Showing posts with label Series: Cornwall. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Series: Cornwall. Show all posts

Friday, November 5, 2021

"The Light at Wyndcliff" by Sarah E. Ladd

About this book:

  “When Liam Twethewey inherits the ancient Wyndcliff Hall in Pevlyn, Cornwall, he sets a goal of fulfilling his late great-uncle’s dream of opening a china clay pit on the estate’s moorland. When he arrives, however, a mysterious shipwreck on his property—along with even more mysterious survivors—puts his plans on hold.
   Evelyn Bray has lived in Pevlyn her entire life. After her grandfather’s fall from fortune, he humbled himself and accepted the position of steward at Wyndcliff Hall. Evelyn’s mother, embarrassed by the reduction of wealth and status, left Pevlyn in search of a better life for them both, but in spite of her promise, never returns. Evelyn is left to navigate an uncertain path with an even more uncertain future.
   When the mysteries surrounding the shipwreck survivors intensify, Liam and Evelyn are thrown together as they attempt to untangle a web of deceit and secrets. But as they separate the truths from the lies, they quickly learn that their surroundings—and the people in it—are not as they seem. Liam and Evelyn are each tested, and as a romance buds between them, they must decide if their love is strong enough to overcome their growing differences.”


Series: Book #3 in the “Cornwall” trilogy. Review of Book #1 Here! and #2 Here!


Spiritual Content- Church going (once, no sermon, prayers, or hymns are mentioned); Mentions of church going & a service; A couple mentions of prayers & praying; A couple mentions of (not) implying a group of people are heathens; A mention of someone being a godsend; A mention of a vicar;
             *Note: A mention of a devilishly handsome man. 
 
 
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: nine ‘bah’s; A couple mentions of curses (said, not written); Sarcasm; Evelyn mentions of when she almost drowned (barely-above-not-detailed); Being attacked & fighting back (Evelyn, up to semi-detailed); Fighting (up to semi-detailed); Seeing shipwrecks, helping rescue others, & seeing others go after the ship’s cargo and not possible survivors (up to semi-detailed); Seeing fights, injuries, & blood/bleeding; Seeing a wrestling match & the bruises on one man; Many mentions of shipwrecks, deaths, smuggling/smuggling rings, contraband goods, illegal activities, & luring ships to dangerous areas (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of pain, injuries, & blood/bleeding (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of gunshots; Mentions of a kidnapping plot & locking someone else up in their room; Mentions of arrests & jails; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of drinking, drunks, pubs/bars, & alcohol/spirits (including social drinking and Liam offering his male guests a glass of brandy, though it seems like he didn’t pour himself a glass); A few mentions of a man striking a women to be quiet; A few mentions of deportation & being hanged as punishments for crimes; A few mentions of gambling; A few mentions of blackmail; A few mentions of horses being injured in deep mud; A couple mentions of bodies being washed ashore; A couple mentions of tobacco; A couple mentions of hatred (Evelyn towards her mother and she thinks her mother hates her as well after a comment); A mention of a legend about people killing the crew on a ship; A mention of manure & rotten waste.
 
 
Sexual Content- A barely-above-not-detailed kiss; Touches, an Embrace, Hand holding, & Warmth (barely-above-not-detailed); Wanting to touch & kiss someone (barely-above-not-detailed); Remembering touches & warmth (barely-above-not-detailed); Noticing, Nearness, & Smelling (barely-above-not-detailed, a few mentions of  women’s curves); Two men try to reach for Evelyn and block her path (one she slaps when he attempts to be grabby); A man looks at Evelyn like she’s the last woman in the world & tries to grab her arm (she jerks away from him); Evelyn’s grandfather tells her that every man only has one intention & mentions that a touch of the hand leads to a caress of the cheek to a kiss which leads to more; A man teases/flirts with a barmaid and pulls her onto his lap (neither are main characters, but Liam sees this happening); Seeing a wrestling match with a bare-chested man (no details or staring); Mentions of flirting & flirtatious relationships; Mentions of taking liberties & being alone with the opposite gender; A few mentions of jealousy; A mention of a man seducing a woman; Love, falling in love, & the emotions.
 
-Evelyn Bray, age 20
-William “Liam” Twethewey, age 22
                                P.O.V. switches between them
                                           Set in 1820 (Prologue in 1808 and Epilogue in 1821)
                                                        320 pages

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Pre Teens-
New Teens-
Early High School Teens-
Older High School Teens-
My personal Rating-
{Pretty clean, but not much faith content.}
Overall, I found this to be an interesting storyline with the shipwrecks and smuggling. I’ve read all of the authors other books and they’re typically clean, easy reads. This one followed suit and was pretty clean in regards to the romance. (I would have preferred there to be less men interested in Evelyn, but at least she stood her ground to them.) I think I could have given this book a 3.5 or even a 4 star rating had there been more faith content shown. It was very lacking in that regard. There were many moments of suspense where the main characters could have prayed and yet there wasn’t one prayer…it felt lacking because of that. The plot kept my attention and even though the ending was a bit rushed, it was overall a decent read.
 
 
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.
 

Friday, September 25, 2020

"The Thief of Lanwyn Manor" by Sarah E. Ladd


About this book:

  “In Regency England an advantageous match could set up a lady for life. Julia knows Matthew Blake, copper mine owner and very eligible bachelor, is the gentleman she should set her eyes upon. But why can’t she steal her gaze away from his younger brother, Isaac?
   Cornwall, England, 1818
   Julia Twethewey needs a diversion to mend her broken heart, so when her cousin invites her to Lanwyn Manor, Julia eagerly accepts. The manor is located at the heart of Cornwall’s mining industry, and as a guest Julia is swept into its intricate world. It’s not long, though, before she realizes something dark lurks within the home’s ancient halls.
   As a respected mine owner’s younger son, Isaac Blake is determined to keep his late father’s legacy alive through the family business, despite his brother’s careless attitude. In order to save their livelihood—and that of the people around them—the brothers approach the master of Lanwyn Manor with plans to bolster the floundering local industry. Isaac can’t deny his attraction to the man’s charming niece, but his brother has made clear his intentions to court the lovely visitor. And Isaac knows his place.
   When tragedy strikes, mysteries arise, and valuables go missing, Julia and Isaac find they are pulled together in a swirl of strange circumstances, but despite their best efforts to bow to social expectations, their hearts aren’t so keen to surrender.”


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


Spiritual Content- Church going; Mentions of churches, church going, & vicars; A handful mentions of God; A few mentions of prayers & praying; A mention of a miracle;
             *Note: Many mentions of curses & ghosts; A mention of an ancient spirit.


Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘Egad’; A mention of a curse (said, not written); Some sarcasm & eye rolling; Julia lies a few times; Isaac drinks a bit (port/wine); Being held at gunpoint & knifepoint (barely-above-not-detailed); Many mentions of thieves/criminals, stealing, stolen items, & robberies; Mentions of accidents, deaths, injuries, & blood/bleeding (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of being held at gunpoint, guns, shooting, & threats/being threatened (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of violence, fights, fighting, & injuries; Mentions of bloodletting & bleeding; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of snuffboxes & people using them (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of drinking, port, & tobacco; A couple mentions of hatred; A mention of a possibility of a criminal being hung; A mention of hunting.


Sexual Content- Two semi-detailed kisses; Remembering a kiss (barely-above-not-detailed); Touches, Embraces, & Smelling (up to semi-detailed); Noticing (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of flirting & blushes; A few mentions of chaperones & reputations; A couple mentions of scandals; A mention of a married couple kissing; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Many mentions of Lanwyn Manor having a curse where no child born under that roof has survived; Mentions of wives who died in childbirth & stillborns; Mentions of a childbirth & pain (barely-above-not-detailed); A mention of an aunt’s “bosom heaving with each breath”.

-Julia Twethewey, age 19
-Isaac Blake, age 25
                                P.O.V. switches between them
                                            Set in 1818 {Prologue in 1807}
                                                        352 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

The mystery of a thief is what pulled me into this novel, but, unfortunately, it didn’t keep my attention very well. 
While I like Julia as a character a decent amount, nothing stood out to me about her. She felt like nearly every other regency heroine I’ve read in the Christian genre. I didn’t feel any depth from her, sadly. 
Isaac was fine and in love (at basically first sight) with Julia, but there was a comment he made about the men in his family having a problem with anger and that it was passed to him as well. I’m not sure if this was supposed to give him a sense of dimension (ie a “flaw” in his perfect hero role), but I found it to be a little unnerving for Julia’s sake as she never saw that side of him. 
I (and many others) have noticed that more and more new books published by this publisher are lacking in Christian content. This book was no exception. There was so much about the curses and ghosts of Lanwyn Manor and barely anything about God. A few church mentions of scenes and a mention of God in a discussion/uplifting way. (Since I was reading the Kindle edition of this book, I will note that the way “God” was mentioned 4 times (including a “God’s earth”, “God dear his soul”, and “God willing” which are all common phrases of this time period) and the word “cursed” is used 20 times.)
Besides these points, it was an overall clean read, I just found it lacking in some regards and not my cup of tea in terms of details. 


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.