"Christmas in the Castle Library" by Ann Swindell

About this book:

  “Ellie Sawyer has always felt more comfortable with books than people, which explains why she’s a PhD history student neck deep in research and trying to complete her doctoral dissertation in time to graduate. But the final books she needs are half a world away in the tiny European kingdom of Lethersby, and the only time she can access the secretive Royal Castle Library is during the Christmas holiday.
    Ellie is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery that has eluded Lethersby scholars for more than 100 hundred years by figuring out what happened to their long-lost queen, a young royal who disappeared shortly after the outbreak of the First World War. With the help of Mark, a handsome castle staff member who shares her love of history, she might be able to unravel the queen’s story. But Mark is keeping his own secret from her, and what they discover together could change everything for Ellie—and the entire kingdom.”


Series: Book #1 in an unnamed series. 


Spiritual Content- Many Scriptures are mentioned, read, remembered, & thought over; Many, many prayers & Thanking God; Church going, a Christmas Eve service, & a sermon; Many talks about & Discussions of God, Jesus Christ, Him pursuing us, strong faiths, Bible reading, love, & being chosen by God; Most 'H's are capital when referring to God; Set during Christmastime; At the beginning of the book, Ellie surprises herself by praying as she hasn’t done that in months or years due to being too busy to pray or read her Bible; Ellie recalls how she would crave reading her Bible and thinks that her relationship with the Lord is dry now, so she starts to read her Bible and pray again; Ellie feels a Presence with her at times & hears God talking to her (most are Scripture references); Many, many mentions of God, Jesus Christ, Scriptures, strong faiths, prayers, & praying; Many, many mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, & books of the Bible; Mentions of those & events in the Bible; Mentions of churches/chapels, church going, sermons, and either paying or not paying attention to the preacher; Mentions of Christmas & Christmas hymns.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a form of ‘drat’, an ‘idiot’, an ‘oh my gosh’, two ‘stupid’s, three forms of ‘dumb’; Eye rolling; Ellie eavesdrops and though she doesn’t want to, she becomes curious about what is being said (twice); Many mentions of wars, fighting, deaths, & neutral countries; Mentions of deaths (cancer) & grief (including a wife for her husband and daughter & a daughter for her father); Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of jealousy; A few mentions of eavesdropping; A mention of college parties; A mention of the lottery; 
             *Note: Ellie struggles a lot with self-confidence, self-doubt, comparison, and thinking she will be rejected by others (lots of this is on-page including her thinking she is a failure, always doomed to fail, and not good enough; Others try to tell her that that is not true and encourage her); Ellie has a near panic attack (barely-above-not-detailed) & anxiety; Mentions of books, authors, & fictional characters (The Odyssey, Beowulf, Paradise Lost, Gerard Manly Hopkins, Narnia, & Ebenezer Scrooge); A few mentions of a car brand; A couple mentions of Google Translate; A mention of a Barbie doll.
 
 
Sexual Content- A fingers-to-lips touch, five hand kisses, three head/forehead kisses, three barely-above-not-detailed kisses, and two semi-detailed kisses; Touches, Embraces, Dancing, Hand holding, Warmth, Shivers/Tingles, Flutters, Nearness, & Smelling (barely-above-not-detailed); A bit of wanting to touch (barely-above-not-detailed); Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); Flirting, Winks, & Blushes; Ellie blushes about the thought of a honeymoon and can’t wait for it; Mentions of theories that Queen Alma left because of a secret lover or because she was pregnant out of wedlock; Mentions of dates, dating, boyfriends/girlfriends, crushes, & exes; A couple mentions of kisses & an excellent kisser; A couple mentions of wanting to kiss; A couple mentions of blushes; A couple mentions of flirting; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Ellie is self-conscious about her outward appearance, including her weight and thinks about her body in negative ways often (including noticing her thighs, soft middle, her clothes feeling tight, and how she’s easily winded) and how she doesn’t love her body; Most of her self-consciousness stems from a boy in high school backing out of taking her to prom because she was “too fat” and told her so when she pressed him about the reason in the cafeteria (in front of many others) & she recalls this and her feelings about it a handful of times; Ellie thinks that Mark is out of her league; A few mentions of Ellie’s curves (which she is self-conscious about, but Mark tells her he loves them); A mention of a revealing dress.
 
-Ellie Sawyer, 
                                P.O.V. of Ellie 
                                        312 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 teens who struggle with self-confidence }

This wasn’t what I was expecting. I thought it would be dual-time period and go back and forth for the historical element, when it was actually just a modern-day setting with Ellie trying to figure out the mystery. It definitely had the Hallmark-storyline with the prince falling for the American, the wonderful library academia vibes, and great faith content. But it also had a more sensitive message because of Ellie’s major insecurities in herself. 

 

I’ll admit that shortly into reading this book and seeing her lack of confidence and lack of interest in her Bible, I was concerned that the male lead would swoop in and rescue her (which is something I’ve seen a lot in Christian Fiction). I was pleasantly surprised that did majorly not happen—there’s a bit of it at the end with him commenting on loving her curves—and was overall heartened by the lack of that element and seeing her journey of faith in this book. 

 

At the risk of sounding unfeeling and harsh, I also must admit that I grew tired of Ellie’s woes about her insecurities, physical appearance, and how she’s “just a scholar”. This is rehashed and rehashed again and again which made the book feel so slooooooow to me. I would usually fly through this kind of plotline, but because of the lack of interest at times and the constant repetition, it dragged. I know that some truths will just not stick to our mind, and we have to repeat and repeat them to get it to stick, but it felt redundant at times with Ellie. She was often comparing herself to others around her and my heart hurt for her. 

 

That said, the faith content was great, and it truly was the main focus of the book—let’s say 50% romance and then split the remaining half between the romance and the mystery of the queen? So, it was nice to see the faith content and discussions and lots of Scriptures, but at the same time, it also got to be repetitive quickly. 

 

Besides the faith content, this book went just about as I thought it would—particularly with the missing queen (called it early on) and the romance—Ellie was really oblivious to who the handsome guy in the library was. She reacted just as well to the news as I expected her to (so not well at all) and when a certain other common trope (another woman) came into play, I was a little annoyed. 

 

Final verdict? This was a pretty clean, faith heavy book. I liked some aspects of it, but I do think it could have been at least a hundred pages shorter. For teen readers, I would say it would be better for those who struggle with their insecurities like Ellie did, particularly about her outward appearance and finding her identity in Christ. It’s clean enough for younger girls/teens, but because of her lack of self-confidence and thinking about her flaws often, I wouldn’t want a younger girl to then notice these things about themselves if they hadn’t already been aware of 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.

"Hear the Falling Snow" by Storm Shultz

About this book:

  “Accepting God’s timing has never been so hard.
    When thirty-nine-year-old Adeline Parker’s sisters send her to a baking retreat at a castle nestled in the hills of Kentucky, she’s relieved to spend Christmas away from the reminder of her mother’s passing. Her Christmas plans include:
    •Exploring the festive charms of River Cottage
    •Eating her weight in bear claws and cinnamon rolls
    •Learning how to bake Bûche De Noël
    What isn’t part of the plan is meeting Luke Bauman.
    Luke has always felt called to the mission field. He never expected that when the door finally opened to go to Turkey, he would have a reason to stay in Kentucky. At forty-one, he’s spent most of his adult life focused on carpentry, keeping Reginald the rooster in line, and checking in on his widowed mother. Luke thought he was ready for change—but that was before Adeline stumbled (or sprinted) into his life.
    Adeline refuses to distract Luke from his calling, but is there a chance that their meeting is all part of God’s good timing?”


Series: No, a stand-alone novel.


Spiritual Content- A few Scriptures are mentioned and quoted; Many Prayers, Thanking God, & Blessings over food; Talks about God, Jesus, His plans and timing, callings from Him, & being a missionary; 'H's are capital when referring to God; Many mentions of God, being called by Him, callings, missionaries, the mission field, & witnessing to others; Many mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of Christmas & celebrating the birth of Christ; Mentions of churches, church going, & services; Mentions of Christmas hymns & gospel songs; A few mentions of Bibles & Bible reading; A few mentions of those & events in the Bible; A few mentions of guilt about not witnessing to a friend enough before his death; A few mentions of theology books; A couple mentions of Christians; A couple mentions of salvation; A mention of a Christian being excited about death; A mention of a Biblical reason for a divorce (not said what); 
             *Note: Luke asks his mother “What on God’s green earth are you doing?” and later literally uses the phrase “only God knows”; Adeline knows that her mom can’t communicate with her anymore, but thinks of what she would be saying to her in certain situations; A teasing comment about someone being a fortune teller; A couple mentions of a possible ghost; A mention of aliens (Martians); A mention of something acting like a “demon-haunted swine”.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘dumb’, a ‘shut up’, three ‘stupid’s, five ‘oh my gosh’s, six ‘darn’s; Eye rolling & Sarcasm; Adeline is grieving the death of her mother as she passed away (from cancer) about a year prior to the book starting (Adelaide was her caretaker and feels guilt and regret);  Many mentions of deaths, grief (including for a mom, a dad, and a wife for her husband), & cancer (both where the person makes it and another who did not); Mentions of injuries, pain, blood/bleeding, & stitches; Mentions of gossip; Mentions of peeing & needing the bathroom; Mentions of divorces; A few mentions of lies & lying; A few mentions of wine & a possibly spiked punch; A few mentions of hunting trips; A couple mentions of a possible serial killer; A couple mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of lottery tickets; A mention of Adeline not being a betting person;
             *Note: Mentions of books & authors (From Whom the Bell Tolls, Romeo & Juliet, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, The Hobbit, The Velveteen Rabbit, Black Beauty, Meant to Be (by this author), Knowing God by A.W. Tozer, & Beatrix Potter); Mentions of social media platforms & websites (Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, Etsy, Google); A few mentions of the Backstreet Boys (and how Adeline would blush over Nick Carter); A few mentions of fictional characters (the Grinch, Santa Claus, Edna Mode, Harry Potter, & Gilderoy Lockhart); A couple mentions of brand names, places (M&Ms, & Walmart); A mention of a chicken being named Margaret Hatcher (instead of Thatcher); A mention of Gordon Ramsey; A mention of Barbie movies; A mention of Luke being up on his vaccines.
 
 
Sexual Content- A hand/fingers kiss, six cheek/nose kisses, seven forehead/head kisses, a not detailed kiss, nine barely-above-not-detailed kisses, two border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed kisses, four semi-detailed kisses, two detailed kisses, and two very detailed kisses; Remembering kisses (up to semi-detailed); Staring at lips; Touches, Embraces, Cuddling, Hand holding, Dancing, Flutters, Nearness, & Smelling (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to kiss/be kissed, touch, embrace, hold hands, & dance (up to semi-detailed); Noticing & Staring (including muscles, up to semi-detailed); Flirting, Winks, & Blushes; After kissing a couple of times, Adeline and Luke mention about either not kissing because they don’t know where a relationship will go for them (her thoughts) or that maybe they should kiss because of that (his thoughts); Luke tells Adeline to quit fixing her sweater and jeans after a kiss because she’s making it look like they were doing more than just kissing (teasing her); Adeline makes a comment that Luke smirks at because of how it sounded (asking if he would like to “sample some of [her] pavlova?”); Mentions of kisses & kissing; Mentions of blushes, winks, flirting, & swooning; Mentions of dates, dating, & boyfriends; Mentions of crushes & types; Love, falling/being in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Adeline isn’t comfortable with low-cut dresses and appreciates someone picking out a modest dress for her; Adeline refers to being a teenage girl screaming into a pillow with a celebrity crush; Luke goes shirtless in the epilogue and teases Adeline about her liking what she sees.
 
-Adeline Parker, age 39
-Luke Bauman, age 41
                               1^st person P.O.V. switches between them 
                                                        293 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

Ahh, I really would like to give this book a higher rating! While typing up this review with the content, though, I had to drop my personal rating because of all of the kisses/make out sessions, which is really a bummer! 

 

I went back and forth grinning like a ninny and then crying my eyes out while reading this book. Which might scare some away, but it felt therapeutic to me. Christmas is hard for my family and while some days it’s hard to read about another’s grief, I understood so much of what Adeline was feeling in a lot of ways. 

 

I do think a few kisses were a bit too much—especially because they didn’t know if everything would work out for them. When Adelaide comments on that, he says about 

maybe they “should be soaking up every moment we have together” which wasn’t quite the right mindset in my opinion. They were adorable together and one couple I would actually approve of despite the couple only knowing each other a short time. But I do think those detailed kisses affected their emotions and added more angst and stress for them with the already difficult decisions they have to make about their futures. Might be an unpopular opinion, but one I stand by. 😅

 

I do really like how strong the faith content was in this book and how much they communicated and actually had discussions about important things to them both. Because of the kisses, I have to give this book lower ratings for teen readers (keeping in mind that every teen and what they’ve been exposed to—secular romance readers probably wouldn’t be bothered by these kisses but it’s more than I feel comfortable recommending). Had the kisses not been so intense, I think I would have given this one a five star personal rating.

 

 

See y’all on Wednesday 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.

"A Noble Grace" by E.G. Bella

About this book:

  “A servant protecting her sister, a prince desperate to wed and a reluctant union to save their kingdom.
    For three long years after losing her home in the Crylmar attacks, twenty-two-year-old Annette Beaumont has worked hard to keep her family together. But when her papa’s debt to the crown is called into question, and she and her sister are sent to serve at the castle until it’s paid, she's drawn into a plot that threatens everything she's worked for.
    Shunned and hated, Prince Laurent Villeneuve is running out of time to find a bride before he forfeits his right to the throne. But to stop his treacherous uncle from seizing power and aligning with the enemy, he must overcome his kingdom’s hatred, and somehow win the affections of the stubborn servant who becomes his last chance.
    As tensions rise and threats loom, both must learn to work together, softening their hearts and setting aside their differences. When time runs out, what will they sacrifice to save their kingdom from ruin? And what if that sacrifice changes everything?”


Series: Book #3 in the multi-author series, “Cornerstone”. It does not seem to be connected to any other books, however. A stand-alone novel. Review of Book #1 Here! and Book #2 Here!


Spiritual Content- Many prayers; Praising & Thanking God; ’H’s are capital when referring to God; Going to a church for a wedding; Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of a copy of the Psalms & reading it; Mentions of blessings & miracles; Mentions of a priest at a wedding; A couple mentions of the Holy Spirit in wedding vows;
             *Note: ‘Oh heavens’ is said once.
 

Negative Content- Fictional world phrases like ‘why in all of Velasia’ and ‘how in all that’s good’ are said; Laurent curses others for bothering him or interfering; A bit of eye rolling; Being kidnapped, Being held hostage, Being choked and threatened, Stabbing someone in self-defense, Pain, & Injuries (up to semi-detailed); Seeing fighting, others shot with an arrow (in the throat), & others injured (barely-above-not-detailed); Laurent’s uncle is trying to steal the throne from him and also tries to belittle him; Many mentions of wars, fights/battles, attacks, deaths, & villages being burned; Mentions of planned murders; Mentions of the death of Annette’s mother & her family’s grief; Mentions of thieves & stealing; Mentions of a kidnapping; Mentions of injuries, blood/bleeding, passing out, someone being unconscious for a while due to hitting her head hard (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of violence & a man slapping Annette for standing against him; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of hatred; Mentions of gossip & rumors; A few mentions of prisons; A couple mentions of a possibly drunk man.
 
 
Sexual Content- A barely-above-not-detailed kiss; Some Touches, Embraces, Dancing, Hand holding, Smelling, & Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes; A man grabs Annette’s wrist and comments on her appearance (she is uncomfortable); A couple mentions of seeing a couple share innocent touches; Love, falling in love, & the emotions (light). 
 
-Annette 
-Laurent
                               1^st person P.O.V. switches between them 
                                                        203 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

I had to admire Annette’s spunk—if looks could kill, the prince would have been dead many times over—but also her care for her sister. I’ve really enjoyed how the first three books in this non-connecting series have all had sibling love shown so far. 

 

I will admit that in my opinion, it took Laurent way too long to realize that he was with the wrong sister—like, half the book. I think this would be my biggest “complaint”, if you will, about the book because it made the pacing feel off to me and then the main characters have to do a pretty quick 180. It didn’t ruin the book for me, but I didn’t love how it took so long to get them together and to not be scowling at the other. 

 

One thing I really liked was that the faith content was very natural and felt like both main characters had a relationship with the Lord; Both were really nice to see and I’m curious to read more by this author.

 

 

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.

"Christmas is for Suckers" by Abigail G. Thompson

About this book:

  “Ezra Oakland is sick and tired of life from his dad being deployed and his mom stressing about everything from his asthma to where they should put the Christmas tree. In a desperate attempt to get out of his house, he decides to work at a Christmas Tree Farm for the rest of the Christmas season, but there is one the owner's daughter is Ophelia Jones, and Ophelia has a horrible habit of annoying the snot out of Ezra. What makes it worse is that she has seemed to make it her mission to get him in the Christmas spirit even though, at this point, Ezra is pretty sure Christmas is for suckers.”


Series: Does not seem to be connected to any other book, a stand-alone novella.


Spiritual Content- A handful of Scriptures are quoted, mentioned, & remembered; Prayers; Youth group & a sermon/message; Set during Christmas time; 'H's are capital when referring to God; Ezra says to God in a prayer, “you say you don’t tempt men. Does that mean pretty girls are form the devil?” (and notes that his sister would slap him for that thought); Mentions of God, Jesus, showing Jesus to others, & Christmas; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of churches, going to youth group and church events, pastors, services, & a sermon; Mentions of Christmas hymns; A few mentions of Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes (Samaritan’s Purse); A couple mentions of sharing Christ with others; A couple mentions of a book of the Bible; A couple mentions of a church member having meetings with elders after an upset and then deciding to leave the Church.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘dumb’, a ‘god forbid’, a ‘smart butt’, a ‘suck it up’, a ‘you piece of trash’, two ‘blasted’s, two ‘gosh’s, two ‘shut up’s, three forms of ‘sucks’, four forms of ‘crap’, eight forms of ‘idiot’, and nine ‘stupid’s; Ezra curses Ophelia in his mind and later curses himself for being distracted; Eye rolling & sarcasm; Pain (up to semi-detailed); Grief & Sobbing (up to semi-detailed); Ophelia goes to slap Ezra across the cheek when he’s hurt her, but he catches her hand; When using his nebulizer for an asthma attack, Ezra thinks that some people (mostly teenagers) loved to joke that he was “getting high like he was smoking weed”, but Ezra doesn’t find it funny because of the side effects of the drugs on his system; Mentions of deaths & grief (Ophelia and her dad for their mom/wife due to breast cancer); Mentions of the military, soldiers, & the family greatly missing their family members; A few mentions of wars; A few mentions of injuries & blood/bleeding; A few mentions of blackmail; A few mentions of drugs (both medically needed and weed); A few mentions of lies & lying; A few mentions of jealousy (including Ezra over Ophelia’s childhood of growing up in the same place); A couple mentions of hatred; A mention of thieves; A mention of a man cussing out Christmas carolers; A mention of eavesdropping; 
             *Note: Ezra has a couple asthma attacks & has to use his nebulizer (one of the attacks is described in detail); Ezra feels like he has to keep his family together while his father is away and feels suffocated because of his own anxiety and his mother having panic attacks (also thinking that any kind of bad news could break his mom and send her to the hospital and that he is waiting for the floor to drop out from under him when his mom is doing better); Ezra’s mom has a panic attack and thinks she’s going crazy (Ophelia helps by distracting her; Ezra feels bitter that it’s up to him to help his mom as his sister is incapable of handling the panic attacks; up to semi-detailed); *Spoilers* Towards the end, Ezra and his mom have a heated discussion and she shares that she’s seeing a therapist and taking medications which have both helped; She apologizes to him for having to step up but is thankful he did); Ezra starts sobbing due to anxiety and missing his dad, but his mom and sister are there for him; Ezra’s mom puts him in therapy and the first session was enjoyable despite feeling like he ripped his heart out, but felt better afterward when putting it back together *End of Spoilers*; Ophelia wants to prove the her town that she’s okay after her mom passed away, to show she can still have happiness, & has to deal with a comment from an older woman who means well, but causes Ophelia to cry (telling her that she feels bad that Ophelia has to go “through these informative years without a mother” and Ophelia walks away to cry); Ophelia has gone to therapy after the death of her mom and recalls some of the things the therapist said to her; Ezra says he can’t be beaten by a girl at foosball and Ophelia comments, “You know my thoughts on feminism, but I’m pretty sure that’s sexist.”; Ezra calls Ophelia a “smart butt” at church and when she blushes and says they’re at church, Ezra says “It’s the twenty-first century, they can handle it.”; Ophelia wears shirts that say ‘Modern Feminism Sucks’, ‘Pro-Life Generation’, and ‘Empower Women by Empowering Preborn Women’ (Ezra finds some of her shirts annoying, but it does not seem like it’s because of the messages on them); Mentions of anxiety, panic attacks, & therapy and medication (and the latter two helping); Mentions of singers, movies, & fictional characters (Frank Sinatra, Home Alone, & The Grinch); A few mentions of apps (TikTok & WhatsApp); A couple mentions of feminism; A couple mentions of car brands; A mention of an author (Charlotte Bronte); A mention of Hallmark movies.
 
 
Sexual Content- A semi-detailed kiss (this kiss lasts around seven sentences due to some awkwardness); Touches, Embraces, Dancing, & Flutters (up to semi-detailed); Remembering touches & dancing (barely-above-not-detailed); Imagining touching (someone’s hair, cheek, or hand, barely-above-not-detailed); Wanting to embrace & kiss (barely-above-not-detailed); Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); Flirting & Blushes; Ophelia has a crush on Ezra, wants him to like her back, and it’s said that she “lost all rationale when she had a crush” (she thinks that the best-case scenario of her plans with Ezra is that they fall “hopelessly in love” And then adds “The in-love part was a little strong, but a girl could dream.”); Ezra thinks that high-school relationships are pointless and lead to places he doesn’t want to go; *Spoiler* At the end, Ezra and Ophelia decide not to begin dating for at least a little while so they can get to know the other more before adding terms like “boyfriend” and “girlfriend” to the mix *End of Spoiler*; Mentions of crushes/liking someone, boyfriends/girlfriends, & dating; A few mentions of a kiss; A few mentions of flirting; A few mentions of blushes; A few mentions of Youth Group leaders sitting down with couples to not display any “purpling” (which is said to be the “affection term Youth Groups across America used to describe any girl and boy showing anything but Christ-centered sister and brotherhood”); A mention of puberty; Some love, being in love, & the emotions (between the main characters which are teenagers);
             *Note: Ophelia wears shirts that say ‘Virginity is Cool’; A few mentions of butts & butting into someone’s life.
 
-Ophelia Jones, age 17
-Ezra Oakland, age 17
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                                        70 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

I’m breaking the rule of a book’s required length for reviewing on BFCG as this one is a contemporary Christian YA Christmas book! Do you know how rare those are? This one is short, really short at only 70 pages, but I’ve had my eye on it for a while now and wanted to read it. 

 

I will note that The Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes were done and collected too close to Christmas, but I’m fine with that author liberty just because it was so fun to see those and doing them mentioned! (They’re usually collected around Thanksgiving, just as a note and I highly recommend doing them if you haven’t!) 

 

I’m not sure if it’s just my copy, but there were some typos/missing punctuation and formatting errors that distracted me a bit from the story, which was kind of a bummer. 

 

Both Ophelia and Ezra had their stupid moments, but hey! They’re seventeen and going through different types of grief, so I wasn’t expecting them to be all that and make the best choices. There’s some angst in this plot because of it and definitely felt like a YA story. I think older teens might cringe a little reading this one, but mid-teens could possibly enjoy it more. It was nice to see the positive homeschooler representation, though I would have liked a little more of that besides it being said they were homeschooled. Overall, this wasn’t bad at all (maybe just needed a touch more polishing in some places) and if you really like YA books with flawed characters who mean well, this might be one to check out.

 

 

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.

"A Noble Match" by Kirsten Fichter

About this book:

  “Can one sparrow protect Thumbelina from suitors and rebels?
    As the little sister to the crown prince, Miette was never meant to be in a position of power. When her brother Cassoway dies, the kingdom of Barlencoy suddenly becomes her most unwelcome gift. The land is torn apart by the classes, and rebellion boils at her doorstep. War is looming, and no one seems afraid of it. The kingdom may be hers, but she has no voice to quieten the tremors that threaten to tear everything she knows and loves apart.
    But a marriage also looms on the horizon. With rebels after her head, it’s difficult to focus on the suitors after her heart. Miette knows she must choose a husband soon, but how can she when her heart secretly yearns for her brother’s best friend? Gavin Vollo is the perfect match in her eyes, but his common blood disqualifies him as a suitor.
    Moving forward after Cassoway’s passing has been no easy task for Gavin. Especially since the prince’s death is his own fault. With his best friend gone, Gavin is a bodyguard without a real purpose. He doesn’t understand why the prince had to die – just like he doesn’t understand why the royal force wants him back to guard the new queen.
    Can love and true joy bring peace, or will the kingdom break beyond recovery?”


Series: Book #2 in the multi-author series, “Cornerstone”. It does not seem to be connected to any other books, however. A stand-alone novel. Review of Book #1, Here!


Spiritual Content- Psalm 34:18 at the beginning & Psalm 40:1-3 at the end of the author’s note; Many prayers (including Miette praying for God to guard her heart in regard to her feelings for Gavin) & Thanking God; Talks about God, His creation, His plans, & grief; Most ’H’s are capital when referring to God; Miette believes that once Gavin conquers his grief and found his joy in the Lord again, he would be the most suitable man for her; Miette thinks that she will have to surrender Gavin to the Lord daily until she’s forgotten her feelings about him; Mentions of God (under the names of “Lord” and “Creator’), His creation, & grief; Mentions of prayers, praying, A few mentions of a deceased loved one being in the presence of the Creator; A mention of a blind character commenting on the Lord’s face being the first thing he’ll see.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘dumb’, a form of ‘stupid’, three forms of ‘what in the kingdoms’, and six ‘idiot’s; “mole’s tooth” is also said (implied exclamation); A couple mentions of curses (said, not written); A bit of sarcasm; Being hit, an explosion, a fire, injuries, pain, passing out, & trying to save someone (up to semi-detailed); Grief (over a brother and a friend); Gavin and Miette discuss the death of her brother, how it happened (accidental), and their different grieving processes (Gavin doesn’t want to talk about her brother as it is painful for him because he puts the blame on himself; Miette misses her brother, she focuses on the goodness of the Lord instead of her feelings); Many mentions of deaths, wars, rebellions, rebels, fights/violence, & grief over all of it (including the deaths of parents, a brother, and a friend); Mentions of assassination attempts, assassins, & murders; Mentions of crimes, criminals, & prisons; Mentions of possible drownings; Mentions of an explosion, fires, injuries, pain, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of rumors & gossip; A few mentions of hangings (of criminals); A couple mentions of possible planned suicide (a potential plan of a possible assassin); A mention of throwing up;
             *Note: Prejudice from side characters towards those in different social classes (Miette finds it ridiculous that people will look at another’s bloodline and determine things about them & says that “we are all men created in the image of our Creator”); Mentions of prejudice to other social classes; In the author’s note at the end, the author shares about her nieces with Battens disease that imply neither girl will live long due to the condition.
 
 
Sexual Content- A handful of Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, & Tingles (barely-above-not-detailed); Some Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes; Seeing a couple in an embrace and kissing (the man tries to brush it off as not important as he’s supposed to be courting someone else, but was captivated by the other woman’s singing voice, barely-above-not-detailed); Miette realizes she’s in love with Gavin, but because he isn’t a candidate for her hand in marriage, she tries to focus on God’s plan for her life as there’s “no use in pining over something [she] can’t have]”; Mentions of having feelings for someone; A couple mentions of the couple kissing; A mention of chaperones; Love, being in love, & the emotions (light).
 
-Miette
-Gavin
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                                        181 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

This was great! At first, I was taken aback with the mentions of flying suits and the guards flying around, but it seemed to be steampunk inspired in that regard, perhaps?  I’m still not quite sure, but it worked and added a unique element to all the fairytale retellings I’ve been reading lately. 

 

If the first book in this (non-connecting) series was adorable, then this one was very sweet! Miette was exactly how I expected a Thumbelina character to be with her sweetness, kindness, and love of God’s creation, but is also strong for those she cares for and her passions. As someone who would love to raise monarch butterflies one day, it was so neat to see her with her butterflies in the garden! It had a lovely spring-time feel because of it and I really enjoyed this short story. It was a good length and didn’t feel short or rushed, too.

 

 

See y’all on Friday with a new review! 

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

*I received this book for free from the Author for this honest review.