"Hidden Meaning" by Elizabeth Adams

About this book:

  “At the funeral of Margaret Flannery, Mary encounters a woman who claims Margaret stole her daughter’s identity. At first Margaret’s daughter, Marnie, dismisses the accusation. But when she finds a box of documents in her mother’s cottage that suggests Margaret did, indeed, change her name when she was younger, Marnie asks for Mary’s help to find out the truth. If the real Margaret Flannery died as a girl decades ago, then who was Marnie’s mother?
   With the aid of photographs found in Margaret’s Bible, Mary tries to track down her true identity. The search takes Mary from the well-moneyed neighborhood of Nantucket to a women’s shelter in Boston and requires all of her sleuthing skills to put the pieces together.”


Series: Book #23 (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- Genesis 1:27 at the end in bonus content; A couple Scriptures are remembered; Prayers; Church going; Talks about God & praying; 'H's are capital when referring to God; Mentions of God; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, & books of the Bible; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, a pastor, a sermon, hymns, & Sunday school; Mentions of blessings & being Blessed;
             *Note: The phrase “speak of the devil” is used; A few mentions of someone never being a “religious person” and wondering if the person “became more spiritual…as she got older”; A mention of a devil-may-care look; A mention of a painting with mermaids.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘drat’; A bit of eye rolling; Many mentions of deaths & grieving (for spouses, a mother, a daughter, friends, & parents, up to semi-detailed); Mentions of missing people & families grieving; Mentions of car accidents & deaths (including a drunk driver, up to semi-detailed); Mentions of a murder mystery, murder, & murderer; Mentions of crimes, criminals, & threats; Mentions of robberies, break-ins, thieves, stolen items, & an elderly woman being tied up and left to die (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of identity theft; Mentions of domestic violence, abuse, women being covered in bruises and trying to leave their abusers (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of lies & lying; A couple mentions of the Vietnam war & a death (barely-above-not-detailed); A mention of World War II; A mention of divorces; A mention of a shelter requiring their guests to be sober; A mention of jealousy;
             *Note: A few mentions of authors (John Grisham, J. K. Rowling, Edgar Allan Poe, Agatha Christie); A few mentions of Girl Scouts & Boy Scouts; A couple mentions of a TV show & movie (60 Minutes & Ghostbusters); A mention of a car brand; A mention of a brand name (Crock-pot); A mention of social media sites (Facebook); A mention of a vintage product that would “have the animal-rights people up in arms” if it was sold today.
 
 
Sexual Content- Mentions of a baby born out of wedlock & the girl never knowing about her father; A mention of wondering if there will be something more between two friends (Mary and Henry); A few mentions of a boyfriend; A mention of a wink; 
             *Note: A few mentions of some men wearing pink (salmon) pants and Mary thinking that it’s strange; A mention of a woman being “stuffed into a clingy top” that was too small for her; A mention of a social media page for a teenager that has pictures of her not “wearing enough clothing, in Mary’s opinion”.
 
-Mary Fisher
                                P.O.V. of Mary 
                                                        268 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

To be frankly honest, I didn’t love or even really enjoy this book. The mystery was interesting and I was very much into it, but the whole book had a sad tone because of the deaths of loved ones and also wasn’t as squeaky clean as the prior books in the series because of some content mentioned (domestic violence/abuse). I will add that Mary frustrated me a bit towards the end and I don’t agree with how she handled something at the big reveal. I don’t typically share spoilers in these final thoughts, but I feel like I need to for this book: *Spoiler* She tells the abusive jerk (who was the reason Margaret disappeared and changed her identity) that he has a daughter—despite Mary knowing that he was abusive and him literally just threatening Mary herself. I don’t know what Mary was thinking? It almost felt like the book needed to end right there for some reason and only lasted a chapter longer. Rushed is an understatement. I think Mary should have talked with the daughter, Marnie, first before revealing anything to the man, as it would greatly affect Marnie and if she even wants to meet her biological father. *End of Spoiler*. I found this part and different elements to bring down the ratings for this book and they caused me to not enjoy the book as much as I was hoping.

 

 

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.

"Our Faithful God Devotional" by Katie Davis Majors

About this book:

  “The bestselling author of Kisses from Katie takes you on a journey through Scripture to discover more about who God is and how much He loves you, in 52 weeks of power-packed devotional readings.
    In a world of uncertainty, we can find peace in knowing that the God who carried His people through the desert, the God who calmed the seas, the God who promised His presence, is still our God today. In this unique five-day-a-week devotional, featuring a flexible format that adapts to your schedule, Katie Davis Majors invites you into a yearlong experience of immersing yourself in the truth of who God is. As Katie has discovered, the more time we spend understanding the richness, beauty, and kindness of God, the more quickly our hearts turn toward Him with our needs and our secrets, our hurts and our longings. Our Faithful God Devotional will help you draw daily closer to the One who sees you, who loves you, and who holds each moment in His hands.”


Series: No, a stand-alone devotional. 


Spiritual Content- Romans 16:25-27 at the beginning; This devotional consists of 52 weeks for five days, reading a chapter of the Bible each day and has discussion questions to reflect upon and suggestions for things to do (seven of the days end in a prayer to pray); At the very end of the book, there’s a section on putting your faith in Jesus Christ; All about, many talks about, & many mentions of God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, Him loving us, His purpose for us, His love for us, trusting Him, & forgiveness; 'H's are capital when referring to God; Many Scriptures are quoted, discussed, & listed (versions used are ESV, NKJV, & NLT); Many mentions of those, events, & books in the Bible; Mentions of Bibles & Bible reading; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings; Mentions of being in eternity with God & Heaven; Mentions of miracles; Mentions of churches, church going, worshiping and praising God, & a ministry; Mentions of persecution; Mentions of sins & sinners; A few mentions of pastors/preachers, worship artists, & authors; A few mentions of baptisms; A few mentions of books & authors (quotes are shared from ‘Sensing Jesus’ by Zack Eswine & ‘Man: The Dwelling Place of God’ by A. W. Tozer); A couple mentions of the M’Cheyne Reading Plan (designed by minister Robert Murray M’Cheyne); A couple mentions of hymns; A mention of missionaries; 
             *Note: The word “meditate/meditating/meditative” (on Scriptures or on God’s faithful in your life) is used seventeen times; Mentions of Satan whispering lies to us; Mentions of evil doers (in the Bible); Mentions of demon-possessed people (in the Bible); Mentions of idols & pagan gods (in the Bible). 
 

Negative Content- Mentions of murders, attempted murders, & murderers (in the Bible); Mentions of deaths & grief (including grieving for mothers, a baby, and dear friends; in both our world and in the Bible); Mentions of slavery, beatings, & prisons (in the Bible); Mentions of injuries (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of alcohol, alcoholism, a drunk, sobering up, & addictions (including those who died from their addictions); Mentions of lies & deception; Mentions of jealousy (in the Bible); A couple mentions of Stephen being stoned to death & John being beheaded (in the Bible); A mention of gossip; A mention of human waste; 
             *Note: Mentions of anxiety; A mention of HIV; A mention of researching diverse schools; A mention of a brand name (Sharpie); A mention of the Covid-19 pandemic; A mention of Instagram; A mention of Zillow; A mention of FaceTime.
 
 
Sexual Content- A few mentions of an eunuch (in the Bible); A mention of circumcision; 
             *Note: Mentions of Biblical people being naked (Adam and Eve & a demon-possessed man) & us being naked in front of God (because of our sins); A couple mentions of a man having two wives (in the Bible); A mention of a woman’s daughter being assaulted (not said if physically or sexually). 
                                {Non-Fiction} 
                                              336 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

More so than most devotionals I’ve read and reviewed, this one has the reader reading a lot of Scriptures over the time—and they aren’t written out, you need to have your Bible right there with you. Another thing is that it’s only a chapter a day (for four days and then a reread of them on the fifth day), which feels much more manageable in the daily, busy lives we live. I really liked those aspects of this devotional.  

Whenever I review a devotional book for BFCG, I always read it in one sitting and will later choose to see if I’ll go back to it in a couple months to read in the proper way. With this one, I definitely plan to do that because I’d like to savor and learn from this one more. 

I will admit that I wasn’t the biggest fan of all the parts that encouraged to put yourself in a Biblical person’s shoes or imagine how they felt at a particular time, but elsewise, I really enjoyed this devotional. I would suggest it for 16+, but it could definitely be read by those in high school and those older as well. 
 

 

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 (Multnomah) for this honest review.

"Identity" by Annabelle Batie

About this book:

  “Maria Brooks is just a plain orphan girl with a mysterious past. On the day of Maria’s sixteenth birthday, everything seems normal. From being required to do chores at the orphanage to being bullied by girls at school, nothing seems to be amiss. But when Maria goes swimming at the beach the next day, she discovers a secret about herself she didn’t even know: she’s a mermaid.
    As Maria explores her newfound ability to change from mermaid to human, she finds herself in the midst of an underwater war that contains the secret to her past. In the midst of all this, she finds new friendship, but with friendship comes trust, and with trust comes risk. Will she be able to stand strong as the tidal waves of doubt crash against her?”


Series: Book #1 in the “Daughters of the Sea” series. 


Spiritual Content- Scriptures are read; Bible reading; Prayers & a blessing over food; God talks to Maria (what is said is mostly Scriptures or based off of Scriptures); Talks about God/the Creator; 'H's are capital when referring to God; Maria wonders what she’s here for, thinking there has to be more to life; Maria doesn’t believe God can be her friend and that she’s not worthy of Him anyway “even if He did exist”; Grace witnesses to Maria and tells her about the Creator, prays for her, & gives her a Bible (Grace tells her about Jesus and that if you believe that Jesus died on the cross, confession your sins and want to be forgiven, then you’re saved and will go to Heaven when you die); *Spoiler* The next day, Maria reads the Bible and believes it to be true and prays for forgiveness; Maria doesn’t think Isaac would be happy to hear that she’s a Christian *End of Spoiler*; Mentions of God, Jesus, trusting, & forgiveness; Mentions of praying, prayers, & blessings over food; Mentions of a Bible, Bible reading, & books of the Bible; A few mentions of being a Christian; A couple mentions of a church & church going (in the mermaid world); 
             *Note: Maria and Alex are both half-mermaids and while there are many other mermaids in the book, there is no magic content; When half-mermaids go into the ocean (after their sixteenth birthday), their legs turn into a tail and then when back on the beach turn back into a tail (described as a tingling feeling); Maria feels as if the water is calling her; After Maria first transforms, she wakes up and wonders if she drowned and is in the “afterlife”; A few mentions of other people being evil (or Maria thinking that they are evil); A mention of an item for good luck; A mention of ghosts haunting an old mansion (not actually believed, used to describe how a place looks).
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘duh’, a ‘dumb’, a form of ‘stupid’, a ‘shoot’, and two ‘sheesh’s; Eye rolling & Sarcasm; Pain & Passing out (barely-above-not-detailed); Fighting & Being chased (up to semi-detailed); Being almost attacked by a shark & then seeing it be attacked by mermen and in pain (up to semi-detailed); Maria is uncomfortable with Alex wanting her to come father out into the water; Maria freaks out when she is pulled underwater (by Alex) and is able to breathe (up to semi-detailed); Maria is okay if she dies because of the possible dangers of being a mermaid because “[she] would have died knowing more, and trying, for once, to do something worthwhile”; When fighting (self-defense), Alex thinks about killing his opponent, but does not because he doesn’t “like to kill other merfolk unless [he] had an incredibly good reason for it”; Maria lies once & Alex has lied to Maria and lies to others (he starts to feel guilty about lying to her halfway through; *Spoiler* When she finds out, she is very hurt and upset by him acting as her friend but lied to her, thinking that she can’t trust anyone now *End of Spoiler*); Alex argues with his father & is disrespectful (his parents separated and he hasn’t seen his father for most of his life); Mentions of deaths & grieving (a mother and a wife); Mentions of drowning & almost drowning; Mentions of wars, threats of killing someone else, & kidnappings/being captured; Mentions of prisons & arrests; Mentions of fighting, fights, pain, & injuries (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of bullies, their mean comments, bullying, & being bullied (Maria); Mentions of jealousy (including Maria being jealous of another girl and wishing to have what she has); A couple mentions of slaves; A mention of murder; A mention of theft; A mention of searching for drowned bodies; A mention of a divorce; A mention of eavesdropping; 
             *Note: Maria was orphaned as a baby and because of that, has low self-esteem and believes that she’s nothing and not good enough because of what others have told her (*Major Spoilers* Towards the end, she finds out her biological father is a king, but lashes out at him because he abandoned her as a baby; He gave her and her twin up because her mother passed away in childbirth; Maria’s twin does not take the news well at first either, not knowing she was adopted *End of Spoilers*); Maria’s best friend is a teen boy named Isaac and they don’t have the healthiest friendship (he doesn’t encourage her, tries to hold her back from being a mermaid, and cares more about himself; Alex tells her not to let Isaac hold her back because she needs to “focus on [herself] and follow [her] dreams” and Maria thinks that “I couldn’t control Isaac’s actions, I could only control my own. And I needed to do what was best for me.”) *Spoiler* The book ends with some harsh words said between Maria and Isaac *End of Spoiler*; A man tries to adopt Maria under-the-table (by bribing someone) and she feels uncomfortable because it feels like he has an ulterior motive or plan (*Spoiler* She runs away from him and it’s not brought up again *End of Spoiler*); Maria tells a girl that the father she knew wasn’t her “real father” because she was adopted (the girl is upset to hear this); A few mentions of a wife and mother passing away in childbirth.
 
 
Sexual Content- Hand holding, Embraces, & Nearness (barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes; Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); Alex recalls that most girls ooh and ahh over his looks and bravery (also adding that “most girls were [submissive], especially when they met a handsome young guy like me. Girls would do anything to impress a guy they liked.”); Maria wonders if there could ever be something more than being just friends with Alex and begins to fall for him.
 
-Maria Brooks, age 16
-Alexander “Alex”, age 17
                                1^st person P.O.V. switches between them (Prologue in 3^rd in Reena’s POV)
                                                        304 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

{ Add a full star for girls who enjoy books about mermaids. }

This was a really different book! I haven’t read too many books that are Christian fiction that have mermaids—actually I don’t know if I’ve ever read a single one now that I think about it as I type this review. I thought it was well done, but I think 13-14 year olds will enjoy it the most. There were a few times that it felt a little too dramatic for my tastes (I think this was because of Maria’s reactions to different events), but it was entertaining and kept my attention throughout the story. I wasn’t a fan of Alex for half the story, so it was good to see his character development. I was pretty sure I knew where the plot was going and would be curious to read the next book of the series when it releases as not everything was cleared up or explained in this book by the end.

 

 

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 Author for this honest review.

"Shadows at Dusk" by Elizabeth Goddard

About this book:

  “Montana Detective Trevor West is desperate to learn what happened to his sister, who went missing in Alaska over a year ago, leaving nothing but a few photographs as clues to her whereabouts. At the advice of Police Chief Autumn Long, Trevor enlists the help of an experienced bush pilot. If Carrie James can't help him find the places in the photographs, no one can.
   But Carrie has her own agenda. Grieving the death of her closest friend and the only person she could trust, Carrie will help Trevor find his sister on one condition--that he help her track down her friend's killer.
   As the two close in on the answers they crave, they'll face dangers and connections they could not have imagined. They'll have to learn to trust one another--and face the dark secrets of the past--if they are ever to discover the truth and bring a killer to justice.”


Series: Book #2 in the “Missing in Alaska” series. Review of Book #1 Here! 


Spiritual Content- Isaiah 43:2 at the beginning; A couple Scriptures are read & remembered; Bible reading; 'H's are not capital when referring to God; Prayers; Both Carrie & Trevor have a faith; Mentions of God & His creation; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of missionaries; A couple mentions of a Bible; 
             *Note: A mention of someone’s eyes having darkness and evil in them; A mention of a man looking evil.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘blast’, a ‘shoot’, a ‘shut up’, a ‘stupid’, a ‘wimp’, and nine forms of ‘idiot’; A mention of curses (said, not written); Sarcasm; Near death situations, A plane crash, Almost drowning, Being pushed out of a plane, Being attacked, Being abducted (and also attempted), Being held at gunpoint and knifepoint (and holding others at gunpoint), Being shot at, Shooting, Gunfire, Fighting, Knocking someone out, a Fire, Pain, Injuries, Blood/Bleeding, & Remembering and Nightmares of past events (semi-detailed); Seeing bodies & someone shot (up to semi-detailed); Trevor is trying to find his sister that went missing a year prior & tries to hang onto hope that she’s still alive *Major Spoiler* She was left to die in a cave by someone who didn’t want her snooping around their illegal activities *End of Spoiler*; Carrie comes across a beloved friend’s body (we see her rocking the body and her grief on-page as well as her remembering seeing it and imaging others ending up like his body, up to semi-detailed); Carrie helps someone who has signs of sepsis (up to semi-detailed); Trevor wants to knock out & punch a few bad guys (because of what they’ve done to those he cares about); *Spoiler* Towards the end, Carrie believes that Trevor might have died and cries/grieves for him, but doesn’t give up on finding him alive *End of Spoiler*; Many mentions of deaths, accidents, murders, murderers, bodies, & how the murders happened (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of criminals/fugitives, crime scenes, contraband items, thieves, stealing, threats, & whistleblowers; Many mentions of missing family members, deaths and their potential death, & grief (including Trevor for his missing sister, parents for a daughter, a woman for her sister, & a man for his wife); Many mentions of shooting, being shot at, being held at gunpoint and knifepoint, gunfire, being attacked, fighting, beatings, knocking others out, injuries, pain, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of plane crashes, explosions, near deaths, & deaths (including a couple attempted murders, barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of someone being pushed out of a plane & her recovery (attempted murder, up to semi-detailed); Mentions of radiation poisoning, hazardous waste, potential deaths from it, & explosions (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of a fire & it being a trap (luring someone out/attempted murder); Mentions of the possibility of being murdered and buried & buried alive; Mentions of abductions & being a prisoner; Mentions of an abusive husband; Mentions of break-ins; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; A few mentions of a car accident & death (*Spoiler* Trevor’s wife *End of Spoiler*); A few mentions of a stalker; A few mentions of arrests; A few mentions of cons & a conman; A few mentions of throwing up; A couple mentions of wars; A couple mentions of drugs & being drugged; A couple mentions of rumors; 
             *Note: Mentions of car brands; A few mentions of celebrities (Tony Stark & Bear Grylls); A few mentions of brand names & items (iPad & Jell-O); A couple mentions of the phrase “time heals all wounds” (which upsets Trevor); A mention of a singer & song (“Only the Good Die Young” by Billy Joel).
 
 
Sexual Content- A cheek kiss, a forehead kiss, three semi-detailed kisses (one forced/unwanted), and a border-line semi-detailed // detailed kiss; Remembering kisses (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to kiss & embrace (barely-above-not-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, Electricity, & Warmth (including warmth for survival, up to semi-detailed); Blushes; Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of kisses, kissing, & nearness (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of girlfriends/boyfriends, dating, & dates; Mentions of flirting; A few mentions of a wife cheating on her husband with his best friend (*Spoiler* Trevor’s wife *End of Spoiler*); A few mentions of jealousy; A mention of a man making a pass at a woman; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Carrie kicks a man in the groin in self-defense; A mention of an alpha male.
 
-Carrie James
-Trevor West
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                                        336 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

{Add a star for Older Teens interested in law enforcement and/or Alaska}

Like I said in my review of the first book of this series, Alaska wilderness stories aren’t really my thing. I’m not sure if it’s the wilderness aspect or the fact I’m not made for cold weather (or a mix of both), but despite those reasons, I wanted to try out this second book since I’ve enjoyed a couple other books by this author before. 

The verdict? Not bad, but it’s definitely a three-star book for me, personally. I did find some parts to be a quite sad, though, I think I’m extra sensitive to others’ grief, especially regarding siblings. The author kept the plot moving and action-packed, which helped the book not feel depressingly heavy. 

One thing I liked was that we see the big betrayal for Carrie that’s mentioned on the back cover in the prologue, so there’s no wondering or hinting about what it was—unlike the prior book of the series with Autumn’s backstory. Now, that said, we are told a bit of Trevor’s past and it’s a bomb that’s just dropped on the page and it didn’t really add much to the story, in my opinion. On the note of Trevor and Carrie, I wasn’t a big fan of the romance, but I’m learning that I’m picky nowadays with the romantic content in my romantic suspense books. At least there wasn’t too many horribly timed kisses like I’ve ranted about before for this genre! I thought it was funny to see Trevor even think about a dangerous time not being the time to kiss her and also the comments about how they’re interested in each other, but haven’t know each other for long and in stressful situations, which isn’t the best for starting out on a relationship with someone. It felt like poking fun at all the books that do do that, which I honestly found humous to see. 

Overall, this wasn’t bad and while it was suspenseful, it had a major lack of finding dead bodies or gore/blood, which I appreciate. It might not be a new favorite for me, but I can see Older Teens that enjoy suspense and are interested in Alaska-themed stories enjoy this one. 
 

 

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 (Revell) for this honest review.