Friday, April 10, 2015

"Every Bride Needs a Groom" by Janice Thompson

{{This is an updated review. Originally posted April 10th, 2015, it was updated on July 25th, 2023 to the Official Rating System.}}

{This blog is Two Years Old this week! Eeek! It’s party time! Everyday till Friday there’ll be a new review and giveaway! On Saturday a Double giveaway and wrap-up will be posted! Get your noise makers out and let’s celebrate!}  {Enter Giveaway #1 Here!} {Enter Giveaway #2 Here!} {Enter Giveaway #3 Here!} {Enter Giveaway #4 Here!}

About this book:

  “Somewhere in a sea of tulle and taffeta, satin and crepe, Katie Fisher needs to find a key ingredient of the perfect wedding—the groom.
  Small-town girl Katie Fisher is busy planning her fairy-tale wedding. Sure, her boyfriend hasn’t managed to pop the question just yet, but that doesn’t mean she shouldn’t enter a contest in Texas Brides magazine to win the dress of her dreams, right? Anyway, she’s sure he’ll be getting down on one knee any time now. And a one-of-a-kind designer dress doesn’t just fall out of the sky right when you need it.
  But when Katie’s boyfriend takes a job in another town and breaks up with her—on the very same day she wins her dream dress—her world is turned upside down. Dare she go to Dallas to claim her prize? And will the hunky pro basketball player who runs the beyond-swanky bridal shop—yeah, you read that right—discover her humiliating secret if she does?”


Series: Book #1 in the “Brides with Style” series. 
Book #1 in the “Brides with Style” series. Mentions characters from the author’s other series, “Weddings by Bella” and “Weddings by Design”. 



Spiritual Content- A couple Scriptures are mentioned & remembered; Prayers & Thanking God; Church going; Talks about God, Jesus, praying, & waiting on God; 'H's are not capital when referring to God; Katie’s grandmother has a bit of a problem with the Presbyterian church in town, but it’s not because of their doctrine *Spoiler* She is in love with the Reverend of the church so goes out of her way to avoid him and the church *End of Spoiler*; Many mentions of God & waiting on Him; Many mentions of prayers, praying, Thanking and Praising God, blessings over food, & a prayer group; Many mentions of churches, church going, pastors/reverends, sermons, services, hymns, worship, a Sunday school class, youth groups, & denominations (Baptists, Charismatics, Lutherans, Methodists, Pentecostals, & Presbyterians); Mentions of Heaven & angels (including a couple mentions of others hoping something in particular will be in Heaven); A few mentions of a Bible college & a Bible study; A couple mentions of Christians; A couple mentions of blessings; A mention of a church camp; A mention of a devotional; A mention of purgatory; A mention of not being sure if something is a blessing or a curse (teasing);

             *Note: A couple mentions of a man being called the devil himself or at least, a distant cousin; A couple mentions of a man looking like a Greek god; A mention of the devil thriving on bitterness; A mention of a buffet being “something of a religious experience” in the South; A mention of someone who has passed away watching over his loved ones.

 


Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘dumb’, a ‘give a rip’, a form of ‘shut up’, a ‘stupid’, a ‘sucker’, a ‘suck it up’, two ‘doggone it’s, two ‘ever-lovin’’s, three ‘heck’s, three ‘idiot’s, three ‘shoot’s, and four ‘duh’s; A mention of curses (on TV); Sarcasm & Eye rolling; Seeing a loved one pass out (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of deaths of parents (including from a car accident & from a fire); Mentions of crime, burglars, arrests, & jail/prison; Mentions of pain & injuries; Mentions of jealousy; Mentions of throw up, other bodily functions, & manure; A few mentions of grief (parents, a father, & a husband); A few mentions of gossip & rumors; A few mentions of lies & lying; A few mentions of hatred; A few mentions of virgin cocktails & wine; A couple mentions of divorces; A mention of a woman’s husband passing away in Afghanistan (military); A mention of a wife leaving her husband; A mention of drugs; A mention of a saloon; A mention of a man being called an “old fart”; 

             *Note: Every chapter starts with a quote by a singer, actor, poet, or other celebrity figure & many other ones are mentioned throughout the story (Dorothy Hamill, Faith Hill, Diane Keaton, Nicolas Cage, Jack Nicholson, Conway Twitty, Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Kenny Chesney, Johnny Cash, Steve McQueen, Herb Caen, Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Doris Day, Ann-Margret, Petula Clark, Georgia O’Keeffe, Katharine Hepburn, Taylor Swift, Garth Brooks, Immanuel Kant, Kate Bosworth, Patrick Geddes, Annie Baker, Gary Allan, Freddy Fender, Albert Camus, Jeremy Renner, Chris North, Naomi Judd, Robert Redford, Jamie Lee Curtis, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Margaret Mead, Twiggy, Quentin Tarantino, Brandon Routh, Shania Twain, & Lawrence Durrell); Mentions of stores, restaurants, & other places (Brookshire Brothers, Dairy Queen, Clinique counter, Curves, & an Exxon station); Mentions of movies & a TV show (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Coal Miner’s Daughter, Sybil, Guiding Light, & Dancing with the Stars); Mentions of car brands & other brand names; Mentions of sports teams; Mentions of a man saying that marriage is like an “institution”, being “tied down”, and “the old ball and chain”; A few mentions of fictional characters (Barbie, Ken, Mary Poppins, & the Wicked Witch); A few mentions of social media & other sites (Facebook & Skype); A couple mentions of plastic surgery; A mention of the Food Network.

 

 

Sexual Content- Two cheek kisses, a nose kiss, three forehead kisses, six not-detailed kisses, three barely-above-not-detailed kisses, and a semi-detailed kiss; Remembering kisses & touches (barely-above-not-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, Flutters, Tingles, Nearness, & Smelling (barely-above-not-detailed); Flirting, Blushes, Winks, & Staring; Noticing (including muscles, up to semi-detailed); a ‘babe’; Katie calls Brady’s cologne and smile “yummy” a few times; Many mentions of boyfriends/girlfriends, dating, dates, breakups, exes, & broken hearts; Mentions of kisses, kissing, married couples kissing, & seeing others kiss (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of flirting, swooning, blushes, & winks; A few mentions of cheating; A few mentions of a player and womanizer; A few mentions of a guy’s yummy cologne; A couple mentions of a purity ring & the reminder to stay chaste until marriage; A mention of a TV show with “nasty bedroom scenes”; A mention of having to fast-forward through a scene in the movie because it was “so, well, you know”; A mention of a TV show where a man had seventeen wives (the person who brought it up thinks he went to jail in the end); A mention of Katie wondering if one of her brothers would ever take serious interest in the opposite sex; A mention of a crush; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;

             *Note: The cover shows a young woman in a strapless dress & shows a bit of cleavage; Mentions of bosoms/busts, buxom women, figures, & sizes; A few mentions of some men liking “girly things” or design wedding dresses or the different materials (including being concerned about a guy who liked taffeta & a father being concerned that he wasn’t a manly enough influence on his youngest son); A couple mentions of thinking a couple is going to have 2.5 children; A couple mentions of hot flashes; A mention of the battle between the sexes (of not understanding the other); A mention of male menopause; A mention of a woman with a large bottom; A mention of a woman not liking a reverend wearing a robe because it reminds her of a dress.

 

-Katie Fischer, age 24
                                1st person P.O.V. of Katie 
                                                        351 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

Oh. My. Goodness! I laughed so hard I was crying! Oh my goodness! Ahhh! And Bella & Hannah are even mentioned! (Goal this year: Review the Bella series!) Miss Janice pulls off the best plots and makes them even more hilarious than you expected! Oooh! This was just so good! I can’t wait read book #2 coming out in October! Miss Janice’s tagline is perfect: “Love, Laughter, and Happy Ever Afters!” Y’all better believe I’ll be quoting that! 

Who wants to win a copy of this fabulous book?! :)


a Rafflecopter giveaway
Ends the 18th at 11:59 Midnight Central, USA only.


2023 reread: Three thoughts from my reread: 1.) Brady is an absolute doll and I love them together so stinkin’ much. 2.) Chapter 25, my friends, I was squealing more than a piglet. 3.) I just love when an author name drops characters from prior series. I felt like Buddy the Elf, “Hannah and Drew??! I know them!”



See y’all TOMORROW with a wrap up and Two new Giveaways! :D


*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 review.

Thursday, April 9, 2015

"Premiere" by Melody Carlson



{This blog is Two Years Old this week! Eeek! It’s party time! Everyday till Friday there’ll be a new review and giveaway! On Saturday a Double giveaway and wrap-up will be posted! Get your noise makers out and let’s celebrate!}  {Enter Giveaway #1 Here!} {Enter Giveaway #2 Here!} {Enter Giveaway #3 Here!}
 About this book:

  “A recipe for success or a design for disaster?
  Although they’re sisters, Paige and Erin Forrester are like oil and water, night and day, denim and silk. Paige is an outgoing fashionista who loves to be the center of attention, while Erin is more comfortable sporting vintage garb and recording the action around her. When a near disaster turns into the opportunity of a lifetime, these two very-different sisters are given the chance to star in their own fashion-TV show. A guest spot on a hot teen-reality series and their first big red-carpet assignment give this unlikely partnership plenty of room for success—and even more for failure.”


Series: Book #1 in the “On the Runway”. {Later books in this series will mention and feature characters from this author’s series “Carter House Girls”.}  


Spiritual Content- Erin is the only believer in her family; Erin tries to tell her Mom & Sister about her Faith, she says it’s awkward but keeps trying; Prayers (and Erin & Paige talk about praying); Mollie & Erin talk about God; ‘H’s when referring to God are not capital; Church going.


Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘crummy’, a ‘freaking’, a ‘wimpy’, two ‘dumb’s, two ‘duh’s, two ‘idiot’s, three ‘shoddy’s, four ‘witch’s, five ‘stupid’s, and six forms of ‘shut up’; On a TV show, it’s mentioned about drinking & drugs; After their dad died, Paige went through a wild spell.


Sexual Content- Couples kiss (not-detailed); seven forms of ‘hot’ when referring to how someone looks, a ‘tramp’; Mentions of Erin’s ex-boyfriend that dumped her after cheating on her; Erin & Paige’s Dad would talk to them about clothing and not looking like a prostitutes; Paige wears a dress that shows cleavage, which causes Erin comments about “the girls”; Other girls wear dresses that show cleavage; Ex-Boyfriends, Boyfriends & Crushes.

-Erin Forrester, age 18
                                         1st person P.O.V of Erin
                                                        204 pages

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Pre Teens- 
New Teens- 
Early High School Teens- 
Older High School Teens- 
My personal Rating-
(and a half)
I’ve read this series before I started BFCG and when I read them the first time, I really enjoyed it. The whole series isn’t deep but it’s a good series for reading books featuring teenagers and their difficulties. It’s a much cleaner read than what the Secular market promotes for teen girls to read.
Who wants to win a copy? :)


a Rafflecopter giveaway
Ends the 17th at 11:59 Midnight Central, USA only.


See y’all TOMORROW with a new review and Giveaway! :D


*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.



Wednesday, April 8, 2015

"Elsie's Endless Wait" by Martha Finley


{This blog is Two Years Old this week! Eeek! It’s party time! Everyday till Friday there’ll be a new review and giveaway! On Saturday a Double giveaway and wrap-up will be posted! Get your noise makers out and let’s celebrate!}  {Enter Giveaway #1 Here!} {Enter Giveaway #2 Here!}

About this book:

  “Miss Rose asked Elsie, 'Your father is away, isn't he?' Elsie looked up and replied wistfully, 'Yes, ma'am. He's in Europe. He has been away since before I was born, and I've never seen him. Oh, I do wish he'd come home! I want to see him so much! Do you think he would love me?'
  Meet Elsie Dinsmore, a lovely eight-year-old heiress who lives on a wealthy Southern plantation in the mid-1800's. Her mother is dead and she has never known her father. Living in her grandfather's home, she often feels rejected, unloved, and misunderstood. Elsie is sustained by her deep Christian faith and her hope to one day be loved by her father. But will Horace Dinsmore ever come home? Will he love her? Elsie's Endless Wait is the first book in the Elsie Dinsmore: A Life of Faith series. This captivating story of a young girl's faith, purity of heart and simple Christian devotion, became an instant American classic over a hundred years ago. Now, in this revised and updated, modern-language edition of the 1868 book by Martha Finley, a whole new generation of readers will meet one of the most beloved fictional heroines of all time.”


Series: This series is based on the Original Elsie Dinsmore series written by Marta Finley. It is #1 in the “Life of Faith: Elsie Dinsmore” series.


Spiritual Content- The beginning of every chapter has a Scripture quoted; Prayers; ‘H’s when referring to God are capital (while those referring to Jesus are not); Many, many Scriptures are quoted; Many talks about God & the Bible; Elsie wants so much to be like Jesus and make Him happy; A Mention of Church going.
           *Note: Arthur threatens Wally that a ghost will get him.


Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘stupid’; Elsie’s teacher and family are mean/rude/just plain awful to her; A mention of a cigar; Mentions of spankings.  


Sexual Content- N/A

-Elsie Dinsmore, age 8
                                         Told in a Narrating voice

                                                Set in 1840s
                                                        199 pages

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Pre Teens-
New Teens- 
Early High School Teens-
(and a half)
Older High School Teens-
My personal Rating-
Elsie really has the child like faith that the Bible talks about and I do like her, but she does come across a bit too, well, perfect. Sadly, I’m not the only one who thinks this, many reviewers aren’t a fan of this book. My only deal with this book is her father, I’m not a fan of him at all. Truly, I wanted to reached in and take poor Elsie away from all those people. This would probably be best for younger girls to read with a parent or trusted adult.
Anyone want to win a copy? :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Ends the 16th at 11:59 Central, USA only.


See y’all TOMORROW with a new review and Giveaway! :D


*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.