"The Prince of Spies" by Elizabeth Camden

About this book:

  “Luke Delacroix has the reputation of a charming man-about-town in Gilded Age Washington, D.C. In reality, he is secretly carrying out an ambitious agenda in Congress. His current mission is to thwart the reelection of Congressman Clyde Magruder, his only real enemy in the world.

   But trouble begins when Luke meets Marianne Magruder, the congressman's only daughter, whose job as a government photographer gives her unprecedented access to sites throughout the city. Luke is captivated by Marianne's quick wit and alluring charm, leading them both into a dangerous gamble to reconcile their feelings for each other with Luke's driving passion for vital reforms in Congress.

   Can their newfound love survive a political firestorm, or will three generations of family rivalry drive them apart forever?”

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

 

 

Spiritual Content- A few Scriptures are mentioned; Prayers, Thanking God, & Blessings over food; A talk about honoring your father and mother; Luke talks some about his faith & Marianne is surprised that he is a church-goer (as she thinks that the Bible seems like a “weighty, convoluted book”); In a tough situation, Luke prays all the “passages of comfort” but thinks that God isn’t answering him; Towards the end, Marianne says that her mission now was to learn to live in a world in a way that “extended forgiveness to other fallen people”; A pastor is blunt to Marianne about her looking for a stronger faith;  Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers, praying, Thanking God, & blessings over food; Mentions of Bibles & Bible reading; Mentions of churches, church going, sermons, a pastor, & a minister (mostly for a wedding); Mentions of blessings & being blessed; A few mentions of monks & matrons in a convent/Mother Superior; A couple mentions of swearing or lying on a stack of Bibles; A mention of someone who was disowned from her family and her name being stricken from the family Bible; 

             *Note: Luke tells Gray he has three ghosts on his shoulders which Gray asks if they’re good ghosts or bad ghosts (Luke answers that they’re “The kind who wake you up at night and steal your joy and make you pray to God for forgiveness”); A couple mentions of Luke’s inner demons & another man not having any; A couple mentions of Marianne being compared to “forbidden fruit” for Luke; A mention of a husband worshipping the ground his wife walks on; A mention of a devilish smile; A mention of talisman. 

 

 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘blast’, a ‘damning proof’, a ‘darn’, an ‘idiot’, a ‘shut up’, a ‘witch’ (when referring to another woman), and three forms of ‘stupid’; A couple mentions of curses (said, not written); Some eye rolling; Being punched & bleeding (which Luke says he’s turning the other cheek, which upset the other man a lot, up to semi-detailed); Going to prison & running away from/fighting with an officer (both as a visitor and being arrested, barely-above-not-detailed); Headaches, Pain, & Being ill (up to semi-detailed); Marianne is shoved by her brother when he’s angry; Marianne’s father goes through her stuff and kicks some of it in anger & grabs her face forcefully; Throwing glass items are others in a fit of anger (common in Marianne’s family and she does it once); Luke struggles with claustrophobia & has “attacks of panic” (semi-detailed); To meet the weight requirement for something, Luke drinks a gallon of water to up his weight; Both Marianne & Luke have been raised to not like the other’s family & there are barbs against each other’s family; Trying to help a dog that fell in a frozen lake (& someone else falling in, the dog is okay, up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of jails/prisons, prisoners/criminals, treason, a spy ring, & a rebellion (Luke in Books #1 & #2); Many mentions of deaths (allergic reactions), poison, chemicals being in food, & human and animal test subjects; Many mentions of eavesdropping, gossip, & rumors; Mentions of wars, fighting, & losing everything; Mentions of a little boy’s dog being shot and killed because of his actions (the father was proud to get rid of the dog because his wife didn’t like it and was able to punish his son, barely-above-not-detailed but is very bluntly written; Marianne is very sad and disappointed that it happened; The young boy becomes very fearful of many things after & his father shows no remorse); Mentions of child labor; Mentions of a break-in & vandalism; Mentions of counterfeit items; Mentions of throwing glass items at others in fits of anger & Marianne’s parents argue; Mentions of a dog that fell in a frozen lake, his struggling, & a rescuer falling in as well (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of hatred; Mentions of smoking, cigars, & pipes; Mentions of alcohol/wine/champagne, social drinking, & a bar; Mentions of throwing up; Mentions of children cheating on a test; A few mentions of prejudice towards an Indian (Native American) man; A few mentions of insurance fraud; A few mentions of bribery; A few mentions of lies & lying; A few mentions of backstabbing; A few mentions of using the bathroom; A couple mentions of an assassination of a president (Book #2); A couple mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of hunting & skinning animals; A mention of the Ku Klux Klan; A mention of someone being accused of theft; A mention of being robbed; 

             *Note: Marianne shows her smallpox vaccination scar & says “People were once terrified of getting vaccinated, but they’ve been doing it for more than fifty years, and I thank God for it!”; Mentions of the book Don Quixote; Mentions of paintings & artists.

 

 

Sexual Content- Two fingers-to-lips touches, two hand/palm kisses, a neck kiss, jaw kisses (barely-above-not-detailed), a forehead kiss, an almost kiss, a not-detailed kiss, four barely-above-not-detailed kisses, a border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed kiss, and four semi-detailed kisses; Recalling a kiss (barely-above-not-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Hand Holding, Nearness, Warmth, & Electricity (up to semi-detailed); Wanting & Longing for someone; Blushes & Winks; Noticing; Luke says Marianne is pretty enough to tempt and monk & that he’s no monk; Many mentions of Marianne’s fathers infidelities, affairs, mistresses (including his grandson’s nanny, which he tried to hide from his wife by kicking out the woman saying that she was a thief), his illegitimate children, & others in the family being mean/rude/hateful to those children (Marianne says that her father does love his wife *Spoiler* Marianne’s “real mother” had an affair and was then paid well to hand her over after the birth; Marianne is very thankful that her father didn’t abandoned her; Marianne’s brother makes snide comments about her birth & later tells a reporter the secret to hurt her; Marianne’s (adoptive) mother also makes slips about not wanting to raise another illegitimate child; Marianne’s (adoptive) mother get very mad at her husband and throws things at him when he comes home late from the city where his illegitimate son and his mother live *End of Spoiler*); Mentions of kisses & kissing; Mentions of blushes & winks; Mentions of flirting; Mentions of jealousy; A few mentions of a couple showing their physical appreciation of the other (mostly her: her sitting on his lap and tracing his neck, barely-above-not-detailed); A few mentions of men not laying a finger on a woman; A couple mentions of a wife wanting her husband’s secretary to have the face like a bulldog; A mention of a secret meeting between lovers; A mention of the slang about a child being “born on the wrong side of the blanket” (illegitimate); A mention of a tramp; Love, falling/being in love, & the emotions;

             *Note: Luke compares Marianne to a beautiful Botticelli (painter) nymph, which she replies that they’re all naked (he says “not all of them”); Mentions of a man’s bare chest (no details); A couple mentions of Marianne’s mother’s figure and having her corset tight to “put other women in the shade”; A couple mentions of a painting of a woman with a low-cut dress (Nell Gwynn, the mistress of King Charles II); A mention of going as a half-naked strumpet to a themed ball; A mention of bosom buddies.

 

-Marianne Magruder, age 26

-Luke Delacroix, age 30

                                P.O.V. switches between them

                                             Set in 1902 (Final Chapter set in 1906)

                                                        352 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

{Not for those sensitive to animal (dog) deaths and/or affairs, cheating, and hatred towards illegitimate children.}

The final book in a trilogy I’ve been eager to finish.

Unfortunately, It was nowhere near the first two for me because…well, I’ll get into that in a moment, but I did like a few different aspects.

I find the topic of chemicals used in foods to be fascinating and that’s truly what pulled me into this series. I quickly fell for the sibling dynamics between the Delacroix trio. Seeing a certain couple’s wedding in this book was particularly sweet.

When the reveal of their last names happen, I did really like how it was handled—like adults. They still kept seeing each other, though, which added the Romeo and Juliet-ish trope. For the first, oh, 40% I was very interested and smiling like a fool at parts—even if it was insta-love. But my enjoyment started dwindling as it continued.

While it could be refreshing to have a main girl not be super strong-willed (like most in the Christian Fiction Historical genre) or very being a wallflower (like many others in the genre), Marianne was in-between those two in terms of her personality. And I really struggled with her.

Because Marianne and Luke are fictional (I would never say this to a real-life couple) and I viewed their relationship from a not-involved point-of-view: I don’t think Marianne was good enough for Luke. He was constantly showing his loyalty to her, but all she cared about was her family’s stats on things and their approval—even when certain members of her family are just absolutely hateful and evil. She had an opportunity to do something very important for Luke, but instead she doesn’t do anything until she receives something sweet from him that finally kicks her into gear.

Speaking of her family’s evil actions, a beloved dog is killed (technically off-the-pages, but is mentioned often) and it about tore my heart out to read it. As a sensitive dog lover, I truly think that every time I see this book I’ll be reminded of those parts. It was completely unnecessary and used just to make the reader hate a certain character even more (when he didn’t need help in that regard).

There’s also a lot of mentions of cheating, affairs, illegitimate children, and hatred towards those children.

The faith content was…interesting. I really enjoyed Luke’s parts with his faith, but I wish there would have been more on Marianne’s parts other than a quick skimming towards the end about giving forgiveness in a fallen world. (Particularly after her comment about the Bible always seeming like a “weighty, convoluted book” closer to the beginning. I wasn’t satisfied at all with her faith parts.)

The ending was odd for me. I knew that it wouldn’t follow the typical “normal” route, but it still felt like a strange and random way to end the book.

I’m a bit sad, because I was so looking forward to reading Luke’s story and seeing all the photography elements. Unfortunately, there were just too many other parts that took away from my enjoyment.

 

 

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.

 

"A Gilded Lady" by Elizabeth Camden

About this book:

 

  “Caroline Delacroix is at the pinnacle of Washington high society in her role as secretary to the First Lady of the United States. But beneath the facade of her beauty, glamorous wardrobe, and dazzling personality, she's hiding a terrible secret. If she cannot untangle a web of foreign espionage, her brother will face execution for treason.

    Nathaniel Trask is the newly appointed head of the president's Secret Service team. He is immediately attracted to Caroline's quick wit and undeniable charm, but his job leaves no room for distractions. Anarchist plots have led to mounting threats against the president, forcing him to put duty before his growing love for Caroline.

    Amid the glamorous pageantry of Gilded Age Washington, DC, Caroline and Nathaniel face danger and heartbreak that shakes them to their core and tests all they know about love and sacrifice.”

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

 

 

Spiritual Content- Scriptures are mentioned, read, remembered, & thought over; Prayers; Church going & going to churches to pray for someone; Visiting a Jewish synagogue; Talks about God, being unconditionally loved, & being forgiven; ‘H’s are capitalized when referring to God; Nathaniel wonders why God allowed something bad to happen and struggles with finding the reason; Mentions of God, Him knowing best, & Jesus forgiving our sins; Mentions of prayers, praying, & thanking God; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, & books of the Bible; Mentions of being a good Christian (& even when you don’t feel like it) and Christian duties; Mentions of churches, services, sermons/messages, & pastors/ministers/priests; Mentions of a Jewish synagogue, Torah scrolls, & rabbis; Mentions of those from the Bible; A few mentions of a man reading the Bible and swearing that he’s a changed man; A few mentions of an engraving of the prodigal son; A couple mentions of Heaven; A couple mentions of godsends; A couple mentions of Puritans like Jonathan Edwards “threatening sinners in the hands of an angry God”; A couple mentions of a man wearing (no shirt and) angels wings while holding up a Bible and preaching doom to a crowd; A couple mentions of men living like a monk; A mention of a chaplain; A mention of a book of sermons; A mention of a rosary; A mention of someone being as guilty as sin.

              *Note: A few mentions of two different men’s demons & one battling them; A mention of a devilish smile; A mention of a talisman.

 

 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘[didn’t] care a fig about [something]’, a ‘drat’, a ‘oh my word’, three ‘idiot’s, three ‘shut up’, and three forms of ‘stupid’; A couple mentions of curses (said, not written); Sarcasm & Eye rolling; Seeing someone shot & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); An assassination, assassination attempts, gunfire, & fighting the shooters (up to semi-detailed); Being shot, gunfire, fighting, pain, injuries, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Caroline is trying to quit smoking, but craves cigarettes when under stress to calm herself or when she sees someone else smoking (she smokes cigarettes twice); All about many mentions of assassinations, assassins, trying to keep an assassination from happening, shootings, shooters, gunfire, guns, bullets, knives, blood/bleeding, injuries, pain, & how they happened (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of treason, traitors, a possible hanging/execution, trials, jails/prisons, & arrests; Many mentions of alcohol, social drinking, drinking, & drunks (Nathaniel says he doesn’t drink; Luke drinks once); Many mentions of smoking, tobacco, cigarettes, cigars, & pipes (Caroline struggles with quitting smoking); Mentions of nightmares of a death of a loved one (drowning), their body, & a family member grieving them (including recalling it, border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Mentions of deaths, illnesses, & injuries (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of wars, battles, fights, fighting, & deaths; Mentions of beatings & torture; Mentions of rebellions, violence, & threats; Mentions of bombings & bomb threats; Mentions of gangs, criminals, & crimes; Mentions of embezzlement; Mentions of con-artists, forgers, forgeries, & counterfeit items; Mention of fires & burns (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of break-ins & breaking in; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of eavesdropping; Mentions of gossip & rumors; A few mentions of a family member dying from falling down the stairs (barely-above-not detailed); A couple mentions of possible kidnappings; A couple mentions of robberies; A couple mentions of members of someone’s family being arrested to pressure them to turn themselves in; A couple mentions of hatred; A mention of blackmail; 

             *Note: Mentions of Mrs. McKinley’s seizures & terrible headaches (barely-above-not-detailed); A couple mentions of a family grieving the deaths of their young daughters; A couple mentions of a mother leaving her family to run off with a traveling salesman.

 

 

Sexual Content- A palm kiss, two cheek kisses, a forehead kiss, a barely-above-not-detailed, and four semi-detailed kisses; Remembering a kiss (barely-above-not-detailed); Wanting to kiss someone & wanting to steal a kiss; Touches, Embraces, Electricity, Hand Holding, Nearness, & Smelling (barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes; Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); When Caroline’s shawl slips and show bare skin, Nathaniel is tempted and asks her to pull it back up; Caroline bumps Nathaniel’s ankle on purpose & he says he is “impervious to temptation” but notice the electricity; Mentions of kisses & kissing (including a few conversations about kissing someone and women wondering if a man is a good kisser); Mentions of a man swearing to God that he not taking liberties with a girl besides a peck on the cheek; Mentions of flirting (including Caroline & Nathaniel’s flirtatious conversations, and Caroline pleading, bargaining, and flirting to get something done for her job); Mentions of blushes & winks; A few mentions of sibling betting who will get kissed first (which Caroline won when she asked a minister to kiss her and he did); A few mentions of a man being told to keep his hands off of a woman & her teasingly saying that she will keep her hands to herself; A few mentions of crushes & being teased about having one; A couple mentions of affairs; A couple mentions of Caroline flinging herself to Nathaniel; A mention of a man looking up and down Caroline’s body (which she is used to and doesn’t mind if it snags this man’s attention because she needs something from him); A mention of getting an eyeful of married couple being affectionate; Love, attraction, falling in love, & the emotions; 

             *Note: A mention of someone saying about a tradition about taking off their clothes, drinking, & dancing around a bonfire (not really, said to annoy someone else). 

 

-Caroline Delacroix, age 28-29

-Nathaniel Trask, age 38-39

                                P.O.V. switches between them 

                                           Set in 1900-1901

                                                     356 pages

 

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Pre Teens-

New Teens- 

 

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

{ Add a ½ star for girls interested in American Political History. }

I truly enjoyed the different style of pacing for this historical romance novel. Based on an interaction we see of Caroline and Nathaniel from “The Spice King”, I was really expecting this to be have the enemies-to-lovers trope between the two of them. I was pleasantly surprised that it did not and that this book covered over a year of their lives. While, yes, they were attracted to each other very quickly, because of their work keeping them very busy, I would call it more of a slow-burn romance.  

I really liked Caroline. She’s good at damage control; She goes after what she wants in a strong (almost in a polite but forceful?) way; She’s interested in fashion and high society but she’s not shallow or ditsy. To describe her in a word: vibrant. I felt kinship with Annabelle from the first book, but I admired Caroline. I honestly enjoyed that they didn’t really get along (mainly Caroline towards Annabelle for her past actions) because it was different from the typical new sisters-in-law fawning over each other and because their personalities are so vastly different. I’m so eager to read the third book and finally learn more about Luke.

Like normal with an Elizabeth Camden book, I kept pausing reading to look up different historical facts and events that were taking place and upcoming, waiting in suspense for different events to happen.

While this one didn’t enthrall me quite like “The Spice King” did, I still found this second book to be very interesting and I enjoyed learning more about an administration that I didn’t know much about. Definitely looking forward to reading the third and final book soon.

 

 

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 Spice King" by Elizabeth Camden

About this book:

  “Gray Delacroix has dedicated his life to building an acclaimed global spice empire, but it has come at a cost. Resolved to salvage his family before they spiral out of control, he returns to his ancestral home for good after years of traveling the world.

   As a junior botanist for the Smithsonian, Annabelle Larkin has been charged with the impossible task of gaining access to the notoriously private Delacroix plant collection. If she fails, she will be out of a job and the family farm in Kansas will go under. She has no idea that in gaining entrance to the Delacroix world, she will unwittingly step into a web of dangerous political intrigue far beyond her experience.

   Unable to deny her attraction to the reclusive business tycoon, Annabelle will be forced to choose between her heart and loyalty to her country. Can Gray and Annabelle find a way through the storm of scandal without destroying the family Gray is fighting to save?”

 

 

Series: Book #1 in the “Hope and Glory” trilogy.

Spiritual Content- Prayers; Talks about God & His plans; ‘H’s are capitalized when referring to God; Gray isn’t much of a praying man, but knows that God has blessed him; Mentions of God, Jesus, & doing your best; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of thanking God & heavens; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, & a couple mentions of Scriptures; Mentions of blessings & being blessed; Mentions of sins & & salvation; Mentions of monks & monasteries; A couple mentions of Judas Iscariot & the 30 pieces of silver; A mention of a godsend; A mention of a greenhouse being like the Garden of Eden; A mention of the Holy Grail;

             *Note: Annabelle and her sister have a horseshoe for luck (Annabelle prays that it continues to serve them well); “What in the name of all that is holy is going on?” is said once; A mention of someone being guilty as sin; A mention of a damning list; A mention of a devilish smile; A mention of a professor possibly making an alter for a certain plant; A mention of a talisman.

 

 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘holy moly’, a ‘shoddy’, a ‘shut up’, two ‘bah!’s, three forms of ‘give a fig’, three ‘idiot’s, and seven forms of ‘stupid’; A few mentions of curses (said, not written, by Gray); Sarcasm & eye rolling; Pain (up to semi-detailed); Gray accepts a cheroot from a man (even though he’s not much for smoking) since he knows it’s important to mingle with another culture on business deals; Many mentions of rebellions, possible treason, traitors, spies, crimes, arrests, imprisonment, prisons/jails, & it being a hanging offense; Mentions of wars, deaths, & injuries; Mentions of people dying because of a falsely labeled product (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of someone going blind because of an illness and falling into depression; Mentions of illegal actions, smuggling, & weapons; Mentions of fights, fighting, & injuries; Mentions of cheating & cheaters; Mentions of blackmail, debts, & bribes; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of rumors & gossip; Mentions of smoking, pipes, cigarettes, cigars, & tobacco; Mentions of social drinking, drinking, alcohol, taverns/bars, drunks, being sober; A couple mentions of an accident & deaths; A couple mentions of a near drowning; A couple mentions of thefts; A mention of embezzlement;

             *Note: Annabelle’s sister is blind, has a couple panic attacks, & wonders why she’s alive (Annabelle tells her she’s still alive because God has plans for her); Mentions of authors, books, & characters.

Sexual Content- A finger-to-lips touch, a barely-above-not-detailed kiss, and a semi-detailed kiss; Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, Warmth, & Nearness (barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes & Winks; Noticing; Mentions of flirting & flirts; A few mentions of chaperones; A couple mentions of a man who got his children’s nanny pregnant & then accused her of theft so she would run away before his wife found out; A couple mentions of a warning of keeping your hands off of someone (and verse-versa); A couple mentions of a woman being described as ravishing & mouthwatering; A couple mentions of jealousy; A mention of a married man’s pregnant mistress; A mention of a man casting covetous glances at another man’s wife; A mention of a rumored affair; A mention of a man possibly getting in trouble chasing skirts (women); Love, falling in love, & the emotions;

             *Note: A couple mentions of bare-chested men (not sexual); A mention of an engaged couple wanting to hurry to get married because he isn’t getting any younger and they want to have a child as soon as possible; A mention of a twenty-three year age gap between a couple.

 

-Annabelle Larkin

-Gray Delacroix, age 40

                                P.O.V. switches between them

                                            Set in 1900

                                                        348 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

Oooh, something I find very interesting is the politics of the food industry, the history, and the amount of foods approved in the US for human consummation that is loaded with chemicals and dyes. It was fascinating to see a glimpse of how it was in 1900 and I’m sure I will be doing bunny trails of research on these historical events soon.

Another part I really enjoyed was that while it was somewhat insta-love between Annabelle and Gray, I liked the difference from the typical romance book formula that they were together as a couple more in the beginning of the book than the middle. It was different and refreshing because it felt overall cleaner and lighter on the romance side because of that. I would say this is probably the author's cleanest book yet (not including the rest of this series, as I haven't read them yet) in regards to the romance elements.

Aside from their jobs and romance, Annabelle and Gray were more of a neutral couple for me, I didn’t absolutely love them together, but I didn’t dislike them together either. Mainly, I was just enjoying the plotline of the food industry and all the plants.

This book is an easy four stars for me. And while I don’t think the rest of the trilogy will top this book for me, I do plan on reading them soon to find out more about these characters.

 

 

 

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.