Sunday, February 23, 2014

"The Dancing Master" by Julie Klassen

{Five thousand page reviews!!! Eeek! Thank you to every viewer of BFCG! To celebrate we may just be having another giveaway... ;) }



About this book:

Finding himself the man of the family, London dancing master Alec Valcourt moves his mother and sister to remote Devonshire, hoping to start over. But he is stunned to learn the village matriarch has prohibited all dancing, for reasons buried deep in her past.
  Alec finds an unlikely ally in the matriarch's daughter. Though he's initially wary of Julia Midwinter's reckless flirtation, he comes to realize her bold exterior disguises a vulnerable soul--and hidden sorrows of her own.
  Julia is quickly attracted to the handsome dancing master--a man her mother would never approve of--but she cannot imagine why Mr. Valcourt would leave London, or why he evades questions about his past. With Alec's help, can Julia uncover old secrets and restore life to her somber village. . .and to her mother's tattered heart?”



 Series: Stand-alone


Spiritual Content- Prayers are said, Church going (One sermon is written), Scriptures are quoted.


Negative Content- Minor (historical) cussing: a ‘bigot’, a ‘witch’, a ‘frowsy’ and three ‘dash it’s; Alec tells himself to “gird up your loins”.


Sexual Content- One (pretty detailed) kiss; A baby was born out of wedlock; Alec’s father was accused of attracting one of his young students, no details were said.

-Julia Midwinter
-Alec Valcourt
                                                              P.O.V. switches between them and Lady Amelia
                                       Set in 1816 (Prologue set in 1815, Epilogue in 1818)
                                                                       419 pages

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I’m so impressed by the details and back stories each character had! Each one seemed so real and like I was reading a journal from that time period. Probably best for High Schoolers and up.





*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 for this review.

Thursday, February 20, 2014

"Sadie's Secret" by Kathleen Y'Barbo

From bestselling author Kathleen Y'Barbo comes Sadie's Secret, the third book in The Secret Lives of Will Tucker series. These historical novels capture the romance of the South mingled with adventure and laced with secret identities and hidden agendas.


About this book:

Louisiana, 1890--Sarah Louise "Sadie" Callum is a master of disguise, mostly due to her training as a Pinkerton agent but also from evading overprotective brothers as she grew up. When she takes on a new assignment with international connections, she has no idea her new cover will lead her on the adventure of a lifetime.

Undercover agent William Jefferson Tucker is not looking for marriage--pretend or otherwise--but his past is a secret, his twin brother has stolen his present, and his future is in the hands of the lovely Sadie Callum. Without her connections to the world of upper-crust New Orleans, Jefferson might never find a way to clear his name and solve the art forgery case that has eluded him for years.

Only God can help these two secret agents find a way to solve their case and uncover the truth about what is going on in their hearts.



 Series: ‘The Secret Lives of Will Tucker’ book #3


Spiritual Content- Genesis 4:9 in the front, John 15:13 is written; Talks about God.


Negative Content- A couple (not detailed) gun wounds.


Sexual Content- Many (also not detailed) kisses.

-Sadie Callum
-Jefferson Tucker
                                                       P.O.V. switches between them
                                                                 Set in 1890
                                                                       340 pages

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I have not read book one or two in the “The Secret Lives of Will Tucker” series, so I was reading it slowly trying to remember who’s who. This was the first book I’ve read by Kathleen Y’Barbo that wasn’t a “Love Inspired” novel. I thought this book was a delightful read. 




 
*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 FIRST Wild Card blog tours for this review.


Tuesday, February 18, 2014

"The Quilted Heart Omnibus" by Mona Hodgson {3-in-1 Collection}





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About “Dandelions on the Wind” by Mona Hodgson, the first book in this collection.


Tattered relationships and broken hearts, like a quilt, can be pieced together by God’s love. 
  When   Maren Jensen took a job on Elsa Brantenberg’s St. Charles, Missouri farm, she never expected to call the place her home. As she grows to love Mrs. Brantenberg and her granddaughter, Gabi, Maren is transformed from a lonely mail-order bride-without-a-groom to a beloved member of the Brantenberg household.
 But when Gabi’s father, Rutherford “Woolly” Wainwright, returns to the farm unexpectedly, everything changes for Maren. Despite the failing eyesight that caused her suitor to reject her, she can see that Woolly desperately needs to reconnect with the family he abandoned when his grief sent him running toward the army—and into the Civil War. She also senses there could be something more between the widower and herself, if either can move beyond their past hurts. 
  Comforted and counseled by the wisdom of the women in her beloved quilting circle, Maren begins to discover the cost such decisions demand of her heart. Are her choices in obedience to God, or is she running from His plan? Is it too late for love to be stitched into the fabric of her life?



 Series: Book #1 in the ‘Quilted Hearts’ series (book #2 & #3 scroll down) Has sequel series “Hearts Seeking Home”, book #1 in that series Here!)


Spiritual Content- Psalm 119:105 in the front; Scriptures are quoted; Prayers are said; Maren trusts God with her sight and says so.


Negative Content- Rutherford/Woolly has two flash backs about raids, neither of them detailed.


Sexual Content- A kiss

-Maren Jensen
-Rutherford “Woolly” Wainwright

                                                              P.O.V. switches between them & Emilie
                                                                       123 pages
                                                   Set in 1865

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It took me about half the book to really get into this book, but once I was in I liked it!


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About “Bending Towards the Sun” by Mona Hodgson, the second book in this collection.


Can the Divine Quilter stitch together the torn pieces of Emilie’s heart?
  Divided between the love of her father and the desires of her heart, Emilie Heinrich must rely on the love and wisdom of the women in her quilting circle for support. Since Emilie is dedicated to her education and to helping her father in his general store, she is convinced she doesn't have time for love. But when a childhood friend returns to St. Charles, Missouri, after serving in the Civil War, his smile and charm captures Emilie’s eye and her heart.
  Quaid McFarland has a gentleness and humor that causes Emilie to question her indifference toward romance. But her German father sees only one thing when he looks at the young man: an Irish teamster.   And Johann Heinrich is not about to let such a man court his beloved daughter.
  Her father’s prejudices test Emilie’s faith in God’s ability to mend the patchwork pieces of her life. Will she be forced to choose between honoring her father and a future with a husband and family of her own?



 Series: Book #2 in the ‘Quilted Hearts’ series (book #1 scroll up & #3 scroll down) Has sequel series “Hearts Seeking Home”, book #1 in that series Here!)


Spiritual Content- Proverbs 4:23 in the front; Proverbs 3:5-6; 1 Samuel 16:7; Emilie has a Faith but Quaid is re-learning to trust God in all things


Negative Content- N/A


Sexual Content- When Quaid sees Emilie  he wonders when she “…got tall…and shapely?”; Kisses

-Emilie Heinrich
-Quaid McFarland

                                                              P.O.V. switches between them & Caroline
                                                                       128 pages
                                                   Set in 1865

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I liked this one a bit more than the first because of the detail and back-stories.





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About “Ripples Along the Shore” by Mona Hodgson, the third & last book in this collection.


Can a War Widow Escape Her Grief—and Find God’s Promise—on a Wagon Train West?
  When Caroline Milburn steps off the boat and back into her hometown of St. Charles, MO, part of her wishes she could step right back on board and sail away. St. Charles, though home to her beloved friends and quilting circle, hasn’t felt like home since the death of her husband. And living with her sister, Jewell’s family hasn’t provided much balm for her grieving heart. Caroline knows something needs to change—but for now she’s stuck sharing her sister’s home, and enduring the anger and bitterness of her brother-in-law.
  But change is brewing in St. Charles. A group of brave souls are preparing to head west on the Boones Lick Wagon Train, led by the mysterious and handsome Garrett Cowlishaw. Despite her dislike for Mr. Cowlishaw, who served as a Confederate soldier in the war that killed her husband, Caroline is tempted to join the wagon train and start fresh somewhere new.
  When the lovely young widow makes her intentions to travel west known, Garrett Cowlishaw forbids her—a single woman—to travel with them. Will one man’s prejudice destroy Caroline’s hope for a new future? Or will the ripples of God’s love bring the answer she needs?



 Series: Book #3 in the ‘Quilted Hearts’ series (book #1 & #2 scroll up) Has sequel series “Hearts Seeking Home”, book #1 in that series Here!)


Spiritual Content- James 4:10 in the front; Caroline & Garret pray and go to church; Caroline feels like she’s not as strong in her Faith as she was and goes to church and feels better.


Negative Content- N/A


Sexual Content- (not detail) Kisses.

-Caroline Milburn
-Garret Cowlishaw

                                                              P.O.V. switches between them & Anna
                                                                       128 pages
                                                   Set in 1866

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I think this one was my favorite out of the three in the series, because of the realness of Caroline.


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Overall 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 for this review.