"Taming Lady Temperance" by Karen Witemeyer

About this book:

  “When passion for justice conflicts with the heart, which will prevail?
    Noreen O'Sullivan is an enthusiastic member of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union and believes herself called to defend the cause of prohibition. When she's invited to join the Secret Society of Spinsters, Noreen jumps at the chance to rally others to her movement and shut down the local saloon for good. However, her passionate campaigning often puts her at odds with the men around her—including the local deputy.
    Deputy James Paxton believes in preserving the peace, but Miss O'Sullivan has been disturbing his peace for months. If James wants to be elected sheriff, he can't afford to be seen as her ally. But when Noreen ropes him into helping her plan a temperance march, their growing closeness sparks unexpected feelings. Then tensions escalate at the saloon and accusations fly. James must choose between upholding his badge and protecting the woman who's captured his heart—knowing either choice could cost him everything.”


Series: Book #1 in “The Secret Society of Spinsters” series.


Spiritual Content- Matthew 5:44-45 at the beginning; Many Scriptures are mentioned, quoted, read, discussed, & remembered; Many Prayers, Thanking God, & Blessings over food; Church going (including James being distracted once during the service); Many talks about God, Jesus, wives submitting to their husbands, praying for others (including enemies), salvation, & forgiveness; ‘H’s are not capital when referring to God or Jesus; Noreen has studied Scripture to find her answer on why God didn’t save her and her mom from her father’s temper & believes that while God does “intervene directly in people’s lives from time to time”, He also worked through humans (like prophets, warriors, and ministers), so she’s decided to be a warrior for His cause; *Spoilers* Towards the end, Noreen realizes that while she’s thought before that she and God must have different definitions of good, they she’s defined good as the absence of bad and assumes the verse in Romans must be referring to Heaven and spiritual blessings *End of Spoilers*; Noreen’s mother has begged her to “curb her defiant ways and practice biblical submissiveness” which Noreen notes that she’ll submit to God and to the laws of the land as the Bible says, but will not kneel to men because of society’s voting rules (adding that because of her father and step-father’s treatment towards her mother, Noreen will not partake in “blind submissiveness” like her mother has; *Spoiler* Towards the end, Noreen’s mother talks to the pastor about situations where obeying God and her husband conflict and is told that obeying God takes precedence *End of Spoiler*); Many mentions of God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, forgiveness, trusting God, & His promises; Mentions of prayers, praying, thanking God, & blessings over food; Mentions of Bibles & those and events in the Bible; Mentions of churches, church going, ministers/pastors, sermons, prayer meetings, Sunday school classes, & hymns; Mentions of blessings & being blessed; Mentions of sins; 
             *Note: Religious phrases such as “heavens”, “thank heaven”, “good heavens”, “heaven help him”, “heaven knows/knew”, “merciful heaven” and “for the love of Pete” are all said up to seven times; A saloon owner uses the event of Jesus turning water into wine against Noreen and her arguments against alcohol (which she responds with other Scriptures that back her opinion); Noreen calls alcohol “the demon drink” and feels like she can hear “the demons cackling over their victory” of someone being hurt by a drunkard; Towards the end, Noreen says she’s confronted the “demons” from her past; A man calls Noreen a “she-devil” twice; A couple mentions of luck & being lucky; A mention of a place looking “demonic” when on fire; A mention of a woman in the temperance union that Noreen idolizes and strives to emulate; A mention of “damning” evidence.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘blasted’, a ‘Gads’, a form of ‘shut up’, a ‘stars and garters’, a ‘stinkin’’, a ‘thunderation’, a ‘what in tarnation’, three ‘good grief’s, three forms of ‘stupid’, and five ‘shoot’s; Eye rolling & Sarcasm; A fire, Aiming a gun at someone, Being arrested, & Being grabbed by someone with ill-intent (up to semi-detailed); Remembering verbal and physical abuse from a parent (barely-above-not-detailed); *Spoilers, but about a past death* Noreen tells James about when she was twelve and her father came home drunk one night: He was unable to get up off the barn floor and because she had come to hate him because of his abusive nature, she left him there and found him dead the next day, having choked on his own vomit; Noreen has felt guilty since that day like she murdered him *End of Spoilers*; Seeing someone who was badly beaten, injured, & bleeding (up to semi-detailed, *Major Spoilers* A girl who was beaten by her drunk father after trying to get him to turn away from drinking; This greatly upsets Noreen because of her own experiences, so she goes to the saloon to destroy the alcohol there and gets arrested for vandalism; The mother of the girl decides to leave her husband for a time with her, which starts a realization for the father about his actions *End of Spoilers*); All about & many mentions of Noreen being against alcohol (with both drinking and selling it) due to her father being an abusive drunk and seeing the harm it can do to a family; Many mentions of men/husbands/fathers becoming physically and verbally abusive when drunk, some beating their daughters and wives (including one near to death), a wife leaving her husband because of his abuse, injuries, pain, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of crimes, criminals, jails/prisons, arrests, & possible hangings; Many mentions of alcohol, drinking, drunks, saloons, & hangovers; Mentions of deaths (including from illnesses and a possible murder); Mentions of wars, injuries, & men returning home changed (and not for the better); Mentions of outlaws, thieves, & stealing; Mentions of fires, smoke, arson, an arsonist, injuries, & vandalism; Mentions of fights, fighting, weapons, guns being aimed at others, & gunshots; Mentions of threats; Mentions of gambling & poker; Mentions of throwing up/vomit; Mentions of hatred; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of gossip, rumors, & eavesdropping; A couple mentions of tobacco; A mention of jealousy; 
             *Note: Noreen has a strained relationship with her mother due to her mother not standing up to her step-father & him putting a divide between them (*Spoilers* Shortly into the book, Noreen talks to her mother and realizes that her mother made the best choice she could under the circumstances; Noreen’s step-father dislikes her protesting against alcohol due to his political aspirations and bans her from coming to his house, which her mother does nothing about *End of Spoilers*); Mentions of women wanting the ability to vote & have their voices heard (which Noreen thinks that all citizens deserve to be heard regardless of their gender, skin color, or financial status); Mentions of spinsters being treated with careless words and disdainful glances for never being married (including some insults on-page); Mentions of historical figures & books (Clara Barton, Charlotte Brontë, Susan B. Anthony, Jane Austen, Nellie Bly, Louisa May Alcott, Frances Willard, Dwight L. Moody, Doc Holliday, Big ​Nose Kate, & ‘Little Women’); Mentions of Shakespeare & his plays.
 
 
Sexual Content- Four hand/fingers kisses, five head/forehead kisses, and a detailed kiss (mentioning desire, one’s core being affected, and deepening the kiss); Wanting to kiss, touch, & embrace (up to semi-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Cuddling (for comfort and also falling asleep holding the other), Hand holding, Butterflies, Tingles, Warmth, & Nearness (up to semi-detailed); Remembering kisses & embraces (up to semi-detailed); Winks, Blushes, & Flirting; Noticing & Staring (including muscles, up to semi-detailed); James embraces and holds Noreen when she’s upset (twice; once he falls asleep for a moment as well, but then releases her so no one will see him “spooning” with her in the public place they are in); Mentions of kisses & kissing; A few mentions of reputations; A few mentions of flirting; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Noreen is concerned at the thought of possibly being addicted to James’ smiles (because of her reasoning being similar to those addicted to alcohol would make).
 
-Noreen O’Sullivan, age 27
-James Paxton
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                          Set in 1894
                                                        330 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

Karen Witemeyer’s books often have a bit too much romance for my tastes (or just more than I would suggest for teen readers), so they are usually a hit or a miss for me, but I was curious about this book because of the plot and main character’s convictions. Since it was the start of a new series, I thought I would try this one out.

 

I liked Noreen’s passion for the temperance union and alerting others to the evils of liquor. I’ve often said that if I lived in that time period, I would have been a member as well due to my own strong opinions against alcohol. She had her fiery passion for the issue, but had to learn about not being such a clanging cymbal about it because it could push others towards what she’s promoting against.  She couldn’t quite see the forest for the trees, but thankfully she has wise friends (including James) that help her in that regard. There was a lot of wisdom shared at times that made both Noreen and James become stronger in their beliefs and have great character development. 

 

I do want to note that the two of them fell for each other super quick—to the point it was a little ridiculous how fast they were attracted to each other and getting butterflies at the other’s nearness. Because of this and some events in the book, it felt very typical/cliché and standard for the genre. 

 

The faith content was very strong and I really enjoyed seeing the couple discuss their faiths, what was important to them, and also try to lovingly make the other aware of something that was important (mostly him to her about her the clanging cymbal mentality I mentioned previously). 

 

While there was only one kiss (on the lips) in this book, it was a bit long and detailed—and mentioned certain words I don’t love seeing in a Christian Fiction book, so this part and all the other romantic feelings the main couple have for each other are why I’m not highly recommending this book despite mostly enjoying it. I think it was a little too much in the romance regards for those under 16/17, personally. It will depend on the girl, of course, but I would share caution with this book due to the romance and tough topic of domestic violence.

 

 

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.

"If the Boot Fits" by Karen Witemeyer

About this book:

  “Determined to prove that cattle king Eli Dearing has no justification for evicting his stepmother and half brothers, Asher Ellis uses the cover of a fancy ball to break into the Three Cedars ranch house to search for proof of wrongdoing. On the verge of discovery, he flees, but a boy's cry compels him to make a daring rescue.
    Spunky and independent, Samantha Dearing balks when she learns the ball her father is hosting in her honor is nothing more than a matrimonial ambush. Taking a break from her unwanted suitors, Samantha spots a thief fleeing her home. When the stranger ends up saving her brother's life, she hides the only clue to his identity left behind--his boot--and resolves to find him herself.
    But when Samantha encounters the older brother of a student she tutors, all thoughts of the bootless mystery man vanish. And although Asher tries to keep his distance from Samantha for reasons of his own, a series of suspicious accidents befall her, and his protective instincts flare, no matter the cost to their future.”


Series: Book #2 in the “Texas Ever After” series. I did not finished the first book due to content and it seems like no characters from that book were mentioned in this one. 


Spiritual Content- Psalm 118:9 at the beginning; Many Scriptures are read, remembered, thought over, quoted, mentioned, & discussed; Bible reading; Many Prayers & Thanking and Praising God (and a blessing over food); Talks about God, trusting Him, & His timing; 'H's are not capital when referring to God; Samantha wonders if her being a girl is “such a sin” that it would alter her father’s love/attention towards her; Samantha wonders why God would allow a tragedy to befall His faithful servants but a woman encourages her that there’s a reason and continues to trust God; Asher wonders why God allows disparity among His people in the way that everyone lives; An unwed mother believes God quit helping her when she let a man sweet-talk her into his bed, which Samantha disagrees with and voices; A few diary entries that have a woman upset with God not giving her a child, saying that another woman can be barren because God needs that woman’s time for His work (this thought it not corrected on page at all), & saying that God has failed her and believes He is withholding His blessing, *Major Spoilers* She took matters into her own hands after reading about Sarah (thinking that God did not curse Hagar and instead took pity on her and the child) and goes to have an affair for a year to be able to get pregnant; She eventually realizes that she rejected God’s plan for her own and asks for forgiveness; See Major Spoiler note in Sexual Content *End of Spoilers*; Many mentions of God, trusting Him, & His timing; Many mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of thanking & praising God and Jesus; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, & books of the Bible; Mentions of those & events in the Bible; Mentions of churches, church going, services, worship, sermons, & preachers/ministers; Mentions of callings & ministries; Mentions of blessings & being Blessed; Mentions of sins & partaking in sin; A few mentions of miracles; A few mentions of a birthmark being said to be where the angels kissed a child; A couple mentions of a pastor sensing a soul in need of salvation (& the person trying to leave the pastor’s presence as soon as possible); A mention of Providence; A mention of the pearly gates; 
             *Note: Other phrases such as “Good heavens” (x8), “Heavens” (x6), “Heaven knows…” (x4), and “For heaven’s sake” (x1) are all said; A fire being described as “a menacing demon stalking its prey”.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘biddy’, a ‘good grief’, a ‘thunderation’, two ‘shut up’s, two ‘stupid’s, and six ‘shoot’s; A man calls Samantha a ‘cow’; Eye rolling & Sarcasm; Being shot at, being stalked, Being locked in a house on fire, a carriage accident, a rattlesnake being on the character, & shaking and crying after all of these near-death experiences (up to semi-detailed); Gunshots, being shot at, being held at gunpoint, fighting, being hit/attacked, injuries, pain, helping someone who was shot, seeing others shot and bleeding, & seeing someone else being held as hostage at gunpoint (*Spoiler* a twelve-year-old boy on the last one *End of Spoiler*, semi-detailed); Saving someone from drowning (up to semi-detailed); At the very beginning, Asher trespasses into the Dearing home during a party to gain information that could possibly lead to blackmail (Asher thinks of his plan as just); A drunk man threatens & grabs at Samantha (Asher threats the man with broken bones, up to semi-detailed); Asher threatens a man who means harm to Samantha & wishes to beat another to a bloody pulp for harming her; Mentions of someone nearly drowning & other near-death experiences (a carriage accident, a run in with a rattlesnake, & being locked in a house on fire, up to semi-detailed); Mentions of deaths, deaths of loved ones, & grief (for a wife, a mother, & both parents, barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of injuries, blood/bleeding, pain, & possible deaths (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of gunfire, shooting/shooting at someone; Mentions of thieves, stealing, trespassing, break-ins, jails/prisons, crimes, criminals, & possible hanging; Mentions of fires, arson, being locked in a house on fire, smoke, passing out, & injuries (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of a man grabbing at a woman & pulling her into an alley; Mentions of a young boy being slapped/hit for his mouthy comments to an adult; Mentions of a father kicking his daughter out of the house due to her being an unwed mother (she wonders if she’ll have to give up her son despite it being like ripping out her heart); Mentions of alcohol, drinking, a drunk, & saloons; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of hatred; A few mentions of poison, someone who was murdered with poison, & a plan to do it to another; A few mentions of nightmares; A few mentions of gossip & rumors; A few mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of a dead body; A couple mentions of blackmail; A couple mentions of gambling & poker; A couple mentions of eavesdropping; A couple mentions of cigarettes & tobacco; A mention of a chamber pot; 
             *Note: Samantha & her father have a strained relationship due to her believing that he doesn’t care about her well-being because he sent her away & her late mother’s comments that implied that Samantha wasn’t enough (we quickly learn that this is not the case and see their relationship improve, albeit still having Samantha’s past hurts because of his actions and believing that he had no use for a daughter; She wonders if her prejudices and bitterness are clouding her thoughts towards him and still works for forgiveness towards him, up to semi-detailed on her emotions and feelings); Samantha becomes interested in a trespasser because that means the man wasn’t afraid to defy her father (a tiny rebellious part of her thinks this) & that she would like to best her father at finding out about the trespasser; A few mentions of the women’s suffrage movement & wanting to be equal; A couple mentions of a character’s “true” father (biological); A mention of a struggling with infertility feeling “darkness” descend over her.
 
 
Sexual Content- A hand kiss, two forehead kisses (one that arouses feelings), a cheek kiss, a border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed kiss, and three semi-detailed kisses; Remembering kisses (up to semi-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Warmth, Butterflies/Tingles, & Nearness (up to semi-detailed); Remembering touches, embraces, & nearness (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to touch & embrace (up to semi-detailed); Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes; a ‘harlot’ and a ‘hussy’; Samantha has romantic daydreams of Asher after he rescues her; Asher panics when he sees Samantha messing with her skirt in a way that could imply she’s disrobing (mentioning Lady Godiva and they are both very embarrassed by it; she was adjusting her skirt, not taking it off); *Major Spoiler but Important Content Note (Affairs and Infertility)* Samantha receives her late mother’s diary and reads the entries of her mother being upset with God (believing He cursed her) for not letting her get pregnant, saying that God might want her pastor’s-wife-sister to be barren to have more time to do His work but there’s nothing gained by her infertility, saying that God failed her by her giving birth to a girl who is “of no value” (Samantha, but does start to soft her heart towards her in later entries), and feels “darkness” descending over her; She took matters into her own hands after reading about Hagar and Sarah & since she knows her husband won’t welcome another woman into his bed, she plans to have an affair as it could be her husband having the barrenness (despite a doctor not admitting the fault might lie with men); She views it as a business transaction comparing it to bulls and cattle, adding that there will be no love as she needs his “seed”; She tells herself that she is doing it for her husband, but her conscience doesn’t recognize the “nobility” of her quest; After the first time, she feels soiled about a man who is not her husband touching her and thinks that she betrayed her husband, asking for God to forgive her; To use her guilt, she eagerly welcomes her husband into her bed, but continues the affair for a year in hopes of finally getting pregnant (which she does and guilt eats at her conscience, saying that the end results justifies whatever it took, but knows it’s a lie as she rejected God’s plan for her own); When Samantha tells Asher about it, she calls it not being a love affair, but more like a “breeding opportunity” and tells her father it had no emotional attachment and “strictly a breeding exercise” *End of Major Spoilers*; Mentions of affairs & illegitimate children; Mentions of a man getting a woman to his bed, her getting pregnant, the man not accepting the child as his and will not marry the woman (who is going to get kicked out of her family’s home because of it), & him seducing and bedding other women (he accuses the mother of the baby of rolling “around in the hay” with other men and says she ruined herself, not taking any responsibilities for the child; She considers herself tarnished because of it and believes God quit helping her when she let the man sweet-talk her into his bed, which Samantha disagrees with; *Spoiler* This is Samantha’s good friend and Samantha refuses to minimize that the man was an equal participant of the consequences of the sin, perhaps even the instigator of it; She gets very upset and tells her father that it is his problem as well because “the older and wiser men of our society turn a blind eye to the bad behavior of their young proteges” so nothing will stop this from happening again; She angrily asks why that when “a man and woman have relations outside of marriage, the woman is considered to be a harlot, but the man is simply ‘sowing his wild oats’? ...when the man is equally responsible for the child’s existence?”; Her father agrees that it’s unfair for the woman, but also the “truth that she chose to give herself to a man not her husband” and Samantha brings up about the woman in the woman who was being stoned for adultery and assuming that the man was covered for by other men *End of Spoiler*); Mentions of a man’s womanizing ways, bragging about a “love shack”, & him taking multiple different women there for years (Samantha’s younger brother knows about the love shack and how babies are made due to breeding cattle & she is horrified by knowing that he knows about such things); Mentions of kisses & kissing; Mentions of flirting & flirts; A few mentions of the women who work at saloons & men paying to meet them in a place to be alone; A few mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of a man being caught while engaged with a woman in “unsanctioned behavior”; A mention of some men seeking “female companionship” (implied to be more than just talking); A mention of a loose woman; A mention of a man’s roguish gaze towards women; A mention of a woman possibly being assaulted by Asher (he wonders if someone thinks he would do this, but he wouldn’t); Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Samantha, after being forced into a mothering role at a young age and her dreams being freedom and independence from familial responsibilities, now wonders about holding a baby of her own; Mentions of woman being barren (Samantha assumes that her aunt mourned the loss of not having children and wonders how she and her husband let go of that pain with no resentment towards God; Also heavy mentioned in the Major Spoiler section above); A few mentions of a woman’s monthly bleeding; A few mentions of men having to strip down to their underwear under an officer’s orders (looking for a criminal). 
 
-Samantha Dearing, age 19
-Asher Ellis
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                             Set in 1889
                                                        368 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

{Trigger warning: Affairs, Infertility, & mentions of sexual assault from manipulation}

Despite not finishing the first book in this series due to content, I was still curious about this book because of it being a light (and reverse) Cinderella retelling. Our male lead is the Cinderella (but with a good stepfamily) and our female lead is the princess. I really liked the family aspect of both main characters and loved seeing their brothers. 

 

Here’s the thing: fairytale retellings are a genre I typically expect to be lighter in terms of content. Sure, the originals are yikes and often disgusting to say the least, but most retellings—at least in the Christian Fiction realm—are light. Not much to note in the way of content. This series hasn’t been that way at all. In this book particularly, I am incredibly disappointed in how heavy that twist in this story is weighing on my heart. 

 

I often figure out the twists in books. My mom is convinced it’s because I read so much that there’s nothing left to surprise me with. It could be that or it could be the fact that my brain goes ninety to nothing when reading and is always trying to figure out what’s going to happen. With this book though, I started to get frustrated that Samantha couldn’t see who the culprit was. It felt incredibly obvious to me and I wanted to smack her over the head with the knowledge. Especially after she learned Very Important Information towards the end of the book. The beginning of the book was very cute and yet it also felt slow paced, I was just waiting for a shoe to drop (no Cinderella pun intended) and when that “surprise” entered in, I knew it was the proverbial shoe. 

 

I was greatly enjoying this book until the last quarter or so which entered in content that dramatically affected these ratings. I won’t say much here, but the details of it is listed in the Sexual Content part of this review. It does have to do with a wife planning an affair, it being treated as a business transaction, and illegitimate children. (Also the woman having messed-up theology.) I unfortunately saw this coming on the horizon it was very disappointing to see that my thoughts were correct. It’s such a bummer because the romance between our main couple was so cute and there was a really good faith content, but that content is just not sitting well with me along with a man who seduced a woman into going to bed with him. 

 

I’ve been sitting here, typing these final thoughts and staring at my screen for over fifteen minutes now, trying to gather my thoughts. This book is not recommended for ages 9-19, the target ages of BFCG. Each reader will obviously decide for themself and I will not be the one to tell you “no, don’t read this book.” I will never say that because my job is to give the information of what’s in the book, the content found within. Yes, I am above the age range of 9-19. I could give it a two star rating, which I’ve been debating as I stare at my computer screen. Because I did like their romance (there wasn’t even that much noticing!) and the faith content. But that just doesn’t feel right to me. I feel weighed down and heavy from the twist this book had and while the ending ends in a hopeful note, there’s still lingering sadness to me. I can’t in good conscience give this book a higher rating because of the content, despite the majority (not all) of the first half being enjoyable because by the end of the book, I didn’t like it. Which is terribly sad and disappointing. 

 

 

 

See y’all on Friday with a new review! 

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

"In Her Sights" by Karen Witemeyer

About this book:

  “He's sworn off love, but she has his heart in her sights and doesn't intend to miss.
   Stained by his wastrel father's legacy, Jackson Spivey lives on the fringes of society. Townsfolk tolerate him since he keeps the local hotel supplied with fresh game, but mothers coach their daughters to avoid him. After tasting consistent rejection, Jackson spurns all attempts at courtship. The only things he can count on are his guns and his God.
   Tessa James has been secretly in love with Jackson for ages, but trying to gain his favor only pushes him further away. When she learns Annie Oakley is traveling through Texas, Tessa seeks lessons from the famed markswoman. If Jackson's life revolves around guns, taking up shooting might help her engage his interest. Too bad she can't hit the broad side of a barn.
   When Annie loans Tessa a custom pistol, however, things begin to change. The lore behind the mysterious weapon fosters hope that Tessa might finally hit the target of Jackson's heart. But when danger threatens, she might be forced to use the pistol for something other than finding love.”


Series: Part of the “Pink Pistol Sisterhood” series. Mentions characters from the author’s other books, “Stealing the Preacher” (review Here!) and “A Tailor-Made Bride” (review Here!). 


Spiritual Content- Galatians 6:9 at the beginning; A few Scriptures are remembered; Talks about God; Mentions of God & faith; Mentions of prayers, praying, & thanking God; Mentions of those & events in the Bible; Mentions of church, church going, & a pastor; A few mentions of blessings & being Blessed; 
             *Note: Mentions of Cupid & his bow (mythological creature); A mention of something sounding like “hocus-pocus”; A mention of someone looking like an “avenging angel”; “For Pete’s sake” is said once.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘biddies’, an ‘idiot’, a form of ‘screwed up’, a ‘shoot’, a ‘rats’, four forms of ‘stupid’; A couple mentions of curses (said, not written); A bit of eye rolling; Shooting someone (self-defense and feels bad afterward, up to semi-detailed); Fighting, Being held at gunpoint, Getting shot (accidentally), Pain, & Blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of thieves, a robbery, outlaws, threats, & prisons/jails; Mentions of gunfire, being held at gunpoint, getting shot, injuries, pain, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of alcohol, drinking, & drunks (Jackson’s father); Mentions of hunting, hunters, & shooting animals for food; A few mentions of grief (a daughter); A few mentions of cigarettes & tobacco; A few mentions of lies; A few mentions of throwing up; A couple mentions of poker & playing card games; A mention of manure; 
             *Note: Jackson faces prejudice & rude comments because his father is a drunkard and a felon (he is in prison); Jackson’s father used to belittle him with insults which causes Jackson to wonder if he really is worthless.
 
 
Sexual Content- A bit of staring at someone’s lips; A forehead kiss, a border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed kiss, a semi-detailed kiss, and a detailed kiss; Remembering kisses (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to kiss (barely-above-not-detailed); Touches, Embraces, & Shivers (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to touch & embrace (barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes; Noticing (up to semi-detailed); Jackson feels a hunger and desire for Tessa; Book ends on a wedding night & a passionate kiss (in Jackson’s point of view); Mentions of kisses & kissing; Mentions of flirting; Mentions of reputations; A couple mentions of touches & embraces; A mention of a married couple kissing often; A mention of jealousy; A mention of a crush; Love, falling/being in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: A mention of a dress hugging a woman’s figure (said by a dressmaker to a client). 
 
-Tessa James, age 20
-Jackson Spivey, age 20
                                P.O.V. switches between them (first chapter in someone else’s)
                                             Set in 1893-1894
                                                        122 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

I’m willing to slightly overlook the few parts with a lack of gun safety and then Tessa jumping into a dangerous situation, because the rest of the story was really cute. Tessa & Jackson were really cute together. Plus, it was neat to hear about the characters from two prior books by this author—especially Joanna & Crockett. 

The book does end on their wedding night with a passionate kiss, though, which docked my personal rating half a star. Because it didn’t allude to them doing more than kissing, it could be an okay read for older high school girls.

 

 

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.

"Under the Texas Mistletoe" by Karen Witemeyer

About this book:

  “Spend Christmas in Texas this year with these charming holiday novellas from bestselling historical romance author Karen Witemeyer, whose writing is spiced with her signature blend of humor, thrilling frontier action, and sweet romance.”

 

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“A Texas Christmas Carol” by Karen Witemeyer
 
About this book:

  “A town's wealthy, Scrooge-like bachelor finds his world invaded by a woman set on earning his donation for helping the local poor, and by the penetrating questions of three mysterious visitors.”


Series: Does not seem to be connected to any of the author’s other books.


Spiritual Content- Nehemiah 8:10 at the beginning; Scriptures are mentioned, read, & quoted; Prayers & Thanking God; Set during Christmas time; Church going & a sermon; Talks about God, those and events in the Bible, His plans for us, joy from the Lord, & praying; 'H's are not capital when referring to God or Jesus; *Spoiler* Towards the end, Evan has a major realization about God & His love for him *End of Spoiler*; Mentions of God, Jesus, & Christmas; Mentions of those & events in the Bible; Mentions of prayers, praying, & thanking God; Mentions of churches, church going, ministries, services, & hymns; Mentions of blessings & being Blessed; A few mentions of Heaven; A few mentions of Christian duties; A couple mentions of faiths; A mention of Bible reading; A mention of sin; 
             *Note: In-between the first and second novellas, there is a Christmas devotional on why Jesus came as a baby and references Scriptures; A mention of an item being like a talisman. 
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘blasted’, a ‘why in blazes’, two ‘forms of ‘idiot’, two forms of ‘stupid’, and three ‘bah!’s; A bit of eye rolling (from a child); Mentions of someone almost being shot & killed (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of an illness & near death; Mentions of Evan’s knee injury & pain (he walks with a cane because of it); Mentions of a man being stuck in a mud hole; Mentions of possibly being thrown from a horse and/or harmed; Mentions of threats & blackmail (one done with teasing, not done with ill intent); A few mentions of injuries, pain, & blood/bleeding; A few mentions of the Panic of 1873; A few mentions of con-artists & being scammed; A few mentions of hunting; A few mentions of emptying chamber pots; A couple mentions of customers cursing at a young Evan or boxing his ears (he was a bellboy); A couple mentions of school bullies & them beating up others; A couple mentions of alcohol & drinking; A mention of prison; A mention of a lie; A mention of jealousy; A mention of someone cheating at a game.
 
 
Sexual Content- a hand kiss, an almost kiss (up to semi-detailed), and a semi-detailed kiss; Recalling a cheek kiss & embrace (including her being pulled into his lap out of danger, barely-above-not-detailed); Wanting to kiss someone (up to semi-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Warmth, & Nearness (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to touch & embrace (barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes & Winks; Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); At one point, Felicity falls on top of Evan and while it’s an accident and embarrassing for them, Evan does think that that in other circumstances would be a pleasure; A couple mentions of flirting; A mention of jealousy; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Evan thinks that he doesn’t have plans to “shackle” himself to a woman (because wives are expensive and an upsetting event form years prior); A mention of Felicity not being the type to use her feminine wiles to seduce a man; A mention of hot-blooded young men. 
 
-Felicity Wiggins, age 25 
-Evan Beazer, age 32
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                      Set in 1895 
                                          107 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

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“An Archer Family Christmas” by Karen Witemeyer
 
About this book:

  “It’s Christmas Eve, 1893, and the entire family has gathered to celebrate the holiday. This day is always bittersweet for Jim and Cassie, who lost a child on Christmas Eve three years earlier. Cassie has devoted herself to being the favorite aunt of the Archer children, whisking her nieces away to a nearby schoolhouse to create decorations for the Christmas tree that the men and oldest boys are venturing out to chop down.
   When an unexpected knock at the schoolhouse door reveals a desperate pregnant woman on the run from a dangerous outlaw, it’ll take a Christmas miracle—and the entire Archer clan—to make sure no danger befalls the child born on this beloved holiday.”
 

Series: Considered to be Book #2.75 in the “Archer Brothers” series by this author. Book #1 (“Short Straw Bride”) has a mini-review Here (and I’ll link another review mentioning the content Here), Book #2 (“Stealing the Preacher”) is reviewed Here, and the bonus novella #2.50 has not yet been reviewed. 


Spiritual Content- Scriptures are quoted & remembered; Prayers & Thanking God; Set during Christmas time; Talks about God; 'H's are not capital when referring to God or Jesus; Mentions of God, Jesus, His will, & Christmas; Mentions of those & events in the Bible; Mentions of prayers, praying, & thanking God; Mentions of churches & a preacher; Mentions of blessings & being Blessed; A couple mentions of those who have passe being in God’s hands; A mention of someone thinking that God would have ignored her prayers due to her wrong choices, but that He didn’t; 
             *Note: In-between the second and third novellas, there is a section about Christmas traditions from the Victorian time period that has a few paragraphs about Santa Claus; A couple mentions of an outlaw being called a devil. 
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘I don’t give a flying flip’ and a ‘stupid’; A couple mentions of curses (said, not written); A bit of eye rolling; Shooting at outlaws/criminals, being shot at, fights, flighting, pain, injuries, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Thinking a loved one might be shot & dying (and their panic, up to semi-detailed); Mentions of outlaws, gangs, crimes, threats of killing or harming, gunfire, being shot at, shooting at others, fights, & fighting; Mentions of prejudice towards a woman with Comanche blood; A few mentions of lies & lying; A few mentions of an outlaw spitting on the body of someone, cursing her, and calling her a worthless piece of trash; A mention of prison; 
             *Note: Cassie & Jim are both grieving the loss of their infant son who died a couple years prior to the start of the story (Jim tries to hide his grief from her to not make it harder on Cassie; He also found himself coveting a brother’s large family, wishing that they’d been the barren ones instead of him and Cassie, which that sinful thought scared him so badly he dropped to his knees in asking for forgiveness from the Lord; A doctor told them that due to the difficult birthing and internal scarring, becoming pregnant again would be impossible); Mentions of their grief and others’ grief for the loss of loved ones/children. 
 
 
Sexual Content- A forehead kiss, two semi-detailed kisses, and a border-line semi-detailed // detailed kiss; Touches, Embraces, Warmth, & Nearness (up to semi-detailed); Noticing (including Jim seeing Cassie’s chest area when she’s trying to keep a baby warm, barely-above-not-detailed); a ‘baby’; Mentions of married couples touching, embracing, & sharing a bed; A few mentions of a biological father possibly selling his baby girl possibly to the highest bidder and her ending up in a brothel or “worse”;
             *Note: Jim playfully swats Cassie’s backside; Helping with a(n unmarried) teen girl’s labor (including mentions of pain, screams, & blood/bleeding, semi-detailed; *Spoiler* the mother ends up passing away *End of Spoiler*); A mention of the married main couple wanting to move their sensual kiss into the bedroom, but not having the time at the moment to do so; A mention of a man’s chest hairs. 
 
-Cassandra “Cassie” Archer
-Bowie “Jim” Archer
                              P.O.V. switches between them
                                        Set in 1893
                                              80 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

 

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“Gift of the Heart” by Karen Witemeyer
 
About this book:
 

 “A widow and her young daughter move to Hope Springs for a fresh start, but with no money to secure a home, Ruth must convince a wealthy resort owner to accept her heirloom brooch as collateral. Will the pin that brought love to three generations soften the heart of a wounded recluse and give Ruth a second chance at love as the holidays draw near?”


Series: Does not seem to be connected to any other book.  


Spiritual Content- Proverbs 31:1-12 at the beginning; Scriptures are quoted, remembered, & thought over; Prayers, Thanking God, & Praising God; Set during Christmas time; A Christmas performance & hymns; Talks about God; 'H's are capital when referring to God; Mentions of God, Jesus, & Christmas; Mentions of those & events in the Bible; Mentions of prayers, praying, & thanking God; Mentions of churches, church going, & services; A couple mentions of blessings & being Blessed; 
             *Note: A mention of a demon cat; A mention of a magic lamp that has a genie to grant wishes.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: two forms of ‘stupid’s; Saving a child from being stuck in a pond (semi-detailed); Mentions of a child being trapped in a bank/pond & trying to keep her from losing conscious; Mentions of Bo’s injury that “announced his crippled state to all” (which has caused him to be a recluse); Mentions of grieving (Ruth for her husband after his death and also Bo for his mother’s love after his injury); A few mentions of the Civil War; A couple mentions of an illness & death; A couple mentions of a house being foreclosed; A couple mentions of jealousy; A mention of bandits; A mention of lying; A mention of gossip.
 
 
Sexual Content- A hand kiss (semi-detailed), a jaw kiss, an almost kiss (barely-above-not-detailed), and a detailed kiss; Recalling a kiss (barely-above-not-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Warmth, Shivers, & Nearness (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to touch & embrace (plus imagining it, barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes; Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); A few mentions of kisses & kissing; A few mentions of flirting & women battling their lashes to get a man to do something; A couple mentions of reputations;
             *Note: When her blouse gets wet, Ruth angles herself to not be seen by Bo; A mention of Bo wondering if Ruth slept in his bed and perhaps in one of his nightshirts (she stayed the night at his place because of an emergency while he stayed at a hotel). 
 
-Ruth Fulbright
-Beauregard “Bo” Azlin
                              P.O.V. switches between them
                                        Set in 1890
                                                  99 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

 

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Overall Ratings:

Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

A Texas Christmas Carol – Here’s the thing about retellings of classic stories: You know the result, you know the general understand of what will happen at the end. But it’s the journey of getting there with those characters and seeing an author make the story their own that keeps retellings popular and much loved. And with this novella, it was so much fun to see it play out. Especially with all the faith content in this short story. The faith content was just excellent and Felicity was fantastic. I love her heart and her character! The faith content is really what made this novella stand out, though, and was really well done. I loved how the author connected details from the classic tale into this novella. Elsewise, I was already giggly just at the opening few chapters because of the plot and Felicity and the faith discussions made it even better. I really enjoyed this one. 4.5 stars

 

An Archer Family Christmas – Well that little novella tugged at my heart strings and made me tear up much more than I was expecting! While I might not have been a fan of the first Archer Brothers book due to sexual suggestions/marital content, it was really nice to see the family again. I love how this family has each other’s backs and just the importance of family within this novella was really sweet and wonderful to read. Because of all the married couples there were some hints to intimacies and quite a bit of kissing, so I would say this novella would be better for older college-age/high school girls.

 

Gift of the Heart – Okay, that was a really sweet novella! It did feel a bit rushed, but I still really enjoyed it. This author knows how to write loveable children and I just love that! I actually laughed out loud at quite a few times during this little story. The best way I can describe this novella would be sweet because it really was! 

 

Overall, this was a very fun and enjoyable novella collection! I thought the add-ins of a devotional, Victorian Christmas traditions, and the recipes between each story were neat bonus content as well. 

 

 

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.