"One Enchanted Christmas" by Melissa Tagg

About this book:

  “Last December, mystery author Maren Grant had the most perfect night of her life. On a glimmering winter evening, she got to watch the photo shoot for her very first book and ended up on a magical date with the cover model himself—Colin Renwycke.

    Fast forward one year. This December, with a looming deadline, restless spirit and her creative spark long since gone, Maren is desperate to get unstuck. And she can’t get Colin out of her head…or his year-old open invitation to spend a couple weeks writing at his family’s farm.

   Drew Renwycke never planned to come home and take over the Renwycke family farm. But he’s spent too many years watching his siblings unravel, including his brother, Colin, after one terrible family mistake. If moving to Maple Valley, Iowa, renovating an old farmhouse and switching careers is what it takes to put the Renwycke family back together, he’ll do it.

   But his simple plan upends when a scrappy author lands on his doorstep. And she just might be the key to coaxing his brother home. But what if he wants her all to himself? Drew will have to choose between his Christmas wish and the enchantment of a holiday romance that just might be the happy ending they all long for.”

Series: #1 in the “Enchanted Christmas” series and connected to the author’s other series “Walker Family”.

Spiritual Content- Set during Christmas & mentions of those in the Bible, songs, & a live nativity; Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers; Mentions of churches & church going.

 

 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a form of ‘crap’, a ‘darn’, a ‘drat’, a ‘flippin’’, a ‘holy cow’, a ‘oh my gosh’, a ‘shoot’, a ‘why the heck’, two ‘dumb’s, two ‘what the—?’s, three ‘idiot’s, and five ‘stupid’s; Sarcasm & Eye rolling; Mentions of fighting & punching; Mentions of a break-in; Mentions of parties, alcohol, drinking, pills, addictions, rehab, & a dog that was killed; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of gossip;

             *Note: A couple mentions of zombies & vampires; A mention of a TV show (Gilmore Girls).

 

 

Sexual Content- an almost kiss and a barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed kiss; Touches & Embraces (up to semi-detailed); Noticing; Mentions of someone who had a child out-of-wedlock; Mentions of dating, dates, boyfriends, breakups, & exes; Mentions of crushes; A few mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of temptation & wanting to embrace someone; A mention of a kiss; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;

             *Note: A mention of a man changing clothes (not-detailed). 

 

-Maren Grant, age 29

-Drew Renwycke, age 32

                                P.O.V. switches between them & a Narrator

                                                        116 pages

 

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

This was a pretty cute Christmas novella. It was different with a Narrator popping in and out of the story.

 

 

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.

"Like Never Before" by Melissa Tagg

About this book:

  “Maple Valley became Amelia Bentley's haven after her heart and her dreams of a family were shattered. But her new life as a newspaper editor is shaken when the small-town paper is in danger of closing. Her one hope: A lead on an intriguing story that just might impress the new publisher...if only she new who he was.
  After his biggest campaign success yet, widowed speechwriter Logan Walker now has the chance of a lifetime--a spot on a presidential campaign. But his plans are interrupted when he finds out he's inherited his hometown newspaper. He travels home intent on selling the paper and spending some much-needed time with his young daughter before making the leap into national politics.
  But instead of a quick sale and peaceful break from his hectic career, Logan finds himself helping Amelia chase her story. She's scrappy, but wounded. He's dependable, but lost. They may butt heads more than expected, but a series of leads on Maple Valley's quirky unsolved mystery is just the start of the sparks that fly in the office and in their hearts.”


Series: Book #2 in the “Walker Family” series. Review of Book #1 Here! {This series can be connected to the “Where Love Begins” series, if you read the novella “Three Little Words”.}

Spiritual Content- Isaiah 43:19 at the beginning; Prayers; A couple Scriptures are mentioned & talked about; Many talks about God, His plans, trusting & praying; ‘H’s are not capital when referring to God; Amelia doesn’t know if God let her down or she let God down; Logan says some prayers for the first in forever (he isn’t a fan of God’s plan and believes that he has to figure out everything himself); *Spoilers* Both Amelia & Logan pray near the end and ask God for help. *End of Spoilers*; Mentions of praying; Mentions of Church; A couple mentions of signs in the Bible; A couple mentions of missionary work; A couple mentions of sins; A mention of Thanking God.

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘crapshoot’, a ‘flippin”, a ‘shoot’, a ‘shut up’, an unfinished ‘what the—‘, two ‘darn’s, three forms of ‘stupid’, three ‘dumb’s, and four forms of ‘idiot’; Many mentions of divorce; Mentions of hitting someone; A few mentions of a car accident & a drunk driver; A few mentions of drugs, drinking & parties; A few mentions of tattoos & piercings; a mention of a bar;

              *Note: A couple mentions of Starbucks.

Sexual Content- five hand kisses, four cheek kisses, a forehead kiss, two not-detailed kisses, two barely-above-not-detailed, and four semi-detailed kisses; Remembering a kiss (barely-above-not-detailed); Wanting to kiss; Touches & Embraces (up to semi-detailed); Noticing, Nearness & Smelling (up to semi-detailed); A mention of finding a woman in a man’s bed (he slept in another room); A few mentions of jealousy; A few mentions of an unmarried couple living together; Mentions of a married couple trying seven years to have a baby (no sexual details); Mentions of kisses & kissing; Mentions of crushes, blushes & flirting; Many mentions of unmarried pregnant young women (including a mention of a one-night stand); Love, falling in love & the emotions;  

              *Note: A mention of a woman whose curves got the attention of all the boys in high school; A few mentions of nakedness, wearing just a robe & adverting eyes; A few mentions of seeing men undressing & pants coming off (no details, nothing sexual at all).

-Amelia Bentley, age 30

-Logan Walker, age 34
                                       P.O.V. switches between them
                                                        342 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

Looking at this cute cover (& spine! Ah! The cute spine!) may make you think that this is just a cutesy Contemporary Romance. While “Like Never Before” definitely has it cute Contemporary Romance parts, it’s not just that. There’s quite a bit of Spiritual Content—which it’s been a while since I’ve read a (Christian Fiction) book with both main characters struggling with their faiths. Book Two in the “Walker Family” series has a fun mystery, but also more real-life topics like unwed mothers, divorce, etc are major parts of the story. I did enjoy this book (there was a library date, y’all!) and while I would like to give it a bit of a higher rating, but because of all the kisses, I can’t.

See y’all on Wednesday 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 (Bethany House) for this honest review.