"Lone Witness" by Rachel Dylan

About this book:

  “Prosecutor Sophie Dawson's first job in the White Collar division of the Fulton County D.A.'s office is to build a case against a local bank employee who may be cheating clients. But when circumstances beyond her control leave her as the only witness to a double homicide involving a vengeful gang, her world is turned upside down.
    Former Atlanta police officer turned private security guard Cooper Knight is hired to ensure that Sophie is kept safe. But as threats escalate, they don't know who they can trust.
   Sophie is determined not to back down, but her bank case gets more complicated by the day, and the gang will stop at nothing to keep her from testifying. Sophie wants to take a stand for what's right--but can Cooper, who is determined not to be distracted by their growing attraction, keep her safe so that she can finish her pursuit for justice?”


Series: Book #2 in the “Atlanta Justice” trilogy. Review of Book #1, Here!


Spiritual Content- Prayers & Thanking God; Church going; Talks about God, His plan, & faiths; 'H's are capital when referring to God; Mentions of God & His grace; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of faiths; Mentions of churches, church going, services, worship, & a pastor; A couple mentions of Sophie’s friend being skeptic about God; A couple mentions of being at peace with a hard decision; A mention of church being the one place criminals shouldn’t mess with; 
             *Note: A couple mentions of bad luck.

 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘bull’, a ‘dumb’, a ‘heck’, two forms of ‘ticked off’, four ‘crap’s, four forms of ‘idiot’, four forms of ‘screw up’, and eight ‘stupid’s; Mentions of curses and someone dropping the f-bomb (written like so and others are said, but not written out); Eye rolling & Sarcasm; Witnessing a shooting, seeing others shot, two murders, & checking the victims for a pulse (up to semi-detailed); Fighting, Being hit/beaten/attacked, Being tased, Being held at gunpoint, Being shot at, Being strangled, a Bomb/explosion, a Drive-by shooting, a Hit-and-run/car crash, Passing out, Injuries, Pain, & Blood/Bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Sophie is in the White Collar division and has cases about embezzlement, fraud, and money laundry; *Major Spoilers* Tad is a dirty cop and kills someone on page (another off-page) before being killed himself (up to semi-detailed); Cooper shoots and kills a man who was attacking Sophie and while it’s never easy to take a life, he doesn’t regret it because of the alternative of her dying instead *End of Spoilers*; All about many mentions of shootings, gunfire, deaths/murders, a shooter/murderer, being shot, being shot at, witnessing the crime, the victims’ bodies, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); All about many mentions of gangs, violence, embezzlement, fraud, money laundry, crimes, criminals, & victims; Mentions of deaths, deaths of loved ones, & grief (including Sophie for her mom and what it could have been); Mentions of an assumed suicide (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of the possibility of being killed or seriously injured; Mentions of a hit-and-run & a drive-by shooting; Mentions of bombs/explosives; Mentions of attacks/assaults, injuries, pain, & blood/bleeding; Mentions of drugs, drug lords, drug traffickers, & drug cartels; Mentions of an alcoholic father that was emotionally and physically abusive (Cooper’s father, who would beat up his mother, and Cooper being concerned about becoming like his father, up to semi-detailed); Mentions of prison & arrests; Mentions of threats & being threatened; Mentions of dirty police officers, blackmail, & bribes; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, & a drunk; A few mentions of people being shot in the head/brain; A few mentions of stalkers; A few mentions of someone being drugged; A few mentions of nightmares; A few mentions of cigarettes & smoking; A couple mentions of beatings; A couple mentions of a man grabbing at a woman (barely-above-not-detailed); A couple mentions of hatred; A mention of divorce;
             *Note: Sophie struggles with panic attacks and has a few mentioned (but not actually on page; they stem from her grief of her mother’s death and while she’s seen a psychologist for the grief, Sophie has never taken medication for it, believing that it’s a “battle in [her] head and heart [that] isn’t cured by a prescription”); Cooper thinks that no amount of therapy will cure him from what happened in his childhood & has the possibility of being an abusive alcoholic like his father due to it being “in [his] blood”; Mentions of panic attacks; Mentions of car brands; A few mentions of Sophie having to prove herself because of her gender and looks (being a blond baby face female; She also tells a mentee to not voice her self-doubts because their male counterparts would never do that); A few mentions of counseling; A mention of the families of shooting victims seeming to have “moved on” after some months; A mention of a male lawyer being a scumbag to female lawyers; A mention of Boy Scouts.
 
 
Sexual Content- A cheek kiss, an almost kiss (barely-above-not-detailed), two barely-above-not-detailed kisses, three semi-detailed kisses, and a border-line semi-detailed // detailed kiss; Wanting to kiss (barely-above-not-detailed); Staring at lips (barely-above-not-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, Warmth, & Nearness (up to semi-detailed); Blushes; Noticing (x4, barely-above-not-detailed); a ‘hot’; A couple guys act too friendly with Sophie & make her uncomfortable by being too close and trying to touch her (a few times, barely-above-not-detailed); Ashley receives unwanted touches from a gang-member client (her waist and chin, the man comments that “even most men” would be losing it if he had his hands on them (implied because of being dangerous), up to semi-detailed); A man implies that even someone who hates Ashely would be interested in doing something sexual with her (cut-off, but implied; Ashely thinks that she’s “always been objectified by men”); Mentions of kisses & kissing; Mentions of dating, dates, & boyfriends; Mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of creepy guys; A mention of rapists; A few mentions of crushes; A mention of cheating spouses; A mention of a peeping tom; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: A use of the phrase “getting in bed” with someone in regard to business dealings; Mentions of Sophie’s mother dying in childbirth when delivering her.
 
-Sophie Dawson, age 32
-Cooper Knight
                                P.O.V. switches between them, Patrick, Ashley, & Tad 
                                                        320 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 girls interested in legal proceedings. }

After enjoying the first book in the series’ plot (but not so much the characters), I was curious to see what I would think of this second book. I did like a lot of different things about it, which I’ll mention in a moment, but I do think the romance is definitely a subplot. Which is fine since I liked all the legal and courtroom scenes the best, but I do think this book/series wouldn’t be for everyone; those who like the legal side of things will probably like it the most. 

 

I had to like the aspect that Sophie is an eyewitness to a crime, but knows how the legal world works because of her career as a prosecutor. It was really interesting including the cross-examination. 

 

I have to say that it was very refreshing that our male main character was very upfront with the main girl about his childhood, his past, and told her everything when he realized she was potentially attracted to him. I wasn’t dramatic, but it was emotional and yet it was calm and maybe…adult-ish is the only word I can think of for it. They came from very different backgrounds and want very different things in the future, so it was nice to see him lead the conversation and tell her about his concerns. Now, mind you, this is technically a romance book, so I knew he would get over those concerns by the end of the book, but it was still really nice to see that. He did have his moments of being hot and cold, which was a bit frustrating, but the suspense was taking priority and thus more important. 

 

I did find that I had to push myself to continue reading at times despite wanting to know what would happen with the cases. I think this was because while I felt a little more connected to the main characters compared to the first book in this series, I didn’t really care much for their romance as the book continued. We also see three other people’s point of view and two of them I started to not care about in the last half of the book. I was enjoying this book decently until the end. I didn’t like a twist (or three) that happened then, it felt a little too out of left field and continued into an unbelievable angle. 

 

Overall I would say that I liked elements of this book and will still read the next book in the series to finish it out, but the ending wasn’t my favorite and I found some twists to be disappointing. 

 

 

 

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.

"With Each Tomorrow" by Tracie Peterson and Kimberley Woodhouse

About this book:

  “As the formation of Glacier National Park takes Eleanor Briggs and her conservationist father on a journey west to advocate for public lands, her heart carries the weight of a painful past. Since the death of her mother, she has spent her life traveling the country with her father and helping him with his work, but now he's considering settling down and writing a book, and she's not sure what that means for her future.
    Carter Brunswick faces trials of his own when the Great Northern Railway's departure threatens his family's livelihood and the entire town of Kalispell. In the visiting conservationist's daughter, Ellie, he finds a spirited woman who challenges his convictions in ways he never anticipated, and his own dreams for the future begin to change.
    When tensions over the railroad's departure boil over, Ellie and Carter are drawn together on a daring journey that tests the depths of their feelings and their faith in God.”


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


Spiritual Content- Many Scriptures are read, mentioned, quoted, remembered, & thought over; Many Prayers, thanking God, & blessings over food; Church going & a sermon (about God’s plans); Lots of witnessing & being witnessed to; Many talks about God, trusting Him, His will, His grace, His creation, having faith, and who you decide to give your soul to; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Carter asks men from his church (the pastor, elders, and deacons) to pray over him and his business; Ellie hates God after taking her mother away despite her prayers for to not to happen (her mother pleads with her to trust God and have faith before she passes, but Ellie only agrees to comfort her mother; Ellie’s mother calls out to Jesus to take her home); Ellie doesn’t understand why God would allow her mother to get sick, suffer, and die when she was a strong woman of faith; After her mother died, Ellie and her father stopped going to church & stopped discussing spiritual matters; Ellie wants to ignore God and thinks He doesn’t deserve anything better; Ellie makes many negative comments and thoughts towards God because of her anger towards Him (such as saying that she doesn’t believe God takes in interest in her life, believes she is control of her destiny and the choices she makes, isn’t sure He exists, & that God hates her); Marvella and Carter both notice that Ellie is fighting God; Marvella discusses with Ellie about Satan wanting her soul & Ellie is very confused and wants to stay on neutral ground (not picking a side, which Carter says that’s the worst decision she could ever make and Ellie doesn’t take it well); Carter is attracted to Ellie but will not pursue her unless she reconciled her hear to God first (he tells her that he doesn’t consider her as wife material because of it and she gets upset); Ellie’s father tells her that he and her mother would have discussions about God despite him not believing there was a God (after her death, he was mad at God for it and aimed to be a “full-fledged atheist”, but decided to do “the next best thing” and declared that he didn’t need God); When Ellie says that Carter’s Christianity shows, he takes it as a compliment which Ellie says didn’t mean it as so (Carter says that it was to him, however); *Spoilers* Around a hundred pages into the book, Ellie starts to have questions about God & asks them to different people; About half-way, Ellie does believe that there is a God, but still doesn’t understand why He would allow her mother to die; Past that point, Ellie notices her anger towards God was diminishing, but doesn’t feel good enough for Him based on how she’s acted towards God; Around the 80% mark, Ellie wants to read the Bible (and does) and a bit later she confesses to Jesus; Later in a dangerous situation, Her father later says that he prayed for the first time in his life *End of Spoilers*; Many, many mentions of God, trusting Him, His will, His grace, His creation, faiths, & having peace; Many mentions of prayers, praying, blessings over food, & thanking God; Mentions of Bibles & Bible reading; Mentions of those & events in the Bible; Mentions of churches, church going, services, sermons, & pastors; Mentions of Christians; Mentions of blessings & being Blessed; Mentions of sin being the cause of sickness and “many other things the Lord never intended us to experience”; A couple mentions of elders & deacons; A couple mentions of miracles; A couple mentions of hymnals & singing at church; A mention of a Sunday school class; A mention of fasting;
             *Note: Phrases like: ‘Heavens/Good heavens’ (five times), ‘for heaven’s sake’ (twice), ‘thank heaven’ (twice), ‘Heaven only knew’ (once), ‘what in heaven’s name’ (once) are all said; Someone disagrees about the phrase “devil’s in the details” (saying that the devil is all about chaos and disorder & that God is the one who sees to details); Ellie discusses Charles Darwin and evolution with Carter (she comments on organisms adapting to their environments which makes Carter make a comment that Charles Darwin didn’t think through about his theories with actual people and Ellie gets offended and says “I find that most Christians take a stand against him, so your attitude isn’t surprising”; Carter adds that it isn’t his Christian faith that makes him have no use for Darwin, but simply believes that the man was wrong, confused after deaths of loved ones, and finds sorrow in the fact that Darwin allowed the “pain of this world” to lead him away from God; That last part strikes a cord with Ellie and she gets upset at him because he doesn’t know the pain of losing a loved one; *Spoilers* Later, a friend calls Carter out on what he said and that he was being haughty, which Carter realizes he was an idiot for saying it like he did and that it was like “beating her over the head” with his faith and knowledge of the Bible; He apologizes to Ellie *End of Spoilers*); A couple mentions of the doing something “for the greater good”.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘blast’, a ‘how in blazes’, a ‘for pity’s sake’, a ‘lickin’’, a ‘shut up’, two ‘dumb’s, three ‘good grief’s, five forms of ‘stupid’, and six ‘idiot’s; Sarcasm & Eye rolling; Being kidnapped and tied-up, Being attacked/beat-up (x3), Being caught in a brawl, Gunfire, Pain, Injuries, Blood/Bleeding, & Passing out (semi-detailed); Grief (Ellie for her mother); Seeing someone nearly runover by a car (up to semi-detailed); The prologue starts with Ellie seeing her mother in pain from her stomach cancer & passing away (semi-detailed); In the prologue, Ellie lies to her mother about trusting God to make her feel better; Ellie has a few moments of thinking something disrespectful towards her father but stops herself; Ellie is concerned that her father could be unwell (which ruins her appetite and thinks that she can’t lose him because he is all she has left); A side character plans to harm and threaten others (including throwing rocks at horses to spook them *Spoilers* Which he does at the end, but ends up kidnapping the wrong man; Ellie is told to stay home while the men search for her father, but she sneaks out to help; She has the thought that she should go back, but believes that she’s capable to take care of herself and ends up being tricked and also kidnapped; Carter says that “Ellie’s my problem” when this happens and rejects help trying to find her (thinking that she’s runoff); We see the point of view of the character’s brother who goes along with it (though he voices his disagreements and concerns) because he promised their mother to look after his brother after her passing; When Carter finds Ellie hurt, he thinks “If ever a man deserved killing…[he] pushed the dark thought away”; The two brothers are killed by others when they start shooting at them *End of Spoilers*, (all up to semi-detailed)); Carter recalls see the evidence of a coyote that attacked their chickens as a child (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of cancer, pain, a death, & grief from the family (Ellie and her father for their mother/wife); Mentions of potential deaths from accidents; Mentions of violence, brawls, riots, injuries, pain, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of threats, kidnappings, harming others, throwing rocks at horses, planning to harm/shoot and kidnap others, murders, breaking into a business, jails/prisons, arrests, & possibly being hanged; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of a boy growing up with a mean streak & causing trouble; A few mentions of fires; A few mentions of liquor, saloons, & tobacco; A few mentions of a drunkard father who “condemned his family to poverty”; A couple mentions of a mother passing away and leaving behind two children; A couple mentions of scarlet fever & children catching it (but are fine); A couple mentions of stealing/thefts; A couple mentions of ransom; A couple mentions of divorce (regarding a Christian woman not believing in it); A couple mentions of a grizzly bear attacking a camp; A mention of a war (the Civil War); A mention of gossip; 
             *Note: Eleanor/Ellie can be rude and arrogant towards others who have different opinions than her (*Spoiler* She realizes she’s been both of these things around a hundred pages in *End of Spoiler*); Ellie feels hurt by some of her father’s actions and leaving her out of some of his work; When Ellie meets a group of Indians (Native Americans), she thinks of them as “majestic” and is impressed with their English (she comments to someone that the stories about them being savages and attacking settlers need to ceases); Ellie’s father doesn’t believe that animals should be domesticated (but horses are different).
 
 
Sexual Content- A head kiss, a not-detailed kiss, and three semi-detailed kisses (one as a married couple with kissing her cheek and neck as well); Touches, Embraces, & Nearness (including Carter having Ellie on his lap in a tight carriage and a couple mentions of his muscles, barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes & Winks; Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); Carter is attracted to Ellie but will not pursue her unless she reconciled her hear to God first (he tells her this and she is upset); A few mentions of kisses & kissing; A couple mentions of reputations & chaperones; A mention of a man kissing his wife’s cheek; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: A mention of a woman’s plump bosom and curvy figure.
 
-Eleanor “Ellie” Briggs, age 24
-Carter Brunswick, age 29
                                P.O.V. switches between them, Marvella, & Grant
                           Set in 1904 (Prologue in 1894 & 1895; Epilogue in 1912)
                                                            378 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

It took over a hundred pages for me to become interested in this story because of Eleanor. I found her to be quite insufferable and entitled until she realized she was rude to others and started to get better and not be so snooty. But she could be as prickly as a porcupine at times! Her and Carter get off on the wrong foot and almost become enemies because they’re both in bad moods when they met. 

 

The faith content and all of the witnessing and discussions to Eleanor is definitely the main focus of this book by the end. I like when there’s strong faith content, but I will confess that I didn’t agree with how some Biblical parts (and reasons for why things happen) were shared with her at times. The authors definitely put their heart into this book with the faith content and I do think it could help some readers who have struggled with their faith after the death of a loved one; but at the same time, it may not be a book that reader will want to pick up—much like how Eleanor didn’t want to hear about God either for over half the book. There’s a ton of witnessing to Ellie/Eleanor and it was good to see because she needed the motherly guidance and wisdom from certain characters to heal her heart. 

 

I did really like that while Carter was interested in Eleanor, he wouldn’t pursue anything more than being a friend to her because of her lack of faith. (Though, he did royally mess-up by telling her this and, of course, she didn’t take it well.) 

 

This is a book where if you enjoy seeing the much-needed character development happen for our main characters finally happen, you may enjoy this book! I did find it a bit too long at times and wanted the plot to get a move on, particularly with Eleanor’s hard heart towards God. Neither of our main characters are perfect and we see plenty of their faults and flaws often throughout this book. Most of the time I enjoy not-perfect characters, but I admit to struggling with these two at times. They definitely had their idiotic moments. If you enjoy the enemies to lovers trope, character development, and lots of faith content/witnessing, have at this book! I enjoyed some parts, but would definitely say I preferred the first 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.

"Collateral Damage" by Lynette Eason

About this book:

  “Honorably discharged from the Army after an explosion nearly killed her, former military psychiatrist Brooke Adams has set up shop to help others—but her days of helping military personnel are over. She's got her own battles to fight from her time overseas, and she's not equipped to take on more. Former Army Special Ops Sergeant First Class Asher James could handle anything that war sent his way—terrorists, bombs, bullets. The only thing that scares him now is sleep. As the shadows close in, the nightmares begin.
    Finally convinced that he needs help, Asher makes an appointment with a counselor, and Brooke is pressed by her boss to take him on. When he arrives at her office she isn't there—but a dead body is. Brooke is devastated when she walks in, and Asher is a conveniently strong shoulder to cry on. But she can't take him on as a client after sharing such an intimate and unprofessional moment, can she? And he's not sure he can handle sharing his deepest fears with such a beautiful woman.
    When it becomes clear that Brooke was the real target of the attack—and that her secrets go even deeper than his own—Asher vows to protect her no matter what.”


Series: Book #1 in the “Danger Never Sleeps” series. 


Spiritual Content- Isiah 40:30-31 at the beginning; Prayers & Thanking God and Jesus; Talks about God, sin corrupting the world, & a conversation about God not being out to punish us when something bad is happening; 'H's are not capital when referring to God; Brooke talks about PTSD, coping strategies, faith, and God with her clients (saying that “I don’t know if you even believe in God at this point, but if you do…” and later when someone asks her to keep God out of it, Brooke says they can try, but knows the conversation will circle back to God); Brooke thinks about that while God may not have blessed with her a family she always wanted growing up, God’s “made up for that” in the friends He’s placed in her life; Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of churches, church going, & a pastor; A few mentions of miracles; A few mentions of blessings & being Blessed; A couple mentions of those & events in the Bible; A mention of a possible missionary; A mention of a coping technique about feeling like God is on someone’s side; 
             *Note: Kristin is a Christian American women and has taught a young girl about the one true God but they have to be careful not be caught (they refer to praying with the prayer mats that the Muslims there use & Kristin is told to just convert to the Muslim faith to be able to adopt the child, but she won’t do that; A woman tells Kristin that maybe her God will help her, but Kristin doesn’t say anything about her God because she isn’t sure what the woman is after); A woman calls Afghanistan a “godforsaken country”; Mentions of Muslims, couples who are not Muslim not being allowed to adopt from Afghanistan, prayer mats, & mosques.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘dang’, a ‘heck’, a ‘suck it up’, two ‘dumb’, two unfinished ‘for the love of…’s, six ‘shut up’s, and eight ‘stupid’s; Eye rolling & some sarcasm; Mentions of curses (said, not written); The first couple chapters are set in Afghanistan and we see our main characters go through bombings, explosions, attacks, seeing others die, injuries, pain, blood/bleeding, & passing out (up to semi-detailed); Seeing people shot & killed (up to semi-detailed); Being attacked, fighting, knocking someone out, being hit, seeing stars, being chased/followed, car crashes/being ran off the road, bombs/explosions, being held at gun-point, being shot, being shot at, shooting, injuries, pain, blood/bleeding, passing out, & throwing up (up to semi-detailed to detailed); Finding murdered bodies & Seeing bodies that are seriously harmed (both dead and alive, border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Recalling all of the events prior listed (with PTSD symptoms and nightmares of it as well and worse, up to semi-detailed); A break-in & threatening a mother with her child being held at gun-point (we see this in a villain’s POV and our main characters trying to help, semi-detailed); Seeing reconstructed skulls after an autopsy (barely-above-not-detailed); Grief (of co-workers and friends, up to semi-detailed); *Major Spoilers but Important Content Note about organ trafficking content* A military man is involved in trafficking orphaned Afghanistan children to the USA for their organs (all of the main characters are horrified by the thought of organ trafficking especially with children involved) and believes that the children are nothing and their organs let other kids (kids who are “deserving who’ll grow up to be something other than a terrorist”) live instead; A man planned for his wife to be murdered during a home invasion so he could come back to the states quickly and says that it was for the good of many; A doctor involve calls the orphans worthless and implies that those kids shouldn’t matter to anyone; Brooke sees the children being drugged and one wheeled into a surgery room, but those children are saved *End of Major Spoilers*; Brooke talks with a teen who doesn’t understand why she’s alive (suicidal thoughts and feels to blame for her parents fighting); Brooke and Asher talk about not drinking alcohol (despite both of them being tempted some days, Brooke won’t because of her father; Asher comments on needing his wits about him if he was going to survive overseas and that “alcohol would lessen [his] chances of coming home” so he hasn’t touched a drop since he joined the military); Asher has a neck tattoo; Many mentions of wars, deaths (including a man and a child being killed by a sniper), fighting, military presence overseas, bombs/explosions, & injuries (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of a mass grave site, the bodies of infants, children and adults being found there, smuggling them into a country illegally, potential causes of deaths, autopsies, drugging children, & organ trafficking (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of a possible serial killer & some criminals drawing the line at killing or killing children; Mentions of suicidal thoughts, thinking that someone may commit suicide, & a teen wondering why she’s even alive; Mentions of deaths, murders, & grief (for military co-workers and friends, a man and his teens for their wife/mother, & a wife for her military husband); Mentions of terrorists (including jihadists and the Taliban) & bombers blowing themselves up; Mentions of a car crash & being ran off the road (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of guns/weapons, gunfire, shooting, shooting at others in self-defense, other being shot (fatally and grazes), & a child being held at gun-point (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of fires, smoke, & injuries/burns (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of fights/fighting, injuries, pain, blood/bleeding, & throwing up (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of human trafficking (including slavery); Mentions of black market adoptions; Mentions of nightmares of terrible events (including seeing deaths and imagining losing limbs in a fire) & guilt from not saving someone (Brooke); Mentions of treason, people being accused of treason, & the benefits of a widow being cut off because of suspected treason; Mentions of criminals, crime scenes, prisons, arrests, & a manhunt; Mentions of break-ins, burglaries, stealing, stolen items, fencing items, & a murder during a home invasion (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of alcohol, drinking, bars, & alcoholics; Mentions of a fourteen-year-old trying her friend’s father’s alcohol (only one glass and didn’t like it, but feels guilt); Mentions of parents & married couples arguing; Mentions of gossip & rumors; A few mentions of potential cults; A few mentions of lies, lying, & liars; A few mentions of drugs & junkies; A couple mentions of serial killers; A couple mentions of violence; A couple mentions of teens possibly being runaways or kidnapped; A couple mentions of a man being in a medically induced coma; A couple mentions of a mother dropping her child off at an orphanage and visiting him every so often, but it breaks the child’s heart when she leaves him again; A couple mentions of gambling; A couple mentions of tattoos; A mention of the death of a daughter in a bombing; A mention of a suicide; A mention of a teen threatening to runaway from home; A mention of jealousy; 
             *Note: Both Asher & Brooke have PTSD from their time in Afghanistan & we see it on-page (typically with flashbacks and nightmares, semi-detailed); Brooke is a military psychiatrist that helps people with the mental brokenness they face (at one point, she says that she’s empty after giving everything to her clients and that there was nothing left for her to give; Brooke also feels like a fraud because she helps others but can’t deal with her “own issues”); Brooke’s father is hard on her & they do not have a good relationship because of it; Brooke’s mother left when she was a teenager & hasn’t talked to her since (Brooke thinks that she didn’t want to be a brother or that maybe she didn’t know how, but Brooke has learned to let go of her and hopes she’s happy); Asher feels like the black sheep of his family & has a rough relationship with his older brother (who calls him an embarrassment to the family, makes jabs about his career choice, & calls him a ‘freak’; Asher wonders if his brother is actually a sociopath; It’s later said that his brother finds his self-worth in tearing others down); *Spoiler* Towards the end, Asher comments on sometimes wondering what his worth is and what he’s here (on earth) for, but Brooke encourages him *End of Spoiler*; Some comments from others about “mere orphans” and treating them as less than human (*Major Spoilers* the villain who is organizing orphaned Afghanistan children to be flow to the USA for organ trafficking says that the kids’ organs let other kids (kids who are “deserving who’ll grow up to be something other than a terrorist”) live instead and calls the orphans burdens and brats who had no meaning to their lives until he made it so; The doctor involves calls the children worthless and implies that no one should care about them; Brooke and Asher both strongly disagree and say so *End of Major Spoilers*); Mentions of car brands; Mentions of brand names & items (Keurig, AirPods, iPads, FaceTime, Tums, & Coke); A few mentions of fictional character (Paul Bunyan & MacGyver); A few mentions of a woman who is on her third marriage; A couple mentions of a young woman trying to “find” herself; A couple mentions of restaurants (KFC & McDonald’s); A mention of a movie (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest); A mention of Uber; A mention of slasher movies.
 
 
Sexual Content- A nose kiss, a forehead kiss, a cheek kiss, a not-detailed kiss, two barely-above-not-detailed kisses, and a border-line semi-detailed // detailed kiss; Remembering kisses (barely-above-not-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, Warmth, Nearness, & Smelling (up to semi-detailed); A couple Blushes; Noticing (including one instance of noticing his muscles, barely-above-not-detailed); Asher misspeaks and it could be taken inappropriate (but Brooke knows he wouldn’t suggest such a thing; About getting a hotel room or two for the night, no sexual intentions); Asher’s brother makes a jab about finding Asher and Brooke alone in the middle of the night (didn’t and doesn’t happen, he was just being a jerk to Asher); Asher wishes to see Brooke every morning, wake up next to her, and do life with her; A few mentions of kisses & kissing; A couple mentions of Brooke’s father telling her that sometimes men strayed but “most came home to the wife” and she shouldn’t be bothered by that; A couple mentions of a dating multiple women; A couple mentions of jealousy; A mention of children not being sent out as sex slaves; A mention of a married man not having another woman; A mention of a man not cheating on his wife; A mention of a man looking up and down Brooke’s body in a way that makes her uncomfortable; A mention of a creepy man making a teenaged girl uncomfortable; A mention of flirting; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: While in Afghanistan, Brooke and other American women there have to wear a hijab, always have a male escort when they leave the base, & can never be alone with a man in a room; A mention of Asher dating someone who found his “issues” (PTSD) to be “off-putting”.
 
-Brooke Adams, age 36
-Asher James
                                P.O.V. switches between them, Caden, Kristin & two other people
                                                        320 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

{Trigger Warning for children being harmed and killed (off-page, many mentions of it), organ trafficking, & corrupt military men}

 

Man, this was intense—and yet also had one of my new favorite suspense couples. 

 

I really liked the two of them together, they fit and understood each other so easily it was like they clicked together—at least for me it was, Brooke probably wouldn’t admit to that at first. But regardless, I really liked them together and their easy banter that felt well into the plot and the pacing (it wasn’t poorly timed or too much). They are probably now one of my favorite couples in a suspense book. 

 

We see the point of view of about six people with two different plots that eventually connect, but I did struggle at times keeping with all the names and who they were (especially because there was a Heather and a Hesther! That should be illegal in the writing world, just saying) so I used the search feature in my ebook often. I think I’ll be bingeing this series because it looks like the books are very connected—more so than the average series with different main characters. (I can already tell that the second book will probably put me through the ringer, haha. 😅) 

 

This book deals with some heavy, heavy topics that definitely can be hard or triggering for some readers. For the 9-19 range I review for here on BFCG, I would hesitate to even mention to an older teen that wasn’t incredibly interested in law enforcement or the military. I decided to pick this book up on Memorial Day week as a reminder of what a serious cost our freedom is, so I was mentally prepared for hard topics, but it was obviously still difficult to read about children being killed. It makes me want to fight and see justice prevail—the latter I always expect to happen in a Christian Fiction suspense book where terrible things are happening but some books don’t do it well enough for me. Thankfully, this book did and made it better in my eyes for it. Definitely not a book for everyone, however.

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.

"Mrs. Witherspoon Goes to War" by Mary Davis

About this book:

  “Peggy Witherspoon, a widow, mother, and pilot flying for the Women’s Airforce Service in 1944 clashes with her new reporting officer. Army Air Corp Major Howie Berg was injured in combat and is now stationed at Bolling Field in Washington D.C. Most of Peggy’s jobs are safe, predictable, and she can be home each night with her three daughters—until a cargo run to Cuba alerts her to American soldiers being held captive there, despite Cuba being an “ally.” Will Peggy go against orders to help the men—even risk her own life?”


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


Spiritual Content- Ecclesiastes 3:1 and 8 at the beginning; A few Scriptures are remembered; Prayers & Thanking God; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; A few talks about God & praying; Peggy has a strained relationship with the Lord & feels as if God doesn’t hear her prayers due to praying for her husband’s safety and him still being killed in action (she prays for others though and hopes her prayer doesn’t “fall on death ears like all her others had”; When something happens, she thinks that “that’s was what she got for praying”; She makes a few more comments in her head that imply God let her down and her bitterness towards Him, thinking that God tore her heart apart from turning away from her; *Spoilers* About halfway, she starts a more regular communication with God again and finds comfort in praying as though “Someone were actually listening”; She feels guilt for neglecting God and later thinks that God loves her even though He answered most of her prayers with no *End of Spoilers*); Peggy hears God’s voice directing her (x3); Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers, praying, & thanking God; A handful of mentions of churches & church going (Peggy goes to church for the sake of her daughters); A couple mentions of miracles; A mention of Peggy wondering about God having more important things to worry about than a get-together; A mention of guardian angels; 
             *Note: Howie thinks that while he had cursed being injured when it happened, he now wonders if it was a blessing after all; A couple mentions of good luck.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘shut up’ and five forms of stupid; A couple mentions of curses (said, not written); A but of eye rolling; Flying (both calm and dangerous flights with injuries), jumping out of a plane, a fire/smoke, gunfire, being shot at, injuries, pain, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); A training exercise ends up with someone accidentally being shot (up to semi-detailed); Seeing someone chokehold another & make them unconscious (barely-above-not-detailed); *Major Spoilers* Peggy and other WASPs plan an unauthorized rescue mission, go on the mission through a hurricane looming, and have to eject out of the plane when it’s damaged causing others to believe that Peggy is MIA (up to semi-detailed) *End of Major Spoilers*; Peggy’s husband was shot down over Germany fifteen months prior to the book starting (we see some grief from her, barely-above-not-detailed); Howie recalls his plane being shot down & crashing (including his major injuries, up to semi-detailed); Peggy’s oldest daughter makes a comment about wanting to shoot down the bad people who did that to her father; Set during World War II & many mentions of wars, deaths, prisoners of war, soldiers missing in action, actual events, fighting, being shot at, gunfire, injuries, & pain (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of fires, smoke, crash landings; Mentions of injuries, pain, surgeries and possible amputation, broken bones, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); A handful of mentions of throwing up; A few mentions of torture; A few mentions of the possibility of being killed or captured as a prisoner of war; A few mentions of traitors & spies; A few mentions of the possibility of being court marshaled and/or jailed; A few mentions of nightmares (particularly military men when they come back home); A few mentions of the Great Depression; A few mentions of a young boy teasing and taunting a little girl; A few mentions of smoking & pipes; A couple mentions of casualties; A couple mentions of the possibility of being killed; A couple mentions of the possibilities of a plane exploding; A mention of the possibility of bleeding out; A mention of a bully who is drunk on power;
             *Note: Howie has signs of PTSD (not named) from his plane being shot down and crashing (he recalls the event, up to semi-detailed; in regards to the crash: Howie doesn’t take his sleeping medication because it makes him feel drugged and no longer in control; Howie thinks of himself as a cripple and a half-crippled man); Peggy & the other WASPs face prejudice, discrimination, and dangerous situations because of being female pilots from others (men, women, and a little boy) & many mentions of this throughout the book (written out comments as well); Peggy wants herself and the other female pilots to be treated as equal to the male pilots & voices it a few times throughout the book; At first, Howie doesn’t believe women should be in the military because he was raised that ladies would be protected and cherished (which is why he reacts to the WASP women being put in danger); Peggy and other WASPs fix a plane that they don’t think the government will miss for a few hours (not asking permission nor officially gaining it); Mentions of car brands; A mention of some men believing women to be too emotional; A mention of Shirley Temple; A mention of a book (The Velveteen Rabbit).
 
 
Sexual Content- A hand kiss, an almost kiss, a barely-above-not-detailed kiss, and two semi-detailed kisses; Remembering kisses, almost kisses, & touches (barely-above-not-detailed); Wanting to kiss & embrace (barely-above-not-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, & Nearness (up to semi-detailed); Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes; Mentions of kisses, almost kisses, & embracing; Mentions of romantic entanglements & fraternizing (between the WASPs and military men) being discouraged; A few mentions of dates, dating, & a handsome boy; A couple mentions of crushes; A mention of a man wolf whistling at a WASP; Some love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: A couple mentions of Peggy feeling pain that is comparable go childbirth (which she felt like her baby was going to “tear her in two”).
 
-Margaret “Peggy” Witherspoon, age 
-Howie Berg
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                            Set in 1944 (Prologue in 1927)
                                                        305 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

Like a prior book I’ve read in this multi-authored series, it’s set in World War II but not super heavy on the sadness that comes with that time period. There’s high stakes and lives at risk, but we’re not overseas with the characters fighting or hiding for their lives like many other World War II fiction books. I personally really like that difference and definitely plan to check out more of the series. 

 

Howie meant well, but he’s kind of clueless. At the beginning, he went on too much about the WASPs being women and that they shouldn’t be doing it—not because of them being women but due to being raised that ladies should be protected. He had a lot to learn (and unlearn, really) about women involved in the war. 

 

On the other hand, Peggy was very tough and strong, which felt so odd against their romance. I actually started to hope that there would be no romance between them, but no, there was a romance. She was very stand-offish towards him in his point of view, but when it switched to her’s, she was thinking about him in a non-work, possible romance related way. It felt a little bit out of left field and rushed. So, the romance was my least favorite part about this book…I think it would’ve been better with no romance.

 

At first I thought it was a bit too much about all the flying, planes, and technical talk, but as the book continued I started to become more interested in it all, especially towards the end. I honesty think that if done well, this could be a really neat movie. I found myself getting goosebumps at times towards the end, especially. There were quite a few parts that I felt like weren’t the most realistic, but it’s a fiction book so I’m going to let it slide because I overall enjoyed it.

 

 

 

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.