Books for Christian Girls: "A Lady Unrivaled" by Roseanna M. White

About this book:

“Lady Ella Myerston can always find a reason to smile--even if it's just in hope that tomorrow will be better than today. All her life everyone has tried to protect her from the realities of the world, but Ella knows very well the danger that has haunted her brother and their friend, and she won't wait for it to strike again. She intends to take action . . . and if that happens to involve an adventurous trip to the Cotswolds, then so much the better.
Lord Cayton has already broken two hearts, including that of his first wife, who died before he could convince himself to love her. Now he's determined to live a better life. But that proves complicated when old friends arrive on the scene and try to threaten him into a life of crime. He does his best to remove the intriguing Lady Ella from danger, but the stubborn girl won't budge. How else can he redeem himself, though, but by saving her--and his daughter--from those dangerous people who seem ready to destroy them all?”

Series: Book #3 in the “Ladies of the Manor” series. (Review of #1 Here! Review of #2 Here!)

Spiritual Content- Romans 5:5 at the beginning; Many Prayers; Witnessing; Scriptures are read, mentioned, quoted & remembered; Talks about God, Jesus, believing, hope, forgiveness, trusting, prayers & what He wants us to be; Talks about religions, faiths, what more is out there, & being ruled; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God (‘himself’ is not); Kira grew up with a faith; Many mentions of God, His guidance, hope & forgiveness; Many mentions of prayers; Mentions of Bible reading, studying & books of the Bible; Mentions of churches, preachers & worshiping; Mentions of sharing about one’s faith with another; Mentions of Heaven & angels; Mentions of Easter & eternal life; A couple mentions of praises; A couple mentions of hymns; A couple mentions of being blessed; A couple mentions of crossing; A couple mentions of sins; A mention of being godly;

*Note: All about diamonds that are said to have a curse & the original idol they belong it; Mentions of religious artifacts & a tiger god statue/idol (and its story); Mentions of Hinduism, their gods/deities & curses; Mentions of spirits & putting bread on their graves on Easter to represent their souls flying to Heaven; Mentions of the Russian belief/legend that heaven is somewhere on earth; A few mentions of a man who was excommunicated from a church; A few mentions of a sermon about going to Hades because of sins; A mention of a godforsaken world.

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘blamed’, a ‘dashed’, a ‘drat it all’, a ‘shut up’, a ‘what in blazes’, a ‘why in blazes’, three forms of ‘why/what in thunder’, eight ‘blasted’s, eight forms of ‘blast it’, eight ‘idiot’s, twelve ‘drat’s, twelve ‘stupid’s; A few mentions of curses (said, not written); A couple mentions of strong language; Sarcasm, Sass & Eye rolling; Kidnappings, gags and ropes & guns aimed; Shooting someone, blood & deaths (up to semi-detailed); Threats of killing & harming (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of murders, killings, deaths, bodies, illnesses & injuries (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of those who almost died, got killed or got shot at (Book #1 & #2); Mentions of Book #1’s kidnapping; Mentions of murders, bodies, how it happened & not much being left over (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of guns aimed & bullets shot (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of a seizure, broken glass, being hit/shot, blood & wounds (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of killing & killing kin; Mentions of threats of killing; Mentions of infants dying & drugs; Mentions of pain; Mentions of a war & fighting; Mentions of abuse, clubbing someone & bruises; Mentions of boxing & hitting; Mentions of gambling, gaming hells, clubs, bets & debts; Mentions of thieves & criminals; Mentions of prison/jail; Mentions of jealousy; Mentions of a sanitarium & a mad woman; Mentions of nightmares; Mentions of lying & lies; Mentions of gossip; A few mentions of blood & broken bones; A few mentions of hunting; A few mentions of thugs; A couple mentions of being slapped & slapping; A couple mentions of cigarettes; A mention of a pub; A mention of a hanging.

Sexual Content- hand kisses, three cheek kisses, two forehead kisses, a not-detailed kiss, six barely-above-not-detailed kiss, a boarder-line semi-detailed // detailed kiss, and a detailed kiss; Kira is a mistress & her job is to make him happy (but she won’t be involved with a married man & so their “affair of the heart” is bound to end soon due to her decision, so he says; she says she’s one of his possessions); Touches, Heat/Warmth, Tingles/Shivers, Embraces, Dances & Nearness (up to semi-detailed); Noticing, Smelling & Butterflies (up to semi-detailed); a ‘rake’, two ‘hoyden’s; Talks about kissing & kisses; Many mentions of kisses, kissing & lips touching; Many mentions of flirting, jesting, blushes, suitors & courting; Many mentions of midwives, labor, screams, a baby’s position in the womb, & sickness; Many mentions of wives who died in childbirth, and the blood & the bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of losing children (deaths); Mentions of a doctor taking a pregnant woman’s baby out early, the surgery & eclampsia; Mentions of a man who married a girl, got her pregnant & then left (most believe he ran away, she believes he’ll be back); Mentions of illegitimate children; Mentions of finding romance; Mentions of teasing friends about relationships; Mentions of chaperones, reputations & having to get married due to being alone; Mentions of slapping due to taken liberties; Mentions of touches & suggestive ones (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of forgetting someone & putting her of a man’s mind because he’s married to another; Mentions of flirting & getting a man’s attention; Mentions of jealousy & a man flaunting his mistress around; Mentions of mistresses, such arrangements & affairs; Mentions of an employer’s advances & betraying her lover; Mentions of a woman having to play her late husband’s debt to the men he owned (money, death or otherwise, it’s hinted); Mentions of Book#2 when a maid was attacked (also related: mentions of a maid ending up dead after a man she fancied dallied with her); Mentions of a man (called a monster) wanting to & being allowed to touch a woman (a couple mentions of suffering at his hands); A few mentions of fancying someone; A few mentions of a man’s harem, a woman who was too old for it & an illegitimate child; A couple mentions of swooning; A couple mentions of a wife who was a bit more than a convenience to her husband; A couple mentions of the occasional coarse comments a husband would say about his wife’s willingness to go into his arms; A couple mentions of miscarriages; A couple mentions of wet nurses; A mention of a stolen kiss & a slap; A mention of fumbling a stolen kiss; A mention of a woman being accosted; A mention of a rumor of a husband leaving for another woman; Love, attraction, falling in love & the emotions;

*Note: A few mentions of a very provocative ballet (Kira would hate to see her father’s reaction to her being in it); A couple hints of ballerinas who embraced a certain life (becoming mistresses) and how Kira wanted to avoid it; A couple mentions of figures.

-(Lady) Ella Myerston

-(Lord) James Cayton
P.O.V. switches between them & Kira (Sophie)

Set in 1913
408 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

When I first entered this novel, I was slightly nervous. The previous book let me down highly, and I wasn’t sure how this final conclusion would do. The author is talented and does a lot of research, I will give her that, but there are parts I found that weren’t needed at all. She wove a very interesting mystery, but I was honestly disappointed—yet again—in the content.

I really liked Ella, she honestly reminded me of myself at many parts. Cayton was a sweet father and I liked the two of them together. Had it been more about them, I think it would have been better, but, again, there were so many parts that weren’t needed or could have been changed. Must there be a lusting jerk in every historical book?! Y’all, I’ve read more historical books with one than without, it’s beyond irritating.

See y’all on Friday with a new review!