“Harriet Bailey is delighted with the way White Church Bay comes alive during the Christmas season, with decorations everywhere and an air of joyous festivity among the inhabitants of the Yorkshire village. She’s attending veterinarian for the annual live Nativity, though she’s a bit nervous caring for some unfamiliar animals at such a meaningful time. But when Calvin the camel somehow escapes his enclosure and ends up in a neighbor’s garden, his nose deep in a basket of figgy pudding, there’s more than a ruined dessert to contend with. During his escape, the church’s priceless Christmas star, made of silver and sapphires, has gone missing!
As Harriet and Pastor Will Knight begin their search for the historic treasure, they uncover clues dating back to Harriet’s great-grandparents. Perhaps the secrets of the past will guide them to the present-day thief. Can Harriet and Will restore the town’s beloved star before the midnight service on Christmas Eve?”
Series: Book #7 in the “Mysteries of Cobble Hill Farm” series. Review of Book #1 Here! Book #2 Here!, and Book #3 Here! (Reviewing out of order due to the Christmas-centered plot of this book, but they can be read as stand-alone novels as well.)
Spiritual Content- Scriptures are read at church in sermons (including the first Christmas) quoted, & mentioned; Set during Christmas time; A couple Prayers; Talks about God; 'H's are capital when referring to God; All about & many mentions of the Christmas star, churches, church events and groups, & pastors; Mentions of God, prayers, praying, & being lead by God’s life; Mentions of Bibles & hymnals; Mentions of those & events in the Bible; Mentions of church going, services, sermons, & hymns; Mentions of a live nativity; A few mentions of confessions and Catholic priests; A couple mentions of stained glass as a church; A mention of a painting of Jesus; A mention of Godspeed; A mention of whispering a prayer for a deceased family member;
*Note: The author of this book is written by a female reverend; A free-spirited character talks about never having a pet before because of her unpredictable life feels wrong to tether “another soul to”, but had found a ferret and it being like their “inner beings had fused”; An artist shows Harriet her painting titled “Moonbeam Meditation” of cats doing yoga; A man talks about knitting almost being “meditative” and has been shown to “improve mental health”; A mention of a pastor being in “prayer and meditation” to prepare for a service.
Negative Content- A tiny bit of sarcasm (rude, not teasing); Being attacked, Being tied-up, Passing out, Pain, Receiving threatening notes, Fear, & a Nightmare of almost drowning (up to semi-detailed); In a flashback/journal entry of Harriet’s great-grandmother, there are scenes of her young brother being sick (influenza), her concern about him dying, and then grief from her and her parents after his passing; Also in the journal, there are scenes during World War II and being in a bomb shelter, being concerned for loved ones, & a woman enlisting as an ATA pilot; Harriet is homesick at times; Harriet helps injured and dying animals (including a hedgehog near death); All about & many mentions of break-ins, stolen items, stealing, thieves/criminals, & crimes; Mentions of World War II, fighting/battles, bombs/explosions, bomb shelters and damage, & the concern of loved ones being hurt or killed; Mentions of deaths & grief (including for a younger brother, a father, and a mother); Mentions of being held hostage, kidnappings, injuries, pain, blood/bleeding, & passing out; Mentions of a con-man; Mentions of art frauds; Mentions of bullies & name calling; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of homesickness; Mentions of a missing/lost cat (that is found safe); Mentions of ill and injured animals that Harriet takes care of; A few mentions of a dog being hit by a car and paralyzed (Harriet’s grandfather’s dog who she now has); A couple mentions of a death in a car accident; A mention of jealousy;
*Note: Some comments about ATA women pilots and other women during World War II “prevailing gender stereotypes” and “dismantling gender barriers”, and receiving equal pay (both in the bonus content at the end of the book and a character facing a couple comments from her father about it as well); A man comments negatively about a soon-to-be father having plenty of time to do something else while his wife is in labor as it could take hours (Harriet holds back her defense of the father being present at labor and birth); A woman tries to make her new pet ferret a vegan like she is, but Harriet tells her that while she respects her personal beliefs, ferrets are carnivores and need to eat meat for their health; Mentions of someone being “unstable” and wanting revenge; Mentions of a woman’s cats that are named after former prime ministers (Margaret Thatcher, Winston Churchill, & Tony Blair); A handful of mentions of books, authors, & fictional characters (Charles Dickens, Beatrix Potter, Byron, Yeats, John Grisham, & Sherlock Holmes); A few mentions of TV shows & fictional characters (Midsomer Murders); A few mentions of Harriet vaccinating animals; A couple mentions of car brands (Mini Cooper & Land Rover).
Sexual Content- A bit of hand holding, noticing, attraction, emotions, & blushes; A bit of noticing, smelling, flutters, & attraction in the flashbacks; Mentions of dates & dating; A couple mentions of blushes.
-Harriet Bailey
P.O.V. of Harriet (with journal entries of her great-grandmother)
270 pages
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Pre Teens-
New Teens-
Early High School Teens-
Older High School Teens-
My personal Rating-
I always have tried to read Guidepost mysteries in publication date order—even if they are all stand-alone books by various authors can be read out of order. This is only the second or third time I’ve purposely read them out of order and with this book, it’s because I wanted to read and review the Christmas themed book in the month of December.
I do think you could read this as a stand-alone as some of Harriet’s backstory and why she’s living and working in England in explained. I’ll always suggest to start at the beginning of a series, but I think it would fine if you just wanted to jump in with this book.
I was a little disappointed that I guessed the culprit as soon as that person showed up. With how many times that’s happened. I feel like that means I ought to be a detective—but it probably means I read too much. 😉 I didn’t have the motive so that part was a mystery still at least, but I felt a little letdown by the reveal.
There’s a bit more romance—or really potential romance—in this book than any others in this series or most of the other Guidepost mysteries I’ve read. I’ve been waiting for a little more, to be honest, because of Harriet and the young pastor’s friendship! This book is also different from the rest of the series as we have flashbacks/journal entries from Harriet’s great-grandmother during her life in 1920s to World War II.
I was excited to hear recently that this series has been extended to eighteen books and look forward to reading them all!
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.
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