"Don't Upstage the Body" by Naomi Stephens

About this book:

  “Hippolyta Halfpenny and her family of professional mourners have perfected the theatrical art of grief. When the reclusive Lord Basil Monfort engages her family's services for his own funeral, she vows it will be her last performance as she's tired of the disguise. Then she discovers the undertaker's body in the library and finds herself cast as an amateur sleuth in an undercover investigation. 
     Rain washes away the roads, trapping the funeral party at Lord Monfort's estate--with an unidentified killer in their midst. Bound by her father's wishes to maintain their charade, Hippolyta must navigate a web of secrets spanning decades. But sorting truth from deception proves even more difficult when Lord Montfort's charming yet perceptive heir suspects Hippolyta is not all she appears to be. 
     Concealing her family's true identities while unraveling secrets might be the role of Hippolyta's life, but with a murderer among them, she must unmask the truth before the final curtain falls.”


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


Spiritual Content- Colossians 1:18 at the beginning; A Scripture is mentioned; Prayers & a blessing over food; Prayers from ‘The Book of Common Prayer’ are read at a funeral; Going to a chapel & seeing crosses and a stained-glass window; Talks about God, Jesus, & grief; ’H’s are capital when referring to God and Jesus; Mentions of God & Jesus Christ; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches/chapels, vicars and other clergymen, & services; Mentions of confessions & repenting; A few mentions of those & events in the Bible; A few mentions of Heaven; A few mentions of church fathers & saints; A couple mentions of being blessed; A mention of someone crossing himself at the end of a prayer; A mention of a young boy trying to see if he could walk on water; A mention of a guardian angel; 
             *Note: Religious exclamations such as a ‘for heaven’s sake’, a ‘for Pete’s sake’, a ‘heavens to Betsy’, a ‘the devil’ (instead of ‘the heck’ or stronger), two ‘merciful heavens’, three ‘heavens’, three ‘thank heavens’, and three forms of ‘what/how the devil’ are all said; Hippolyta imagines a swirling lake being stirred by three witches (a reference to Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’); A scene is described as if everyone at the dinner table was congregated for a “midnight séance” and waiting for a “ghoulish figure” to rise; The love interest is described as having a “devil’s grin” when teasing Hippolyta; He tells another man to tell someone to “go to the devil”; Mentions of a superstitious man & his many superstitions about death (despite being a devout Christian); Mentions of luck & bad luck; A few mentions of ghosts (said as a phrase or examples, not seriously meant); A couple mentions of things being called “unholy” (such as bad weather); A mention of someone being hell-bent on finding out the murderer; A mention of jinxing something.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘blazes’, a ‘bloody’, a ‘dash it’, a ‘how in thunder’, a form of ‘shut up’, a ‘what the blazes’, two ‘blimey’s, two forms of ‘darn’, two ‘idiot’s, two ‘stupid’s, and three forms of ‘blast/blasted’; Mentions of curses (said, not written); Hippolyta and her family lie often due to their roles (which she feels bad about); Hippolyta also eavesdrops (mostly while snooping to figure out the murderer); Some eye rolling & sarcasm; Finding a dying body & seeing the person pass away (from poison; also remembering seeing the body; all up to semi-detailed); Being held at gun-point, Being Threatened, Almost drowning, Gunshots, & Fainting (up to semi-detailed); Grief & Seeing others grieve (up to semi-detailed); Hippolyta and the love interest trick a police officer to be able to search the house without him bothering them; Many mentions of funerals, grief, & deaths (including Hippolyta for her mother & her father’s major grief over the death of his wife, up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of murder, poison, someone being poisoned and killed, & the murderer; Many mentions of robberies/burglaries, thieves, pickpockets, stealing, & stolen items; Mentions of a car crash, injuries, & death (Hippolyta’s mother); Mentions of a physically abusive brother; Mentions of wars, bombings, & injuries; Mentions of gunshots & pistols being aimed and used to threaten others; Mentions of arrests & prisons/jails; Mentions of a woman who disappeared; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, drunks, & hangovers; Mentions of cigars, cigarettes, tobacco, & smoking; Mentions of gambling & gamblers; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; A few mentions of fights & fighting; A few mentions of gossip; A couple mentions of throwing up; A mention of a man stabbing another; A mention of wild parties; A mention of a vampire; A mention of a dog running away; 
             *Note: Mentions of actors/actresses, movies, plays, authors, & fictional characters (Vincent Price, David Niven, Laurence Olivier, Katherine Hepburn, Rita Hayworth, Ingrid Bergman, Sophia Loren, Joan Crawford, Hedy Lamarr, Marlon Brando, Grace Kelly, Hitchcock films, Sherlock Holmes, ‘The Prince and the Showgirl’, Oscar Wilde, Shakespeare, ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream’, ‘Hamlet’, ‘The Winter’s Tale’, ‘Othello’, ‘The Prince of the Pagodas’, &‘Frankenstein’; Some are also quoted as well); Mentions of brand names (Coca-Cola, Guerlain Shalimar perfume, Zenith player, & Pond’s Cold Cream); Mentions of songs & singers (‘A Pocketful of Dreams’, ‘Jambalaya’ by Hank Williams, ‘Dance to the Duke!’ by Duke Ellington, Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, & Big Bill Broonzy); Mentions of car brands; A few mentions of BBC & a newscaster (Richard Baker); A few mentions of artists (Rembrandt, Edward Hopper, & Vermeer); A few mentions of Socrates; A couple mentions of authors & books (Oscar Wilde & Aldo Nadi); A mention of a TV show (Picture Parade).
 
 
Sexual Content- a hand kiss, an almost kiss (up to semi-detailed), and a semi-detailed kiss; Staring at lips; Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, & Nearness (barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes; Noticing & Staring (barely-above-not-detailed); When investigating the murder, Hippolyta and the love interest are alone in his bedroom (nothing sexual happens); A couple implications of an unmarried man and woman sharing a room and bed (they do not get married, though the man wanted to marry her); Mentions of possible illegitimate children & affairs; A few mentions of a man wanting his sister to become a mistress to a rich man & her accusing him of turning his own sister into a prostitute; A few mentions of kisses & kissing; A few mentions of flirting; A couple mentions of jealousy; A mention of a man probably being used to being caught in “embarrassing situations” with young ladies; A mention of a man possibly having ill intentions when around a maid; Love, falling in love, & the emotions.
 
-Hippolyta Halfpenny
                                P.O.V. of Hippolyta 
                                         Set in 1957
                                                        304 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

Well, that was a very interesting murder mystery! I haven’t read a lot of murder mysteries lately because they can often feel dark, depressing, and just overall sad, but I was curious about this one due to it being set in 1950s. It was very reminiscent of Clue with the people being trapped in a house after a funeral and then a murder happens. Just the concept of Hippolyta and her family being professional mourners was an interesting element to the book, but I was curious about how everything was connected and would end in regards to the mystery.

 

I didn’t love the love interest as he was rude and demanding for most of the book—he very much had a “devil may care” kind of attitude that didn’t endear him to me. That said, by the end, he had grown on me at least a little bit and even made me laugh with the unexpected humor throughout the book. They definitely aren’t my favorite couple—and I would have preferred to see some faith discussions between the two of them besides a comment about him confessing to the vicar, so I could believe they were a little more equally yoked.

 

I don’t recall this in the author’s previous book, but there were many times that dialogue wasn’t written as dialogue. Instead, it was written in a paragraph with actions or other comments. I had to pay close attention because the dialogue wasn’t always easily noticeable and could be missed when reading. 

 

Overall, I personally enjoyed this book more than “The Burning of Rosemont Abbey” by Naomi Stephens (though that one was hard to read personally because of the topic of sibling loss). I would suggest Older High School teens and above due to the murder content and romance threads.

 

 

See y’all on Wednesday with a new review! 

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

"First Comes Marriage… Then Comes Murder" by Donna Mumma

About this book:

  “Vivien’s Bridal Creations Found at Murder Scenes
     Mid-century glam meets murder mayhem in a series of cozy mysteries at Wynton’s Department Store.
     It is 1956 in Levi City, Florida. Vivien Sheffield, renowned bridal gown designer and consultant for Wynton’s Department Store, is facing the greatest challenge of her career. Someone has been killing brides who wore one of her custom gowns in their wedding! Vivien’s fellow employees and close friends—Audrey, Mary Jo, and Gigi—and her assistant Mirette spring into action to save Miss Vivien and the young brides of Levy City before the murderer succeeds at destroying Vivien’s business at Wynton’s. . .and her reputation.”


Series: Book #2 in the “Women of Wynton’s Mystery” series. Review of Book #1 Here!


Spiritual Content- A Scripture is remembered; Some prayers & Thanking God; Some 'H's are capital when referring to God; Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers, praying, & Thanking God; Mentions of churches, church going, a pastor, & Sunday school classes (including for funerals); Mentions of the Ten Commandments (mostly to honor one’s father and mother); A mention of “fixing it” with the Lord so someone knows where she’s going when she dies; A mention of the “pearly gates”; A mention of Vivien’s father telling her that discussing religion or politics was the best way to lose a friend; 
             *Note: Mentions of luck.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘golly’, an ‘oh my stars’, two ‘ever-loving’s, two ‘good grief’s, two ‘idiot’s, two ‘oh my word’, three ‘dumb’s, four ‘gosh’s, and four ‘stupid’s; Some eye rolling; Finding a murdered body (someone who was ran-over/hit by a car), Someone else seriously injured, & Blood/Bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Seeing grieving families (including mothers for their daughters, up to semi-detailed); Mary Jo tries to encourage her husband through his recovery, but he gives her and their daughters the silent treatment for some time; Mary Jo also tells another character about sometimes playing with the idea of running away to a place where no one wants something from her & the other character encourages her about being a wife and mother; All about & Many mentions of murders, how they happened, the bodies, the weapons, crimes, crime scenes, & the murderer (four murders all where the woman is bludgeoned to death, up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of deaths & grief (including mothers for their daughters who were murdered, up to semi-detailed); Mentions of murders & events from Book #1 (including who the murderer was in that book, stealing, & being locked in jail); Mentions of a death, hit-and-run, someone being hit by a car, someone being hit and attacked, injuries, & blood/bleeding; Mentions of wars & some of the men who fought overseas not wanting to talk about it; Mentions of a robbery, thief, stealing, & prisons/jail time; Mentions of an ill family member (a father; including going to the hospital and coughing up blood); Mentions of Mary Jo’s husband who was in a construction accident and lost his right arm & her having to become the breadwinner of the family (including his bitterness about the situation, negative comments about him from her mother, him being in dark moods, & some others seeing him as a “cripple”); Mentions of cocktails & champagne at parties; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of hatred & jealousy (including a sister putting down her sister meanly); Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of hunting & hunting trips; A few mentions of nightclubs; A few mentions of smoking, cigarettes, & cigars; A few mentions of divorces (including Gigi who has been divorced twice); A few mentions of throwing up; A couple mentions of bullies & kids being teased at school; A couple mentions of poker; A mention of a child dying from scarlet fever (a sibling); A mention of con-artists; A mention of vandalism; A mention of someone looking like someone else “just shot their dog”; 
             *Note: Discussions about someone who could have a grudge against wives and marriage (with strong hatred); A comment about a man letting his wife and daughter “wear the pants” in their home; A woman comments about not wanting to give her “best years or her brain to a man” (which is what would happen if she got married, according to her); Gigi has low self-confidence (also called an inferiority complex), compares herself to others, feels as if other clerks look down on her, & negatively comments on her appearance and build (which Audrey tries to help and tells her that she is her own worst enemy); Mary Jo has a strained relationship with her mother due to her husband not working and Mary Jo having to work to provide for their family (she harps on and bashes Mary Jo, *Spoiler* so much so that Mary Jo’s husband gets enough of her being treated that way and wants to get better to show her mother that she’s wrong *End of Spoiler*); Racial comments and observations are made based on the time-period (such as: Black employees being treated rudely or nitpicked at their jobs; How “Coloreds” aren’t allowed in the department store without a note from a white employer and any workers from the store has to go through the back; Seeing Coloreds wait to board the buses until after the white people have gotten on and then having to wait to get off last; Gigi complements a Black girl’s outfit on the bus and another white person makes a disapproving face; Gigi notes that “the rules for no interaction between the races were set in stone” in her city; A side character has difficulty getting to her job at the department store due to a security guard not allowing her in; A group of Black employees are physically forced off of a bus because there wasn’t enough space for the white people that wanted on and didn’t receive a refund from the bus company; Gigi thinks about how most times she never thought about the difference in skin color compared to her Black friend or other Black employees, but when something happens, the divide between Black and white split further with her wishing she knew how to make it where they can all be people together; A story is relayed about a white rich girl ordering a Black man like “he was her dog” and that she didn’t want to be at a Color’s station all day; Mentions of protests demanding change and The Klan burning crosses on a campus for allowing a Black woman to be entered into a university and riots happening (Autherine Lucy); Gigi wishes she could invite her friend to her apartment, but knows her landlady wouldn’t let her set foot in the door unless she was the help; The Black employees at Wynton’s not being allowed in the parking garage; A woman asks if a Black girl is with Vivien, ignoring the girl completely; The author’s note at the end of the book also has more information about segregation, racism, and “unfair social practices”); A side character had polio as a child and it’s noted that her family lived through “quarantine and shunning” including from other parents fearing that their children will catch the disease from her (The character refers to her affected leg as “dumb” and “weird”; She is also referred to as a “cripple”); Many mentions of brand names & items (Revlon, Estée Lauder, Youth Dew perfume, L’Air du Temps, Chanel No 5, Lady Dior, Baccarat, Evening in Paris, Woodbury, Cashmere Bouquet, Cutex, Helena Rubinstein, Charles of the Ritz, Max Factor, Elizabeth Arden, Dubarry, Shalimar, Monet necklace, Rodier, Traina-Norell, Dior, Givenchy, Charles James, Emeraude, Marc Cross, Chanel, Ann Lowe, Claire McCardell, Jeanne Lanvin, Trifari, Noxema, Pond’s cold cream, Hamilton Beach, Joy dish soap, McCall’s, Maxwell House coffee, Coke, Wonder Bread, Pepto-Bismol, Tums, Formica, Greyhound buses, & Miss Revlon dolls); Mentions of magazines (Brides, Modern Brides, Bride To Be, Vogue, & Good Housekeeping); Mentions of celebrities, public figures, actresses, movies, TV shows, & songs (Mamie Eisenhower, Jackie Kennedy, Rosa Parks, Autherine Lucy, Queen Elizabeth, the Grimm brothers, Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Ginger Rogers, Ann Miller, Grace Kelly, Barbara Stanwyck, John Wayne, Alan Ladd, Fred Astaire, Lassie, Alfred Hitchcock, Elvis Presley, Sabrina, Seven Year Itch, Rear Window, Lady and the Tramp, Meet John Doe, MGM, Warner Brothers, The $64,000 Question, Howdy Doody, The Ed Sullivan Show, ‘Unforgettable’ by Nat King Cole, & ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ by Elvis Presley); Mentions of stores (Sears & Macy’s); Mentions of car brands; A few mentions of a mother being upset about her daughter eloping with a man who “comes from nothing and has no prospects”; A mention of the murders seeming as if they were from a horror movie; A mention of brownnosing.
 
 
Sexual Content- A head kiss; A few touches, embraces, cuddling, & nearness (barely-above-not-detailed); Some noticing & staring (barely-above-not-detailed); Mary Jo and her husband share a bed (nothing sexual happens); Mary Jo’s husband whistles at her & she blushes; Mentions of boyfriends & dates; A couple mentions of kisses & kissing; A couple mentions of seeing married couples kiss; A mention of a kiss-proof lipstick; A mention of a possible affair (implied); 
             *Note: Gigi negatively comments on her appearance and build (pointing out her “flaws” of large feet, pudgy “sausage”-like fingers, and watching her figure; Later she recalls coming home crying when she was twelve because of her classmates calling her a “man-girl” because of her big feet and hands); Mary Jo comments on a type of doll having “grown-up figures” (Miss Revlon dolls); Mentions of women’s figures; A couple mentions of a man who tried to get Audrey and other models to pose for his “sordid” or “tawdry” book covers; A mention of lingerie.
 
-Audrey Penault
-Mary Jo Johnson
-Vivien Sheffield, age 50
-Gigi Woodard, age 35
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                          Set in 1956
                                                        304 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

I’ll admit two things first in this review: 1. I went into this book a bit concerned because I didn’t personally love the first book and 2. I compared this sequel to the first book nearly the whole time. Perhaps I shouldn’t have done that second one, but I enjoyed this one much more than the first book in the series—especially because of the lack of catty women in it. The women were much better in this story and were an unlikely friend group, but have each other’s backs now. I did think this story was sadder, though, because of the murders of the young brides. Those were hard to read about and I would give a caution to readers who are sensitive to that element. 

 

Just like in the first book, I really liked Audrey the best in this sequel as well. Maybe it’s my marketing degree showing, but I enjoyed the scenes of her, her job, and all the details she has to come up with for the department store the most. Her talent and brilliance at her job is really fascinating and I enjoyed her chapters.

 

I will also say that I say the murder/culprit coming before the half-way point, but as someone who often figures out the killers in suspense books, that isn’t really surprising. It was surprising, however, how long it took the group to figure it out and—like the first book—everything comes together quickly in the final few chapters. After figuring it out for myself, the book dragged a bit to me, but picked back up again once the characters started to figure it out as well. 

 

I appreciated that there was a bit more Christian content in this book compared to the first, though it was still on the very light side. I liked how all the characters seemed to have a faith, but I wish I could instantly confirm they all do. I think certain faith conversations that could have happened didn’t happen due to the main cast of characters being four POV points and there being a lot to cover with their lives, backgrounds, the murders, and other work-related events. 

 

All of this said, I would potentially read another book in this series if there was one—though Mr. Wynton is really going to have to do some serious PR if even more murders happen at or are connected to his store!

 

 

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 (Barbour) for this honest review.

"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.
     Vivien 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 Vivien 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; Many 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
-Vivien 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 (Vivien, 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.