Friday, March 29, 2019

"A Silken Thread" by Kim Vogel Sawyer


About this book:

  For readers who love a heartwarming romance and a rich historical setting comes a tale of a young woman with a heavy burden, the International Cotton Exposition, and the pursuit of true love.
  Eighteen-year-old Laurel Millard, youngest of seven children, is expected to stay home and "take care of Mama" by her older siblings, but Laurel has dreams of starting her own family. Operating a silk loom at the Atlanta Exposition will give her the chance to capture the heart of a man wealthy enough to take care of Laurel and any children she might bear, as well as her mother.
  Langdon Rochester's parents have given him an ultimatum: settle down with a wife or lose his family inheritance. At the Exposition, Langdon meets Laurel. Marrying her would satisfy his parents's command, she would look lovely on his arm for social events, and in her besotted state, he believes she would overlook him continuing pursuing rowdy adventures with his unmarried buddies. Langdon decides to woo Laurel. Willie Sharp is not well-off and must take on an extra job at the Atlanta Exposition as a security guard. When mischief-makers cause trouble in the Women's Building, Willie is put in charge of keeping the building secure. He enjoys visiting with Laurel, who seems like the little sister he never had, but his feelings for Laurel change to something much deeper. Can Willie convince Laurel that he can give her better life--even with so little to offer?”


Series: As of now, no.


Spiritual Content- Luke 6:31 at the beginning; Scriptures are mentioned, quoted, read, & discussed; Prayers & Thanking God; Church going & sermons; Many talks about God, His will, & praying; ‘H’s are capitalized when referring to God; Many mentions of God & His will; Many mentions of prayers, praying, blessings over food, & thanking God; Mentions of Bibles & Bible reading; Mentions of those & events in the Bible; Mentions of faiths; Mentions of churches, church going, sermons, services, hymns, tithing, & pastors/preachers; A few mentions of blessings & being blessed; A couple mentions of angels; A mention of Heaven; A mention of sin;
             *Note: Quincy wonders at a couple points if God loves the white folks a bit more than the black folks because it seemed like the white people had it easier (his momma boxed his ears for wondering that out loud).


Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a form of ‘dumb’, two ‘shut up’s, and three ‘stupid’s; Some eye rolling; Mentions of curses (said, not written); Being beaten/attacked, Injuries, & Pain (Willie, barely-above-not-detailed); Being threatened by weapons & held in jail (Quincy); Facing prejudice & Hearing prejudice comments; All about many mentions of slavery, slaves, the Civil War, deaths, prejudice, & prejudice comments (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of break-ins, vandalism, thieves, stealing, & stolen items; Mentions of crimes & criminals; Mentions of being arrested & in jail; Mentions of threats & threatening; Mentions of jealousy; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, & drunks; A few mentions of an accident & death; A few mentions of accidents & injuries; A few mentions of card playing/gambling; A few mentions of hunting; A couple mentions of blackmail; A few mentions of lies & lying; A couple mentions of cigars & smoking; A couple mentions of killing worms for their silk; A mention of men being lynched.


Sexual Content- two hand kisses and a semi-detailed kiss; Touches, Embraces, & Blushes; Mentions of flirting & playing with others’ hearts; Mentions of jealousy; Mentions of blushes; A few mentions of men fathering children out of wedlock & having to get married; A few mentions of kisses & kissing; A couple mentions of romance books; A mention of women being molested (doesn’t happen, not-detailed); A mention of ruined reputations; A mention of swooning; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Mentions of Laurel’s mother nearly dying while delivering her and her twin (the twin did not make it); A couple mentions of miscarriages; A mention of breastfeeding; A mention of butting heads.

-Laurel Millard, age 18
-Langdon Rochester, age 23
-Willie Sharp
                                P.O.V. switches between them & Quincy
                                             Set in 1895
                                                        333 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

When I first started this novel, I wasn’t sure what I would think about it by the end as it felt pretty slow to me at times. Because of the four point of views, I don’t think we really got to know any of the characters very well or see their character development.
Laurel was a bit flat with her emotions, but I think that may have been because of her not socializing much. Her goal for getting a job was to meet a man. She was okay, but not my favorite main heroine.
Langdon was the typical player/flirt but not so much in the sexual side of those kinds of characters. He was more deceiving and manipulative with Laurel than interested in ruining her reputation, so the book was cleaner in those regards and I appreciate that very much. The ending made my rating go up a full star.
Willie & Quincy were friends and I liked hearing about their backstories together. The prejudice plot was very important to this story, but there were no mentions of gruesome actions which continued making this book cleaner than most on these topics.


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 (Waterbook) for this honest review.

Friday, March 22, 2019

"Lizzie and the Redcoat" by Susan Martins Miller


About this book:

  “Tensions simmer in 1765 Boston, home to twelve-year-old Lizzie Murray. Residents of the city are dividing over loyalty to England-and the divisions strike within Lizzie's own family, as her brother and father often find themselves at odds. When a mob wounds a young British soldier, Lizzie chooses to help the frightened Redcoat-a move that brings even more trouble to her life. Where is God in the emotional upheaval afflicting the colonies? Can Lizzie overcome the fear that weighs on her soul? Written especially for eight- to twelve-year-old girls, this story teaches important lessons of American history and the Christian faith.”


Series: Book #4 in the “Sisters in Time” series. Reviews of #1, #2, and #3.


Spiritual Content- A couple Prayers; Talks about God; ‘H’s are capitalized when referring to God; Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of churches, church going, & a preacher; A mention of thanking God; A mention of blessings.


Negative Content- Minor cussing including: an ‘idiot’ and a ‘stupid’, A couple mentions of foul name calling; A bit of eye rolling; Seeing a fight, people injured, someone shot, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); *Spoiler* Lizzie and her family help a redcoat and near the end, it is said that the young man was killed by a mob, Lizzie is very sad to hear this *End of Spoiler*; Mentions of puppets hanging in a tree representing actual people & burning them; Mentions of wars, fighting, fights, injuries, pain, & blood/bleeding; Mentions of illegal activities & actions; Mentions of mobs, riots, & gangs; Mentions of fires & vandalism; Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of a group pf boys trying to scare/threaten a horse (they are stopped before the horse gets injured); A few mentions of drunks & alcohol; A couple mentions of threats.


Sexual Content- N/A

-Lizzie Murray, age 11-13
                                P.O.V. of Lizzie
                                           Set in 1764-1766
                                                        143 pages

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Pre Teens-
New Teens-
Early High School Teens-
Older High School Teens-
My personal Rating-
While definitely more serious than the previous books in this series, it was an interesting historical read that’s aimed for the pre-teen market and not too detailed or heavy about the historical events.


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.