"Return to Boone's Hollow" by Kim Vogel Sawyer

About this book:

  “With Pap hauled off to the state penitentiary, Bettina finally feels safe. Living with Nanny Fay Tucker, working as a packhorse librarian, and being courted by Shay Leeson is a life beyond anything she'd imagined. And it's only going to get better. Because soon she'll be an honorary auntie to her best friend Addie's baby, and--for sure not much longer--she'll exchange vows with Shay and become his wife. Things in Boone's Hollow couldn't be rosier...until she gets word that the governor suspended Pap's sentence and he'll be coming back sooner than she expected.

    Shay wants to marry her real quick and take her out of Boone's Hollow. But how can she go with Nanny Fay needs her and Addie's baby isn't here yet? Pap's return creates a storm in her relationship with Shay. And then another storm--one brewing way overseas--stirs trouble all over Black Mountain.

   Will Bettina's world fall apart again? Or will the lessons she's learned from Nanny Fay about holding tight to the One who can calm any storm take her to a place of peace?”

Series: The sequel to “The Librarian of Boone’s Hollow”. Review Here!

Spiritual Content- Nahum 1:3b at the beginning; Many Scriptures are quoted, mentioned, remembered, thought over, & discussed; Many prayers; Church going, sermons, & hymns are sung; Many, many talks about God, Jesus, faiths, praying, listening to Him, & trusting Him; ‘H’s are capitalized when referring to God; Bettina wonders if God will ever talk to her like Him talks to Nanny Fay *Spoiler* Towards the end, it happens *End of Spoiler*; Many mentions of God, listening to Him, trusting Him, & wanting to do His will; Many mentions of prayers, praying, answered prayers, & blessings over food; Many mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, those and events in the Bible; Many mentions of churches, church going, services, Bible studies, pastors, sermons, & hymns; Mentions of Heaven & not being afraid of dying; Mentions of blessings & being blessed; Mentions of miracles; A few mentions of Christmas & celebrating Christ’s birth; A few mentions of being baptized; A few mentions of angels;

             *Note: Bettina has a learning disability that her father called a curse (she always felt stupid and embarrassed because of this); Mentions of superstitions (including one that it’s bad luck to have a pregnant woman at a wedding); Mentions of some people calling Nanny Fay a witch (see Book #1) and thinking she gave a “potion” to someone; A couple mentions of men with evil in their hearts creating wars that hurt so many others; A mention of someone saying that “War is hell”; A mention of Bettina’s father who “made her childhood a living hell”.

 

 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: seven ‘stupid’s; A bit of sarcasm & eye rolling; Passing out & pain (barely-above-not-detailed); Throwing up (barely-above-not-detailed); Grief & Mourning (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of wars, deaths, fighting, bombings, & injuries (barely-above-not-detailed); Many mentions of Bettina’s father being a mean and violent drunk (including her fear of him and everyone’s concerns for her for when he returns, barely-above-not-detailed, *Spoiler* He returns a dramatically changed man and asks for Bettina’s forgiveness *End of Spoiler*); Mentions of a mother being beaten by her drunk husband & being killed by him (no details); Mentions of passing out, pain, & injuries; Mentions of prison & a prisoner; Mentions of alcohol (moonshine), drinking, drunks, being addicted to drinking, & bootlegging; Mentions of hatred; A few mentions of soldiers having nightmares, being scared of loud noises, or becoming drunks after the war; A few mentions of gossip & rumors; A few mentions of lies & lying; A few mentions of jealousy; A few mentions of hunting; A couple mentions of throwing up; A mention of blood; A mention of a house burning down after a lighting strike; A mention of tobacco.

 

 

Sexual Content- A fingers-to-lips touch, three hand/fingers kisses, a jaw kiss, six cheek kisses, four head/forehead kisses, two not-detailed kisses, and five barely-above-not-detailed kiss (about half of all these kisses are from married couples); Staring at someone’s lips (Shay to Bettina, which he says at one point that when he’s with her, he doesn’t want to think, so it would be best to put some distance between them); Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, Nearness, & Smelling (including a woman being pulled into her husband/fiancé’s lap twice, about half of all these are from married couples); Blushes; Shay mentions that his mother used to say that Bettina was looking for love and that he kind of took advantage of that for a while (Emmett tells him that he’s made amends with Bettina and shouldn’t waste time wallowing in what can’t be changed; later Shay thinks that him and Bettina shared many kisses but the ones after he decided he loved her were sweeter); Shay wants to touch Bettina’s hair (he’s done it before and she wears her hair down since he likes it) but tries to focus on something else; Mentions of kisses, kissing, & wanting to kiss (Shay thinks that he likes kissing Bettina); A few mentions of a 13-year-old girl being forced to marry a 20-year-old man and having to be a “woman in every way” and having multiple children with him; A few mentions of men at a boarding house talking about buying a woman’s love (Shay thinks that he wants more than just temporary pleasure and wants “intimacy that way God planned it”; his father warned him about becoming too cozy with Bettina so that if that did part ways, he won’t regret giving the “most intimate part of himself to a gal that wasn’t his wife”); A couple mentions of couples in movies kissing and making up; A couple mentions of a married couple snuggling on the couch together; A couple mentions that rumors are going to spread after a man spends time in a woman’s cabin (not married, but she wasn’t there so he says that they know the truth and did nothing wrong); A mention of jealousy; Love, being in love, & the emotions;

             *Note: Mentions of the deaths of infants (said to have been stillborn, never drawn a breath, or didn’t live long after birth) & the mothers who passed away during labor; Mentions of being concerned about losing a baby; A mention of a woman’s monthly cycle.

 

-Bettina Webber

-Shay Leeson

                                P.O.V. switches between them, Damaris, & Addie

                                           Set in 1941-1942

                                                        330 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating- 

{Please note the topic of abuse (though never detailed) and adjust the stars according to each girl in case of triggering content.}

Oh, my heart…that was so incredibly beautiful.

Bettina. We saw her in the last book and like I said then: if we didn’t see her story, we probably wouldn’t like her much. But in this book she’s doing much better, thanks to Nanny Fay and Jesus, in her words and that is so true.

These characters, I love them so. I think they’ve stuck with me (particularly Addie) more than any other character I’ve ever read. The amazing faiths shown and grown throughout this book and the prior. The touching friendship moments. I was nearly bawlin’ for the first fifty or so percent, but eventually I just ended up crying.

It’s not that this is a sad book—it’s definitely not—but as cheesy as it might sound—it touched me in so many ways. Their faiths just stopped me in the middle of reading to go “Wow” with such an awe and reverence. It was all so inspiring to see their faiths in action. It was all perfectly worked in just like it was a part of the characters themselves and their lives—because it was and I loved that.

I think that’s one reason (of many) I love this book and the prior so much: Yes, the romances are so sweet and adorable at times, but it gets to the heart of the matter that God should be our first love, not another human. Bettina really learns this in this sequel and it was so encouraging to see that message in a Christian Fiction book.

There were so many little details that were said almost nonchalantly, but if you pay attention, they’ll hit hard—but I can’t give an example because of spoilers!

“The Librarian of Boone’s Hollow” was already one of my very favorite books, but “Return to Boone’s Hollow” has joined it in the rankings.

 

 

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.

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

"The Librarian of Boone's Hollow" by Kim Vogel Sawyer

About this book:

  “During the Great Depression, Addie Cowherd dreams of being a novelist and offering readers the escape that books gave her during her tragic childhood. When her adoptive father loses his job, she is forced to leave college and take the only employment she can find--delivering books on horseback to poor coal mining families in the hills of Kentucky.

  The small community of Boone's Hollow is suspicious of outsiders and steeped in superstitions that leave Addie feeling rejected and indignant. Although she finds an unexpected friend in an elderly outcast, the other horseback librarians scorn her determination to befriend Nanny Fay.

  Emmett Tharp grew up in the tiny mountain hamlet where most men either work in the coal mine or run moonshine. He's the first in the community to earn a college degree, and he has big dreams, but witnesses the Depression robbing many young men of their future.

  Then someone sets out to sabotage the library program, going so far as to destroy Addie's novel in progress. Will the saboteur chase Addie and the other librarians away, or will knowledge emerge victorious over prejudice? Is Emmett the local ally that Addie needs--and might their friendship lead to something more?

  Inspired by the real WPA program that sent librarians on horseback to deliver books to hill families in Kentucky, Kim Vogel Sawyer immersed herself in Appalachian history to tell this captivating story.”

Series: A sequel was released in 2022, "Return to Boone's Hollow". Review Here! 

Spiritual Content- Luke 6:27 at the beginning; Many Scriptures are quoted, mentioned, remembered, thought over, & discussed; Many prayers; Church going, hymns, & sermons; Witnessing; Many Talks about God, faiths, His paths for each of us; ‘H’s are capitalized when referring to God; Many mentions of God, Jesus, faiths, & His paths for each of us; Many mentions of prayers, praying, thanking God, & blessings over food; Many mentions of blessings & being blessed; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, & those in the Bible; Mentions of churches, church going, pastors, services, sermons, & hymns; Mentions of a ministry; Mentions of Christmas; A few mentions of Heaven; A few mentions of sins; A mention of a miracle;

             *Note: People in Boone’s Hollow think Nanny Fay is a witch & have outcasted her for this (she is not a witch); Many mentions of superstitions, luck, people thinking Nanny Fay is a witch, & spells/potions; A mention of the superstitious belief that mirrors can steal one’s soul; A mention of Emmett’s mother believing card games are of the devil (he does not share her view, but respects her too much to partake in such games). 

 

 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: an ‘idiot’, a ‘sissy’, three ‘stupid’s, thirteen form of ‘dumb’; A little bit of eye rolling; Injuries, Pain, & Blood/Bleeding; Many mentions of Bettina’s injuries from a family member’s beatings, the physical and verbal abuse, & pain (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of a mother being beaten by her own mother and husband, injuries, blood, & her death from it all (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of a 13-year-old girl being sold by her parents to wed a complete stranger; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, & a mean and violent drunk; Mentions of threats & having a gun aimed at you (including a man threatening to blow some officers’ brains out); Mentions of hatred, prejudices, & jealousy; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars (Bettina tells some lies in regard to her relationship with Emmett); Mentions of gossip & rumors; A few mentions of The Trail of Tears, being left to die, & deaths; A few mentions of tobacco & a cigar box; A couple mentions of mine cave-ins & injuries; A couple mentions of stealing; A couple mentions of vandalism; A couple mentions of poison; A couple mentions of smoking some loco weed; A couple mentions of chicken carcasses; A couple mentions of mice being caught in traps (barely-above-not-detailed); A mention of slavery; A mention of throwing up; A mention of hunting;

             *Note: Mentions of authors, books, series, actors, & movies.

 

 

Sexual Content- A forehead-to-forehead touch; A couple embraces & blushes; Some noticing; Mentions of kisses/kissing & sparking (barely-above-not-detailed, Bettina talks about kissing Emmett a bit and later catches him with his shirt unbuttoned and hints to Addie that they were spoonin’ (they actually weren’t)); Mentions of jealousy; A few mentions of flirting; A few mentions of sashaying hips (Bettina tries to do it like the movie starlets do); A couple mentions of making sheep’s eyes at someone; A mention of a woman becoming a man’s wife in every way three years after their marriage; A mention of a man only being good at is making new little family members; A mention of cute boys; Some love, falling in love, & the emotions;

             *Note: A few mentions of stillborns & not being able to nurse those babies.

 

-Adelaide “Addie” Cowherd, age 21

-Emmett Tharp, age 22

                                P.O.V. switches between them, Nanny Fay, & Bettina

                                               Set in 1936

                                                        368 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

{Please note the topic of abuse (though never detailed) and adjust the stars according to each girl in case of triggering content.}

Ohhhh. This was such a wonderful book and I’m so thrilled to mark this as my first five-star book of 2020.

{Psst, if you’re looking for a video review, please check out this video—it’s pure fangirling over this plot and characters, but, oh well. 😉 }

 

I’m not sure where to begin, so let’s just start:

We see the point-of-view of four characters, Addie, Emmett, Nanny Fay, and Bettina.

Starting of with my favorite character—and now one of my favorite characters of all time—Addie. Addie is an absolutely precious human being. She kindness and caring for everyone and living out the Golden Rule of treating others how you would like to be treated was so beautiful. That message is something I believe in needed not only in this crazy year but in everyday life. I think some may think her to be too perfect, but I thought there were quite a few glimpses into her thoughts and actions of her having to remind herself to look for the blessings—no matter how small of a blessing—and her realistic emotions. I loved her attitude towards life, others, and how level-headed she was. I could go on and on, but let’s just wrap up with that this character inspired and challenges me to be better.

Emmett. As far as leading guys go, he wasn’t my absolute favorite, but he was a really good guy. He treated others with respect and was a likeable character.

Time for a side note: Addie & Emmett. This “romance” was so incredibly clean with not even a single kiss or noticing of an ankle. (Did I just poke at the majority of historical Christian Fiction? Ooops.) Their relationship was so sweet but yet so innocent and calm. None of the major amounts of butterflies or accidental touches like in other books. It was so clean and so sweet, it was so lovely.

Nanny Fay. She’s been branded as a witch in Boone’s Hollow because of her late husband’s family having Cherokee blood and because she makes helpful teas and balms with natural ingredients. When you find out her story, you realize that she had many opportunities to turn bitter and angry, but she did not. She held fast to the Lord and was so kind to everyone even when others didn’t treat her kindly. I adored Nanny Fay and Addie’s faith conversations and that truly added even more to my enjoyment of the story. The faith content was phenomenal and both of those characters were so refreshing to see.

Bettina. Ah, Bettina. If we didn’t have her point-of-view, we probably would dislike her and not feel much—if any—compassion towards her and her situation. The negative content/content warning for this book comes from Bettina’s parts. Her father is a mean drunk that verbally and physically abuses her. She wants out of her current circumstances and has a plan for it to change.  

I so enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the characters—especially Addie and her mindset. I enjoyed the wonderful faith content and I enjoyed the sweet, clean romance. I feel so satisfied at the ending and how everything wrapped up. Please do expect me to chat about this book often on my BookTube channel, because this has become a new favorite my mine. :)

 

 

 

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.

*I received this book for free from the Publisher (WaterBrook) for this honest review.