"Emma's Secret" by Veda Boyd Jones

About this book:

  “Twelve-year-old Emma Farley has a secret hope-but in 1832, in the rough frontier city of Cincinnati, will she ever be able to live her dream? The odds are against her, considering society's views of "women's work," as well as the more immediate and frightening problems she face-a massive flood of the Ohio River and an epidemic of cholera. Using actual historical events to tell a compelling coming-of-age story, Emma's Secret shows young readers that God-given dreams are meant to be followed.”


Series: Book #9 in the “Sisters in Time” series. Click on the numbers to be taken to that review: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, & #8.


Spiritual Content- A couple Scriptures are mentioned; Prayers & Thanking God; ‘H’s are capitalized when referring to God; Church going & sermons; Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers, thanking God, & blessings over food; Mentions of Bibles & Bible reading; Mentions of churches, church going, pastors, sermons, & hymns; A few mentions of thanking God; A few mentions of Christian burials; A couple mentions of blessings; A couple mentions of a nun; A mention of Heaven.

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: four ‘dumb’s; Bickering & a few mean words between Emma and Rob; Mentions of cholera, symptoms, deaths, doctor activities, & using leeches on people (that might not be for those with weak stomachs, barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of rotting animal carcasses & awful smells (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of hurt animals (and either helping them, putting them down, or them dying and studying the bodies, barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of fires & an arsonist; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, & drunks; A few mentions of lies & lying; A couple mentions of throwing up; A couple mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of hatred; A couple mentions of rumors; A mention of no drownings in the flood; A mention of blood from a slaughterhouse turning a creek red; A mention of eye rolling.

Sexual Content- N/A

-Emma Farley, age 10
                                P.O.V. of Emma

                                            Set in 1832
                                                    141 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

Like prior books in the series, there are some parts that sound very familiar to other books, but the names don’t match up which can be confusing to readers who notice. Girls interested in becoming a doctor or veterinarian would most likely enjoy this one. Emma has her moments of bickering with Rob in a mean way, but they work things out each time.

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.

"The Cactus Creek Challenge" by Erica Vetsch

About this book:

  “Anything he can do, I can do better.
  At least that was what Cassie Bucknell thought before she pinned on Ben Wilder’s badge and took to patrolling the streets of Cactus Creek, Texas. Cassie has been in love with Ben since primer school, but Ben treats her like a little sister. When they are picked to swap jobs for a month as part of the annual Cactus Creek Challenge in their Texas hometown, the schoolhouse is thrown into an uproar, the jail becomes a temporary bank vault, and Cassie and Ben square off in a battle of wills that becomes a battle for their hearts.”


Series: No.


Spiritual Content- Scriptures are quoted; Prayers; Church going, sermons, & hymns; Mentions of God & His will; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of churches, church going, services, Bibles, & hymnals; A couple mentions of someone in the Bible;

             *Note: A couple boys are called the limbs of Satan because of their pranks; A mention of speaking about the devil.

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: two ‘dumb’s, four forms of ‘sissy’, eight forms of ‘idiot’, and eight ‘stupid’s; Eye rolling; Fighting, Blood, & Injuries (up to semi-detailed); A kidnapping & shooting/killing the kidnapper (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of outlaws/gangs/thieves, arrests, assaults, prisoners, & jails; Mentions of Jenny’s late husband being physically abusive to her & verbally abusive to their daughter; Mentions of a kidnapping, ransom, & a corpse; Mentions of fighting, fights, & blood (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of threats of harming (including a kidnapper telling a child that he should have cut her throat and slapping her); Mentions of pranks, explosions, fires, & TNT; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, drunks (including Jenny’s ex who was a very mean drunk), & saloons; A few mentions of a fire & injuries; A few mentions of robberies; A few mentions of cigars & smoking; A few mentions of jealousy; A few mentions of gossip; A few mentions of hunting & killing a mountain lion that killed calves; A couple mentions of gambling; A couple mentions of liars & lying; A couple mentions of hatred; A couple mentions of animal poo; A mention of a horse going to the glue factory; A mention of a wanting to give someone a spanking.

Sexual Content- two barely-above-not-detailed forehead kisses, two barely-above-not-detailed kisses, a semi-detailed kiss, a border-line semi-detailed // detailed kiss, and a detailed kiss; Remembering a kiss (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to kiss/be kissed (up to semi-detailed); Touches, Embraces, & Smelling (including when one of our main girls’ sits on a man’s lap, up to semi-detailed); Wanting to touch/be touched (barely-above-not-detailed); Noticing & Nearness (up to semi-detailed); Remembering nearness & touches (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of kisses & kissing; Mentions of touches (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of crushes, blushes, & winks; Mentions of love letters; A few mentions of reputations; A few mentions of handsome men; A couple mentions of a drunk mistaking Cassie for a sporting woman and trying to proposition her; A couple mentions of jealousy; Love, falling in love, & the emotions (x2 couples);

             *Note: Mentions of a horse giving birth (barely-above-not-detailed); A couple mentions of butting in/out of someone’s business; A couple mentions of kicking a man in his private area (one young boy calls it the “goolies”) when in trouble; A young boy mentions his “manly bits”.

-Cassie Bucknell, age 19

-Ben Wilder, age 24
                                P.O.V. switches between them, Jenny, & Carl

                                            Set in 1888
                                                        316 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

While the plot of this book is fun (albeit unrealistic, of course), I wasn’t the biggest fan of Ben’s attitude towards Cassie for the majority of the book. I wouldn’t quite call it belittling, but he did talk negatively about her lessons and her being a sheriff for the month. He later felt bad about such comments, but never really apologized. All while Cassie has a major crush on him. Their bickering didn’t feel like they really liked each other most of the times, so I found it hard to believe they could work it out. Jenny & Carl weren’t the best couple either, but not the worse I’ve read. I’m not really one for reading two love lines in one book, personally. Others may enjoy this book more, but I don’t think it’s for me anymore.

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.