"Meeting Her Match" by Jen Turano

About this book:

  “Miss Camilla Pierpont, a renowned matchmaker and influential member of the New York Four Hundred, has vowed never to marry after suffering a devastating heartbreak during her debut years ago. However, when she is nearly abducted along the Hudson River, she finds herself rescued by an annoyingly outspoken, albeit fascinating, gentleman who challenges her in a manner she wasn't expecting.
    After learning that Camilla Pierpont has enjoyed success with taking wayward young ladies in hand, Mr. Owen Chesterfield travels to the Hudson River Valley determined to convince Camilla to sponsor his sister, who is in desperate need of social rehabilitation.
    Knowing her life is in danger, Camilla agrees to Owen's proposition and travels with him to West Virginia, finding herself charmed by the less-than-formal attitude of his small hometown, as well as by Owen himself. But danger waits in the shadows, disrupting what she knows would be the most spectacular match she's ever made--her own.”


Series: Book #3 in “The Matchmakers” series. Review of Book #1 Here! and Book #2 Here!


Spiritual Content- A Scripture is mentioned; Mentions of God & forgiveness; Mentions of churches, church going, services, sermons, & reverends; Mentions of a discussion with a Reverend (about forgiving someone but God is not mentioned); A couple mentions of Bibles; A couple mentions of praying; A mention of Sunday school; A mention of a man calling a woman “close to an angel”;
             *Note: ‘For heaven’s sake’ is said twice and ‘Good heavens’ is said eight times; There is a tradition (which can be viewed as a superstition) about a recipe in Owen’s family always going into the hands of someone that will later marry into his family (Owen’s Meemaw says that Camilla may view it as a superstition, but “we here in West Virginia believe in the power of [this tradition].”); A couple mentions of a place being “almost heaven”; A mention of being lucky.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: Two ‘oh my word’s, three forms of ‘darn’, three ‘what in tarnation’s, and seven ‘idiot’s; Sarcasm & Eye rolling; Being abducted/kidnapped, Being chased, Being threatened, Shooting at others, Fighting, Punching someone, Pain, Injuries, & Passing out (up to semi-detailed); Camilla wants to throttle Owen at times (which surprises her because she’s never felt this way before); Owen hands Camilla a glass of champagne at a party; Many mentions of the abduction attempts, abductors, criminals, crime bosses, ransom, threats, & injuries (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of violence, assaulting someone (punching), someone being punched, the broken nose, & blood (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of mining and factory accidents, explosions, & injuries (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of highway men, thieves, & robberies; Mentions of guns, weapons, being aimed and shot at others, & gunshots; Mentions of someone being chased by a bear & shooting at it to scare it away; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, social drinking at parties, & moonshine making (including a man being blown up while making it & Camilla saying that she’ll have an occasional glass of wine or champagne); Mentions of lies/fibs, lying, & deceit; Mentions of gossip, rumors, & eavesdropping; Mentions of bullies & their mockery; Mentions of a divorce; A handful of mentions of casinos, gambling, & dens; A few mentions of a young girl sneaking off with a loaded gun to learn how to shoot (her brother followed her and taught her); A few mentions of arrests & jail; A few mentions of cigars, pipes, & smoking;A couple mentions of almost drowning; A couple mentions of saloons; A couple mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of an unpleasant smell (barely-above-not-detailed); A mention of a body being held for ransom; A mention of an accident & caring for someone involved in one; A mention of a fire; A mention of slaughterhouse; A mention of jealousy; 
             *Note: A handful of comments about “feminine sensibilities”, women being the “fairer sex”, and such topics (most are said unaware it’s not a compliment like the man intended but one man is rude about it); Mentions of a man putting his wife into an asylum citing that she was mad (*Spoiler* Turns out he had been giving her dangerous mushrooms that causes hallucinations; She was rescued out of the asylum after a year *End of Spoiler*); Mentions of Luella and her mother sharing an “acrimonious” relationship & Luella thinking that she’s a disappointment to her mother (other family members do not think this latter part is true); A mention of Jane Austen. 
 
 
Sexual Content- Staring at lips (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Hand kisses, two almost kisses (up to semi-detailed), three barely-above-not-detailed kisses, and three semi-detailed kisses; Wanting to kiss & thinking about kissing (up to semi-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, Nearness, & Smelling (up to semi-detailed); Blushes & Jealousy; Noticing (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Owen’s Great Aunt Elma says that she doesn’t agree with couples waiting to “test the waters” until they are married & should make sure they are compatible in the kissing department first (this is because her and her late husband waited and found out that they weren’t compatible until after they are already married; She encourages the couples to kiss & others discuss it); A man plans to be seen with a compromising setting with Camilla; Many mentions of kisses, kissing, stealing kisses, men having kissing on their minds, & Aunt Elma’s advice; Mentions of embraces, dancing, & couples sneaking off alone together; Mentions of courtship & broken hearts; Mentions of reputations & chaperones; Mentions of flirting, flirts, winks, & blushes; A few mentions of love-at-first-sight; A few mentions of a Casanova; A couple mentions of a ladies’ man (the man called one thinks it’s a compliment); A couple mentions of jealousy; A mention of a wife locking her husband out of her bedroom after they were married; A mention of a woman believing she’ll get grandchildren sooner if she lets the couple have more time alone together; A mention of a man and his experience (talking about kissing and relationships); Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Camilla is told not to have her derringer in her bodice because if something happens, she could lose one of her “charms” and be “charmless” (this is brought up twice); A young woman recalls when she was swimming “practically naked” and others (including men) appeared, so she stayed under the water (a few more mentions of this again later); A few mentions of some women terrorizing another woman for her plump figure & commenting about her not needing to eat; A few mentions of women’s figures; A mention of a woman forgoing certain unmentionables that would harm “her, ah, parts”; A mention of a man appreciating more than just a woman’s mind.
 
-Camilla Pierpont, age 25
-Owen Chesterfield
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                            Set in 1889
                                                        368 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

One of my most anticipated reads for 2024 and it met my expectations! I really enjoyed the second book in this series (and would still call it my favorite out of the three) so I was very excited for this one! :) 

 

Owen did feel a bit like other male leads by this author in the way he kept sticking his foot in his mouth—particularly about her gender and the assumed characteristics of women—but it was still humorous. The sibling banter and bickering between Owen and Luella was great. Also, his Meemaw and who especially reminded me of my own Memaw. There was very little faith content which was a little disappointing, but I was glad to see the characters go to church. 

 

This is absolutely hilarious and like every other book by this author, I found myself literally laughing out loud as I was reading this book. I would definitely say this is my favorite series by this author! Everything wraps up with a bow for these characters and while I would have liked to see the couple from the first book again, it was a very cute ending. 

 

There was quite a bit about kissing in regards to the couples, however not much actual kissing on-page; this may alter the rating for younger teens, particularly because of the comment by Owen’s great aunt about making sure your compatible with someone (ie kissing) before you get married to each other. Not quite the message I would want to send to younger teens, but it comes across humorously and somewhat understandably because of said aunt’s marriage to a man who was “worse than a dog”.

 

This was overall a very fun and very entertaining read, a great ending to an enjoyable series!

 

 

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.

 

"Her Part to Play" by Jenny Erlingsson

About this book:

  “Desperate for extra income after her mother's passing, Adanne accepts a last-minute job as a makeup artist for a movie filming in her small Alabama hometown. She's working to save her parents' legacy and help her brother, but the money hardly seems worth having to face the actor who got her fired from her last job in Hollywood.
    John Pope has made his share of mistakes over the years. But after turning his life over to God and enduring a messy breakup, he's ready to start rebuilding his career. Imagine his surprise when the woman called in to cover for his usual makeup artist is a quiet but feisty newcomer on the set--and definitely not a fan.
   Sparks of tension--and could that be attraction?--fly between them, but Adanne hates the spotlight, and John's scheming manager has bigger plans for him than to end up with the humble makeup girl from the small-town South. Can these star-crossed lovers find their way to happiness? Or will the bright lights of Hollywood blind their eyes to what's right in front of them?”


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


Spiritual Content- John 12:3 is referenced in the dedication; A few Scriptures are mentioned & referenced; Prayers, Thanking God, & Talking to God, & hearing words from Him; Church going, a sermon, & Singing a couple hymns; Talks about God, trusting Him, & forgiveness; 'H's are not capital when referring to God; Adanne struggles with trusting God and we see that on-page with her thoughts (*Spoiler* She lets go of something and trusts God with it towards the end and feels peace *End of Spoiler*); John hasn’t been to church in years because of his father’s actions, but goes after Adanne invites him; John has recently come back to his childhood faith and wants God to be at the center of his decision-making; John’s mother reminds him to “anchor. If you know who you are in Christ, you won’t have to worry about the in-between. Do what you know. Remember your fist love. Engage in what makes your heart sing. You’ll see God unfold everything else from there”; John’s manager tries to get him to be like the king with Esther and gather “all the beautiful women of the city to find his next wife” (not wife, but an award show date in John’s case) and later asks if he’s going to have to brush off his grandmother’s Bible to understand John; Someone else rolls her eyes at John taking about God, but he continues to tell her that Jesus can free her; Mentions of God, Jesus, trusting Him, faiths, & forgiveness; Mentions of prayers, praying, thanking God, & blessings over food; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, & those and events in the Bible; Mentions of churches, church going, pastors, services, hymns, small groups/Bible studies, & Sunday school; Mentions of miracles; A few mentions of worship & songs; A couple mentions of blessings; A mention of the Holy Spirit; A mention of the Vatican; 
             *Note: Phrases like “Thank God”, “in God knows how long”, “God knew”, and “God knows where” are said in ways that feel sincere by those with faiths, but could bother some readers by sounding flippant; Cancer is called “the enemy” and “vicious intruders” in a young children’s bodies & Adanne and others pray for it to be eradicated; A mention of John not believing in muses or that kind of stuff.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘bah’, a ‘blasted’, a ‘doggone’, an ‘idiot’, and a ‘sucker’; Eye rolling & Sarcasm; Prior to the book starting John went through a major change and wants to stay on the straight and narrow (this includes no longer drinking alcohol and recognizing it was the start of an addiction; He avoids going to a place where he knows it could derail his progress; He thinks about having a drink a couple of times, but does not drink any alcohol); Adanne is grieving and missing her parents throughout the book (her father passed when she was a child and her mother some time before the book starts, up to semi-detailed); Adanne’s nephew has leukemia & we see him in the hospital and mentions of his condition, treatments, & it being hard on their family (*Spoiler* At the end of the book, he goes into remission and says that Jesus told him he would get better *End of Spoiler*; Mentions of deaths, illnesses (including kidney diseases), & grief; Mentions of cancer, treatments, & those (including children) going through it; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, drinks, hangovers, being sober, & an addiction; Mentions of celebrities lashing out at others (including John prior to his change); Mentions of John’s father leaving his mother; Mentions of fight scenes in a movie & injuries made from makeup; A few mentions of a death in a domestic violence situation (*Spoiler* Adanne’s father when she was young and he was visiting a student *End of Spoiler*); A few mentions of gossip & rumors; A mention of gambling; A mention of lies; A mention of tattoos; 
             *Note: John has a strained relationship with his father which is due to his father’s unfaithfulness to his mother and it’s implied that he hasn’t talked with him in a while; Adanne thinks about how her and John being so different, including having different skin colors, adding “she didn’t have any problem being with or around a man outside of her race”; A comment about pastors with different “racial congregations” but later coming together to build a church together; Mentions of car brands; A few mentions of singers (Luther Vandross, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, & Deborah Cox); A few mentions of movies & an author (Love & Basketball, Pride and Prejudice, & Jane Austen); A few mentions of brand names (Band-Aid, Coke, & a Montblanc watch); A mention of counseling.
 
 
Sexual Content- A head kiss, an almost kiss, three barely-above-not-detailed kisses, and two semi-detailed kisses (one with more build-up in nearness); Remembering kisses & seeing a kiss (barely-above-not-detailed); Thinking about kisses & Wanting to kiss (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Quite a bit of Touches, Embraces, Dancing, Warmth, Tingles/Sparks, Butterflies, Nearness, & Smelling (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to touch & embrace (barely-above-not-detailed); Flirting, Blushes, & a bit of Jealousy; Quite a bit of Noticing (including muscles, curves, and another woman’s short dress, up to semi-detailed); A woman touches/embraces & passionately kisses John without his consent (barely-above-not-detailed); When looking at a list of women with their pictures, John tells Adanne that he’s not doing anything weird (he’s trying to find a date to an award show); John’s father was unfaithful by having multiple affairs, one-night stands, and had “no issue breaking his wedding vows and then making new ones in the same church he used to volunteer in” (later, his mother comments about him being “caught up in finding his own happiness and convinced himself that it wasn’t to be found with me” and talks to John about forgiving him); Adanne asks John if he’s planning to trying to seduce her (twice, once saying that she has standards and rules; This is after they’ve become closer but not officially dating); Mentions of girlfriends/boyfriends, dating, dates, exes, break-ups, & broken hearts; Mentions of kisses; Mentions of flirting & jealousy;  A few mentions of handsome guys; A few mentions of crushes; A mention of one-night stands (John’s father); A mention of John going with his past girlfriend and their mutual friends on getaways during holidays; A mention of an older woman trying to get John as her boyfriend (kidding); A mention of finding a man and woman alone in a dark corner; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: John notices a woman’s low-cut, fitted top and another woman’s dress that barely concealed her legs (John swallows and keeps his eyes on her face); Adanne prays for Jesus to “be a fence” after she sees John after a workout; Adanne thinks about how she was called “thick” growing up (adding “whatever that meant”).
 
-Adanne Stewart
-John Pomponio, age 35
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                                        309 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

I’ll admit that I’m always suspicious about the male lead in a Reformed Bad Boy/Reformed Party Boy trope. Even in Christian Fiction sometimes there’s too much about the past actions and stupid decisions than the supposed-to-be-better actions and decisions the character is making in the current day. I don’t care for reading about those past choices and some authors dwell too much in those times. A talented author can show the regrets of those sinful moments without pulling the reader through the filth and I think this debut author did well at it. We see that the male lead has changed and no longer desires anything that isn’t in God’s plan for him, which was great. 

 

This was very Hallmark-ish. I do think it was a bit silly that he noticed her clothes but that’s often a thing when it’s a female author trying to write a male’s POV. I didn’t understand what the big deal was with the secret at the halfway point (regarding her nephew)? It felt added in for dramatics and she was pretty ridiculous about it and other comments around the middle of the book. It doesn’t last long, thankfully. I didn’t love her (loved her name, though!) because of this and actions she later did. 

 

As far as a clean celebrity romance, it definitely had its cute moments within the cheese at times, but it would be a potential good read for older girls who want a small town girl, celebrity male lead kind of story. It had some drama, but also some sweet moments and nice faith content throughout the story. Not a new favorite for me, personally, but I overall 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 Publisher (Revell) for this honest review.

"A Winter at the White Queen" by Denise Weimer

About this book:

  “In the world of the wealthy, things are never quite as they appear.
    Ellie Hastings is tired of playing social gatekeeper—and poor-relation companion—to her Gibson Girl of a cousin. But her aunt insists Ellie lift her nose out of her detective novel long enough to help gauge the eligibility of bachelors during the winter social season at Florida’s Hotel Belleview. She finds plenty that’s mysterious about the suave, aloof Philadelphia inventor, Lewis Thornton. Why does he keep sneaking around the hotel? Does he have a secret sweetheart? And what is his connection to the evasive Mr. Gaspachi, slated to perform at Washington’s Birthday Ball?
    Ellie’s comical sleuthing ought to put Lewis out, but the diffident way her family treats her smashes a hole in his normal reserve. When Florence Hastings’s diamond necklace goes missing, Ellie’s keen mind threatens to uncover not only Lewis’s secrets, but give him back hope for love.”


Series: Book #1 in the “Romance at the Gilded Age Resorts” series, but does not seem to be connected to any other book. 


Spiritual Content- A Scripture is referenced; A few Prayers; Talks about God & Jesus; Some 'H's are capital when referring to God; Ellie shares about Jesus with a little girl; A little girl asks why God didn’t make a female bird pretty like the male one of its kind (but then she notices that the female bird’s song is beautiful); The same little girl doesn’t understand why God would let someone get hurt, but is told that God lets people make choices; Mentions of God, Jesus, & faiths; Mentions of prayers, praying, & thanking God; A mention of a Bible; A mention of something being a sin; 
             *Note: Magic is mentioned & talked about in terms of magic tricks and a magician (we see some tricks on page and most are explained showing the science behind them; The magician does not do anything sensational or dark and will not do those in his shows); Lewis thinks that Ellie looks like an “elven enchantress, a spirit from another realm” at one point; An illusion of a “ghost couple”; A few mentions of fate and destiny in meeting someone; A mention of someone falling into a “blue devil” (low spirits); A mention of someone sharing a ghost story.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘biddies’, a ‘blimey’, a ‘for Pete’s sake’, a ‘law’, and two ‘stupid’s; A bit of eye rolling; Ellie’s cousin wants help with keeping something from her mother (which the deception unsettles Ellie’s spirit, but doesn’t know what else to do); Mentions of deaths (including from cancer) & grief; Mentions of a woman who fell to her death; Mentions of a child almost being hit by a car & someone else being injured and facing possible amputation (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of thieves, criminals/crimes, stealing, & a stolen item; A few mentions of alcohol & drinking; A few mentions of nightmares; A few mentions of gossip & rumors; A mention of beheadings; A mention of the Spanish-American War; A mention of drugs; A mention of gambling;
             *Note: Ellie’s aunt orders her about and to find out about potential suitors for her cousins (Ellie is also ignored by others because of her lack of standing); Ellie feels like she is below others of high society (due to always being overlooked and cast aside); Ellie comments on not being able to do something that her aunt would disapprove of and Lewis comments that it sounds like a good reason to do it; When finding out about potential spouses for her cousins, Ellie would employ the dropped-item tactic to see if the man will pick it up, but it when comes to Lewis and testing him with it, she doesn’t want to appear as a “brainless female”; *Spoiler* At the end, Ellie’s aunt apologizes to her for how she’s treated Ellie *End of Spoiler*; Mentions of books & fictional characters (classics); A few mentions of brand names (Coca-Cola, Juicy Fruit gum); A mention of a stuffed alligator at a hotel.
 
 
Sexual Content- A semi-detailed kiss, and a border-line semi-detailed // detailed kiss; Wanting to kiss & Staring at another’s lips (barely-above-not-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, Smelling (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Flirting & Blushes; Noticing (including his muscles, border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Ellie wonders if Lewis has a mistress/paramour based on a couple comments and hints she sees (*Spoiler* he does not, but does have a niece who is his ward; His sister was used and discarded like trash, later saying “she became involved with a rake, eloped, and got herself with child” and that the man disappeared when she died having the baby *End of Spoiler*); Ellie doesn’t want to see a man who has a woman on the side nor does she want to be that woman; When Ellie goes into Lewis’ rooms at night, she thinks that she might as well pin a scarlet letter to her chest if someone sees her (not sexual at all, she is going to visit someone); Ellie asks her aunt if she thinks a man is going to “debauch” her (which her aunt doesn’t want her to use “such vulgar terms” and no, doesn’t think that will happen); A look of longing; Mentions of flirting & blushes; Mentions of reputations & chaperones; Mentions of couples touching, embracing, & holding hands; A few mentions of broken hearts & a man using a woman for information (*Spoiler* Ellie’s past beau *End of Spoiler*); A couple mentions of a man being labeled as a womanizer; A mention of someone being accused of having a “sordid affair”; A mention of a young woman throwing herself to a man; A mention of a man wearing a “very flamboyant” color of loungewear (he’s a magician); Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Ellie’s aunt asks her how she will “achieve the proper womanly proportions” if she skips a meal; Ellie is uncomfortable in a bathing suit and doesn’t want anyone to see her in it; Ellie wears a dress that “might even give her a bosom”; Ellie stashes something in her padded corset/bosom; A couple mentions of two women’s curvy figures (Ellie notices); A mention of Ellie blushing like she confessed that she forgot to wear one of her unmentionables; A mention of an aunt’s “prodigious” bosom; A mention of a couple where the man is a dozen years older than the woman; A mention of a mother dying in childbirth.
 
-Ellie Hastings, age 29
-Lewis Thornton
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                           Set in 1910
                                                        188 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

This was pretty cute! It said it was set in 1910 but if felt a little closer to the 1920s in different regards like their vocabulary and phrases used, but it was still a fun and quick read. 

 

Because this was under 200 pages it did feel rushed and jumpy at times—I would’ve really like some things to been expounded upon. Another 50 or so pages could’ve fixed that I think, but it was still pretty cute albeit cheesy and dramatic a few times. I will definitely be continuing on with the rest of the series because the Gilded age is my favorite historical time period. :)

 

 

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.