"Winning the Gentleman" by Kristi Ann Hunter

About this book:

  “Aaron Whitworth hasn't had control over most aspects of his life, but he's always taken pride in being an honorable businessman and better-than-average horseman. When both of those claims are threatened, he makes the desperate decision to hire the horse trainer of a traveling circus as a temporary jockey for his racehorses. 
    Sophia Fitzroy knows that most horsemen don't take her seriously because she's a woman, but she can't pass up the opportunity to get away from the tumultuous world of travel and performing. As she fights for the right to do the work she was hired for, she learns the fight for Aaron's guarded heart might be an even worthier challenge. 
   As secrets come to light, will Aaron and Sophia's past vulnerabilities be an insurmountable stumbling block, or will they sacrifice their former dreams and forge a new one together?”


Series: Book #2 in the “Hearts on the Heath” trilogy. Review of Book #1 Here! (Does also mention characters and events from the author’s other series, “Hawthorne House” and “Haven House”.)


Spiritual Content- In the dedication, 1 Peter 1:3-4 is written; A few Scriptures are mentioned & quoted; Prayers & Talking with God; Church going; Talks about God; 'H's are capital when referring to God; Aaron wonders if God is trying to teach him another lesson in perseverance or that the world wanted him to remember his place (because he’s illegitimate); Aaron thinks that having word with God (being upset with) is a futile effort; Aaron says that he and God had a “decent agreement” that Aaron didn’t ask for miracles and God didn’t make “Aaron’s life any more difficult than it already was”; Mentions of God, Jesus & faiths; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, & those and events in the Bible; Mentions of churches, church going, services & a rector; A few mentions of a Bible study (that Sophia and her brother do together); A few mentions of sins (regarding Aaron’s father’s sins and him considering Aaron to be the “embodiment of sin’s consequences”); A couple mentions of miracles; 
             *Note: Mentions of horses that are named Apollo, Midas & Poseidon; Mentions of Sophia looking like a faerie; A mention of Aaron facing his demons “whether they came from the world or from himself”; A mention of a priest saying that “the soul is strengthened by being bludgeoned with guilt and the reminder of our own imperfections” (in regards to someone punishing themselves or others for their own actions); A mention of a rumor about a ghost.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘bah’, a ‘blimey’, a ‘great heavens’, a ‘shut up’, two forms of ‘blast it/blast it all’, two ‘stupid’s, and five forms of ‘idiot’; Eye rolling & Sarcasm; Being whipped, Injuries, & Pain (up to semi-detailed); Recalling an accident & seeing a loved one and animal in pain (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Aaron & Sophie both drink sherry at a party; Sophia has guilt over lying to get a job; Both Aaron and Sophia say things that aren’t quite the truth but yet do not tell an outright lie either; Many mentions of card games, betting, & gambling (on horses and cards); Mentions of thieves, thefts, & stealing; Mentions of accidents, injuries, pain, & the implied death of a horse (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of fighting & throwing punches; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, drunks, & taverns; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of mistreated horses & an implied scene where a horse had to be put down because of injuries (barely-above-not-detailed); A few mentions of potential injuries from horse racing (barely-above-not-detailed); A few mentions of throwing up; A couple mentions of swindlers; A couple mentions of jealousy; A mention of wars; A mention of a man potentially hurting a woman; A mention of vandalism; A mention of poison; A mention of someone needing a kick in the backside; A mention of hatred; 
             *Note: Aaron’s biological father told him that he would be nothing & Aaron tortures himself to be around his father to remind him of his place in the world; A few mentions of an author (Mary Wollstonecraft); A couple mentions of brand names in the Acknowledgments (My Little Ponies and Totino’s frozen pizzas).
 
 
Sexual Content- An almost kiss (semi-detailed), two not-detailed kisses, a barely-above-not-detailed kiss, a detailed kiss, and a very detailed kiss; Remembering kisses & embraces (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to kiss and embrace & wanting to be kissed & embraced (up to semi-detailed); Staring at another’s lips (barely-above-not-detailed); Touches, Embraces, & Nearness (up to semi-detailed); Blushes; Noticing (including Sophia’s curves and legs, barely-above-not-detailed); Aaron is an illegitimate child & there’s many mentions of it (including: others making jabs towards Aaron because of it, when Aaron’s biological father bought his legitimate son to show him Aaron to show that choices have ramifications (Aaron was ten and the half-brother was six years old), his father not treating his legitimate son well either, & Aaron punishing himself to see his father as a reminder to stay in his place and making himself sick); Sophia and her brother sleep in Aaron’s house and she chooses the couch as it felt too strange to sleep in his bed; Sophia sits in Aaron’s lap (no details); Mentions of kisses & kissing; Mentions of reputations & chaperones; A couple mentions of mistresses; A couple mentions of flirting; A couple mentions of jealousy; A mention of a married couple sharing a kiss; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Sophia wears trousers & it’s shocking for the time period (including mentions of her legs and calves, up to semi-detailed); Mentions of horse breeding & studs and mares being available; A couple mentions of men leering & jeering at Sophia; A mention of a man complimenting Sophia’s riding, but it not really being the compliment she thought it was; A mention of some male employers being all too willing for Sophia to work for them.
 
-Sophia Fitzroy, age 23
-Aaron Whitworth, age 32 
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                             Set in 1817
                                                        348 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

After recently reading the first book in this series and being introduced to Aaron for the first time (I haven’t read the other books where he was mentioned), I was very interested in reading his story. I was afraid that going into this book there would be a lot of mentions of illegitimate children and the details of that, but there really wasn’t any details. 

I struggled at times with being interested in this story, but that could have been my frame of mind or because Sophia wasn’t my favorite kind of character (she had her good parts, however). The epilogue was really cute and by far my favorite part of the book. 

Sophia’s name should’ve been Nellie because, my goodness, she was nosy. She definitely isn’t my favorite because of her endless chattering, but I truly liked that she knew her limits and wasn’t a female main character that balked at a man or society telling her she could or couldn’t do something—which is very common in Christian Fiction and borderlines on a feminist thread for a lot of readers, myself included.

Aaron is a poor, hurt soul because of his upbringing and biological father being a piece of work. He felt very honest and raw towards the end, which I really appreciated seeing and made me more invested into the story at those parts. 

While I might not have enjoyed this book as much as the first in the series, it was still an overall pleasant read.

 

 

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.

 

"Merry Humbug Christmas" by Sandra D. Bricker

About this book:

  “A Merry Humbug Christmas features two holiday romance novellas from hilarious and heartwarming author Sandra D. Bricker. -- the perfect gift to yourself or someone else at this most wonderfully stressful time of year. 
   In "Once Upon a Jingle Bell", a Bah! Humbug cruise to the Mexican Riviera is Joss Snow's answer to this year's quest to avoid the holidays completely; at least until she's rebooked on a different kind of cruise altogether. Candy canes, holly wreaths, reindeer and ornaments seem to be stalking her on the 12 Days of Christmas holiday cruise extravaganza. An escape back to land is her only goal . . . until she meets a kindred spirit in rugged Irishman Patrick Brenneman, and then the game is on! Avoid Christmas festivities at all costs . . . except maybe for that one stop under the mistletoe. 
    In "It Came Upon a Midnight Deer", Reese's guilt over abandoning best friend Joss on their holiday tradition of avoiding all things Christmas is trumped by the joy of her recent engagement. Meeting Damian's family for the first time on idyllic Sugarloaf Mountain is about as far from that Bah! Humbug cruise as she can get, and Reese can hardly wait to get there. But from the moment they hit that deer in the road just two miles from the cabin, everything seems to go wrong. There are no drummers drumming or pipers piping this particular year! And once she sets her future in-laws' family cabin ablaze, she's pretty sure there won't be even ONE golden ring in her future.”


Series: Does not seem to be connected to any other books by this author.


Spiritual Content- Isaiah 9:6 at the beginning; Prayers, Thanking God, Blessings over food, & Two Irish Christmas Blessings are said (one over food); Talks about the true meaning of Christmas & the first Christmas; 'H's are capital when referring to God; Joss isn’t a fan of Christmas and believes that God understands (saying that while baby Jesus was thrown out with the Christmas water for her, she didn’t turn on God, she turned on Christmas instead); Patrick asks Joss if she’s a praying woman and she says “now and then” (*Spoiler* she prays for the first time in a really long time towards the end about meeting with Patrick *End of Spoiler*); Patrick says that his Christian faith has played a deep and abiding part of the man he’d become; Seeing a live nativity & a mini message from a reverend; Mentions of God, Jesus, Christmas being about His birthday, & faiths; Mentions of prayers, praying, & Blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, & services; Mentions of Christian Christmas songs; Mentions of having a birthday cake for Jesus; Mentions of the history of luminarias (a Spanish tradition); A few mentions of thanking God for blessings & being Blessed; A few mentions of a person’s sweater and another’s nightgown having a manger scene; A few mentions of being Jewish & Hanukkah; A mention of Handel’s Messiah; A mention of a place being God’s country; A mention of something being a miracle (sincerely meant); A mention of something being “god-like kismet”;
             *Note: Many mentions of Santas, elves, reindeer, Rudolph, and all the other classic secular Christmas items (including many songs); Mentions of something being kismet, luck, & destiny (Patrick says him and Joss meeting was destiny); A couple mentions of a place being haunted; A mention of a place being “like [H]eaven”; A mention of Beelzebub; A mention of thanking lucky stars.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘blah, blah, blah’, a ‘doggone’, a form of ‘ticked off’, three forms of ‘idiot’, and four forms of ‘stupid’, Sarcasm & Eye rolling; Mentions of curses (said, not written); A fire (up to semi-detailed); Pain, Injuries, & Vomiting (up to semi-detailed); Joss’ parents passed away in a car accident due to a drunk Santa (years before the book starting) & grief; Joss has a couple of times where she hyperventilates & Reese has one time as well (up to semi-detailed); Joss tells a fib (about another woman’s outfit) & a lie (about something not bothering her); Patrick debates telling Joss a lie for her own comfort & later tells a partial fib to his mother; Reese & Damian have a car accident involving a deer (the deer is hurt, but gets up and limps away; Reese feels terrible about it; up to semi-detailed); Reese helps a young teen girl who secretly got a tattoo and an infection from it (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of deaths & grief (Joss for her parents, a two women for their husbands); Mentions of a house fire (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of possibly broken bones, pain, injuries, & blood/bleeding; Mentions of tattoos, an infections, & a minor getting a tattoo without her parents knowing (*Spoiler* Reese plans for the girl to tell her parents and when they accidentally find out, they are very upset with their daughter *End of Spoiler*); Mentions of alcohol, drinking, bars, & drunks (Joss doesn’t drink); Mentions of parents fighting over a new job & money (their daughter is very upset about it); Mentions of the possibility of a dog dying because he was given someone’s vitamins (the dog is fine); Mentions of a killed goose for a dinner & Reese vomiting after seeing it (due to her vegan upbringing, up to semi-detailed); A few mentions of deaths from a car accident & a drunk driver; A few mentions of injuries or deaths caused by sharks; A few mentions of lies & lying; A few mentions of jealousy; A few mentions of a dog peeing on someone; A couple mentions of prison & wanting to harm someone for an illegal thing they did; A couple mentions of hatred; A couple mentions of children resenting their parents; A couple mentions of burping; A mention of someone looking like she’s been shot; A mention of an R-rated movie; A mention of Reese thinking that her parents smoke weed (but doesn’t have any proof); A mention of rumors; 
             *Note: Reese’s parents are more to the vegan-hippie lifestyle (and are dismayed by her and her brother eating animals products and McDonald’s); Reese fights resentment towards her parents at one point (growing up, a flashback); Going to & a couple mentions of Starbucks; Mentions of brand names (Reese peanut butter cups, Diet Coke, Hyatt, Levi, Angora, Black & Decker, Chips Ahoy, Hershey bars, Louboutin, Kool-Aid, & Neosporin); Mentions of Murphy’s Law; Mentions of TV shows & movies (Wheel of Fortune, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Meet the Parents, The Partridge Family, The Brady Bunch, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Doctor Quinn Medicine Women, The Sound of Music, It’s a Wonderful Life, The Bishop’s Wife, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Jaws, The Nutcracker, Psycho, & James Bond); Mentions of actors/actresses, singers, celebrities, & songs (David Cassidy, Russell Crowe, Mathew McConaughey, Carly Rae Jepsen, Etta James, Cary Grant, Loretta Young, Ryan Seacrest, Harry Winston, George Clooney, Chris Tomlin, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Rosemary Clooney, Bing Crosby, Lou Ferrigno, Thomas Kincaid, Janet Leigh, Judy Garland, Norman Rockwell, Jane Seymour, & Mariah Carey); Mentions of places (Trader Joe’s, AMC, & McDonald’s); A few mentions of TV channels (Nickelodeon, Discovery Channel, E!, & Hallmark); A few mentions of Dollywood & Grand Old Opry; A few mentions of Siri; A couple mentions of car brands; A mention of a Broadway show (Billy Elliot); A mention of zombies; A mention of a Pediatric AIDS fund-raiser; A mention of Joss being a groupie (for David Cassidy); A mention of a peace sign; A mention of an antifeminist statement (about women making their husbands’ favorites dishes and Reese wondering what her mother would think); A mention of therapy.
 
 
Sexual Content- Six hand/fingers kisses, five head kisses, a cheek kiss, a nose kiss, three not-detailed kisses, and seven barely-above-not-detailed kisses; Touches, Embraces, Dancing, Hand holding, Zings, Nearness & Smelling (x2, up to semi-detailed); Blushes & Winks; Noticing & Staring (x2, including muscles, border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Talks about kisses, kissing, & chemistry; Patrick offers for his and Joss’ relationship to be just a “shipboard type of thing” when he’s not sure if she’s interested in continuing their potential after the cruise; A married co-worker tries to get Reese to introduce him to Joss (she comments on the fact he has a wife and when he says that you “can’t blame a man for trying”, she replies, “actually, I can”); Damian & Reese use separate rooms at his parents’ place and when his brother says they don’t have to because they’re engaged, his mother defends their choice; a ‘hot’ and three ‘baby’s; Mentions of kisses & kissing; Mentions of dates & dating; A few mentions of men being called “yummy”, “delicious”, and “gorgeous”; A couple mentions of weak knees over a guy winking (Joss); A couple mentions of crushes; A mention of a wife sitting on her husband’s lap; A mention of honeymooners standing very close together; A mention of a woman looking at Patrick with “more than a passing interest”; A mention of jealousy; Love, falling/being in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: A few mentions of a woman finding out she had ovarian cancer when she couldn’t get pregnant & having to have a hysterectomy; A mention of a woman’s ample chest; A mention of someone praying their fanny off.
 
-Joss Snow, age 34
-Patrick Brenneman
-Reese Pendergrass
-Damian Palmer, age 33 (?)
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                                        298 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

This book was so much fun! First off, the cover: It absolutely cracks me up! It fits the book so well and gives you a teaser into the humor to expect in it. 

 

First novella: Joss & Patrick had the cutest banter! They moved very fast in their feelings, but it was cute. I liked the sarcasm and humor. (I want my own Patrick, haha!) I do wish he would have been a little more concerned about her not having a strong faith before imaging a future with her (in his defense, though, he did imagine them attending church together weekly). It ended too rushed, which was really disappointing, but was still 4 stars for me because I related a lot to Joss and really liked her. 

 

Second novella: I really felt for Reese, I truly did. She just precious, she tried so hard, bless her. She was great and he was a sweetheart. They were so cute together! His family was so fun too and I couldn’t believe everything that happened. An easy 4 stars for this book as well for me. 

 

I’ll finish this review off with my letter to Santa: “Dear Santa, I would like my own Patrick or Damian for Christmas, please. Thank you. Sincerely, Lindsey” 

 

 

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.

 

"Better Watch Out" by Natalie Walters

About this book:

  “Leave the candy canes, take the pepper spray! 
    Nothing screams Christmas like a week spent ice skating, visiting Santa, and sharing a kiss or two under the mistletoe. Frannie Frost has crafted the perfect bucket list of romantic activities to surprise her boyfriend in the most magical place at Christmas time—New York City. When he unexpectedly becomes her ex, her plans are derailed leaving her with a choice. Wallow in self-pity at Christmas time or take matters into her own hands. 
   Former NHL defenseman turned personal protection agent, Andrew Bishop, loves his job—when things go as planned—but Frannie Frost is definitely not part of the plan. Still, when her brother, the man who saved Andrew’s life last year, asks him to deliver his sister safely to the airport, he can’t say no. 
   The only problem? Frannie isn’t leaving. She’s determined to make the most of her trip by checking off a bucket list of cliché Christmas actives that would make even Santa’s elves jealous. Andrew’s content to let her go until he learns that Frannie’s been mistaken for his client and thrust into the midst of danger.”


Series: Mentions & Features characters from “Deadly Deceit”. Review of that book, Here!


Spiritual Content- 'H's are capital when referring to God; Frannie thinks that nothing deepened her faith faster “than her brother’s dangerous career choice”; Frannie & Andrew tour a Catholic historical church (that he typically attends when he can); Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of churches, church going, & services (including a Mass service); A few mentions of God; A few mentions of those in the Bible (including someone being a good Samaritan & a “rob Peter to pay Paul” plot); A couple mentions of a church’s prison ministry; A mention of the Holy Spirit; A mention of a Christmas hymn; A mention of an empty manger off to the side in a church; A mention of being Blessed; 
             *Note: Going to see & mentions of Santa Claus; Mentions of superstitions & bad luck (a side character kisses a hockey puck for good luck); A few mentions of the ghosts in ‘A Christmas Carol’; A mention of Father Time.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘dumb’, a ‘gah’, an ‘oh my word’, an ‘oh my jingle-jangle stars’, a ‘sheesh’, two forms of ‘darn’, two ‘idiot’s, and six forms of ‘stupid’; A couple mentions of curses (said, not written); Eye rolling & Sarcasm; An attempted kidnapping, Fighting/Self-defense, Being held hostage, Being threatened/attacked, Being shoved, Almost being runover, Pain, Injuries, (up to semi-detailed); Frannie goes to a bar/grill & is offered wine by another customer (she turns it down); Many mentions of threats, a ransomware attack, blackmail, crimes, criminals/thugs, stalkers, abductions, & muggings; Mentions of terrorism & terrorists (including a mention of 9/11); Mentions of hits, hitmen, the mafia, & organized crime families; Mentions of money laundering & frauds; Mentions of gambling (on hockey games and horse races); Mentions of pain, major injuries, & blood/bleeding (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of alcohol & drinking (including a side character drinking wine after getting her daughter to bed, Vivian from another book by this author); A few mentions of assaults; A few mentions of an almost shooting & bullet aimed for taking someone’s life; A few mentions of identity theft; A few mentions of prisons; A few mentions of kids teasing/bullying others; A couple mentions of the death of a police officer in a sting gone bad; A couple mentions of a dying relative’s bucket list; A mention of a skiing accident & death; A mention of a body bag; A mention of waterboarding; A mention of a robbery; A mention of explosives; A mention of wondering if someone is high on something; A mention of graffiti; A mention of a hazing initiation; 
             *Note: Frannie is determined to not be her mother who let her husband walk out on their family (this is a big issue for Frannie even though her brother has told her that they were better off without him; She compares her upbringing to another’s seemingly perfect family and thinks that while she’s proud of her mother now, it was hard growing up with other kids teasing her; She vowed that she’d do “whatever it took to make sure a guy never did to her what her father did to her mom”); Frannie’s brother is overprotective and she gets upset with it, wanting to be able to make her own choices; A young girl gets overstimulation in a line (barely-above-not-detailed); Many mentions of movies, TV shows, fictional characters, quotes, & actors/actresses and other celebrities (Apollo 13, The Godfather, The Grinch, Home Alone, The Bodyguard, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Miracle on 34^th Street, Die Hard, Polar Express, Eloise at Christmastime, Elf, It Happened on Fifth Avenue, It’s a Wonderful Life, North by Northwest, A Christmas Carol, Criminal Minds, The Office, Law & Order, Chris Pratt, Kevin Costner, Natalie Wood, Bruce Willis, Trudy O’Connor, Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed, Chris Evans, Cary Grant, Macaulay Culkin, Riggs Atwood, Whitney Houston, Michael Bublé, Celine Dion, Bing Crosby, Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez, Nora Ephron, The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Andy Warhol, & Ella Fitzgerald); Mentions of brand names (North Face, Cole Haan, Armani, Henley, Michael Kors, & Colgate); Mentions of Uber & car brands; Mentions of other pop culture references (Vanity Fair, Barbie, Netflix, FaceTime, Instagram, McDonald’s, Macy’s, Nutella, Godiva, Sprite, Coke, Nespresso, & Candy Land); Mentions of hotel chains; Mentions of superheroes (Superman, Batman, & Star-Lord); Mentions of sports teams; Mentions of Hallmark & Lifetime movies.
 
 
Sexual Content- Three almost (semi-detailed) kisses, a forehead kiss (up to semi-detailed), a barely-above-not-detailed kiss, a semi-detailed kiss, and a detailed kiss; Staring at lips (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to kiss (up to semi-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Dancing, Hand holding, Nearness, Electricity, Butterflies, & Smelling (semi-detailed); Imagining & Wanting to touch, embrace, & run fingers through another’s hair (up to semi-detailed); Blushes; Noticing & Staring (including muscles, up to semi-detailed); A ‘hot’, a ‘hunky’, and three forms of ‘sexy’ (including beautiful women being dressed like “sexy reindeer” in a Radio City Rockettes show); Frannie hoped that her boyfriend would invite her to stay in an extra bedroom at his family’s home and when he didn’t, she thinks it’s because of propriety more than anything else; When near Frannie, Andrew gets hots and thinks that he thought he outgrew those teenage emotions; Frannie gets defensive when Andrew asks if her family liked her ex-boyfriend; Many mentions of dates, dating, boyfriends/girlfriends, crushes, break-ups, being dumped, & exes; Mentions of kisses & kissing; Mentions of jealousy; Mentions of flirting & swooning; A few mentions of women throwing themselves at hockey players; A few mentions of checking someone out & oogling them; A couple mentions of Frannie going to her hotel room alone (without Andrew; misunderstanding but implied to have been possibly suggestive); A mention of baby daddy drama; A mention of seeing a couple kiss; A mention of a second grader trying to kiss her crush (Frannie); A mention of a pick-up line; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Towards the beginning, Andrew gives Frannie a certain smile to manipulate her feelings to get her to do what he wants (to keep her safe); When Frannie hugs him, Andrew has a thought that would “put him on Santa’s naughty list”; A few mentions of underwear (including a mention of a superstition about wearing the same underwear); A couple mentions of a man teasing another about the Radio City Rockettes being “too much women” for him to handle; A mention of a woman’s dress leaving “nothing to the imagination”; A mention of a woman’s curves (Andrew’s point of view); A mention of a doll for young girls that was “all curves, pouty lips, and in a cringe-inducing outfit” (Frannie is appalled); A mention of a fat man (Santa).
 
-Francis “Frannie” Frost
-Andrew Bishop
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                                        268 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

I’m really not a big Christmas book reader or fan, so I do feel like I pushed myself to read this one. It took about halfway through for me to get into this book and enjoy the cheesy Christmas theme, but the ice-skating rink parts were my favorite.

 

I did really like seeing a couple from a prior book by this author and that their family had grown—but it was by adopting a little girl from Korea. That was probably my favorite part of the book because that’s near to my heart. 

 

Frannie wasn't the smartest character I’ve ever read. Like the other books I’ve read by this author, there’s a lot of physical attraction and noticing the other’s body, including his muscles. There’s also a lot of mentions of brand names, celebrities, and movies that while sometimes added to the realness of the book, also pulled me out of the plot because it was a lot of mentions of all of that.

 

I wasn’t really a fan of how he was encouraging her that she could handle herself on her own in a big city—contrary to what her law enforcement brother thinks—but he’s keeping a secret from her that she actually is in danger because of someone mistaking her identity with his actual client. He does eventually tell her, but if I was in this book, I would have been an extra in the background holding up a placard that said “tell her the truth!” 

 

I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve read her brother’s story before—even though I don’t remember any of it—but I was definitely on his side with wanting to keep her safe and unaware of everything and that’s really because she was naïve. She gets upset when the truth is revealed and it’s all about wanting to have her own life and make her own mistakes, but I don’t think her brother was in the wrong. According to his wife, his love language is to protect the people he loves; which you know fits for me too, so maybe that’s why I related to his thoughts, haha. So, and all honesty, she stressed me out with those elements and her being determined not to be like her mother who “got dumped” (who, in all actuality, raised her and her brother by herself after their dad walked out on them). 

 

Honestly, it somewhat won me over by the end, but the romance content and attraction was just too much for my taste and she drove me batty. I can see why I have different friends who like it, but it wasn’t really my thing.

 

 

 

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.

"Mixed Motives" by Cara Putman

About this book:

  “When Mary's sister is late to come home one night, she doesn't think too much of it. Betty has a full social calendar and is probably enjoying a friends company. But then Eleanor Blakely, Betty's sister-in-law, calls to tell Mary that she has just received a distressing phone call: Betty has been kidnapped, and the kidnapper wants Eleanor to pay a hefty ransom. 
    While the police work with Eleanor to communicate with the kidnapper and get the ransom together, Mary just can't sit and wait for her sister to be rescued. Armed with a few scant clues, she does everything she can to find Betty. As the hours slip past and the kidnapper's demands increase, Mary investigates the most important mystery of her life. She knows her sister is counting on her, but can she uncover the truth in time?” 


Series: Book #24 (of 24) in the “Secrets of Mary’s Bookshop” series. Please click on the number to be taken to that review: Book #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13,#14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, and #23.


Spiritual Content- John 15:13 at the end in bonus content; A few Scriptures are read, mentioned, & thought over; Prayers; Bible reading; Church going; Talks about God; 'H's are capital when referring to God; Many mentions of God, Jesus, & peace; Many mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Many mentions of churches, church going, a pastor, a sermon, & a prayer group; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, & those in the Bible; Mentions of blessings & being Blessed; A couple mentions of miracles; A mention of a praise song.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘stupid; A couple mentions of curses (said, not written); A bit of eye rolling; All about many mentions of kidnappings, kidnappers, abductions, ransoms, & threats; Mentions of a kidnapping that ended in a death; Mentions of a slashed tire (vandalism); Mention of a divorce; A few mentions of eavesdropping; A couple mentions of finding bodies; A couple mentions of deaths of spouses; A mention of an extreme food allergy that could kill someone; A mention of being drugged; A mention of lying; A mention of a rumor; 
             *Note: Mentions of brand name (Post-It, Tiffany and Co, Gatorade, Mountain Dew, & Tylenol); A few mentions of a movie, TV show, & celebrities (including Teen Beach Movie, Knots Landing, The Joan Rivers Show, Steve Jobs, & Bill Gates); A few mentions of a song & group (Jan and Dean); A couple mentions of stores (Home Depot & Lowe’s); A couple mentions of an author & fictional characters; A couple mentions of AAA; A mention of a car brand; A mention of the website, Urban Dictionary.
 
 
Sexual Content- A bit of Touches, Embraces, & Smelling; A mention of a married couple kissing. 
             *Note: Mary refers to Henry as her “rock” a couple times during a hard time. 
 
-Mary Fisher
                                P.O.V. of Mary 
                                                        246 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

The final book in the “Secrets of Mary’s Bookshop” series. Like most series, I’ve enjoyed some of the books more than others—especially as it’s a larger series written by multiple authors, but they’ve all been entertaining and easy reads. The last few books including this one seemed a bit more dramatic than the normal mysteries, but I suppose you could say it ended with a bang. 

This 24th book was actually a bit hard for me to read because of the plot line hitting me in a place I wasn’t expecting about sisters. It was interesting that while I’ve read many suspense books with a kidnapping plot, this one never felt too suspenseful. I definitely wanted to know Betty was okay, but my heart never raced compared to a suspense book, which made me note that this series really has been more focused on mysteries and that can be a nice breather at times. :)

 

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.

"Tutor, Nanny, Spit-up, Spy" by Perry Elisabeth Kirkpatrick

About this book:

  “He’s a tutor and she’s a nanny… but not really.
   Emily Abbott, coffee barista and accidental spy, is asked to fill in for an injured ICS agent. Intelligence suggests a guerrilla group is plotting to assassinate the president of a small South American country while he and his family are visiting the U.S., and that the assassin may actually be one of his protection detail.
   Undercover as nanny to the four young Gonzalez children, Emily will be perfectly positioned to keep an eye on things and report back to ICS, the spy organization Brent Peterson works for. Emily and Brent–who is undercover as the children’s tutor–must navigate long-division, spit-up, arguments over toys, and suspicious guards to discover a plot that’s far more complicated and time-sensitive than they realized.”


Series: Book #4 in “The Accidental Cases of Emily Abbott”. Review of Book #1 Here!, Book #2 Here!, and Book #3 Here!


Spiritual Content- A couple of Prayers; A couple mentions of praying; A couple mentions of church & church going; A mention of a Christian school.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘dumb’ and a ‘sheesh’; A mention of someone working their “rear end off”; A mention of a guard’s “resting guard-face”; Eye rolling & Sarcasm; Fighting/Self-defense (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of an assassination threat, assassins, shooting, & gunfire (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of street gangs & a guerilla group; A few mentions of snipers; A few mentions thieves, burglars, & stealing; A couple mentions of treason & an arrest; A couple mentions of fires; A couple mentions of injuries; A couple mentions of pranks (tacks under someone’s bedsheets & releasing mice in a room); A couple mentions of poison & being poisoned; A couple mentions of gambling & blackmail; A couple mentions of tattoos; A mention of the death of a parent (indirectly); A mention of a kidnapping; A mention of a man saying that he doesn’t think he would want to live if something happened to his family; A mention of nightmares; 
             *Note: A couple mentions of a fictional character (Mary Poppins); A couple mentions of a man being a fan-boy for a president; A mention of Disneyland.
 
 
Sexual Content- a hand kiss; Blushes & Winks; Mentions of dating, dates, & flirting; A mention of a man not being a creep (in the way of Emily feeling not safe around him).
 
-Emily Abbott, age 19
                                P.O.V. of Emily 
                                                        208 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

This one was a bit longer than the rest of the series, which I really enjoyed because it felt more like an actual book than just a novella. There was even a teeny, tiny (minuscule, really) bit of flirting/romance between Brent and Emily which made me very excited, hahaha. I really liked this fourth book, I think I would say this one is my favorite of the series so far. :)

 

 

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.