Books for Christian Girls: "A Winter at the White Queen" by Denise Weimer

About this book:

  “In the world of the wealthy, things are never quite as they appear.
    Ellie Hastings is tired of playing social gatekeeper—and poor-relation companion—to her Gibson Girl of a cousin. But her aunt insists Ellie lift her nose out of her detective novel long enough to help gauge the eligibility of bachelors during the winter social season at Florida’s Hotel Belleview. She finds plenty that’s mysterious about the suave, aloof Philadelphia inventor, Lewis Thornton. Why does he keep sneaking around the hotel? Does he have a secret sweetheart? And what is his connection to the evasive Mr. Gaspachi, slated to perform at Washington’s Birthday Ball?
    Ellie’s comical sleuthing ought to put Lewis out, but the diffident way her family treats her smashes a hole in his normal reserve. When Florence Hastings’s diamond necklace goes missing, Ellie’s keen mind threatens to uncover not only Lewis’s secrets, but give him back hope for love.”

Series: Book #1 in the “Romance at the Gilded Age Resorts” series, but does not seem to be connected to any other book.

Spiritual Content- A Scripture is referenced; A few Prayers; Talks about God & Jesus; Some 'H's are capital when referring to God; Ellie shares about Jesus with a little girl; A little girl asks why God didn’t make a female bird pretty like the male one of its kind (but then she notices that the female bird’s song is beautiful); The same little girl doesn’t understand why God would let someone get hurt, but is told that God lets people make choices; Mentions of God, Jesus, & faiths; Mentions of prayers, praying, & thanking God; A mention of a Bible; A mention of something being a sin;
             *Note: Magic is mentioned & talked about in terms of magic tricks and a magician (we see some tricks on page and most are explained showing the science behind them; The magician does not do anything sensational or dark and will not do those in his shows); Lewis thinks that Ellie looks like an “elven enchantress, a spirit from another realm” at one point; An illusion of a “ghost couple”; A few mentions of fate and destiny in meeting someone; A mention of someone falling into a “blue devil” (low spirits); A mention of someone sharing a ghost story.

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘biddies’, a ‘blimey’, a ‘for Pete’s sake’, a ‘law’, and two ‘stupid’s; A bit of eye rolling; Ellie’s cousin wants help with keeping something from her mother (which the deception unsettles Ellie’s spirit, but doesn’t know what else to do); Mentions of deaths (including from cancer) & grief; Mentions of a woman who fell to her death; Mentions of a child almost being hit by a car & someone else being injured and facing possible amputation (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of thieves, criminals/crimes, stealing, & a stolen item; A few mentions of alcohol & drinking; A few mentions of nightmares; A few mentions of gossip & rumors; A mention of beheadings; A mention of the Spanish-American War; A mention of drugs; A mention of gambling;
             *Note: Ellie’s aunt orders her about and to find out about potential suitors for her cousins (Ellie is also ignored by others because of her lack of standing); Ellie feels like she is below others of high society (due to always being overlooked and cast aside); Ellie comments on not being able to do something that her aunt would disapprove of and Lewis comments that it sounds like a good reason to do it; When finding out about potential spouses for her cousins, Ellie would employ the dropped-item tactic to see if the man will pick it up, but it when comes to Lewis and testing him with it, she doesn’t want to appear as a “brainless female”; *Spoiler* At the end, Ellie’s aunt apologizes to her for how she’s treated Ellie *End of Spoiler*; Mentions of books & fictional characters (classics); A few mentions of brand names (Coca-Cola, Juicy Fruit gum); A mention of a stuffed alligator at a hotel.

Sexual Content- A semi-detailed kiss, and a border-line semi-detailed // detailed kiss; Wanting to kiss & Staring at another’s lips (barely-above-not-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, Smelling (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Flirting & Blushes; Noticing (including his muscles, border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Ellie wonders if Lewis has a mistress/paramour based on a couple comments and hints she sees (*Spoiler* he does not, but does have a niece who is his ward; His sister was used and discarded like trash, later saying “she became involved with a rake, eloped, and got herself with child” and that the man disappeared when she died having the baby *End of Spoiler*); Ellie doesn’t want to see a man who has a woman on the side nor does she want to be that woman; When Ellie goes into Lewis’ rooms at night, she thinks that she might as well pin a scarlet letter to her chest if someone sees her (not sexual at all, she is going to visit someone); Ellie asks her aunt if she thinks a man is going to “debauch” her (which her aunt doesn’t want her to use “such vulgar terms” and no, doesn’t think that will happen); A look of longing; Mentions of flirting & blushes; Mentions of reputations & chaperones; Mentions of couples touching, embracing, & holding hands; A few mentions of broken hearts & a man using a woman for information (*Spoiler* Ellie’s past beau *End of Spoiler*); A couple mentions of a man being labeled as a womanizer; A mention of someone being accused of having a “sordid affair”; A mention of a young woman throwing herself to a man; A mention of a man wearing a “very flamboyant” color of loungewear (he’s a magician); Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Ellie’s aunt asks her how she will “achieve the proper womanly proportions” if she skips a meal; Ellie is uncomfortable in a bathing suit and doesn’t want anyone to see her in it; Ellie wears a dress that “might even give her a bosom”; Ellie stashes something in her padded corset/bosom; A couple mentions of two women’s curvy figures (Ellie notices); A mention of Ellie blushing like she confessed that she forgot to wear one of her unmentionables; A mention of an aunt’s “prodigious” bosom; A mention of a couple where the man is a dozen years older than the woman; A mention of a mother dying in childbirth.

-Ellie Hastings, age 29
-Lewis Thornton
                                P.O.V. switches between them
                                           Set in 1910
                                                        188 pages

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

This was pretty cute! It said it was set in 1910 but if felt a little closer to the 1920s in different regards like their vocabulary and phrases used, but it was still a fun and quick read.

Because this was under 200 pages it did feel rushed and jumpy at times—I would’ve really like some things to been expounded upon. Another 50 or so pages could’ve fixed that I think, but it was still pretty cute albeit cheesy and dramatic a few times. I will definitely be continuing on with the rest of the series because the Gilded age is my favorite historical time period. :)

See y’all on Friday with a new review!