"Of Crowns and Cantytowns" by Kirsten Fichter

About this book:

  “She’ll trick a pauper into wearing her crown to satisfy her own wanderlust.
    Princess Sarina’s greatest dream is to travel, but her overprotective father insists on keeping her close to home. Simply running away isn’t working, since she never gets very far before she’s caught. When she fortuitously meets a pauper girl who looks like her twin, Sarina believes she’s found the missing piece to make her travel plans come true. All she has to do is trick the pauper into taking her place so nobody will realize the true princess is gone. Then she’ll be free to see the kingdoms to her heart’s content – at least, until the switch is revealed.
     Alec Hendon has been a mercenary fighting on foreign soil for seven years, and now he’s finally ready to go home. Once back, however, he begins to think he shouldn’t have stayed away so long. His beloved home of Carabas and his family are not the same as he’d left them. Additionally, the pauper villages, known as Cantytowns, are more numerous and teem with dangerous gangs and slave traders. People from all the classes live in a growing fear of the king. And the worst part of all? When he finally sees his cousin again, she doesn’t remember him.
    In all her great travel plans, Sarina didn’t count on running into a retired mercenary who believes she is his cousin (the very pauper she tricked into switching places), but can he save her from the perilous road ahead?”


Series: Part of the “Twist of Tales” multi-authored series, but is not connected to any other books.


Spiritual Content- Psalm 37:5 at the beginning; A Scripture is referenced; Prayers & Thanking God; A couple talks about God; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Sarina has wondered if God made a mistake in making her a princess, *Spoiler* but realizes at the end that she can use her position to help her kingdom’s people *End of Spoiler*; Mentions of God/the Creator & His will; Mentions of prayers, praying, & thanking and praising God; Mentions of abbeys/chapels, going to chapel, & priests; A few mentions of blessings & being blessed; A mention of a miracle; 
             *Note: Mentions of evil people & their actions (including slave trading); A few mentions of luck & being lucky; A mention of a possible ghost at an estate.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: An ‘idiot’ and two ‘blasted’s; Fictional phrases like “beards/wigs be torn” (x5), “by the Orders” (x2), “what in the kingdoms” (x1), and “curls and coiffers” (x1) are all said; The phrase “a pain in my petunia” is also exclaimed once; Someone swears by “every knights’ white beard”; Eye rolling & Sarcasm; Fighting, Being attacked, Threatened with a knife, Threatened with being sold as a slave, Being tied-up, Being knocked unconscious, Injuries, Pain, Blood/Bleeding, Fainting, & an Earthquake (up to semi-detailed); Helping someone escape from a slave trader; *Spoilers* Alec meets a family member who is a part of selling and trafficking slaves; The man justifies it because he needs the money and that the people would be glad to leave their land, but Alec is firm that it is evil and a crime to do this; Alec is distraught by this family member’s behavior; The family member and his group are arrested at the end of the book *End of Spoilers*; *Spoilers, about a parent’s death* Past halfway through, Sarina is told that her father has passed away and isn’t sure how to react; She decides that she will miss him, but they weren’t close and isn’t grieving over his death *End of Spoilers*; Sarina pushes someone twice (including into the water once) and tricks others into believing someone else is her (so she can travel like she wants); Sarina steals fruit from an orchard (believing that the owner would be pleased to feed her); Many mentions of gangs, thieves, stealing, & stolen items; Mentions of slave traders, a slavery ring, & people (including children) being kidnapped/taken by slaver traders to sell; Mentions of deaths & grief (including of loved ones like parents and extended family members); Mentions of executions; Mentions of torture, punishments, & receiving lashes (including those who speak badly about royalty facing these); Mentions of earthquakes, property damages, & people being killed in earthquakes; Mentions of fights, weapons, injuries, pain, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of arrests & dungeons/jails; Mentions of threats & blackmail; Mentions of Sarina running away from the castle; Mentions of gambling; Mentions of hatred; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of rumors & gossip; A few mentions of a war; A few mentions of a fire, deaths, & burns; A few mentions of hunting (including slave traders for people to kidnap and sell); A few mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of a kidnapping ransom; A couple mentions of taverns; A mention of the death of a pet (dog); 
             *Note: Two comments that women sold in the slave market do not always have it “easy” and that they are not promised a good home as it is “dependent on the buyers”; Mentions of people having a “mind disease” (also called “madness”) that causes them to lose their memories & there being treatment and medicine to help with it; A mention of a couple unable to have biological children.
 
 
Sexual Content- An embrace; A few blushes; Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); A few mentions of crushes/romantic feelings; A couple mentions of flirting; Very light potential love in the future & the emotions.
 
-Sarina Terridan
-Alec Hendon
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                                        204 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

This book was barely 200 pages, but it was an adventure! I don’t think Sarina or Alec caught a single break throughout these pages with all the problems they faced, but I was satisfied by the ending. 

 

Blame the Barbie movie, but I’m always excited to learn about new “Princess and the Pauper” retellings. So much so that when reading about this book, I was confused how it was gender-bent like the rest of this multi-authored series because in my mind, that is the original edition. Ooops, sorry, Mr. Twain! 😅

 

At the beginning, I was afraid I wouldn’t like Sarina. She had her moments that made me want to sigh as she is very selfish and spoiled. But it’s truly because of how she was raised, so it actually made sense for her character. Didn’t mean I didn’t want to shake some common sense into her, but I could see glimpses of why she was the way she was. Sarina tricks the pauper to switch places with her against the pauper’s will or wishes. Because of this, she can come across as selfish and spoiled between that and some of her comments of being of importance. It was a little eye-rolling at times because I knew it wouldn’t go well for her (it never did) until there were some important realizations, but Alec was a very good Male Main Character and kind to her during the whole book.

 

This book was on the shorter side and a lot happens. That said, I do wish there had been a “happy ever after” kind of epilogue to see how the kingdom is doing years later. I would have enjoyed seeing more faith discussions between our main characters as I was a little surprised when Sarina brought up about God halfway through the book as there hadn’t been any signs of her believing in Him until then. Alec was steady in this regard which endeared him to me more. I didn’t quite buy the romance between the two of them, but it’s a very light element to the book. I’ll be nit-picky and say that I wish there had been another 50 pages at least to have these elements explored a little more. However, I did end the book mostly satisfied and would be thrilled to see another book set in this world as I found the setting interesting with all the knights and colors. 

 

As a note for potential younger readers and their parents: There is a very light romance thread in this book—so light there isn’t even a kiss, which I think worked well for the characters and how short of a time they have known each other—but there are mentions of slave traders and people (including children) being kidnapped and sold by them to other countries. One side character justifies running a slave trading ring because he needs the money, but the main characters look upon it as the evil it is and call it just that. There’s no mention of what will happen to those slaves (whether it’s physical or sexual slavery) besides the possibility of not going to a good place. It could be an introduction into talking about human trafficking without details being shared as it is a real and sad thing in our world. For younger readers, though, I leave it to a potential reader and her family to make the decision about what age would be best for her to read 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.

"Decree" by Tricia Mingerink

 This review has spoilers for the prior books in the series, please read with caution.

 

About this book:
  “The Adventure Continues.
    Discover more of The Blades of Acktar in this collection of novellas and short stories.
    The Blades as They Should’ve Been
    A test and the Gathering of Nobles will decide Leith and Martyn’s futures. Can they fight to become more than the Blades they were? Will Keevan accept the man who attempted to kill him as family?
    The First Mission
    When Martyn visits Surgis, his past seems determined to haunt him. Can he figure out how to forgive, especially when confronted with an enemy in need of his help?
    To the Far Great Mountains
    A death sends Leith and Martyn far beyond the borders of Acktar. Will they be able to arrest their quarry before they are caught themselves?
    From the story of how Leith and Martyn met to Ranson’s search for a life outside of the Blades, these stories will answer plaguing questions and expand the world of Acktar in this fifth and final book in the series!”


Series: Book #5 in the “Blades of Acktar” series. Reviews of Book #1 Here, Book #2 Here, Book #3 Here, Book #3.5 Here, and Book #4 Here!


Spiritual Content- Psalm 78:72 & Psalm 119:67 and 71 at the beginning; Prayers & Blessings over food; Witnessing & telling about someone from the Bible; Talks about God, trusting Him, His will, & faiths; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; A young Martyn doesn’t think God is listening to his prayers; An older Martyn wonders why something bad/cruel had to happen, but someone talks to him about the good things that have come out of the years of hardships; Mentions of God, Jesus, His grace, trusting Him, faiths, & forgiveness; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of Bibles & Bible reading; Mentions of those & events in the Bible; Mentions of churches, church going, & ministers; Mentions of Christians; Mentions of Heaven; A few mentions of Christians being executed for their faiths; A couple mentions of a cross necklace; A mention of being blessed; 
             *Note: A cruel minister kicks a child out of his church; Mentions of evil in the world; A mention of being lucky.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘dashed’, a ‘shoot’, an unfinished ‘what the—‘, and two ‘blasted’s; Mentions of curses (none are not written out & some are treated with soap after being said); A couple lies; Some eye rolling & sarcasm; Eavesdropping; Fighting, Stabbing, Knocking others unconscious, Being attacked and beaten, Being held at knife-point, Pain, Injuries, Blood/Bleeding, & Passing out (up to semi-detailed); Guilt from killing (in self-defense and in war, up to semi-detailed); Imagining someone being killed by a slit throat (including a baby, barely-above-not-detailed); In one of the short stories, a young Martyn is abandoned by his parents at a church (*Spoilers* Martyn grew up believing that they chose his younger brother over him, however, his brother later shares that their parents were trying to give Martyn a chance of survival believing they would die soon, and when they survived, they went back for him, but were told that Martyn died *End of Spoilers*); Many mentions of fights, battles, beatings, torture, someone nearly being burned at the stake, slit throats and arrows in the throat, dead bodies, pain, injuries, blood/bleeding, & passing out; Many mentions of murders, assassinations, & assassins; Many mentions of criminals, thieves/bandits, stealing, & stolen items (including food to survive); Mentions of deaths & grief (including for parents, a wife for her husband, parents for their son, & parents for babies that were miscarried or stillborn); Mentions of executions & hangings (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of children watching their parent’s death (including by battles/wars and executions); Mentions of kidnappings & ransoms (including a little girl being kidnapped); Mentions of arrests & jails; Mentions of bullies; Mentions of taverns & alcohol; Mentions of lies, lying, Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of hatred; A few mentions of a father beating his wife and son; A few mentions of nightmares; A few mentions of eavesdropping; A couple mentions of possibly starving to death; A couple mentions of gambling; A couple mentions of throwing up; A mention of there not being much left to a body after wild animals got to it; A mention of an injured horse; A mention of manure; A mention of jealousy; 
             *Note: Mentions of miscarriages & stillbirths (and grief from the families).
 
 
Sexual Content A fingers-to-lips touch, nine cheek kisses, four forehead/hair kisses, an almost kiss, eight not-detailed kisses, and a barely-above-not-detailed kiss; Wanting to kiss, touch, & embrace (barely-above-not-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, Nearness (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Blushes; Noticing & Staring (barely-above-not-detailed); A man tries to close Michelle in against a wall and hassles her (this causes her to have fear later when thinking about what could have happened); Michelle has a reputation of being a flirt, but in her novella, she’s turned away from being that way; *Spoiler* Michelle realizes that she’s gone too far in the opposite direction from her old self who flirted and flaunted by now dressing “in a way that was taking responsibility for the hearts of others” and can only control her own actions *End of Spoiler*; Mentions of couples sharing kisses; Mentions of kisses & kissing; Mentions of flirts & flirting; Mentions of crushes & “mushy” feelings for someone; A few mentions of men “having fun” with a woman (which does not happen) & leering at her; A mention of a man snatching a woman (Book #1, implied could have been sexual assault if it wasn’t stopped in time); Love, falling/being in love, & the emotions; 
             *Note: Michelle dresses in boxy dresses to hide her curves and stop accusations about her character; A few mentions of dresses hugging women’s figures; A mention of a teen boy’s voice changing (puberty).
 
-Leith Torren/Grayce
-Martyn Hamish
                                P.O.V. switches between them, Brandi, Keevan, Shadrach, Kayleigh, Michelle, Ranson, Annita, & Laurence
                                                        434 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

Aww. The end of a series. It’s always bittersweet, but this one was mainly sweet with seeing the characters happy after everything they’ve been through in the previous books. 

 

To be fair, the novellas and short stories in this collection went back and forth between heartbreak and happiness. I think I nearly got whiplash over some of the differences. 😅😭 It was really good to see these characters and their found family continue moving forward with their futures. The past will haunts and hurts them, but they are doing their best to put one foot in front of the other and focus on having justice and God’s grace rule in the country. 

 

I have to say, this author writes the depth and struggle of forgiveness very well. It was apparent in some of the prior books of this series, but even more so in this collection with a few of the stories. 

 

I’m going to need every series to have a short story collection or bonus novellas about the characters being in love, happy, and with a growing family. It just makes my Found Family trope loving little heart sing in happiness. 🥰 This collection was a great end to the series! I would still say this series is better for older teens due to the violence in the first three books of the series especially, but I can get the love and hype for this series that so many of my book friends have for it.

 

 

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.

"Deliver" by Tricia Mingerink

About this book:

  “Can something broken ever heal?
    Martyn is broken. After torturing his best friend, he doesn't belong anywhere in Acktar. No matter how far he runs, he can't lose his guilt.
    Leith is broken. While healing from the torture he received at Nalgar Castle, he struggles to find his new role. But can a Blade ever run from his past?
    The country is broken. Bitterness divides town against town, neighbor against neighbor. What will it take to deliver Acktar from itself?
    They face their hardest battle yet.
    Peace.”


Series: Book #4 in the “Blades of Acktar” series. Reviews of Book #1 Here, Book #2 Here, Book #3 Here, and Book #3.5 Here!


Spiritual Content- 2 Corinthians 1:9-10 at the beginning; A few Scriptures are remembered, thought over, & quoted; Bible reading; Witnessing & Being witnessed to; Martyn doesn’t believe in God and makes comments about believing in God to be “illogical trust in superstitions and myth”; Martyn believes most Christians are hypocrites based on what he has experienced (*Spoilers* His parents raised him in church, but after they abandoned him at a church and the minister kicked him out, he believed Christians to be hypocrites; When pressed, Martyn says that he never brought into God when he was a kid, but someone from his past disagrees with that being true and Martyn starts to wonder if he did believe it at one time; Martyn recalls Renna saying that “no child of God was ever lost. They might stray for a while, but God would always draw them back to Him”; Towards the end, Martyn realizes the truth and becomes a Christian *End of Spoilers*); Martyn remembers Renna saying that “relationships didn’t exist in Heaven like they did now, but they would be closer, deeper.”; Many talks about God, Jesus Christ, trusting Him, those in the Bible, faiths, & Christians; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Many mentions of God, trusting Him, faiths, & Christians; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of Bibles & those and events in the Bible; Mentions of churches, church going, services, ministers, & a sermon; Mentions of persecutions of Christians; A few mentions of Heaven; A couple mentions of being blessed; A mention of a cross necklace; 
             *Note: A couple mentions of luck & being lucky; A mention of a shrine.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘blasted’, a ‘confounded’, a ‘dratted’, a ‘duh’, a ‘stupid’, an unfinished ‘what the…’, a ‘why in Acktar’, and two forms of ‘idiot’; Many mention of curses (said, not written; many by Martyn and *Spoilers* because someone makes him wash his mouth out with soap after cursing so much, he eventually stops swearing and starts saying “blistering soapsuds” instead *End of Spoilers*; Martyn also cuts off the phrase “bother and…”); Eye rolling & Sarcasm; Many near death moments (including nearly being burned alive), killing, fighting, being attacked, knocking others out, being held at knife-point, holding others at knife-point and threatening death/harm, being slapped and punched, major pain, injuries/wounds, burns, having stitches, blood/bleeding, passing out, & throwing up (semi-detailed); Seeing others killed, dead bodies, & blood (including a beheaded body and the smell of decaying bodies, up to semi-detailed); Remembering seeing & hearing executions and torture (up to semi-detailed); Helping others badly injured and bleeding (including giving stitches, semi-detailed); Grief (up to semi-detailed); Eavesdropping; Both Leith and Martyn are former assassins & has killed or helped killed others before; Many, many mentions of deaths/murders (including of parents), executions, assassinations and attempts, planning to kill someone (including through beheadings, hangings, & burning someone alive), nearly killing someone, bodies, blood/bleeding, injuries, passing out, weapons, & grief (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of torture, beatings, being burned, being punched/slapped and whipped, & imprisonment (including as punishments); Many mentions of wars, battles, attacks, fighting, & mobs; Mentions of deaths/massacres of women and children; Mentions of screams, people being shot and stabbed, & attacks; Mentions of thieves/bandits, robberies, & stealing; Mentions of fires & burned villages; Mentions of a physically abusive man who killed his wife and beat his son & the son being concerned he could be violent like his father (*Spoilers for previous books* Leith’s father, who killed Leith’s mother; Leith becomes concerned that he could end up being like his father and hurting Renna; Someone questions Renna about her decision to be with Leith because of possible violence, but she is positive that he would never hurt her or a child *End of Spoilers*); Mentions of a child being abandoned by his parents (*Spoilers* Martyn, who believes that his parents abandoned him at a church and chose keeping his little brother over him; Halfway through, Martyn finds out that his parents did return for him, but were told that he died *End of Spoilers*); Mentions of an injured horse & the possibility of one having to be put down (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of nightmares (of battles, deaths, & killing; up to semi-detailed); Mentions of lies, lying, liars, & deception; Mentions of hatred; Mentions of trapping & hunting animals (for food); A couple mentions of kidnapping for ransom; A couple mentions of throwing up; A couple mentions of alcohol (mostly for treating wounds); A couple mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of gossip & eavesdropping; A mention of manure;
             *Note: A couple mentions of a woman dying in childbirth & a stillborn baby.
 
 
Sexual Content- Two fingers-to-lips touches, ten forehead/hair kisses, two cheek/jaw kisses, an almost kiss, a not-detailed kiss, and three border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed kisses; Wanting to kiss & touch (barely-above-not-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Cuddling, Hand holding, Warmth, Flutters, Smelling, & Nearness (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Noticing & Staring (barely-above-not-detailed); A man ogles Renna, makes a suggestive comment, & tries to grab her, but is scared off before it goes further; Martyn wakes up without clothing a couple of times (due to his injuries & he teases a young woman about it); Renna tries not to notice when Leith is shirtless; A thought from a man about spending the “first night…as man and wife” with his wife after their wedding; Mentions of a woman being kidnapped by a man (implied that it could have been worse, but she was saved in time) & another woman grabbed and nearly kissed (forced); Mentions of “temptations” that couples face; Mentions of kisses, kissing, & seeing couples kissing (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of a competition with kisses being a prize; Mentions of chaperones & couples having to be careful about being “proper” with each other; A few mentions of mushy expressions between couples; A couple mentions of a flirt; Love, falling in love, being in love, & the emotions (x2).
 
-Martyn Hamish
-Leith Torren
-Renna Faythe
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                                        454 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

THIS was the happiness I needed for the near-final book of this series! 

 

Whenever I’ve read a book with war, deaths, and violence, there’s usually a bittersweet ending. This series has been no different. And maybe it’s a little silly or unrealistic for me to expect happiness after a major war and lots of deaths, but I wanted to see these character catch a break and be able to breathe. Unfortunately, there’s still those who were on the evil king’s side making my wishes difficult—so our characters had to take care of that problem in this book despite the actual war being over, so there’s still another battle for everyone. I will say I was quite satisfied at the ending and would honestly call this my favorite of the series—while still some killing and bloodshed—it was more about Leith becoming a protector instead of the assassin he has been for years. The growth in him and Martyn was particularly great to see.  

 

Unlike the other books in this series, I actually laughed quite a few times while reading because of different characters teasing the other—the Found Family trope was in full play in this book and I loved seeing it. 🥹 They’re not frolicking in a field of flowers with the butterflies by the end of the book (which is the happiness I usually want for my main characters), but I don’t think these characters would do that anyway, so the happiness they have is perfect. How it ends for everyone was honestly better than I dared to hope for them after everything they have been through.

 

While there is still a novella/short story collection to read next that I look forward to reading, this was a great end to an albeit very violent and bloody series 😅, but also one that had strong faith content and character developments. I still wouldn’t recommend it for everyone (again, lots of deaths and blood), but I can get the hype for this series.

 

 

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.

"Of Might and Mettle” by Michelle Emmanuelli

About this book:

  “A tin ballerina. A brass soldier. A porcelain princess.
   What does it matter who you are, if people only look at what you’re made of?
    Twenty-four-year-old Lorelle Jimenez thrives under the spotlight. She’s trained all her life to be a principal ballerina, and now, with a performance before the princess of Monte Rico, her dream is within reach . . . only if she can keep her secret: her tin arm. The stage is the only place she’s called her home, but with the spotlight comes scrutiny and a jealous rival that will stop at nothing to expose her—and even end her life.
    For Capitán Antonio Fuentes, failure isn’t an option . . . again. Even though he’s recovered from the accident that took his leg two years ago, he won’t show weakness. When rumors of an upcoming attempt on the prince’s life reach Antonio, he won’t fail to protect his kingdom. Not this time.
    When Antonio sees a young ballerina in danger, he saves her life. Now, swept far from home, they must work together to get back to the castle. She can’t lose her only chance at her dream, and he’s the only one with the coveted information that will save the prince. But danger nips at their heels, testing their strength and resolve . . . When put to the fire, will they melt under the heat? Or come out as gold?”


Series: Book #1 in “The Toymaker’s Chronicles”.


Spiritual Content- 2 Corinthians 12:9 at the beginning; Scriptures are remembered, mentioned, discussed, & quoted; Prayers & Thanking God and Jesus; Talks about God, Jesus, Scriptures, God using us, & trusting Him; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God and Jesus; Lorelle has a strong faith and relies on God for her strength; Antonio hasn’t opened his Bible since before his accident and feels like God would be disappointed in him, but Lorelle speaks the truth from Scriptures about himself; Mentions of God, Jesus, & trusting Him; Mentions of prayers, praying, & thanking God; Mentions of those & events in the Bible; A couple mentions of Bibles; A couple mentions of miracles; A mention of a blessing; 
             *Note: A few mentions of “ghosts” (Antonio having nightmares of “ghosts” from a past event; a figure of speech).
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘shut up’ and two ‘stupid’s; A bit of eye rolling & sarcasm; Being held at gun- and sword-point, Being tied-up, Fighting, Being trapped in a fire, Nearly drowning (x2), Saving someone from drowning, Injuries, Pain (including chronic pain that Teresa has), Blood/Bleeding, & Passing out (up to semi-detailed); Lorelle faces a couple mean girls’ sneers, negative comments, and is pushed by them (due to their jealousy); Both Lorelle and Antonio receive negative comments about their missing limbs from others (including someone calling Lorelle a “cripple”); Many mentions of treason/terrorist attacks that caused the deaths of many, fighting, weapons, fires, & threats; Mentions of deaths (including through illnesses and attacks), grief, & feeling abandoned by family members; Mentions of drownings & others planning to drown their enemies; Mentions of injuries & pain; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of jealousy; Mentions of nightmares; A few mentions of arrests; A couple mentions of thieves; A couple mentions of animals being smuggled; A couple mentions of an animal possibly being abandoned or injured by something; A couple mentions of a fermented drink & someone drowning his sorrows in drinks; A mention of wine; A mention of a man thinking about kicking an animal; 
             *Note: Antonio has signs of PTSD from being involved in an attack/battle and having to heal from a major injury (such as being taken back to that day when hearing a gun go off); Lorelle feels like her aunt and uncle didn’t want to raise her after her parents’ death and sent her away (*Spoilers* When she suddenly meets them again, she tells them her feelings and slams the bedroom door; Antonio finds out that her aunt and uncle sacrificed to send her to a dancing academy and love her; Towards the end, Lorelle finds this out as well and that they were trying to reach her dream *End of Spoilers*).
 
 
Sexual Content- A cheek kiss; A few touches, embraces, flutters, nearness, & blushes (barely-above-not-detailed); A bit of noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); Lorelle and Antonio are questioned about staying in inns during their journey, but sleep in separate rooms; Very light love, falling in love, & the emotions.
 
-Lorelle Jimenez, age 24
-Antonio Fuentes
                                P.O.V. switches between them & Teresa
                                                        233 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

This was really neat! The tropical, Spanish-Caribbean influence added in a unique element to the story that I haven’t seen much in books. I also really liked our main characters and their personalities—they were all characters that I wanted to hug! Each one of our main characters, Lorelle, Antonio, and Teresa—and the wolf pup, , too—were good characters that have strengths and weaknesses. I’ve read a couple retellings of “The Brave Tin Soldier” before and liked those, but I would say this is my favorite so far because of the world building, faith content, and main characters.

 

I did have to read a few parts a couple of times to understand the political/world significance of different reveals and other happenings, but I was instantly interested in this setting. A map of the world would have been a great addition to the book as I was curious about the general area of the places and countries/kingdoms that are featured and mentioned throughout the story.

 

The romance was light and towards the end, but super sweet and clean. I particularly loved Lorelle’s heart, faith, and how both of those parts of her affect how she views difficulties in life and others. Both Lorelle and Antonio had their struggles, but were a great match in more ways than one. 

 

While most everything is wrapped-up in this book, you can tell it’s the first book of series because it ends with more lingering out there for some of our characters. I look forward to reading the second book when it releases in February!

 

 

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.

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

"Destroy" by Tricia Mingerink

 This review has spoilers for the prior three books, please read with caution.

 

About this book:

  “Before the war, before the Blades, before the Leader…There was a boy and a scullery maid and a secret shame. One moonlit night of blood and knives destroyed their country and their lives forever. The Leader failed to die, but will he also fail to lead?”


Series: Book #3.5 in the “Blades of Acktar” series. Reviews of Book #1 Here, Book #2 Here, and Book #3 Here!


Spiritual Content- 1 Kings 3:5-9 & 4:29 at the beginning; Scriptures are read, mentioned, & remembered; Prayers; Church going; Swearing on a Bible; Talks about God, Jesus, & forgiveness; Keevan wonders if God is punishing him by taking away his looks and voice (that he used to use for luring maids into kissing him); Mentions of God, His will, trusting Him, His purpose for us, & forgiveness; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of Bibles & Bible reading; Mentions of church services & ministers, & worship; Mentions of Christians; A few mentions of those & events in the Bible; A couple mentions of blessings & being blessed; A mention of Christians being arrested.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a “what in Acktar”; A couple lies (to protect one’s feelings); Fighting, Being stabbed and nearly killed, Intense pain, Major injuries/wounds, Blood/Bleeding, & Passing out (semi-detailed); Seeing bodies, major injuries/wounds, blood, & someone nearly dying due to a slit throat (up to semi-detailed); Grief (for parents and siblings, up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of deaths, assassinations, assassins, dead bodies, grief (including for parents and siblings), injuries/wounds, & lots of blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of wars & battles; Mentions of executions & prisons; Mentions of torture, beatings, & whippings; Mentions of criminals, thieves, stealing, & arrests; Mentions of passing out; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, & a tavern (including Keevan and a brother drinking together previously); Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of throwing up; A few mentions of hatred; A mention of eavesdropping; 
             *Note: Keevan has moments of PTSD after the assassination attempt when others try to touch his neck; Keevan thinks it would have been better if one of his brothers would have survived rather than him.
 
 
Sexual Content- a hair kiss, a cheek kiss, a border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed kiss, and a semi-detailed kiss (with asking permission first & being careful not to lose himself in it and have self-control); Staring a lips (and trying not to); Blushes; Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, Nearness (most with asking permission first, barely-above-not-detailed); The book starts with Keevan being caught kissing a maid (noting that he had let himself go “too far”, wasn’t thinking, and feels ashamed of his actions) and thinks he would have stopped before he hurt her, yet knows that wasn’t true because the girl was crying and telling him to stop, but he only focused on the “pounding of his pulse” and ignored her no because his desires were telling him yes; Keevan knows he messed up and his uncle is firm with him about his poor actions, but his father waves it aside with the phrase “boys will be boys”; Keevan wants to be better which includes trying to avoid looking or staring at Addie’s body in moments where her dress shows her body (and chest) in a way she is unaware of (x3); *Spoilers* Keevan wonders if he could have a girl like Addie be in love with him (despite her knowing his past) and while he has done his best to treat all women with honor, he wonders if he could find out what it means to love a woman as God intended; After a discussion about his past and forgiveness, he asks Addie if they could be more than just friends and if he could court her with the intention of marriage; Towards the end, Keevan meets with the maid from the beginning and apologizes to her; She still lives with the memories of that time, but had forgiven him *End of Spoilers*; Mentions of kisses & kissing; Mentions of princes luring maids into closets to kiss them; A few mentions of kisses going “too far”; A few mentions of avoiding temptation (with God’s help); A couple mentions of flirting; A couple mentions of attraction (between a married couple); Love, falling in love, & the emotions.
 
-Adelaide “Addie” Croft
-Keevan Eirdon, age 17-22 (?)
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                                        216 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

Prior to reading this book, I was nervous about it due to a sample I had randomly read of the beginning. We’re introduced to a young prince who has skimped on his responsibilities and focused on what pleases him—even if that’s at the cost of harming innocents and forcing kisses on maids. I knew this author would handle this topic carefully and with great faith and character development after reading the previous books in this series. And I was right, she definitely did. But I’m still going to give a warning for this book because of the book opening with a sexual assault.

 

I think the author did really well highlighting the change in Keevan. It didn’t feel like a 180-change because we only saw parts of the change from different times: the start, five months later, a few months later, two years later, and then another two years later. Each time there more and more growth from him regarding his past choices that hurt others, including young women he took advantage of. He continues to feel guilt and shame over those past actions. There’s three scenes that particularly stood out to me about his change: Him guarding his thoughts and eyes when Addie accidentally shows him more of herself than she knows she is. He is very cautious about Addie and does not want to hurt her or fall back to his old self. That desire to be good and honorable—especially towards her—helped my views on him immensely.  

 

We cover almost five years in this book—before the first book started and all the way through to the third book in the series. Just with a main character difference, which adjusts many things in this Book #3.5 story. Going into this book, I didn’t particularly care about learning more about Keevan (mainly because I didn’t care for his attitude in Book #3), but I found myself interested in seeing his change and I thought Addie was sweet. 

 

While I haven’t finished this series yet, I don’t think this book is necessarily to read per se—at least, I don’t think so having after only reading the first three books. You would definitely have to read those first before this one or you would be completely lost, but at this point, it’s not 100% necessary because this character is really only introduced in Book #3 and this is his story. It was interesting to see the perspective change on different events from the prior books, but it’s not a book I can personally highly recommend because of the sexual assault implications. Some older readers might not be bothered by it and I think the author handled the character’s regret very well, but I still want to give a heads-up on that content.

 

 

 

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.