"The Silent Journey" by Havelah McLat

About this book:

  “One girl. One locket. One journey across the ocean.
    In 1932, deaf eleven-year-old Anika Bohdan escapes famine-depleted Ukraine with one hope: to reunite with her papa, Tato, in America. After a perilous ocean voyage, she arrives in Manhattan alone and frightened. When Tato does not show up to meet her, Anika sets out to find him. Barely speaking English, she must navigate a strange and overwhelming city, dependent on the kindness of strangers, the companionship of a stray dog, and the strength of her own will.
All she has is her treasured locket and the memory of her papa’s smile.
    Failure means losing Tato forever.
    This heartfelt story explores resilience, identity, and finding one’s voice against the backdrop of historical upheaval.”


Series: As of now, no.


Spiritual Content- A few prayers; ’H’s are capital when referring to God; Anika’s guardian (a grandmother-type character) believes in God, prays, and tells Anika that God doesn’t make mistakes; Anika is concerned that God may not love her as much as a hearing child or hear her prayers, but smiles when it seems like her prayer is answered; Anika remembers visiting a cathedral with her father, but there was no priest or religious ceremony; Anika pictures her mother and another loved one meeting in the “glorious realm” and being friends with another girl’s deceased parents (they are both comforted and feel peace at this thought); Mentions of God, thanking God, praying, prayers, & blessings over food; Mentions of those who have a faith in God being punished by Stalin as he is deemed their provider (including Anika’s father warning her guardian not to pray as they could suffer for it, a priest being killed for his faith, and Anika’s guardian saying that all of it is wrong and she remains strong in her faith); A few mentions of cathedrals & priests; A mention of being blessed; 
             *Note: Anika comments that a deceased loved one sent her a sign (an animal visiting) & thinks of it as being the person’s way to say goodbye until they saw each other again; A mention of being lucky.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘shoot’ and a ‘stupid’; Almost being ran-over by a horse, Pain, Injuries, & Blood/Bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Seeing the death of a loved one, someone in pain, grief, & going to a cemetery/grave (up to semi-detailed); Getting lost in a big city (up to semi-detailed); When grabbed by a police officer, Anika stops on his boots to get away (because she doesn’t know where he is taken her) & later runs away from another officer (due to her father’s warnings about the secret police back in Ukraine); Anika is bullied for her disability and for talking differently than other kids (she also recalls when it happened before and sobbing to her father about it; Her father told her the bullies are the one with the problem and that she is capable of anything; *Spoilers* Later, a boy that bullied her rescues her from a dangerous situation and apologizes for his comment about her speech *End of Spoilers*); Many mentions of Stalin (the ruler), his harsh laws, people being taken away to prison camps for disobeying, his secret police beating people and turning people in, & the famine (including Anika remembering being told by her father and her school that Stalin was their papa and the people of the country were his children; Anika has kept to herself that she is frightened by Stalin); Mentions of deaths, grief, illnesses, a stroke, & amnesia (including for a mother, a wife, a husband, parents, and loved ones; also grief from Anika wishing for a mother; Anika comforts a young girl who lost her parents; up to semi-detailed); Mentions of seeing someone beaten, injuries, pain, blood/bleeding; Mentions of weapons; Mentions of thieves, stealing (including to survive), & prison; Mentions of homeless adults and children & sleeping on the street; Mentions of an (implied awful) orphanage & a boy running away from there because he doesn’t feel wanted; Mentions of bullies; Mentions of an “evil dogcatcher” trying to grab a pet dog; A few mentions of smoking & pipes; A couple mentions of a father leaving his family (later implied for work); A couple mentions of lies; A mention of a drowning; A mention of vomit; A mention of a pet cat that never returned one night; 
             *Note: Anika lost her hearing after having the typhoid fever and thinks of herself as broken; A child is concerned that he will be sent back to an orphanage; A woman comments on wishing she had a child; A mention of Anika receiving vaccine shots for traveling to America.
 
 
Sexual Content- N/A.
 
-Anika Bohdan, age 11
                                1^st person P.O.V. of Anika 
                                                        232 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

I’ll fully admit—the cover completely caught my eye when I first heard about this book! It’s the perfect Middle-Grade cover and fits the story very well! 

 

As far as the inside of the book, the writing style was a little abrupt and choppy at first, but I think that was maybe because we follow Anika’s first person POV and she doesn’t catch every word spoken (understandably so). Regardless, I quickly got into this story, caring for our main character, and hoping for everything to work out for Anika! It reminded me a bit of A Little Princess (perhaps because of the young girl missing her papa?) and also the American Girl books. The deaf representation was really interesting to read and so was the historical time period. I didn’t know anything about Ukraine in this time period, so as I was reading, I would often pause and research the setting, famine, and government ruler at that time. I think this could be an interesting read for readers wanting a look at this time period of Ukrainian history, but not wanting it to be too heavy for a young reader.  

 

 

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.

"Brady Hart and The Big Fake Out" by Jill Osborne

About this book:

  “Can you spot a fake?
    Brady Hart knows the He's not a normal sixth-grade boy. Armed with a keen sense of justice and a photographic memory, he's on a mission to sniff out bad guys and use God's wisdom to set things right in the world.
    If he can figure out how. After all, he's just a kid.
    His best buddy, Sunday from Kenya, keeps him calm and laughing most of the time. Gladiss Finkel annoys him, but she has his back. That's a hard fact to ignore, since she always shows up wherever there's trouble, including Colby's department store right as he's about to bust a shoplifter.
    Brady can't ignore something else. Counterfeits are popping up everywhere. Headphones with a tweaked logo, a sneaky store manager, and even a new leader at church--suddenly nothing adds up, yet everything fits together. Brady decides it's time to strap on his Belt of Truth (the one he made out of aluminum foil in third grade), call in Special Agent Max Dunham from the FBI, and uncover the lies threatening to destroy the people he loves.”


Series: Book #1 in “The Belt of Truth” series. (Set after to “The Good News Shoes” series by the same author, but does not have to be read first.)


Spiritual Content- Ephesians 6:14 at the beginning and a few Scriptures at the end; Scriptures are mentioned, memorized, quoted, read, & prayed; Church going; Talks about God, Jesus, the truth, trusting God, God putting people in our lives for a reason, Bibles, & those and events in the Bible; ’H’s are not capital when referring to God or Jesus; Brady meets a young woman who didn’t think people actually read the Bible and that makes Brady realize she doesn’t know God gave her her talent and invites her to church (which she hesitates at first because she thinks people will look at her weird, but ends up coming; A discussion with her reveals that she doubts that Jesus died for her sins (but Brady and Sunday disagree) and how she has been called a “mistake” her whole life; *Spoilers* At the end, she comes to church again willingly and wants to hear more about Jesus *End of Spoilers*); Mentions of God & Jesus; Mentions of prayers, praying, & thanking God; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, Bible studies, & memorizing Bible verses; Mentions of those and events in the Bible; Mentions of churches, church going, pastors, Sunday school classes, services, & hymns; Mentions of missionaries & missions; A couple mentions of Christians; A couple mentions of baptizing others; A couple mentions of being blessed; A couple mentions of a Christian radio station; A mention of sin having consequences; 
             *Note: Religious phrases like: “for the love of Pete”, “Heavens to Betsy”, and “Good heavens” are all exclaimed once; When confronting a shoplifter that the Bible says that stealing is wrong, the man tells Brady that the Bible isn’t true and that “[his] truth” tells him he can take whatever he wants (which makes Brady angry); Brady hopes that a pastor at his church hasn’t “moved on to the great cinnamon roll kitchen in the sky” (a nod to the cinnamon rolls that are always at his church); Brady thinks “Hallelujah” when Gladiss has to leave; When making notes on all those involved in the counterfeit ring and/or he has met recently, Brady draws a couple people with devil horns and a couple others with halos (one girl he draws with a black halo because she wears all black); Brady gets into Gladiss’ mom’s car and thinks that he has “died and entered girly-heaven surrounded by a perfumed glitter cloud”; Brady plays a video game called “Aliens with a Conscience” that gives him reasoning puzzles to solve; Mentions of aliens; Mentions of a man’s goons being called “cavemen”; A few mentions of luck & being lucky; A couple mentions of Solomon in the Bible starting to worship the gods of his foreign wives; A mention of someone looking hypnotized; A mention of Santa; A mention of a peace sign.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: A ‘gah’, a ‘sucker’, three ‘blah, blah, blah’s, and five forms of ‘stupid’; Brady says a spoof off of a “Holy ____  ____, Batman” phrase; When in pain, Brady thinks that if he was “the type of person who says bad words”, that would be the time; Eye rolling; A bit of lying or withholding the truth; Being threatened, Being locked in a van, Being grabbed/pinched, & Pain (up to semi-detailed); Seeing someone being threatened and choked & another person having a medical emergency (barely-above-not-detailed); Brady gets into a car with an FBI agent, but is concerned he could end up dead if the man is a corrupt agent (only his friends know that he is with the man); Brady doesn’t tell his parents about his suspicions about the thieves/counterfeits even though he thinks he should and another adult says to tell them (Brady blames another for distracting him at one point; When the FBI agent if Brady trusts him, Brady pauses because the man is secretive, but realizes he has also been that way recently and it hasn’t been a good thing for him while also noting that it’s good for the FBI agent because it’s his job); *Spoilers* Brady didn’t realize how bad it was in the “real world” and his father comments that he is glad their family knows the love of Jesus; His dad comments about Brady growing up and finding out there is a lot of darkness out there & Brady hates it and says that people “just need to follow the truth”; At the end, Brady is grounded for two months by his parents; His mother asks him to promise that he won’t get involved in another FBI mission, but he can’t promise that *End of Spoilers*; Brady finds a girl (Gladiss) annoying at times because she’s very loud, always talking, and thinks she is constantly following him (he asks for help with her from his best friend, thinks about it being torture to be with her for two hours, and praying for her to disappear); Gladiss calls him obnoxious at times and he apologizes when it’s possible he has hurt her feelings once; *Spoiler* Towards the end, Brady realizes why God put Gladiss in his life *End of Spoiler*; Brady has one moment of wishing for his sister to go away, but she ends up helping him; Brady chastises himself for jumping to a terrible conclusion about someone he didn’t even know and thinking of her as a “numb brain” (not smart) and prays for forgiveness for it; Brady deals with bullies taunting him for being smart at school; All about & many mentions of counterfeits, counterfeit rings, criminals, & cons/scams; Many mentions of children working in sweatshops overseas & being enslaved; Many mentions of shoplifters, thieves, & stealing; Mentions of being threatened with loved ones being harmed; Mentions of prisons/jails & arrests; Mentions of cancer & heart attacks (including one senior citizen Brady knows has been battling different kinds of cancer for twenty years); Mentions of bullies, their taunts, & kids being mean; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; A few mentions of identity theft; A few mentions of injuries & blood/bleeding; A couple mentions of a weapon & gunfire; A couple mentions of the possibility of being hit by a car; A couple mentions of car chases; A couple mentions of gossip; A couple mentions of throwing up; A mention of terrorism; A mention of a possible gunshot (but it was a car backfiring); A mention of the concern of being shot; A mention of someone possibly being held at gunpoint; A mention of cigarettes; 
             *Note: Brady meets a young woman who has always been told she was a mistake, how she ended up in the foster care system because her parents didn’t want her in their lives, and getting kicked out of places, but now that she’s eighteen she doesn’t “have to answer to anybody” (Brady and his friends encourage her and talk to her about God); Brady sometimes does “hulking out” which is when someone challenges what he knows to be true and he goes “angry and go ballistic and do things a scrawny sixth-grade boy whose voice hasn’t changed should never do”; Brady’s parents talk to him about how conflicting a shoplifter wasn’t a wise thing to do because the man could have hurt him; Brady’s best friend is a boy named Sunday who is originally from Kenya and is in remission from leukemia treatments (no details on the treatments beside prior when people were praying when it seemed like Sunday might die from complications from his leukemia); Brady says he “had to go” when avoiding telling Gladiss about something, but she takes it as if he used the bathroom outside and that it is so gross; Brady, Sunday, and Gladiss all have “dumbphones” that only allow them to take grainy pictures, text, and make phone calls (Brady makes a few comments about it being a “sorry excuse” for a modern cell phone, that they are “technology-deprived children”, and it was invented two decades ago; *Spoilers* At the end, Brady asks when he can upgrade his phone and his mother says when he can buy it himself and get someone to take him to the phone store; Both of Brady’s friends get new cellphones from their parents after being in a dangerous situation *End of Spoilers*; A woman in a return line at a store is rude to the customer service agent; An adult tells Brady to embrace his first school tardy for “all it’s worth” and that “something good will come out of it” (he plans to argue her point, but she hangs up before he can); Brady and others go to Starbucks; Mentions of car brands; Mentions of brand names (Fruit Loops, Goldfish, Cheetos, Kit Kat, Nikes, & Old Spice); Mentions of places (Starbucks, Salvation Army, & Macy’s); Mentions of fictional characters (Thor, Hulk, Bruce Banner, Batman, & Spider-Man); As a regional note, Brady calls someone a “bugger” which is not derogatory in the USA.
 
 
Sexual Content- Sunday says that he thinks Gladiss likes Brady, but Brady thinks that’s ridiculous; Someone asks if Gladiss is Brady’s girlfriend and he quickly says no; Brady meets a nice customer service agent at a store and decides he is going to marry her in “twenty years or so” (he later refers to her as his “future wife” twice and says he isn’t getting married until he is at least thirty-five); A few mentions of boyfriends/girlfriends (adults); 
             *Note: Brady tells his sister about learning about Solomon in the Bible and how he eventually had seven hundred winds; Brady is called stinky and sweats often; A nod to puberty (a mention of a boy’s voice changing).
 
-Brady Hart, age 11
                                1^st person P.O.V. of Brady
                                                        218 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

Well, that was fun! At times it reminded me a bit of an old Disney Channel movie—young heroes trying to save the day after accidentally becoming involved with the FBI, a counterfeit ring, and some probably slightly unrealistic adventures (which are fun to read regardless). In this book, there’s some humor and lessons learned plus a good amount of faith content. 

 

I’ve actually been meaning to read this series for years, but I totally would have read it sooner had I known this series was about Riley’s younger brother! I loved the “Good News Shoes” series that was about Riley Mae, so it was such a fun surprise to see her again and added to my enjoy of this book! You don’t have to read that series first, but if you do, you can see when Brady and his best friend, Sunday, first met.

 

There’s a couple comments from Brady’s friend that a girl likes him, but Brady doesn’t think so. Brady isn’t the nicest to the girl because she’s very girly, loud, and talks a lot which some families made not like at the beginning. By the end he realizes why God put her in his life, though they still tease each other. I think this book would interest boy readers and girl readers because it’s a fun adventure. Definitely looking forward to reading the next book in the series soon!

 

 

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.

"Secrets of Civil War Spies" by Nancy LeSourd

This review is for the content of the 2008 revised edition
of this book that has this exact cover.

About this book:

  “Desperate to help the Union, Emma dresses herself as a boy and enlists as a Yankee soldier, and is soon fighting with her regiment on Virginia battlefields and spying for the Union. While in Richmond, her friend Molly discovers a spy ring against the Confederacy and finds herself aiding their cause. While the war tears the nation apart, both girls must find a way to keep their secrets safe and decide whether they will risk everything--including their lives and freedom--for what they believe.”


Series: Part of the “Liberty Letters” series, but does not seem to be connected to the other books in the series. 


Spiritual Content- Scriptures are read, mentioned, remembered, quoted, & referenced; Prayers & Thanking God; A hymn is sung; Talks about God, Jesus, & salvation; ’H’s are not capital when referring to God or Jesus; Emma says that she felt God meant for her to enlist in the Army and would provide the way and will equip her (Mollie later writes that God prepared Emma from childhood for this task); A man on the Union side tells Emma that he “knows the heart of God and it cannot condone that any child of God should be the property of another man” and says wanting to control another human is the real rebellion against God; Emma reads a book that talks about “whoever thought he would help Jesus, if he were sick or in prison, would help him now by helping the slaves, his afflicted and suffering children”; Mollie wonders if God is only with you when you win a battle or is He there when you lose as well (no answer is given to her pondering); Emma asks God why a young soldier would get hurt; Mentions of God, Jesus Christ, His will, trusting Him, what God thinks of slavery (disapproving), salvation, & the Gospel; Mentions of prayers, praying, & prayer meetings; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, Bible memorization, & Bible studies; Mentions of churches, church going, services, pastors/chaplains, & sermons; Mentions of Christians going to Heaven; Mentions of Christmas & Christmas Eve church services; Mentions of fasting for the success of a certain side of the war; A few mentions of those & events in the Bible; A couple mentions of freed slaves praising and thanking God; A mention of Bibles being given out to new soldiers; A mention of a miracle; A mention of Godspeed; A mention of a Quaker school; 
             *Note: A few mentions of people believing others to be evil for not being on their side of the war.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: Four ‘stupid’s; Lying (including Mollie not wanting to lie to her mother, but having to due to secrets regarding the war & also Emma lying when being undercover); Emma didn’t meet the height requirement for soldiers the first time, so she stuffed her shoes and stood tall the second time she tried to enlist (and was accepted); Shooting someone who is trying to steal & in self-defense (barely-above-not-detailed); Experiencing and Seeing gunfire, battles, injuries, blood/bleeding, & nausea because of wounds and blood (up to semi-detailed); Holding people as they die, seeing deaths, grieving, & feeling heavy over it (multiple times, up to semi-detailed); Being captured as a spy & imprisoned (up to semi-detailed); Being bitten by a horse & pain (up to semi-detailed); A horse is killed in a battle (barely-above-not-detailed); Set during the Civil War so it is all about & has many mentions of the different sides, slavery/freeing slaves, abuse and mistreatment of slaves (including being whipped “or worse”), runaway slaves, battles, attacks, weapons, gunfire and bombs, prejudice towards those on the opposite side, fear and concerns over loved ones, & differing opinions on all the elements of the war; All about & many mentions of deaths (including Mollie with grief for her late father), possible or near deaths, dead bodies, injuries, blood/bleeding, amputations, screams of agony, & illnesses (barely-above-not-detailed); All about & many mentions of spies, traitors/treason, deception, arrests, & spies being sentenced to death by hanging; Many mentions of prisons/jails & prisoners of war; Mentions of thieves, stealing, & killing or harming others when stealing from them (stealing includes soldiers shoot a cow and eating it without permission of the farmer which Emma writes that she’s not saying it was right of them to do, but she understands why they did it as they had been marching for days without food); Mentions of fires & vandalism; Mentions of lies & lying (including those who lied about their ages to be able to enlist); Mentions of gossip & rumors; A few mentions of Emma’s cruel father and her mother giving her blessing to escape (later, Emma notes that she understands the “bondage of fear” that slaves face because of her father); A few mentions of throwing up; A couple mentions of alcohol (implied for medical use); A couple mentions of jealousy; A mention of the Mexican War; A mention of a tobacco farm; 
             *Note: When undercover, Emma has to color her body with silver nitrate and put on a wig to pass as a fugitive slave (twice; done with intentions to spy and not racism); Mollie asks Emma how she takes care of her “bodily needs”and keeping her secret when she “tend to business” & Emma writes back that many of the men relieve themselves in pits, but others are more private so she tries to find private spots (she doesn’t blame Mollie for asking because she would be curious too); Mollie is given “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” to read by an abolition which her relatives have said is “nothing but Yankee propaganda”, but she reads it twice and is angry at what happened to the characters (she does wonder if it was made by someone trying to drum up support for the war); Mentions of books & authors (“Uncle Tom’s Cabin” & a biography of Josiah Henson).
 
 
Sexual Content- Mollie writes about other girls going to party with the soldiers and talking about which regiment is the most handsome; Mollie’s great aunt talks about boys coming to court Mollie and introduces her to some young men; The epilogue shares about a budding romance; A few mentions of an older sister’s romance (that leads quickly into marriage); A mention of a soldier’s girlfriend; A mention of flirting; 
             *Note: Emma has disguised herself as a boy after leaving her family and is now a field nurse in the war (it’s said that she has bandages binding her chest); Mollie figures out that Emma is more comfortable with wearing pants because of how she grew up; Mollie recalls when she first met Emma, who was disgusted as a boy (noting that “he was [actually] a she”).
 
-Mollie Turner, age 16
-Emma Edmonds
                                P.O.V. switches between them via letters 
                                          Set in 1861-1862
                                                        224 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

Whew. That was a history lesson written in an interesting way—through the letters of two best friends, one who is a young woman who has disguised herself as a boy to join the Civil War! After starting this book, I had to do some quick research to see if that was even a possibility of a woman hiding her gender to be able to fight in the 1860s and sure enough, it was. I was totally thinking it was far-fetched and prepared to suspend my disbelief as I read this book, but research says that 400-1,000 women fought in the Civil War. I’m a little shocked I didn’t know this, but the Civil War has never been a favorite time period of mine to read. That would honestly be the biggest downfall of this book to me: it took most of the book for me to get into the story and that’s truly because I’ve always found the Civil War to be horribly sad. I ended up making notes while I read and researching a lot in between letters to try to somewhat keep up with all the battles, locations, and who-was-who in the historical sense. 

 

I debated on my personal rating because, like I said, it took a while to power through this book and it’s not my favorite historical setting, but I think it was ultimately a 3.5 star rating for me. However, I can truly see the value in reading this book and greatly enjoyed the faith content throughout it. I would imagine this could be a good addition for homeschool families adding this book to their curriculum about the Civil War—especially if they want something deeper with more information than the American Girl books but still not gory or gruesome in the details. There were quite a few sad moments in this book because of deaths, but the faith content helped make it beautifully done.

 

 

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.

"The Good Fortune of Miss Robbins" by Melanie Dickerson

About this book:

  “My only remaining marriage prospects were the head gardener, the vicar, and the steward. But how could I marry any of them when I was in love . . . with Lord Brookhaven?
    Charlotte Robbins accepts a governess position for the Earl of Brookhaven's siblings despite rumors of the earl's severe and mysterious demeanor. As a lowly governess, Charlotte entertains thoughts of possible romance with an eligible servant until she does fall unexpectedly in love--with the pensive earl himself.
    But love does not mean a match is possible, and the earl's friends warn Charlotte that if he were to fall for her, it would ruin him. Just as Charlotte resigns herself to the impossibility of her feelings, she receives news that she has inherited a fortune from a long-lost relative. Now thrust into London high society, Charlotte grapples with suitors vying for her attention, but her heart still belongs to the Earl of Brookhaven. As secrets unfold, she's no longer certain if her newfound fortune is a blessing--or if it is the very thing that threatens the love she's always longed for.”


Series: Unclear if it is part of a connecting series or not.


Spiritual Content- Scriptures are mentioned, referenced, remembered, & quoted; Prayers & Thanking God; Talks about God & His will; ’H’s are not capital when referring to God; Church going; Lord Brookhaven asks if Charlotte was taught to fear God and her sins being found out, but Charlotte responds that she was taught to fear God but because of reading the Bible for herself views it as more of a reverence (Lord Brookhaven asks if she uses her own sense to understand the Bible and Charlotte says she believes Scripture is true and helpful and likes to draw her “own conclusions about what it means”; This is a reference to men in this time believing that clergymen should explain the Bible to women, but Lord Brookhaven says he respects it); Charlotte imagines marrying a certain clergyman who think that his work is more important to him than her and is upset by the thought; Charlotte comments at the end that she can “literally feel God’s love” more after knowing what it’s like to be “loved deeply and well“ (by a man); Mentions of God, Jesus, His mercy and grace, His creations, & His will; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of churches, church going, clergymen, sermons, & men having the church be their occupation; A few mentions of Providence; A few mentions of Christian charity; A couple mentions of events in the Bible; A couple mentions of being blessed; A couple mentions of a cross necklace; A couple mentions of sins; A mention of comparing one’s self to others not being a Christian thing to do; A mention of christenings; A mention of spiritual epiphanies; A mention of someone trying to “eke [their] way into heaven”; A mention of someone’s concerning spiritual state based off a suggestion he gave; A mention of “hypocritical clergy” a man met who were “not particularly pious, too lazy for good deeds, and seeking an easy life”; 
             *Note: Charlotte thinks “Dear Lord” once and it does not seem to be a prayer or talking to God; A woman mumbles “Lord bless me” when startled; A couple mentions of luck & being lucky.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘damnable’ (used as an adjective to describe a strongly disliked man), a ‘blast’, and three ‘stupid’; A couple mentions of curses (said, not written); Some eye rolling & sarcasm; A lie (by Charlotte, to get out of an awkward situation); Charlotte drinks watered-down wine at a dinner party; *Spoilers* About half-way, William blackmails a shady solicitor to say Charlotte was left a large sum of money an estranged uncle in order for her to be able to do anything she wants and to accepted into society; Towards the end, the solicitor tries to con the money out of Charlotte for himself, but William stops it from happening and the truth about the money is revealed to Charlotte *End of Spoilers*; William wishes to choke a man for his actions (but does not); William recalls feeling the “desire to erase his own existence” after his broken engagement; Mentions of deaths, those near death, illnesses, & grief (including of parents, an uncle); Mentions of a carriage accident, a child being ran over by a carriage, injuries, an injured child, pain, someone fainting when seeing blood, & blood/bleeding; Mentions of criminals, thieves, stealing, ploys to steal from another (acting hurt or distracting their victims), & children being used for begging and pickpocketing by adults; Mentions of orphaned children living on the street & being used and mistreated by evil people; Mentions of arrests & prisons/jails; Mentions of bullies, bulling, fighting, & physical fights between children; Mentions of lies, lying, liars, & deceit/deception; Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, someone drinking often, drunks, & others getting tipsy/drunk; Mentions of smoking, tobacco, & pipes (seen and done on-page by Lord Brookhaven; Charlotte hopes that her future husband smokes a pipe deeming it perhaps the “most masculine thing in the world”); A few mentions of blackmail; A few mentions of threats; A few mentions of gambling; A few mentions of hatred; A few mentions of jealousy; A few mentions of an injured baby rabbit (barely-above-not-detailed); A couple mentions of children being beaten and punished at schools; A couple mentions of duels with pistols or swords; A mention of a woman dying in childbirth (to twins); A mention of a man abusing and trying to drag his daughter away (due to her withholding her wages from him); A mention of frostbite; 
             *Note: Charlotte is an orphan and feels alone in the world with no one to care for her (so she often has dreamed about falling in love, getting married, and having a family of her own); Charlotte is told about an injured young boy being screamed at and punished by his mother for embarrassing her in front of her friends (William); Side characters show prejudice to orphaned street children (including a woman speaks harshly about street children and says they will steal and attack others (calling them “vermin”, but Charlotte defends the children)); Mentions of orphaned children scarfing food as if it might disappear any moment and fearing that necessities can be withheld from them if they misbehaved or didn’t show gratitude; Mentions of classic authors, books, & fictional characters (Shakespeare, Burns, Wordsworth, Milton, Jonathan Swift, Thomas Gray, Jane Austen, Walter Scott); A couple mentions of it being expected for a titled man to not love his wife or children; A mention of a couple unable to have children of their own; A mention of a woman having no children that survived infancy; A mention of gypsies; 
 
 
Sexual Content- Three hand kisses (one is barely-above-not-detailed), a fingers-to-lips touch, and three semi-detailed kisses; Wanting to kiss & Staring at lips (barely-above-not-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Dancing, Tingles/Shivers, Warmth, Nearness (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to embrace (barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes, Winks, & Flirting; Noticing & Staring (including the hair on his chest a few times, barely-above-not-detailed); Flirting & Jealousy; Charlotte has a moment of concern about someone thinking that William is setting her up to be his paramour (which she would never agree to be and does not think that is his intent); William’s friends suggest setting Charlotte up in her own house (as his mistress) because no one will judge him for it as long as he is discreet, but William is appalled by their suggestion of ruining her and leading her to “a life of degradation and sin” (one friend says for him to “enjoy life a little” with her before he has to get married and produce an heir; William is upset at the friends for suggesting it and says Charlotte would not allow it; *Spoilers* His friends tell Charlotte that she must reject him if he confesses or it will ruin his standing in society *End of Spoilers*; As a note, one of these friends plans to have a career in the church); Charlotte enjoys a man flirting with her (thinking it makes her feel “alive and…pretty”) but knows he is after her fortune; A married woman invites William to her home and says she’s been lonely (he is shocked by her suggestion and leaves without a response to her comment); Mentions of married and unmarried people having paramours (including William’s parents having “numerous paramours”); Mentions of reputations & chaperones; Mentions of an engaged woman running off with another man; Mentions of love & there being little affection between some married couples; Mentions of flirting; Mentions of jealousy; A few mentions of “evil men” who prey on women; A few mentions of a man showing unwanted attention and smiling in a “predatory” way towards Charlotte; A few mentions of men’s chest hair; A couple mentions of married couples separating and having lovers; A couple mentions of an affair; A couple mentions of kisses; A mention of a man marrying a much younger woman; A mention of a lovesick man; A mention of someone of “questionable birth”; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Charlotte wishes to marry for love and will not settle for less; A friend of Charlotte tells her that her mother says that love comes after marriage which makes Charlotte wonder if that is right as she’s known that to be the case for some couples and others whose love died after originally being a love match; There are a few conversations and suggestions about doing what Charlotte’s heart tells her to do when faced with a proposal; Charlotte notes that she’s not willing to overlook a large age difference like other women who marry “someone old enough to be their grandfather”.
 
-Charlotte Robbins, age 25
-William/Lord Brookhaven
      P.O.V. switches between them (Charlotte in 1^st person, William in 3^rd person)
                                  Set in 1814 (Epilogue in 1815)
                                                        320 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

Charlotte is a unique character. She’s not the typical regency female main character. She’s a bit…overeager to fall in love, down to her list of potential husbands at her new position. She’s a dreamer, but also sensible. She has a love for life and a sunshine personality which added to the book’s springtime setting like a swirl of fresh air. She wears her heart on her sleeve and cries quite a bit, but it’s because of caring for others and her own dreams. I liked her and how she desired to be married and have a family of her own, but I wanted to tell her to seek God’s will for her life rather than focusing on her goal for her life. She reminded me a bit of myself as a teenager, so I think that’s why this element was more noticeable to me when I was reading. Charlotte has a desire to be married and fall in love which is wonderful, but I would be a bit concerned for a young preteen reading this book and developing (or highlighting) the longing for the future or looking for a husband around every corner. That said, as someone who was that way as a teenager, I probably would have loved this book and felt a kinship to Charlotte because of it. 

 

While Charlotte falls quick for William, it didn’t feel like insta-love or attraction based only on physical appearances because they had some personal conversations where they shared their feelings on different topics, so that felt more believable to me. I didn’t personally love how she noticed and thought about his chest hair a few times—I feel like I’m as red as a tomato just typing those words—but other than that, they do not feel like they were overly admiring the other’s appearance. I wish there had been a little more descriptions used for Charlotte and William: It’s noted that they are both kind and good multiple times. It became a little repetitive and made me think that everyone else around them must have been either stuck-up snobs or awfully mean (neither which seems to be the fully case). 

 

Because of her chapters being in first person and we get a lot about her feelings and emotions, it almost felt like a diary at times. This will probably be a pro or a con for some readers. 

 

I didn’t love the conversations about doing what Charlotte’s heart tells her to do when regarding a potential marriage. I wish there had been more discussion about praying for the right path and trusting God rather than trusting her heart and what would please her. The only potential suitor who brings up about praying about her answer to his proposal wasn’t William, which was a bit disappointing. There’s a comment from Charlotte that marrying the man is all she needs to make her happy. These few technical parts aside, I did enjoy this book and Charlotte’s caring nature, especially towards the children she meets.

 

 

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.

"Daughters of Irin" by Claira Teichroeb

About this book:

  “When her land's enemy, Farria, captures Princess Quarralia of Irin, she is given a marry King Byron's wicked son, Prince Cort, thus ensuring Irin to King Byron's family forever, or be killed. Panicked, Quarralia feels trapped, until she meets the mysterious Eirian.
    Eirian is an orphan. Living with only her wolfdog, Galt, she proves intelligent and resourceful. When she learns of Princess Quarralia's part in King Byron's scheme, she knows she has to rescue Quarralia.
    A harrowing escape, hunters on their tails, and clashes between the girls ensue. But what is the significance of the scrap of poetry Quarralia holds, and then there's the question nagging her at every turn: who is Eirian?”


Series: As of now, it seems to be a stand-alone novella.


Spiritual Content- Scriptures are remembered; Many prayers & thanking God and Jesus; ’H’s are capital when referring to God; Eirian & Quarralia both ask God why something is happening, but feels peace at times that He has a plan for each of them; Scripture comes to Eirian & Quarralia’s minds as if God was talking to them a few times; Many mentions of God, Jesus, and being a Christian; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; A few mentions of events in the Bible; A couple mentions of not being afraid of death because of going to “somewhere far better”; A mention of a miracle; 
             *Note: Quarralia’s father isn’t against Christianity, but he has said that he “certainly would never fall for such foolishness”; Mentions of legends/rumors of ghosts; A couple mentions of some believing a girl with two different colored eyes is a witch; A mention of a unicorn; A mention of a symbol of good luck.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: Five ‘stupid’s; Eye rolling & a bit of sarcasm; Quarralia avoids lying; Being chained up and locked in a prison, Being slapped, Being drugged with a dart, Passing out, & Pain (up to semi-detailed); Remembering a kidnapping & being held at sword-point; An animal/pet is threatened to be killed; A maid is ordered to bury a newborn baby that is believed to be stillborn (there is concern that an enemy could get the infant’s body, so the maid is told to bury her where no one will find her; The baby is still alive, however, so she does not); Eirian makes sleeping darts and uses them on others for her safety (up to semi-detailed); Quarralia steals a horse (for safely getting away from a dangerous situation); Mentions of wars, deaths, executions, & hangings; Mentions of a kidnapping, bandits, ransom, & threats; Mentions of criminals & prisons/jails; Mentions of stealing; Mentions of an older girl abusing a young girl (slapping and bruising her); Mentions of pipes & smoking; Mentions of the possibility of a wolfdog (Eirian’s pet) being killed by others; A few mentions of a possible murderer & thinking someone is going to kill another through poison (does not happen, it is a misunderstanding); A few mentions of rumors & gossip; A couple mentions of a possible stillborn baby (some believed a baby was stillborn, but others do not); A couple mentions of a horrible orphanage with children being whipped and screams; A couple mentions of a rumor about a young man drowning a hound for the “pleasure of it” and snatching peasant children to hang them by their ankles from trees in the forest; A couple mentions of alcohol (implied) & a drunk; A couple mentions of hatred; A mention of someone throwing wolfdog puppies into a river to drown them and only one surviving; A mention of the possibility of a horse being eaten by wild animals; A mention of vomiting. 
 
 
Sexual Content- N/A.
 
-Eirian, age 15/16
-Quarralia, age 15
               1st person POV switches between them & 3rd person of Eibhlin (prologue only)
                                                        151 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

This was a pleasant surprise! I wasn’t sure what I would think of this novella, but I really enjoyed the setting (non-magical fantasy) and the main characters. The world and history was explained well, so I didn’t feel lost with not enough information or overwhelmed with too much information. The faith content was strong throughout the book, which was also really nice to read. No romance makes this suitable for younger ages and while it wraps up everything with a bow, I think it could have another story in the world someday if the author decided to do that. Overall, I quite enjoyed this story!

 

 

See y’all on Monday 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.