"Mistletoe and Mayhem" by Janice Thompson

About this book:

  “A Wildfire Races toward the Hadley Ranch
     It’s less than a week until Christmas in Mabank, Texas, and just a few days away from RaeLyn and Mason’s wedding on Hadley ranch. Unfortunately, a wildfire with mysterious origin is rapidly traveling across several counties and headed right for the Hadley acreage. Fire fighters rush to put it out before the family homestead goes up in flames, taking the business and the old red truck with it. Their perfect wedding may be ruined, and RaeLyn and Mason are determined to find the source of the fire.”


Series: Book #3 in “The Little Red Truck Mysteries” series. Book #1 Here! and Book #2 Here!


Spiritual Content- Isaiah 43:1-3 at the dedication & author’s note; Scriptures are read, mentioned, remembered, & quoted; Prayers & Thanking God; Church going & a Christmas Eve service; Witnessing a miracle (*Spoiler* regarding to the fire coming right up to the edge of RaeLyn’s family’s property and then the firefighters being able to stop the flames *End of Spoilers*); Talks about God, praying, & miracles; 'H's are capital when referring to God; RaeLyn calls her best friend a “spiritual powerhouse”; Mentions of God, Jesus, & faiths; Mentions of prayers, praying, a prayer chain, thanking and praising God, & blessings over food; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, & a Bible study; Mentions of churches, church going, pastors, services, worship songs, & Sunday school classes; Mentions of blessings & being Blessed; Mentions of miracles & divine intervention; Mentions of Christmas nativities & hymns; A few mentions of those & events in the Bible; A few mentions of a priest; A couple mentions of a revival meeting & people being “slain in the Spirit”; A couple mentions of missions; A mention of a godly couple; A mention of a church denomination; A mention of gaining answers to hard questions one day in Heaven; A mention of a person not being a “religious person” but rethinking that after God saved her sons from a fire; A mention of religious paintings; 
             *Note: Religious phrases like ‘heavens!’ or ‘heavens, no’ are said four times; RaeLyn’s mother comments on owning something before she got married “a million years ago” and RaeLyn’s father mutters “before dinosaurs roamed the earth, apparently”; Bessie Mae comments on a man not knowing what Blue Bell (ice cream) is being “practically a sin” and she’s going to “baptize” him in homemade vanilla; Mentions of luck & being lucky.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘duh’, a ‘dumb’, a ‘stupid’, five ‘my stars’s, and ‘good grief’s; Eye rolling & Sarcasm; Pain, Injuries, & Throwing up (up to semi-detailed); RaeLyn and her family have a nearby wildfire & have to soak down their home and property (they all fear the worst happening, but praying for the best & have many emotions about it all, semi-detailed); All about & many mentions of fires, losing home and property, two young boys being separated from their family in the fire, smoke, & a possible arsonist (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of a car accident, death, & grief (Mason for his father); Mentions of other deaths & grief (including RaeLyn for her grandfather & a woman for her husband); Mentions of injuries & pain; Mentions of nightmares (including of fires); Mentions of divorces & a man who “traded in wives like old cars”; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of chewing tobacco; A few mentions of throwing up; A few mentions of drinking & AA; A few mentions of lottery tickets & gambling; A few mentions of jealousy; A mention of a woman disappearing on a cruise (implied possible murder by her husband); A mention of a man possibly being an ax murderer or escaped convict; A mention of skin cancer; A mention of cheating; A mention of a child being bitten by a dog & being scarred by it; 
             *Note: RaeLyn’s mother treats her daughter-in-law coldly because of her and the son eloping without telling anyone (*Spoiler* Towards the end, her mother says that she didn’t see what a good person the new daughter-in-law is and now realizes it *End of Spoiler*); RaeLyn’s father always gives his (adult) kids a lottery ticket in their Christmas stockings (which their mother scolds him for because neither of them believe in gambling); Mentions of stores (Walmart, Brookshire Brothers, & Amazon); Mentions of brand names & items (Blue Bell Ice Cream, Life Savers, Tupperware, Barbie, Radio Flyer wagon, John Deere, Gucci, & FaceTime); Mentions of celebrities/singers & songs (John Wayne, Carmen Miranda, Whitney Houston, Dolly Parton, Ricardo Montalbán, Cesar Romero, Marilyn Monroe, ‘I Will Always Love You’, ‘I Loved Her First’, & ‘Celebration’); A few mentions of car brands; A couple mentions of social media platforms (Facebook & Pinterest); A mention of the Wizard of Oz; A mention of a musical (Annie Get Your Gun); A mention of an Academy Award; A mention of a football team; A mention of buying something being “cheaper than therapy”.
 
 
Sexual Content- a fingers-to-lips touch, a nose kiss, a forehead kiss, three cheek kisses, three not-detailed kisses, and twelve barely-above-not-detailed kisses; Remembering kisses (barely-above-not-detailed); Seeing married couples kiss (barely-above-not-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, Flutters, & Nearness (barely-above-not-detailed); RaeLyn blushes when others bring up about wedding nights; Towards the end and after their wedding night, RaeLyn’s heart rate quicks at the sight of Mason coming out of the shower in nothing but a towel (no noticing anything else and that’s all that is said in this scene); 1 ‘hottie’; Mentions of wedding nights & honeymoons (all that is said or implied are: the couples blushing, couples needing their privacy, saying “ooh-la-la” about their wedding night, another couple saying that they had a wonderful wedding night and the wife comments on making the mistake of wearing a silk nightie while having silk sheets, RaeLyn is given the advice to make sure she eats at the reception to have energy, RaeLyn says about going on a honeymoon for “a week of R&R” and Mason adds “among other things”, another woman comments about “what’s the point of a weddin’ night if you’re not gonna muss your hair?”, & RaeLyn calls her wedding night “blissful” and going to adopt the other ladies’ phrase “ooh-la-la”); Mentions of married couples kissing (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of a handsome man being called “dreamy” and a Casanova; Mentions of boyfriends/girlfriends, dates, & dating; Mentions of blushes; Mentions of crushes; Love, being in love, & the emotions.
 
-RaeLyn Hadley, age 27
                                1^st person P.O.V. of RaeLyn 
                                                        256 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

Aww, I’m so sad this series is over, but this book was such a great ending to such a fun trilogy. I’m not usually one for reading Christmas books before November, but I made an exception for this anticipated one!

 

The mystery took more of a backseat in this book with the preparations of RaeLyn’s wedding and all the planning of it. I really liked the second book in this series, but I would say this was my favorite of the trilogy. It felt so much like a Janice Thompson book—and of course it does, it’s written by her!—but it reminded me of all the elements that I love about her books: faith-filled main characters, Texas charm, small towns, big families, humor, and the characters going through the ups and downs of life. I’ve said before that this series reminds me of the “Brides with Style” trilogy, but this book particularly reminded me of the “Weddings by Bella” series with the main character planning and having her wedding in it.

 

There was a lot of emotions in this book with the nearby fire, but also all of RaeLyn’s feelings on her upcoming wedding which include joy and excitement, but also realizing that life is fixing to change in a big way and savor the current moments. 

 

I would suggest this book for 16/17+ because of the very vague mentions of wedding nights.

 

 

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 (Barbour) for this honest review.

"Sabotage at Cedar Creek" by Janice Thompson

About this book:

  “Who Would Set the New B&B Ablaze?
    Breathe in the nostalgia of everything old red truck in book two of this cozy mystery series.
    In Mabank, Texas, the Hadley family’s new antique business is open and running well with Tilly, the red antique truck, as its mascot. RaeLyn Hadley enjoys driving Grandpa’s truck around as she seeks out antiques for her family’s store.
    RaeLyn is excited that her friend, Tasha, will soon open a new bed-and-breakfast inn to accommodate the area’s growing tourism, but a fire threatens to spoil all Tasha has worked for.
    RaeLyn immediately gets to work sleuthing out who could be behind such an act of sabotage. Could it be the nearby resort owner, the daughter of the house’s former owner; a neighbor, or a squatter who had been living in the house before renovations? RaeLyn is determined to solve the mystery for her friend.”


Series: Book #2 in “The Little Red Truck Mysteries” series. Book #1 Here!


Spiritual Content- Psalm 68:6 at the beginning and mentioned throughout the book; A few Scriptures are mentioned, quoted, & thought over; Church going & Sunday School classes; Talks about God; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Mentions of God; Mentions of prayer, praying, Thanking God, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, Sunday school classes, pastors and teachers, sermons and lessons, services; Mentions of different denominations (Baptist, Methodist, and The Assembly of God); A few mentions of Bibles & Bible reading; A few mentions of Christianity & faiths; A few mentions of blessings & being Blessed; A couple mentions of worship songs & hymns; A few mentions of church camps; A couple mentions of angels; A mention of a missionary; A mention of godly people; A mention of a man being a good Samaritan; A mention of a seminary school;
             *Note: A member on the deacon board at RaeLyn’s church was found out to have been cheating on his wife in the prior book and steps down from being on the board in this book (RaeLyn later thinks that the man’s faith was “put-on” (fake)); A couple mentions of Pandora’s box; A teasing mention of someone living “a million years ago, when dinosaurs roamed the earth”; A mention of someone having a god-complex.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘for the love of all that’s holy’, an ‘oh my gosh’, two ‘dumb’s, two ‘oh my stars’s, four ‘duh’s, four ‘gosh’s, and five ‘good grief’s; Eye rolling & Sarcasm; A couple mentions of graffiti with expletives & social media posts with vile language (not written out); RaeLyn catches herself being a gossip and feels small; Many mentions of break-ins, trespassing, vandalism, & threats; Mentions of deaths (including from sicknesses, cancer, a drowning, a work-related accident, and a car accident) & grieving (including for parents, a father, husbands, a wife, and a young son who drowned); Mentions of a toddler drowning (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of wars, drafts, injuries, & deaths; Mentions of crimes, criminals, & thieves, & stolen cars; Mentions of arrests & jail; Mentions of scams; Mentions of a homeless man squatting on someone’s land; Mentions of divorces (including a messy one currently happening); Mentions of foreclosures; Mentions of a woman trying to mooch off her family (including a dying stepmother); Mentions of hatred; Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of cocktails; A few mentions of restraining orders; A few mentions of lies, lying, & liars; A few mentions of a man having a father who bullied him growing up; A few mentions of an alcohol addiction, being sober, & AA; A few mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of betting; A mention of a barroom brawl; A mention of someone who was trapped in a liquor store never being the same again; A mention of eavesdropping; 
             *Note: RaeLyn’s mother doesn’t care for the girl one of her sons is dating because of her being divorced (and who she was married to); Mentions of brand names, items, & places (Louis Vuitton, Blue Bell ice cream, iPad, WD-40, Pizza Hut, Walmart, Brookshire Brothers, & Dairy Queen); Mentions of car brands; Mentions of social media platforms (YouTube & Facebook); Mentions of celebrities (John Wayne, Annie Oakley, James Dean, & the Gabor sisters); Mentions of a movie/play (Annie Get Your Gun); A few mentions of TV shows (Hoarders); A few mentions of a singer & song (Hank Williams); A mention of someone needing to go to counseling to get to the core of his motivations (someone says this about him); A mention of Girl Scouts; A mention of a book (Les Miserables); A man is called an “old fart”.
 
 
Sexual Content- Three cheek kisses, a nose kiss, two forehead/hair kisses, two not-detailed kisses, and six barely-above-not-detailed kisses; Touches, Embraces, & Nearness (barely-above-not-detailed); Many mentions of a man cheating on his wife, leaving her for the other woman (they are separated and getting a divorce now), him living with the other woman (which a character calls brazen because of his former status on the deacon board at a church), & there being little nice to say about the new woman (on this, RaeLyn doesn’t understand how he can act like it is normal to go around town with the other woman when his divorce is not final); Mentions of a couple that were already expecting when they got married and people in town being cruel with their gossip about it (*Spoiler* This was Bessie Mae’s high school sweetheart after he got back from fighting in the Korean War and *Major Spoilers* despite rumors and assumptions, the baby wasn’t his, but his best friend who was killed in action and saved his life *End of Spoilers*); Mentions of dates, dating, & boyfriends/girlfriends; Mentions of crushes, blushes, & flirting; Mentions of handsome men; A few mentions of couples kissing & holding hands; A few mentions of jealousy; A mention of a woman having a son, but never being married; A mention of an unmarried couple visiting a hotel together; A mention of someone having the hots for another; Light love, being in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: A handful of mentions of a woman’s low-cut blouse (which RaeLyn finds awkward), a low-cut dress, & the woman wearing an “over-the-top” Statue of Liberty costume that features “way too much cleavage” (it’s noted that even the menfolk are avoiding her).
 
-RaeLyn Hadley, age 26
                                1^st person P.O.V. of RaeLyn
                                                        256 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

I haven’t read too many books set around the Fourth of July, so it was really fun to have that element in this plot! Even if you aren’t American, this book just has a lovely summer feel to it that can be enjoyable without the nostalgic holiday events. 

 

While I see bits of myself in RaeLyn, she did have a few moments that made me disappointed in her—particularly her negative thoughts about another character who is “down on his luck”, so to say, and thinking he is the vandal—that said, her thoughts could be accurate, however, because it’s sometimes hard to tell the vibe a person gives off over text rather than in person. I wish she hadn’t jumped to conclusions about him, though, especially as Mason was trying to help the guy. Everything works out and she learns a lesson about not judging a book by its cover, but I hope it sticks for the next book and maybe that she won’t jump to conclusions as much! 

 

Speaking of Mason, after finishing the first book, I wasn’t sure what to think about him and was curious to see my thoughts on him after reading this book. The verdict? I liked him a lot more in this sequel. He balances RaeLyn out more as like I said above, she can be a bit quick to be judgmental and he is determined to see the best in everyone. I really liked the ending and can’t wait to read the next book after certain events happened in this book! 

 

I might be a wee bit biased about enjoying this book so much—it is by one of my favorite authors, after all—but I also love the Scripture that is highlighted throughout the book, Psalm 68:6, about God setting the lonely in families. 

 

Big, close families might have their messy moments and small town life might be messy with drama, but this series has highlighted it in a lot of humorous—and some thought provoking—ways. I would say I actually liked this book more than the first book in the series because I really liked how the ending worked out. I definitely suggest reading this series in order as it mentions the prior book’s events pretty often. Because of mentions of affairs/cheating, I would also suggest this series for older teens, but this one has less about that than the first book. 

 

The ending had me doing happy sighs and then squeeing in delight—I’m truly looking forward to the third (and final!) book in the series that will be releasing in September!

 

 

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 (Barbour) for this honest review.

"Tracking Tilly" by Janice Thompson

About this book:

  “Who Stole Tilly from the Auction Block? Breathe in the nostalgia of everything old red truck in book one of a new cozy mystery series. The Hadley family ranch is struggling, so RaeLyn, her parents, and brothers decide to turn the old barn into an antique store. The only thing missing to go with the marketing of the store is Grandpa’s old red truck, Tilly, that was sold several years ago. Now coming back up on the auction block, Tilly would need a lot of work, but RaeLyn is sure it will be worth it—if only she can beat out other bidders and find out who stole Tilly after the auction ends. Hadley finds herself in the role of amateur sleuth, and the outcome could make or break the new family venture.”  


Series: Book #1 in “The Little Red Truck Mysteries” series.


Spiritual Content- A Scripture is mentioned & discussed; Church going, Sunday school, services, & sermons; Talks about God; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, Sunday school, youth group, Bible studies, a prayer team, worship, services, sermons, & pastors; Mentions of an Easter service & children’s choir; Mentions of missionaries, mission fields, & ministries; Mentions of Baptist and Methodist churches; A few mentions of Bibles & Bible reading; A few mentions of blessings & being Blessed; A few mentions of miracles; A couple mentions of a nativity set; A couple mentions of hymns; A mention of being reborn;
             *Note: The phrase “don’t know me from Adam” is said; A mention of good lucky charms (not believing in them).
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘doggone’, a ‘shoot’, four ‘good grief’s, and seven forms of ‘oh my stars’; “B.S.” is said and refers to a time “before someone”, but it takes someone back when first said (implied cursing); Sarcasm & eye rolling; When a guy brings up about him and RaeLyn sneaking around when they were younger, she thinks that she doesn’t want her parents wondering how much sneaking around she did because “berry stealing was the height of [her] crime spree”; RaeLyn’s aunt suggests about doing something and keeping it a secret from her parents (they don’t do it, however); Some grief by RaeLyn for her grandfather; All about many mentions of a stolen car and items, thefts, thieves, & trying to find the car; Many mentions of divorces; Mentions of car accidents & a death (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of deaths in a house fire (a man’s parents when he was a teenager); Mentions of deaths of loved ones, grief (including RaeLyn with her grandfather), & illnesses (cancer and Alzheimer’s); Mentions of crimes, criminals, arrests, & jail; Mentions of trespassing & the possibility of being chased with a shotgun; Mentions of lies, lying, & deceit; Mentions of gossip & rumors; A few mentions of alcohol, drinks at a party, & not being a drinker; A couple mentions of the death of an infant; A couple mentions of an injury; A couple mentions of bullying; A couple mentions of jealousy; A mention of a shoot-out in a movie; A mention of chewing tobacco;
             *Note: A man calls his wife “the little woman” (which makes RaeLyn wonder if the man is always demeaning to women); Many mentions of car brands, brand names, & items; Mentions of stores & fast-food chains; Mentions of actors, movies, TV shows, & singers (including John Wayne, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Farrah Fawcett, & Frank Sinatra); Mentions of social media platforms; A couple mentions of a short story (“The Last Leaf” by O. Henry); A mention of Reader’s Digest; A mention of a married couple having vastly different views on politics due to one being from Texas and the other from California.
 
 
Sexual Content- A barely-above-not-detailed kiss; Touches, Dancing, Hand holding, & Butterflies/Flutters, (up to semi-detailed); Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); RaeLyn recalls herself and a friend battling over a guy & believes a guy stole her friend away from her; A man gives too much attention to RaeLyn for her liking & tries to hit on her; A man is called a “rounder” (meaning he gets around), has cheated and had affairs, & left his current wife for another woman (he has been married and divorced four times); Another man is caught in an embrace with a woman who is not his wife (*Spoiler* by RaeLyn who prior saw the man light up when he sees the woman and then later when they’re in an embrace; She wonders if she should tell his wife what’s going on, but realizes that she already knows and is pretending she doesn’t; RaeLyn decides to let it go and not be involved in their martial disputes after seeing that the woman knows what’s going on *End of Spoiler*); A woman talks about her marriage to a man fifteen years her senior, their divorce after his cheating, & her regret over the relationship; Mentions of affairs & cheating; Mentions of an out-of-wedlock pregnancy & the couple getting married but someone else thinking that they never really loved the other; Mentions of boyfriends/girlfriends, dates, dating, exes, break-ups, & broken hearts; Mentions of winks, blushes, & flirting; A couple mentions of wives leaving their husbands or taking a “sabbatical” away from him; A couple mentions of men hitting on RaeLyn and also a married woman; A couple mentions of jealousy; A teasing mention of a stolen kiss; A mention of a woman using her “charms” to woo men; A mention of a crush (being allowed but not a crush on a married man); A bit of love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Mentions of a voluptuous woman and her low-cut & figure hugging outfits; A few mentions of labor pains.
 
-RaeLyn Hadley, age 26
                                1st person P.O.V. of RaeLyn 
                                                        256 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

My most anticipated release of the year was a success! 

 

I found my eyes squinting whenever Mason was on page because I wasn’t sure how to feel about him. 🤨 But he eventually won me over by the end of the book and I’m curious to see what happens next for the two of them. 

 

Now, I’m not a big car person. Old, vintage, or brand new. Never really interested me. But because this book is written by one of my favorite authors and it sounded like there would be antiques been discussed, I was very interested in it. 

 

If you like small town drama, go for this book. It’s messy and gets messier with each chapter. Which is why I would mark it for 16+, personally. I did find myself confused at times everyone’s different ages and some connections, but I just went along with trying to figure it out as I went and I think I did well. This book reminded me a lot of the “Brides with Styles” trilogy, though I liked that series a bit more. ;)

 

This was overall a fun, small town mystery and I’m super excited to see what this series leads to next!

 

 

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 (Barbour) for this honest review.