"The Life She Forgot" by Joanna Davidson Politano

About this book:

  “He promised to help her reclaim her forgotten past—no matter what they uncovered.
    Until she began remembering another man.
    As the memories return, her past life threatens to destroy her new marriage, the sweetest love she's ever found, and the life she thought she could have.
    Cornwall, 1913
    Merryn has lived three years without a single memory of the life she lost. With no past to guide her, she fears she may never know who she truly is. When AJ Winthrop—a kind, whimsical stranger—offers her a daring escape, she takes a chance, hoping to uncover the life that was stolen from her.
    As they follow the windswept Cornish coast, memories begin to surface:
    Another man.
    Another wedding.
    A life that may already belong to her.
    Then a hidden portrait reveals her face, and the truth threatens the rare, authentic bond she’s begun to form with AJ.
    Cornwall, 1947
     Haunted by war and estranged from the wife he still loves, William Crawford plans to save her family home by selling the mysterious portrait hidden in his cottage. But the woman captured on the canvas—Merryn Dunn—holds secrets that could unravel everything he thought he knew… or offer the redemption he never dared hope for.
    Step onto the windswept Cornish coast and uncover the secrets a single house can hold.”


Series: Book #1 in “The House on the Edge of the Cliff” series.


Spiritual Content- ‘H’s are not capital when referring to God or Jesus; William screams at God in pain over his actions in the war; Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of churches/chapels & denominations (Methodist & Anglican); Mentions of hymns; A couple mentions of a mosaic of Jesus and His disciples; A mention of a miracle; 
             *Note: Merryn wonders what the “Almighty asks of people” in a marriage that was “wrong to begin with” or one “based on fabrications”; A cat is named “Persephone”; Mentions of places being described as “magical”, being under a “spell” by someone, & being “charmed” or “enchanted” by others or places (not actual magic); A couple mentions of mermaids and sirens; A couple mentions of visions (which someone corrects to be more like dreams); A mention of a seer (which someone corrects as being an observer instead).
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘blasted’, a ‘blimey’, a ‘bloody’, a ‘bugger’, a ‘drat’, a ‘dumb’, and two ‘blamed’s; A mention of a curse (said, not written); Some eavesdropping & eye rolling; Almost drowning, Amnesia, Pain, & Injuries (up to semi-detailed); Visiting someone in an asylum (who has military PTSD, up to semi-detailed); A nightmare of being in an asylum (up to semi-detailed); Rescuing a kitten that someone was going to drown (barely-above-not-detailed); Remembering explosions, seeing deaths, nightmares of both, & grief/guilt over it (up to semi-detailed); Remembering a carriage accident, near drowning, & grief (up to semi-detailed); *Spoilers* In the middle of the book, Merryn is told that AJ murdered his previous wife and finds out that it was her; *Major Spoilers* At the end, she learns that it was actually an accident that she was involved in which caused amnesia and he grieved her as he believed her to be dead *End of Spoilers*; *Spoilers* William was declared missing in action and presumed dead during the war; He did not go home because of past grief with his family (including the death of a son which he believes he caused) and hopes his wife will move on without him as he believes himself to be broken *End of Spoilers*; Many mentions of World War II, deaths and causing deaths, hearing screams, explosions/bombs, injuries and scars, PTSD, & nightmares of it all (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of deaths & grief (including a man for his son, a man for his wife, & a man for his whole family including a baby daughter); Mentions of car and carriage accidents, someone being hit by a car, a carriage falling off a cliff, injuries, deaths, & a body (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of possible deaths, possible drownings, & possible murder; Mentions of Merryn’s amnesia; Mentions of asylums, people being committed to one (against their will or because of grief or PTSD), & threats of it happening; Mentions of smugglers; Mentions of injuries, pain, & blood/bleeding (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of children being concerned they are going to be abandoned/left (by an adult); Mentions of a child being berated by adults; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, & pubs/bars; Mentions of lies, lying, liars, & deception; A few mentions of fires; A few mentions of prisons & arrests; A few mentions of a young boy trying to runaway from school; A few mentions of manipulation; A few mentions of gossip & rumors; A couple mentions of possible robberies & thefts; A couple mentions of fights; A couple mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of eavesdropping; A couple mentions of a pipe & tobacco; A mention of revolts; A mention of a train collision; A mention of a pickpocket; A mention of a wife slapping her husband after he did something very wrong; 
             *Note: William has PTSD after his time serving in World War II & feels like he is broken because of it (seen on-page with nightmares and envisioning deaths through explosions he set, up to semi-detailed); Quotes from & mentions of authors, books, & fictional characters (Emily Barrett Browning, Oscar Wilde, Shakespeare, Thomas Hardy, C.S. Lewis, & Ernest Hemingway); Mentions of a disease changing a person’s personality and mind (Alzheimer’s); Mentions of a strained mother-daughter relationship (*Spoiler* Merryn and her mother because of the mother’s gentlemen friends who would leer at Merryn; Merryn hated any man her mother brought home and her mother didn’t seem to catch onto why *End of Spoilers*); A few mentions of a woman who struggled with “deep, dark depression”; A couple mentions of a father disapproving of his son’s art career.
 
 
Sexual Content- a fingers-to-lips touch, four hands/fingers kisses, three head/hair/forehead kisses, six jaw/ear/cheek kisses, two neck kisses, a not-detailed kiss, four barely-above-not-detailed kisses, two border-line barely-above-not-detailed / semi-detailed kisses, and four semi-detailed kisses; Remembering kisses & embraces (between married couples, including in bed, up to semi-detailed); Wanting to kiss (barely-above-not-detailed); Touches, Embraces & Sitting in someone’s lap, Dancing, Hand holding, Warmth, Tingles, Butterflies, Nearness (including a married couple when sleeping), & Smelling (up to semi-detailed); A married couple sleeps in the same area and cuddle, but not in a bed (a couple times); Blushes, Flirting, & Winks; Mentions of men leering at a young Merryn; Mentions of kisses & kissing; Mentions of touches & embraces; Mentions of flirting, winks, & blushes; A few mentions of possible bigamy & bigamy in a book; Love, falling/being in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Mentions of curves; A mention of a woman having a “passionate dislike” for all men.
 
-Merryn Forsythe (1^st person)
-William Crawford, age 43 (3^rd person)
                                P.O.V. switches between them & a couple others
                                              Set in 1913 & 1947 (Epilogue in 1948)
                                                        358 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating- 

I feel like Joanna Davidson Politano books need to come with a warning: “This book will keep you on your toes. Brace for impact and whiplash over plot twists and reveals.”

 

Because yep, this book was completely that! I honestly feel a bit in a daze over everything that happened in these pages and enjoyed find clues and hints when I went back through the book to grab my content notes. 

 

I started this book not knowing who to trust—not the main character (Merryn) or her potential love interest. Merryn is a very complicated character. I wouldn’t call her an unreliable narrator as she believes parts of her life she does remember, but she’s definitely missing a lot of pieces to her past which makes her seem a bit like one at times. Because of this, however, it added a mystery to the plot and I eagerly read and tried to connect all the dots—but then more and more was revealed and I was off on some guesses. Some events and plot twists felt a little far-fetched, but then again, it added to the suspense of the story. 

 

I’m usually not one for dual-time period books, but because these two were set in two time periods I like, I actually didn’t notice the typical annoyances I have with dual-time period books. 

 

We do follow two married couples in this book, so I was a little hesitant about reading it because one married couple in a book often adds more sexual tension (let alone two married couples). While there were some kisses and longing to embrace or mentions of curves, it was kept on the cleaner side for a married couple romance book, which I really appreciated.

 

There were some conversations or mentions of wanting an anchor or a warning someone not to build a house on sand, which can both be connected to Biblical thoughts and Scriptures, but the conversations didn’t quite go that way. I’ll admit I was a bit disappointed in that because there was a major message of marriage being hard or painful in some seasons of life and how a spouse will let you down because they are also an imperfect human. I kept waiting for the comments that Jesus wouldn’t and to trust your future to Him, but there wasn’t any besides a few mentions here and there. Overall, the faith content was pretty light in both time-periods. 

 

This is a very different “romance” book. It’s not the typical formula of a couple meeting and then falling in love—though, to be fair, I don’t think any of this author’s books can be summed up in such a simple way—but a deeper book that shares about the struggles of marriage, what loving someone really entails rather than just butterflies and sparkles, and even shows characters dealing with amnesia and PTSD. Because it’s a bit more serious than a usual fluffy historical fiction book I might review, it’s a bit more difficult for me to put an age suggestion on it. For the age groups I review for, I think older teen girls (17+) and young women thinking about marriage would enjoy this book and get the most out of it. It could work for ages 15/16, but the focus on marriage and loving your spouse through hard times makes me suggest it for older ages.

 

 

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.

"Where We Belong" by Kim Vogel Sawyer

About this book:

  “The life of Hester Haak, a widow with no children of her own, takes an unexpected turn when she opens her Kansas home to children from the bustling streets of New York City. The orphan asylum has entrusted her with two sisters and a young boy, and Hester is determined to provide a safe and loving environment for them. Despite the looming uncertainty of their stay, she rises to the challenge, embracing the opportunity to make a difference in their lives.
    Meanwhile, Callum Holbrook is grappling with the loss of his wife and the despair that followed. Unable to provide for his family, he made the heart-wrenching decision to place his daughters in an orphanage, promising it was only temporary. Now, with a stable job and a renewed sense of purpose, Callum is horrified to learn that his daughters have been sent halfway across the country. Fueled by determination and love, he embarks on the difficult journey to bring them back.
    Through their struggles and triumphs, Hester and Callum discover that family and love can be found in the most surprising places—and that the journey home is paved with hope.”


Series: As of now, it seems to be a stand-alone novel.


Spiritual Content- 1 John 4:11 at the beginning; Scriptures are quoted, mentioned, & remembered; Many prayers & thanking God; Church going; Many talks about God, Jesus, His plans and His will, & those and events in the Bible; Most ’H’s are capital when referring to God and Jesus (some Scriptures read do not have the ‘H’s capitalized); Evelyn is mad at God for taking away her mother, *Spoiler* but at the end, starts to pray again and realize that her mother is happy in Heaven, so she shouldn’t be mad at God *End of Spoilers*; Callum stopped praying and going to church after God didn’t answer his prayers to let his wife live, so he is angry at God and wants to solve his own problems instead of praying about them; *Spoiler* After a conversation with Evelyn, Callum realizes it doesn’t help to be mad at God and he needs God’s help *End of Spoiler*; Many mentions of God, Jesus, & His plans and His will; Many mentions of prayers, praying, answered prayers, thanking God, & blessings over food; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, & those and events in the Bible; Mentions of churches, church going, Sunday school classes, services, a preacher, & sermons; Mentions of Easter & Jesus’s resurrection; Mentions of Heaven; Mentions of blessings & being blessed; A couple mentions of hymns; A couple mentions of godsends; 
             *Note: A few mentions of luck & being lucky (most in the context of not needing it because the character has God); A mention of superstitions.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘stinkin’’, two forms of ‘stupid’, and three ‘dumb’s; A couple mentions of curses (said, not written); Eye rolling & Sarcasm; Evelyn lies (and once feels guilt over it); *Spoiler* Evelyn thinks about stealing money from Hester, but someone catches her *End of Spoiler*; Evelyn cheats/copies her answers from a classmate’s homework; Evelyn tears up notes from her teacher (to keep Hester from seeing them); Evelyn promises to do something, but crosses her fingers where the other person can’t see; *Spoilers* Towards the end, Evelyn realizes that she does want a “new mother” and wants it to be Hester; She apologizes to Hester for being awful to her & asks if she can call her “Mother” *End of Spoilers*; Mentions of deaths & grief (including parents, Hester for her late husband, & Callum for his late wife); Mentions of a wife passing away in child birth (a mention of a lot of blood); Mentions of possible deaths; Mentions of illnesses like influenza and pneumonia & the possibility of it turning deadly; Mentions of injuries, pain, concussions, & blood/bleeding (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of possible robbers & break-ins; Mentions of parents giving their children over to an orphan asylum because they can’t care for and/or feed them (including Callum); Mentions of children being given to a “poor farm” when not adopted; Mentions of an adopted boy running away from his new family who mistreats him & the parents feeling stuck with the boy; Mentions of an economic depression & jobs being hard to find; Mentions of lies, lying, & deception; Mentions of hatred; Mentions of bullies & kids being bullied; A few mentions of children being whipped for misbehaving; A few mentions of eavesdropping; A couple mentions of wars; A couple mentions of potential kidnapping; A couple mentions of fights; A couple mentions of someone robbing a bank (not true); A couple mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of the death of a beloved dog; A mention of a possible murder (did not happen); 
             *Note: Evelyn doesn’t believe that she and her sister were supposed to be put on a train out west because their father would be coming for them, so she is rude and hateful to Hester & has the little sister act badly to keep from them getting separated; Hester’s parents died when she was young and she was sent to an orphan asylum with her little sister being taken away from her; Mentions of a car brand; Mentions of brand names (Kool-Aid, Campbell’s soup, & Frigidaire); Mentions of a book & fictional characters (Little Women); A mention of Macy’s.
 
 
Sexual Content- Two barely-above-not-detailed kisses; A handful of touches, embraces, nearness, & blushes (barely-above-not-detailed); Some young teen girls giggle and blush over a cute boy & tease Evelyn for his interest in her; Mentions of a young woman being pregnant out-of-wedlock, the couple being said to be having a “have-to wedding” because of the situation, & both sets of parents being very mad and not wanting the grandchild (The woman comments on her father being ashamed of her and that she is concerned about loving the baby when she hates the father; *Major Spoilers* Towards the end, Callum gives the money for the young woman to go to New York to stay with a friend until she gives birth; After the baby is born, she writes a letter to Hester to see if she will adopt him and Hester agrees *End of Spoilers*); Mentions of chaperones & reputations; Very light love, falling in love, & the emotions; 
             *Note: A few mentions of Hester being unable to biologically carry a child.
 
-Hester Haak, age 38-39
-Callum Holbrook
-Evelyn Holbrook, age 13
-Scotty
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                            Set in 1931
                                                        353 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

I’ve been very excited for this book for multiple reasons, but particularly because I knew this author would do a fantastic job with this plot and the characters. Which she definitely did! I’ve read many books by Kim Vogel Sawyer and while this newest book doesn’t quite beat out “The Librarian of Boone’s Hollow” and it’s sequel, I will gladly put this in the number three spot of my favorites of her books. The faith content was truly wonderful, the characters were either already lovable or had some character development that made them lovable, and I really enjoyed seeing all four view points in this book. In some books, four or more points of views can feel like too much, but it was very well-done for this story.

 

Set in the early 1930s, this book might be viewed as a bit of a rose-tinted glasses view of adoption, but I still enjoyed it so much. Hester’s heart was so admirable and I loved seeing her faith on-page and lived-out even through trials. Her heart’s desire for being a mother was precious and I greatly appreciate how clean this book was. I would have no hesitation recommending this book to 13/14+ unless the girl is very sensitive to books about orphans, but even then it could potentially be helpful seeing Evelyn’s POV. The romance was incredibly light and really didn’t even come into play until the very, very end. 

 

On the end, I will note that while the ending wasn’t really rushed per say, the last couple of chapters move quickly with many months being caught-up. I was a little disappointed in this because the rest of the book moved at a slower pace throughout a couple months time and then the end covered over half a year in a quick fashion. It didn’t hinder my enjoyable or affect my rating, but I would have gladly had a longer book to see more about Hester and her growing family. 

 

I think those that enjoy sweet found-family and family-centered historical books would probably really enjoy this one like I did. It reminded me at times of the “McAlister Family” duology by Carrie Turansky, so fans of those two books would probably enjoy this book too with the adoption threads and strong faith 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.

*I received this book for free from the Publisher (Waterbrook Multnomah) for this honest review.

"In Pursuit of Civility" by Jen Turano

About this book:

  “Annaliese Merriweather has been appointed the temporary headmistress of the Merriweather Academy for Young Ladies while her sister is on her honeymoon, but she doesn't feel cut out for the role. Especially after she loses two of her most troublesome students during an outing to a county fair and has to recruit the help of Seth McCormick, an eccentric inventor, to retrieve them.
    Soon after, one of those mischievous students disappears again, intent on pursuing a pirate map. Together, Annaliese and Seth set out to find her, accompanied by a menagerie of Annaliese's rescued animal companions. As they stumble from one chaotic situation to the next, sparks fly between Annaliese and Seth. Somehow, they'll need to outwit dangerous individuals also intent on seeking treasure and bring everyone back in one piece--all while deciphering what their hearts desire.”


Series: Book #2 in the “Merriweather Academy for Young Ladies”. Review of Book #1 Here!


Spiritual Content- A Scripture is quoted; A couple talks about God & answered prayers; ’H’s are capital when referring to God; A man accuses Annaliese of giving him a “sermon” about his job as a plume hunter, which makes her quote Proverbs 12:10 and the man says he doesn’t understand Bible verses, so Annaliese shares that she has also been confused when reading the Bible which is why she replies on a good minister to explain the confusing parts to her; A woman comments on always wondering why God gave her the gift of memorization because as a woman she doesn’t get many opportunities to add value to her societies; Mentions of God & God-given gifts; Mentions of prayers, praying, & answered prayers; Mentions of a reverend, church services, & sermons; Mentions of a cross necklace; A few mentions of Bibles & Bible reading; A couple mentions of divine intervention; 
             *Note: Religious exclamations: “good heavens” is said five times; Mentions of a castle being “haunted” by “ghosts” (Book #1); A few mentions of luck; A couple mentions of a fortune teller at a carnival who claims to tell people how and when they will die; A mention of someone “channel[ing]” another (teasingly/used lightly, not in the spiritual sense).
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘darn’, a ‘stupid’, two ‘on my word’s, and four forms of ‘idiot’; A parrot has a “loquaciousness” vocabulary and exclaims “Zut!” (which some online say means “d*mn” in French) nine times (which is repeated once and a woman tries to correct the parrot into not using that word, but the parrot continues to say it anyway); Eye rolling & Sarcasm; Holding others at gun-point (multiple times), an Explosion, & Gunshots (including aimed at animals; up to semi-detailed); Seeing someone held at gun- and knife-point & threatened with harm and death (barely-above-not-detailed); Annaliese is offered a glass of wine by another adult (social drinking) and while the other is said to drink it, it is not clear if Annaliese does; Many mentions of animals being mistreated, hunted for their feathers or fur, taken away from their proper environments, & killed (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of deaths (including Annaliese’s father by an apoplectic fit); Mentions of crime bosses, possibly planned and attempted murder, & foul play involved in someone’s disappearance (Book #1); Mentions of kidnappings/abductions, near kidnappings, kidnappers, & ransoms; Mentions of criminals, crimes, thieves, stealing, pickpocketing, robberies, & stolen items; Mentions of arrests & prison/jail; Mentions of fires, explosions, & grenades; Mentions of threats of shooting or killing someone (including at gun and knife-point); Mentions of weapons, brandishing them at others (including characters carelessly using pistols or pistol-like weapons for the first time but believing she will be a good shot because she’s read books on the subject), gunshots, & bullets; Mentions of someone being shot, in pain, & bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of saloons/taverns, alcohol, & drinking (including social drinking between adults and a teen girl planning to drink moonshine before she is stopped by the bottle being taken away from her); Mentions of sickness (including a mother lying about being sick often to have time to herself; Her older children are aware she’s lying, but do not question it); Mentions of teen girls running away from home; Mentions of lies & lying (including a mother to her family so she can have time to herself; Her older children are aware she’s lying, but do not question it); Mentions of throwing up; A few mentions of gallows/hangings; A few mentions of gossip; A few mentions of eavesdropping; A mention of nightmares; 
             *Note: Comments about & Mentions of women not having as many opportunities as men, publishers not wanting to punish women authors, progressive women, a woman not disliking men but how they control everything a woman can and cannot do, & men saying they will be in trouble with the idea of women demanding the right to vote; A few mentions of celebrities/well-known figures (Leonardo da Vinci, Lord Byron, & Blackbeard); A mention of Romeo and Juliet.
 
 
Sexual Content- A bit of staring at lips (barely-above-not-detailed); an almost kiss (barely-above-not-detailed) and three barely-above-not-detailed kisses; Talks about kisses, kissing, & first kisses; Wanting to kiss & thinking about kissing (barely-above-not-detailed); Seeing a couple kiss (barely-above-not-detailed); Touches, Hand holding, Flutters, Nearness, & Smelling (up to semi-detailed); Blushes; Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); *Spoilers* Towards the end, Annaliese and Seth talk about wanting to kiss each other, but also wanting to just “be” and not have a formal courtship; This stems from Annaliese being concerned that Seth will want a traditional wife which she would not be because of her interests; At the end, they have a discussion about this and share some kisses; A friend tells Annaliese that it’s the 1880s and it’s past time for couples to be able to get to know one another without announcing anything formal; Annaliese realizes in the last couple chapters that she does want to get married to Seth and proposes to him *End of Spoilers*; A woman shudders at the idea of interrupting what some newlyweds were doing when alone together; Mentions of kisses, kissing, & first kisses; Mentions of crushes/infatuations; Mentions of teen girls finding men/young men “dreamy” and ogling them; Mentions of flirting (including teen girls batting their lashes at a boy) & blushes; Mentions of chaperones & reputations; Mentions of romance novels; A few mentions of men’s muscles & teen girls sighing over a man’s muscles; A mention of a man telling another man that the second man’s wife is in love with him (implying an affair); A mention of men eyeing Annaliese like they wanted to devour her; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Conversations about & Mentions of unmentionables & corsets that enhance a woman’s “charms” or bosom (also discussed in mixed company); Mentions of teen girls wanting the enhancer corsets, a woman offering to help with finding undergarments to “enhance a feminine figure”, & a mother not allowing her thirteen-year-old to wear one; A woman digs around in her bodice for a piece of jewelry and while two upright men quickly turn around, two other men gawk of the woman before Annaliese makes them turn around as well; A woman comments about possibly teaching teen girls who to dress in a way that will “really draw” a gentleman’s attention; A mention of a dress with a low neckline; A mention of female praying mantises eating their mate (which makes Annaliese comment that her students’ mothers would not want their daughters to think it’s acceptable to “do away with” one’s mate); A mention of butting heads with someone.
 
-Annaliese Merriweather
-Seth McCormick
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                       Set in 1885
                                                   304 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

After reading “A Lesson in Propriety” last year, I’ve been curious to read Drusilla’s sister’s story and her friend’s story. This book is the sister’s and the next book (releasing in the Spring of 2027) will be the friend’s. This book was quite…zany! Definitely go into this story expecting some silly and dramatic parts, with chaos and adventure thrown in. It’s definitely not a serious story by any means and best for those that enjoy more fluffy—and probably unrealistic—romps in their historical fiction. 

 

As far as our main characters, they are both deemed odd ducks by others, but they go along swimmingly together (pun intended!) because of it and their interests. A very peculiar couple, but they had some cute moments. I didn’t quite feel their romance as they both had their head in their hobbies and then suddenly wanted to kiss the other. I think they worked together because they were both odd by most standards, but I would have liked to see more of their relationship outside of all the crazy events with others that they kept getting swept up into. As a vegan, I appreciated all the animal rescuing and Annaliese’s heart for animals, but it also got to be a little repetitive throughout the book.

 

All the teenaged girls chatter was a bit much to read at times, but I imagine the audiobook would be entertaining due to that. It was dialogue heavy and a lot to read. Norma Jean (Seth’s little sister) was thirteen going on twenty-three with all of her ideas. I’m pretty sure I would have been going gray at a very young she if she was my little sister! She was exhausting at times and drove me a bit crazy.

 

Overall, I wouldn’t say this is a new favorite by Jen Turano, though I did enjoy some elements about it. Because of some comments, I would only suggest this book for ages 15/16+ because while the romance content was lighter between the main couple, there were some other parts I didn’t personally love or feel comfortable with recommending for younger ages.

 

 

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.

"Dare" by Tricia Mingerink

About this book:

  “Courage could cost him everything.
    Third Blade Leith Torren never questions his orders or his loyalty to King Respen until an arrow wound and a prairie blizzard drive him to the doorstep of the girls whose family he once destroyed.
    Their forbidden faith and ties to the Resistance could devastate their family a second time.
    Survival depends on obedience, but freedom beckons. How far does he dare go to resist the king and his Blades?
    No matter what Leith chooses, one thing is certain.
    Someone will die.”


Series: Book #1 in the “Blades of Acktar” series.


Spiritual Content- Daniel 6:10 & 16 at the beginning; Scriptures are mentioned, remembered, quoted, & read; Stories about Daniel are shared and paraphrased (the first handful of chapters); Bible reading; Witnessing & Being witnessed to; Prayers & Blessings over food; Many talks about God, Jesus, Daniel, and not hiding one’s faith; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; In this world, being a Christian and/or owning a Bible is illegal (Leith thinks the king banned the Bible because he doesn’t want to be told that he was under anyone’s control); Renna struggles with the idea of healing Leith, but knows his life isn’t hers to take so she does her best to heal him and places his life in God’s hands; Renna thinks about hiding her faith in front of Leith, but her little sister is not afraid; Renna thinks about how God being for her doesn’t mean she can’t still be arrested or killed for her faith; *Spoilers* Renna’s little sister tells Leith stories about Daniel and God, which interests him; When praying for the first time, Leith doesn’t think he is worthy to be heard by God, but hopes that God will help him for the sake of Renna and her family since God cares about them; Leith feels content with the idea of being used for the good of Renna and her family; Leith doesn’t think God would want him after everything he has done, but another tells him that God will listen to every prayer for Christ’s sake and that Leith is already one of God’s people; Leith wonders if God has adopted him as a son and loved him & feels peace at that thought *End of Spoilers*; Renna thinks that God was silent when her parents were murdered; Many mentions of God, Jesus, trusting Him, God being in control, & His will; Many mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, & those and events in the Bible; Mentions of Christians, faiths, & witnessing; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, secret services, ministers, sermons, & worship; Mentions of miracles; Mentions of cross necklaces; Mentions of sins; A few mentions of Heaven; A mention of devotions; A mention of Godspeed; 
             *Note: Someone comments on facing God’s eternal wrath if you use His name in vain; The king comments about God is imaginary and no match for him; Renna says that God doesn’t work with miracles like Daniel and the lions’ den anymore because “miracles like that are no longer needed” and God works through other ways; Leith remembers seeing those who were killed showing either terror or peace as they saw into the “realm beyond death”; A couple comments from side characters who don’t protect the churches in their areas because they could get hurt for it by the king & having different beliefs than Christians; A conversation where someone says it’s wrong to rebel against the government and the king that he believes God has placed over him (another argues that the government is trying to destroy their faith); Mentions of evil (including someone saying that “all of humanity is evil at its heart”); A couple mentions of luck & being lucky.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘dumb’ and two ‘stupid’s; A mention of a curse (said, not written); Eye rolling; Fighting, Being attacked, Being shot and stabbed, Being cut, Being held at knife-point and nearly killed (x5), Cauterizing a wound, Pain, Injuries, Blood/Bleeding, & Passing out (semi-detailed); Imagining killing someone & being killed (including in a nightmare, up to semi-detailed); Seeing others killed, blood, & the bodies (mostly slit-throats; including Renna remembering seeing her parents killed, up to semi-detailed); Helping someone injured and bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Leith is an assassin & has killed or helped killed others before; Renna struggles with wishing that Leith would die due to his role in her parent’s murders; Many mentions of deaths/murders (including of parents), assassinations, bodies, blood/bleeding, weapons, & grief (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of a war & fighting; Mentions of torture & executions; Mentions of slaves & being slaves to a man; Mentions of a kidnapping; Mentions of threats (of harm and death); Mentions of arrests; Mentions of stealing, stolen items, & thieves; Mentions of a tavern, alcohol, & a drunk; Mentions of lies, lying, & deception; Mentions of gossip, rumors, & eavesdropping; Mentions of hatred; A few mentions of nightmares; A couple mentions of beatings & being whipped; A couple mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of gambling/card games; 
             *Note: Leith’s father was a physically abusive drunk & sold him to cover a debt; Leith doesn’t think his mother wanted him. 
 
 
Sexual Content- An embrace & a bit of smelling (barely-above-not-detailed); Some noticing (including muscles and a form-hugging dress, barely-above-not-detailed); Some blushes; A Blade kidnaps a teen girl in order to “have some fun”with her (but Leith stops anything from happening by ordering the other Blade to take her back; This is mentioned a handful of times again); Mentions of crushes, infatuation, & blushes; A couple mentions of a married couple sharing a couple kisses; A mention of a girl who had “all but draped herself against” a guy; A mention of a girl making eyes at a boy; 
             *Note: Renna tries to kick a guy in a “sensitive area” in self-defense but misses.
 
-Leith Torren, age 18
-Renna, age 17
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                                        336 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Pre Teens- 

New Teens-

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

There’s three series in the Christian YA market I’ve been meaning to read for years, but have pushed off because I’ve been intimidated by them despite having many book friends that enjoy the books. I’ve made it a goal the past three years to finally start on them, but it’s never happened until now with “Dare”. This series intimidates me the least of the three, so I decided to start it first. I do think it still might be too violent at times for my tastes, but I guess we will see as the series continues what I think about it on that element.  

 

The pacing of this book was interesting because while it felt slow with actual plot points, it moved fast. Which feels like a total contradiction, but basically it means that while not a lot happened at first, I was reading and looked down at the page number and was surprised that I was already seventy pages in. That’s kind of how the whole book felt because while there’s some major plot events, not a ton happens in the grand scheme of taking down an evil king, but yet I still read it faster than normal. 

 

On the violence: while it’s not super gory, some parts were a bit much for my visual brain and why my personal rating is lower. I honestly think those that are okay with fighting and blood and whatnot in PG-13 rated action movies would probably be fine with this one, but those aren’t movies I gravitate towards, so I was reading through squinted eyes at those scenes. 

 

I did really like all the faith content and the parallels to Daniel. When I first started this book, I didn’t realize it was going to have a lot of faith content plainly shared; I was expecting an allegory or another name used for God, so it was a nice surprise to have God and Jesus talked about on-page and very often. It was neat and great to see strong Christian faith content. Leith’s faith arc was well done and reminded me of Saul/Paul in the Bible. I can see the hype for this series based off of the faith moments alone and I have to admit that I’m curious to see what will happen next for our main characters.

 

 

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.