Books for Christian Girls: "Hide and Seek" by Beth Adams

About this book:

  “When a gardener brings Harriet Bailey a beautiful purebred bloodhound he found wandering around—and trampling Miss Jane Birtwhistle’s roses—she discovers the dog belongs to Lord Beresford, White Church Bay’s own reclusive baron. But when Harriet goes to the manor to return the dog, the noble owner is nowhere to be found. Did he leave of his own free will, or is foul play involved? As Harriet searches for answers, she uncovers long-buried secrets about the baron and his family… secrets that might be better off staying hidden.
    Meanwhile, at the encouragement of her Aunt Jinny, Harriet steps out of her comfort zone to meet new people. Gemma, a young and ambitious reporter, is clearly interested in getting to know Harriet. But when information Harriet told her new friend in confidence is published in the local paper, Harriet has to Is Gemma truly seeking her friendship, or is she merely using Harriet to get the latest scoop about the missing man?”

Series: Book #2 in the “Mysteries of Cobble Hill Farm” series. Review of Book #1 Here!

Spiritual Content- Prayers; Devotional times & Bible reading (a few times); Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers, praying, thanking God, & blessings over food; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, & devotional times; Mentions of those & events in the Bible; Mentions of churches, church going, a pastor, a Sunday school class, & choir robes; Mentions of a christening; A mention of stained glass at a church;
             *Note: A mention of art of Greek and Roman mythology.

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: A ‘dumb’ and an ‘idiot’; A bit of eye rolling; A journalist gets excited/animated about the idea of a murder (which makes Harriet uncomfortable as if that actually happened, it isn’t a joking matter); All about many mentions of a missing person, possible foul play/murder/violence (including the possibility of running away after murdering someone), possible injuries, & drops of blood; Mentions of someone possibly drowning & having to search for a body; Mentions of crimes; Mentions of lurkers, a dog possibly being kidnapped and held for ransom, & purebred dogs sometimes being stolen; Mentions of protests against those with titles, threatening letters, & threats; Mentions of a decanter; Mentions of injured animals & Harriet’s veterinary clinic treatments (including vaccines); A few mentions of deaths (including two from cancer); A few mentions of a jewel heist (Book #1 and spoils the ending on that book with these few mentions); A few mentions of lies & lying; A few mentions of gossip & rumors; A couple mentions of a man having a seizure; A couple mentions of almost car accidents; A couple mentions of possible break-ins; A couple mentions of arrests; A mention of a sickly children who passed before his first birthday; A mention of blackmail;
             *Note: A few comment by Harriet about women not having the same rights as men (not overly feminist leaning; mostly when discussing inheriting titles and how some still only go to the son & then later when a daughter is “little more than a footnote” in the story of the men in her family in regards to titles/property); Mentions of car brands; Mentions of authors & books (classics); A couple mentions of brand names (Coke); A mention of Jackie O; In the note from the author, she compliments England, but notes that not all of the country’s history is to be admired, “that world thing about colonizing half the world is generally recognized as a misstep now”; A comment at the very end of the book in the bonus content mentions an estate where Bridgerton and Brideshead Revisited were filmed.

Sexual Content- *Major Spoilers but Important Note for Parents* At the end, it’s revealed that the missing Baron (Liam) went to his brother because he has learned that they are half-brothers and that all of the titles/properties should have gone to the brother instead as their biological fathers were different; Liam’s biological father was a married man who was close to the parents that raised him and it’s commented on that Liam isn’t sure if his mother knew who his biological father was; Liam and his brother decide not to share this with many because they don’t want their mother’s memory being questioned as she made “an error in judgement that resulted in [Liam’s birth]. [The brother] won’t have her name dragged through the mud for that.”; It is never said if it was an affair or anything of the sort and is more-or-less brushed under the rug; Liam’s brother doesn’t care who the biological father was as his brother is still his brother *End of Spoilers*; Mentions of boyfriends/girlfriends, dates, dating, & break-ups; A few mentions of a possible affair & illegitimate children;
             *Note: A mention of a skintight prom dress.

-Harriet Bailey, age early thirties
                                P.O.V. of Harriet
                                                        272 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

Maybe it’s the British country setting, but this book and the prior one had such a charm to the storyline! I always like discovering a new cozy mystery series and this one was been great so far!

I figured out some parts of the mystery as the book continued, but the final piece...I didn’t like that element, though it was kept light/clean. I’ve noted it in the Sexual Content Spoiler section and would be the main reason I didn’t give this book the same ratings as the first book in the series. If there’s any moms of pre-teens that are curious about this book, I would suggest reading the spoiler to make a decision.

I’m looking forward to the next book as it’s by an author I’ve enjoyed many books by.

See y’all on Friday with a new review!