"New Leash on Life" by Kathleen Y'Barbo

About this book:

  “How Is a Missing Military Working Dog Related to Two Local Fires?
   Air Force veteran Dr. Lane Bishop and Nora Hernandez’s romance has cooled. He is busy working as a researcher at the vet school, and she’s busy with her restaurant and opening an antique shop. What Lane hasn’t told her is his PTSD, which manifests mostly with nightmares, makes him believe he’s damaged goods. But that is about to change when he meets a stray pup that acts a lot like a military working dog.
    When a tornado hits Brenham, there is damage in the downtown area and a fire is ignited in Nora’s new store. A Belgian Malinois dog is seen at the fire and later Lane sees him at a wedding venue where an explosion occurs. Not long after, a second explosion rocks Brenham and sends Nora and Lane on a hunt for the person responsible. Will the pair find the guilty party before more damage is done to the city’s landmarks? And will Lane find the words to tell Nora how much he loves her before it’s too late?”


Series: The final book (#6) in the “Gone to the Dogs Mystery” series. Can be read as stand-alones, but would be most enjoyed if read in order. Reviews of Book #1 Here!, Book #2 Here!, Book #3 Here!, and Book #4 Here!, and Book #5 Here!


Spiritual Content- 2 Chronicles 12:9-10 at the beginning; Prayers & Thanking God; 'H's are not capital when referring to God; Mentions of God & Jesus; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, worship, & pastors; A few mentions of Bibles & Bible reading; A few mentions of Saint Anthony; A couple mentions of thanking & praising the Lord; A mention of being Blessed; A mention of a godsend;  A mention of a Christian university.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: two forms of ‘dumb’, two ‘oh my gosh’s, five ‘stupid’s, seven forms of ‘idiot’; Sarcasm; Pain & Injuries; Lane has PTSD and nightmares from his time in the military & talks to a therapist via email (once, though it’s implied they have talked before and during the book; very light in terms of details or on-page mentions); Nora & Cassidy sneak into a building they’ve been told not to go into (by their boyfriends and the police, *Spoiler* but realize why they shouldn’t be there and Nora admits she went in the building to a police officer *End of Spoiler*); Many mentions of tornadoes, damages, a fire, & explosives; Many mentions of possible explosives or drug making, a crime scene, criminals, arrests, & jail/prison; Mentions of PTSD, military-related nightmares, deaths, injuries, shootings, bombs, & military men and dogs going AWOL; Mentions of injuries, pain, blood/bleeding, & stitches; Mentions of stolen items, stolen dogs, thefts, & thieves; Mentions of tattoos; A few mentions of the death of a spouse and parent & grief (for a wife and a mother); A few mentions of the death of beloved pets; A couple mentions of a possible burglary; A couple mentions of threats; A couple mentions of lies & lying; A mention of scams; A mention of a divorce; A mention of a dog fight; 
             *Note: Mentions of brand names (Crock-Pot, Blue Bell Ice Cream, Whataburger, Dr. Pepper, HEB, Yeti cooler, Kate Spade, Adidas, & Harley Davidson); Mentions of singers & songs (George Strait, Buddy Holly, Bob Wills, Marilyn Monroe, Dolly Parton, & Toby Mac); A few mentions of car brands; A few mentions of TV shows (Inspector Gadget, Murder She Wrote, The Bachelor); A few mentions of FaceTime; A mention of a designer (Vera Wang); A mention of a painter (Vincent van Gogh); A mention of a fast food chain (Dairy Queen); A mention of Girl Scouts.
 
 
Sexual Content- A fingers-to-lips touch, a fingers/hand kiss, two cheek kisses, two top-of-the-head kisses, an almost kiss, five not-detailed kisses, and two barely-above-not-detailed kisses; Touches, Embraces, Dancing, Hand holding, & Smelling (up to semi-detailed); Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); a ‘babe’, a ‘baby’, and a ‘hunky’; Many mentions of dating, dates, girlfriends/boyfriends, exes, & break-ups; A few mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of kisses & kissing; A mention of a guy who used to flirt with everyone’s girlfriends; A mention of a chaperone; Love, being in love, trying to fall out of love, & the emotions.
 
-Nora Hernandez, 
-Lane Bishop
                                1^st person P.O.V. switches between them 
                                                        259 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

I’m so sad that this series is over! It’s been my most anticipated book releases for the last couple of years and they all have received at least a four-star rating from me. I’ve loved all the characters, the Texas charm, and, of course, the dogs! It’s been a really good series and I’m sad it’s over now. 

When I had first seen this book online, I couldn’t remember seeing about this main couple in any of the prior books, but Goodreads had an old description, so that was throwing me! Nora is actually Cassidy’s chef friend we met in a prior book, so we see all mentions (if not have actual conversations with) all of the characters from the other books in the series. This book was a bit different from the rest, though, because we get Lane’s point of view. I’m glad we did because just from Nora’s perspective, I could see why she was frustrated with him, but because of his point of view, I understood more of where he was coming from. All in all, a good read with a mystery that kept me guessing with all the possible suspects! 

 

 

See y’all on Friday with a new review! 

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

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

"The Bark of Zorro" by Kathleen Y'Barbo

About this book:

  “Who Is Spray Painting the Dogs in Brenham, Texas?
    Cozy up with your favorite pooch and unwind with a small-town mystery in book 4 of the Gone to the Dogs series.
    Strange happenings are afoot in Brenham, Texas, as dogs start showing up at the Lone Star Veterinary Clinic with a Z spray painted on them. The cops blame pranksters, while pet owners are blaming each other. Receptionist Cassidy Carter uses her social media expertise to try to get the culprit caught on camera, but Texas game warden, Justin Cameron, thinks online media attention is the last thing this case needs. When Cassidy’s post goes viral, more dogs are found painted and the clinic gets marked with a big Z too. How could her good intentions have backfired so badly?”


Series: Book #4 in the “Gone to the Dogs Mystery” series. Can be read as stand-alones, but would be most enjoyed if read in order. Reviews of Book #1 Here!, Book #2 Here!, and Book #3 Here!


Spiritual Content- A Scripture is quoted & read; Prayers & Thanking God; Mentions of God & having a faith; Mentions of prayers, praying, & thanking God; Mentions of churches, church going, & a pastor; A mention of a blessing; 
             *Note: A couple mentions of aliens.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘blasted’, a ‘care one flip [for something]’, a form of ‘darn’, a ‘oh my gosh’, two ‘dumb’s, two ‘ticked off’s, four ‘idiot’s, and seven ‘stupid’s; Some sarcasm & eye rolling; Being threatened; Mentions of crimes, criminals, crime scenes, breaking the law, & arrests; Mentions of jails/prisons & jailtime; Mentions of a man almost getting hit by a car; Mentions of a funeral home & bodies; Mentions of graffiti/vandalism; Mentions of pranks; Mentions of an accident involved a dog & a dog going missing (all dogs are okay); A couple mentions of a drowning; A couple mentions of the possibility of a crook or murderer (Cassidy’s imagination); A couple mentions of being threatened; A couple mentions of hunting; A mention of someone possibly being killed by a taser; A mention of someone not appearing to be a serial killer; A mention of a possible hostage situation; A mention of lies; A mention of bullies (& them rhyming “Cass” with other insulting words); A mention of someone winning the lottery; 
             *Note: Mentions of TV shows, movies, actors, & fictional characters (Downtown Abbey, Scooby-Doo, Zorro, & Douglas Fairbanks); Mentions of social media sites & technology (Instagram, TikTok, Zoom, FaceTime, & AirTags); Mentions of singers & songs (Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Elvis, & Miranda Lambert); A few mentions of Boy Scouts & Girl Scouts; A couple mentions of two women arguing and one blaming the Democrats for dogs getting painted and the other blaming the Republicans (they conceded it could have been the Independents and then say it could be anymore painting the dogs);A couple mentions of fast food places (McDonald’s & Chick-fil-A); A couple mentions of newspapers.
 
 
Sexual Content- Two cheek kisses, a not-detailed kiss, five barely-above-not-detailed kiss, and a border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed kiss; Embraces, Hand holding, & Nearness (barely-above-not-detailed); Noticing & Smelling (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of kisses & kissing; Mentions of dates, dating, boyfriends/girlfriends, break-ups, & exes; Mentions of crushes; Mentions of a cute/handsome/gorgeous/hunky guy; A mention of a wink; Love, falling in love, & the emotions.
 
-Cassidy Carter 
                                1^st person P.O.V. of Cassidy 
                                                        258 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

Here’s a new trope for everyone: “He’s no nonsense, She’s full-of-nonsense (in the best way)”, or I guess we could call it the Grumpy/Sunshine trope, but I feel like my new trope fits better. That said, I wasn’t sure how this couple would work out with his over-the-top protectiveness, but I really appreciate that they had to have an actual conversation about that. It was nice to see quick communication. 

This really was a fun book, though! This whole series has been so much fun and I loved finally getting to know the sunshine of the Lone Star Vet Clinic, Cassidy, better. While the mystery elements weren’t my top favorite of the series, it still kept me engaged and wondering who had done it. My only one nitpick would be that I do wish there was more faith content as this book was on the lighter side in that regard, but overall it was a really enjoyable and clean read!

 

 

See y’all on Friday with a new review! 

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

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

"Dog Days of Summer" by Kathleen Y'Barbo

About this book:

  “Mishaps Abound as Second Chance Ranch Struggles to Get Its Start
   Grab a lap dog to cuddle and relax into a fun small-town mystery as a new dog rescue project turns into a three-ring circus of calamities in book 2 of the Gone to the Dogs series.
   Trina Potter, Nashville country music star, buys a ranch near her hometown in Brenham, Texas, to help her niece open a rescue facility for dogs. Her presence in town stirs up some old high school rivalries—and romance. Finding property to buy is a challenge, convincing her mother to move there with her is daunting, and navigating a string of strange accidents is perplexing. Sometimes Trina feels like she’s purchased her own three ring circus instead of a beautiful piece of land. But her first priority will be figuring out who wants Second Chance Ranch shut down before they even have the grand opening.”


Series: Book #2 in the “Gone to the Dogs” series. Can be read as stand-alones, but would be most enjoyed if read in order. Review of Book #1 Here! 

Spiritual Content- A few talks about God & His Word; 'H's are capital when referring to God; Mentions of God & Jesus; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of a pastor, sermons, & how Grandma Peach doesn’t think she’s cut out to be a pastor’s wife; A few mentions of thanking God; A mention of a Christmas Eve service; A mention of Heaven; 
             *Note: A cat is called “Hector the devil cat”; A mention of someone looking like they saw a ghost. 
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘blasted’, an ‘oh my gosh’, a ‘stupid’, a ‘shut up’, a ‘wimp’, two forms of ‘dumb’, and eight ‘idiot’s; Sarcasm & Eye rolling; All about many mentions of bombs/explosions, who could have done it. & threats (the bomb was on a dog rescue center’s property, but no person or dog was hurt); Mentions of gunshots, being shot at, & being threatened (including threatening someone else’s dogs); Mentions of trespassing & stealing; Mentions of jail, arrests, & crime scenes; Mentions of fires; Mentions of a tree falling on someone (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of a dog being hurt and caught in a bear trap (he will be okay, barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of the possibility of dogs being hurt or shot; Mentions of grieving family members (including Trina with her sister and Mari with her mom); Mentions of a divorce; A few mentions of a car accident with injured dogs (they will all be okay, barely-above-not-detailed); A few mentions of hunting; A couple mentions of a stolen car (Book #1); A couple mentions of blackmail; A couple mentions of vandalism; A couple mentions of rumors & lying; A mention of a prisoner; A mention of not being a betting man; A mention of a winery; A mention of tattoos; 
             *Note: Mentions of singers & songs (Miranda Lambert, Elvis, Tennessee Williams, Patsy Cline, & Willie Nelson); A few mentions of TV shows (Hawaii 5-0, Golden Girls, Dr. Who, & The Daytripper); A few mentions of websites & apps (Etsy, Uber, PayPal, & Venmo); A couple mentions of brands and items (iPad & SkinnyPop); A couple mentions of car brands. 
 
 
Sexual Content- An almost kiss, a not-detailed kiss, and five barely-above-not-detailed kisses; Touches, Embraces, Snuggling, & Hand holding (barely-above-not-detailed); A bit of Noticing; Mentions of kisses, kissing, & couples snuggling; A few mentions of couples going to see the stars at night and ending up on a blanket together (hinted to more happening); A few mentions of boyfriends/girlfriends, dating, & break-ups; A few mentions of high school girls only caring about boys; A couple mentions of a (married) male hairstylist having “extra services” for his clients that ended up getting him in trouble with his wife; A couple mentions of hunky and cute guys; A mention of flirting; A mention of a crush; Some love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: A few mentions of fathers telling their high school aged daughters that makeup and short skirts will attract the wrong kind of man; A mention of college-aged Trina thinking that her size 2 jeans weren’t loose enough, but now gives thanks that she could still fit in her size 10s; A mention of a woman’s clingy dress; A mention of a man’s short shorts.
 
-Trina Potter
                                1^st person P.O.V. of Trina 
                                               256 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

And this series continues to be enjoyable!

Ahh, but really, though, this was so much fun! I found so many parts to make the book for me: I giggled and smirked so much at the banter between Trina and Wyatt; the mystery aspect was very interesting and I wasn’t sure how it would all work out; seeing Mari and Parker again!; and yay for all the Texas parts! Am I biased? Completely, but that’s to be expected. 

I’m so happy that I enjoyed the second book in the series as well! Now I’m even more excited to read the next two books in this series, because the track record is very good so far. ;) 

 

See y’all on Friday with a new review! 

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

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

"River of Life" by Kathleen Y'Barbo

About this book:

 

  “The Inn Crowd is plunged into another mystery when their contractor stumbles across a trunk containing an old, tattered quilt in one of the secret rooms that housed runaway slaves. Just moments earlier, they had learned that the famous River of Life quilt was stolen from the National Archives. Could this be the missing quilt? And how did it come to be at Wayfarers Inn? As Tess, Janice, and LuAnn set out to uncover the truth, they are shocked to find the spotlight of suspicion turned on them, especially after the quilt disappears again. Can they convince the authorities they were not behind the quilt’s theft?

   Meanwhile, the producer for the popular Arts & Antiques Network’s Quilt Mysteries comes to Marietta to film an episode about the River of Life quilt, and asks the friends if he can interview them. Will he provide the missing piece to finding the quilt?”

Series: Book #2 in the “Secrets of Wayfarers Inn” series. Review of Book#1 Here!

Spiritual Content- A couple Scriptures are remembered & quoted; A prayer; A couple talks about God; ‘H’s are capitalized when referring to God; A hymn is sung; Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of churches, church going, church events, pastors/reverends, & sermons; Mentions of blessings & being blessed; A couple mentions of those in the Bible; A mention of someone being in the arms of Jesus (Heaven); A mention of a godsend; A mention of a spiritual gift; A mention of a miracle; A mention of a Christmas hymn; A mention of the Quaker denomination;

             *Note: Mentions of a rumor of a quilt having a curse on it.

 

 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘dumb’, a ‘shoot’, a ‘stupid’, two ‘idiot’s, and seven of the phrase “goodness gracious goat!”; A bit of sarcasm & eye rolling; Dual-time period is set before the Civil War started; Being chased by slave hunters & gunfire (up to semi-detailed); Some pain & injuries; Seeing someone shot, nearly drowned, & a death (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of the deaths of slaves pursuing freedom; Mentions of slaves, runaway slaves, & slavery; Mentions of slave hunters, them shooting, gunfire, & kidnapping former slaves to sell them again; Mentions of pain, injuries, & blood/bleeding; Mentions of drownings & near drownings; Mentions of fires; Mentions of a theft, thieves, stealing, stolen items, crimes, crime scenes, arrests, & jail; Mentions of trespassing; Mentions of blackmail & threats; Mentions of rumors; A few mentions of serial killers (with a couple famous ones being mentioned); A few mentions of grieving the death of a spouse; A couple mentions of booze & the Prohibition era; A couple mentions of lying & liars; A couple mentions of tattoos; A mention of World War II; A mention of a hanging; A mention of a slave’s tongue being cut;

             *Note: Mentions of car brands; Mentions of brand names/items (Yankee Candle, an Apple iPad, GoPro, & Coca-Cola); A few mentions of magazines and newspapers (GQ, Rolling Stone, Chicago Tribune, & the Houston Chronicle); A few mentions of social media sites/websites (Netflix, Twitter, Google, & PayPal); A couple mentions of Ghostbusters; A couple mentions of movies (a Disney one (not named) & The Blues Brothers); A mention of Girl Scouts; A mention of a TV show (Good Morning America).

 

 

Sexual Content- A (married couple) cheek kiss; A younger man tells LuAnn that he would give her a second look because she has “it going on”; Mentions of dating & dates; A few mentions of a firefighter being called “hunky” and a “cutie”; A couple mentions of seeing couples kissing; A mention of a out-of-wedlock pregnancy (not specifically mentioned, but alluded to); A mention of flirting;

             *Note: A few mentions of a firemen’s calendar (& how they’re typically “full of muscled firemen wearing spray tans and not much more than is necessary to be legal”, but the one the local fire department will be doing, the men will be going about their duties and will be fully clothed); A couple mentions of advice to “accept what has already been decided” that a couple won’t have children (the husband does not take this well); A couple mentions of a man being possessive of his wife (historical time period); A couple mentions of a woman using her “womanly/feminine wiles” on a man to get a discount at his store; A mention of “[loosing] babies to death” (miscarriages/stillborn).

 

-Tess Wallace

                                P.O.V. of Tess

                                 Dual-Time period (contemporary & 1859)

                                       275 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

 

I think this series is a miss for me as I’m not big on dual-time period novels or books dealing with the Civil War time period. I find the trio of friends to be a little overwhelming when reading their conversations. Those who enjoy the Civil War time period would most likely enjoy this book/series.

 

 

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.