"The Women of Wynton's" by Donna Mumma

About this book:

  “Mid-Century Glam Meets Murder Mayhem
     Get swept away to the glamor of a 1950’s department store where four women’s loyalties, vanity, friendship, and detective skills are put to the test.
     Audrey Penault once led a glamorous life as a model but now works as devoted secretary to Mr. Wynton. To her fellow employees, she is too vain and uppity.
     Mary Jo Johnson, a wife and mother, longs to find her worth in the cosmetics department, but it may take a while for the shy housewife to discover her voice.
     Vivian Sheffield owns and runs the bridal salon within Wynton’s. She is proud of her accomplishments and won’t let anyone take them away.
     Gigi Woodard dislikes her job as waitress in the store’s lunchroom, but she is determined not to let her secret shortcomings cause her to lose the position.
     These four women have much to dislike about each other, but they unanimously agree that Mr. Wynton is the best of employers and must be protected at all costs from someone who seems determined to see him gone for good. When other employee deaths occur, can the women band together to solve the murders, or will they discover it is one of their own bent on destroying Wynton’s from within?”


Series: Book #1 in the “Women of Wynton’s Mystery” series. 


Spiritual Content- A couple prayers (including a prayer at a funeral service asking God to hug the departed) & Thanking God; 'H's are capital when referring to God; Partially set around Christmas; Gigi notes she hasn’t been to church in years, but plans to pray for Mr. Wynton’s recovery; A main character says she hopes a man gets what is coming to him (for his actions) and another agrees and says “It’s hard to be Christian in circumstances like these”; Mentions of God & Him forgiving us for our mistakes; Mentions of prayers, praying, thanking God, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, & ministers; A few mentions of those in the Bible; A mention of Heaven; A mention of a nativity; A mention of a Christmas Eve service; A mention of being Blessed; A mention of needing a miracle; A mention of a couple being “staunch Baptists” and do not drink alcohol; 
             *Note: The phrase “speak of the devil” is cut-off; Other phrases like ‘for Pete’s sake’ and ‘my heavens’ are said once and twice; Mentions of lucky & being lucky; Mentions of Santa Claus & elves; A mention of Father Time; A mention of a woman having a “spell” over a man.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘biddy’, a ‘blasted’, a ‘drat’, a ‘good golly’, a ‘good grief’, an ‘oh my word’, a ‘stupid’, two ‘dumb’s, two ‘oh my stars’s, and three ‘ever-loving’s;  Mentions of curses (said, not written, including a man cursing at Audrey); Eye rolling; Being shot at, a Fire, & Being arrested (up to semi-detailed); Seeing murdered bodies & blood (barely-above-not-detailed); Going to a funeral service & seeing grief from the family; Gigi gets jealous of the other women for being pretty and getting promotions; Mary Jo tries to encourage her husband through his recovery when he makes negative comments about himself due to missing an arm (he picks a fight with her a couple of times, but she knows it’s because of their situation); Many mentions of murders, how they were done, the murderers, the bodies, blood/bleeding, & murder weapons (stabbing, being hit on the back of the head, & strangled; borderline barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Many mentions of crimes, criminals, thieves, thefts, stealing, stolen items, robberies, fraud, embezzling, jails, & arrests; Mentions of wars, deaths, battles, fighting, & men not returning the same; Mentions of car accidents, deaths, & injuries; Mentions of deaths & grief (including Vivian for her husband, another woman for her husband, a man for his son, & a boy for his mother); Mentions of deaths, wanting someone dead, attempted murders, poisons/poisoning, an allergic reaction (insect), & passing out; Mentions of Mary Jo’s husband who was in a construction accident and lost his right arm & his negative comments about himself that she hates hearing (including him being in dark moods, thinking he isn’t a man, and him not wanting to do anything); Mentions of a fire, being shot at, & a home being ransacked; Mentions of threats & blackmail; Mentions of injuries, pain, & a diagnosis of someone dying; Mentions of a (grown) son fighting with his father (verbally and physically throwing a chair at his father’s office door); Mentions of a married couple fighting, saying horrible things to each other, & not speaking for days after an intense situation; Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of jealousy; Mentions of divorces (including Gigi who has been divorced twice); Mentions of alcohol, drinking, drunks, & a bar; Mentions of cigars & smoking; A few mentions of a bomb & a couple dying due to their injuries; A few mentions of a woman with cancer being “near the end”; A few mentions of hatred; A couple mentions of a possible burglar & break-in; A couple mentions of military men having nightmares of their time serving (including one ordering amputations in his dreams out loud); A couple mentions of a woman husband hunting for husband number six (she has buried three and divorced two); A mention of the Great Depression; 
             *Note: Audrey recalling two car sales men asking if she needed to talk to her husband before buying a car and then asks how no man has “snatched [her] up” (which grated on her nerves; Audrey calls this “archaic”); A comment about a woman never driving in the city’s Christmas parade before; Others gossip & spread rumors about Audrey (all unflattering, including about her controlling Mr. Wynton, firing people at her whim, & her being a home wrecker); Gigi often compares herself to others & makes negative comments about not belong and on her appearance; Mary Jo often thinks about what her mother would say and compares her life to her mother’s (often implying it’s the gold standard for a housewife); Racial comments and observations are made based on the time-period (such as: A Black man comments on lots of things not being how they should be (which makes Audrey think about that while he served for his country, the same country won’t allow him to use restrooms or drinking from water fountains that say “Whites Only” and can’t even shop in the department store he worked for; Audrey agrees that lots of things need changing); Audrey asks him if he was treated badly during the war, but he clams up on the topic only saying it was no different than how he is treated currently; Gigi noting that one of the cooks she works with can’t join them in the cafeteria, but those complainers who would comment on it will still eat the food she makes; Audrey thinks about how living in Paris opened her eyes to relations between Blacks and Whites, how no one was treated less because of their skin color, & that Blacks want the freedoms that was “already extended to Whites and the foreigners they’d fought [in wars] for”; Audrey tries to get Mr. Wynton to be an example for their city about treating his “colored” employees better, but he says he is too old to go against the rules concerning Coloreds and Whites; Audrey wishes to stand with the Black employees at a funeral but knows it wasn’t done in her city without causing trouble for everyone involved; Gigi hears her boss tell a Colored co-worker that she can easily replace her; The department store has a policy about Black customers having a note from their White employers giving them permission to shop there in their stead (Audrey has tried to campaign against this policy; A Black maid is accused of stealing from her White employer because she’s missing the note); A Black woman who works in the cafeteria is not allowed to drink the sweet tea she makes because it’s poured from the same pitchers that the Whites used in the dining room; One woman talks about Sheriff McCall and his corruption with shooting the young men from Groveland and killing other Colored folks “for all kinds of shady reasons and using the law to make it right”, Harry and Harriette Moore who were bombed and not treated at a hospital due to their skin color, “the Klan” coming after someone, & the woman being upset at being treated like she and others like her are “not even good enough to be second-best”; A man calls a Black man an unflattering name (which is cut-off); A police officer says he can’t confirm something with only “the word of one Colored guard”; A few mentions of a “sundown town” that will haul Black people off to jail for being there as soon as the sun sets); Audrey attended business school at night with other females as the administration thought the women would be too distracting to attend class with men; Mary Jo wishes she could go back to being a housewife and mother rather than work (noting that she would trade all the “sophisticated freedom” to do that, but has to work because of her husband’s injury); A couple mentions of working mothers being told they are “scarring” their children by not being home with them; Mentions of brand names (Maxwell House coffee, Revlon, Max Factor, Maybelline, Elizabeth Arden, Chanel, Dior, Trifari, Timex, Balenciaga, Givenchy, Chanel No 5, Youth Dew perfume, White Shoulders perfume, Evening in Paris perfume, English Leather cologne, Wonder Bread, Coke, RC Cola, Moon Pie, Ivory, Vicks VapoRub, Tupperware, & Mary Janes); Mentions of celebrities, actresses, movies, TV shows, & songs (Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra, Marlon Brando, James Dean, Bill Haley and His Comets, Queen Elizabeth, Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Cary Grant, Father of the Bride, East of Eden, Bride and Groom, & Lucy); Mentions of car brands; A few mentions of magazines (Modern Brides, Vogue, & Better Homes and Gardens); A mention of Halloween costumes; A mention of Macy’s; A mention of a book (Peter Pan).
 
 
Sexual Content- Two cheek kisses, an ear kiss, a nose kiss, a forehead kiss, an almost kiss, a not-detailed kiss, and three barely-above-not-detailed kisses (most are between a married couple); Some touches, embraces, flutters/shivers, & nearness (barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes; Mary Jo’s husband sees her changing and does a wolf whistle; When Gigi is dancing and kissing her boyfriend, she realizes that thanks to her “two ex-husbands’ worth of experience”, she knows this moment needs a “cooldown” (her boyfriend wiggles his eyebrows with a suggestive comment, but she tells him that he isn’t getting what he wants); A man comments that the store owner knows what he’s doing with Audrey as his secretary and Gigi accuses him of having a mind that lives in the gutter; A few others make suggestions that Audrey and Mr. Wynton were involved and he was her paramour; A woman makes a teasing comment that married men look “miserable”; A man stares at Audrey like she’s a dessert; A ‘baby’; Mentions of boyfriends, dating, dates, & being stood up; A few mentions of kisses & kissing; A few mentions of flirty grins, winks, & blushes; A couple mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of a rumored/suggested affair (that did not actually happen); A couple mentions of a rumor about a woman dating a man twenty years her senior; A mention of a man being a better playboy than businessman; A mention of men just wanting a beautiful model to be their accessory; A mention of a wife mooning over his husband; A mention of a crush; 
             *Note: Gigi thinks of her figure as “straight and solid, lacking a waistline, with a few well-placed knots so folks knew she was a girl”; A man comments that his wife dislikes him working with young women & complains about him working with too many women at the department store; The same man refers to his wife as “the ball and chain”; Audrey thinks that a man wouldn’t recognize quality if it came and “bit him on his…chair cushion”.
 
-Audrey Penault
-Mary Jo Johnson
-Vivian Sheffield, age 50
-Gigi Woodard, age 35
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                          Set in 1955-1956
                                                        304 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

I’ve been meaning to read this one since it came out and now since the second book in the series will be releasing soon, it was time to finally read this book that is set at the end-of-the-year. It was neat that it covered fall through the New Year and all the excitement that came from the department store setting. I have learned this year that I like books set in department stores, there’s something about the wonder and class of them that interests me and this book covered that feeling well. 

 

Before starting this book, I was a little leery about keeping track of the four main characters. Thankfully, that ended up not being as big as a concern as I was expecting because they were all very different characters with their own personalities and interests. 

 

That said, Audrey didn’t deserve the hate she got from others. This book really highlighted how gossip and rumors are terrible and how you should never partake in them. Gigi and Cissy made my blood pressure rise every time they appeared. The catty women and people saying awful things about Audrey was partially what made me drop my rating from a 4 star. I was fully on her side and liked her professional, driven attitude. I can’t say I really liked any of the other women (Vivian, Mary Jo, and definitely not Gigi) and I thought they would be more helpful sooner on, but it was mainly Audrey trying to figure things out by herself for the majority of the book. I didn’t really see why she picked them to help (especially because two of them were suspicious of her already) and it felt a little forced to me. 

 

The pacing and timeframe of this book was a little jumpy, which made things moved quickly and I had to keep up with the information shared. The ending felt a little rushed as well, but I think that was mainly because we’re told—rather than shown—a lot of the final results/solution to the mysteries (which I don’t really care for, but there was a lot of characters and details to keep up with so I suppose it made sense). 

 

I almost added that Gigi is dating a bonafide loser to my content notes above, but I suppose that’s a matter of opinion, so I’ll stick that comment here. He was a loser and her self-confidence was so low that made her think it was opposite day and he was a winner. Gigi was already pretty insufferable for the first half of the book because of her attitude and spreading gossip, so I wasn’t a fan of reading her chapters let alone when that louse would appear. 

 

I was expecting more faith content in this book, but there wasn’t much, which was disappointing (and another reason I dropped my rating). I hope the second book will have more Christian elements. 

 

 

See y’all on Friday with a new review! 

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

"The Burning of Rosemont Abbey" by Naomi Stephens

About this book:

  “1956: In the quiet village of Wilbeth Green, the smoldering ruins of Rosemont Abbey set the residents' tongues wagging, and everyone is quick to accuse troublemaker Paul Everly of being the arsonist. Paul has vanished without a trace, leaving only his twin sister, Louisa, certain of his innocence. Fueling her conviction is an inexplicable connection--she felt her twin's death an hour before the abbey went up in flames. Knowing no one will believe her, Louisa embarks on her own investigation, challenging the skepticism of her neighbors and the disdain of her aunt and uncle. Even Inspector Malcolm Sinclair, once Paul's closest friend, is torn between his duty and a lingering loyalty to Paul and warns Louisa to abandon her pursuit. But Louisa is determined to solve a murder no one else believes was committed, even if it means unraveling secrets that could shake Wilbeth Green to its core.”


Series: No, seems to be a stand-alone novel.


Spiritual Content- A hymn is quoted at the beginning; A Scripture is quoted; Prayers; Church going & part of a sermon; Talks about God, those and events in the Bible, sin/sinners; ’H’s are capital when referring to God; Louisa says her brother is “as devout as a man in his circumstances is able to be”; Louisa’s brother has a necklace of St. Jude (noted to be the patron saint of lost and desperate causes) that a Catholic priest gave to him at their father’s funeral; Many mentions of churches/abbeys, church going, services, sermons, worshiping, clergymen, & church events; Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of sins/sinners, confessing sins, & absolution; Mentions of stained glass depicting scenes from the Bible; Mentions of Catholics and a saint; A couple mentions of benedictions & blessings from a chaplain; A couple mentions of homilies; A couple mentions of the liturgy; A mention of the Lord’s Supper at church; A mention of eternity; 
             *Note: ‘Damning’ is used once as an adjective for being condemned; The phrase “come hell or high water” is used once; Religious phrases/exclamations are said: a ‘heavens’, a ‘heaven knows’, a ‘merciful heaven’, a ‘old devil’, three ‘devilishly’, three forms of ‘thank heaven/heavens’, three ‘what/where/why the devil’, and eight ‘Good Heavens’; Someone says a place is cursed; A mention of Louisa telling her brother that despite his name being of apostolic origin, he had grown up into a “crass, disagreeable young man”; A woman mentions her Catholic grandson throughout the book, originally commenting that he “went and became a Catholic when none of us were looking” (and tells Louisa that if she’s interested in him, she would have to convert); A couple people are called saints for their helpfulness & someone wants to nominate another for sainthood; A man sneers about going to confess his sins (of being with another woman) to a vicar before proposing to a woman; A few mentions of luck; A couple mentions of a statue of a Greek goddess; A mention of a woman saying that it’s “unchristian” to have more than six courses for a dinner party after learning to have less during the war; A mention of someone looking like an avenging angel; A mention of someone doing an evil thing (of setting a church on fire); A mention of there being “the devil to pay”; A mention of being hell-bent to get away from a place; A mention of death possibly being swift like a pair of scissors snipping the body from the soul; A mention of Louisa not believing in omens (but if she did, one would be a bad one); A mention of something perhaps being fate’s influence; A mention of someone’s ghost; A mention of someone being called a vampire as an insult; A mention of a dog being called a “devil dog”; A mention of Greek mythology (Odysseus).
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘bastard’ (used in the literal illegitimate child meaning), a ‘blimey’, a ‘hurt like the dickens’, an unfinished ‘pain in the—‘, two ‘balderdash’, two ‘drat’, two ‘hang it all’, four forms of ‘blasted’, three forms of ‘idiot’, three forms of ‘shut up’, and six ‘stupid’s; Curses are said, not written (including by Louisa and others) & mentions of curses said as well; Lies & Lying (Louisa to others including the police officer friend and her aunt; Also including lying to others to get information about the case); Eavesdropping; Harsh and hurtful words are said to Louisa and she also says them to others in moments of anger; Eye rolling & Sarcasm; Louisa says ‘drat’ and argues with an elderly woman that it isn’t swearing and she doesn’t need to tell the vicar on her because the vicar would agree with her; Almost dying, Being drugged/poisoned, Being grabbed/attacked, Being held at gunpoint, Breaking and entering into a crime scene, Being chased, & Shaking in fear (semi-detailed); Going to a pub & a fight club (up to semi-detailed); Grief & Stuffing her emotions aside (for a sibling and parents, up to semi-detailed); Seeing a dead body (and being very affected by it, up to semi-detailed); Imagining possible accidental murders (up to semi-detailed); At the very beginning, Louisa physically feels as if her twin brother has died (she recalls hearing stories about twins sensing when their twin is suffering or dying without being right there with them; up to semi-detailed); A man comments on sometimes wishing he had died in the war when he was still handsome instead of praying for the day to come when he can join the rest of his men from the war; *Major Spoilers* The culprit of burning down the abbey has also killed three people by the end of the book by poison, including Louisa’s father and brother *End of Spoilers*; Many mentions of murders, murderers, deaths, grief, & dead bodies (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Many mentions of attackers and attacks, fainting, injuries, stitches, pain, & blood/bleeding; Many mentions of crimes, crime scenes, criminals, a fire, arson, & the culprit (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of blackmail & threats (including some blackmail “for the greater good” to solve a case); Many of the side characters drink alcohol (including at a party on-page) & smoke pipes, cigars, and/or cigarettes; Many mentions of smoking, cigarettes, cigars, & pipes; Many mentions of alcohol, drinking, drunks, & pubs (including vicars drinking); Mentions of World War II, deaths, bombings, & injuries; Mentions of weapons, being shot, bullets, poisons, & being drugged/poisoned; Mentions of stealing, stolen items and money, & thieves; Mentions of break-ins; Mentions of prisons & arrests; Mentions of gambling & cheating; Mentions of hatred; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars (including when Paul told Louisa that she was a terrible liar and said it like it was “the most pulverizing kind of insult”); Mentions of eavesdropping; Mentions of gossip & rumors; A couple mentions of vandalism; A couple mentions of vomit/throwing up; A mention of novels where people are thrown into bodies of water for knowing too much about a crime; A mention of a con-man; A mention of a nightmare about being trapped in a fire; 
             *Note: Mentions of car brands; Mentions of singers & songs (The Andrew Sisters, Bing Crosby, Fat’s Domino, & ‘Rum and Coca-Cola’); A few mentions of brand names (Dansette, Brown Betty, & Lenthéric); A couple mentions of prejudice towards those with German names after the war (and a family changing their name because of it); A couple mentions of gypsies; A mention of Grace Kelly; A mention of BBC; A mention of Louisa thinking her uncle would send for a different doctor if she told him her concerns about feeling as if her brother died (implied because he would think she’s crazy).
 
 
Sexual Content- An almost (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed) kiss, a throat/neck kisses (barely-above-not-detailed), and two semi-detailed kisses (one going from one’s neck to ear); Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, Nearness (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to touch (barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes; Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); Louisa goes into a male friend’s apartment and his shirt is untucked and half unbuttoned which makes her feel nervous and embarrassed; A ‘bastard’ (used in the illegitimate child meaning); Mentions of an illegitimate child; Mentions of affairs (one is also called “illicit affair”); Mentions of a woman being in love with someone else when she got married; Mentions of unmarried couple being in a “compromising position” and while one half is in a “modern” engagement with someone else, the other promises to stop their relationship when he gets engaged; Mentions of dancing & touches; Mentions of romantic feelings for others, dates, & dating; Mentions of jealousy; A few mentions of kisses & a first kiss; A few mentions of flirting; A mention of a trip with two unmarried couples keeping “everything proper” by having a set of parents come; A mention of “worldly” women; A mention of girls going “a bit mad” for a handsome young man; Some love, possibly falling in love, & the emotions.
 
-Louisa Everly, age 26
                                P.O.V. of Lousia 
                                      Set in 1956
                                                    336 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

Oh, I have mixed feelings on this book. I liked so many parts about it, but I didn’t like the ending. 

 

This book had a charm about it that could only come from a book set in 1950s England; there were many humorous parts and lots of British phrases that added a delightful charm to the story. At times, it reminded me of a Murder She Wrote episode, just without the cringy 80s hairstyles. 

 

On that note, though, there was mentions of affairs and family skeletons which aren’t my personal favorite thing to be included in a Christian Fiction book. Another thing is that there was a lot of casual drinking and smoking by side characters. Perhaps accurate to the time, but it was nearly every time a side character appeared they were doing one or the other, which felt a little much. 

 

I liked Louisa and Malcom—we don’t get his POV, but because he is apart of her mystery solving parts, I mention him with her—but it was really the vicar and Mrs. Watson that stole the show for me. The vicar has to be one of the best members of the cloth I’ve seen in a book. And Mrs. Watson needs her own book series. Both of them were fantastic and added wisdom and humor to the plot. 

 

With the ending, let’s be honest. I cried with the epilogue. I was nervous about this book because of the sibling grief and that being something I’m all too familiar with. Prior to the epilogue, I actually didn’t see the villain coming and when I had an inkling it could be that person, I pushed it away because I didn’t want it to be that person. That’s what has dropped my rating half a star, because it felt a little far fetched, even if the motivation made sense. 

 

I suppose we can say I overall enjoyed it and would recommend for ages 16+. I will definitely try another book by this author in the feature.

 

 

See y’all on Friday with a new review! 

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

 

"The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple" by Joanna Davidson Politano

About this book:

  “Peter Driscoll, an underground investigator to the wealthy, has never met anyone like Lily Temple. The beautiful silent-film actress spins fairy tales and plays frivolous roles in front of the cine-camera, but beneath the costumes and stage makeup is a woman with a quick wit--and a murky past.
   Peter has been tasked with locating the legendary Briarwood Teardrop, an exquisite sapphire, which Lily wears beneath her gown. In order to stay close to her and hopefully unravel the mystery of her story--and the sapphire--Peter employs Lily's help on a case, which leads to a useful partnership. But as they are investigating together, Peter is also investigating Lily. The closer he gets to the truth, the more danger they face. And the closer he gets to Lily, the clearer it is that he needs her even more than she needs him.”


Series: Does not seem to currently be connected to any other book. 


Spiritual Content- Prayers; Bible reading; A couple Scriptures are mentioned; Witnessing & Being witnessed to (Peter to Lily); Talks about God, restoration, trusting Him, & His stories; 'H's are not capital when referring to God; Peter feels God impress upon him to do something & later impresses on him to trust Him; Lily doesn’t see that God is real after He didn’t answer her prayers (Peter says she’s missing out on the greatest narrative in history and it’s because an authority figure let her down that she’s paralleled it to God); Lily’s grandfather was a cleric & she used to attend church when it suited her, but feels no qualms about not going anymore; Someone used to tell Lily stories that could have symbolism to God (which she didn’t realize until much later); Lily tells Peter that she cannot convince herself that God is an active part in anyone’s story because “obeying [H]im, praying to [H]im…none of it seems to shift reality in any way” & says that God belongs to people like him who have an easy and straightforward life (Peter tells her to not mistake people’s betrayals for God’s); Lily had an old man in her childhood that she fashioned into a symbol of God which made her think of a deity that was kind (compared to her grandfather making her to read Proverbs and live them out) & thinks that she learned more from him than in a church (*Spoiler* When the man disappeared, Lily recalls it feeling like God also disappeared and she longs for them both again *End of Spoiler*); Lily feels like she can do a better job with her life story than God could, but Peter says that he knows that she’s looking for God despite what she says; *Spoilers* Lily feels towards the end that God is the only hope she has left & feels a “fathomless peace” after crying out to Him; Lily craves that peace she sees in others and reads the Bible *End of Spoilers*; Mentions of God, trusting Him, & His stories; Mentions of prayers, answered prayers, & praying; Mentions of those & places in the Bible; Mentions of miracles; A few mentions of spiritual food in a religious order; A couple mentions of God’s creation; A couple mentions of a priests giving last rites and hearing confessions; A mention of thanking God; A mention of a clergyman; 
             *Note: All about many mentions of the legend of a gem that has healing or magic powers (said to bring “strength and life to the person holding it”), came from the heavens, feeling like it is otherworldly, and could be cursed along with many mentions of fairytales, fairies, sprites, elves, enchantresses, and a miracle water that heals; *Spoiler* At the end, we’ve seen a few times where the gem has helped those who have it; Peter wonders if it’s true that the sapphire has a healing quality & Lily thinks it’s true that the gem has “something powerful” about it *End of Spoiler*; Lily plays a fairy in a series of films about a fairy wanting to go to another world; A short play/story about a springs’ water being healing after a tragedy; A side character is a fortune teller and for about a third of the book, Lily believes the woman to be correct with her predictions (there are a few mentions of times the fortune teller was correct and gained attention for it; Peter thinks she just listens to others and then sets it up where it looks like she’s predicting what she’s learned to someone else); Lily says that the “beauty of magic is that every trick has an explanation”; Things and places are described and magic and magical; A story about a sheep and a cauldron being married and having a child (a child says that would never happen); Mentions of people who can see the future (a fortune teller & Peter, but Peter says it’s just listening and asking the right questions for him and thinks it’s the same for the fortune teller); Mentions of ghosts (also called specters, spooks, and spirits); Mentions of a legend of a haunted cave; A few mentions of cherubs; A couple mentions of seeing someone again in another life; A couple mentions of superstitions; A mention of luck; A mention of speaking to a spirit.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘biddy’, a ‘heavens!’, a ‘how in blazes’, a ‘stupid’, a ‘sucker’, a form of ‘what in heaven’s name’, a ‘who the dickens’, a ‘witch’, two forms of ‘care a fig’, two ‘dratted’s, and two forms of ‘heaven sakes’; A mention of curses (said, not written); Eye rolling & Sarcasm; Being abducted/kidnapped, Being locked up, Breaking into a place, Pain, & Injuries (barely-above-not-detailed); Seeing the grief of others & feeling it (empathy, up to semi-detailed); Saving someone from almost drowning (up to semi-detailed); Shooting birds at a hunting party (Peter, barely-above-not-detailed); Lily believes that truth can be relative and can be bent and twisted to fit one’s purposes (also could be wrapped in stories & that the truth come in layers and those layers can be manipulated; This including, that as an actress, the parts she plays were truth for a fortnight or so which has caused her to not know who she truly is because she’s become a mix of all the characters she’s played); All about many mentions of arrests, prisons, criminals, thieves, thefts, stealing, & stolen items; Mentions of wars, battles, captives, deaths, major injuries, & grief (including two women for their fiancés, up to semi-detailed); Mentions of shipwrecks, deaths, & grief (including a husband for his wife and daughter); Mentions of murders, a rumored murder, & murderers; Mentions of missing people; Mentions of a corrupt government official, him taking bribes, & being a conman; Mentions of lies, lying, manipulation, & deceit; Mentions of young women running away from home (*Spoiler* including Lily *End of Spoiler*); Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of step-brothers taunting and picking on their step-sister because of her burns (the child says “I don’t know why I’m even here at times” and Lily tells her a story to encourage her); Mentions of hunting, hunters, & shooting birds for sport (barely-above-not-detailed); A handful of mentions of beheadings & executions; A few mentions of the possibility of a criminal being hung; A few mentions of a film with a trick illusion about men being headless; A few mentions of threats; A few mentions of poisons; A few mentions of hatred; A couple mentions of a death in a drunken brawl; A couple mentions of the death of a mother and father (Lily, Peter); A couple mentions of alcohol; A couple mentions of eavesdropping; A couple mentions of skinning animals; A mention of the possibility of being shot; A mention of a starving child; A mention of embezzlement; A mention of nightmares; 
             *Note: Every chapter starts with a quote from a classic fairytale or author; Many mentions of fairytales, books, authors, & fictional characters (including the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson, Oscar Wilde, Charles Dickens, Lewis Carroll, Thomas Hardy, J.M. Barrie, Charles Perrault, George MacDonald, & Carlo Collodi); Lily comments on it sometimes feeling like it doesn’t pay to live a moral and upright life; A mention of a man’s “very dark” temper.
 
 
Sexual Content- Three head/forehead kisses, two border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed kisses, and two semi-detailed kisses; Remembering kisses (barely-above-not-detailed); Wanting to kiss, touch, & embrace (up to semi-detailed); Touches, Dancing, Embraces, Warmth, & Nearness (barely-above-not-detailed); Butterflies & Winks; Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); Both Lily & Peter sneak (or have others) sneak into the other’s house to leave surprises (it’s not said how they did it); Mentions of a child conceived out-of-wedlock (the parents planned to get married *Spoiler* and do which saves the woman from being ruined *End of Spoiler*); Mentions of a couple kissing & embracing (barely-above-not-detailed); A couple mentions of chaperones; A mention of illegitimate heirs; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: A few mentions of a woman running away with a man & not being in contact with her family since; A few mentions of someone being left at the alter (*Spoiler* Peter *End of Spoiler*).
 
-Lily Temple, around age 24 (?)
-Peter Driscoll, age 28
                P.O.V. switches between Lily (1^st person), Peter (3^rd person) & a couple others 
                                          Set in 1903
                                                        400 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

Like many books by this author, the opening chapter is actually set towards the end of the book, and we get a slight recapping of things that have led everything to be. I feel like if it was anyone else, I would be annoyed at that with spoilers basically given for the rest of the book, but this author does it so well that it entices me to read fast so I can find out what happened myself—and enjoy the hints until I get there. 

 

I feel like when I typically read books by this author, my brain is scrambling to figure out how everything is connected with the little hints and suggestions we get throughout the story. This book was no different and kept me intrigued the entire time about Lily’s past. I did guess Lily’s past pretty early in, but wasn’t sure I was correct until the end. 

 

Our main characters were very unique. She’s very fanciful and sly, but has a child-like love for stories. He’s spectacled, smart, rule-follower and has a love for finding out the truth. A pair you wouldn’t think would work, but somehow does. He’s the calm to her storm, in a way. I do question the idea of a gem having some kind of powers (which it’s implied and said that way even at the end of the book), but I will chalk it up to part of the fairytale elements in this book.

 

The faith content was a different take on our female lead not trusting in God in the sense that she once did but due to events stopped trusting Him. Now, that’s not a rare character in Christian Fiction, but the discussions and Peter’s witnessing and conversations were uniquely done and had a lot of thought-provoking parts. I loved the symbolism of the Gardener especially. 

 

I don’t know if I would say this was my very favorite by this author, but I did really enjoy it and get sucked into the plot. Joanna Davidson Politano‘s writing style is unlike most and always has me questioning everything I read because things are never as they seem, especially in this book.

 

 

 

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.

"The Tutor's Daughter" by Julie Klassen

About this book:

  “Emma Smallwood, determined to help her widowed father regain his spirits when his academy fails, agrees to travel with him to the distant Cornwall coast, to the clifftop manor of a baronet and his four sons. But after they arrive and begin teaching the younger boys, mysterious things begin to happen and danger mounts. Who does Emma hear playing the pianoforte, only to find the music room empty? Who sneaks into her room at night? Who rips a page from her journal, only to return it with a chilling illustration?
   The baronet's older sons, Phillip and Henry, wrestle with problems—and secrets—of their own. They both remember Emma Smallwood from their days at her father's academy. She had been an awkward, studious girl. But now one of them finds himself unexpectedly drawn to her.
   When the suspicious acts escalate, can the clever tutor's daughter figure out which brother to blame... and which brother to trust with her heart?”


Series: No, a stand-alone novel. 

Spiritual Content- A few Scriptures are mentioned, remembered, & quoted (including at the beginning of a chapter); Prayers & Thanking God; Church going & a bit of a sermon; A hymn is sung & written out; Some witnessing; Talks about God, Heaven, & prayers; Most 'H's are capital when referring to God; Emma rarely prays since she feels as if God doesn’t answer her prayers and believes she can rely on no one but herself (*Spoiler* Towards the end, she starts being open to God and listening to Him again *End of Spoiler*); Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers, praying, & Thanking and praising God; Mentions of Heaven & one’s eternity; Mentions of churches/chapels, church going, services, sermons, & vicars/clergymen; Mentions of a monk & his devotion to God; A few mentions of a drawing of Adam and Eve in the Garden (done by a child and has leaves covering them); A few mentions of Easter (in regards to the holiday break); A few mentions of blessings; A mention of the Old Testament; A mention of Christians; A mention of christening babies; A mention of some people viewing shipwrecks to be God’s grace to them and won’t save any survivors because of it; A mention of someone who has passed not being in the churchyard, but somewhere “far better”;
             *Note: When a conversation about God viewing all lives as “equally important”, someone makes a comment that “that’s one interpretation”; Many mentions of a rumored ghost & a house being haunted (Emma does not believe in ghosts and tries to figure out what it really is); Mentions of Greek mythology & gods from it; A few mentions of superstitions & legends (giants, piskies, mermaids, and ghosts are given as examples); A couple mentions of a woman having a superstitious streak and being “keen on lineage” (see Negative Content Note section for more information); A mention of supernatural terrors; A mention of someone being a “lucky devil”; The phrases “devil of a shock” and “God in heaven” (used when something shocking happened) are both used once.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘care a fig’, a form of ‘dumb’, a ‘what the devil’, a ‘who the blazes’, two ‘idiot’s, two ‘shut up’s, four ‘dash it’s, four ‘thunder and turf’s, fifteen ‘dashed’s, and sixteen “Good heavens”s; A few mentions of curses (said, not written); Some eye rolling; Thinking you’re going to die, Being trapped, Possibly drowning, & Helping rescue those in a shipwreck (up to semi-detailed); Emma slaps someone (who wouldn’t let go of her); Emma’s father makes a couple comments about wanting to die (he is depressed and grieving his wife); Many mentions of shipwrecks, drownings, bodies, seeing it happen, greedy wreckers, smugglers, thieves, thefts, and stealing (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of teasing, pranks, & meanness from children/teens to others (including Henry to Emma, up to semi-detailed); Mentions of deaths of loved ones & grieving (for a wife & for a mother); Mentions of wars, battles, & deaths (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of criminals & crimes; Mentions of fighting & fights; Mentions of threats of harm & death (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of blood/bleeding, fake blood in a threat/warning, & a drawing of a beheading (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, & social drinking (at dinners); Mentions of a mother leaving her daughter with her new husband (abandoning them both); Mentions of ugly names & calling others those names (young Emma and Henry, a young woman called Emma a “cow”, and two brothers fight and call the other a name); A few mentions of possible beatings & thinking a child is being beaten; A few mentions of hangings & a guillotine; A few mentions of eavesdropping; A couple mentions of finding a dead body; A couple mentions of a burn & injuries; A couple mentions of vandalism; A couple mentions of rumors; A couple mentions of jealousy; A mention of imaging a loved one being swept out into sea; A mention of jail; A mention of throwing up; A mention of killing a chicken; 
             *Note: Some do not care if a crew on a ship dies as then they can legally have the cargo; Using a chamber pot (barely-above-not-detailed); Many mentions of authors, books, & quotes from both are shared at the beginning of each chapter; Many mentions of those born with disabilities, others disapproving of them, others believing them to be dangerous and/or violent, some families sending others away because of it, & the option of workhouses or asylums (including a mention of some parents being concerned about their other children learning their “less-developed behaviors”); A couple mentions of infant mortality & deaths; A couple mentions of a woman canceling her daughter’s marriage due to a superstitious streak because the man’s family having someone with a club foot; A mention of a man’s tone implying that a woman is “feather-brained”.
 
 
Sexual Content- A fingers-to-lips touch (detailed), two hand kisses, an almost (semi-detailed) kiss, four cheek/chin kisses, three forehead/temple kisses, a not-detailed kiss, a barely-above-not-detailed kiss, two semi-detailed kisses, a detailed kiss, and a very detailed kiss; Remembering kisses & embraces (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to kiss & be kissed (up to semi-detailed); Emma recalls her first kiss when she was alone in the dark with a young man (she found it exciting to be alone with him, up to semi-detailed); Emma dreams of a man almost kissing her (up to semi-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Dancing, Warmth, & Hand holding (up to semi-detailed); Blushes; Noticing (including muscles and curves, up to semi-detailed); Emma received love letters that mention her lips and her “delectable” earlobe; Emma and Henry talk late at night when in their nightclothes (scandalous for the time period); A man leers at Emma, focusing on her bosom (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of young women being in gentlemen’s bedchambers (both innocently and suggestive); Mentions of kisses, kissing, touches, & embraces; Mentions of flirting; A few mentions of a dance being performed by a man naked; A few mentions of jealousy; A mention of a wedding night; A mention of Henry becoming amorous even at a near-death experience (towards Emma); A mention of a man running away with an older woman; A mention of a teacher only teaching his students on how to flirt with older women; A mention of a possible innuendo by a young man; A mention of a possible drawing of a woman in an embarrassing state; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Henry notices another young woman and finds her unattractive including the fact that he finds her dull; A few mentions of women’s figures (including in a poem by a young man); A couple mentions of Emma’s mother giving her rare praise on her slim figure; A mention of Emma thinking that she doesn’t have much in the bosom area; A mention of Emma’s figure filling out (in her point of view); A mention of an older woman in a low-cut gown; A mention of labor pains.
 
-Emma Smallwood, age 21
-Henry Weston
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                     Set in 1817 (Prologue in 1812 and flashbacks throughout the story)
                                                        414 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

I was in the mood for a regency novel and since this one had a mystery thread hinted through it, I decided to pick it up. Unfortunately, it’s not one I would recommend to BFCG readers because of the romance content in the last hundred or so pages; more on that in a bit.

We start seeing the point of view of the love interest about a hundred pages in and I was glad about that because else wise I would have liked to tar and feather him. If you like books with family drama, then here you go. I typically like it, but I had foreseen some plot twists coming so it took out a large part of my enjoyment, unfortunately. :(

For being so smart, Emma isn’t the brightest on dealing with others. I feel bad saying that, but I say it because she’s truly let past prejudices and actions of someone when they were young completely affect and cloud her judgement now. I can’t blame her because I know I’ve been guilty of this myself in years past, but it added an (in my opinion) unnecessary angst to the romance side of the plot. Speaking of the romance: there were a few kisses that were a bit much and affected the ratings for BFCG’s target ages along with a couple comments during those parts. Sweet at times, yes, but also what I would call a bit too heavy for younger teens. Especially as the main romance content happened with a very heavy detailed kiss being because the characters think they’re going to die, which I don’t think is the best idea to promote. 

 

 

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.