Monday, April 25, 2016

"A Promise of Hope" by Amy Clipston



About this book:

  “An Amish widow with newborn twins discovers her deceased husband had disturbing secrets. As she tries to come to grips with the past, she considers a loveless marriage to ensure stability for her young family . . . with her faith in God hanging in the balance.
 Sarah Troyer never expected to raise her children on her own, but when her husband dies in a tragic accident, she finds refuge in the home of her parents in the Amish community of Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania. Sarah is taken completely by surprise when a stranger arrives claiming connections to her husband’s past—even though he had told her he was an orphan with no family. From Luke, she learns her husband hid a secret life, one with ramifications that will change her own.
  Sarah’s family, concerned for her and her children, encourages her to marry again. It should make sense . . . but Sarah’s heart says no. She feels trapped. Should she marry a man she doesn’t love? Or discover if her growing interest in Luke can be trusted?”



Series: Book #2 (of five) in “Kaufman Amish Bakery” series. (Review of Book #1, “A Gift of Grace”, Here!) (Has two bonus Christmas novella connecting to the series. Review of #1 Here! and Book #2 Here!)


Spiritual Content- Many Prayers & Thanking God; Many Scriptures are quoted, repeated & mentioned; Many talks about God, His plan & having faith; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God (not in the Scriptures though); Many mentions of God, His will & forgiving; Mentions of Bible reading & devotions; Mentions of those in the Bible; Mentions of church; Mentions of blessings & miracles; Mentions of sins & coveting; A couple mentions of hymns.


Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘oh my word’, a ‘shoot’, and two ‘stupid’s; A bit of sarcasm & eye rolling; Nearly all about liars & lies; Mentions of the fire, Peter’s death & nightmares (up to semi-detailed); A few mentions of gossips & rumors; A couple mentions of divorce.


Sexual Content- a cheek kiss and two boarder-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed kisses; Wanting to Touch & give a forehead kiss; Touches & Embraces (up to semi-detailed); Noticing & Smelling; *Spoiler* Peter fathered a child out of wedlock when he was 17. (No mentions of the details, it’s just called an “intimate love affair” a few times) *End of Spoiler*; A mention of hormones; A couple mentions of a girl having the ‘hots’ for a guy; A couple mentions of a woman who died in childbirth; A few mentions of flirting & crushes; Mentions of jealousy; Mentions of touches (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of labor & pain; Mentions of married couples kissing & snuggling in bed; Love, falling in love & the emotions;
         *Note: A mention of butting into someone’s business.

-Sarah Troyer
-Luke Troyer
                                                           P.O.V. switches between them mostly, but also Elizabeth, Eli & Timothy up to a few times each
                                                       283 pages

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Pre Teens-
New Teens-
Early High School Teens- 
Older High School Teens-
My personal Rating- 
Amy Clipston has such a way with words! I could feel Sarah’s pain & sadness, but also her joy and laughter. Another clean book with lots of Spiritual Content by this wonderful author. :)


See y’all on Wednesday 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.

Friday, April 22, 2016

"The Pirate Daughter's Promise" by Molly Evangeline



About this book:

  “Skylar McHenry knew the love of her parents and a doting grandfather until her sixth year was marked by the tragic loss of her mother. When her father's secret past as a pirate came to light, father and daughter fled to a life at sea. Although Daniel McHenry's life had changed and he now robbed pirates to return the stolen goods to their rightful owners, his ship was captured by authorities, and he was hung for piracy.
  Skye grew up in an orphanage, little more than a servant and shunned by everyone around her. Now a young woman, each day Skye faces is marked by some new struggle. Her only hope has been to rely on her heavenly Father's care and comfort, and the solace of her best friend Will, who has become more than dear to her.
  Just when an unexpected encounter with her grandfather gives Skye a small glimmer of hope that things might change in her favor, her world is shattered. She is awakened in the night by cannon blasts. Pirates storm the orphanage, drag her away into the night, and force her aboard their ship. The cruel captain's intentions are clear. He will extract from her, through any means necessary, the location of the hidden treasure rewarded to Daniel by those whose belongings he had returned. For Skye to divulge the location would mean breaking the last promise she made to her father. She's certain she never will, but what happens when the lives of those dearest to her are at stake?

 
The Pirate Daughter's Promise is full of daring high seas adventure; sweet, wholesome romance; surprising discoveries; unlikely new friends; and the rewards of trusting in God even when life seems impossible.”


Series: Book #1 in the “Pirates and Faith” series.


Spiritual Content- Psalm 9:9-10 at the beginning; Many, many, many prayers; Very Strong Faiths; Witnessing; Bible reading; A couple Scriptures are read; Many, many talks about God, His plans & trusting Him; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Many, many mentions of prayers; Many mentions of Bibles, Bible reading & studying the Bible; Many mentions of cross necklaces; Mentions of church going; Mentions of miraculous;
*Note: A couple mentions of the devil himself; A couple mentions of a ship called the ‘Sea Devil’.


Negative Content- Minor cussing including: an ‘idiot’ and a ‘stupid’; Mentions of curses (said, not written); A bit of sarcasm; A Kidnapping along with Pain, Blood, Being Slapped & Whipped (semi-detailed); Fighting & Swords (semi-detailed); Threats; Mentions of whippings, being tied, hit, beaten, lashes, wounds & blood (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of hangings, executions, murders, killings & being left to die (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of guns that were aimed & those who were shot; Mentions of slaves; Mentions of taverns, drunks, drinking & rum; A couple mentions of suicide missions; A mention of skeletons.


Sexual Content- A bit of Noticing; Blushes; Mentions of love & feelings; Mentions of bar girls & unwanted attention; Declaring love for another.

-Skylar McHenry, age 18
                                P.O.V. switches between Skylar, Daniel, Will & a few others
                                              Set in 1713 (Prologue set in 1702)
                                                        240 pages

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Pre Teens-
New Teens-
Early High School Teens-
Older High School Teens-
My personal Rating-
Hmmm! I loved Skye & Will’s strong faiths in this novel…lots of Spiritual Content which was so refreshing. Being a pirate book, I wasn’t sure what to expect Spiritual Content wise, but I was pleasantly surprised. The overall romance was very clean, and the great faiths were a big plus! The writing was well done, though some parts did seem a bit forced or stiff. I teared up at the prologue and that ending was great. In all honestly, this book could have been a stand-alone book, since everything wraps up every well, but you won’t hear me complaining as I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series. Skye & Will are so cute together!  


See y’all on Monday 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.