Books for Christian Girls: "The Swindler's Daughter" by Stephenia H. McGee

About this book:

  “A surprise inheritance. A cache of family secrets. A choice that will change her life forever.
   Lillian Doyle has lived her entire high-society life with her widowed mother, believing her father died long ago. But when news arrives that her estranged father only recently passed away--in jail--Lillian is startled to find that the man has left a business and all of his possessions to her, making her a rather unusual heiress.
    When she goes to take possession of her father's house in a backwoods Georgia town, the dilapidated structure is already occupied by another woman who claims it was promised to her son, Jonah. In her attempts to untangle the mess, Lillian will discover not only a family she never knew she had but a family business that is more than meets the eye--and has put a target on her back.
    To discover the truth and take hold of the independence she's always dreamed of, she'll have to make friends with adversaries and strangers--especially Jonah, the dusty and unrefined cowboy who has secret aspirations of his own.”

Series: As of now, no, a stand-alone novel.

Spiritual Content- Psalm 32:8 at the beginning; A few Scriptures are remembered & quoted; Prayers & Thanking God (including one by a criminal); Talks about God, His will, & wondering why bad things happen; 'H's are not capital when referring to God; A couple characters (Jonah & his mother) ask God why nothing is easy for them (she takes it in stride, but he feels like a failure because of all of his plans not working out); Jonah feels like God thwarts him and his plans at every turn (he feels bitter for the majority of the book, *Spoiler* but after a discussion with his mother about there being opposition if we’re following God’s path and praying, he releases the bitterness and feels like a new man *End of Spoiler*); Lillian prays for guidance but doesn’t receive any & later asks why God is punishing her (*Spoiler* she later realizes that God has a plan for her that included those trials *End of Spoiler*); Jonah’s mother (Melanie) says people learn about God’s plans for them in three ways (they receive a vision or an angel comes to visit them, by a quite sense from the Holy Spirit usually while immersed in the Bible, and thirdly, someone else tells them; Jonah wonders how she really knows anything about God’s plans); Mentions of God, His will, following Him, & having faith; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food (including Lillian wondering why God would give the answer to her prayers to Melanie instead of her); Mentions of churches & church going; Mentions of blessings & being Blessed; A few mentions of those & events in the Bible; A few mentions of prophets; A mention of something feeling like a godsend; A mention of a miracle;
             *Note: A mention of Jonah thinking he has rotten luck; A mention of alcohol being called the “devil’s brew”.

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a form of ‘confounded’, a ‘stupid’, a ‘what in the dickens’, two unfinished ‘what in the—‘s, two ‘what in tarnation’, and three ‘shut up’s; Mentions of curses (said, not written); Fighting, being shot, being held at gunpoint, being attacked by an intruder, being tied-up, being locked up in jail, injuries, pain, & passing out (up to semi-detailed); Thinking that an officer might be dirty; A few lies (said by Lillian due to how her mother raised her with wanting society’s approval, though Lillian corrects a couple of them); Lillian and her mother have a strained relationship (her mother wants society’s approval and for Lillian to marry into a rich family; Lillian feels like her mother’s affection is always just out of reach and that if she receive it if she obeyed or accomplished something her mother wants (Lillian is glad for her independence while handling the inheritance); Lillian’s mother says “good riddance” to her father’s death; Many mentions of bootleggers, alcohol, & someone being drunk; Many mentions of intruders, a break-in, stolen items, stealing, & vandalism; Mentions of deaths, a possible murder, & possible poison; Mentions of fires, a family losing everything when their house burned down, & a criminal threatening to cause a fire; Mentions of criminals & crimes; Mentions of prisons/jails; Mentions of someone being shot, blood/bleeding, & gunshots (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of being attacked, being tied-up, screams, injuries, pain, & passing out (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of tobacco; A few mentions of being threatened with harm & death; A couple mentions of threats; A couple mentions of a father drinking to soothe his aches and his family not liking how he was on those days; A couple mentions of rumors; A mention of murder; A mention of hatred;
             *Note: Mentions of the deaths of infants (*Spoiler* a side couple has buried four babies and announces at the end that they are expecting *End of Spoiler*); A mention of some men thinking that women have no place in business.

Sexual Content- Staring at someone’s lips; An almost (semi-detailed) kiss, a forehead kiss, a barely-above-not-detailed kiss, two semi-detailed kisses, and a detailed kiss (mentioning his desire for her); Remembering kisses (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to kiss (up to semi-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, Nearness, Electricity, & Smelling (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to touch & embrace (barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes & Winks; Noticing & Staring (including muscles, up to semi-detailed); Lillian was born out of wedlock (she has always been told her mother was a widow and her mother tells her that he couldn’t accept the responsibility of being a father *Spoiler* In a letter, her father tells her that their affair was short lived and her mother’s parents disowned her when finding out she was pregnant and Lillian is hurt by her grandparents not wanting her *End of Spoiler*); Mentions of Lillian being an illegitimate child (she is embarrassed by it, but thinks that it wasn’t her fault);  Mentions of kisses, kissing, & a couple being caught kissing (or that they were “smushing lips” as said by a ten-year-old); A few mentions of an affair & mistress; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: A few mentions of “women’s troubles” (periods); A couple mentions of a woman’s figure (by Jonah).

-Lillian Doyle, age 23
-Jonah Peterson
                                P.O.V. switches between them
                                           Set in 1912
                                                        352 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

I was super curious about this book based on the title and back-cover blurb alone—it felt like there might be a slight mystery!—but I was a little hesitant because I wasn’t a fan of the author’s prior book…mainly because of the main girl.

With this novel however, I did like Lillian. She’s a little bit of a snob, but it’s to be expected with how she grew up and it wasn’t overly annoying. She did make some choices I’ll honestly say I thought were dumb, but let’s call that character development and lesson learning.

Jonah has major trust issues and at the beginning was constantly having a bone to pick with Lillian. I wasn’t a big fan of him and his lack of communication and pity parties did annoy me at times. There wasn’t the miscommunication trope per say, it was more of a lack of communication between Lillian and Jonah that finally got resolved at the end. There was one kiss that was too much for my tastes and a bit more noticing of the other’s physical appearance that lowered the ratings.

Because of different elements, it kind of felt like historical HGTV, which was kind of fun, actually! I don’t think I’ve read a historical book that features so much renovation and creating a special place (being vague for spoilers), but I really liked that element. I do wish there had been more details on the colors and fabrics used, though, so I could have pictured it better while reading.

I will say that the title’s implication was different than I was expecting and hoping this book would be, but how it turned out wasn’t bad. I liked the ending and how it wrapped up well. While I can’t call this an excellent book, personally, it was a fun read that kept my attention and interest. I was really concerned before starting it, but it ended up a good book.

See y’all on Friday with a new review!