"Lost for Words" by Kristin Eckhardt

About this book:

  “One day Mary notices a young woman sitting in her bookshop. As the afternoon passes, the woman remains, pretending to read a book and clearly waiting for someone who never arrives. When Mary approaches her, she tearfully confesses that she doesn't remember anything before that day. The only clue she has to her identity is a note she found in her pocket when she woke up on the beach, which says, "Katie, arrive at Mary's bookshop at 1:12." Mary takes Katie under her wing, and together they scour Ivy Bay for clues to discover who Katie really is. But after learning about a recent mugging in town as well as a man who seems to be following Katie, Mary thinks the more important question might be what - or who - caused Katie to lose her memory in the first place?”

Series: Book #18 (of 24) in the “Secrets of Mary’s Bookshop” series. Please click on the number to be taken to that review: Book #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23, and #24.

Spiritual Content- Psalm 65:11 at the end in bonus content; Scriptures are mentioned, read, remembered, & quoted; Prayers & Thanking God; Bible reading; Going to church & a prayer group; Talks about God; 'H's are capital when referring to God; Mary recalls when her son was a teenager and questioning his faith, but how Proverbs 22:6 sustained her and proved to be true for her son; Mentions of God & trusting Him; Mentions of prayers, praying, praises, thanking God, & blessings over food; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, & devotionals; Mentions of churches, church going, services, sermons, a pastor, & a prayer group; Mentions of a hymn; Mentions of blessings & being Blessed; A couple mentions of events in the Bible; A mention of Bible studies; A mention of someone calling Mary a “guardian angel”.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: two ‘dumb’s and two ‘stupid’s; A little bit of eye rolling; Many mentions of a mugging, stolen items, crimes, criminals, violence, & who did it (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of missing people; Mentions of pain, injuries, & possible accidents; A few mentions of how putting a millstone around someone’s neck was a method of execution in Biblical times (barely-above-not-detailed); A few mentions of possible & fiction stalkers; A few mentions of drugs, illegal drugs, & alcohol; A couple mentions of car accidents & deaths; A couple mentions of lies & lying; A mention of World War I; A mention of World War II; A mention of a possible child abduction; A mention of a possible scam; A mention of a rumor; 
             *Note: All about many mentions of a woman who amnesia (up to semi-detailed on her injuries and pain); Mentions of car brands; Mentions of books, characters, & authors (‘The Little Engine That Could’, Nero Stout, Hercule Poirot, & Anne Perry); Mentions of brand names (St. John’s Bay, Sears, JCPenney, Maybelline, Revlon, & Almay); A few mentions of Grace Kelly, Frankie Valli, & a song; A couple mentions of Bugs Bunny; A mention of Wall Street Journal. 
 
 
Sexual Content- A couple blushes; Mentions of dating, boyfriends/girlfriends, & break-ups; A couple mentions of teenage crushes; A mention of a teenage heartthrob; A mention of jealousy.
 
-Mary Fischer, age 62 (?)
                                P.O.V. of Mary 
                                                262 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

I don’t think I’ve ever read a Guidepost mystery so fast before. I’m not sure what it is about an amnesia plotline that gets me involved in the story, but do they ever! I would say this is definitely my favorite of the series—I should probably add “so far” at the end of that sentence, but I can’t imagine another book topping this one. It had a super steady pacing, details and hints given for the reader to try to figure out who Katie is, and Mary’s faith was shown a lot throughout the story. I was really pleasantly surprised by this book and how much I enjoyed it! 

 

 

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.

"Tea is for Treasure" by Kristin Eckhardt

 About this book:

 

  “As the first harbingers of spring reach the tearoom, so does an unexpected package. When the cousins open it, they discover a beautiful white china teapot with a lovely floral design. But it is what’s inside that really captures Elaine’s and Jan’s imagination: a hand-drawn map and cryptic poem giving clues to a hidden treasure.

The intrigue only deepens when Archie Bentham’s friend Nigel Fox stumbles into the tearoom with a gash on his forehead and a warning for them. Could his arrival be connected to the map and poem? Soon other would be treasure hunters arrive, and the sleuthing cousins are determined to not only find the treasure but also get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding it.

Meanwhile, as Elaine and Jan piece together the last of the clues they’ve collected about the antique sapphire ring, they discover that its story is even more intriguing than they suspected.”

 

 

Series: Book #8 in the “Tearoom Mysteries” series. Review of Book #1, Here!, #2 Here!, #3 Here, #4 Here, #5 Here, #6 Here, and #7 Here!

 

 

Spiritual Content- In the extra content at the end, there is a discussion about God and a Scripture is quoted; ‘H’s are capitalized when referring to God; Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, services, & a pastor; Mentions of Easter; A few mentions of blessings & being Blessed; A few mentions of hymns.

  

 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: three ‘stupid’s; A bit of Eye rolling; Pain & Blood/Bleeding (barely-above-not-detailed); Many mentions of burglars, thieves, criminals, crimes, break-ins, stealing, a stolen item, & arrests; Mentions of possible violence; Mentions of pain, blood/bleeding, injuries, screams, passing out, & an assault; Mentions of the Great Depression; A few mentions of car accidents & a death; A mention of a death; A mention of an abusive step-father; A mention of lying;

             *Note: Mentions of Jane Eyre, the characters, & the author; A few mentions of Hollywood actors and actresses (Marilyn Monroe, Cary Grant, Claire Windsor, & Lillian Gish); A few mentions of car brands; A couple mentions of the Hardy boys books; A mention of a designer name (Rolex); A mention of the Rocky theme song; A mention of horror movies. 

 

 

Sexual Content- A not-detailed kiss; Remembering a kiss & almost kiss (barely-above-not-detailed); A few Touches & Embraces; Mentions of an almost kiss & regretting it not happening (Elaine); Mentions of dating, dates, & boyfriends; A couple mentions of flirting & jealousy; A mention of mooning over someone.

 

-Jan Blake

-Elaine Cook, age 55

                                P.O.V. switches between them

                                                        289 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

I personally had a really hard time getting into this book, but the few hundred pages was interesting and kept my attention well. It’s a cute mystery series that always makes me want a cup of tea. :)

 

 

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 Fitting Conclusion" by Emily Thomas

About this book:

  “Love is in the air when a stray cat shows up at the Blue Hill Library with a diamond engagement ring attached to its collar. Anne is determined to find the cat's owner before Liddie falls in love with their new furry friend, but news of the ring brings more than one prospective bride to claim it as her own. As Anne tries to discover the truth, two handsome men vie for her attention, and she realizes she may be in danger of falling in love herself.

   Meanwhile, a former writing student of Aunt Edie's, named Hope, returns to Blue Hill with an exciting request: because Edie introduced her to her fiance, Theo, they would like to get married at the library. Anne is thrilled to be involved in the culmination of Edie's matchmaking, but planning someone else's wedding turns out to be more work than she expected.”

Series: The Final Book (#24) in the “Secrets of the Blue Hilly Library” series. Reviews of #1 Here, #2 Here, #3 Here, #4 Here, #5 Here, #6 Here, #7 Here, #8 Here, #9 Here, #10 Here, #11 Here, #12 Here, #13 Here, #14 Here, #15 Here, #16 Here, #17 Here, #18 Here, #19 Here, #20 Here, #21 Here, #22 Here, and #23 Here.

Spiritual Content- Prayers; Church going; ‘H’s are capitalized when referring to God; Mentions of God & faith; Mentions of prayers, praying, & thanking God; Mentions of churches/chapels, reverends, services, a sermon, & hymns; A few mentions of blessings.

 

 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘dumb’; A couple mentions of cursing (said, not written); A bit of eye rolling; Many mentions of a lost cat (but is found); Mentions of possible car accidents & a freak accident; A few mentions of crime & thieves; A few mentions of arrests; A few mention of lies, lying, & a liar; A few mentions of rumors; A few mentions of a divorce; A mention of blood/bleeding; A mention of jealousy;

             *Note: Mentions of books & authors; A few mentions of a car brand; A couple mentions of actors/actresses (James Cagney & Grace Kelly); A couple mentions of clothing brands (Coach & North Face).

 

 

Sexual Content- A forehead kiss and an almost kiss; A few Touches & Butterflies; Dancing, Nearness, & Smelling; Blushes; A guy is called a ‘hunk’; Many mentions of proposing; Many mentions of boyfriends, dating, & dates; Mentions of an almost kiss; Mentions of blushes; A few mentions of flirts & flirting; A few mentions of crushes & feelings; A couple mentions of jealousy; A mention of a kiss at a wedding; A mention of a married couple kissing; A mention of high school sweethearts.

 

-Anne Gibson

                                P.O.V. of Anne

                                        268 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

While I wasn't the biggest fan of the “romance” (super light, but the most for any book in the series) and love-triangle (have we ever seen Eli before this book? I cannot remember him for the life of me…), I was really happy with how it ended. The mystery was really interesting and it truly was a fitting conclusion to my favorite Guidepost mystery 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.

 

"Poetry in Motion" by Kristin Eckhardt

About this book:

  “When Mary finds a poem called “Pikes Peak” by Katharine Lee Bates tucked into an old book, she feels a thrill of discovery. Could it be an early handwritten draft of the beloved song “America the Beautiful”? she takes the poem to document expert Lincoln King, but before he can confirm its authenticity, the poem is stolen from his office.
  Only a handful of people even knew Mary had found the poem. Who could have taken it? Was it Betty’s friend Eleanor, who is desperate to bring some limelight to Ivy Bay? Maude Writh, who claims the poem belonged to her grandmother and is thus rightly hers? Or is Lincoln’s assistant Evan, who disappeared on the same night as the poem? Determined to recover such an important piece of history, Mary sets out to find the thief!”


Series: Book #7 (of 24) in the “Secrets of Mary’s Bookshop” series. Please click on the number to be taken to that review: Book #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23, and #24.


Spiritual Content- Scriptures are read, remembered, & discussed in a sermon (and another is written out at the end); Bible reading; Prayers & Thanking God; Church going & Sermons; Singing hymns; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Mentions of God & trusting Him; Mentions of prayers, praying, thanking God, praises, & a prayer group; Mentions of those in the Bible; Mentions of blessings & being blessed; Mentions of hymns; Mentions of churches, church going, pastors, sermons, services, & worshiping; A few mentions of faiths; A couple mentions of saints and sinners;

             *Note: A mention of Mother Nature.

Negative Content- Many mentions of stolen items & a thief; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of gossip & rumors; A few mentions of car accidents; A few mentions of pain & blood; A few mentions of gambling; A couple mentions of wars; A couple mentions of prison/jail; A couple mentions of eye rolling; A mention of a divorce; A mention of cigars;

             *Note: Mentions of different books; A few mentions of TV shows & movies; A few mentions of car brands; A mention of social media.

Sexual Content- N/A

-Mary Fisher
                                P.O.V. of Mary
                                                        280 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

For being set in the Spring, this was a very patriotic read! Those outside of the US might not find this one as interesting due to the main plot of the hymn, but those who enjoy history overall should find it interesting. Not my very favorite of this series, but I did enjoy all the faith content, church going, and hymns!

See y’all next 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.