Books for Christian Girls: "The Spice King" by Elizabeth Camden

About this book:

“Gray Delacroix has dedicated his life to building an acclaimed global spice empire, but it has come at a cost. Resolved to salvage his family before they spiral out of control, he returns to his ancestral home for good after years of traveling the world.

As a junior botanist for the Smithsonian, Annabelle Larkin has been charged with the impossible task of gaining access to the notoriously private Delacroix plant collection. If she fails, she will be out of a job and the family farm in Kansas will go under. She has no idea that in gaining entrance to the Delacroix world, she will unwittingly step into a web of dangerous political intrigue far beyond her experience.

Unable to deny her attraction to the reclusive business tycoon, Annabelle will be forced to choose between her heart and loyalty to her country. Can Gray and Annabelle find a way through the storm of scandal without destroying the family Gray is fighting to save?”

Series: Book #1 in the “Hope and Glory” trilogy.

Spiritual Content- Prayers; Talks about God & His plans; ‘H’s are capitalized when referring to God; Gray isn’t much of a praying man, but knows that God has blessed him; Mentions of God, Jesus, & doing your best; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of thanking God & heavens; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, & a couple mentions of Scriptures; Mentions of blessings & being blessed; Mentions of sins & & salvation; Mentions of monks & monasteries; A couple mentions of Judas Iscariot & the 30 pieces of silver; A mention of a godsend; A mention of a greenhouse being like the Garden of Eden; A mention of the Holy Grail;

*Note: Annabelle and her sister have a horseshoe for luck (Annabelle prays that it continues to serve them well); “What in the name of all that is holy is going on?” is said once; A mention of someone being guilty as sin; A mention of a damning list; A mention of a devilish smile; A mention of a professor possibly making an alter for a certain plant; A mention of a talisman.

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘holy moly’, a ‘shoddy’, a ‘shut up’, two ‘bah!’s, three forms of ‘give a fig’, three ‘idiot’s, and seven forms of ‘stupid’; A few mentions of curses (said, not written, by Gray); Sarcasm & eye rolling; Pain (up to semi-detailed); Gray accepts a cheroot from a man (even though he’s not much for smoking) since he knows it’s important to mingle with another culture on business deals; Many mentions of rebellions, possible treason, traitors, spies, crimes, arrests, imprisonment, prisons/jails, & it being a hanging offense; Mentions of wars, deaths, & injuries; Mentions of people dying because of a falsely labeled product (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of someone going blind because of an illness and falling into depression; Mentions of illegal actions, smuggling, & weapons; Mentions of fights, fighting, & injuries; Mentions of cheating & cheaters; Mentions of blackmail, debts, & bribes; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of rumors & gossip; Mentions of smoking, pipes, cigarettes, cigars, & tobacco; Mentions of social drinking, drinking, alcohol, taverns/bars, drunks, being sober; A couple mentions of an accident & deaths; A couple mentions of a near drowning; A couple mentions of thefts; A mention of embezzlement;

*Note: Annabelle’s sister is blind, has a couple panic attacks, & wonders why she’s alive (Annabelle tells her she’s still alive because God has plans for her); Mentions of authors, books, & characters.

Sexual Content- A finger-to-lips touch, a barely-above-not-detailed kiss, and a semi-detailed kiss; Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, Warmth, & Nearness (barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes & Winks; Noticing; Mentions of flirting & flirts; A few mentions of chaperones; A couple mentions of a man who got his children’s nanny pregnant & then accused her of theft so she would run away before his wife found out; A couple mentions of a warning of keeping your hands off of someone (and verse-versa); A couple mentions of a woman being described as ravishing & mouthwatering; A couple mentions of jealousy; A mention of a married man’s pregnant mistress; A mention of a man casting covetous glances at another man’s wife; A mention of a rumored affair; A mention of a man possibly getting in trouble chasing skirts (women); Love, falling in love, & the emotions;

*Note: A couple mentions of bare-chested men (not sexual); A mention of an engaged couple wanting to hurry to get married because he isn’t getting any younger and they want to have a child as soon as possible; A mention of a twenty-three year age gap between a couple.

-Annabelle Larkin

-Gray Delacroix, age 40

P.O.V. switches between them

Set in 1900

348 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

Oooh, something I find very interesting is the politics of the food industry, the history, and the amount of foods approved in the US for human consummation that is loaded with chemicals and dyes. It was fascinating to see a glimpse of how it was in 1900 and I’m sure I will be doing bunny trails of research on these historical events soon.

Another part I really enjoyed was that while it was somewhat insta-love between Annabelle and Gray, I liked the difference from the typical romance book formula that they were together as a couple more in the beginning of the book than the middle. It was different and refreshing because it felt overall cleaner and lighter on the romance side because of that. I would say this is probably the author's cleanest book yet (not including the rest of this series, as I haven't read them yet) in regards to the romance elements.

Aside from their jobs and romance, Annabelle and Gray were more of a neutral couple for me, I didn’t absolutely love them together, but I didn’t dislike them together either. Mainly, I was just enjoying the plotline of the food industry and all the plants.

This book is an easy four stars for me. And while I don’t think the rest of the trilogy will top this book for me, I do plan on reading them soon to find out more about these characters.

See y’all on Friday with a new review!