"Wolves in Sheep's Clothing" by Sandra Orchard

About this book:

  “In search of inspiration for a veterinary magazine article she’s been asked to write, Dr. Harriet Bailey comes across an interesting tale of a 1940s snowstorm, a flock of sheep, and a Yorkshire shepherd who never came home. As Harriet delves into the historical records to separate fact from fiction, she brings to light some long-buried secrets and begins to develop theories about what happened so long ago.
    But when a more urgent need arises, her search for the truth of the past is stalled. All over the Yorkshire countryside, flocks of sheep are dwindling, and it’s happening too often to be blamed on broken fences or carelessness of the owners. When she learns that Doreen Danby’s prize-winning ram, Prince Charming, is among the missing, Harriet realizes that the sheep are not simply wandering away. Someone is taking them, and she believes it is for a specific reason. Harriet will need all her skills to find the sheep rustler and recover the animals before more harm is done.”


Series: Book #9 in the “Mysteries of Cobble Hill Farm” series. Review of Book #1 Here, Book #2 Here, Book #3 Here, Book #4 Here, Book #5 Here, Book #6 Here, Book #7 Here, and Book #8 Here!


Spiritual Content- A couple Scriptures are quoted; A few prayers; Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of church going, church events, Bible study groups, a pastor, services, & sermons; Mentions of a pastor and who he is dating coming under close scrutiny by his flock; A couple mentions of those & events in the Bible; A mention of thanking God; A mention of a Christian man; A mention of a godsend; A mention of a youth group; A mention of Ash Wednesday; 
             *Note: At a village event, a “ghost” story is told (about a dog still seen and heard searching for his missing owner) & also referenced a few times later; A couple mentions of the possibility of “foreign powers” in a war “play[ing] God with the weather”.  
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘stupid’ and three ‘shut up’s; Some eye rolling; Being locked in a room, Being threatened (with harm and with farming equipment including the fumes of a tractor), Hearing gunshots, & Pain (up to semi-detailed); All about & many mentions of missing animals, the animals possibly being hurt or stolen, & rustlers/thieves; Many mentions of injured animals, diseases, & Harriet’s veterinary clinic treatments (including vaccines, up to semi-detailed); Mentions of deaths (including one from a heart condition); Mentions of World War II; Mentions of guns & gunshots (including the concern that a dog was shot); Mentions of stolen cars; Mentions of intruders & trespassing; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of a snowstorm that buried thousands of sheep, an epidemic of a disease, & grief/devastation following both; Mentions of raising sheep for their meat & some dodgy sellers (that butchered and sold meat under the table, which is illegal and dangerous); A few mentions of a possible assassin & spies (a rumor); A few mentions of jails/prisons; A few mentions of injuries & blood/bleeding; A couple mentions of a kidnapping/abduction (Book #3); A couple mentions of a dognapping (Book #5); A couple mentions of accidents happening to pets (a dog being paralyzed and in wheeled prosthesis & a cat being saved from a fire); A mention of a possible car accident; A mention of a young man’s father not being in his life; A mention of breweries; A mention of a pub; 
             *Note: A woman makes a comment about a woman having to give up her career when she gets married, but another says that nowadays no one expects a woman to give up her career unless she wants to and the couple can afford it; A few mentions of car brands; A mention of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.
 
 
Sexual Content- A forehead kiss, two almost kisses (barely-above-not-detailed), two barely-above-not-detailed kisses, and an accidental kiss on the lips (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Remembering a kiss (barely-above-not-detailed); Wondering about a possible kiss (and then when it doesn’t happen, Harriet isn’t sure if she’s disappointed or relieved); Seeing a couple share a kiss (on the cheek); Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, Butterflies, & Smelling (barely-above-not-detailed); Winks & Blushes; Harriet catches herself grinning at Will like a “starry-eyed schoolgirl”; Harriet has a few moments of panic at the thought of what is developing between her and Will going “south” one day & also panics at the thought of being a pastor’s wife and what others will expect from her; Harriet and Will go on a date; Mentions of kisses & kissing; Mentions of dating, dates, boyfriends/girlfriends, exes, & break-ups; A mention of flirting; A little bit of love, possibly falling in love, & the emotions.
 
-Harriet Bailey, age 34 (?)
                                P.O.V. of Harriet 
                                                        254 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

This one is definitely a favorite in the series for me! 

 

This book made me hungry with all the mentions of Yorkshire pudding! That fluffy bread-like food was a childhood favorite of mine group up and the only thing I miss since going vegan/plant-based almost ten years ago. 

 

I’m going to risk sounding silly when I say this, but I’m going to say it anyway: I didn’t realize how many different types of sheep there are! It makes sense there would be, but I had fun looking up pictures of all the different types and ranking them in order of cuteness. My new favorite? The babydoll variety! So cute! 

 

I wasn’t actually sure who the culprit was for the mystery, so I was actually very invested into this book because of it and also the developing romance between Harriet and Will. There’s definitely more romance in this book compared to the rest of the series with a few sweet and chaste kisses, but I still wouldn’t call it a “romance book”. I think most families would be okay with it for ages 13/14+, depending on the girl and the family’s view of romance content. Quite a few events from prior books are mentioned in this one as well, so best to read in order!

 

 

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.

"Into Thin Air" by Sandra Orchard

About this book:

  “Veterinarian Harriet Bailey’s life becomes more hectic than usual when she reopens her grandfather’s art gallery. Between coping with an invasion of gray squirrels in the gallery’s loft, the many tourists lining up to get a glimpse of Grandad’s famous paintings, and the mysterious illness affecting a local farmer’s cattle, Harriet isn’t sure how much more she can handle.
    But when her cat, Charlie, discovers a crying infant hidden in the bushes outside the clinic, Harriet’s other problems pale in comparison. Harriet met the baby’s mother earlier that very day, when the woman stopped in for an appointment with Harriet’s Aunt Jinny. So where is she now? As Harriet scrambles to find clues to help the police, she discovers that one of Grandad’s paintings is missing too! Are the two disappearances connected? With the help of her aunt and her trusty assistant, Polly Thatcher, Harriet is determined to chase down every lead and reunite this little family—before it’s too late.”


Series: Book #3 in the “Mysteries of Cobble Hill Farm” series. Review of Book #1 Here! and Book #2 Here!


Spiritual Content- A few Scriptures are mentioned quoted, & remembered; Prayers; Church going & a sermon (with Scriptures; Harriet does get distracted during the sermon and whispers to someone, but then focuses on the sermon); A few talks about God; 'H's are capital when referring to God; Mentions of God, Jesus, His will, prayers, & praying; Mentions of churches, church going, a pastor, sermons, & services; A couple mentions of those & events in the Bible; A mention of God giving someone peace in a scary situation; A mention of a prayer chain; A mention of a church’s Bible camp; A mention of a guardian angel; 
             *Note: A mention of a bad omen.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a form of ‘stupid’; Being threatened & held at gunpoint (barely-above-not-detailed); A bit of eye rolling; Harriet & Polly go into someone’s house under somewhat false motivations and Harriet feels guilt about it; All about & many mentions of a found infant (including some thinking the child could have been abandoned), the mother either disappearing or being kidnapped, kidnappers, crimes, criminals, smugglers, stolen items, thieves, a possible heist, & a robbery; Many mentions of injured and sick animals (including a fox getting into a chicken coop, cows being poisoned, a dog being hit by a car, & cats being in dangerous situations; all animals are fine; up to semi-detailed) & Harriet’s veterinary clinic treatments (including vaccines); Mentions of injuries & the possibility of someone being shot; Mentions of search-and-rescue operations; Mentions of possible break-ins; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, pubs, & bars; Mentions of drugs, poisons, & someone being drugged/poisoned; Mentions of lies & lying; A few mentions of arrests; A few mentions of people smuggling & refugees; A few mentions of two suspicious men having guns (which makes Harriet uncomfortable); A few mentions of a deer being hit by a car (and not making it, up to semi-detailed); A few mentions of a goat getting into antifreeze & dying afterwards; A couple mentions of someone possibly being held at gunpoint; A couple mentions of World War II; A mention of the possibility of a body being dumped; A mention of stampeding cattle causing injuries and even death; A mention of a car accident; A mention of a bomb; A mention of a ransom call; A mention of acting drunk; A mention of tobacco; A mention of rumors; A mention of a stoat eating someone’s guinea fowl; 
             *Note: Harriet is concerned about the baby being abandoned and thinks they should call the authorities, but her aunt says that the baby will be fine with her (because she’s a temporary foster care parent and the mother has been struggling with postpartum depression); Mentions of car brands; A couple mentions of someone who was diagnosed with OCD; A mention of mental trauma; A comment at the very end of the book in the bonus content mentions TV shows ‘All Creatures Great and Small’ & ‘The Yorkshire Vet’.
 
 
Sexual Content- A woman comments that if a certain man was her husband, she’d be paranoid with all the traveling he does for work because he’s “gorgeous”, though, she quickly backpedals that she doesn’t think he would “stray” away from his wife; Mentions of dates, dating, break-ups, broken hearts, crushes, & blushes; A mention of a married couple kissing; A mention of a young woman being a “hunk magnet”;
             *Note: Mentions of a mother suffering with “baby blues”/postpartum depression; A mention of a couple being unable to have children and how much they care for their cat because of it.
 
-Harriet Bailey, age 33
                                P.O.V. of Harriet 
                                                        270 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

This was actually the book I’ve been most curious about in this series because I’ve enjoyed many books by Sandra Orchard over the years. I do think Harriet let her imagination run away with her at times which we haven’t seen in the prior two books—such as thinking what could have happened to the missing mother and it felt like some pretty big leaps for Harriet. I will admit that I was lost at times keeping up with everyone that’s new in this book—I definitely made use of the search feature in my Kindle book! All that said, I liked this book still a bit more than the second book, but not quite as much as the first book. It kept my attention, though, and I know I’ll be continuing this series soon. :)

 

 

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.

"Emergency Reunion" by Sandra Orchard

About this book:

  “SAVED BY THE SHERIFF'S DEPUTY

   Paramedic Sherri Steele refuses to believe someone's out to get her—until she's held at knifepoint in her own ambulance. It'll take her high school crush to convince her she needs protection—and deputy sheriff Cole Donovan is as persuasive as he is handsome. But when his brother rises to the top of the suspects list, Cole's torn between family duty and the woman he's never forgotten. With every emergency call to the paramedics turning into an attack on Sherri's life, Cole's convinced Sherri has a stalker. Cole needs to know whether his brother is the culprit before things spiral out of control. Survival—and a future with Sherri—depends on discovering who wants to cause trauma to this EMT.”

Series: Not officially part of a series, but is connected to two of the author’s other books: “Perilous Waters” (review here) and “Identity Withheld” (review here).

Spiritual Content- 2 Corinthians 12:9 at the beginning; A couple Scriptures are talked about, mentioned, & remembered; Many Prayers; Talks about God & having a gift; ‘H’s are capitalized when referring to God; Mentions of God & having a gift; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of Bibles, church going, & a faith-based program; A few mentions of those & events in the Bible; A mention of the armor of God;

             *Note: A mention of inner demons. 

 

 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘blasted’, a ‘how in blazes’, a form of ‘screw up’, a ‘shut up’, two ‘stupid’s, and six ‘idiot’s; Mentions of curses (said, not written); Eye rolling; Nearly drowning & being killed (semi-detailed); Passing out, pain, blood/bleeding, fighting, being hit/kicked, being held at knife-point, a bomb, an explosion, a dog attack, stalkers/creepers, & PTSD (all up to semi-detailed): Talks about nightmares (up to semi-detailed); All about many mentions of drugs, drug (teens) addicts, being drugged, being stoned, almost dying, overdoses, stealing, dealers, & addictions; Many mentions of nightmares (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of car accidents, deaths, & watching someone die (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of deaths, shooting, & murders; Mentions of a suicide attempt & someone “shooting [themself] up” with drugs (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of gangs, threats of harm, shooting someone, & a death (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of nearly being killed; Mentions of gunfire & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of fights, fighting, wanting to fight/hit someone, & injuries; Mentions of a scream, a dog-attack, being bitten, & blood (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of passing out & an ether-saturated cloth; Mentions of threats; Mentions of abuse & abuser; Mentions of jail; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, drunks, being drunk, being sober, & rehab; Mentions of hatred; Mentions of jealousy; Mentions of divorces & spouses leaving their spouse; A few mentions of a kidnapped infant; A couple mentions of a prisoner; A couple mentions of tattoos; A couple mentions of throwing up;

             *Note: Mentions of a man kicking/assaulting a pregnant woman (she and the baby are fine); Mentions of a dog laying on his owner’s grave; A mention of an alien abduction; A mention of someone wetting their pants.

 

 

Sexual Content- A finger-to-lips touch, a hand/finger kiss, a cheek kiss, two barely-above-not-detailed kisses, and three semi-detailed kisses; Remembering a kiss & a hug (barely-above-not-detailed); Wanting to kiss & embrace; Touches, Embraces, & Flutters (up to semi-detailed); Noticing & Smelling (up to semi-detailed); a ‘whore’ and two ‘floozy’s; Mentions of a husband cheating on his wife; Mentions of flirting & hitting on someone; Mentions of dates, dating, boyfriends/girlfriends, exes, jealousy, & blushes; Mentions of a crush; A couple mentions of women “turning tricks” for drugs; A couple mentions of kissing; A mention of a married couple kissing; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;

             *Note: A mention of a wife dying in childbirth; A mention of Sherri being propositioned by a patient (she kneed him in the groin); A mention of a six-pack; A mention of a teen boy’s baggy pants.

 

-Sherri Steele

-Cole Donovan

                                P.O.V. switches between them

                                                        216 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

{ Add a ½ star for those interest in Law Enforcement or EMS Careers. }

Well, that was interesting! I had a very slight idea who the trouble-marker was, but I was too involved in the story to try to really figure out who it was. While it was a little too focused on the romance element at times, it was still an interesting suspense book that covered a lot of different topics and elements, so 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.

 

"Identity Withheld" by Sandra Orchard

About this book:

  “WITNESS IN HIDING
  After exposing an illegal adoption ring, newly named "Kara Grant" is promised safety in Witness Protection. But someone has found her—and wants her dead. If only she could trust the handsome firefighter who catches her fleeing from a suspicious fire. Jake Steele seems to think she's guilty of burning her own home. But how can she tell him who she really is and what she's been through without bringing danger to the widowed single father's door? Yet with the criminals quickly closing in, taking such a risk might be her only chance at survival. Because the price she'll pay for her silence could be her life.”


Series: Not officially part of a series, but is connected to two of the author’s other books: “Perilous Waters” and “Emergency Reunion”.


Spiritual Content- Psalm 139:9-12 at the beginning; A few Scriptures are quoted & mentioned; Many Prayers; Talks about God; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers & blessings over food; Mentions of church going; A few mentions of a Bible & Bible reading; A few mentions of Heaven; A few mentions of being blessed & blessings; A couple mentions of Christmas; A mention of those in the Bible.

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a form of ‘screw up’, a ‘shoot’, three ‘idiot’s, and three ‘stupid’s; Mentions of curses (said, not written); Pain, Injuries, Blood, Gunfire, & being shot (semi-detailed); All about mentions of threats of killing, criminals/mobs, hitmen, crimes, an illegal adoption ring, & being followed; Many mentions of fires, an arsonist, a break-in, pain, & burns (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of abusive husbands, abuse, bruises, leaving them, & a death from an abusive husband; Mentions of murders & bodies (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of being followed & nearly killed; Mentions of a kidnapping & hypothermia; Mentions of being suffocated; Mentions of a gunman, fighting, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of gunfire, a sniper, injuries, blood/bleeding, & a murder (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of bars, drinking, & abusive drunks; Mentions of a bomb & losing a dog to a bomb (not-detailed); Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of nightmares; A few mentions of jail; A couple mentions of tattoos.

Sexual Content- two thumbs-to-lips touch, two hand kisses, three forehead/hair kisses, an almost kiss, three barely-above-not-detailed kisses, and four semi-detailed kisses; Noticing, Smelling, & Flutters (up to semi-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Tingles, Warmth, & Butterflies (semi-detailed); Remembering touches, an almost kiss, & a kiss (up to semi-detailed); a ‘babe’ and a ‘baby’; Mentions of kisses, stolen kisses, & married couples kissing; Mentions of touches & embraces; Mentions of blushes; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;

             *Note: Mentions of a wife dying after childbirth (barely-above-not-detailed); A few mentions of a stillborn baby.

-‘Kara Grant’

-Jake Steele
                                P.O.V. switches between them
                                                        215 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

I enjoyed reading this book. It felt more suspenseful than previous books by Sandra Orchard. I found the adoption parts interesting, but it did get a bit much in other content for my tastes. Not my favorite by this author, but still a good suspense!

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.