"Ly-Lan and the New Class Mix-up" by Hà Dinh

About this book:

  “Sometimes things don’t turn out the way we plan! In this chapter book series about a daughter of Vietnamese immigrants, Ly-Lan navigates her life as a new third grader—complete with old and new friends, unexpected (and disappointing) changes at home and school, and finding a way to thrive.
   Third grade is not starting the way Ly-Lan pictured. First, her best friend Cece is put in another class--even after Ly-Lan prayed they would be in the same one. And then Ly-Lan is tasked with showing the new Vietnamese student around. Ly-Lan wants to hang out with Cece, not play translator to the new girl, and she doesn’t understand why her prayers aren’t being answered. If Ly-Lan is going to survive and thrive in third grade, she must learn to trust in God’s plans, especially when it means making some adjustments to her own.”


Series: Book #1 in the “Ly-Lan Finds a Way” series. 


Spiritual Content- A prayer (that Ly-Lan does with her parents); Ly-Lan shares with her best friend that whenever she needs something, her father has told her to get on her knees, which her friend thinks she means begging, but Ly-Lan explains she means praying and shows her how she prays under a cross in her room to Jesus (there is an illustration of Ly-Lan on her knees praying and a note that she prays with her parents before bed every night); Ly-Lan tells her best friend that her father told her to pray to Jesus whenever she needs help or has a special wish (her best friend says that “that’s cool” and she usually just yells out loud to her parents in hopes one of her parents can get her wish for her); Ly-Lan believes her prayers to be in the same classroom as her best friend has worked since kindergarten, but her mom says she’s not sure that’s how prayers work; When she finds out she’s not in the same class with her best friend, Ly-Lan wonders if she said the wrong name in her prayers; Ly-Lan’s parents tell her that God isn’t a genie to grant our wishes and that sometimes things don’t work out the way we want even when we pray about it (adding that “prayers are like wishes from our hearts, but sometimes our wishes aren’t always the best thing for us. Only God can decide that. We have to trust Him.” and encourage her about trusting God, but Ly-Lan decides that if praying is not going to help and God doesn’t grant wishes, she’s going to take her chances on someone at school who can grant her wish); Ly-Lan doesn’t think prayers will work after her disappointment and wonders what the point of praying is if it doesn’t come true; *Spoiler* At the very end, Ly-Lan realizes the good that can come from being in a new class and prays with her parents *End of Spoiler*; Talks about God, Jesus, trusting Him, & praying/prayers; 'H's are capital when referring to God; Mentions of God & Jesus; Mentions of praying & prayers; 
             *Note: A few mentions of magic (in the sense of Ly-Lan thinking her mother can work magic like creating a certain yummy food and could help her out with the classroom problem; Later, Ly-Lan thinks that moms are magical when her best friend tells her something that her mom said that was the same thing her mom said too); A mention of being lucky.
 

Negative Content- Ly-Lan is upset about her hopes and plans not being able to happen (such as being in the same classroom as her best friend or sitting with her at lunch) and thinks “Adults choose everything for kids—whose class we’re in, where we sit at lunch, and who we sit with!” and adds that “today is officially the worst first day ever.”, but she still follows the directions of her teacher; In a moment of being upset, Ly-Lan whines and says a hurtful thing to her best friend (which her friend says to take back her mean words, but Ly-Lan is still upset); *Spoilers* Towards the end, Ly-Lan realizes that she was wrong and writes an apology note to her best friend and plans to make a new friend or two in her new class; Her best friend forgives her *End of Spoilers*; A couple mentions of jealousy.
 
 
Sexual Content- N/A.
 
-Ly-Lan Tran, age 8
                                P.O.V. of Ly-Lan 
                                                        96 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

To get the technical stuf out of the way: I’m not the best judge for the writing quality of beginner chapter books, so I did think it was a bit simple at times, but I think that can be expected. I don’t know how realistic it was for Ly-Lan’s writing skills either. There were a few times of extra exclamation points in a sentence or amazing being said as “AMAZINGGG!!!” by our main character and her friend. 

 

I thought this story was very cute overall and how important it is for Ly-Lan has to learn that it’s okay and even possible to have more than one best friend. The illustrations were adorable and definitely added to a cute charm to 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.

*I received this book for free from the Publisher (Zonderkidz) for this honest review.

 

"Falling for Forever" by Katherine Robles

About this book:

  “Hillary needs a major change in her life. She's stifled by an entry level IT job in the Virginia suburbs and longs to move to Washington D.C. where she can make a difference in the world.
    When Javier comes to her rescue in Great Falls National Park, Hillary likes everything about him except for the gorgeous fiancé hanging on his arm. But things are not as they seem. He enlists her help to renovate a homeless shelter, and romance blossoms over paintbrushes and pipes until a career-launching opportunity arises.
    Hillary can chase her dreams, but they might cost her Javier's heart.”


Series: Book #2 in the “Romance in the Park” series. Review of Book #1 Here!


Spiritual Content- A devotional at the end of the book has 1 Thessalonians 5:15 quoted and a prayer; A handful of Scriptures are mentioned & quoted; Prayers & Thanking God; Talks about God, His plans, doing what God wants, & being significant to Him; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Hillary struggles with the idea of God wanting her to be at her current job because she thinks she is capable of doing so much more than that (Javier tries to talk to her about this); Hillary wrestles with a couple bitter and sarcastic thoughts about things not happening if it’s not God’s will; Hillary wants to scream to Heaven when upset; Hillary’s older sister talks to her about being significant to God; Mentions of God, listening to Him, & helping others; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, & hymns; A few mentions of those & events in the Bible; A few mentions of miracles; A few mentions of being blessed; A couple mentions of Mother Teresa; A mention of showing Christian Love; A mention of Lent; A mention of Christian music;
             *Note: Hillary lies and thinks “lying about the obvious wasn’t a sin, right?”; Hillary joins a campus ministry that organizes hikes for all the “religious groups in an effort to promote unity”; When Javier shares an upbeat attitude about something, Hillary thinks that she is “dating Dalai Lama” and adds “If your job sucks, don’t worry, you’ll reincarnate as a butterfly”; A couple mentions of Dalai Lama and reincarnation.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘crummy’, a ‘heck’, a ‘sucks’, two forms of ‘crap’, two ‘dumb’s, four ‘idiot’s, and eleven forms of ‘stupid’; Eye rolling & Sarcasm; Hillary lies a couple of times; Mentions of a civil war in Guatemala, Javier’s parents’ villages being destroyed, living in a refugee camp, and believing most of their families died; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; A few mentions of wars & Nazis; A few mentions of a trucker having a “pee jar” (which makes Hillary wonders if it’s less gross for a guy because they “could aim” and hopes that someone created a portable seat for female truck drivers); A couple mentions of drownings; A couple mentions of a bar fight & someone being hungover; A couple mentions of a restaurant bar; A couple mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of smoking & a pipe; A couple mentions of a mule pooping; A mention of college parties; A mention of a historical tavern; 
             *Note: Hillary struggles with the thought of being stuck in her day-to-day routine (the monotony of it) and wants more for herself (she feels this way particularly herself, but also towards her parents; She struggles to understand her parents enjoying what she thinks is a “stagnant life” and can be harsh towards them, which Javier calls her out on; *Spoiler* She realizes towards the end that Javier was right and she doesn’t treat them with the respect she should and tries to spend more time with her parents and learning their reasons for doing things; Hillary also tries to be more content with her job by the end *End of Spoiler*); A few mentions of politicians & celebrities (Thomas Jefferson, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, & Martin Luther King Junior); A mention of NASA putting a man on the moon.
 
 
Sexual Content- A hair kiss and a border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed kiss; Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, Shivers/Tingles, Nearness, & Smelling (up to semi-detailed); Noticing (including muscles, up to semi-detailed); Flirting, Winks, & Blushes; Hillary thinks that Javier is engaged but still flirting with her, and while she feels guilty for enjoying the attention, she shuts him down as she thinks he is either “the world’s sweetest man or an unfaithful rotten fiancé”; Hillary doesn’t want to be tempted further by Javier when she’s under the impression he is engaged; After Hillary realizes she didn’t have all the information about what she saw, she thinks Javier isn’t a two-timing jerk like she thought; Javier teases Hillary about playing footsies with him when their ankles accidentally touch; Mentions of dates, dating, boyfriends/girlfriends, crushes, & break-ups; Mentions of flirting; A few mentions of kisses & kissing; A few mentions of cheating & cheaters; A few mentions of Hillary not wanting to steal another woman’s man or drool on him; A mention of a couple making out; A mention of a forbidden romance (Hillary thinks about her and Javier not having one); A mention of men flocking to a gorgeous woman; A mention of a group of “hormonal young people”; A mention of a “testosterone-soaked” activity (demolition of a house); Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: When climbing with Javier, Hillary notes that she doesn’t want to be in front of him or he will be staring at her backside, but she doesn’t want him to go first either, so they go side by side; Hillary teases her father about liking to watch baseball because of the players’ tight pants (she’s mostly kidding and tries not to think of Javier in tight baseball paints); A few mentions of butts; A mention of a woman’s “curvaceous figure”.
 
-Hillary Jacobs
                                P.O.V. of Hillary 
                                                  184 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

While reading, I wished there was Javier’s POV because I think that would have been helpful to see! I was stressed about the thought of him being engaged and flirting with her, so once that’s cleared up, I enjoyed the book much more, haha! Hillary does have her moments of being prideful, but lessons are eventually learned. This was one of the few times I approved of the third-act break-up in a book because Hillary needed to figure out how important she is to God and not focus so much on what she’s missing. The ending was a bit rushed because of it, but it was overall a cute story and safe for older teens.

 

 

 

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.

"Whitewater Wishes" by Katherine Robles

About this book:
  “Bridget plans to spend her summer working as a white water rafting guide and studying for her beautician' s license exam. She isn' t looking for romance, and she isn' t impressed with nerdy nurse Drew when he steps into her raft. She' s looking for a strongman like the father she failed, but she finds it hard to resist Drew' s passion for life.
   As a hospital nurse, Drew loves helping people to heal, but after one of his younger patients dies, Drew feels the need to seize the day. So, he faces his fear of open water and goes white water rafting. He' s attracted to Bridget, but meeting his dream girl couldn' t have come at a worse time. His best friend is in trouble and Drew must decide how far he' s willing to go to keep his friend' s secret.
   When injury capsizes Bridget' s career, they' ll need strength beyond their own to keep their love afloat.”


Series: Book #1 in the “Romance in the Park” series. 


Spiritual Content- Scriptures are mentioned, quoted, read, & thought about; Prayers; Singing a hymn & a song; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Bridget volunteers at VBS; Bridget finds it hard to talk about her faith with her best friend and tries to explain to her that her faith is important especially in regards to a future husband, but her friend says that her mom is Buddhist and her dad is agnostic and “they make it work”; Later, Bridget tries to talk to her friend about God and something she learned recently, not knowing if her friend even believes in God but presses on because both Jesus and her friend are important to her; Drew is worried about talking to his friend about the friend’s serious problem when it was the friend who introduced Drew to God and going to church (*Spoiler* Though Drew thinks about Scriptures about noticing his own faults, Drew knows his friend’s marriage is in trouble and that is friend is disobeying Jesus, so Drew grabs another Christian friend to talk with him about it; They confront the friend together and he doesn’t take it well *End of Spoiler*); Mentions of God, Jesus, & the Holy Spirit; Mentions of prayers, praying, & thanking God; Mentions of churches, church going, trying to find a church, services, hymns/songs, youth groups, & VBS; Mentions of Bibles, Bible studies, books of the Bible, & events and people in the Bible; Mentions of God’s creation & being amazed by it; Mentions of sins; A mention of Heaven;
             *Note: Bridget’s friend says that a guy is “into God stuff” like her; A guy comments that another guy looks like a ghost who haunts a library (due to his pale skin).
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: an ‘idiot’, four ‘oh my gosh’s, and eight ‘stupid’s; Some eye rolling & Sarcasm; Pain, injuries, nearly passing out, a broken bone, a concussion, & short-term memory loss (up to semi-detailed); At their first meeting, Bridget thinks that Drew might be “on something” or high, but it turns out he is not and just sleep deprived; Drew is concerned a friend is falling back into a bad habit & wonders if he should talk to him about it or do a test to see what happens (regarding money and stealing; Drew feels guilty for thinking the worse of his friend and not believing that everything is okay; *Spoilers* The friend stole from Drew’s wallet and it’s later revealed he has a gambling addiction; It started when they went to a casino together during spring break and Drew feels guilt for being the one to suggest it (it’s recalled as being fun for a time, but Drew didn’t feel the pull that his friend did and still does, up to semi-detailed); Drew tells his friend that he needs professional help, but his friend brushes him off, though he had prior asked Drew to hold him accountable; When Drew and another friend confront the other with concern and Scripture, he doesn’t react well and is concerned that his wife will leave him if she finds out about his gambling addiction; At the end, we’re told he is in counseling and working on building trust back with his wife *End of Spoilers*); Bridget feels guilt for not being there when her father went through cancer (she was in high school and focused on everything else besides his diagnosis; *Spoiler* Towards the end she apologies to her father for being selfish and pretending that everything was okay *End of Spoiler*); *Spoiler* Bridget feels hopeless and useless after breaking her ankle and having a concussion (adding that she isn’t sure if it was depression, but she didn’t want to do anything) *End of Spoiler*; Many mentions of gambling & addictions (mostly in the latter half of the book); Mentions of the dangers of water rafting and possibly drowning; Mentions of deaths, how they happened, accidents, a broken bone and surgery, pain, injures, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of cancer & chemotherapy (including when Bridget’s father went through chemo and patients losing their hair); Mentions of heart attacks, surgeries, pain, injuries (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of spouses leaving each other & the concern of it happening; Mentions of gambling, casinos, & an addiction to them; Mentions of lies & lying; A few mentions of death eventually coming to everyone (including examples of a virus or a car getting the person); A few mentions of alcohol, drinks, & drinking; A few mentions of throwing up; A few mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of gossip; A couple mentions of dead pets; A mention of wars; A mention of money laundering; A mention of night clubs; A mention of eavesdropping; A mention of hunting; A mention of burping; A mention of peeing;
             *Note: Drew recalls as a child his new stepfather teasing and scaring him when they were in a canoe together (he can barely swim and was scared); Drew struggles with the feeling of disappointing his stepfather by being himself: Drew’s stepfather has ideas about what men should or should not do (they should provide and protect, but should not cook or cry; Also believes that nursing is women’s work and Drew should have became a doctor instead; Drew had to learn to listen to God’s voice rather than his stepfather’s); Bridget‘s mother left when she was young and her motto growing up about her mother was “you don’t want me, so I don’t want you”; Bridget is worried that she might be like her mom and bail on someone when times get hard (her friend encourages her that she wouldn’t do that) and wonders about her mother as they aren’t in contact; Bridget’s friend starting call her (Bridget’s) dad by his first name after turning eighteen as a joke, but it stuck; Drew breeds mealworms for his pet chameleon (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of a baseball team; A few mentions of TV Shows (Star Trek).
 
 
Sexual Content- A cheek kiss, a not-detailed kiss, and a barely-above-not-detailed kiss; Touches, Butterflies, Smelling (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to touch & embrace; Noticing (up to semi-detailed); Blushes; A co-worker flirts with Bridget (harmlessly and she doesn’t say anything because he’s handsome and it’s nice to be complimented by “someone like that”; Later she is bothered by him hanging around her and acting like her boyfriend, especially when Drew is around and trying to touch/be near her); A ‘sexy’ (Bridget calls a client’s new hairstyle “fun and sexy”); Many mentions of boyfriends, dating, dates, interest in someone, & crushes; Mentions of a flirt, flirting, winks, & blushes; Mentions of a cute guy; Mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of married couples kissing; A mention of an affair in a TV show & the person being caught kissing another; A mention of someone teasing Bridget with a kissy face; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Mentions of guys’ muscles; Mentions of butts (such as someone landing or falling on their butts); A mention of breeding & studs.
 
-Bridget Capo, age 22
-Drew Martin
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                                        176 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book, but I’m glad that I took a chance on it because it ended up being a pleasant read. I liked both Bridget and Drew, and how this was almost slice-of-life with their lives and how they meet and get to know the other. While, yes, it was a “romance book” it never felt heavy on the romance and they had other interests outside of thinking about the other. They both felt realistic and the progression of their friendship to more felt very natural and had that awkward stage. Speaking of awkward, Drew was so awkward but it was a cute, slightly doofus awkward. A nerd, you could call him—down to his pet chameleon. 

 

This book actually made me—a not-a-water fan—curious about rafting. I still don’t think I would ever do it, but being like Drew and his thoughts on boats, I was proud of him for conquering his fear. I do think that ending is a wee bit rushed, but I did really like that final chapter. 

 

I have to add that I always like seeing good faith content in the books I read, but this one had a really refreshing note because we have some pretty serious and also very important faith moments in this book. It wasn’t just the characters praying and going to church—which is great don’t get me wrong—but this book had more. More faith content and more serious discussions and keeping Christian friends accountable and witnessing to non-Christian friends, which I liked seeing. It makes me curious about the next books in the series even though it looks like those won’t be connected to this book at all.

 

 

See y’all on Friday with a new review! 

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

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

"Her Part to Play" by Jenny Erlingsson

About this book:

  “Desperate for extra income after her mother's passing, Adanne accepts a last-minute job as a makeup artist for a movie filming in her small Alabama hometown. She's working to save her parents' legacy and help her brother, but the money hardly seems worth having to face the actor who got her fired from her last job in Hollywood.
    John Pope has made his share of mistakes over the years. But after turning his life over to God and enduring a messy breakup, he's ready to start rebuilding his career. Imagine his surprise when the woman called in to cover for his usual makeup artist is a quiet but feisty newcomer on the set--and definitely not a fan.
   Sparks of tension--and could that be attraction?--fly between them, but Adanne hates the spotlight, and John's scheming manager has bigger plans for him than to end up with the humble makeup girl from the small-town South. Can these star-crossed lovers find their way to happiness? Or will the bright lights of Hollywood blind their eyes to what's right in front of them?”


Series: As of now, no. It seems to be a stand-alone novel. 


Spiritual Content- John 12:3 is referenced in the dedication; A few Scriptures are mentioned & referenced; Prayers, Thanking God, & Talking to God, & hearing words from Him; Church going, a sermon, & Singing a couple hymns; Talks about God, trusting Him, & forgiveness; 'H's are not capital when referring to God; Adanne struggles with trusting God and we see that on-page with her thoughts (*Spoiler* She lets go of something and trusts God with it towards the end and feels peace *End of Spoiler*); John hasn’t been to church in years because of his father’s actions, but goes after Adanne invites him; John has recently come back to his childhood faith and wants God to be at the center of his decision-making; John’s mother reminds him to “anchor. If you know who you are in Christ, you won’t have to worry about the in-between. Do what you know. Remember your fist love. Engage in what makes your heart sing. You’ll see God unfold everything else from there”; John’s manager tries to get him to be like the king with Esther and gather “all the beautiful women of the city to find his next wife” (not wife, but an award show date in John’s case) and later asks if he’s going to have to brush off his grandmother’s Bible to understand John; Someone else rolls her eyes at John taking about God, but he continues to tell her that Jesus can free her; Mentions of God, Jesus, trusting Him, faiths, & forgiveness; Mentions of prayers, praying, thanking God, & blessings over food; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, & those and events in the Bible; Mentions of churches, church going, pastors, services, hymns, small groups/Bible studies, & Sunday school; Mentions of miracles; A few mentions of worship & songs; A couple mentions of blessings; A mention of the Holy Spirit; A mention of the Vatican; 
             *Note: Phrases like “Thank God”, “in God knows how long”, “God knew”, and “God knows where” are said in ways that feel sincere by those with faiths, but could bother some readers by sounding flippant; Cancer is called “the enemy” and “vicious intruders” in a young children’s bodies & Adanne and others pray for it to be eradicated; A mention of John not believing in muses or that kind of stuff.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘bah’, a ‘blasted’, a ‘doggone’, an ‘idiot’, and a ‘sucker’; Eye rolling & Sarcasm; Prior to the book starting John went through a major change and wants to stay on the straight and narrow (this includes no longer drinking alcohol and recognizing it was the start of an addiction; He avoids going to a place where he knows it could derail his progress; He thinks about having a drink a couple of times, but does not drink any alcohol); Adanne is grieving and missing her parents throughout the book (her father passed when she was a child and her mother some time before the book starts, up to semi-detailed); Adanne’s nephew has leukemia & we see him in the hospital and mentions of his condition, treatments, & it being hard on their family (*Spoiler* At the end of the book, he goes into remission and says that Jesus told him he would get better *End of Spoiler*; Mentions of deaths, illnesses (including kidney diseases), & grief; Mentions of cancer, treatments, & those (including children) going through it; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, drinks, hangovers, being sober, & an addiction; Mentions of celebrities lashing out at others (including John prior to his change); Mentions of John’s father leaving his mother; Mentions of fight scenes in a movie & injuries made from makeup; A few mentions of a death in a domestic violence situation (*Spoiler* Adanne’s father when she was young and he was visiting a student *End of Spoiler*); A few mentions of gossip & rumors; A mention of gambling; A mention of lies; A mention of tattoos; 
             *Note: John has a strained relationship with his father which is due to his father’s unfaithfulness to his mother and it’s implied that he hasn’t talked with him in a while; Adanne thinks about how her and John being so different, including having different skin colors, adding “she didn’t have any problem being with or around a man outside of her race”; A comment about pastors with different “racial congregations” but later coming together to build a church together; Mentions of car brands; A few mentions of singers (Luther Vandross, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, & Deborah Cox); A few mentions of movies & an author (Love & Basketball, Pride and Prejudice, & Jane Austen); A few mentions of brand names (Band-Aid, Coke, & a Montblanc watch); A mention of counseling.
 
 
Sexual Content- A head kiss, an almost kiss, three barely-above-not-detailed kisses, and two semi-detailed kisses (one with more build-up in nearness); Remembering kisses & seeing a kiss (barely-above-not-detailed); Thinking about kisses & Wanting to kiss (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Quite a bit of Touches, Embraces, Dancing, Warmth, Tingles/Sparks, Butterflies, Nearness, & Smelling (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to touch & embrace (barely-above-not-detailed); Flirting, Blushes, & a bit of Jealousy; Quite a bit of Noticing (including muscles, curves, and another woman’s short dress, up to semi-detailed); A woman touches/embraces & passionately kisses John without his consent (barely-above-not-detailed); When looking at a list of women with their pictures, John tells Adanne that he’s not doing anything weird (he’s trying to find a date to an award show); John’s father was unfaithful by having multiple affairs, one-night stands, and had “no issue breaking his wedding vows and then making new ones in the same church he used to volunteer in” (later, his mother comments about him being “caught up in finding his own happiness and convinced himself that it wasn’t to be found with me” and talks to John about forgiving him); Adanne asks John if he’s planning to trying to seduce her (twice, once saying that she has standards and rules; This is after they’ve become closer but not officially dating); Mentions of girlfriends/boyfriends, dating, dates, exes, break-ups, & broken hearts; Mentions of kisses; Mentions of flirting & jealousy;  A few mentions of handsome guys; A few mentions of crushes; A mention of one-night stands (John’s father); A mention of John going with his past girlfriend and their mutual friends on getaways during holidays; A mention of an older woman trying to get John as her boyfriend (kidding); A mention of finding a man and woman alone in a dark corner; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: John notices a woman’s low-cut, fitted top and another woman’s dress that barely concealed her legs (John swallows and keeps his eyes on her face); Adanne prays for Jesus to “be a fence” after she sees John after a workout; Adanne thinks about how she was called “thick” growing up (adding “whatever that meant”).
 
-Adanne Stewart
-John Pomponio, age 35
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                                        309 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

I’ll admit that I’m always suspicious about the male lead in a Reformed Bad Boy/Reformed Party Boy trope. Even in Christian Fiction sometimes there’s too much about the past actions and stupid decisions than the supposed-to-be-better actions and decisions the character is making in the current day. I don’t care for reading about those past choices and some authors dwell too much in those times. A talented author can show the regrets of those sinful moments without pulling the reader through the filth and I think this debut author did well at it. We see that the male lead has changed and no longer desires anything that isn’t in God’s plan for him, which was great. 

 

This was very Hallmark-ish. I do think it was a bit silly that he noticed her clothes but that’s often a thing when it’s a female author trying to write a male’s POV. I didn’t understand what the big deal was with the secret at the halfway point (regarding her nephew)? It felt added in for dramatics and she was pretty ridiculous about it and other comments around the middle of the book. It doesn’t last long, thankfully. I didn’t love her (loved her name, though!) because of this and actions she later did. 

 

As far as a clean celebrity romance, it definitely had its cute moments within the cheese at times, but it would be a potential good read for older girls who want a small town girl, celebrity male lead kind of story. It had some drama, but also some sweet moments and nice faith content throughout the story. Not a new favorite for me, personally, but I overall enjoyed 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.

*I received this book for free from the Publisher (Revell) for this honest review.

"Under Fire" by Lynn H. Blackburn

About this book:

  “USSS Special Agent Zane Thacker has landed his dream assignment protecting the president of the United States. When the president plans a fundraiser at the exclusive estate of a political supporter in Raleigh, Zane is thrilled to be working again with Special Agent Tessa Reed, his best friend--and the woman he desperately wishes could be more.
   Though Tessa almost lost everything, she battled her demons and came out on the other side healthy and healed. But when her role as the liaison between the Raleigh office and the president's protective detail wrenches her past back into the present, her greatest failure threatens to come to light. 
   Zane refuses to let Tessa go through this alone. But can he stand by the woman he loves and protect the president from a mounting threat at the same time?”


Series: Book #3 in the “Defend and Protect” trilogy. Review of Book #1 Here! And Book #2 Here! Mentions characters from the “Dive Team Investigations” series and does give slight spoilers from those books. Also mentions a couple from the novella “Deadly Objective” by this author. 


Spiritual Content- A handful of Scriptures are read & quoted; Prayers (including quite long prayers and talking to God), Thanking God, & Blessings over food; Talks about God & forgiveness; 'H's are not capital when referring to God; Tessa says she refuses to allow alcohol to steal the life God has for her; As a child, Zane didn’t understand why God gave him his mother when other kids had good mothers; Zane prays that he knows God has the power to fix others, but he doesn’t understand why He doesn’t (this is not brought up again); Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches & church going; A few mentions of forgiveness & a man wondering if Zane would still tell him about God if he knew what he did; A couple mentions of being Blessed & blessings; A couple mentions of sins & a sinner; A mention of wishing someone Godspeed; A mention of people in a town “walk[ing] the talk” when it comes to their faith; A mention of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse; A mention of Mother Teresa; A mention of someone’s “eternal reward”; A mention of someone sounding like they’re calling “down fire from heaven”; 
             *Note: Mentions of Greek gods & a Roman god (Janus); A few mentions of evil; A few mentions of Tessa’s demons & her fighting them; A few mentions of a protest group having neon-crosses (because the person that was killed last name is Cross); A mention of someone’s smile looking a “little wicked”; A mention of being jinxed; A mention of someone knocking on wood (superstition); A mention of voodoo; A mention of someone saying they saw UFOs. 
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘bah’, a ‘blasted’, a ‘blooming’, a ‘duh’, a ‘screw up’, a ‘shoot’, a ‘shut up’, a ‘suckers’, two ‘crap’s, three ‘dumb’s, five forms of ‘ticked/tick off’, ten forms of ‘stupid’, and twenty forms of ‘idiot’; A couple mentions of curses (including Zane bites back choice words once; others are said, not written); Sarcasm & Eye rolling; Being attacked, Being strangled, Fighting/Self-Defense, Pain, Blood, & Injuries (up to semi-detailed); Seeing a multi-vehicle car wreck (semi-detailed); A hangover (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to shoot someone (a few times, not serious); In the opening chapter, Tessa has a hangover (from drinking, but also someone drugged her drink so she remembers nothing and is freaked out); Tessa has struggled with an alcohol addiction for years (later says her first drink was in middle school and that she’s the type who should never have alcohol because she will always want more), goes to rehab prior to the main of the book, and says she’ll always be an alcoholic but she’s healing and doesn’t want to go back to how she was; Zane had a “nightmare” of a childhood due to his mother being an alcoholic (details of him being terrified, upset, & not able to understand why she was like that; He knows it’s not true that he’s not important enough for someone to sacrifice for, but it’s been imbedded in him because of his childhood; He made a comment once to Tessa about not being able to trust a woman who drinks because he might one day love a woman “who needs alcohol more than she needs [him]”); All about many, many mentions of threats, threats of harming and killing, domestic terrorists, crimes, criminals, arrests, jails, protests, violence, & hits on different people (including towards government officials, barely-above-not-detailed); Many mentions of being shot/shot at, being strangled, injuries, pain, a fire burning down a house, explosions, attacks, & deaths (some of the events in Book #1, up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of hangovers, drinking, bars, getting others drunk, alcohol, alcoholics (Tessa and Zane’s mother), rehab, sobriety, & going to AA meetings (Tessa); Mentions of the death penalty & a criminal being executed on multiple charges (eight murders, sexual assault, & battery); Mentions of murders & murderers; Mentions of death wishes & not having one (it is discussed between Tessa and Zane, & a family member asked if she was depressed or had a death wish because of her career choice); Mentions of someone being shot, blood/bleeding, someone being injected with insulin (deadly for those not diabetic), & a gun being aimed (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of grenades, bombs, explosions/explosives, & threats of blowing people/places up; Mentions of biological weapons & plans to cause harm/ill on others with chemicals; Mentions of a multi-vehicle car wreck, possible wrecks, injuries, & being tailed (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of poison, being poisoned, wondering if something is poisoned, & deaths (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of Tessa being drugged & abducted (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of abusive family members, addicts, & substance abuse; Mentions of drugs, drug addictions, being drugged, & women at bars being drugged; Mentions of a possible stalker; Mentions of a break-in; Mentions of snakes, a death from a snake bite, & Tessa’s extreme fear of snakes; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of some men believing that women shouldn’t work in law enforcement & misogynists; Mentions of childhood trauma; A few mentions of blood/bleeding & a crime scene looking bloody (because of red food dye); A few mentions of being robbed; A few mentions of blackmail; A few mentions of parties & the party scene; A couple mentions of possible suicides; A couple mentions of school shootings; A couple mentions of gossip; A mention of a man beating his wife to death; A mention of a death from an overdose; A mention of someone threatening to drown another; A mention of kids being trafficked; A mention of someone almost having a panic attack; A mention of a DUI; A mention of a scam; A mention of a father leaving his family; A mention of nicotine; A mention of vomiting; A mention of bullies; A mention of a man being a “pain in the rear”; A mention of someone getting their rear kicked; A mention of something being “a kick in the pants”; A mention of a family’s pet being run-over (does not happen); 
             *Note: Mentions of mental illnesses (including someone who is mentally ill but refuses to take medicine, someone being locked inside their “mental landscape”, someone’s mind being broken after something bad happened, and someone thinking another has a mental illness but hasn’t been diagnosed); Mentions of brand names (Spam, Coke, Barbie, Krispy Kreme, & Louboutin shoes); Mentions of Uber; A few mentions of Apple products & features (iPad, Find My Friends, Siri, & FaceTime); A few mentions of awards (Tony, Emmy, & Oscar); A couple mentions of car brands; A couple mentions of Disney princesses & Mickey Mouse; A couple mentions of Zoom; A couple mentions of plastic surgery & Botox; A couple mentions of an actor & fiction characters (Jack Nicholson & the Cleaver family); A mention of Agatha Christie. 
 
 
Sexual Content- Staring at someone’s lips (once), two fingers-to-lips touches, a hands/fingers kiss, three head/forehead kisses, two nose kisses, eight barely-above-not-detailed kisses, and a semi-detailed kiss; Remembering kisses (not-detailed); Wanting to kiss; Lots of Touches, Embraces, Warmth, Shivers, Hand holding, & Nearness (including a massage with a moan & touching another’s thigh and knee, up to semi-detailed); Wanting to touch & embrace (barely-above-not-detailed); Noticing & Smelling (barely-above-not-detailed); In the opening chapter, Tessa wakes up in a motel with her shirt missing (she was not sexually assaulted/raped, but it implies that it could have gone that way; She is ashamed of it); Two forms of ‘hot’ and three ‘baby’s; Many mentions of dates & dating; Mentions of sexual assault, sexual harassment, possible scandals from it, & the women being paid off; Mentions of kisses, kissing, & making out; Mentions of men that can’t take no for an answer; Mentions of flirting; Mentions of jealousy; A few mentions of couples kissing & imagining someone kissing another (barely-above-not-detailed); A few mentions of when a drunk Tessa threw herself at Zane (he said no and nothing happened); A few mentions of a woman clinging onto Zane; A few mentions of players & a couple men dating more than one woman at a time; A few mentions of come-on lines, making passes, & being hit on; A few mentions of winks & blushes; A couple mentions of someone thinking that it would be a “disservice to all humankind” if a certain guy reproduced; A couple mentions of making it where a man can’t father children; A couple mentions of a man’s new wife being younger than his youngest son; A couple mentions of anyone (male or female) “says no, the answer is no” (said by Tessa regarding a woman clinging onto Zane); A couple mentions of crushes;A mention of a man’s childhood being full of “drugs, sex, and violence”; A mention of it not being wise for a(n unmarried) couple to be allow together at night; A mention of nothing “physical” happening between two friends; A mention of a creepy guy; A mention of Zane wanting to make sure a rapist can never do it again; A mention of a marriage being consummated; A mention of a man trying to get rid of/hide his pregnant girlfriend; A mention of a prenup that would leave a man a pauper if his does to his new wife what he did to his previous wife (no details); A mention of a mistress; A mention of someone feeling like they’re cheating; A mention of a hook-up; A mention of a man being called a dog (by Tessa); A mention of a woman possibly wanting to fall for a man who’s more attracted to her mind than her body; A mention of a man wolf-whistling at Tessa; A mention of a woman batting her eyes (said in a mocking way); Both Tessa & Zane are attracted to each other, but they have stayed friends for years because of different reasons; Love, falling/being in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Tessa kicks a male attacker in a “sensitive place”; A few mentions of rears (including wanting to shoot a man in his rear, a man being a pain in the rear, and someone getting their rear kicked); A couple mentions of some threats being more of a “personal nature” (from women to a man, no details given); A mention of a curvy woman; A mention of some men being unable to “keep their pants up”; mention of Tessa kicking a “foot to the—” on a male attacker (cut-off, but implied where); A mention of someone butting out of a conversation; A mention of being the butt of jokes.
 
-Tessa Reed, age 35
-Zane Thacker
                                P.O.V. switches between them & someone else (x3)
                                                        352 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

{ Because of some content, I would say this book is best for older girls who are very interested in law enforcement and considering it as a career path. }

This was a wild ride from start to finish. At first, I was a little concerned with what I was getting myself into because of the opening chapter. Which is somewhat how I felt at the beginning of the second book in this series as well. But I continued on to “help” solve the mystery. ;)

One thing I’ve really enjoyed about this trilogy is the friendship circle. How welcoming they all are to the newcomers and how they all have the others’ backs. They might be a bit too nosy at times, but it’s because they care for each other. They’re quick to pray for and with each other (long, legit prayers, I might add) and I truly just love that. It’s what has made this series good in my eyes. (Side note: The epilogue was cute and sweet and confused me to pieces. I assume it’s a preview of the author’s next series?)

There’s a lot of suspense elements in this trilogy, and while I definitely enjoy the uniqueness of those elements, the author doesn’t shy away from having broken characters who are in the process of healing. Especially in this novel. Tessa is a recovering alcoholic (though, she says that she’ll always been an alcoholic, despite going to rehab and AA meetings, so I don’t know if I agree with that statement) and we see some of her worst moments thanks to time skips. Because of the opening chapter of Tessa waking up drugged and missing some of her clothing, and the frequent mentions of the almost rape throughout the rest of the book, I definitely don’t recommend this book for those in BFCG’s target ages. This author has a knack for showing the nitty-gritty parts of a law enforcement career and I would say only older high school girls that are seriously considering it as a career, would be the only ones I would recommend this book to in the 9-19 age range. 

My minor is in criminal justice (hence why I read so many FBI and suspense books) so I enjoyed looking at all the different details of this plot and trying to wrap my mind around all the loose ends, trying to future out how everything was connected. There were a couple twists I didn’t see coming and a few I did, but overall it was a wild ride that kept me engaged and questioning everything. Not a book I would easily recommend, but I will say that I mostly enjoyed 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.

*I received this book for free from the Publisher (Revell) for this honest review.