"Season of My Enemy" by Naomi Musch

About this book:

  “Only last year, Fannie O’Brien was considered a beauty with a brain, and her future shone bright, despite the war pounding Europe. With her father’s sudden death and her brothers overseas, Fannie must now do the work of three men on their 200-acre farm—until eight German prisoners arrive and, just as Fannie feared, trouble comes too. Someone seems intent on causing “accidents,” and Fannie is certain the culprit is one of the two handsome older Germans—or possibly both. Can she manage the farm, keep the prisoners in line, and hold her family together through these turbulent times?”


Series: Part of the series “Heroines of WWII”, but is not connected to any other book.


Spiritual Content- A couple Scriptures are quoted; Prayers, Thanking God, & feeling peace afterwards; A few talks about God & praying; ’H’s are capital when referring to God; Fannie doesn’t want to go to church one Sunday because she thinks there’s other things that need to be done, but her mom insists; Mentions of God, Jesus, & receiving His peace; Mentions of prayers, praying, answered prayers, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, services, & pastors/chaplains (including one pastor giving a “hard and fiery” sermon because of German prisoners in the congregation); Mentions of Christians & faiths; Mentions of Jewish people; A few mentions of Christmas; A few mentions of hymns/songs; A mention of someone from the Bible; 
             *Note: Religious phrases: ‘thank heaven’ and ‘for heaven’s sake’ are both said once; A few mentions of luck & being lucky.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘blah blah blah’, a ‘darn’, a ‘dumb’, and six forms of ‘stupid’; A mention of a curse (said, not written); Some eye rolling & sarcasm; Being held at gun-point and threatened, Being attacked and grabbed, Throwing up, & Seeing blood/bleeding and fighting (up to semi-detailed); Staring a fire, sabotaging, & thinking of killing others (up to semi-detailed); Watching a film reel about malnourished and mistreated people and prisoners & dead bodies (up to semi-detailed); Two of Fannie’s brothers are fighting overseas and her family has not heard from them in a while which worries them (she wonders if they are still alive or are being mistreated by the Germans; *Spoilers* One brother comes home due to becoming deaf and is very upset about the German PWs on their farm; The other brother comes home later in the book after being a prisoner of war in Germany and very mistreated, but wants to get past the war and tries to accept the PWs on the farm *End of Spoilers*); Some of the German soldiers do not believe that Jews are being executed and that their American counterparts are being mistreated in German prisoner camps; Set during, all about, & many mentions of World War II, battles/fights, prisoners of war, captures and possible missing soldiers, prison camps, guns/weapons, injuries (including amputations and burnings), & killing and deaths (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of deaths, seeing deaths, possible deaths, & grief (including Fannie and her family for her father, all up to semi-detailed); Mentions of mass graves & prisoners being malnourished and mistreated; Mentions of rumors about Hitler’s hatred of Jews, him deeming them subhuman, & concentration camps; Mentions of gunfire, explosions, & bombs; Mentions of sabotage & fires; Mentions of prisoners escaping or trying to escape; Mentions of hatred & prejudice (including shown by spiting at others and threatening to shoot others); Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of alcohol & drinking; Mentions of cigarettes & smoking; Mentions of hunting; Mentions of using the bathroom outside; A few mentions of firing squads & executions; A few mentions of nightmares; A few mentions of lies & lying; A mention of manure; 
             *Note: A prisoner reacts badly to be called a ‘Mischlinge’ (someone with mixed blood), mentions of him abandoning his family due to it, & mentions of Hitler declaring he can null that those with mixed Jewish blood are not Jewish if they met certain requirements and would fight for him; Fannie is strongly against having German Prisoners of War on her family’s farm because of her brothers overseas fighting the Germans (this is a major part of the book with her concern over them being Nazis and being the enemy), but as the book continues, she tries to remember that they are human and want to go back home to their families (though she still struggles at times with hatred and blame);  Fannie’s younger sister makes comments against the German Prisoners of War, viewing them as Nazis, spies, and “not quite human”; Fannie ignores her mother’s orders a couple of times (which later causes trouble); Mentions of books (‘Rebecca’, Rabbit Hill’, ‘Gone with the Wind’, & ‘The Sword in the Stone’); Mentions of movies, actors, & actresses (‘Since You Went Away’, ‘The Seventh Cross’, ‘The Adventures of Mark Twain’, ‘Hollywood Canteen’, Claudette Colbert, Jennifer Jones, Joseph Cotten, Shirley Temple, Spencer Tracy, & Roy Rodgers); Mentions of singers & songs (Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, & the Andrew Sisters); A few mentions of car brands.
 
 
Sexual Content- A (unwanted) kiss (on the neck, up to semi-detailed) and a semi-detailed kiss; Some touches, hand holding, shivers, & nearness (including a character on purpose trying to fluster Fannie and get close to her); Wanting to touch & embrace (up to semi-detailed); Blushes; Noticing, Staring, & Remembering another’s body (including at curves and muscles, up to semi-detailed); Some of the German Prisoners stare, ogle at, and lick their lips when seeing Fannie and her little sister (which makes Fannie uncomfortable and flush; This is mentioned often at the beginning of the book; Wolfgang thinks the men “deserved a bit of sport…even if it was only in admiring a woman they could never approach”and calls the men “harmless” which is later showed to not be true of all of them); Leo’s mind wanders to “feral thoughts”when staring at Fannie’s body; Fannie warns her little sister (age thirteen) that some of the prisoners are barely older than her and haven’t been around any girls in a long time (and warns her from giving them any “notions”); One of the prisoners teases another about Fannie’s little sister being too young for his “lovemaking”; *Spoilers, but about an assault* Leo grabs Fannie, pulls her into a small room, threatens her with a gun, touches her hair, and kisses her neck; She is rescued by Wolf and others before he does anything else; After being arrested, Leo taunts Fannie with kissing the air towards her and is later given a twenty-five year sentence for his actions *End of Spoilers*; Mentions of men ogling at Fannie (including when she has wet clothing); Mentions of shirtless men (including Fannie staring at a one); Mentions of prisoners of war trying to escape to meet women; Mentions of girlfriends/boyfriends & break-ups; Mentions of blushes, crushes, & flirting; A couple mentions of kisses; A couple mentions of cute men; A mention of a man dancing with “bar floozies” to make his girl jealousy or mad; Love, falling in love, & the emotions.
 
-Fannie O’Brien, age 22
-Wolfgang “Wolf” Kloninger
-Leo Friedrickson
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                           Set in 1944-1945 (Final chapter in 1947)
                                                        256 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

My dad was born and raised in Wisconsin, so because of that and having extended family there, I was curious in this book and the history. I’ve read other books that mention about German Prisoners of War working in American factories and on farms, but this was my first book that actually showed it. As a gardener, I also found the farming and agricultural interesting, if not a little repetitive at times. 

 

However, I didn’t care for the comments and suggestions towards and about Fannie and her younger sister from the German soldiers. I kind of expected it to a degree, but there was more about their shapes/curves/figures and it bought a crass undertone to the story. Because of that and an attempted sexual assault, it honestly reminded me more of a secular historical fiction book about this time period than a Christian Fiction one. This was the major reason for my low rating and why I won’t be recommending it. Their comments and suggestions were brushed off and felt like a ‘boys will be boys’ kind of mentality, down to a comment from Wolfgang that the men in his team were “harmless”, but that’s later shown to be not the case when one attacks, corners, and kisses Fannie.

 

This book had it’s interesting moments and gave me a lot of bunny trails of history to research, but ultimately I didn’t care for some of the content—not necessarily the war content, but the sexual suggestions and hints. It was lustful at times, particularly the couple chapters in one of the prisoner’s POVs which was very uncomfortable to read and border-lined on creepy. 

 

A major part of the story is working through prejudice, which I honestly think was very understandable for Fannie. Her two brothers are fighting overseas against the Germans and here she is, having to accept help on her family’s farm from German PWs. It had an interesting moral dilemma because of that part of the story, but I find it a bit hard to believe about her falling for a German Prisoner of War—and him falling for her—during everything going on. It almost had the forbidden love trope because of it, but because he isn’t a true Nazi (noted in the book as he didn’t join the war for his own beliefs, but to protect his students that had enlisted), that can gave their potential romance a little more of a likely possibility of happening. Overall, I would say I have mixed feelings on it and just the book in general because of the sexual parts. It was good to learn more about this family in history, but I wish the sexual comments and parts would have been left out.

 

 

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.

"On My Honor" by Patty Smith Hall

About this book:

  “Ginny Mathis was finished with nursing school and had no intention of staying rooted in the Outer Banks—then war broke out. With her father away, she feels duty-bound to stay and help her mother and younger sister. While working as a clerk for the Oregon Inlet ferry, naval officers ask Ginny and others to be watchful for German U-boats reportedly spotted in the area. So to help occupy her teenage sister, Ginny enlists the Girl Scout troop she leads to help watch for suspicious activity along the coast. 
     Timothy Elliott is no stranger to death. As a British reporter working with the M-6, he’s numb to the losses of war after two years of fighting the Germans. Maybe that’s why he volunteered for this mission—to connect with an ex-German naval officer who stole the Furor’s battle plan for the Atlantic war. When the boat giving him passage to New York is bombed near the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, Tim is thrown from the boat and wakes up in the care of a group of young girls.
     Ginny follows her sneaky sister on a clandestine mission and discovers the shipwreck victim. Ginny knows she must take charge, but is this man the enemy, or does he hold secrets that could turn the tide of the Battle of the Atlantic in the allies’ favor?”


Series: Part of the series “Heroines of WWII”, but is not connected to any other book.


Spiritual Content- Scriptures are mentioned, quoted, & remembered; Prayers (including one where Ginny wonders if God is hearing her); ’H’s are capital when referring to God; Tim learned about God’s grace and love from his grandfather & his father passed away before Tim could share about Christ with him; Tim hopes for God’s justice and punishment on a German man who committed evil acts; One of the girls comments on it feeling pointless to pray, but Ginny tries to encourage her to pray and watch for an answer from the Lord; Ginny and Tim skip going to church one Sunday morning to investigate; Mentions of God, Jesus, & trusting Him; Mentions of prayers & praying, & praising/thanking God; Mentions of churches, church going, Sunday school, & a pastor; Mentions of blessings & being blessed; A few mentions of Christians & being one; A couple mentions of Bibles & Bible reading; A couple mentions of Tim’s father preaching “fire and brimstone” to him as a child; 
             *Note: Religious exclamations: “For Pete’s Sake”, “Dear heavens”, “heavens”, and “thank heavens” are said up to four times each; Tim says that holding Ginny close is “the closest thing to heaven on earth”; Tim hopes that hell comes to a German man’s mind after being in an ocean on fire due to oil; A girl comments that her mom says movies are “sinful and straight from the devil” (which makes Belle comment that her mother must not have seen some of the popular male actors then); A few mentions of evil (referring to the Germany’s government); A few mentions of Brownies/fairies; A mention of making a deal with the devil; A mention of being lucky; A mention of the girls idolizing Ginny.

 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘dumb’, a ‘stinkin’’, a ‘Geez Louise’, a form of ‘idiot’, two ‘stupid’s, and seven ‘blood’s; Eye rolling; A couple lies; Being on a drowning ship, Explosions/torpedoes, Being held at gunpoint, Being grabbed and tied-up, Injuries, Pain, & Blood/bleeding (semi-detailed); Seeing someone shot, in pain, & bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Witnessing others screaming and implied dying when ships are destroyed by enemy torpedoes (up to semi-detailed); Helping doctor others who are injured by stitching injuries and relocating a shoulder (semi-detailed); Ginny & Tim go to a morgue and look at every person in order to find someone (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Tim tells Ginny about wanting to kill a German man for what he had done, but how he couldn’t do it; Some blackmailing (Tim to Ginny for her help, but he apologizes the next time he sees her for saying it); Set during World War II, this book is all about & has many frequent mentions of battles/events (including Pearl Harbor), bombs/explosions, possible invasions, ships going down and people drowning, deaths, concern for family members fighting overseas, & grief; Many mentions of World War I, deaths, people witnessing traumatic events, & nightmares of it (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of dead bodies & possibly finding one (including of a child, barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of a morgue; Mentions of fights, injuries, pain, a gunshot wound, blood/bleeding, & passing out (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of treason, traitors, & executions; Mentions of threats (including to kill, harm, and arrest) & blackmail; Mentions of prisons/jails & arrests; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of gossip & rumors; A few mentions of other wars; A few mentions of a near drowning (Ginny when she was young); A few mentions of stealing, stolen items, & thieves; A few mentions of a mother leaving her young daughter (*Spoiler* At the end, it’s revealed the husband threatened the woman with killing her and their daughter if she took the child *End of Spoiler*); A few mentions of Tim’s father leaving him and his sister with his grandparents and their strained relationship (including calling him a disgrace); A few mentions of hatred; A few mentions of a bully; A couple mentions of a man being ordered to shoot his own men rather than the men being captured by their enemies; A couple mentions of possible hostage situations; A couple mentions of breaking and entering; A mention of Hitler’s death camps; A mention of hunting; A mention of the smell of dead animals; 
             *Note: *Spoilers about PTSD/mental health and the stigma around it* Ginny and Belle’s mother has symptoms of PTSD (called “shell shock”) after her time in helping during WWI as a young girl; Belle’s father has her keep her mother’s condition a secret from Ginny because he thinks any treatment that Ginny would want to do will make it worse; The mother has “spells” at night with nightmares and being trapped in memories of seeing deaths (barely-above-not-detailed); Ginny knows that her mother has fought “bouts of depression and anxiety” for most of Ginny’s life and her father told her not to speak about it outside the family (which she didn’t understand then, but learned about the “horrible stigma of mental illness” in nursing school); Ginny doesn’t understand why her family has kept her mother’s “spells” from her as she doesn’t think it’s a mental illness like they apparently do; Ginny thinks about how others treat those with psychiatric issues as “less than” and “generationally flawed”; A few mentions of institutions and someone being “crazy” *End of Spoilers*; Ginny & Belle have some sister bickering/spats, but always have each other’s back at the end of the day; A girl comments on her mother giving her “the third degree” whenever she leaves the house (another girl comments it’s because her mother is worried for her); A few implications of some people shunning a man with dark skin; Ginny leads her sister’s Girl Scout troop and there are many mentions of it (and Brownies and Girl Guides), the cookies, and their mottos/pledges; Mentions of pop culture with actors/actresses, movies, & radio shows (Cary Grant,  Clark Gable, Leslie Howard, William Powell, Jimmy Stewart, Clark Gable, Myrna Loy, Vivien Leigh, ‘Thin Man’, ‘The Philadelphia Story’, ‘Shop around the Corner’, ‘Gone with the Wind’, & ‘Little Orphan Annie’); A few mentions of historical characters relating to the area (Orville and Wilbur Wright & Blackbeard the pirate); A couple mentions of singers (Glenn Miller, Bing Crosby); A mention of Joe Louis; A mention of a mother dying in childbirth (Tim’s mother who was delivering his sister).
 
 
Sexual Content- A hand/fingers kiss, three head/forehead kisses, five cheek kisses, two nose kisses, an ear kiss, two barely-above-not-detailed kisses, three border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed kisses, three semi-detailed kisses (including mentions of swollen lips), and a border-line semi-detailed // detailed kisses; A man forces a kiss on Ginny (while she tries to get away, he continues to kiss her and draws blood; semi-detailed); Remembering kisses (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to kiss, touch, & embrace (up to semi-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, Warmth, Nearness, & Smelling (up to semi-detailed); Blushes & Flirting; Noticing & Staring (including curves, up to semi-detailed); Tim stops a kiss with Ginny because he cares too much for her to “fall into the same old patterns” he had with girls before he committed himself to Christ and wants to take their relationship slow; When Ginny undoes her hair, Tim gives her a “wolfish grin”; Tim and Ginny fall asleep in the same bed (in a hospital) and he refers to it as “the closest thing to heaven on earth” with having her so close; Ginny’s younger sister Belle (age thirteen) comments on wanting to “keep an eye on the guardsmen” rather than the beach and while Ginny notes she that she herself starting noticing boys at that age, the idea of her sister interested in the young men would be a recipe for disaster due to all the men that will be pouring into their community; It’s implied that Tim thinks that a girl was not protected by her father from a family member, but Ginny corrects that it wasn’t like that; Mentions of kisses & kissing; Mentions of boyfriends/girlfriends, dates, & dating; Mentions of reputations; A few mentions of girls practicing kissing by kissing their pillows; A few mentions of a man being sweet on Ginny; A couple mentions of jealousy; A mention of a girl mooning after a boy; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Ginny comments on being a nurse and seeing her “fair share of…anatomy” (said  with a blush); Ginny says that hearing stories about Girl Guides in England helping during WWI give her hope for being more than just being told the best hope for a girl is “a good husband and home”.
 
-Virginia “Ginny” Mathis
-Timothy “Tim” Elliott
                                P.O.V. switches between them, Belle, & another person (once)
                                             Set in 1942
                                                        258 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

This book was a mixed bag! I liked the historical setting, learning about WWII events I had never heard of, the prayers, and the island setting as well, but ultimately there were some things like the main characters and their romance that lowered my rating and make me hesitate recommending this book to even older teen girls, personally.

 

With some historical fiction books, you don’t have to be super interested in the time period or historical events to enjoy the book; some other historical fiction books, you do have to be interested in that because of the setting and different historical events are a major part of the story. This book was definitely the latter. There were some parts that the apparent significance of whatever was happening felt a little lost on me—like either I was missing an important detail or something was implied, but not really explained—so I did have to use a bit of brain power for some conversations and also do quite a bit of research on details. Because of this, I think those that are really interested in WWII or willing to research are the ones that would be the most interested in this book. The beginning half of the book was mostly like this, but then ending was very rushed—and perhaps a bit unbelievable as well. 

 

I didn’t love the main couple, personally. They fell very quick for each other and it got too kissy for my preference—especially when they had just met! Tim was a bit…brash, maybe would be the right word for it? He came on a little too strong for my tastes and it was more like insta-love because of it. The female main character, Ginny, is also assaulted with a forced kiss by a villain (which was disturbing to read in my opinion) and truly wasn’t necessary for the plot. Overall, this book wasn’t one I greatly enjoyed, unfortunately, due to the reasons listed above.

 

 

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 Starlet Spy" by Rachel Scott McDaniel

About this book:

  “In 1943, Movie producer Henrik Zoltan approaches Amelie Blake under the guise of offering the Hollywood star a leading part in his upcoming film, but he has a more meaningful role in mind. Amelie’s homeland of Sweden declared neutrality in the war, but Stockholm has become the ‘Casablanca of the North.’ When top-secret atomic research goes missing in Sweden, the Allied forces scramble to recover the files before they fall into Nazi hands. 
    The United States Office of Strategic Services (OSS) needs someone who’s subtle enough to spy on the Swedish elite without triggering suspicion. Who better than the “all beauty, no brains” Scandinavian starlet? Fluent in three languages and possessing a brilliant memory, Amelie loathes being labeled witless but uses the misconception as her disguise. She’s tasked with searching for the crucial files, but Finn Ristaffason keeps getting in her way. Is the charming shipping magnate after the missing research? Or does he have other reasons for showing up at her every turn?
    With the Gestapo on her heels, Amelie must rely on her smarts in addition to her acting skills to survive a world of deadly spies and counterspies.”


Series: Part of the series “Heroines of WWII”, but is not connected to any other book.


Spiritual Content- A couple Scriptures are mentioned & remembered; Prayers & Thanking God; A few talks about God & Esther; 'H's are capital when referring to God; Someone references Esther when talking about Amelie becoming a spy; Amelie prays with someone who is dying; Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of churches & a church group; Mentions of Christians, Jews, Jews being God’s chosen people; A mention of Heaven; A mention of someone sounding like a preacher (for a certain comment); 
             *Note: Mentions of evil (with the war); Mentions of folklore and superstitions from Greek, Norse, and Scandinavian mythology such as the legend of Näck, a sea monster (which can be destroyed with an iron cross being thrown at it) & the northern lights being believed to be a bridge between Asgard (where the gods are) and Earth.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a form of ‘shut up’, four forms of ‘stupid’, six forms of ‘dumb’, and six ‘idiot’s; Mentions of curses (said, not written); Eye rolling & Sarcasm; Fighting, Going into a building on fire, Going to a nightclub for the mission, Being held at gunpoint and knife-point, Being threatened, Injuries, & Blood/Bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Seeing someone hit by a car, dying, & the person’s final moments (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Amelie thinks that she gets paid to deceive because she’s an actress, but feels guilt at times for lying and breaking into a man’s office when doing her mission; Set during & all about many mentions of World War II, Nazis, deaths, fighting, injuries, weapons, atomic bombs, enemies, smuggling Jews into another countries, the evil involved in this war, & those siding with evil for money/greed; Mentions of someone being hit by a car (murder), someone being stabbed (attempted murder), murderers, a death, fires, explosions, a ship sinking, injuries, blood/bleeding, (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of deaths of loved ones & grief; Mentions of a dying parent (a cover story); Mentions of a woman’s first husband having an accident and found dead & her second disappearing (which makes some believe that she got rid of them both); Mentions of a hit being ordered on a man; Mentions of being held at gunpoint & fights (in films); Mentions of Amelie being taught self-defense & how to harm others (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of a man missing part of his pinkie (assumed because of work with machinery); Mentions of a man challenging another to a fight & looking forward to “breaking” the man’s face; Mentions of thieves, thefts, stealing, & stolen items (including the Nazis raiding Jewish communities and stealing their items); Mentions of threats & blackmail; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, social drinking at dinners/parties, drunks, & getting sober; Mentions of cigars, cigarettes, & smoking (many side characters smoke); Mentions of nightclubs; Mentions of lies, lying, liars, deception, & guilt from those; Mentions of rumors, gossips, & eavesdropping; Mentions of hatred; A few mentions of Amelie thinking of all the ways she could die in this mission (no details); A few mentions of a pen that shoots cyanide (that can melt someone’s skin off & is used as a threat); A few mentions of possible kidnappings; A couple mentions of a miscarriage being blamed on the mother being exposed to potent chemicals & her grief/pain; A couple mentions of the deaths of a man’s parents on the Titanic; A couple mentions of the death of a man after injuries from a barroom brawl; A couple mentions of poison that can cause instant death (barely-above-not-detailed); A couple mentions of blackouts; A couple mentions of a man who doesn’t care for his stepchildren because they are another man’s children; A couple mentions of multiple divorces; A mention of embezzlement; A mention of a man threating to murder someone (who he thinks is having an affair with his wife); A mention of throwing up; 
             *Note: Amelie wishes that just once she could play the leading lady who helps the hero or even defended herself from the get-go instead of being a horrified spectator; Amelie doesn’t want to imagine marrying anyone; Amelie thinks negatively of someone thinking that the man believes him to be superior to those who have less money than him; Someone makes a comment about not trusting foreigners; Mentions of car brands; Mentions of actors, actresses, movies, singers, & songs from this time period (Carole Lombard, Bob Hope, Leslie Howard, Cary Grant, W.C. Fields, Lana Turner, Rita Hayworth, Ginger Rogers, Clark Gable, Walter Pidgeon, Jean Harlow, Katharine Hepburn, Greta Garbo, Gone with the Wind, Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, & Rosita Serrano); A few mentions of Oscars & Academy Awards; A mention of an Agatha Christie novel.
 
 
Sexual Content- an accident lip touch, a wrist kiss, a cheek kiss, three forehead kisses, an almost kiss, a not-detailed (movie/acting) kiss, five barely-above-not-detailed kisses, two border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed kisses, two semi-detailed kisses, and three detailed kisses; Remembering kisses & Wanting to kiss (up to semi-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Accidental Cuddling, Dancing, Hand holding, Warmth, Shivers, Nearness, Smelling (including some in a movie/acting); Blushes; Noticing & Staring (including a man being bare chested and his muscles, up to semi-detailed); Amelie is to play as the “blond bimbo” on her mission (which is what she typically plays in movies) and tells those in charge that she won’t be a femme fatale and will not use her body in a “compromising way” or seduce anyone; *Spoiler* Amelie’s biological father was a wealthy man and her mother was a maid at his house; Her mother was disgraced and left after she found out she was pregnant with Amelie (she had Amelie at age seventeen); Amelie’s father never contacted either of them and even though she meets him in this book, she does not and will not tell him she’s his daughter as she doesn’t want to claim him because of his character (Amelie thinks that she’ll throw up if he tries to flirt with her); Amelie’s mother doesn’t trust handsome men because of this, believing that “the handsomer the man, the more dubious the character”; When Amelie had realized that her mother fled her home because she was pregnant with her, Amelie felt weighted with shame; Amelie noticed that her mother held the shame, but Amelie thinks that “mistakes shouldn’t define our futures” *End of Spoiler*; Amelie makes a couple of comments that either come out wrong or could be taken sexual (such as saying it’s her job to study a man’s body and then correct to meaning body language & when a man says he’d like to see more of her, she comments that no one sees more of her than what she’s currently wearing); Amelie is concerned that a man may want an indecent favor in return; Amelie adjusts her robe when in front of a man because she doesn’t want to give the impression that she’s after a romantic interlude & has morals (despite what the magazines print about her) and does not want to give the idea of a temptress; Amelie watches two people to see if they are having a secret relationship (affair), but notices nothing between them (some others believe they are); Someone makes a comment about assuming Amelie is there for a romantic liaison with a man; Amelie cautions a man that if he takes liberties with her and kisses her, she won’t be responsible for her actions towards him; The love interest kisses Amelie and says that he’ll be sleeping elsewhere because the temptation of kissing her more; A man (not the love interest) nuzzles Amelie & says he will “take whatever [he] wants from her” (nothing happens past that comment); Men flirt with, leer at, catcall, & say a couple vulgar slurs and propositions about Amelie (none of the slurs are written out); A man asks Amelie if another man has kept his paws off of her because “you have to watch the quiet ones”; A ‘bimbo’ is said; Mentions of men getting young women pregnant after “dallying” with them and then abandoning them, illegitimate children, & scandals; Mentions of rumors and gossip about affairs, hot romances, romantic liaisons, & scandals (none which are true); Mentions of attractive men & women throwing themselves at them (including one trying to kiss a man); Mentions of men staring at Amelie, their roaming eyes, forgetting their “manners” when around her, & some “pushy” fans; Mentions of ladies’ men & flirting; Mentions of jealousy & a man hitting another for believing his stole his girl; A couple mentions of kisses in films; A couple mentions of a man staring at Amelie’s lips; A couple mentions of sultry smiles (including a director telling Amelie to give one); A couple mentions of “taxi dancers” (where men would pay a dime for a dance with a girl); A couple mentions of crushes; A couple mentions of a young Amelie consuming numerous love stories, having a head “full of romantic delusions”, & wanting to gain approve from a young man (which she now realizes was damaging and that “value was not a trophy to be won from other people’s acceptance”); A mention of it being scandalous if Amelie checks into a hotel with a man (even if they book separate rooms); A mention of a man looking at Amelie with “masculine appreciation”; A mention of mythology legend that could morph into a handsome man and entice women to the ocean’s edge; A mention of a woman using her “charms” to get onboard a ship; A mention of a ladies’ man trying to skirt angry fathers; A mention of a father sending away an apprentice that his daughter was in love with; Love, attraction, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: When having to climb up or down something, Amelie has to hike her skirt up in a somewhat “scandalous” fashion, toss her stockings down to a man (who blushes), & warns him that he better not see anything so he says he’ll keep his gave on her higher portions (she threats his “lower portions” with a kick if he doesn’t); Amelie kicks a man in his groin (self-defense); Mentions of men valuing women for what they could give to them (such as their looks/appearance and fame); A couple mentions of a book about the mating principles of dragonflies (including Amelie commenting that who would have guessed that there was so much information on this subject by the size of the book); A mention of a dress hugging Amelie’s curves.
 
-Amelie Blake, age 26
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                            Set in 1943 (Final Chapter in 1945)
                                                        256 pages

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

Put spy in a title and I’m curious to know more, what can I say? 

 

I was taken aback that this book was written in first person, but I ended up really liking that element. It made the book feel like one of those old movies with the main character narrating what’s happening which really added to the 1940s feel of this story. She acts as an airhead and it was quite satisfying. 

 

I think it’s a micro trope, but I always find it interesting that when the main character is a spy and don’t know if they can trust their love interest. I really like that element. One thing I would have liked more of in this book would have been an obvious note that Finn was Christian as well. We saw a couple glimpses, but I would have liked the faith content to take a bit more of center stage at times.  

 

This is the third book I’ve read in the series and the third one I’ve really enjoyed. I’m really enjoying that so far while they are either stateside or abroad (this being my first abroad setting one) and it’s all about the war, they’re not horribly sad with all the details of the Jews being persecuted, fighting and deaths details, and such things that are very common in World War II books. It doesn't feel as heavy as most.

 

I wish I could’ve given this book a four-star, but because of a couple comments here and there, a few suggestions, and then a few of long kissing scenes, I didn’t care for those parts and it affects the ratings. If an older girl has been exposed to more things in books (such as secular books), this book probably would be just fine, but I have to note these things and that I would mark it for older girls, at least, for sure.

 

 

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.

"Mrs. Witherspoon Goes to War" by Mary Davis

About this book:

  “Peggy Witherspoon, a widow, mother, and pilot flying for the Women’s Airforce Service in 1944 clashes with her new reporting officer. Army Air Corp Major Howie Berg was injured in combat and is now stationed at Bolling Field in Washington D.C. Most of Peggy’s jobs are safe, predictable, and she can be home each night with her three daughters—until a cargo run to Cuba alerts her to American soldiers being held captive there, despite Cuba being an “ally.” Will Peggy go against orders to help the men—even risk her own life?”


Series: Part of the series “Heroines of WWII”, but is not connected to any other book.


Spiritual Content- Ecclesiastes 3:1 and 8 at the beginning; A few Scriptures are remembered; Prayers & Thanking God; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; A few talks about God & praying; Peggy has a strained relationship with the Lord & feels as if God doesn’t hear her prayers due to praying for her husband’s safety and him still being killed in action (she prays for others though and hopes her prayer doesn’t “fall on death ears like all her others had”; When something happens, she thinks that “that’s was what she got for praying”; She makes a few more comments in her head that imply God let her down and her bitterness towards Him, thinking that God tore her heart apart from turning away from her; *Spoilers* About halfway, she starts a more regular communication with God again and finds comfort in praying as though “Someone were actually listening”; She feels guilt for neglecting God and later thinks that God loves her even though He answered most of her prayers with no *End of Spoilers*); Peggy hears God’s voice directing her (x3); Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers, praying, & thanking God; A handful of mentions of churches & church going (Peggy goes to church for the sake of her daughters); A couple mentions of miracles; A mention of Peggy wondering about God having more important things to worry about than a get-together; A mention of guardian angels; 
             *Note: Howie thinks that while he had cursed being injured when it happened, he now wonders if it was a blessing after all; A couple mentions of good luck.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘shut up’ and five forms of stupid; A couple mentions of curses (said, not written); A but of eye rolling; Flying (both calm and dangerous flights with injuries), jumping out of a plane, a fire/smoke, gunfire, being shot at, injuries, pain, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); A training exercise ends up with someone accidentally being shot (up to semi-detailed); Seeing someone chokehold another & make them unconscious (barely-above-not-detailed); *Major Spoilers* Peggy and other WASPs plan an unauthorized rescue mission, go on the mission through a hurricane looming, and have to eject out of the plane when it’s damaged causing others to believe that Peggy is MIA (up to semi-detailed) *End of Major Spoilers*; Peggy’s husband was shot down over Germany fifteen months prior to the book starting (we see some grief from her, barely-above-not-detailed); Howie recalls his plane being shot down & crashing (including his major injuries, up to semi-detailed); Peggy’s oldest daughter makes a comment about wanting to shoot down the bad people who did that to her father; Set during World War II & many mentions of wars, deaths, prisoners of war, soldiers missing in action, actual events, fighting, being shot at, gunfire, injuries, & pain (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of fires, smoke, crash landings; Mentions of injuries, pain, surgeries and possible amputation, broken bones, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); A handful of mentions of throwing up; A few mentions of torture; A few mentions of the possibility of being killed or captured as a prisoner of war; A few mentions of traitors & spies; A few mentions of the possibility of being court marshaled and/or jailed; A few mentions of nightmares (particularly military men when they come back home); A few mentions of the Great Depression; A few mentions of a young boy teasing and taunting a little girl; A few mentions of smoking & pipes; A couple mentions of casualties; A couple mentions of the possibility of being killed; A couple mentions of the possibilities of a plane exploding; A mention of the possibility of bleeding out; A mention of a bully who is drunk on power;
             *Note: Howie has signs of PTSD (not named) from his plane being shot down and crashing (he recalls the event, up to semi-detailed; in regards to the crash: Howie doesn’t take his sleeping medication because it makes him feel drugged and no longer in control; Howie thinks of himself as a cripple and a half-crippled man); Peggy & the other WASPs face prejudice, discrimination, and dangerous situations because of being female pilots from others (men, women, and a little boy) & many mentions of this throughout the book (written out comments as well); Peggy wants herself and the other female pilots to be treated as equal to the male pilots & voices it a few times throughout the book; At first, Howie doesn’t believe women should be in the military because he was raised that ladies would be protected and cherished (which is why he reacts to the WASP women being put in danger); Peggy and other WASPs fix a plane that they don’t think the government will miss for a few hours (not asking permission nor officially gaining it); Mentions of car brands; A mention of some men believing women to be too emotional; A mention of Shirley Temple; A mention of a book (The Velveteen Rabbit).
 
 
Sexual Content- A hand kiss, an almost kiss, a barely-above-not-detailed kiss, and two semi-detailed kisses; Remembering kisses, almost kisses, & touches (barely-above-not-detailed); Wanting to kiss & embrace (barely-above-not-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, & Nearness (up to semi-detailed); Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes; Mentions of kisses, almost kisses, & embracing; Mentions of romantic entanglements & fraternizing (between the WASPs and military men) being discouraged; A few mentions of dates, dating, & a handsome boy; A couple mentions of crushes; A mention of a man wolf whistling at a WASP; Some love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: A couple mentions of Peggy feeling pain that is comparable go childbirth (which she felt like her baby was going to “tear her in two”).
 
-Margaret “Peggy” Witherspoon, age 
-Howie Berg
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                            Set in 1944 (Prologue in 1927)
                                                        305 pages

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

Like a prior book I’ve read in this multi-authored series, it’s set in World War II but not super heavy on the sadness that comes with that time period. There’s high stakes and lives at risk, but we’re not overseas with the characters fighting or hiding for their lives like many other World War II fiction books. I personally really like that difference and definitely plan to check out more of the series. 

 

Howie meant well, but he’s kind of clueless. At the beginning, he went on too much about the WASPs being women and that they shouldn’t be doing it—not because of them being women but due to being raised that ladies should be protected. He had a lot to learn (and unlearn, really) about women involved in the war. 

 

On the other hand, Peggy was very tough and strong, which felt so odd against their romance. I actually started to hope that there would be no romance between them, but no, there was a romance. She was very stand-offish towards him in his point of view, but when it switched to her’s, she was thinking about him in a non-work, possible romance related way. It felt a little bit out of left field and rushed. So, the romance was my least favorite part about this book…I think it would’ve been better with no romance.

 

At first I thought it was a bit too much about all the flying, planes, and technical talk, but as the book continued I started to become more interested in it all, especially towards the end. I honesty think that if done well, this could be a really neat movie. I found myself getting goosebumps at times towards the end, especially. There were quite a few parts that I felt like weren’t the most realistic, but it’s a fiction book so I’m going to let it slide because I overall enjoyed it.

 

 

 

See y’all on Friday with a new review! 

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