"Vying for the Viscount" by Kristi Ann Hunter

About this book:

  “For Hudson, the newly titled Viscount Stildon, moving to England from India where he was born and raised was already an arduous enough endeavor. When he learns the fate of the racing empire he inherited along with his title depends upon him getting in the good graces of another stable owner, he's even more at a loss.
   The stable at the neighboring estate has been Miss Bianca Snowley's refuge for years, and when a strange man appears to be stealing the horses, she jumps to their protection without a second thought. Upon learning Hudson is actually the new owner, she can't help but be intrigued by the area's newest eligible bachelor.
   Any thought of romance is quickly set aside, however, when Hudson proposes they work together to secure suitable spouses for each other. As their friendship grows, Hudson and Bianca begin to reconsider what they truly want in life. But will societal expectations and the weight of their responsibilities keep them from pursuing their true desires?”


Series: Book #1 in the “Hearts on the Heath” trilogy. (Does mention characters and events from the author’s other series, “Hawthorne House” and “Haven House”.)  


Spiritual Content- Psalm 139:15-16 at the beginning; A handful of Scriptures are mentioned & read (including in thinking about a sermon); Prayers & Thanking God; Bible reading; Church going; Talks about God & praying; 'H's are capital when referring to God; Hudson thinks that his faith has grown thin, and that while God is in Heaven, He hasn’t answered any of Hudson’s pleas (he hopes that God will answer this one about going to England); Hudson doesn’t think God intervened in his life and has difficulty thinking that God loves him but yet has left him to deal with his problems on his own (Hudson thinks that a single solution appearing to fix his problems would be proof for him to believe that God was interested in him); As the book continues, he realizes he needs to be more patient with God’s plans; Bianca wonders why God allowed her to become so alone and lacking friends; Bianca prays, starting the prayer with “Lord, I know it isn’t a Sunday, but I hope you’re listening anyway…”; Bianca asks God for a sign & wonders if something is that sign (later determining that she wasn’t very good at determining signs); Mentions of God, God being in control, Jesus, & faiths; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of a Bible; Mentions of those & events in the Bible (including Jesus’ earthly parents leaving Him behind at a synagogue); Mentions of churches, church going, services, pastor/priests, & sermons; A couple mentions of blessings; A mention of praising God; A mention of someone praying to God for a miracle and it never happening (regarding his family); A mention of doing things “the Christian way”; A mention of a vicar “extolling on the evils of dissembling”; 
             *Note: Mentions of horses that are named Hades, Apollo, Midas & Poseidon; A couple mentions of luck; A mention of society demonizing a man; A mention of someone having to be possessed by “some mind-altering spirit”because of the change in personality.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘dashed’, a ‘drat’, two ‘bah’s, three ‘stupid’s, and eight ‘idiot’s; A mention of a derogatory name being left off of a woman’s sentence being implied (Bianca’s stepmother to her); A mention of a string of curses (said, not written); Some sarcasm, eye rolling, & snide comments; Being abducted, Being kicked, Being threatened at gunpoint, Gunshots, Attacking (self-defense) & Pain; Hudson partakes in card games and betting (not portrayed negatively but as a normal thing to do in this time); Hudson drinks ale at a tavern & later thinks about having a glass of brandy to occupy his hands; Both Bianca & Hudson tell a lie (social reasons) and feel guilty over it; Many mentions of card games, betting, & gambling (on horses and cards); Mentions of deaths (including from a fever and a snake bite) & grief (including for parents, a grandfather, & a close mother-daughter relationship); Mentions of a family member threatening a nephew harm or death because of his inheritance (Hudson’s uncle towards him); Mentions of an abduction & being threatened at gunpoint; Mentions of criminals/crimes, thieves, & stealing; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, drunks, & taverns; Mentions of seasickness, throwing up, & pain; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of rumors & gossip; Mentions of mistreated horses (barely-above-not-detailed); A few mentions of jealousy; A few mentions of manure; A couple mentions of snuff boxes; A mention of a bully; A mention of hatred; 
             *Note: Bianca has a strained relationship with her stepmother & they give snide comments back and forth to the other (her stepmother prefers her own children, constantly compares Bianca to her sister, & can be manipulative to get Bianca to do as she wants (including locking Bianca out of her room)); Bianca’s stepmother says that men are “illogical creatures”; Hudson has the feeling of not feeling like he belongs in England or India; A couple mentions of eating pig and goat eyeballs (barely-above-not-detailed); A mention of some English men seeing India as a land to be conquered (“instead of embraced”).
 
 
Sexual Content- A semi-detailed kiss, and a detailed kiss; Remembering kisses & embraces/touches (up to semi-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Dancing, Warmth, & Hand holding, & Nearness (up to semi-detailed); Blushes; Noticing & Smelling (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of illegitimate children & births (including a comment about someone being born on the wrong side of the blanket); Mentions of young women luring unmarried men to a certain place & getting caught in a compromising situation; Mentions of reputations & chaperones; Mentions of some believing the waltz is scandalous (because of how close a couple has to be to dance it); Mentions of flirting; A few mentions of kisses & kissing; A mention of cheating accusations; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Mentions of horse breeding & studs and mares being available; A mention of a man having multiple wives at one time (Sir David Ochterlony); A mention of a couple not having “a great deal of luck” in having children.
 
-Bianca Snowley, age 24
-Hudson / Lord Stildon, age 28
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                             Set in 1817
                                                        346 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this novel because the couple prior books I read by this author had some content I wasn’t a fan of, but I ended up really enjoying this one. Some comments and a detailed kiss make it better for older teens or older, though, of course. 

I really liked both Bianca and Hudson—especially him with his views on and troubles fitting into society. I was a little disappointed when he becomes interested in the wrong girl, but kept reading because I knew something had to change. And it did. Eventually. This was definitely a slow-burn romance and it about drove me batty because of that fact, hahaha. But because of that element, though, it wasn’t an overly physical or heavy noticing romance book, which I truly appreciate!

While I liked the writing and how things were described, I did also have a bit of trouble following along at times. I think it was because often times the characters were having conversations with double meanings and you had to pick up on what they were talking about—which most of the times our main couple were lost, so I ended up being a bit lost at times too. 

There are mentions and features of other couples from the author’s previous books and series, which not having read those book, I felt a bit left out. (This seems to be a theme in my regency book reading for this year, actually, now that I think about it.) 

I would have preferred a wee bit more faith content towards the end (in terms of growth for Hudson and Bianca from prior comments they made), but I do plan to read the next book in the series as I liked seeing their friend, Aaron, in this book. The friendships and banter were really what made this book enjoyable for me, so I hope that continues throughout the rest of the series.

 

 

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.

"Code of Valor" by Lynette Eason

About this book:

  “What Detective Brady St. John really needs is a relaxing vacation. Unfortunately, just as the sun is setting on his second day at a friend's cabin on Lake Henley, he hears a scream and races to rescue a woman from her would-be killer. When the killer escapes only to return to finish the job, Brady vows to utilize all of his many resources to keep her safe—and catch those who would see her dead.
    Financial crimes investigator Emily Chastain doesn't trust many people. And even though she let the detective who saved her life in on a few pertinent facts about why she was being attacked, there are some things you just don't share with a stranger. Little does she suspect that the secret she is keeping just might get them both killed.”


Series: Book #3 in the “Blue Justice” series. Reviews of Book #1 Here! and Book #2 Here! Also mentions characters from “Dive Team Investigators” series by Lynn H. Blackburn. 


Spiritual Content- 1 Samuel 16:7 at the beginning; Prayers; Talks about God, prayers, believing in Him after traumatic times, & His plans; 'H's are not capital when referring to God; Brady believes in God, but thinks He failed him so he’s shut Him out; Brady says that God doesn’t always answers prayers “like we want [H]im to” and his sister reminds him that sometimes He does (he does a couple jabs on this topic; *Spoiler* but later prays for Emily’s safety and starts talking to God again *End of Spoiler*); Emily asks God why something bad happened and asks Him to help her not to become bitter over it; *Spoiler* When the mastermind villain has been shot and killed, Emily feels compassion for him and tells him to repent and call out to Jesus; Later, Brady asks her how she was able to do that after everything, they discuss it a bit, & Emily says at the end that she didn’t want the devil to win another one *End of Spoiler*; Mentions of God & Jesus; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of Heaven & hell; A few mentions of faiths; A few mentions of churches & church going; A mention of a Bible.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘duh’, a ‘suck up’, an unfinished ‘what the—‘, a ‘wimp’, five ‘idiot’s, five ‘shut up’s, eight ‘dumb’s, and eleven ‘stupid’s; Mentions of curses (said, not written); Sarcasm & Eye rolling; Thinking you’re going to die, Being kidnapped, Being shot at, Being shot (x2), Gunfire, Being attacked, Fighting, & Stalked (up to semi-detailed); Seeing others shot and killed & seeing dead bodies (up to semi-detailed); Fires & Explosions (up to semi-detailed); Pain, Injuries, Blood/Bleeding, & Passing out (up to semi-detailed); Hearing a terrifying phone call, Throwing up, & Grief (up to semi-detailed); Threatening & Aiming a gun at someone (the villain); The villain has a glass of bourbon; The second chapter is in the point of view of Emily’s friend while she’s been stalked, threatened with being killed, & on the phone with 911 (semi-detailed, *Spoiler* Towards the end it’s confirmed that she was killed *End of Spoiler*); Brady & Emily have to break into a place for safety; Emily lies and feels guilty; Many mentions of deaths, killings/murders, murderers, blackmail, & threats (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of hits being ordered, hired assassins, crimes, crime scenes, criminals, stealing, stolen items, arrests, prisons, & the death penalty; Many mentions of gunfire, being shot at, being shot/gunshot wounds, & shootings (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of bodies & bodies found missing parts (up to semi-detailed); Mention of an abusive father, being a violent drunk, thinking he’s going to kill someone, him threatening that and nearly doing it, & him being shot and killed (*Spoiler* Emily’s father *End of Spoiler*, up to semi-detailed); Mentions of drownings (including a case where a mother drowned herself and her young children, barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of human trafficking & rings; Mentions of kidnappings, kidnappers, being drugged, & almost being killed (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of a fire, arson, explosions, & bombs; Mentions of gangs & tattoos; Mentions of a stalker & stalking; Mentions of break-ins & burglaries; Mentions of car wrecks & major injuries; Mentions of fighting, injuries, pain, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of drugs/narcotics, addictions, & someone beating an addiction to painkillers (*Spoiler* Emily *End of Spoiler*); Mentions of grief (for a close friend, for a daughter); Mentions of a divorce & the parents each taking a son with them; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of hatred & self-hate; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, & bars; Mentions of throwing up; A few mentions of someone being tortured & the aftermath (up to semi-detailed); A few mentions of almost drowning; A few mentions of someone being stabbed; A few mentions of money laundering; A couple mentions of a high school bully; A couple mentions of jealousy; A mention of a psychopath taking joy in killing others; 
             *Note: Emily has scars on her wrist from when she started cutting, but never planned to commit suicide because it “was too easy” to do that (barely-above-not-detailed); Emily lived on the streets for a year as a teen after her mom kicked her out; Emily & her mother have a strained relationship and throw jabs at each other; *Spoiler* Emily’s father was shot and killed by a cop, which Emily’s mother blamed her for and hates cops because of it (Emily says her father deserved it as he was threatening to kill them) *End of Spoiler*; Mentions of car brands; Mentions of Uber; A mention of brand names (Nikon); A mention of a movie & fictional characters (Despicable Me); A mention of aliens; A mention of butting into a case.
 
 
Sexual Content- Three not-detailed kisses and two border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed kiss; Recalling a kiss (barely-above-not-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Warmth, & Nearness (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to touch & embrace (barely-above-not-detailed); Noticing & Smelling (barely-above-not-detailed); *Spoiler, but important content note* In high school, a guy made a bet about sleeping with Emily, which he finally wore her down and she agreed to do it in his parents’ barn (with one of his friends hiding nearby) (barely-above-not-detailed) and she got pregnant (Brady asks why she didn’t have an abortion—saying “I’m not saying that I believe that’s what you should have done, I’m just asking why not?” and Emily says that she thought about it but couldn’t bring herself to do it, thinking of it as part of her punishment; The baby has been raised as her little sister and Emily hasn’t been around her much) *End of Spoiler*; Mentions of kisses & kissing; Mentions of dates & dating; A few mentions of jealousy; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Emily thinks that while she doesn’t like the number on the scale, she likes herself now (she is still self-conscious about her appearance but tries to find happiness in other things); Mentions of women’s clothing sizes; A mention of Emily’s mom making comments on her (Emily’s) weight in the past (Emily beats her to saying one jab); A mention of Emily fixing her shirt to feel less fat; A mention of Emily being overweight in high school; A mention of jealousy over another woman’s appearance (Emily).
 
-Emily Chastain
-Brady St. John
                                P.O.V. switches between them, villains (x7), & Heather (x1)
                                                        315 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

{ Add up to a full star for Older High School Teens interested in law enforcement }

I’ve been meaning to finish this series for years but never got around to doing it as they released. The concept of this series—a big family with almost everyone in law enforcement—is such a fun plot and I love seeing the siblings interact through the books. 

That said, there has been some content that lower the ratings for girls in BFCG’s target range age and make this series better for older girls who are highly interested in law enforcement. There’s a lot of harder themes for far in this series and especially with this one because of things Emily has gone through and goes through in this book. 

I will say that I had a hard time keeping tract with who everyone was and how they were connected. I read this book as a physical book, but also grabbed it off on Kindle Unlimited so I could search different names because I was lost at times. 

I liked both Emily and Brady and enjoyed how they communicated and thought the romance wasn’t over-the-top or stealing the (suspense) show, which I appreciated. There were a few parts that were kind of gut-wrenching at times and added to the heaviness, but I will say that I really liked the faith content and discussions, especially towards the end of the book. 

 

 

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.

 

"Bad Things, Small Packages" by Perry Elisabeth Kirkpatrick

About this book:

  “Head colds are bad... but the contents of the memory card are worse.
   Emily has planned a quiet, restful evening at home, hoping to ward off the sniffles that might make her miss work. But the microSD card Brent stashed on her car is making more trouble than either of them expected. Getting it out of Phoenix and to the decryption genius before it self-destructs is going to take both of them.
   But someone is after them and the card, and Emily discovers an eerie connection to her first accidental mission. To make matters worse, ICS is in danger and someone's looking for Emily.
   It's going to be a long night.”


Series: Book #3 in “The Accidental Cases of Emily Abbott”. Review of Book #1 Here! and #2 Here!


Spiritual Content- A mention of praying; A mention of Emily’s church. 
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘duh’, a ‘dumb’, and a ‘stupid’; Eye rolling & Sarcasm; Pain & Injuries (barely-above-not-detailed); Being a spy, Brent does lie once to keep his cover; Mentions of car chases, car wrecks, cars being totaled, & injuries (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of explosions, bombs, kidnappings, pain, injuries, & bleeding (barely-above-not-detailed); Mention of breaking and entering, burglaries, & stealing; Mentions of tattoos; A few mentions of terrorist, terrorist attacks, & nuclear wars; A couple mentions of assassins; A couple mentions of criminals; A couple mentions of prison & an arrest; A couple mentions of missing children; A mention of jealousy; A mention of horror movies; 
             *Note: Mentions of car brands; Mentions of Uber; A few mentions of zombies (which Emily calls creepy); A couple mentions of the song “Santa Baby”; A couple mentions of a spy movie (Get Smart); A mention of a fictional character (Mary Poppins). 
 
 
Sexual Content- A couple mentions of a crush (teasing); A mention of jealousy exes. 
 
-Emily Abbott, age 19
                                P.O.V. of Emily 
                                                        176 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

What’s been fun about this series, while it can be a bit cheesy at times, if you became an accidental spy and got roped into different secret missions, I know at least I would be very curious to know if being a spy in real life is like being a spy in a movie. With all the gadgets and technology, all the things like that. So I think Emily is very realistic in that way. :)

 

Not too much happens in this book, but I do really like how this series connects straight away from the prior book and leads into the next book. No breaks or major gaps in time. I think I may actually start the next book right away because I'm curious about the next mission.

 

 

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 Cryptographer’s Dilemma" by Johnnie Alexander

About this book:

  “A Code Developer Uncovers a Japanese Spy Ring
   FBI cryptographer Eloise Marshall is grieving the death of her brother, who died during the attack on Pearl Harbor, when she is assigned to investigate a seemingly innocent letter about dolls. Agent Phillip Clayton is ready to enlist and head oversees when asked to work one more FBI job. A case of coded defense coordinates related to dolls should be easy, but not so when the Japanese Consulate gets involved, hearts get entangled, and Phillip goes missing. Can Eloise risk loving and losing again?”


Series: Part of the series “Heroines of WWII”, but is not connected to any other book.


Spiritual Content- Jeremiah 23:24 at the beginning; A few Scriptures are mentioned & quoted; Prayers; Talks about God, trusting Him, & grace; 'H's are capital when referring to God; It’s said that Eloise “was strong in her own doctrinal beliefs” but enjoys the opportunity to worship in a variety of cathedrals and historic churches; Eloise prays that God will never leave her side while she’s on a dangerous path; A man says that the traitors “got what they deserved in this life [execution], and it’s up to God to judge them in the next”; Mentions of God, His will, trusting Him, having faith, & grace; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches/chapels, church going, worship, hymns, & sermons; Mentions of those & events in the Bible; A few mentions of blessings & being Blessed; A few mentions of angels (random strangers that were helpful which cause Eloise and Phillip to wonder if they were angels in disguse); A couple mentions of the book “My Utmost for His Highest” by Oswald Chambers; A mention of Heaven; A mention of a Christian magazine; A mention of a monk; A mention of a group of men being called ‘heathens’.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘hot as the dickens’, a ‘ticked-off’, and two ‘stupid’s; A few mentions of curses (said, not written); Some eye rolling; A nightmare (barely-above-not-detailed); Pain, Injuries, Being kidnapped, Being held at gunpoint, & Being shot at (up to semi-detailed); The Doll Woman hits a man and causes him to be unconscious and bleed (up to semi-detailed); Set during & all about with many mentions of World War II, bombings, fighting overseas, battles, injuries, deaths, the death penalty, traitors/treason, threats, arrests, & prisons (up to semi-detailed); Phillip struggles with traitors getting the death penalty and knows they deserve it, but it still bothers him; At the beginning, Phillip is upset/bitter because he couldn’t join the Air Force due to his colorblindness; Eloise has to tell a couple white lies when talking to witnesses and feels guilty; Eloise is grieving the death of her brother; Eloise’s father abandoned their family when she was young and she’s always wondered about him, being hurt by his actions; Phillip says that if he was a drinking man, he’d go to the bar and drink a lot after hard news (he takes a walk instead); The Doll Woman adds a bit of whiskey to her tea to calm her nerves; Mentions of suicides (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of deaths & grief (mothers for their sons, wives for their husbands, for a brother); Mentions of a kidnapping; Mentions of prejudice & internment camps; Mentions of guns, shooting, gunfire, being shot at, injuries, & blood/bleeding; Mentions of criminals, thieves, stolen items, & robberies; Mentions of lies, lying, & deception (Eloise is taught deception because of their undercover mission); Mentions of alcohol, drinking, moonshiners, & bars; Mentions of cigars, cigarettes, tobacco, & smoking; Mentions of divorces; Mentions of gossip & rumors; A few mentions of World War I; A few mentions of the Great Depression; A few mentions of hatred; A few mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of torture; A couple mentions of Bonnie and Clyde and their robberies, kidnappings, & murders; A couple mentions of a tragic accident & death (barely-above-not-detailed); A couple mentions of a death from tuberculosis; A couple mentions of an incurable brain tumor; A couple mentions of businesses cheating their customers; A couple mentions of nightmares; A couple mentions of poker; A mention of an ocean hiding corpses; A mention of a possible plane crash; A mention of counterfeit money; A mention of a woman saying her husband lost her when he came home smelling like alcohol too many times; A mention of vomiting; 
             *Note: A man tells another man to give his wife a sleeping pill if she can’t control her emotions (Eloise notes this as wrong); Mentions of some people (mostly men) believing that woman should only work as a teacher, nurse, or secretary (Eloise faces this a few times and thinks that “the war that took away the men also prompted the women to step out of their traditional roles”); Mentions of movies, actors, & singers (Clark Gable, Lou Gehrig, Humphrey Bogart, Shirley Temple, Betty Grable, It Happened One Night, Pride of the Yankees, The Three Stooges, The Postman Didn’t Ring, & Perry Como); Mentions of fiction characters, books, & authors (Moby Dick, Sherlock Holmes, Hardy Boys, James Cain, & Agatha Christie); Mentions of historical criminals (Bonnie and Clyde, John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, Pretty Boy Floyd, and Mata Hari); A few mentions of car brands; A couple mentions of Halloween; A couple mentions of a man deserving a kick to the behind; A mention of Superman; A mention of a brand name (Coke).
 
 
Sexual Content- A forehead kiss and two semi-detailed kisses; Remembering a kiss (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to kiss (barely-above-not-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Warmth, & Butterflies (barely-above-not-detailed); Wanting to touch & embrace (up to semi-detailed); Blushes; Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); Eloise and Phillip are alone in a hotel room together (nothing sexual happens, just a mention of Eloise knowing what her mother would said and Phillip teases about her traveling with a single man); Eloise and Phillip have to share a sleeper cabin in a train (bunk beds) and after she has a nightmare, Phillip is tempted to slip into her bed to comfort her, but does not (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of Eloise catching red-blooded male’s eyes, unwanted advances, flirting, & handsy men (no details, Eloise adds that she feels like it’s often her fault for a man’s unwanted attentions and feels apologetic towards them); Mentions of dates, dating, & boyfriends/girlfriends; A few mentions of kisses (including a married couple kissing); A couple mentions of a receptionist having a job because the men in the office thinking she has “other attributes that make up for her failings” (including a comment on her legs); A couple mentions of jealousy; A mention of making sure there’s no marital problems between a couple (due to his work); A mention of Phillip thinking “what red-blooded American male didn’t enjoy the company of a good-looking gal who turned the heads of other guys?”; A mention of a man liking women “too much”; A mention of reputations; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: A couple mentions of a man possibly being a bigamist; A couple mentions of an unmarried couple sharing a bed and having a clothesline and blanket between them (in a movie); A mention of making sure no one gets too amorous; A mention of girding one’s loins.
 
-Eloise Marshall
-Phillip Clayton
                                P.O.V. switches between them, The Doll Woman, & someone else
                                             Set in 1942
                                                        256 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

I don’t read many books set around World War II because of the sadness that comes from that time in history, but I decided to take a chance on this book and I’m really glad I did! The codes, the secrets, the historical FBI, and just the setting itself completely captivated me. It was all so fascinating, and I really appreciate the light romance. What romance was there, though, was so sweet and cute, I just enjoyed it so much!

They get off on the wrong foot, but I really liked them together and how their friendship developed first before any feelings happened. (Some might say it was still rushed, but this book was less than 300 pages, so it didn’t bother me.) I would honestly read a series featuring these two with different FBI cases because I really enjoyed the two of them together and seeing their strengths together. I really liked seeing the historical side of the FBI as I typically mostly read contemporary suspense books about characters in that field, so this was an interesting difference. Lots of historical cases and details which I enjoyed hearing about (similar to Elizabeth Camden’s books, but not quite the same). 

Another element I really liked in this book was how it didn’t paint the Germans or the Japanese as 100% villains, we see Phillip wrestle with death sentences of traitors and the fact that if he was sent overseas to cause havoc in Germany, he would do it for loyalty to his country and I appreciate that honesty. 
There was a decent amount of humor too because of Phillip being so witty, which was fun. He has four sisters and it shows with how he interacts and talks to Eloise. I loved that really. I would have loved to see Eloise meeting his family and the sibling dynamic, so the ending was a touch disappointing, but still very good overall. 

 

 

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.

"To Spark a Match" by Jen Turano

About this book:

  “After five unsuccessful Seasons on the marriage mart, Miss Adelaide Duveen has resigned herself to the notion that she's destined to remain a spinster forever--a rather dismal prospect, but one that will allow her to concentrate on her darling cats and books. However, when she inadvertently stumbles upon Mr. Gideon Abbott engaged in a clandestine activity during a dinner party, Adelaide finds herself thrust into a world of intrigue that resembles the plots in the spy novels she devours.
    Former intelligence agent Gideon Abbott feels responsible for Adelaide after society threatens to banish her because of the distraction she caused to save his case. Hoping to return the favor, he turns to a good friend--and one of high society's leaders--to take Adelaide in hand and turn her fashionable.
   When danger surrounds them and Adelaide finds herself a target of the criminals in Gideon's case, the spark of love between them threatens to be quenched for good--along with their lives.”


Series: Book #2 in “The Matchmakers” series. Review of Book #1 Here!


Spiritual Content- 'H's are capital when referring to God; Adelaide believes God created her just as He intended and won’t ignore His intentions just to fit in with society; Adelaide wonders if God has a plan for her if society did the unexpected and embraced her, that it may be used to give hope to other ladies like her (when she realizes she forgot this plan, she wonders if she’s disappointed God and reaches out to other ladies); Mentions of God; A few mentions of praying; A mention of a godsend opportunity; 
             *Note: A mention of Gideon having a “face that recalled images of fallen angels”; A mention of sheer luck being the reason why someone was unharmed in a dangerous situation; A mention of cavemen.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a form of ‘shut up’, a form of ‘stupid’, a ‘why in heaven’s name’, two ‘on my word’s, six ‘good heavens’s, & eight forms of ‘idiot’; Eye rolling & Sarcasm; Gunfire, Shooting, Shooting someone (accidentally), Being held at gunpoint, & Being kidnapped (up to semi-detailed); A couple lies (because of being undercover/working on a mission); Gideon and a couple side characters drink champagne at party; Many mentions of potential murders, crime bosses/gangs, criminals, crimes, threats (including of harm and killing), thieves, thefts, stealing, stolen items, robbers/burglars, break-ins, blackmail, extortion, jail, & arrests; Many mentions of fights/attacks, weapons, weapons being aimed at others, being held at gunpoint, someone being shot/shot at, gunfire, injuries, pain, & blood/bleeding (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of wars; Mentions of fights/attacks & making someone unconscious; Mentions of kidnappings & a missing young woman; Mentions of an accidental fire (Book #1); Mentions of alcohol, social drinking at parties, & a drunk; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of gossip, rumors, & eavesdropping; Mentions of attacking animals (towards both humans and other animals, including dogs vs cats and cats vs birds, barely-above-not-detailed); A few mentions of deaths (of Gideon’s father); A few mentions of a dying mother (implied to not be true); A couple mentions of an almost drowning; A couple mentions of a (fictional) criminal being called “Boris the Butcher”; A couple mentions of gambling dens; A couple mentions of a poisons; A couple mentions of bullies & pranks in school; A couple mentions of throwing up; A couple mentions of the death of an old cat; A mention of a butcher trying to attack a dog that stole from him (the dog is rescued before being harmed, barely-above-not-detailed); A mention of someone wanting to hang a cat; 
             *Note: When mentioning the fire that Adelaide was involved in Book #1, she says she could have been “horribly disfigured” and is “not deformed” because of Gideon’s actions; Mentions of books & authors (classics of this time period); Mentions of Adelaide being ridiculed by society & others shunning her and other wallflowers.
 
 
Sexual Content- Many hand kisses (as greetings and more, barely-above-not-detailed), a fingers-to-lips touch, two forehead kisses, two barely-above-not-detailed kisses, and two semi-detailed kisses; Staring at another’s lips (barely-above-not-detailed); Wanting to kiss (barely-above-not-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Dancing, Tingles, Flutters, Nearness, & Smelling (up to semi-detailed); Blushes & Winks; Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of hand kisses (as greetings), kisses, & kissing (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of when a father refused to give his daughter permission to marry a man (who was a fortune hunter), she rebelled and wanted to marry him anyway; Mentions of flirting & flirts; Mentions of chaperones & reputations; A few mentions of a drunk man offering to help a woman (who was actually a man undercover) fix “her” garters; A few mentions of men leering at Adelaide (including one being described as looking at her like a “tasty treat”); A couple mentions of a man with a roving eye; A mention of jealousy; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Mentions of voluptuous figures (including a dressmaker trying to make Adelaide look more voluptuous due to her mother’s requests); Mentions of undergarments & unmentionables (including Adelaide accidentally showing her drawers in front of both women and men at a party and later not having her dress on when trying to rescue a cat); A mention of Adelaide referring to her figure as “boyish”; A mention of Adelaide’s decolletage being shown in a dress (noticed by Gideon, no details besides him wanting to give her his jacket to keep from other men from noticing her).
 
-Adelaide Duveen, age 23
-Gideon Abbott
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                           Set in 1888-1889
                                                        361 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

That was adorable. I had very high hopes for it and this book totally met them!  

I think this book is in my top five of books by this author. I laughed so hard at many times when reading—I was nearly crying from laughing so hard. Their banter and conversations were just perfection. This might just be my new favorite book by Jen Turano….hmmm.

I love how when Adelaide is all dressed up for a ball, Gideon thinks she’s lovely but it’s not lovely as in “she’s-never-been-this-pretty-before-and-just-needed-getting-gussied-up” which happens so often in the makeover trope and honestly annoys me a bit because the girl already was pretty, I can assure you, the guy was just too dense to see that. But, no, not Gideon. She was beautiful in his eyes—like always. Swoon. They were also good friends before any falling happened and then he also fell for her first—two things I absolutely love to see. 

My only complaints would be: I wish there had been more faith content because it was very light. There was also some mishandling of guns that was supposed to be funny, but felt irresponsible of the characters. I think I would give this book a personal rating of 4.75 stars if I could. 

There were so many great side characters in this book (Leopoldo and Vernon were the best additions!) and I’m super excited about the third book in this series—dare I hope it’s about Camilla and Charles? :)
 

 

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 Author for this honest review.