"Snowbound" by Elizabeth Adams

About this book:

  “The luxurious Chadwick Inn is hosting a special weekend for guests, in which actors play out a historical murder-mystery for them to solve. Mary figures it's a perfect opportunity to sell some books to mystery fans and sets up a table in the lobby. However, when a blizzard blows in and dumps snow and ice over Ivy Bay - and knocks out the power - Mary finds herself trapped at the inn with everyone else. Then one of the guests goes missing!
    As the fictional mystery becomes real and more strange occurrences happen, Mary has to navigate the tangled relationships of the guests and actors to solve a seemingly impossible mystery. Where could the missing woman have gone? And which of these snowbound suspects is behind her disappearance?”


Series: Book #20 (of 24) in the “Secrets of Mary’s Bookshop” series. Please click on the number to be taken to that review: Book #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23, and #24.


Spiritual Content- Genesis 1:27 at the end in bonus content; A Scripture is remembered; Prayers; 'H's are capital when referring to God; Mentions of prayers, praying, & thanking God; A couple mentions of a church & church going; A mention of God’s Word; A mention of musicals at a church that brought people “closer to God” A mention of a miracle; 
             *Note: A mention of Mother Nature.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘dumb’ and two ‘stupid’s; A mention of a curse (said, not written); A bit of eye rolling & sarcasm; Eavesdropping; Set during (and therefore all about) a murder mystery game at the hotel, many mentions of the “deaths”, how they happened, and the “bodies” (barely-above-not-detailed); All about many mentions of a woman disappearing, her missing, & possible foul play; Many mentions of a fight, screams, injuries, blood/bleeding, & possible domestic violence (*Spoiler* was not domestic violence *End of Spoiler*, barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of wars; Mentions of poison & being poisoned; Mentions of car accidents (because of bad weather, barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of someone being attacked, it possibly happening again, pain, & injuries; Mentions of crimes, criminals, crime scenes, a break-in, stealing, stolen items, & thieves; Mentions of drinking, a cocktail hour at an event, & an old tavern; Mentions of smoking & a cigarette; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; A couple mentions of gossip & rumors; A mention of the possibility of it being a while before a body is found (due to the weather); A mention of a fire; A mention of tobacco; A mention of a lottery; A mention of jealousy; 
             *Note: A comment from Mary about girls her granddaughter’s age probably having no idea about the fact that she can be anything thanks to other women who paved the way; Mentions of books (Harlan Coben, Agatha Christie, Nancy Drew, & “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne); A couple mentions of car brands; A mention of Norman Rockwell; A mention of Google; A mention of a painting at the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland; A mention of the Academy Awards. 
 
 
Sexual Content- Mentions of dates, asking someone out, & girlfriends/boyfriends; A few mentions of couples kissing; A mention of jealousy. 
 
-Mary Fisher, age 62 (?)
                                P.O.V. of Mary 
                                              270 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

This was a really fun plot! An acting troop sets up a historical murder mystery for their guests at a hotel and then a woman actually goes missing. I was thoroughly involved in this story and trying to figure things out myself. There were some parts where the reader is left out from what Mary is seeing, though, which did annoy me at times because I wanted to know what was happening as well. Mary felt a little off, if you will, in this book (not completely her normal personality) compared to the prior books in the series, but that can happen when there’s multiple authors writing the same character. Overall, it was a dramatic plot, but fun nonetheless. 

 

 

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 Lost Noel" by Jo Ann Brown

About this book:

  “Christmas is coming, and Mary is excited that both of her children are bringing their families to Ivy Bay for the holiday. Grace Church is putting on its first ever living Nativity, and the congregation members are all pitching in, including Mary and Betty. But only a week before Christmas, the costumes go missing. Then the sheep escapes from its pen and the flyers around town have all been torn down. Someone is sabotaging the living Nativity! As Mary investigates the strange mishaps, she discovers that the truth is far more complicated than she expected. Can she save the Nativity - and the church's "goodwill toward men" - before Christmas?”

 

 

Series: Book #15 (of 24) in the “Secrets of Mary’s Bookshop” series. Please click on the number to be taken to that review: Book #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23, and #24.

Spiritual Content- 1 Timothy 1:15 at the end in bonus content; Scriptures are quoted, mentioned, read, discussed, & thought-over; Bible reading; Church going & a sermon; Prayers & Thanking God; Set during the Christmas season and a live nativity is the main focus of the plot; Talks about God, Jesus’ birthday, & forgiving; ‘H’s are capitalized when referring to God; Many mentions of churches, church going, pastors, events; Many mentions of those in the Bible, a live Nativity, & nativity sets; Mentions of God & faiths; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of thanking God & the phrase “thank heavens” is said a couple times; Mentions of blessings & being blessed; Mentions of Christmas hymns; A mention of a miracle;

             *Note: Mentions of Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus, & St. Nicholas.

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a form of ‘dumb’, a ‘sucker’, two ‘wicked’s, and four ‘stupid’s; Some eye rolling; All about missing costumes & an ewe (possibly stolen); Mentions of stealing, stolen items, vandalism, & possible thieves and vandals; A couple mentions of lying; A mention of the Revolutionary War; A mention of jail; A mention of rumors; A mention of the possibility of an animal being hit by a car; A mention of animal droppings;

             *Note: Mentions of a high school group (“Animals Aren’t Props”) boycotting the live nativity because of the animals; Mentions of movies, books, authors (including Agatha Christie), and an old skit (with George Burns and Gracie Allen); A few mentions of a car brand; A mention of the New England Patriots; A mention of a Boy Scouts troop.

 

 

Sexual Content- N/A.

 

-Mary Fisher

                                P.O.V. of Mary

                                      289 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

There is three mysteries packed inside this Christmas mystery and a lot of different leads and red herrings. I was able to figure out 1.5 of the mysteries, but it was still enjoyable. A bit of a slow beginning, but it started picking up towards the middle and end as different clues are revealed. This one wasn’t my favorite from the series, and while I thought the reasons for the actions were a little weak, I did liked the multiple mysteries within the story.

 

 

 

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.

"O Christmas Tea" by Amy Woods

About this book:

 

  “It’s Christmastime in Lancaster, Maine, and it’s an occasion for carols, ornaments, and . . . poison? When a well-known food critic visits Tea for Two and becomes ill, Jan and Elaine set out to learn what put her there. Has someone tampered with their teas? And if so, who and why? With the critic in the hospital and the tearoom closed for a toxicology screening, the cousins have much riding on their investigation! Meanwhile, Elaine tries not to be envious that Jan’s children will be with her for the holiday and hers will not. They each look for the perfect gift for the other, but their searches hit a disappointing—and seemingly insurmountable—obstacle. Can they find just the right gift in time for Christmas?”

Series: Book #6 in the “Tearoom Mysteries” series. Review of Book #1, Here!, #2 Here!, #3 Here, #4 Here!, and #5 Here!

Spiritual Content- A few Scriptures are mentioned, remembered, & read; ‘H’s are capitalized when referring to God; Set during Christmas time; Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers, praying, & thanking God; Mentions of churches, church going, a pastor, services, & a Christmas play; A few mentions of blessings & being blessed; A mention of a church choir. 

 

 

Negative Content- All about mentions of poison & being poisoned; Mentions of threats & bribes; Mentions of thieves & thefts; Mentions of rumors; A few mentions of World War II; A couple mentions of a death; A couple mentions of a fire; A mention of a kidnapping;

             *Note: Mentions of movies, actors, singers, & songs; Mentions of car brands.

 

 

Sexual Content- a cheek kiss; Mentions of relationships, dates, attraction, & the loss of a spouse; A little bit of love, falling in love, & the emotions.

 

-Jan Blake

-Elaine Cook

                                P.O.V. switches between them

                                                        262 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

This was a cute story with a lighter mystery. For some reason, I think this was the book I’ve enjoyed the most thus far from this series. I thought the surprise at the end was really sweet and the book had a good Christmas-y style to 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.

"The Christmas Key" by Emily Thomas

About this book:

  “Anne is busy preparing for Christmas when she finds a delicate key among Aunt Edie's holiday decorations. Anne soon discovers that the key unlocks a cubby in the church's Advent cabinet, which contains a beautiful sapphire ring. Did it belong to her recently deceased great-aunt? If so, why was it locked away and not among Aunt Edie's jewelry? And why is Reverend Tom tight-lipped when Anne asks him about it? Her search for the truth uncovers new revelations about her beloved great-aunt and a trail of secrecy and intrigue that stretches from cozy Blue Hill to Philadelphia.
  Meanwhile, Anne is delighted when Ben and Liddie agree to participate in the church's annual Christmas play, but the production is in jeopardy when costumes go missing and the director becomes ill. Can they overcome the obstacles to ensure that the show goes on?”


Series: Book #5 in the “Secrets of the Blue Hill Library” series. Reviews of #1 Here, #2 Here, and #3 Here! (The fourth book has not been reviewed yet.)


Spiritual Content- Set during Christmas; A few Scriptures are quoted & mentioned; Prayers; Church going, sermons/lessons, & a Nativity play; A few talks about God; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Many mentions of churches, church going, hymns/carols, sermons, reverends/pastors, Sunday schools, & a nativity play; Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of those and events in the Bible & in first Christmas; A few mentions of thanking God; A few mentions of missions; A couple mentions of blessings; A couple mentions of miracles;

             *Note: Mentions of Santa.

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: two ‘stupid’s; Many mentions of stolen items, thefts/crimes, & thieves; A few mentions of accidents, illnesses, & deaths; A few mentions of lies & lying; A few mentions of rumors; A couple mentions of embezzlement; A mention of cigarettes;

             *Note: Mentions of books & movies; A couple mentions of car brands.

Sexual Content- Mentions of dating, couples, & breakups.

-Anne Gibson
                                P.O.V. switches between them
                                                        269 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

This was such a calm, relaxing read! I so enjoy Guidepost mystery books, but I definitely think this is my favorite series they’ve done. :)

I have a feeling us book-lovers will agree with Anne in this quote:

  “Wendy gave her a quizzical look. “You know, you’ve got a whole building full of books that she can read for free. I know she reads a lot, but I don’t think she’s made her way through all of them yet.”
  Anne assumed a mock lecturing tone, raising a finger for each point. “Number one: Books are always good gifts, no matter how many you already have or have access to. That’s just axiomatic.” Wendy rolled her eyes at Anne’s two-dollar word choice, so Anne amended, “Self-evident. Number two: There’s a big difference between borrowing a book and actually owning it. As a librarian, of course, I’m in favor of both. And number three”—her tone became warmer and more knowing—“I think this book in particular is one she’ll want to keep.””

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.