"The Tutor's Daughter" by Julie Klassen

About this book:

  “Emma Smallwood, determined to help her widowed father regain his spirits when his academy fails, agrees to travel with him to the distant Cornwall coast, to the clifftop manor of a baronet and his four sons. But after they arrive and begin teaching the younger boys, mysterious things begin to happen and danger mounts. Who does Emma hear playing the pianoforte, only to find the music room empty? Who sneaks into her room at night? Who rips a page from her journal, only to return it with a chilling illustration?
   The baronet's older sons, Phillip and Henry, wrestle with problems—and secrets—of their own. They both remember Emma Smallwood from their days at her father's academy. She had been an awkward, studious girl. But now one of them finds himself unexpectedly drawn to her.
   When the suspicious acts escalate, can the clever tutor's daughter figure out which brother to blame... and which brother to trust with her heart?”


Series: No, a stand-alone novel. 

Spiritual Content- A few Scriptures are mentioned, remembered, & quoted (including at the beginning of a chapter); Prayers & Thanking God; Church going & a bit of a sermon; A hymn is sung & written out; Some witnessing; Talks about God, Heaven, & prayers; Most 'H's are capital when referring to God; Emma rarely prays since she feels as if God doesn’t answer her prayers and believes she can rely on no one but herself (*Spoiler* Towards the end, she starts being open to God and listening to Him again *End of Spoiler*); Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers, praying, & Thanking and praising God; Mentions of Heaven & one’s eternity; Mentions of churches/chapels, church going, services, sermons, & vicars/clergymen; Mentions of a monk & his devotion to God; A few mentions of a drawing of Adam and Eve in the Garden (done by a child and has leaves covering them); A few mentions of Easter (in regards to the holiday break); A few mentions of blessings; A mention of the Old Testament; A mention of Christians; A mention of christening babies; A mention of some people viewing shipwrecks to be God’s grace to them and won’t save any survivors because of it; A mention of someone who has passed not being in the churchyard, but somewhere “far better”;
             *Note: When a conversation about God viewing all lives as “equally important”, someone makes a comment that “that’s one interpretation”; Many mentions of a rumored ghost & a house being haunted (Emma does not believe in ghosts and tries to figure out what it really is); Mentions of Greek mythology & gods from it; A few mentions of superstitions & legends (giants, piskies, mermaids, and ghosts are given as examples); A couple mentions of a woman having a superstitious streak and being “keen on lineage” (see Negative Content Note section for more information); A mention of supernatural terrors; A mention of someone being a “lucky devil”; The phrases “devil of a shock” and “God in heaven” (used when something shocking happened) are both used once.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘care a fig’, a form of ‘dumb’, a ‘what the devil’, a ‘who the blazes’, two ‘idiot’s, two ‘shut up’s, four ‘dash it’s, four ‘thunder and turf’s, fifteen ‘dashed’s, and sixteen “Good heavens”s; A few mentions of curses (said, not written); Some eye rolling; Thinking you’re going to die, Being trapped, Possibly drowning, & Helping rescue those in a shipwreck (up to semi-detailed); Emma slaps someone (who wouldn’t let go of her); Emma’s father makes a couple comments about wanting to die (he is depressed and grieving his wife); Many mentions of shipwrecks, drownings, bodies, seeing it happen, greedy wreckers, smugglers, thieves, thefts, and stealing (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of teasing, pranks, & meanness from children/teens to others (including Henry to Emma, up to semi-detailed); Mentions of deaths of loved ones & grieving (for a wife & for a mother); Mentions of wars, battles, & deaths (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of criminals & crimes; Mentions of fighting & fights; Mentions of threats of harm & death (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of blood/bleeding, fake blood in a threat/warning, & a drawing of a beheading (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, & social drinking (at dinners); Mentions of a mother leaving her daughter with her new husband (abandoning them both); Mentions of ugly names & calling others those names (young Emma and Henry, a young woman called Emma a “cow”, and two brothers fight and call the other a name); A few mentions of possible beatings & thinking a child is being beaten; A few mentions of hangings & a guillotine; A few mentions of eavesdropping; A couple mentions of finding a dead body; A couple mentions of a burn & injuries; A couple mentions of vandalism; A couple mentions of rumors; A couple mentions of jealousy; A mention of imaging a loved one being swept out into sea; A mention of jail; A mention of throwing up; A mention of killing a chicken; 
             *Note: Some do not care if a crew on a ship dies as then they can legally have the cargo; Using a chamber pot (barely-above-not-detailed); Many mentions of authors, books, & quotes from both are shared at the beginning of each chapter; Many mentions of those born with disabilities, others disapproving of them, others believing them to be dangerous and/or violent, some families sending others away because of it, & the option of workhouses or asylums (including a mention of some parents being concerned about their other children learning their “less-developed behaviors”); A couple mentions of infant mortality & deaths; A couple mentions of a woman canceling her daughter’s marriage due to a superstitious streak because the man’s family having someone with a club foot; A mention of a man’s tone implying that a woman is “feather-brained”.
 
 
Sexual Content- A fingers-to-lips touch (detailed), two hand kisses, an almost (semi-detailed) kiss, four cheek/chin kisses, three forehead/temple kisses, a not-detailed kiss, a barely-above-not-detailed kiss, two semi-detailed kisses, a detailed kiss, and a very detailed kiss; Remembering kisses & embraces (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to kiss & be kissed (up to semi-detailed); Emma recalls her first kiss when she was alone in the dark with a young man (she found it exciting to be alone with him, up to semi-detailed); Emma dreams of a man almost kissing her (up to semi-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Dancing, Warmth, & Hand holding (up to semi-detailed); Blushes; Noticing (including muscles and curves, up to semi-detailed); Emma received love letters that mention her lips and her “delectable” earlobe; Emma and Henry talk late at night when in their nightclothes (scandalous for the time period); A man leers at Emma, focusing on her bosom (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of young women being in gentlemen’s bedchambers (both innocently and suggestive); Mentions of kisses, kissing, touches, & embraces; Mentions of flirting; A few mentions of a dance being performed by a man naked; A few mentions of jealousy; A mention of a wedding night; A mention of Henry becoming amorous even at a near-death experience (towards Emma); A mention of a man running away with an older woman; A mention of a teacher only teaching his students on how to flirt with older women; A mention of a possible innuendo by a young man; A mention of a possible drawing of a woman in an embarrassing state; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Henry notices another young woman and finds her unattractive including the fact that he finds her dull; A few mentions of women’s figures (including in a poem by a young man); A couple mentions of Emma’s mother giving her rare praise on her slim figure; A mention of Emma thinking that she doesn’t have much in the bosom area; A mention of Emma’s figure filling out (in her point of view); A mention of an older woman in a low-cut gown; A mention of labor pains.
 
-Emma Smallwood, age 21
-Henry Weston
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                     Set in 1817 (Prologue in 1812 and flashbacks throughout the story)
                                                        414 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

I was in the mood for a regency novel and since this one had a mystery thread hinted through it, I decided to pick it up. Unfortunately, it’s not one I would recommend to BFCG readers because of the romance content in the last hundred or so pages; more on that in a bit.

We start seeing the point of view of the love interest about a hundred pages in and I was glad about that because else wise I would have liked to tar and feather him. If you like books with family drama, then here you go. I typically like it, but I had foreseen some plot twists coming so it took out a large part of my enjoyment, unfortunately. :(

For being so smart, Emma isn’t the brightest on dealing with others. I feel bad saying that, but I say it because she’s truly let past prejudices and actions of someone when they were young completely affect and cloud her judgement now. I can’t blame her because I know I’ve been guilty of this myself in years past, but it added an (in my opinion) unnecessary angst to the romance side of the plot. Speaking of the romance: there were a few kisses that were a bit much and affected the ratings for BFCG’s target ages along with a couple comments during those parts. Sweet at times, yes, but also what I would call a bit too heavy for younger teens. Especially as the main romance content happened with a very heavy detailed kiss being because the characters think they’re going to die, which I don’t think is the best idea to promote. 

 

 

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.

 

"Shadows of Swanford Abbey" by Julie Klassen

About this book:

  “News of her brother's worrisome behavior spurs Miss Rebecca Lane to return home to her village. Upon her arrival, he begs her to go to nearby Swanford Abbey, a medieval monastery turned grand hotel rumored to be haunted. Feeling responsible for her brother's desperate state, she reluctantly agrees to stay at the abbey until she can deliver his manuscript to a fellow guest who might help him get published--an author who once betrayed them.
    Soon, Rebecca starts seeing strange things, including a figure in a hooded black gown gliding silently through the abbey's cloisters at night. For all its renovations and veneer of luxury, the ancient foundations seem to echo with whispers of the past--including her own. For there she encounters Sir Frederick--baronet, magistrate, and former neighbor--who long ago broke her heart. Now a handsome widower of thirty-five, he is trying to overcome a past betrayal of his own.
    When the famous author is found dead, Sir Frederick makes inquiries and quickly discovers that several people held grudges against the author, including Miss Lane and her brother. As Sir Frederick searches for answers, he is torn between his growing feelings for Rebecca and his pursuit of the truth. For Miss Lane is clearly hiding something. . . .”


Series: No, a stand-alone novel. 


Spiritual Content- 2 Timothy 1:7 at the beginning; Scriptures are remembered, quoted, & prayed; Prayers & Thanking God; Rebecca stays at an old abbey-turned-hotel; After she has lied, Rebecca feels troubled and prays for forgiveness for her sin (which she feels like her prayers are unheard and unanswered); Going to Churches & Chapels; Talks about God; 'H's are capital when referring to God & Jesus; Many mentions of the abbey, nuns, & religious persecution; Mentions of God & forgiveness; Mentions of prayers, praying, & Thanking God; Mentions of those in the Bible; Mentions of a painting of Christ on The Cross & thinking about it; Mentions of churches, chapels, church going, vicars, services, & sermons; A few mentions of Bibles; A few mentions of stained glass depicting The Cross; A few mentions of Easter; A few mentions of hymn books & prayer books; A couple mentions of a crucifix; A couple mentions of monks; A mention of being Blessed; A mention of wishing someone Godspeed; A mention of an asylum/hospital trying to help the patients restore mental, emotional, and spiritual health (the staff and doctors there encourage to battle their fears with “prayer…and a reliance on God’s strength”); A mention of a difference in religion being a reason why some people were put into an asylum; 
             *Note: The phrase “devilishly” or a form of it is used a handful of times as an adjective (‘devilishly angry’, ‘devilishly vain’, ‘devilish smile’, etc.); Rebecca knows there are no ghosts besides the Holy Ghost, but there are sightings of a “ghost” around the abbey (*Spoiler* It is not actually a ghost, but two real-life people *End of Spoiler*); Many mentions of Swanford Abbey being haunted by the spirits of nuns (including the abbess being called evil by someone once), ghosts, & children being scared and dared to go in there; A mention of someone being called a “devil”; A mention of most people being somewhere in between pure and evil; A mention of statues of Greek gods; A mention of rabbits being a symbol of the resurrection in Christian art & fertility in secular art (the latter which is in turn based off of a pagan god). 
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘balderdash’, a ‘blasted’, a ‘drat’, a ‘pah!’, a ‘what the deuce’, a ‘what the devil’, two forms of ‘stupid’, three ‘bah!’s, three ‘dash it’s, three forms of ‘idiot’, four ‘dashed’s, and four ‘thunder and turf’s; A bit of eye rolling; A bit of pain, injuries, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Rebecca is concerned that someone very close to her is the murderer; Rebecca lies to protect her brother (which she prays for forgiveness for, but feels like God isn’t hearing her now, and later confesses her lies to Frederick, who says he knows she had compelling reasons); Rebecca’s brother hasn’t been the same since a childhood head injury & has “deep depression of spirits” (there are also a few mentions of the possibility of him threatening to and possibly harm himself or others);  Frederick feels guilt about how his late wife died (*Spoiler* She fell down a flight of stairs *End of Spoiler*, it is recalled, border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Many mentions of a murder, how it happened, & the murderer (barely-above-not-detailed); Many mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of poisons, drugs, a plan to poison someone, & someone possibly being poisoned (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of injuries & blood/bleeding (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of stealing, stolen items, thefts, thieves, robberies, & a possible break-in; Mentions of gambling; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, & bars; Mentions of opium; Mentions of rumors & gossip; A few mentions of a war & deaths; A few mentions of prison & arrests; A few mentions of those at an asylum who have pose a threat to themselves or others; A few mentions of those at an asylum being forced to endure barbaric practices; A few mentions of a child falling out of a tree & his injury (Rebecca recalls it, barely-above-not-detailed); A few mentions of tobacco & cigars; A few mentions of hatred (including someone hating himself); A few mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of criminals being hung; A couple mentions of bullies; A couple mentions of nightmares; A mention of suicide; A mention of a threat against someone; A mention of a drunken brawl; A mention of hunting; 
             *Note: Mentions of books & authors.
 
 
Sexual Content- A hand/fingers kiss, a cheek kiss, an almost (semi-detailed) kiss, a barely-above-not-detailed kiss, a semi-detailed kiss, and a semi-detailed // detailed kiss; Recalling an almost kiss (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to kiss (barely-above-not-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Nearness, & Smelling (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to touch & embrace (up to semi-detailed); Blushes; Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); Rebecca has had a crush on Frederick since she was young (he’s about ten years older than her); At one point, Rebecca has to stay the night in Frederick’s room (he sleeps elsewhere) and she gets a giddy feeling of sleeping in his bed (thinking that her childhood imagination always wanted to be his bride and kiss him, though those thoughts had never ventured to the bedroom); Many mentions of a man liking any woman (not having a type), him “bothering” other women (including when they’re unwilling), & him trying to suggest Rebecca to be with him (which she will not do); Mentions of a man taking advantage of a young woman (16-years-old) & her becoming with child (out-of-wedlock); Mentions of lovers, affairs, & unfaithful wives (including a fictional one and *Spoiler* Frederick’s late wife *End of Spoiler*); Mentions of flirting & flirts (including a married woman flirting with her husband’s brother); Mentions of touches & a couple embracing (with the woman not wanting it); Mentions of reputations & chaperones; Mentions of jealousy; A few mentions of elopements, young couples running away together, & a young man leaving multiple women (one with a child); A couple mentions of kisses; A couple mentions of a man helping teach a woman to bowl while touching her waist; A couple mentions of guests of a hotel bothering the maids; A mention of a young man trying to kiss a young Rebecca (she pushed him away); A mention of a brothel; A mention of a man possibly arranging to meet a woman alone at a hotel; Love, falling/being in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Mentions of a wife not wanting to be a mother (because she doesn’t want to lose her figure and says she has no maternal instincts) & her possibly taking “measures to destroy the child” (and whether by her hand or God’s, the pregnancy ends in a miscarriage, *Spoiler* Frederick’s late wife, who after seeing his tears, tells him that the baby wasn’t his *End of Spoiler*); Mentions of women’s figures & tight clothing (barely-above-not-detailed); A few mentions of mothers and children dying in childbirth (barely-above-not-detailed); A couple mentions of a woman who’s name was ironically “Modesty” (implying later that she has a large chest); A mention of the assumption that most actresses are “a light-skirt” (a prostitute); A mention of an actress saying that she would “get little else done” if she tried to kill every man who tried to take advantage of her; A mention of an actress saying men have tried to sneak into her room; A mention of an actress implying that Rebecca (a vicar’s daughter) might want to move away from her [due to her profession]; A mention of seducing someone; A mention of a man wanting to have an “illicit liaison” with a woman, but she is a lady and won’t do that; A mention of a couple remaining childless “despite [their] best efforts”; A mention of a man calling another a “poor fool” for getting married; A mention of rabbits representing fertility (which causes Rebecca to blush at that word). 
 
-Rebecca Lane
-Frederick Wilford, age 35 (?)
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                           Set in 1820
                                                     410 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

One thing I’ve noticed with reading some of Julie Klassen’ regency books is that it feels like a journey. Not necessarily because of a plot involving travel (lack thereof would be a better example) or because the book is set over a long period of time, but perhaps because of the length of the novel and the writing style. Not a bad thing, but I typically always end up dwelling on the story for a while after reading it. 

I found this plot very fascinating with the murder (that didn’t happen till over 150+ in, mind you), the location, the historical jury details, and the descriptions of different regency elements. I can’t say that I ever connected with Rebecca or Frederick, though, especially after Rebecca lied (to protect her brother, but I still wasn’t a fan of how she handled it, personally). They were both fine, but I wasn’t enthralled with them or became a big fan of these main characters. There are a few flashbacks sprinkled in at different points that added background about certain characters or events. They were short and not super frequent, so those parts didn’t bother me. 

I did really enjoy the writing style and how events were described and played out within this book, which is why my attention was easily kept throughout these 400-pages.  

For my recent reads by this author, I would put this one above “The Bridge to Belle Island” and just below “A Castaway of Cornwall”.

 

See y’all on Friday with a new review! 

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

"A Castaway in Cornwall" by Julie Klassen

About this book:

  “Laura Callaway daily walks the windswept Cornwall coast, known for many shipwrecks but few survivors. She feels like a castaway, set adrift on the tides of fate by the deaths of her parents and left wanting answers. Now living with her parson uncle and his parsimonious wife in North Cornwall, Laura is viewed as an outsider even as she yearns to belong somewhere again.
    When ships sink, wreckers scour the shore for valuables, while Laura searches for clues to the lives lost. She has written letters to loved ones and returned keepsakes to rightful owners. She collects seashells and mementos, and when a man is washed ashore, she collects him too.
    As Laura and a neighbor care for the castaway, the mystery surrounding him grows. He has abrasions and a deep cut that looks suspiciously like a knife wound, and he speaks in careful, educated English, yet his accent seems odd. Other clues wash ashore, and Laura soon realizes he is not who he seems to be. Their attraction grows, and while she longs to return the man to his rightful home, evidence against him mounts. With danger pursuing them from every side, will Laura ever find the answers and love she seeks?”


Series: A stand-alone novel. 


Spiritual Content- Luke 15:8-9 at the beginning; A handful of Scriptures are mentioned, quoted, & read; Prayers, Thanking God, Praising God, & Blessings over food; Church going, Hiding in a church, & a sermon; A hymn is sung and said; Talks about God & serving Him; 'H's are capital when referring to God; Laura wonders if God truly holds her fate in His hands or if she life has been all happenstance (she wonders this a couple times, but at the end realizes that she is in God’s hands); Laura prays often, but does question if God will hear and answer her prayers (once); Alex realizes about halfway that he does believe that God hears his prayers and that God has not promised that he would live an easy life; Mentions of God, Jesus, & serving Him; Mentions of prayers, praying, thanking God, praising God, & blessings over food; Mentions of Bibles & Bible reading; Mentions of churches, church going, services, sermons, & reverends/clergymen; Mentions of a child’s playset of Noah’s Ark; A few mentions of others trusting and relying on God after doubting Him; A few mentions of Heaven; A few mentions of hymns; A few mentions of being Blessed; A couple mentions of those & events in the Bible; A couple mentions of Holiday services (Christmas & Easter) at churches; A couple mentions of wishing someone Godspeed; A mention of a young Alex railing against God for his mother’s death; A mention of religious persecution; A mention of a christening; A mention of someone’s journey to eternity; A mention of a man crossing himself; A mention of a headstone that has the Madonna and child; A mention of a man saying that his wife is a saint, but he is not; A mention of a woman wanting to avoid even the appearance of sin; A mention of a man saying that he doesn’t care about a fundraiser for the church, but will go because of the women there; 
             *Note: The phrase “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned” is said; Celebrating & mentions of Allantide (a holiday celebrating St. Allan on October 31^st), All Saints’ Day, & different items/superstitions (such as a carved jack-o’-lanterns from large turnips & a superstition of sleeping with an apple under your pillow and tossing the peel to see your future spouse’s initial (Laura says she doesn’t believe in such things, but her cousin says it’s just harmless fun and it turns out to be accurate)); Mentions of a legend of a man who sold her soul & the haunting howl of the wind people say is him (a ghost tale); Mentions of superstitious people & superstitions (including about a woman being above a ship is bad luck); Mentions of stories about piskies, mermaids, & curses; A few mentions of a man being called a devil & another being called a “charming devil”; A couple mentions of someone’s eyes having evil intent towards another; A couple mentions of a horse costume looking more like a devil than a horse; A mention of Laura’s uncle (a vicar) mostly not believing in ghosts as he’s a “learned man of God”; A mention of a woman saying that men can’t stand it when a woman doesn’t think they’re God’s gift [to women]; A mention of a hellish place; A mention of a man saying he’s “devilishly handsome”; A mention that someone being large does not mean they’re slow, “any more than having red hair makes one a devil”; A mention of a witch. 
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘bah’, a ‘blasted’, a ‘dash and blast’, a ‘thunder and turf’, two forms of ‘stupid’, two ‘idiot’s (used in referring to a very large man and people assuming that he’s slow), and four ‘dashed’s; A bit of eye rolling; Mentions of curses (said, not written); Seeing shipwrecks, people being tossed overboard, bodies, deaths, & Recalling all of it and being tied up (up to semi-detailed); Recalling the death of a toddler (an illness, up to semi-detailed); Being held at gunpoint, Seeing someone shot and killed, Fighting, Knives, Blood/Bleeding, Pain, & Injuries (up to semi-detailed); Being ill & Passing out (up to semi-detailed); Drinking bee wine at an event (Laura) & a sip of ale (Alex); Some lying (to save face, to keep secrets, to be safe, to keep someone from disapproving, and/or find out information); All about many, many mentions of shipwrecks, drownings, deaths, bodies, injuries from such events, & some people leading ships to a coast to crash and get their goods (up to semi-detailed); All about many, many mentions of the war, treason, fighting, spies, rebels, rebellions, prisons of war, prisoner camps, being on the opposite side of family members, executions, & deaths (barely-above-not-detailed); Many mentions of injuries, illnesses, blood/bleeding, stitches, pain, & deaths (including a child, up to semi-detailed); Mentions of guns being aimed at people & someone being shot and killed (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of a man that prefers there to be no survivors on a shipwreck so that he can get some of the goods from the ship & him wanting to kill the last survivor; Mentions of fights/brawls, fighting, violence, taunting others, & being tied up (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of crimes, criminals, arrests, & penalties of fines and death; Mentions of stealing, stolen items, thefts, & thieves; Mentions of pirates & smugglers; Mentions of alcohol, flasks, social drinking at events/balls, drinking, drunks, & taverns/taprooms; Mentions of smoking, cigars, pipes, & tobacco; Mentions of lies, lying, liars, & deceit; Mentions of prejudice towards outsiders and/or foreigners; Mentions of grief (parents, wives, husbands, close friends, a loved one, a son, a sister, & a brother); A few mentions of a fire; A few mentions of jealousy; A few mentions of rumors & gossip; A few mentions of gambling; A couple mentions of bribes; A couple mentions of hatred; A mention of assassination attempts; A mention of snuff boxes; A mention of eavesdropping; 
             *Note: Laura feels out of place with her family as she is not blood-related to any of them & places an importance of finding out more about her biological family; Laura feels resentment towards her parents for leaving her & then not returning (dying) after a trip (this is resolved by the end with forgiveness); A mention of a baby being abandoned in a churchyard. 
 
 
Sexual Content- Two forehead kisses, a neck kiss, three barely-above-not-detailed kisses, and three semi-detailed kisses; Staring a someone’s lips (barely-above-not-detailed); Wanting to kiss & touch (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Dancing, Hand holding, Warmth, Nearness, & Smelling (up to semi-detailed); Winks & Blushes; Noticing (including a man’s hairy chest and hairy legs, border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Laura gets into bed with an injured and unconscious Alex to warm him (she feels awkward doing so as it feels intimate, but is not caught by her guardians nor is it brought up again); Laura and Alex have to share a room, but there are two beds (it’s assumed that they are married and they do not correct it; Later at a different place, they have to go along with a lie to a woman that they are newly married; Alex promises to behave gentlemanly and warns Laura at one point to go back to her room before he breaks his word); Laura is helped by a maid to undress for bed and Alex tries not to notice but ends up leaving the room due to being he’s flustered and noticing (up to semi-detailed); Alex helps loosen Laura’s stays & Laura imagines being kissed and held by him (barely-above-not-detailed); Seeing a couple in a fond embrace; Mentions of a wife’s affair & her being pregnant with another man’s child (*Spoiler* Alex’s wife & the man likes to rub it in his face and says he stole his wife; The baby was stillborn and the mother died in childbirth *End of Spoiler*); Mentions of how servants used to warm their masters by lying in bed with them & Laura wonders if she should do that for Alex, who is freezing & injured (she does and does not get caught by her guardians); Mentions of flirting, flirts, blushes, & winks; A few mentions of couples kissing & kisses; A few mentions of touches, embraces, & hand holding; A few mentions of a wife leaving her husband for another man; A few mentions of elopement & a young woman running off with a man (unmarried); A few mentions of reputations & propriety; A few mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of a belief that if a girl is touched by a person in a certain costume, she’ll be pregnant or married by the end of the year; A couple mentions of a woman’s sensual appeal; A mention of a possible unwed mother; A mention of a man seducing a maid; A mention of a man (mostly) teasing Laura that he’ll share a bed with her; A mention of a romantic tête-à-tête; A mention of words uttered innocently but can be taken another way, so Laura blushes; A mention of a man saying something that would sound flattering from someone else, but sounds suggestive from him; A mention of a man not having a relationship with a woman (misunderstood and corrected); Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Mentions of wives/mothers who died in childbirth & a stillborn baby; A mention of that in some countries and traditions, a man is encouraged to marry his brother’s widow. 
 
-Laura Callaway, age 23
-Alexander Lucas
  3^rd P.O.V. switches between them & In the Prologue and Epilogue, it is in her 1^st person P.O.V.
                                          Set in 1813-1814 (Epilogue in 1815)
                                                        392 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

Treasure hunting was one of my favorite hobbies as a child—though, I’ll admit the parks nearby didn’t have much treasures, but sparkly trash like a broken bracelet or bottle cap. 

Maybe that’s why I was so interested in this story, particularly the element of Laura trying to reunite items that have been washed ashore after a shipwreck to the families of the deceased. Those parts were truly the most interesting and I even teared up a few times at certain parts regarding her findings. I absolutely adored her compassion for others and how kind she was. 

My only “compliant”, if you will, were the few times that Laura or Alex noticed something physically about the other that felt scandalous for the time period. It might not be scandalous nowadays to notice a man’s chest or muscle-y legs or even to cut his hair, but it felt so intimate for the time period and therefore made me a bit uncomfortable. 

I was pleasantly surprised by this book, though, overall. If I could, I would give this book a 3.75 stars and rank it as possibly my favorite by this author. It truly captured my interest, and I didn’t find this book to be slow or unable to keep my attention. There were so many parts that I honestly forgot I was reading and had the scenes playing out vividly in my head. I found it to be an enjoyable story, personally, and could be a possible read for older teens. 

 

 

See y’all on Friday with a new review! 

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

"The Bridge to Belle Island" by Julie Klassen

About this book:

  “After a humiliating mistake, lawyer Benjamin Booker resolves to never again trust a beautiful woman. When an old friend is killed, the senior partner isn't satisfied with Bow Street's efforts and asks Benjamin to investigate. Eager to leave London for a while, Benjamin agrees. Evidence takes him to a remote island on the Thames, a world unto itself, shrouded in mist and mystery. Soon he finds himself falling for the main suspect—a woman who claims not to have left the island in ten years. But should he trust her?
    On Belle Island, Isabelle feels safe and leads a productive life, but fear keeps her trapped there. When Mr. Booker arrives with news of her trustee's murder in London, Isabelle is stunned. She has not left the island, yet she has a recurring dream about the man's death. Or is it a memory? She had been furious with him, but she never intended...this.
    When a second person dies, and evidence shockingly points to her, Isabelle doesn't know who to trust: the attractive lawyer or the admirer and friends who assemble on the island, each with grudges against the victim. Can she even trust her own mind? While they search for the truth, secrets come to light and danger comes calling.”


Series: No, a stand-alone novel. 


Spiritual Content- Psalm 32:6 at the beginning; Scriptures are read, remembered, mentioned, quoted, & thought over; Bible reading; Prayers & Thanking God; Going to a chapel & reading a book of sermons and praying; Talks about God & Him watching over us; 'H's are capital when referring to God; Isabelle thinks that God may be loving, but doesn’t trust Him with the lives of her loved ones (she wants to trust, but fear and worry often win and wishes she would trust God and not worry); Isabelle hasn’t prayed much in recent years, but tries to do better; Benjamin realizes he’s neglected prayer lately and does better; Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of Bibles (and copies of the New Testament and Psalms) & Bible reading; Mentions of churches/chapels, church going, vicars/clergymen, services, hymns, worship, communion, & sermons; A few mentions of thanking God; A couple mentions of those in the Bible; A couple mentions of plaques with the Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Apostle’s Creed on them; A couple mentions of people being called saints; A couple mentions of sins (including not blaming a son for the sins of his father); A mention of thinking someone had prophetic dreams; A mention of a blessing; A mention of a religious conviction about drinking; A mention of Easter; A mention of Benjamin’s keen sense of smell being a blessing or a curse;
             *Note: Mentions of a curse on the Wilder family that those who were born on the island and then leave, die young (Isabelle says it isn’t logical, but still worries about it and has anxiety about going over the bridge out of the island; *Spoiler* Isabelle at the end realizes that it’s superstition and that God alone holds her fate in His hands *End of Spoiler*); A few mentions of different men being called a devil & looking like a devil; A couple mentions of a devilishly handsome man; A mention of the phrase “better the devil you know than the devil you don’t”; A mention of someone’s injury burning “like hades”; A mention of a woman casting a spell on a man. 
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘bah’, a ‘blasted’, a ‘hurt like the blazes’, a form of ‘idiot’, a ‘good night!’, a ‘thunder and turf’, a ‘what the…’, two ‘merciful heaven’s, three ‘dash it’s, three ‘dashed’s (replacement for darned or stronger), four forms of ‘stupid’, and five ‘good heavens’s; Mentions of curses (said, not written; including Benjamin stifling one); A little bit of eye rolling & sarcasm; Seeing a murdered body (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Isabelle has anxiety about crossing the bridge out of the island and nearly faints when trying to go over it (similar to a panic attack, she describes it and it also happens, someone else calls it “some sort of hysteria” and another says that in her mental state, he would recommend an asylum for her, semi-detailed); Passing out & Benjamin struggles with vertigo (up to semi-detailed); Being pushed/attacked, Pain, & Injuries (up to semi-detailed); Isabelle wakes up with a bad headache after drinking a lot of wine the night before (she doesn’t typically drink that much, but she was sad, though she regrets it the next day; *Major Spoiler* it’s revealed towards the end that she was also drugged which explains how terrible she felt and that her friend that did it because he would wanted to “cure” her worry/anxiety *End of Spoiler*; After a failing case, Benjamin craves a strong drink, but refrained since he knows that the relief would be temporary and would have painful consequences; Benjamin goes into a taproom, but does not drink; Seeing others drink & social drinking (wine and champagne); A dog is nearly ran-over by a carriage (but is saved, up to semi-detailed); Isabelle is sad over the death of a pet dog (barely-above-not-detailed); Benjamin doesn’t see eye-to-eye with his father and can be disrespectful/harsh to him (he does regret some of his words *Spoiler* towards the end of the book, he plans to do better to his parents and does *End of Spoiler*; All about many, many mentions of a murder/deaths, the body, how it happened, the murderer, alcohol, drinking, a heavy drinker, being drunk, poison, & being poisoned (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of robberies, thieves, smuggling, stealing, stolen items, & a thief possibly being shot; Many mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of deaths (including at sea, a bad carriage accident and the drunk driver, & a son grieving the death of his parent, up to semi-detailed); Mentions of wars, battles, fighting, & deaths; Mentions of an abduction (not done with evil intentions); Mentions of hangings and executions; Mentions of jails/prisons, arrests, crimes, criminals, break-ins, & a possible fight; Mentions of threats & threatening someone; Mentions of gunshots, being shot at, someone being shot, & someone being threatened with a gun (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of fights, pain, injuries, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of a young boy cutting his finger badly, stitching it, the boy passing out, & all the blood (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of a doctor’s experiments with mice, animal body parts, and animal skulls (portrayed as creepy and Isabelle doesn’t approve, barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of someone being drugged (*Spoiler* Isabelle *End of Spoiler*); Mentions of a flood (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of cigars, pipes, tobacco, & smoking; Mentions of hunters & poachers; Mentions of manure & animal droppings; Mentions of the death of a beloved dog (Isabelle is concerned he was poisoned, but most think it was due to his old age); A few mentions of potential drownings; A few mentions of a man wanting to punch another man & grabbing his collar (barely-above-not-detailed); A few mentions of debts & a vengeful moneylender; A few mentions of gambling & a father not wanting to gamble so he donated his winnings of a game; A few mentions of throwing up; A few mentions of nightmares of people dying; A couple mentions of a woman thinking a man is going to hit her; A couple mentions of a divorce & a man charging his wife with bigamy to get a divorce; A mention of a dead body; A mention of a dead body being topped overboard a ship (barely-above-not-detailed); A mention of children becoming addicted to opium; A mention of a man being slapped; A mention of hatred; A mention of jealousy; A mention of a dead sheep (barely-above-not-detailed); 

             *Note: A mention of a man saying that his pregnant daughter is as “big as a house”. 
 
 
Sexual Content- A cheek kiss, an almost kiss, two barely-above-not-detailed kisses, and a semi-detailed kiss; Recalling a kiss (barely-above-not-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Dancing, & Hand holding (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Blushes; Noticing & Nearness (barely-above-not-detailed); Benjamin tries not to think about or stare at Isabelle’s legs or ankles (barely-above-not-detailed); A man makes Isabelle uncomfortable & she has heard about him being dangerous; Mentions of a woman recalling men having expectations about her since she was a singer, “benefactors”, & one being dangerous when she refused to spend time with him; Mentions of men leaving their wives for another woman; Mentions of chaperones & reputations (including Isabelle isn’t concerned about her reputation at her age, her and a man being alone at night together (nothing sexual happens), & a man helping her to her bedroom, though nothing romantic happens); A few mentions of an unmarried couple rooming together & evidence of their “previous activities”; A few mentions of flirting; A couple mentions of kissing & kisses; A couple mentions of some men boasting about their conquests to impress other men, whether true or not; A mention of a bride being ready for her wedding night (no details, just blushes); A mention of a man stealing a kiss from his intended when her chaperone isn’t nearby; A mention of a couple possibly going off on a romantic assignation; A mention of a woman of “easy virtue”; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: A mention of “women’s troubles” (hinted to be that time of the month); A mention of a woman teasing that she’s seen men in less clothing than a man in his shirt-sleeves (she clarifies that she meant in her years in the theater).
 
-Isabelle Wilder, age 30
-Benjamin Booker, age 31
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                         Set in 1819-1820
                                                        400 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

I’ve had this novel on my TBR for a time, and while I enjoy reading regencies and mysteries, I kept pushing this one off because of its thick size of 400 pages.

Overall, it was an enjoyable and entertaining reading—some parts more interesting than others, of course. There were parts that…not necessarily dragged, but let’s just say it wasn’t as exciting as the last 25% (100 pages). Once things started to be pieced together and revealed, I had the urge to go back to the beginning of the story to see if I could pick up clues. The last time I felt this way was with “A Midnight Dance” by Joanna Davidson Politano and the mystery found in that historical novel. I was quite satisfied with the ending and there was a decent amount of faith content. I also really liked how the mystery was the focal point of the story, not the romance. 

I didn’t dislike nor love Isabelle or Benjamin. They were good characters with flaws and I enjoyed seeing their development as the story continued, but I never felt super connected to them. 

There’s some innuendoes (listed in the Sexual Content section of this review), though I would say it was kept pretty clean in terms of the romance and most of those hints would go over a young teen’s head. They are still there, however, as well as many, many mentions of drinking and alcohol. 

 
 
 
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.