Friday, January 17, 2020

"Double Take" by Melody Carlson


About this book:

  “What do you do when your life is not all it's cracked up to be? Get a new one.
  It's spring break of her senior year and Madison Van Buren is fed up. Stressed over decisions on colleges, her parents' bickering, and pressures from her boyfriend, Madison gets in her car and just drives away.
  Meanwhile, seventeen-year-old Anna Fisher wants to escape the so-called simple life of the Amish--which for her consists of caring for younger children, sewing, cooking, and gardening--and she's well aware that her future will simply be more of the same with a man she doesn't love.
  Worlds collide when Madison and Anna meet for the first time in a small town, realize they look uncannily alike, and decide the grass is greener on the other side. Neither of them will ever be the same.”


Series: As of now, no.


Spiritual Content- Prayers; Talks about God; ‘H’s are not capitalized when referring to God; Both Madison and Anna grow in their faiths during this book; Mentions of God & Jesus; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of Amish beliefs, Ordnung, and shunnings (Anna does wonder if God will be able to hear her prayers when she doesn’t wear her head covering); Mentions of churches, church going, bishops, & being baptized; A few mentions of being blessed & blessings; A few mentions of the YMCA; A couple mentions of Scriptures; A couple mentions of Heaven; A couple mentions of miracles; A couple mentions of Christian fiction; A mention of religious freedom & those who died for it; A mention of hymns;
             *Note: Someone comments about the Amish being witches, a cult, & putting spells on their visitors; A mention of something being uglier than sin; A mention of idle hands being the devil’s workshop; A mention of monks.


Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘dumb’, a ‘freaking’, a form of ‘idiot’, and three ‘stupid’s; A couple mentions of curses (said, not written); Madison & Anna lie/deceive about being each other; Mentions of Madison’s parents’ divorce & their fighting (her mother comes across as very materialistic); Mentions of wine, alcohol, & hangovers (an Amish aunt drinks a bit of homemade wine while being pregnant); A few mentions of clubbing; A few mentions of lying & lies; A few mentions of eye rolling; A few mentions of urine; A couple mentions of the war & fighting; A couple mentions of a wife leaving her husband; A couple mentions of criminals & a kidnapping ring; A couple mentions of gossip; A mention of running over a child (used as an example, does not happen); A (joking) mention of drowning yourself; A mention of drug addicts; A mention of vomiting;
             *Note: Mentions of designer names, car brands, & phone brands; Mentions of TV shows & movies (including The Real Housewives of New York City); A mention of a magazine.


Sexual Content- a forehead kiss; Noticing a guy’s chest and muscles (barely-above-not-detailed); Boyfriends, dating, & drama; Touches & Shivers (barely-above-not-detailed); A woman gives birth & mentions of her pain (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of kisses, kissing, & hand holding; Mentions of touches; Mentions of flirting & embraces; Mentions of crushes & toying with someone’s feelings; A couple mentions of adolescent boys and girls jumping up and down together on a mattress; A mention of the possibility of having beautiful children with a guy; A mention of a model for a romance book;
             *Note: Mentions of underwear & seeing women on a TV show in skimpy undergarments; A few mentions of birth control; A few mentions of short dresses; A couple mentions of tight dresses; A couple mentions of shaving legs; A couple mentions of models being practically naked and/or starved; A couple mentions of skinny-dipping at age 13; A mention of PMS.

-Madison Van Buren, age 17
-Anna Fisher, she 17
                                P.O.V. switches between them
                                                        271 pages

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Pre Teens-
New Teens-
Early High School Teens-
Older High School Teens-
My personal Rating-
I first read this book many years ago and according to my Goodreads rating of five stars, I’d say I really must have enjoyed it. Fast forward for recent days, though, I don’t remember anything about this book expect what the back cover says. After rereading this book, I can see why I enjoyed it so much. I wouldn’t say it’s a five star read for me now, but I still enjoyed it and had fun reading this story. 
Both Anna and Madison have to do some hard thinking by the end of this YA book and faiths are grown, which I liked seeing. Those sensitive to lying probably would not enjoy this book’s plot, but if it helps, both main girls at the end do feel bad deceiving those around them—even though they feel like these events needed to happen for their growth/changes in perspective. 


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.

Friday, January 10, 2020

"Carolina Gold" by Dorothy Love


About this book:

  “The war is over, but her struggle is just beginning.
  Charlotte Fraser returns to her late father’s once-flourishing rice plantation on the Waccamaw River, determined to continue growing the special kind of rice known as Carolina Gold. But Fairhaven Plantation is in ruins, the bondsmen are free, and money is scarce.
  To make ends meet, Charlotte reluctantly accepts a position as tutor to the young daughters of Nicholas Betancourt, heir to the neighboring Willowood Plantation. Then Nick’s quest to prove his ownership of Willowood sends Charlotte on a dangerous journey that reveals an old family mystery—and threatens all that she holds dear.
  Inspired by the life of a 19th century woman rice planter, Carolina Gold continues Dorothy Love’s winning tradition of weaving together mystery, romance, and rich historical detail, bringing to life the story of one young woman’s struggle to restore her ruined world.”


Series: No, a stand-alone.


Spiritual Content- A few Scriptures are read & quoted; Church going; Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of reading a Psalter; Mentions of churches/chapels, services, sermons, hymns, & pastors; Mentions of priests, nuns, & incense in a church; A few mentions of thanking God; A few mentions of Heaven & angels; A few mentions of missionaries; A mention of the holy family; A mention of someone in the Bible; A mention of Easter; A mention of a godsend; A mention of a blessing;
             *Note: Mentions of demons plaguing a man; A few mentions of ghosts.


Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘blasted’, a ‘dumb’, a ‘holy cats’, a ‘what the devil’, three ‘drat’s, and three ‘stupid’s; A mention of a curse (said, not written); A bit of eye rolling; All about many mentions of the war, deaths, injuries, slavery, slaves, vandalism, hatred; Many mentions of deaths, fevers, illnesses, bloodletting, poisoning, vomit, urine, & the smells (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of injuries, blood/bleeding, & helping someone (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of thieves & stealing; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, & a drunk; Mentions of tobacco & cigars; Mentions of lying, liars, & jealously; A few mentions of fighting, brawls, & being robbed; A few mentions of gossip; A couple mentions of a solider being kept at a prison camp; A couple mentions of a ferry accident & deaths; A couple mentions of a family starving their slaves; A couple mentions of coffins; A couple mentions of arrests; A couple mentions of gambling; A couple mentions of killing livestock; A couple mentions of finding the carcass of a drowned fawn; A couple mentions of the body of a dead bird (barely-above-not-detailed); A couple mentions of coming across an alligator and not surviving; A couple mentions of nearly drowning & a drowning victim.


Sexual Content- a semi-detailed kiss; A couple embraces & hand holding (barely-above-not-detailed); Noticing; Mentions of a kiss & remembering it (barely-above-not-detailed); A few mentions of flirting; A few mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of rich men keeping a second family hidden; A mention of a mother being a lady of the evening (keeping company with rich gentlemen); Very light love, falling in love, & the emotions.

-Charlotte Fraser, age 23
                                P.O.V. of Charlotte
                                                 Set in 1868
                                                        336 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

Because this book is very clean in the romance and emotions, I have in the past called it to be a “light romance” book. That opinion still stands with this second reading. There is not a lot of Spiritual Content, unfortunately, but a bit here and there. 
It’s interesting to read this book set from a Southern’s perspective after the Civil War with her and others’ opinions about the North and freed slaves. Charlotte does not support slavery, of course, but finds herself in the middle of this new normal. It was interesting to see that perspective because I think one of the few books I’ve read about the Civil War is from those in the North’s opinion.
The author’s writing style is unique in the way that you have to pay strong attention to notice it. I do like that about the books I’ve read by her.


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.