounds, Blood/Bleeding, & Passing out (semi-detailed); Seeing bodies, major injuries/wounds, blood, & someone nearly dying due to a slit throat (up to semi-detailed); Grief (for parents and siblings, up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of deaths, assassinations, assassins, dead bodies, grief (including for parents and siblings), injuries/wounds, & lots of blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of wars & battles; Mentions of executions & prisons; Mentions of torture, beatings, & whippings; Mentions of criminals, thieves, stealing, & arrests; Mentions of passing out; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, & a tavern (including Keevan and a brother drinking together previously); Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of throwing up; A few mentions of hatred; A mention of eavesdropping; 
             *Note: Keevan has moments of PTSD after the assassination attempt when others try to touch his neck; Keevan thinks it would have been better if one of his brothers would have survived rather than him.
 
 
Sexual Content- a hair kiss, a cheek kiss, a border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed kiss, and a semi-detailed kiss (with asking permission first & being careful not to lose himself in it and have self-control); Staring a lips (and trying not to); Blushes; Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, Nearness (most with asking permission first, barely-above-not-detailed); The book starts with Keevan being caught kissing a maid (noting that he had let himself go “too far”, wasn’t thinking, and feels ashamed of his actions) and thinks he would have stopped before he hurt her, yet knows that wasn’t true because the girl was crying and telling him to stop, but he only focused on the “pounding of his pulse” and ignored her no because his desires were telling him yes; Keevan knows he messed up and his uncle is firm with him about his poor actions, but his father waves it aside with the phrase “boys will be boys”; Keevan wants to be better which includes trying to avoid looking or staring at Addie’s body in moments where her dress shows her body (and chest) in a way she is unaware of (x3); *Spoilers* Keevan wonders if he could have a girl like Addie be in love with him (despite her knowing his past) and while he has done his best to treat all women with honor, he wonders if he could find out what it means to love a woman as God intended; After a discussion about his past and forgiveness, he asks Addie if they could be more than just friends and if he could court her with the intention of marriage; Towards the end, Keevan meets with the maid from the beginning and apologizes to her; She still lives with the memories of that time, but had forgiven him *End of Spoilers*; Mentions of kisses & kissing; Mentions of princes luring maids into closets to kiss them; A few mentions of kisses going “too far”; A few mentions of avoiding temptation (with God’s help); A couple mentions of flirting; A couple mentions of attraction (between a married couple); Love, falling in love, & the emotions.
 
-Adelaide “Addie” Croft
-Keevan Eirdon, age 17-22 (?)
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                                        216 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

Prior to reading this book, I was nervous about it due to a sample I had randomly read of the beginning. We’re introduced to a young prince who has skimped on his responsibilities and focused on what pleases him—even if that’s at the cost of harming innocents and forcing kisses on maids. I knew this author would handle this topic carefully and with great faith and character development after reading the previous books in this series. And I was right, she definitely did. But I’m still going to give a warning for this book because of the book opening with a sexual assault.

 

I think the author did really well highlighting the change in Keevan. It didn’t feel like a 180-change because we only saw parts of the change from different times: the start, five months later, a few months later, two years later, and then another two years later. Each time there more and more growth from him regarding his past choices that hurt others, including young women he took advantage of. He continues to feel guilt and shame over those past actions. There’s three scenes that particularly stood out to me about his change: Him guarding his thoughts and eyes when Addie accidentally shows him more of herself than she knows she is. He is very cautious about Addie and does not want to hurt her or fall back to his old self. That desire to be good and honorable—especially towards her—helped my views on him immensely.  

 

We cover almost five years in this book—before the first book started and all the way through to the third book in the series. Just with a main character difference, which adjusts many things in this Book #3.5 story. Going into this book, I didn’t particularly care about learning more about Keevan (mainly because I didn’t care for his attitude in Book #3), but I found myself interested in seeing his change and I thought Addie was sweet. 

 

While I haven’t finished this series yet, I don’t think this book is necessarily to read per se—at least, I don’t think so having after only reading the first three books. You would definitely have to read those first before this one or you would be completely lost, but at this point, it’s not 100% necessary because this character is really only introduced in Book #3 and this is his story. It was interesting to see the perspective change on different events from the prior books, but it’s not a book I can personally highly recommend because of the sexual assault implications. Some older readers might not be bothered by it and I think the author handled the character’s regret very well, but I still want to give a heads-up on that content.

 

 

 

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.