"Lady of Disguise" by Melanie Dickerson

About this book:

  “Only the hidden treasure will allow Louisa and her sister to gain their freedom.
   England, 1388: All her life, Louisa has dreamed of finding the rumored “Giant’s Treasure,” a collection of ancient, lost riches said to be hidden on a mountaintop in Scotland, guarded by a fierce monster. It’s a story her father used to tell her, and when he dies and she and her younger sister have to go live with their shiftless, greedy uncle, Louisa is determined to find that treasure. It’s the hope that has kept her defying her uncle’s efforts to marry her off to the highest bidder.
    After her uncle starts to parade Louisa’s twelve-year-old sister Margaret in front of potential husbands, Louisa realizes she has no time to waste. She disguises herself as a boy and takes off for Scotland. But the road is a harsher place than she’d imagined, and she is relieved to find a friend in the knight, Sir Charles, who goes along with her on her journey.
    Charles is intrigued by this young woman who claims her name is “Jack” and is set on going to Scotland. He goes along, pretending to believe she is a boy, in order to make sure nothing bad happens to her. As they meet new friends along the road, and as Louisa comes clean about her identity, the pair find themselves falling in love. But what will happen when they reach Scotland? Will they find their independence and the freedom to marry in the form of a buried treasure, or will the monster from Louisa’s own past keep the young couple apart?”


Series: Book #6 in the “The Dericott Tales”. Review of the Book #1 Here!, Book #2 Here!, Book #3 Here!, Book #4 Here!, and Book #5 Here!


Spiritual Content- Scriptures are mentioned & quoted; Many Prayers & Thanking and Praising God; Going to churches, lighting candles, & praying; 'H's are capital when referring to God; Louisa’s aunt tells her that it’s her “duty to God and to [her] husband to bear children and baptize them”; There is a friar that joins Louisa and Charles & is very opinionated and shares many judgmental things (such as stained glass on churches are for the “uneducated” people to feel God’s presence, shoos away a beggar child and comments on the child going to becoming a thief, begging being “idleness and is of the devil”, that Louisa rebelling is a sin of witchcraft and needs to repent for that and wearing a man’s clothing, telling Charles and Louisa that they are committing a graven sin by traveling alone together, comments on the way for a soul to go to hell is broad, and fears for Louisa’s soul if she doesn’t repent); The friar shares about the dangers for a woman alone and other “various tales of woe” which are not in the Holy Writ, which Louisa knows because she’s read the Holy Writ herself; Charles comments to the friar about Jesus traveling with women during his ministry & the friar has nothing to say about that; Charles thinks that the friar is condemning Louisa because she showed more Christian charity and compassion to orphan children than he did; Charles tells the friar that Jesus only condemned Pharisees and the teachers of the law, adding that Jesus care more about mercy towards others and He said to not judge others or they will be judged in the same way; Because of the friar’s words making her feel like “the worst kind of sinner”, Louisa prays and asks God if the friar is right; Louisa has a moment where she wants to tell the friar that he is being pharisaical and not Christlike at all; Louisa prays about finding the treasure & thinks that God would bless her with it if she believed it was real; Charles thinks that people are too fearful of the devil & forget that God is more powerful; A woman wants to pray at a church and put a penny in the poor box at every church she sees because “who knows where one might meet the very Spirit of God and gain His favor for a miracle?” (Louisa has never thought of it this way before and has a desire to pray where many others have prayed before her); Louisa has had a couple of times where God appears to her with a thought appearing in her mind; Louisa prays for a sign from God about a decision & recalls a conversation with a priest (the priest discourages her from asking for a sign, she asks why not because Gideon asked for a sign, & he only answers with “you are not Gideon”which wasn’t good enough for her; Louisa believes she’s more justified in asking for a sign compared to Gideon because she “didn’t have the benefit of hearing from God first”, but understands that “asking for a sign was not something to be done lightly or in any and every situation. She had to truly believe and not doubt, and to go against what God was telling her would surely be a grave sin”; She later sees something that makes her wonder if it is a sign or just her trying to see what she wants); When Louisa takes part in a ritual about dreaming about her future husband, she thinks that while she believes in miracles “surely God did not let people manipulate Him into telling her who she would marry by placing herbs under their pillows on certain night of the year. However, just as she’d argued with her priest, perhaps Gideon using the fleece was simply an example of a child of God asking Him to confirm what they believed God had told them” & she asked God to let her dream of the man she would marry; *Spoiler* Louisa prays with the “giant” for forgiveness of his sins and after repenting, he says he feels lighter; He later thinks that he deserves whatever happens to him because of the bad things he’s done, but Louisa is quick to say that “none of us get what we deserve because God is merciful and forgiving, and He has forgiven you” *End of Spoiler*; Mentions of God, Jesus, His will, & forgiveness; Mentions of prayers, praying, thanking God, & praising God; Mentions of the Holy Writ & reading it; Mentions of those & events in the Bible; Mentions of churches/cathedrals, monasteries, priests, friars, nuns, & stained glass; Mentions of a mother going to a shrine to procure some of “St. Thomas’s Water” for her sick daughter (hoping that it will heal her) & when she put a drop of the saint’s blood with water on a man’s forehead in the sign of the cross and it shockingly did not restoring his strength; Mentions of sins & sinners; A few mentions of crucifixes; A few mentions of showing Christian charity; A handful of mentions of pilgrimages & holy relics; A couple mentions of miracles; A couple mentions of blessings; A couple mentions of God resting someone’s soul; A couple mentions of others crossing themselves; A mention of bad things happening to everyone because we live in “a fallen and evil world”; A mention of Heaven; A mention of being Blessed; A mention of a chant from church; 
             *Note: The phrase “saints above!” is exclaimed thrice; Louisa thinks she sees a unicorn & is excited about it (thinking that it may be a sign from God); A child that was born with one arm is called cursed by a village leader and is casted out of the village (Charles has read the Holy Scriptures are knows that the child isn’t to be blamed for misfortunes); A man (who is called a “giant”) says that people want to know if he made a deal with the devil or if he was “cursed by a witch or a demon” to look the way he does; With many mentions of the Viking treasure, there are also mentions of magical beans, giants, fairies, elves, & unicorns; Mentions of curses & people calling others cursed because they are different than “normal” (including a child with one arm and a man who is very tall); Mentions of a ritual about young women putting certain herbs under their pillows & dreaming about their future husbands (Louisa takes part of this); Mentions of evil men; A couple mentions of luck; A mention of strange tales that were of “miracles and fairies and giants, strange beasts and heroic deeds that defied normal abilities of man”; A mention of a child being born with only one arm being considered as a “sign of the devil’s curse”; A mention of a guardian angel; A mention of fate deciding something; A mention of an evil spirit.
 

Negative Content- Eye rolling & Sarcasm; A mention of a curse (said, not written); Being attacked by robbers, Being attacked with arrows (& shooting one that injures another), Being slapped, Fighting, Fighting back, & Pain (up to semi-detailed); Being surrounded by wolves, attacked by them, & killing them (up to semi-detailed); Louisa behaves badly with potential suitors to keep them from choosing her (scowling, crossing her eyes, and “generally saying and doing anything that might make a man not choose her for his wife” when her aunt and uncle weren’t looking); Louisa disobeys her aunt and uncle when she thinks their commands are unreasonable (“which was often” she adds); Louisa runs away from home to find a rumored treasure (to be able to live with her sister without the pressure of marriage or her uncle’s ways); Louisa lies about being a boy to others (including Charles; which she hopes will be forgiven because she’s only trying to save herself and her sister & she hates deceiving him; He realized right away that she was a girl); Louisa feels guilt about potentially stealing someone else’s treasure; A giant is said to have skinned & killed people that come after his treasure & threatens Charles and Louisa (*Spoiler* It turns out that the villagers are forcing him to kidnap those who come for his treasure so that they can get ransom money for them; Other times, they have kill the people; *End of Spoiler*); Charles thinks about killing someone, but knows he wouldn’t because the man was unarmed and that vengeance belongs to God; Charles threatens someone about harming him if Louisa is hurt at all (saying that if she is harmed or touched, he will kill the man and even adds that the man will wish he was never born; Louisa takes comfort in his words and is soothed by picturing it); A man threatens Louisa with slitting Charles’ throat and burying his body if she doesn’t listen to him (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of killing, murders, & being held hostage for ransoms; Mentions of deaths (including of Louisa’s parents and a cousin); Mentions of potential illnesses and/or deaths; Mentions of attacks, being attacked, screams, injuries, pain, & blood/bleeding (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of stealing, stolen items, & thieves/robbers; Mentions of women being beaten and flogged for disobeying a man above them (implied that this would happen to Louisa when she’s found); Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of alcohol, alehouses, & drunk men; Mentions of relieving one’s self (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of being attacked and/or killed by wild animals; Mentions of hunting & slaughtered animals (for food, up to semi-detailed); A few mentions of a baron who mistreated, murdered, & robbed his own people (Book #5); A few mentions of a man who lost his arm in a sword fight (Book #1); A few mentions of almost beheadings (Book #1); A couple mentions of treason; A couple mentions of poisons; A couple mentions of nightmares; A couple mentions of jealousy; A mention of a massacre; A mention of a bully; A mention of horses being shot with arrows unintentionally; A mention of a nearly dead horse; 
             *Note: Louisa thinks about how woman have no more power than in Jesus’ lifetime (thinking about the women that followed Him and went where they pleased); Louisa’s aunt and uncle threaten and manipulate her to do their bidding (typically by threatening to marry off her younger sister); Louisa’s aunt calls her selfish and ungrateful, which Louisa doesn’t think she’s any more selfish than more people as she just wants to protect herself and her sister; Louisa wants to rebel against the “duties” her aunt says she has to do (such as getting married and bearing children specifically) because the aunt has made marriage to be “something distasteful that was done out of duty, not a joyful relationship of love and choice” (this makes Louisa thinks that most men didn’t have such distasteful duties and could do whatever they pleased; She also thinks that she wants to rebel more the more her aunt talks); A man is called a “giant, misshapen beast of a man”because of his height and appearance; Mentions of a man’s chest pains & him believing that he doesn’t have much longer to live; Mentions of those with afflictions being treated as if having a curse (a women with difficultly walking and a child being born with one arm); A couple mentions of some women laughing at another woman for being clumsy and breaking her ankle.
 
 
Sexual Content- Two almost kisses (one in a dream), two hand kisses, two hair/forehead kisses, two cheek kisses, two barely-above-not-detailed kisses, and six semi-detailed kisses (including two of him kissing her neck); Remembering kisses & almost kisses (up to semi-detailed); Staring at another’s lips & being tempted by the thought of kissing the other (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to kiss (up to semi-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Being held, & Nearness (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to touch & embrace (up to semi-detailed); Swooning; Blushes; Noticing (including muscles, up to semi-detailed); Louisa recalls when a potential suitor (who was drunk) sneaked into her room and tried to force himself on her (also called trying to steal her “virtue”; she was able to knock him out and she had nightmares of it for weeks after, mentioned a few times, barely-above-not-detailed); Both Louisa & Charles aren’t interested in marriage due to past events; Charles thought he was in love with a wealth woman and entered her bedroom to find out that she’s been stringing him and other knights along (she’s engaged to someone else and tells the knights they can love her from afar; Charles says he doesn’t want to spend his life in love with a married woman; They had prior shared kisses); Louisa disguises herself as a boy on her trip (including by binding her chest), but Charles realizes she’s a girl right away; When Charles helps her, Louisa is afraid that he’ll want something in payment that not money (she doesn’t think he’s that kind of man, but is distrustful towards men because of a prior event); Louisa starts to wish that Charles could see her as a pretty and feminine woman; A friar asks if there is something between Louisa and Charles that “would be considered fornication” (which they both quickly deny); Louisa and Charles sleep close to each other on the ground when a storm keeps them in a shelter/cave (they both think about how much they want to kiss the other, but Charles definitely won’t kiss her when she’s asleep because that would be unchivalrous); Louisa’s uncle comments on her running off by saying that bad things would happen to her and that she “would be with child and then [she] would be no good to him anymore”; Louisa’s uncle asks if she’s with child & she answers that she is not and asks him if he is (he says that would be impossible and she responds that it is the same for her); After one kiss that leaves them breathing hard, Charles comments on needing to be “a bit more restrained until we’re married and alone with a lock on the door”; Many mentions of Louisa’s uncle trying to marry her and her twelve-year-old sister off to man (ranging in age from 16 to 60 and some are called “disgusting” and “perverted”) for the highest amount (it’s also said that some of the men will just “use [Louisa and Margaret] and not care about them”); Mentions of kisses & kissing; Mentions of reputations, virtue, & it being looked as “unseemly” that Louisa & Charles are traveling alone together; Mentions of flirting; A few mentions of men leering at Louisa with greedy and disgusting smiles & make her feel as if there were bugs “crawling on her”; A couple mentions of men trying and succeeding in taking advantage of servant girls; A couple mentions of men “blustering about their conquests or making ribald jests” about women; A couple mentions of children born out of wedlock (including Jesus); A couple mentions of jealousy; A mention of seeing a couple kissing (barely-above-not-detailed); Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Margaret (Louisa’s younger sister) comments on her lack of breasts and sticks out her flat chest to Louisa; A man comments on Louisa being “well proportioned”; Mentions of women being forced to marry & bear a man’s children (Louisa mentions this for herself and her younger sister & being “used” by a man who only care “about having a boy child to carry on his name”); Louisa is concerned about falling into the same “trap” that her aunt and uncle set for her about “marriage and a life of having babies until her body was so worn down that it gave up”; A mention of Margaret not being able to bear children yet, but would be able to soon; A mention of a wife dying in childbirth to a stillborn baby.
 
-Louisa Lenton, age 18
-Charles Raynsford, age 21
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                           Set in 1388 (Medieval)
                                                        304 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

After some…concerns with content in a couple other books of this series, I was pleasantly surprised that this one did not have an insta-love attraction between the main characters. They fell more for the other’s personality than their physical appearance (though, they did notice the other’s physical assets) which was better to see after said prior books in the series.

 

I’m learning with a lot of fairytale retellings, that you really have to suspend your disbelief for a lot of the book. At least, that’s how I’ve been feeling with the series. Louisa is not the brightest bulb in the chandelier. I don’t understand her logic of wanting to protect her sister and then goes off to find the treasure which means she’s leaving her 12-year-old sister alone with the people that are trying to marry her off?? She estimates that she would have a week to stop a wedding from happening if she comes back to that, but that’s way too close for my comfort and events can come up to alter travel plans—especially in this time period when plans get derailed easily. 

 

I liked the Charles wasn’t fooled by her disguise at all, that he instantly knew that she was a girl. He did have about the same personality though as his brothers in the prior books especially because they all really want to do is rescue damsels in distress and be all knightly. There really hasn’t been much difference in their thoughts, compared to the prior main characters of this series. 

 

I wasn’t a fan of the message of asking God for a sign and then Louisa brushing off a priests’ comment on the topic. In this series, I have noted that if there are priests or any type of clergyman (friars even) their comments get pushed to the side because the main characters know what the Bible says about such topic they’re discussing. (Because they’ve been privileged enough to have been able to read the Holy Writ for themselves.) And I think the author is trying to point out that you should read the Bible for yourself and just the overall the judgmental era of the history with the Catholic Church, but it also puts those supposed to be men of God in a bad and judgmental light. I could go much more in depth on my thoughts about both of those elements, but this review is long enough.

 

Honestly, it wasn’t terrible. It wasn’t fantastic either, in my opinion. I liked it more before all the kissing happened. I feel like it’s just a bit too much kissing to be read by preteens. And that’s what I feel like fairytale retellings are really for—or should be aimed for—especially in the Christian Market when the plot is very fluffy like in this book. Older teens would probably be absolutely fine with that amount of kissing, but the storyline may be too simple and cheesy for some. Definitely better than the prior books of the series in terms of plot and characters, but I still just didn’t love it, unfortunately, and would not give it a wide age recommendation.

 

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.

 

"Cloak of Scarlet" by Melanie Dickerson

About this book:

  “She was an orphan of no importance . . .
   Violet Lambton never imagined herself as anything but average. Adopted as a young child, she’s content with her comfortable life in her small medieval town with her faith, her books, and her baking . . . and the vivid red cloak her grandmother gifted her. Her one dream: to find a love that is pure and true. Then, her beloved grandmother is robbed by the villainous Baron Dunham. Outraged, Violet finds herself in the midst of the action and determines to put an end to the evil baron’s mistreatment of the hardworking people.
    He was an ordinary knight serving the baron . . .
    Sir Merek, a knight in the service of Baron Dunham, has pledged his life to fighting injustice and defending the weak. But when he encounters the spirited and beautiful Violet and discovers the depths of the baron’s treachery, he realizes that serving his employer is not serving the kingdom—and so he sets out on a daring journey to go behind the baron’s back to expose his deceitfulness to the king.
    Suddenly the kingdom depends on both of them.
    But before Merek and Violet can act to bring the corruption to light, Violet is captured and brought directly to Dunham—where she shockingly discovers a secret that shakes her entire world . . . and the future she dreams of. Thrown together in the baron’s quarters in a race against time to save the lives of their loved ones and themselves, Violet and Merek must learn to trust each other to expose Dunham’s treachery to the king—all while succumbing to their growing feelings for each other. Can the two find their happily ever after against all odds, or will the wolves amongst them drive them apart?”


Series: Book #5 in “The Dericott Tales”. Review of the Book #1 Here!, Book #2 Here!, Book #3 Here!, and Book #4 Here!


Spiritual Content- Scriptures are directly referenced, mentioned, quoted, & remembered; Many Prayers; Talks about God; 'H's are capital when referring to God; Violet goes to a church to pray and lights a candle and crosses herself when there; God talks to Violet (about holding her in the palm of His hand); Merek strives to have Christlike character in all he does; Many mentions of God, His plans, prayers, praying, thanking God, & faiths; Mentions of God speaking to others (Violet and her grandmother; Violet’s mother says that God only speaks to priests and prophets); Mentions of those & events in the Bible; Mentions of churches/cathedrals, priests, confessing sins to priests, & a crucifix; A few mentions of the Holy Writ/Holy Scriptures; A few mentions of psalms & Psalters; A few mentions of forgiving others so God is able to forgive you; A few mentions of sins; A couple mentions of Heaven; A mention of a blessing over food; A mention of a godly person; A mention of godspeed; A mention of Holy days; A mention of a pilgrimage; A mention of someone being a whitewashed tomb; A mention of the lake of burning fire;
             *Note: Violet’s grandmother shares with her about marrying a man without asking God if she should and it being a rough marriage; Mentions of evil people & evil actions; A mention of some villages being fearful of anyone in authority, even the Church clergy.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: an ‘egads’; A mention of curses (said, not written); Eye rolling & Sarcasm; Fighting, Being grabbed/attacked, Being held at knife-point, Being tied-up, Being beaten, Pain, Injuries, Blood/Bleeding, & Passing out (up to semi-detailed); Seeing a fight & someone bleeding a lot after being stabbed (*Spoiler* the person ends up passing away, which causes Merek to feel some guilt over killing another, but it relieved that it means that evil person can’t hurt others anymore *End of Spoiler*, up to semi-detailed); Almost being attacked by a wild boar & Fighting it (up to semi-detailed); *Spoiler* Violet’s birth father threatens her to submit to his plans or he’ll kill her and her loved ones, and also holds a knife against her throat *End of Spoiler*; Merek has a temper and has to reign it in multiple times to keep himself from going after revenge and physically fighting others (he imagines fighting and besting others, barely-above-not-detailed); Violet & Merek drink wine and ale at dinners/parties; Violet struggles with the injustice happening in her village (her grandmother tells her that “we will never be content, as God intended, if we rage against the things we can to nothing about. It is better to accept them”); A man relieves himself outside in front of Violet & Merek (he tries to shield her from that, border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Many mentions of stealing, thefts, thieves, & being attacked and threatened; Many mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of murders, killing, & wanting to kill or harm another who are doing a crime; Mentions of deaths (including Violet’s birth mother starving to death); Mentions of threats of harm, death, and execution (including towards loved ones to get another to do as they say, up to semi-detailed); Mentions of a murder, crimes, treason, & being locked in a prison (Book #1); Mentions of torture; Mentions of attacks, fighting, beatings, injuries, pain, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of alcohol (including stronger spirits), drinking, social drinking at dinners, drunks, & hangovers; Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of hunting; A few mentions of Violet being “killed, or worse” after standing up to men in powerful positions; A few mentions of a priest being hung after speaking out against an authority figure (barely-above-not-detailed); A few mentions of wars/battles; A few mentions of criminals; A few mentions of drugging someone so they will sleep (main characters towards an evil character); A few mentions of jealousy; A few mentions of hatred; A few mentions of relieving oneself, human excrement, & urine; A couple mentions of someone being thrown from a horse & dying (barely-above-not-detailed); A mention of a man often leaving his family and then coming back and repeating it many times; A mention of killing a hog (semi-detailed);
             *Note: Violet is adopted and it’s brought-up many times, particularly Violet feeling like she always has to do more for her family to show her appreciation at them taking in a “helpless, needy child who could give them nothing in return”, that she’s an orphan of no importance, remembering starving prior to being adopted helping her be humble and grateful to her adoptive parents, being a burden to her family, how she felt helpless to help her birth mother, that her adoptive family will ceases to love her if she’s not a blessing to them, and feeling as if she’s responsible for her birth mother’s death; Violet recalls the time her birth mother said they have no food and Violet remembers the feelings of extreme hunger (her birth mother would soon pass away from not being able to eat, up to semi-detailed on the feelings of hunger); Violet’s mother has anxiety & worries a lot; Violet asks if a man shoots orphans for fun because he’s already violating the Holy Scriptures by another action (she was being sassy); When Violet finds out about her birth mother, she feels as if her adoptive family has lied to her but tells herself that they “only omitted a lot of important information”instead; A few mentions of some men and women abusing their spouse; A mention of a man saying “what good is it for a woman to learn to read?”; A mention of someone asking if Violet is “soft in the head”.
 
 
Sexual Content- Two hand kisses (unwanted), two cheek kisses, a nose kiss, two forehead kisses, three not-detailed kisses, a barely-above-not-detailed kiss, two semi-detailed kisses (one in a dream), and two detailed kisses; Remembering kisses (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to kiss (up to semi-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Dancing, Nearness, & Smelling (including unwanted/forced as well, up to semi-detailed); Blushes; Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); Violet has a dream of kissing Merek & wakes up startled, thinking that she’s being unseemly because she’s unmarried; After kissing Violet, Merek wonders if he’s “died and gone to heaven”; *Big Spoiler* Violet finds out about a third of the way through that her birth mother was an orphaned servant that was taken advantage of by a powerful man who mistreated her; Violet feels sick to learn this information and that the Baron is her biological father; Her grandmother tells her that she is not responsible for anything that happened to her mother or anything that the baron did; Towards the end, Violet realizes it was a blessing that her birth mother took her away from him because she would have had a different life with mistreatment otherwise *End of Big Spoiler*; *Ending Spoiler* In the final chapter of the book, Violet and Merek are married in front of the king and then the epilogue is two months later with talks about them getting married the next day in their own church (not called a wedding, but getting married); She’s with child at this time *End of Spoiler*; A few mentions of Violet being “killed, or worse” after standing up to men in powerful positions; A few mentions of men leering at or looking at Violet or her figure; A few mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of temptations & some men taking advantage of women (Merek says he does not want to be like those men); A mention of the Church not viewing a couple as married until the marriage is consummated; A mention of a man staring at Violet’s mouth; A mention of seducing someone; A mention of a mistress; A mention of a married person preferring illicit company rather than their spouse; A mention of flirting; A mention of some men speaking profanely about women; A mention of a man charming women; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Violet wonders if a man will try anything “unseemly” towards her, but knows “where to hit a man to incapacitate him”; A mention of a young women possibly being casted out from her family when it was revealed she was pregnant; A mention of a mother passing away in childbirth; A mention of a stillborn baby.
 
-Violet Lambton, age 18 (?)
-Sir Merek, age 21
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                            Set in 1386 (Medieval) 
                                                        336 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

{Could be possibly trigger for adoptees and/or those in or were in foster care} 

This series has been making me wondering if I’m too old for YA books anymore—and I know that’s not the case. 

 

Here’s the thing, the writing and the very simple plot line make me think that this book is better for ages 14 or 15, but the romance was so physically attracted based and really the main part of the story, I hesitate to recommend it for younger teenagers. It could definitely push the thoughts of romance/boys too early (especially with two detailed kisses), though, for some girls—depending on the girl and her age. 

 

There was a good amount of faith content and lots of prayers, along with Scriptures referenced in conversations and prayers, which was nice to see. 

 

I never felt connected to Violet or Merek and they were from arguing and fussing at the other to wanting to kiss the other so fast and Violet dreaming of kissing him. It was zero to ninety very fast in that regard because they were very attracted to the other. Their personalities and character were noted by the other, but it almost felt like an afterthought because they were already physically attracted to the other. There is also a mention of consummating a marriage and a scene where a man relieves himself outside that I truly don’t understand why those parts/comments were necessary? 

 

There’s one thing that I’d like to note for parents of the girls who may be interested in this book: *Spoiler* In the final chapter of the book, Violet and Merek are married in front of the king and then the epilogue is two months later and talks about them getting married the next day in their own church. She’s with child at this time. I note this only because, while yes, they were married prior, they refer to the second event as a marriage and not a wedding. This could be slightly confusing for some girls. *End of Spoiler*

 

I can see why some readers may enjoy this one because it was overall clean, but, personally, I don’t think it was anywhere near as good as other books by this author.

 

 

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.

"Fortress of Snow" by Melanie Dickerson

About this book:

  “When her father dies and her brother, Warin, abandons her, Mazy is forced to seek help from her beloved older brother Sir John, who is training knights at the great estate of Strachleigh. While there, she becomes friends with the kind and loyal Sir Berenger. Circumstances then force them apart: Berenger goes to Prague, while Mazy and her brother move to London. There, Mazy puts her knife-throwing skills to excellent use as she defends herself, and she learns to make breads to sell in the market to earn money. Her business is expanding when Berenger returns to London and they are reunited.
    Romance is just beginning to bloom when the king offers Berenger a new mission that also serves as a chance for a title: Berenger is to marry the recently widowed Lady Bristow and take over her estate. To Mazy’s dismay, Berenger agrees to go to Bristow Castle to visit her and make his decision.
    But Bristow Castle is hiding secrets, and the only person who might be able to save the knight in distress is the damsel Mazy herself.”


Series: Book #4 in “The Dericott Tales”. Review of the Book #1 Here!, Book #2 Here!, and Book #3 Here!

Spiritual Content- Many Prayers, Thanking/Praising God, & Talking to Him (including Mazy hearing from God on what to do); 'H's are capital when referring to God; Going into a Cathedral, praying, & lighting a candle (Mazy also crosses herself); Mazy wonders why God let things happen (such as her father dying); Mentions of God & His will; Mentions of prayers, praying, & thanking/praising God; Mentions of churches, a cathedral, & priests; A few mentions of those & events in the Bible; A few mentions of blessings; A couple mentions of the Holy Writ & a Psalter; A mention of stained glass of those from the Bible; A mention of martyrs; A mention of a young boy being told that his mother is with Jesus and the angels; A mention of Heaven & someone slitting around like an angel; 
             *Note: Mentions of evil & evil people; A mention of a feast of Saint Nicholas; A mention of a man calling his family cursed. 
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: Two ‘witch’s (said when describing Mazy from a man threatening her; used as an insult, but not as someone who practices witchcraft); Some Sarcasm & Eye rolling; Men with ill intent threaten Mazy and she defends herself with her knives and threats of her own (happens three times, including blood/bleeding & injuries, up to semi-detailed); Seeing a riot/violence, Fighting/defending herself, & being threatened (including a man saying that he’ll cut off Mazy’s ears and tongue; all up to semi-detailed); Seeing a loved one pass away, another person’s death, & grief (Mazy’s father, up to semi-detailed); Berenger drinks wine at night; Berenger lies to keep someone from knowing what he’s doing (but asks for God’s forgiveness after saying it); Many mentions of wars, battles, riots, rebellions, violence, fighting, fights, attacks, being attacked, executions, the possibility of dying, & deaths (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of weapons, being attacked, self-defense, harming others, guilt from it, blood/bleeding, & injuries (barely-above-not-detailed); Many mentions of alcohol, drinking, social drinking at dinner (wine), drunks, taverns/alehouses, & flasks; Mentions of Book #1’s murder, treason, arrests, near executions, & a fight that caused someone to lose an arm (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of treason, traitors, & spies; Mentions of someone being poisoned and killed & another attempted poisoning (*Spoiler* of a child *End of Spoiler*); Mentions of a shipwreck & deaths (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of a wife saying that her late husband abused her (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of fires; Mentions of injuries, blood/bleeding, pain, & a death (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of robberies, stealing, bandits, & thieves; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of rumors & gossip; Mentions of deaths of loved ones & grieving (fathers, mothers, parents, and a sister); A few mentions of a body being ready for the funeral & the possible smell; A few mentions of nightmares (including one of being chased by a wolf); A few mentions of someone taking his anger out on those with less power and authority; A couple mentions of possible assassination attempts; A couple mentions of a sickness & deaths; A couple mentions of beatings; A couple mentions of throwing up; A couple mentions of someone saying a porridge tastes like an animal’s excrements; A mention of a child being threatened with being strangled if they don’t listen; A mention of a possible beheading; A mention of the possibility of someone’s throat being slit; A mention of someone possibility being drawn and quartered; A mention of a woman possibly being mistreated or abused in a marriage; A mention of those oppressed or abused by others; A mention of a story about a mother being eaten by a wolf; A mention of a flogging; A mention of jealousy; 
             *Note: Mazy’s brothers resent their father for how he treated them (& Mazy feels sorry that they didn’t grow up with his love like she did). 
 
 
Sexual Content- Four hand kisses, an almost barely-above-not-detailed kiss, two almost border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed kisses (one unwanted/forced), a nose kiss, a jaw kiss, a head kiss, two not-detailed kisses, four barely-above-not-detailed kisses, three semi-detailed kisses, and a border-line semi-detailed // detailed kiss; Remembering kisses (barely-above-not-detailed); Wanting to kiss (barely-above-not-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Warmth, Shivers, & Hand holding (including a woman touching Berenger’s chest and arms multiple times, up to semi-detailed); Remembering touches & embraces (barely-above-not-detailed); Wanting to touch & embrace (barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes; Noticing & Nearness (inducing muscles, barely-above-not-detailed); A man taunts Mazy with kissing her & tries to force a kiss (doesn’t actually happen, but Mazy is shaken afterwards, up to semi-detailed; later she recalls it, border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); An older woman (about twelve years older than him) is interested in Berenger, stares at his lips, & tries to tempt him to stay the night with her in her bedroom (twice) and also tries to kiss him (he notices how thin her clothes are (no details) and she comments about making him glad if he stayed with her, but everything else is up to semi-detailed); *Spoiler* That woman is trying to tempt Berenger and manipulates his emotions for him to marry her *End of Spoiler*; Mazy & Berenger share bedroom for one night with a child (he promises that nothing unseemly will happen); Seeing a couple kiss (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); A brazen woman at a restaurant stands very close to Berenger and also leans down (which exposes her breasts; Berenger keeps his eyes away from her and Mazy is shocked by the woman’s actions); Mentions of kisses, kissing, & wanting to kiss; Mentions of touches, embraces, & hand holding; Mentions of flirting & flirts; Mentions of reputations, a woman’s virtue, & someone insinuating that Mazy’s has lost her virtue (due to being alone and traveling with a man, though nothing happened between them); A few mentions of Mazy’s father warning her to not be alone with men (because they’re not to be trusted with someone as pretty as her) & another father treating his daughter like “there’s a wolf around very corner, waiting to eat [her]”; A couple mentions of men taking advantage (or not taking advantage) of Mazy; A couple mentions of men giving Mazy “wolfish glances” and another looking at her with an ill intent; A couple mentions of men carousing with female servants; A couple mentions of couples embracing; A couple mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of being faithful to a spouse; A mention of married couple giving all their attention to each other after their wedding; A mention of affairs & a husband loving another woman; A mention of men not making lascivious offers to Mazy because of her brother’s warnings; A mention of men looking at a pretty woman lasciviously; A mention of a man not saying anything debauched; A mention of young women being mistreated and “left to the vices of evil men” when the head of their family rejects her; A mention of a young woman offering Mazy & Berenger to spend the night in a bedroom together; A mention of a woman oogling a man; Love, falling/being in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Berenger has always wished to rescue a damsel in distress & maybe even marry her; Mentions of Mazy’s oldest brother wanting to marrying her to a man who is older than their father; Mentions of a mother nursing her baby (barely-above-not-detailed); A few mentions of a woman being unable to conceive and a healer in the village being able to get barren women to conceive; A mention of a young woman saying that she loves to watch a certain man walk. 
 
-Mazy, age 16 & 18 
-Berenger, age 21 & 23 
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                   (Medieval) Set in 1383 & 1383
                                                        352 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

I think that plot-wise I enjoyed this book much more than the third book in this series, possibly even the most out of the whole series thus far. 

However, I did struggle with some of the content, particularly the kissing/romantic parts.

Both Mazy and Berenger were fine characters, but she in particularly felt so young to me. (I’m slightly scared that means I’m getting older and not enjoying YA books as much—no, I refuse to believe that.) I think it’s due to her being raised in one place and never going anywhere or meeting new people, that when she’s suddenly thrown into new places and experiences, her naivety shows through. For him, I wasn’t a fan of his savior complex (how he really wanted to save a damsel in distress) and was thankful when those parts finally stopped being mentioned. 

While I appreciate that the villain of this story was very different from the typically villain’s this author writes, I really wasn’t a fan of a certain scene involving her trying to tempt Berenger and how easily he was being played by the villain.

Overall, it was a very quick read. I know I didn’t say too much about what I actually liked about this book, but I did like Mazy and Berenger’s friendship (though, she quickly fell for him) and all of their praying. It definitely wasn’t one I really enjoyed from this series, though, which is disappointing. 

 

 

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.

"Veil of Winter" by Melanie Dickerson

About this book:

  “Princess Elyce is on the verge of marrying the nephew of the unscrupulous King Conrad of a neighboring kingdom when she discovers that Conrad will use her marriage to force her people to work in his mines. In order to fake her own death and escape him, she takes a sleeping potion, planning to awaken on the third day and then travel to Prague to seek help from King Wenceslaus, who rules the Holy Roman Empire. But her plan goes awry: the third day comes without her waking up.

    Sir Gerard is convinced by Delia, his sister and Elyce’s best friend, to go help the sleeping princess, still slumbering and held captive by King Conrad’s guards. He manages to wake her with a kiss, but the princess is not pleased at this rude awakening. Still, he is her only hope of escape. Thus begins their journey to Prague in the dead of winter, hounded on all sides by elements and enemies. The greatest threat may come from within, though, as they desperately fight against their growing feelings for one another.”

Series: Book #3 in “The Dericott Tales”. Review of the Book #1 Here! and Book #2 Here!

Spiritual Content- A few Scriptures are mentioned & remembered; Many Prayers; Going to a chapel to pray; Talks about God; ‘H’s are capitalized when referring to God; Elyce thinks that she must be a faithful person because she wonders why God would allow certain things to happen & asks for repentance; Elyce struggles with guilt for disobeying her father because of the Scripture is honor your father and mother (though, her father isn’t doing good for the people of their country); Mentions of God, His will, & being called by Him; Mentions of prayers, praying, thanking God, & blessings over food; Mentions of a vision & receiving one from God (Gerard); Mentions of going to a chapel to pray; Mentions of chapels/cathedrals, popes, & priests; Mentions of sins; A few mentions of the How Scriptures/Holy Writ; A few mentions of a crucifix at a chapel; A few mentions of those & places in the Bible; A mention of monks;

             *Note: Elyce grew up being told that there is two unforgivable sins which would cause everyone to stop loving her: being selfish and showing too much emotion (by her father & aunt, but she wonders that if that’s true, why would God give her emotions in the first place; *Spoiler* At the very end, she realizes that they were wrong *End of Spoiler*); Gerard wonders if the attract he feels for Elyce is a test or a temptation from the devil (compared to Jesus being lead into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to fast and then be tempted by the devil); Elyce’s father says that God will punish her for not listening to him; Mentions of evil people; A mention of a priest telling a man that he cannot murder his child or God will send him to hell (the man says that he’ll worry about that later and that God can forgive any sin, which the priest responds that there is no forgiveness without repentance); A mention of a healer being vouched for despite her not going to church or confession in many years.

 

 

Negative Content- A bit of eye rolling; Seeing a fight & death (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Being strangled, almost passing out, & pain (*Spoiler* Elyce’s father to her *End of Spoiler*, up to semi-detailed); Nearly drowning & freezing to death (up to semi-detailed); Taking a potion & going into a deep sleep (somewhat painful, barely-above-not-detailed); Elyce lies for her and the others’ safety (she asks God for forgiveness after); Elyce is hurt by her father not loving her; Elyce’s father & aunt told her that she shouldn’t show her emotions and Elyce thinks that if she does show her emotions, no one will love her and that emotions are disgusting and dangerous; Mentions of wars, rebellions, & fighting; Mentions of a death, fights, injuries, & blood/bleeding; Mentions of Gerard & his brother being falsely accused of treason and murder & being almost executed (Book #1); Mentions of the possibility of being killed; Mentions of threats of violence, death, & executions; Mentions of harsh working conditions, being treated like slaves, & deaths (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of a woman being chased to her (almost) death off a cliff & her being willing to take her own life to get away from the man; Mentions of someone who froze to death & the possibility of it happening; Mentions of stopping a man from being beaten; Mentions of blood/bleeding & injuries; Mentions of treason; Mentions of ransoms; Mentions of a potion that makes the person be believed to be dead by slowing their heartbeat and breathing, the possibility of injury from it, or possibly death and being buried alive (Elyce takes it); Mentions of hatred; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of hunting & dead animals; Mentions of having to use the bathroom outside (embarrassing for the women); A few mentions of thieves & stealing; A few mentions of alcohol & drinking; A few mentions of bullies; A couple mentions of beatings; A couple mentions of being concerned about a sick horse; A mention of a rumor; A mention of animal waste.

 

 

Sexual Content- Four hand kisses (one unpleasant and one barely-above-not-detailed), a cheek kiss, two barely-above-not-detailed kisses (one is not meant to be romantic as Gerard was trying to do mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on Elyce), two semi-detailed kisses, and two border-line semi-detailed // detailed kisses (before one of them, Gerard thinks that he knows he shouldn’t kiss her, but she wants him to kiss her and that if he did, “he’d be pleasing himself as well as her”); Quite a bit of remembering kisses (up to semi-detailed) & wanting to kiss again (including Elyce trying to think of a way to get Gerard to kiss her, barely-above-not-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, Warmth, & Nearness (barely-above-not-detailed); Wanting to touch & embrace (barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes & Winks; Noticing & Staring (barely-above-not-detailed); Elyce & Gerard have to sleep close together for warmth (it’s awkward for both of them, but Elyce thinks at one point that there is “something deliciously intimate about sleeping next to him”); The group (Elyce, Gerard, and two others) have to share a bedroom (nothing happens); When Elyce asks a man if he’ll be faithful to her, he talks about having “freedom” and that their marriage would be for the countries’ well-being, not for love (she says she intends to be faithful to her husband and wants him to respect her); Many mentions of kisses & kissing; Mentions of Gerard trying to do to mouth-to-mouth to Elyce & her not being happy about it; Mentions of men (not) touching women inappropriately; Mentions of jealousy; Mentions of blushes; A few mentions of Gerard recalling when he was younger and kissed a few maidens (the knight he was in service with encouraged him to do that and more with the local woman) & how he didn’t feel right doing it, especially after one of the maidens catching him kissing another girl (he regrets his insensitive behavior); A few mentions of flirting; A few mentions of broken hearts; A couple mentions of Elyce hoping that she would love her future husband “at least enough to kiss him and have children with him”; A couple mentions of a man saying lustful things about servant girls (which caused Elyce to wonder if all men were brutish animals); A couple mentions of men saying that their wives changed personalities after getting married; A mention of Elyce thinking that she always hoped her first kiss to be with her husband (& her being mad that Gerard just stole that when he did mouth-to-mouth resuscitation); A mention of an accusation of a princess throwing herself to a knight; A mention of Elyce not liking how some guards were staring at her; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;

             *Note: A mention of Elyce being thankful was still “as skinny as a twelve-year-old” as her aunt told her she was (though her aunt meant it as an insult because she believed a curvier figure was more desirable for being able to have an heir).

 

-Princess Elyce, age 19

-Sir Gerard, age 21 (?)

                                P.O.V. switches between them

                                                Set in 1382 Medieval/Historical

                                                        320 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

This may not have been my favorite book by this author, but it was still an overall cute one. I think I struggled the most with how young Elyce felt and acted. Gerard was fine as far as leading heroes go. While, sure, I rooted for their mission and wanted them to be together, neither of them stood out to me nor did I feel connected to either of them. I’m not sure why that was. I felt bad for Elyce having to grow up being belittled and told that having emotions is sinful (mind you, this is from her father and aunt as her mother passed away having getting upset at her father; not a clergyman) so Gerard was a good fit and an encourager to her. I do wish they hadn’t spent so much time thinking about kissing the other, though.

Some things were a little coincidental or predictable at times, but it was overall a good book and I liked that the characters prayed throughout the whole 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.