"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.

"Merry Humbug Christmas" by Sandra D. Bricker

About this book:

  “A Merry Humbug Christmas features two holiday romance novellas from hilarious and heartwarming author Sandra D. Bricker. -- the perfect gift to yourself or someone else at this most wonderfully stressful time of year. 
   In "Once Upon a Jingle Bell", a Bah! Humbug cruise to the Mexican Riviera is Joss Snow's answer to this year's quest to avoid the holidays completely; at least until she's rebooked on a different kind of cruise altogether. Candy canes, holly wreaths, reindeer and ornaments seem to be stalking her on the 12 Days of Christmas holiday cruise extravaganza. An escape back to land is her only goal . . . until she meets a kindred spirit in rugged Irishman Patrick Brenneman, and then the game is on! Avoid Christmas festivities at all costs . . . except maybe for that one stop under the mistletoe. 
    In "It Came Upon a Midnight Deer", Reese's guilt over abandoning best friend Joss on their holiday tradition of avoiding all things Christmas is trumped by the joy of her recent engagement. Meeting Damian's family for the first time on idyllic Sugarloaf Mountain is about as far from that Bah! Humbug cruise as she can get, and Reese can hardly wait to get there. But from the moment they hit that deer in the road just two miles from the cabin, everything seems to go wrong. There are no drummers drumming or pipers piping this particular year! And once she sets her future in-laws' family cabin ablaze, she's pretty sure there won't be even ONE golden ring in her future.”


Series: Does not seem to be connected to any other books by this author.


Spiritual Content- Isaiah 9:6 at the beginning; Prayers, Thanking God, Blessings over food, & Two Irish Christmas Blessings are said (one over food); Talks about the true meaning of Christmas & the first Christmas; 'H's are capital when referring to God; Joss isn’t a fan of Christmas and believes that God understands (saying that while baby Jesus was thrown out with the Christmas water for her, she didn’t turn on God, she turned on Christmas instead); Patrick asks Joss if she’s a praying woman and she says “now and then” (*Spoiler* she prays for the first time in a really long time towards the end about meeting with Patrick *End of Spoiler*); Patrick says that his Christian faith has played a deep and abiding part of the man he’d become; Seeing a live nativity & a mini message from a reverend; Mentions of God, Jesus, Christmas being about His birthday, & faiths; Mentions of prayers, praying, & Blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, & services; Mentions of Christian Christmas songs; Mentions of having a birthday cake for Jesus; Mentions of the history of luminarias (a Spanish tradition); A few mentions of thanking God for blessings & being Blessed; A few mentions of a person’s sweater and another’s nightgown having a manger scene; A few mentions of being Jewish & Hanukkah; A mention of Handel’s Messiah; A mention of a place being God’s country; A mention of something being a miracle (sincerely meant); A mention of something being “god-like kismet”;
             *Note: Many mentions of Santas, elves, reindeer, Rudolph, and all the other classic secular Christmas items (including many songs); Mentions of something being kismet, luck, & destiny (Patrick says him and Joss meeting was destiny); A couple mentions of a place being haunted; A mention of a place being “like [H]eaven”; A mention of Beelzebub; A mention of thanking lucky stars.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘blah, blah, blah’, a ‘doggone’, a form of ‘ticked off’, three forms of ‘idiot’, and four forms of ‘stupid’, Sarcasm & Eye rolling; Mentions of curses (said, not written); A fire (up to semi-detailed); Pain, Injuries, & Vomiting (up to semi-detailed); Joss’ parents passed away in a car accident due to a drunk Santa (years before the book starting) & grief; Joss has a couple of times where she hyperventilates & Reese has one time as well (up to semi-detailed); Joss tells a fib (about another woman’s outfit) & a lie (about something not bothering her); Patrick debates telling Joss a lie for her own comfort & later tells a partial fib to his mother; Reese & Damian have a car accident involving a deer (the deer is hurt, but gets up and limps away; Reese feels terrible about it; up to semi-detailed); Reese helps a young teen girl who secretly got a tattoo and an infection from it (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of deaths & grief (Joss for her parents, a two women for their husbands); Mentions of a house fire (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of possibly broken bones, pain, injuries, & blood/bleeding; Mentions of tattoos, an infections, & a minor getting a tattoo without her parents knowing (*Spoiler* Reese plans for the girl to tell her parents and when they accidentally find out, they are very upset with their daughter *End of Spoiler*); Mentions of alcohol, drinking, bars, & drunks (Joss doesn’t drink); Mentions of parents fighting over a new job & money (their daughter is very upset about it); Mentions of the possibility of a dog dying because he was given someone’s vitamins (the dog is fine); Mentions of a killed goose for a dinner & Reese vomiting after seeing it (due to her vegan upbringing, up to semi-detailed); A few mentions of deaths from a car accident & a drunk driver; A few mentions of injuries or deaths caused by sharks; A few mentions of lies & lying; A few mentions of jealousy; A few mentions of a dog peeing on someone; A couple mentions of prison & wanting to harm someone for an illegal thing they did; A couple mentions of hatred; A couple mentions of children resenting their parents; A couple mentions of burping; A mention of someone looking like she’s been shot; A mention of an R-rated movie; A mention of Reese thinking that her parents smoke weed (but doesn’t have any proof); A mention of rumors; 
             *Note: Reese’s parents are more to the vegan-hippie lifestyle (and are dismayed by her and her brother eating animals products and McDonald’s); Reese fights resentment towards her parents at one point (growing up, a flashback); Going to & a couple mentions of Starbucks; Mentions of brand names (Reese peanut butter cups, Diet Coke, Hyatt, Levi, Angora, Black & Decker, Chips Ahoy, Hershey bars, Louboutin, Kool-Aid, & Neosporin); Mentions of Murphy’s Law; Mentions of TV shows & movies (Wheel of Fortune, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Meet the Parents, The Partridge Family, The Brady Bunch, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Doctor Quinn Medicine Women, The Sound of Music, It’s a Wonderful Life, The Bishop’s Wife, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Jaws, The Nutcracker, Psycho, & James Bond); Mentions of actors/actresses, singers, celebrities, & songs (David Cassidy, Russell Crowe, Mathew McConaughey, Carly Rae Jepsen, Etta James, Cary Grant, Loretta Young, Ryan Seacrest, Harry Winston, George Clooney, Chris Tomlin, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Rosemary Clooney, Bing Crosby, Lou Ferrigno, Thomas Kincaid, Janet Leigh, Judy Garland, Norman Rockwell, Jane Seymour, & Mariah Carey); Mentions of places (Trader Joe’s, AMC, & McDonald’s); A few mentions of TV channels (Nickelodeon, Discovery Channel, E!, & Hallmark); A few mentions of Dollywood & Grand Old Opry; A few mentions of Siri; A couple mentions of car brands; A mention of a Broadway show (Billy Elliot); A mention of zombies; A mention of a Pediatric AIDS fund-raiser; A mention of Joss being a groupie (for David Cassidy); A mention of a peace sign; A mention of an antifeminist statement (about women making their husbands’ favorites dishes and Reese wondering what her mother would think); A mention of therapy.
 
 
Sexual Content- Six hand/fingers kisses, five head kisses, a cheek kiss, a nose kiss, three not-detailed kisses, and seven barely-above-not-detailed kisses; Touches, Embraces, Dancing, Hand holding, Zings, Nearness & Smelling (x2, up to semi-detailed); Blushes & Winks; Noticing & Staring (x2, including muscles, border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Talks about kisses, kissing, & chemistry; Patrick offers for his and Joss’ relationship to be just a “shipboard type of thing” when he’s not sure if she’s interested in continuing their potential after the cruise; A married co-worker tries to get Reese to introduce him to Joss (she comments on the fact he has a wife and when he says that you “can’t blame a man for trying”, she replies, “actually, I can”); Damian & Reese use separate rooms at his parents’ place and when his brother says they don’t have to because they’re engaged, his mother defends their choice; a ‘hot’ and three ‘baby’s; Mentions of kisses & kissing; Mentions of dates & dating; A few mentions of men being called “yummy”, “delicious”, and “gorgeous”; A couple mentions of weak knees over a guy winking (Joss); A couple mentions of crushes; A mention of a wife sitting on her husband’s lap; A mention of honeymooners standing very close together; A mention of a woman looking at Patrick with “more than a passing interest”; A mention of jealousy; Love, falling/being in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: A few mentions of a woman finding out she had ovarian cancer when she couldn’t get pregnant & having to have a hysterectomy; A mention of a woman’s ample chest; A mention of someone praying their fanny off.
 
-Joss Snow, age 34
-Patrick Brenneman
-Reese Pendergrass
-Damian Palmer, age 33 (?)
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                                        298 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

This book was so much fun! First off, the cover: It absolutely cracks me up! It fits the book so well and gives you a teaser into the humor to expect in it. 

 

First novella: Joss & Patrick had the cutest banter! They moved very fast in their feelings, but it was cute. I liked the sarcasm and humor. (I want my own Patrick, haha!) I do wish he would have been a little more concerned about her not having a strong faith before imaging a future with her (in his defense, though, he did imagine them attending church together weekly). It ended too rushed, which was really disappointing, but was still 4 stars for me because I related a lot to Joss and really liked her. 

 

Second novella: I really felt for Reese, I truly did. She just precious, she tried so hard, bless her. She was great and he was a sweetheart. They were so cute together! His family was so fun too and I couldn’t believe everything that happened. An easy 4 stars for this book as well for me. 

 

I’ll finish this review off with my letter to Santa: “Dear Santa, I would like my own Patrick or Damian for Christmas, please. Thank you. Sincerely, Lindsey” 

 

 

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.

 

"Better Watch Out" by Natalie Walters

About this book:

  “Leave the candy canes, take the pepper spray! 
    Nothing screams Christmas like a week spent ice skating, visiting Santa, and sharing a kiss or two under the mistletoe. Frannie Frost has crafted the perfect bucket list of romantic activities to surprise her boyfriend in the most magical place at Christmas time—New York City. When he unexpectedly becomes her ex, her plans are derailed leaving her with a choice. Wallow in self-pity at Christmas time or take matters into her own hands. 
   Former NHL defenseman turned personal protection agent, Andrew Bishop, loves his job—when things go as planned—but Frannie Frost is definitely not part of the plan. Still, when her brother, the man who saved Andrew’s life last year, asks him to deliver his sister safely to the airport, he can’t say no. 
   The only problem? Frannie isn’t leaving. She’s determined to make the most of her trip by checking off a bucket list of cliché Christmas actives that would make even Santa’s elves jealous. Andrew’s content to let her go until he learns that Frannie’s been mistaken for his client and thrust into the midst of danger.”


Series: Mentions & Features characters from “Deadly Deceit”. Review of that book, Here!


Spiritual Content- 'H's are capital when referring to God; Frannie thinks that nothing deepened her faith faster “than her brother’s dangerous career choice”; Frannie & Andrew tour a Catholic historical church (that he typically attends when he can); Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of churches, church going, & services (including a Mass service); A few mentions of God; A few mentions of those in the Bible (including someone being a good Samaritan & a “rob Peter to pay Paul” plot); A couple mentions of a church’s prison ministry; A mention of the Holy Spirit; A mention of a Christmas hymn; A mention of an empty manger off to the side in a church; A mention of being Blessed; 
             *Note: Going to see & mentions of Santa Claus; Mentions of superstitions & bad luck (a side character kisses a hockey puck for good luck); A few mentions of the ghosts in ‘A Christmas Carol’; A mention of Father Time.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘dumb’, a ‘gah’, an ‘oh my word’, an ‘oh my jingle-jangle stars’, a ‘sheesh’, two forms of ‘darn’, two ‘idiot’s, and six forms of ‘stupid’; A couple mentions of curses (said, not written); Eye rolling & Sarcasm; An attempted kidnapping, Fighting/Self-defense, Being held hostage, Being threatened/attacked, Being shoved, Almost being runover, Pain, Injuries, (up to semi-detailed); Frannie goes to a bar/grill & is offered wine by another customer (she turns it down); Many mentions of threats, a ransomware attack, blackmail, crimes, criminals/thugs, stalkers, abductions, & muggings; Mentions of terrorism & terrorists (including a mention of 9/11); Mentions of hits, hitmen, the mafia, & organized crime families; Mentions of money laundering & frauds; Mentions of gambling (on hockey games and horse races); Mentions of pain, major injuries, & blood/bleeding (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of alcohol & drinking (including a side character drinking wine after getting her daughter to bed, Vivian from another book by this author); A few mentions of assaults; A few mentions of an almost shooting & bullet aimed for taking someone’s life; A few mentions of identity theft; A few mentions of prisons; A few mentions of kids teasing/bullying others; A couple mentions of the death of a police officer in a sting gone bad; A couple mentions of a dying relative’s bucket list; A mention of a skiing accident & death; A mention of a body bag; A mention of waterboarding; A mention of a robbery; A mention of explosives; A mention of wondering if someone is high on something; A mention of graffiti; A mention of a hazing initiation; 
             *Note: Frannie is determined to not be her mother who let her husband walk out on their family (this is a big issue for Frannie even though her brother has told her that they were better off without him; She compares her upbringing to another’s seemingly perfect family and thinks that while she’s proud of her mother now, it was hard growing up with other kids teasing her; She vowed that she’d do “whatever it took to make sure a guy never did to her what her father did to her mom”); Frannie’s brother is overprotective and she gets upset with it, wanting to be able to make her own choices; A young girl gets overstimulation in a line (barely-above-not-detailed); Many mentions of movies, TV shows, fictional characters, quotes, & actors/actresses and other celebrities (Apollo 13, The Godfather, The Grinch, Home Alone, The Bodyguard, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Miracle on 34^th Street, Die Hard, Polar Express, Eloise at Christmastime, Elf, It Happened on Fifth Avenue, It’s a Wonderful Life, North by Northwest, A Christmas Carol, Criminal Minds, The Office, Law & Order, Chris Pratt, Kevin Costner, Natalie Wood, Bruce Willis, Trudy O’Connor, Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed, Chris Evans, Cary Grant, Macaulay Culkin, Riggs Atwood, Whitney Houston, Michael Bublé, Celine Dion, Bing Crosby, Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez, Nora Ephron, The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Andy Warhol, & Ella Fitzgerald); Mentions of brand names (North Face, Cole Haan, Armani, Henley, Michael Kors, & Colgate); Mentions of Uber & car brands; Mentions of other pop culture references (Vanity Fair, Barbie, Netflix, FaceTime, Instagram, McDonald’s, Macy’s, Nutella, Godiva, Sprite, Coke, Nespresso, & Candy Land); Mentions of hotel chains; Mentions of superheroes (Superman, Batman, & Star-Lord); Mentions of sports teams; Mentions of Hallmark & Lifetime movies.
 
 
Sexual Content- Three almost (semi-detailed) kisses, a forehead kiss (up to semi-detailed), a barely-above-not-detailed kiss, a semi-detailed kiss, and a detailed kiss; Staring at lips (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to kiss (up to semi-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Dancing, Hand holding, Nearness, Electricity, Butterflies, & Smelling (semi-detailed); Imagining & Wanting to touch, embrace, & run fingers through another’s hair (up to semi-detailed); Blushes; Noticing & Staring (including muscles, up to semi-detailed); A ‘hot’, a ‘hunky’, and three forms of ‘sexy’ (including beautiful women being dressed like “sexy reindeer” in a Radio City Rockettes show); Frannie hoped that her boyfriend would invite her to stay in an extra bedroom at his family’s home and when he didn’t, she thinks it’s because of propriety more than anything else; When near Frannie, Andrew gets hots and thinks that he thought he outgrew those teenage emotions; Frannie gets defensive when Andrew asks if her family liked her ex-boyfriend; Many mentions of dates, dating, boyfriends/girlfriends, crushes, break-ups, being dumped, & exes; Mentions of kisses & kissing; Mentions of jealousy; Mentions of flirting & swooning; A few mentions of women throwing themselves at hockey players; A few mentions of checking someone out & oogling them; A couple mentions of Frannie going to her hotel room alone (without Andrew; misunderstanding but implied to have been possibly suggestive); A mention of baby daddy drama; A mention of seeing a couple kiss; A mention of a second grader trying to kiss her crush (Frannie); A mention of a pick-up line; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Towards the beginning, Andrew gives Frannie a certain smile to manipulate her feelings to get her to do what he wants (to keep her safe); When Frannie hugs him, Andrew has a thought that would “put him on Santa’s naughty list”; A few mentions of underwear (including a mention of a superstition about wearing the same underwear); A couple mentions of a man teasing another about the Radio City Rockettes being “too much women” for him to handle; A mention of a woman’s dress leaving “nothing to the imagination”; A mention of a woman’s curves (Andrew’s point of view); A mention of a doll for young girls that was “all curves, pouty lips, and in a cringe-inducing outfit” (Frannie is appalled); A mention of a fat man (Santa).
 
-Francis “Frannie” Frost
-Andrew Bishop
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                                        268 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

I’m really not a big Christmas book reader or fan, so I do feel like I pushed myself to read this one. It took about halfway through for me to get into this book and enjoy the cheesy Christmas theme, but the ice-skating rink parts were my favorite.

 

I did really like seeing a couple from a prior book by this author and that their family had grown—but it was by adopting a little girl from Korea. That was probably my favorite part of the book because that’s near to my heart. 

 

Frannie wasn't the smartest character I’ve ever read. Like the other books I’ve read by this author, there’s a lot of physical attraction and noticing the other’s body, including his muscles. There’s also a lot of mentions of brand names, celebrities, and movies that while sometimes added to the realness of the book, also pulled me out of the plot because it was a lot of mentions of all of that.

 

I wasn’t really a fan of how he was encouraging her that she could handle herself on her own in a big city—contrary to what her law enforcement brother thinks—but he’s keeping a secret from her that she actually is in danger because of someone mistaking her identity with his actual client. He does eventually tell her, but if I was in this book, I would have been an extra in the background holding up a placard that said “tell her the truth!” 

 

I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve read her brother’s story before—even though I don’t remember any of it—but I was definitely on his side with wanting to keep her safe and unaware of everything and that’s really because she was naïve. She gets upset when the truth is revealed and it’s all about wanting to have her own life and make her own mistakes, but I don’t think her brother was in the wrong. According to his wife, his love language is to protect the people he loves; which you know fits for me too, so maybe that’s why I related to his thoughts, haha. So, and all honesty, she stressed me out with those elements and her being determined not to be like her mother who “got dumped” (who, in all actuality, raised her and her brother by herself after their dad walked out on them). 

 

Honestly, it somewhat won me over by the end, but the romance content and attraction was just too much for my taste and she drove me batty. I can see why I have different friends who like it, but it wasn’t really my thing.

 

 

 

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 Royal Christmas" by Melody Carlson

About this book:

  “Adelaide Smith is too busy for fairy tales. She's been working hard to put herself through law school and now that the end is in sight, she's determined to stay focused on her goals. Then she receives a letter notifying her that she has been found through a DNA registry to be a direct descendant of King Maximillian V, the ruler of a small Eastern European principality called Montovia. She's understandably skeptical. This is the stuff of cheesy made-for-TV movies, not real life.
   Although the pieces of this surprising family puzzle seem too good to be true, curiosity gets the best of her. At the king's invitation, Adelaide embarks on a Christmas break trip that is chock-full of surprises, including a charming village, an opulent palace, family mysteries, royal jealousies, a handsome young member of Parliament--and the chance at a real fairy tale romance with a happily-ever-after ending.”


Series: As of now, no. A stand-alone novella. 


Spiritual Content- Prayers; Church going; Talks about God; 'H's are not capital when referring to God; Set around Christmas and mentions of the true reason for the holiday, a nativity, & hymns; Mentions of God, Jesus, His plans and timing, & peace; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of churches, church going, services, & a priest; A mention of Heaven; A mention of a miracle; A mention of women’s church groups; A mention of a cross necklace;
             *Note: Mentions of Saint Nicholas, day of celebration around him, & Santa Claus; Mentions of the day before Saint Nicholas day is similar to Halloween with an evil “half-goat, half-demon” creature called “Krampus” that terrorizes children into behaving and is part of the pagan winter solstice rituals (said to have been the son of Hel and the underworld, parties will have devil costumes and lots of drinking, shown negatively, up to semi-detailed); A few mentions of someone who has passed away watching another’s event; A couple mentions of fictional myths/folklore (Loch Ness Monster & Big Foot); A mention of not being able to see another who has passed “in this world” again (both the person who has passed and Adelaide who thinks this are Christians).
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘heck’; A bit of Sarcasm; Adelaide goes to a Halloween-like party (people dress up as devils or with horns and drink a lot) and has a fake alcoholic drink to blend in; Grieving & Pain (up to semi-detailed); While it’s implied that Adelaide is given wine at dinner, we do not see her drink (besides mulled wine at events); Others socially drink (including the love interest) and talk about needing or having a drink or wine; Adelaide is grieving her mother after her tragic death *Spoiler* & father *End of Spoiler* (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of deaths & grieving (for a mother and a father); Mentions of illnesses (liver cancer), signs, & being near to death (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of a missing person, some thinking foul play was involved, an abduction, & a possible murder;  Mentions of an abduction & prank; Mention of scams; Mentions of alcohol, bars/pubs, drinking, social drinking at dinner and parties, & drunks; Mentions of eavesdropping; Mentions of a hunter & hunting; A few mentions of drunk driving & deaths (bluntly semi-detailed); A couple mentions of a possible drowning; A couple mentions of crimes; A couple mentions of drugs & addicts; A couple mentions of hatred; A couple mentions of rumors; A mention of a serial killer; A mention of World War II; A mention of a thief; A mention of smoking; A mention of the death of a pet cat;
             *Note: Mentions of some in Montovia having a “backward attitude towards women” and Adelaide being upset by those people thinking that being female is a shortcoming; Mentions of brand names (Splenda & Sugar In The Raw); Mentions of movies, TV shows, actresses, songs, & fictional characters (including Finding Nemo, Shrek, Downton Abbey, & Sharon Stone); Mentions of car brands; A few mentions of social media sites and apps (YouTube, FaceTime, & Zoom); A few mentions of the British royal family; A couple mentions of Hallmark & Masterpiece Theater; A couple mentions of Adelaide being worried about what her “animal activist friends” would say about a fur coat; A mention of Disney; A mention of the phrase “buzzkill”.
 
 
Sexual Content- Two almost kisses (one being up to semi-detailed); Dancing & Hand holding (barely-above-not-detailed); Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); Adelaide’s mother never told her about her biological father (they weren’t married so  Adelaide was born out-of-wedlock/illegitimate, and the father didn’t know); Adelaide’s ex-boyfriend was insistent about them moving in together (she was waiting for a ring); Mentions of kisses & almost kisses; Mentions of dating, exes, & Adelaide’s mother being a “jerk magnet”; A few mentions of an affair & some thinking a woman might be having an affair; A few mentions of illegitimate children; A few mentions of crushes; A couple mentions of a woman being a head turner & getting attention; A mention of some wild dance moves making Adelaide blush; Some love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Adelaide wears a dress with a “slightly plunging neckline” to fit in at a party where many are dressed provocatively; Mentions of dresses with plunging necklines & slits and other provocative clothing (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of Adelaide’s new stepbrother being interested in her as marrying her would be a quick way to get the throne; A couple mentions of Adelaide’s friend possibly being interested in a much older man (quickly shut down).
 
-Adelaide Smith, age 28/29
                                P.O.V. of Adelaide 
                                                        176 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

This plot (trope?) is so common of a normal girl finding out she’s a Princess, but is also just so much fun. I will completely blame the Princess Diaries movies for my love of this kind of book. 

This book was cheesy at times and not one that requires a lot of thinking, but that’s nice some days—especially around the busy holiday season. 

I liked Adelaide, she’s strong and stands up for herself against a queen that doesn’t like her. It was nice to not see a young woman in this position cowering or being meek. I wasn’t a fan of her best friend, though.

 

I didn’t love the parts about Krampus. I’m glad that it was portrayed negatively, but it affected my enjoyment of the story at times and makes me mark this book for older girls. The author definitely showed it as wrong and as a comparison for the True Meaning of Christmas, but I disliked the evil of it being in this book. 

Being a novella, it did feel a bit rushed at the end to me, but it was still a good ending and an overall fun story. I would have loved to see an epilogue though!

 

 

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 Publisher (Revell) for this honest review.