"Petals and Poison" by Cara E. Ruegg

About this book:

  “He was born to marry wealth. She was born to be invisible. But fate—and a magical wolf—have other plans.
    Nicholas is the privileged heir to a powerful estate, with a future as carefully arranged as the marriage he’s expected to make. Mira is a commoner—the quiet, strange servant who disappears into the forest, returns with mysterious herbs, and keeps company with a magical wolf. To Nicholas, she’s nothing more than a witch in disguise, and when his father is poisoned, she’s the perfect suspect.
    Determined to expose her, Nicholas sets out to prove her guilt. But when a hunting trip ends in disaster and leaves him wounded, it’s Mira who finds him, tends his wounds, and risks everything to bring him home.
    As suspicions clash with undeniable truth, Nicholas begins to see the girl he thought he hated in a very different light. But with an arranged marriage on the horizon, a village quick to accuse, and a family name on the line, love between a nobleman and a servant is not just forbidden—it’s dangerous.
    And the real murderer may still be closer than either of them realizes.”


Series: Part of the “Realms of Lurin” series, but does not seem to be connected to any other book.


Spiritual Content- A few prayers & reading form a prayer book; ’H’s are not capital when referring to the Creator; Nicholas hasn’t prayed since his mother’s death, *Spoilers* but talks to his mother and asks for her to speak to the Creator for him and beg Him to forgive him *End of Spoilers*; Mentions of the Creator; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of a book of prayers; A mention of a church; 
             *Note: Seeing magical creatures (including dragons, wolves, and fire birds) & mentions of them and tales of what some can do (including potentially curse someone); Mira meets a magical wolf and while tales say that if someone is bitten by one, they would be cursed forever, Mira is bitten and sees two visions of future events in her life (later, she says the future isn’t for her to know and if the Creator wanted her to know, she would know); Because of her interest in the woods and plants, Nicholas often calls Mira a “witch” and accuses her of being one (dabbling in the “dark art of divination”), but she is does not practice anything like that; Mentions of other mythical/magical creatures (including goblins and sirens); Mentions of witches, possible curses, & others possibly being bewitched/enchanted/under a spell; A few mentions of someone possibly being a ghost or spirit (not seriously); A few mentions of luck, being lucky, & luck saving Mira once; A couple mentions of a man’s “devilish screams” & later wondering if the man is possessed; A mention of superstitious people.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: two ‘dumb’s and a form of ‘stupid’; Some lying; Eye rolling; Eavesdropping; Two near-death moments with serious injuries, Being poisoned, Being in a forest during a storm (and thinking she’s going to die), Being bitten by a wolf, Helping someone who was shot and is bleeding, Injuries, Pain, & Blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Seeing deaths and dead bodies (on-page and a flashback, including someone being burned alive by a dragon; including someone who was poisoned and killed; border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Shooting at mythical creatures (while hunting and in self-defense); Nicholas wishes to destroy Mira and see her hanged (believing her to be responsible for a murder); Nicholas and his friend used to terrorize Mira when they were children; *Spoilers* After she saves him about half-way through, Nicholas feels guilty over his past actions and comments towards Mira and apologies *End of Spoilers*; Mentions of deaths, illnesses, & grief (including for parents and a brother); Mentions of poisons, a murder, attempted murders, & a murderer; Mentions of a suicide (*Spoiler* It’s revealed at the end that the brother of the young man was threatened by their sister to make it look like their brother committed suicide (the reason is not given) *End of Spoiler*); Mentions of hangings, prisons, & criminals; Mentions of fires & a death; Mentions of gunshots, someone being shot, injuries, pain, & blood/bleeding; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, & someone possibly drinking too much; Mentions of hunting & shooting animals (implied more for sport than food); Mentions of nightmares & trauma from past events; Mentions of hatred; A few mentions of lies & lying; A few mentions of a wolf biting someone; A couple mentions of body waste & the smell; A mention of a war; A mention of manipulation from a family member; A mention of throwing up; A mention of smoking & pipes. 
 
 
Sexual Content- A hand kiss, two cheek kisses, a not-detailed kiss, and a barely-above-not-detailed kiss; Touches, Dancing, Hand holding, Warmth, (barely-above-not-detailed); Wanting to touch & embrace (barely-above-not-detailed); Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); *Spoilers* Toward the end, when Nicholas confesses his romantic feelings to her, Mira doesn’t believe him and think it’s a prank; At the very end, Mira confesses her feelings after Nicholas has a near-death moment and she realizes her feelings *End of Spoilers*; Mira is glad that she doesn’t possess her mother’s beauty as her “common” appearance keeps men from noticing her; A young woman comments about being “tainted” because she’s already kissed a man before marriage; Mentions of kisses, kissing, a couple being caught kissing, & a vision of kissing someone; A couple mentions of an unmarried couple being left in a bedroom together with the door open; A mention of a woman’s virtue; A mention of a young woman’s “seductive eyes”; A mention of a widowed man fancying a widowed woman (but nothing coming from it); Light love, falling/being in love, & the emotions.
 
-Mira
-Nicholas Lockwood
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                        Regency-inspired fantasy setting
                                                        184 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

As someone who enjoys learning about plants and their medicinal benefits, I really liked Mira. She was very sweet and reminded me of Snow White at times with her kindness. She definitely made the book better and was a great main character who perseveres through hardships. 

 

Nicholas on the other hand: he was absolutely horrible at first. I’m not a fan of the enemies-to-more romance trope, so I was a little leery about this book because of it. Nicholas was a terror to Mira for their entire lives, basically, and it took a good shock to realize how awful he has been to her. I liked the character development—especially because it was muchneeded for him—but I wish we could have seen some scenes leading up to his change with feeling a prick of guilt for his actions and mean comments to her. I think it would have been more natural then as I was questioning how they could even fall for each other. 

 

Rather than a find-out-who-the-murderer-was kind of mystery, it was more of a get-evidence-of-the-murder kind of mystery. The answer seemed obvious to me, but I enjoyed the setting of a regency-like fantasy time-period. There’s magical creatures, but no magic per se. I would have liked a bit more in the faith content regard regarding the magical creatures—did the Creator make them for a special purpose? Or are they just animals to hunt like deer? I think there could have been more with the world-building, but for the page length of the story, I mostly enjoyed it.

 

 

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.

"Roses for Mama" by Janette Oke

About this book:

  “She's cared for her siblings as best she could . . . but is it enough?
   Instead of the new life she and her family expected to forge out west, seventeen-year-old Angela is thrust into the role of caring for her three younger siblings after the death of their parents. With the help of her older brother, and trust in God, Angela is determined to raise the children as her mother would have wanted.
    As the youngsters grow, the questions and challenges intensify. Angela feels trapped and overwhelmed. Surely no man will ever want a woman who comes with three children in tow. Is this the plan God has for her life? Will she ever find a way to balance her own dreams with the promises she made to her mama?”


Series: Does not seem to be connected to any other book by this author.


Spiritual Content- Scriptures are mentioned, quoted, & discussed; Many prayers (Angela usually starts them by saying “Oh, God…”); Church going (including Angela having difficulty focusing on the service one morning); A sermon at a funeral; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Talks about God, Jesus, witnessing, & God changing hearts; Many mentions of God, Jesus Christ, & trusting Him; Mentions of Bibles & Bible reading; Mentions of prayers, praying, thanking God, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, services, a reverend, & sermons; Mentions of witnessing to others, faiths, & eternity; A few mentions of Heaven (including Angela wondering if her parents are able to see their family on earth & asking God to tell her parents something); A few mentions of being baptized; A couple mentions of a church’s Christmas pageant; A mention of someone in the Bible; A mention of being blessed; A mention of sin; 
             *Note: A man comments that he doesn’t care for church because he has known “too many hypocrites”, but Angela says he is not responsible for them and that they must answer to God for their own deeds; A mention of a man forbidding his new wife to attend church services.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘my word!’; A couple mentions of curses (said, not written); A bit of eye rolling; Nearly fainting & Grief (for parents, barely-above-not-detailed); One of Angela’s siblings talks about finding their mother who had passed away (he thought she was sleeping, but someone tells him that she’s gone and not to cry; barely-above-not-detailed); Many mentions of deaths, sicknesses and a stroke, & grief (including Angela and her siblings for their parents, barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of gossip & rumors; A few mentions of injuries; A few mentions of lies & lying; A couple mentions of a young girl who drowned (prior to the story); A couple mentions of eavesdropping; A mention of a child being teased at school by other children; A mention of a cat killing a little bird; 
             *Note: One of Angela’s sisters becomes defiant towards Angela’s mothering/authority, which makes Angela panic and try to talk to her about responsibilities; A young woman suggests for Angela to not talk to a handicapped girl because a young man might see, but Angela does anyway; A mention of a man being “crippled”.
 
 
Sexual Content- a fingers-to-lips touch, two fingers kisses, three forehead kisses, two cheek kisses, a not-detailed kiss, and a semi-detailed kiss; Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, Warmth, Nearness (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Blushes; Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); Some flirting (which Angela later calls “youthful foolishness” and tries to keep from doing again, but does in a moment of annoyance at another girl’s attention on a young man); After a man tells her that she’ll be an old maid as no one will want to marry a woman with three others to care for, Angela cries; Mentions of girls trying to get the attention of boys and vice versa, crushes, blushes, & flirting; A couple mentions of kisses; A couple mentions of jealousy; Light love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: A young girl thinks she’s dying, but Angela says it just means the girl is growing up and has a chat with her about it (implying the girl has started her period, but no details are given); Angela compares herself to another young woman’s appearance (including saying she’s not stunning like the other girl); A mention of a woman who is “full-figured”.
 
- Angela Peterson, age 17-19
                                P.O.V. of Angela
                                        Set in the Western Prairie time-period (late 1800s/early 1900s?)
                                                        228 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

I was afraid that this book was going to be really sad, but while it had its sad moments and moments of grief, it was really sweet overall. Perhaps there was a touch of stress in a couple parts because of the love triangle. I didn’t like the…not quite red flags, perhaps orange flags one of the guys was giving, but I had full confidence that the right guy would win Angela’s heart because this is a Janette Oke book. 😉  

 

I adored the strong faith content in this book—it reminded me that I really need to read and review more books by this author because they are often to sweet and faith-filled! The pace of this story on slower, so I took my time reading it despite it only being about 220 pages and it was a calm, relaxing book. Definitely a sweet one and I look forward to reading more books by Janette Oke this year!

 

 

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.

"Adventures in Jamestown" by Nancy LeSourd

This review is for the content of the 2008 revised edition 

of this book that has this exact cover.

About this book:

  “After enduring a dangerous voyage to the New World, Abigail discovers that her fight for survival in Jamestown has only begun. When she must face her enemy, an Indian princess called Pocahontas, Abigail uncovers the enemy of her own heart—unforgiveness. In London, England, her friend Elizabeth yearns for adventure, but society’s conventions threaten to crush her dreams. As the girls face their deepest fears, they discover how their choices can change a nation’s---and a young woman’s—destiny.”


Series: Part of the “Liberty Letters” series, but does not seem to be connected to the other books in the series.


Spiritual Content- Scripture read, mentioned, quoted, & discussed; Witnessing to others; Church going; A song about God is sung; Many talks about God, Jesus Christ, trusting Him, praying, forgiveness, sin, & witnessing to others; ‘H’s are not capital when referring to God or Jesus; Elizabeth is given a New Testament in Greek and hopes to study the language, but her father will not let her as he believes she will not have any need for knowing the language; Abigail wonders if God even hears her prayers and is mad at God, but later feels like God has a reason for her coming to America; Abigail has hatred and bitterness towards the Indians, but feels the Holy Spirit tugging on her and *Spoiler* while it takes time, hard conversations, and lots of prayers, towards the end, she eventually forgives the people involved in her parents’ deaths and even forgives God for taking away her parents; Abigail asks Pocahontas for forgiveness as well; Pocahontas accepts Jesus for herself and tells Abigail *End of Spoiler*; It is a rule in James Towne to attend church and there are punishments for missing (such as if a man misses for the third time without good reason, the man will be shot or hanged); Many mentions of God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, trusting Him, His will, forgiveness, & higher callings; Many mentions of churches/cathedrals, church going, services, worship, reverends/ministers, & sermons; Many mentions of Christians, witnessing to others, & salvation through Jesus Christ; Mentions of prayers, praying, & thanking God; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, those and events in the Bible, & Bible classes; Mentions of Christmas & reading about the birth of Jesus; Mentions of miracles; Mentions of baptisms; Mentions of sins & sacrifices; Mentions of copying Scriptures and the Lord’s Prayer; Mentions of young girls (including Abigail and Elizabeth) having instructors “in the Christian faith”, church doctrine, & catechism; Mentions of the ‘Book of Common Prayer’ & the girls having to study it; Mentions of a man not wanting to marry a woman who doesn’t share his Christian faith despite loving her greatly; A few mentions of being blessed; A couple mentions of communion; 
             *Note: Abigail gets very upset at a reverend who wants to tell the Indians about God and have them their away from their savage ways (*Spoiler* because the Indians killed her parents *End of Spoiler*); Abigail thinks the Indians will not believe in God because of their own gods and does not wish for Pocahontas or the other Indians to need her God (her view is clouded with bitterness and hatred towards them and wants the Indians to be left alone with their gods; She starts to feel guilt for her bitterness and not wanting to share God with the Indians); Abigail is told about the Indians’ two gods, Ahone (the creator god who gives good things) and Okee (the devil god who is more powerful, does all the bad things, and requires child sacrifice to appease); Elizabeth’s mother tells her to think “good thoughts” for Abigail; Abigail calls the colony “godforsaken” when first arriving; Some believe that the Bermuda islands are “enchanted and filled with witches and devils” (but quickly learn that it is not “Devil’s Island” like they thought); A comment that some think of Indians as savages who are “devil-inspired to quench the flame of truth”; Mentions of Indians doing child sacrifices to appease a “devil god”; A few mentions of pagans & heathens.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘stupid’; A fire, Being bit by a poisonous snake, Pain, & Injuries (barely-above-not-detailed); Seeing others die and be close to death & extreme grief (including for parents, *Spoilers* both of Abigail’s parents die shortly into the book and she is there at both of their bedsides *End of Spoilers*, up to semi-detailed); Abigail is bitter and hateful towards Pocahontas (she tries to ignore the guilt she feels about this; Pocahontas asks why Abigail hates her and she shares about how the Indians have harmed her family; *Spoiler* towards the end of the book, Abigail realizes her bitterness, so she asks for forgiveness from God and from Pocahontas and the girls become friends *End of Spoiler*); A boy is given to a group of Indians in a trade (but is later given back unharmed); Many, many mentions of deaths (including children and infants), people being near to death, drownings, possible drownings, sicknesses, starvation, & extreme grief (including for parents, a girl for a father, a wife for her husband, a husband for his wife); Many mentions of Indian attacks and Colonists attacking Indians, possible attacks, war/battles, massacres and ambushes (on both sides), arrows and people being shot, murders/executions and planned murders/executions, & brutal deaths (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of child sacrifice (to the Indian’s devil god); Mentions of kidnappings/abductions, captives/hostages, & ransom; Mentions of explosions, fires, & burning villages on purpose; Mentions of injuries, pain, burns, & blood/bleeding; Mentions of snakes & poison; Mentions of pipes, smoking, & tobacco; Mentions of a man eating his dog due to hunger & others eating dogs and (implied) horses; Mentions of hunting; Mentions of hatred; A few mentions of whippings, being shot, & being hanged (punishments); A couple mentions of lies & lying; A couple mentions of gossip & rumors; A mention of jealousy; 
             *Note: Two paintings in the bonus content at the end of the book show Indians shooting Colonists & Colonists carrying a dead woman to bury her; Elizabeth wants to learn and study more subjects, but her father will not let her because they are not needed for running her own house one day (this is shown throughout the book including by her commenting if she was a boy she could have been taught like her brother (Abigail wants that she should have been born a boy), her uncle encouraging her learning about different subjects (when her father finds out, he is very upset and limits her time with him), her father being very against her learning other languages, & her father commenting that no man will want to marry a woman smarter than he is; *Spoilers* Towards the end, Elizabeth’s father and uncle knowingly test her with a project and her father learns he has underestimated the gifts God gave her and says he will provide her with a tutor for whatever she desires to learn within good reason *End of Spoilers*.
 
 
Sexual Content- When seventeen, Abigail says she is not ready to courtship or marriage, but maybe someday (*Spoiler* At the very end, Abigail is asked to be courted and says it’s “not such a bad idea after all” *End of Spoiler*); Mentions of courting & girls getting prepared for marriage (including Elizabeth’s parents focusing on preparing her); Mentions of handsome young men & dances; A few mentions of possible crushes & being sweet on someone; 
             *Note: Elizabeth’s father comments that no man will want to marry a woman smarter than he is (Abigail tries to encourage Elizabeth that perhaps she will marry a man who will encourage her learning).
 
-Abigail Matthews, age 12-17
-Elizabeth Walton, age 13-18
                                P.O.V. switches between them via letters
                                          Set in 1609-1614
                                                        219 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

This book re-confirmed something I already knew, but I’ll say it again: The Lord always knows what He is doing, but He especially knew not to put me in the 1600s! I would not have made it during this book’s time period, to say the very least. I’ll admit that I found this book a little depressing at first (about the first fourth of the story), but it did improve. I’m not personally interested in the 1600s or the 1700s, but it is history—albeit pretty sad history—and it is important to know. The faith content was strong and there were good moments of witnessing to others and showing forgiveness. This book wasn’t my favorite of the series, but still interesting in a I’m-so-glad-this-isn’t-my-life kind of way.

 

 

 

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.

"A Brush with Danger" by Beth Adams

About this book:

  “Hannah Prentiss is engaged! And her best friend, Lacy, is expecting a baby. Lacy and her husband set about renovating the cottage on their property so Lacy’s mom can move in and help when the baby comes. But they’ve just begun demolition when they are stunned to find two paintings that were stolen from a museum decades before. Although there were plenty of suspects, the culprit was never caught. Hannah and Lacy begin hammering out details in this newest mystery. But the more they discover about those who lived in the cottage throughout the years, the more secrets they uncover. Could the art thief be someone they know—or thought they did?
    Meanwhile, Hannah meets her future in-laws. Liam’s mother is sweet, but his dad seems to be a harder sell. Can Hannah win him over, or will her future with the man of her dreams include a tough relationship with his father?”


Series: Book #12 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, and Book #11!


Spiritual Content- Isaiah 11:6-9 at the beginning & also read; A few Scriptures are read, mentioned, quoted, & thought over; Bible reading & reviewing notes about the book of Isaiah; Prayers; A few talks about God & His timing; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Mentions of God, His creation, & the Holy Spirit; Mentions of prayers, praying, answered prayers, & blessings over food; Mentions of Bibles & Bible reading; Mentions of church, church going, services, worship, & Bible studies; A few mentions of those & events in the Bible; A few mentions of a Quaker minister; A couple mentions of worship music & a hymn; A couple mentions of blessings & being blessed; 
             *Note: Mentions of luck & being lucky; A mention of the Stone Age (teasing).
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: Two ‘dumb’s; A bit of eye rolling; All about & many mentions of break-ins, robberies, art heists, thefts, thieves, stealing, stolen items, crime scenes, & black markets for stolen goods; Many mentions of the mob/mafia, a possible murder, suspected homicide, & thugs; Mentions of deaths, grief, & a car accident; Mentions of guns/weapons, someone being held at gun-point, & having trauma and nightmares from it for years later; Mentions of fires; Mentions of threats & blackmail; Mentions of prisons/jails & arrests; Mentions of divorces, a wife leaving her husband, & grief over failed marriages; Mentions of gambling, gambling halls, alcohol, & drinking; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of gossip & rumors; A few mentions of embezzlement; A couple mentions of the possibility of a husband being killed or hurt in the line of duty; A couple mentions of the lottery; A mention of drugs; 
             *Note: A woman comments on thinking she could save her husband (who was struggling with PTSD), but later her therapist helped her realizes that she never could (they later divorced); Many mentions of artists & paintings (Edward Hicks, Thomas Cole, Andy Warhol, Georgia O’Keefe, Winslow Homer, Edward Hopper, Mary Cassatt, Mark Rothko, Roy Lichtenstein, John Singer, Picasso, Vermeer, Degas, George Inness, Thomas Doughty, Susanna Paine, Louis Comfort Tiffany, & Vincent Van Gogh); Mentions of car brands; Mentions of sports teams; A couple mentions of brand names (Monopoly); A couple mentions of someone possibly suffering from PTSD; A mention of COVID-19 (in the author’s note).
 
 
Sexual Content- Four cheek kisses and a not-detailed kiss; Seeing a couple kiss (no details); Some hand holding, butterflies, nearness, & smelling (barely-above-not-detailed); Some winks & noticing (not-detailed); Mentions of boyfriends/girlfriends, dates, dating, & exes; A mention of a hunky guy; Very light love, being in love, & the emotions.
 
-Hannah Prentiss
                                      P.O.V. of Hannah 
                                                        275 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

I’m not sure why I enjoy books about art crimes and heists, but it’s definitely become a buzz word for me and I’m instantly much more interested in a book when I hear it has that element! I was excited to see Hannah and her group again, but also curious about this mystery. I had my suspicions about who the culprit was, though I mostly enjoyed just following along with Hannah as she tries to solve the mystery!

 

 

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.