"A Refuge Assured" by Jocelyn Green

About this book:

  “Lacemaker Vivienne Rivard never imagined her craft could threaten her life. Yet in revolutionary France, it is a death sentence when the nobility, and those associated with them, are forced to the guillotine. Vivienne flees to Philadelphia but finds the same dangers lurking in the French Quarter, as revolutionary sympathizers threaten the life of a young boy left in her care, who some suspect to be the Dauphin. Can the French settlement, Azilum, offer permanent refuge?
  Militiaman Liam Delaney proudly served in the American Revolution, but now that the new government has imposed an oppressive tax that impacts his family, he barely recognizes the democracy he fought for. He wants only to cultivate the land of his hard-won farm near Azilum, but soon finds himself drawn into the escalating tension of the Whiskey Rebellion. When he meets a beautiful young Frenchwoman recently arrived from Paris, they will be drawn together in surprising ways to fight for the peace and safety for which they long.”


Series: As of now, no.


Spiritual Content- Psalm 142:5 at the beginning; Scriptures are quoted & remembered; Prayers; Talks about God; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, services, & priests; Mentions of Christmas; Mentions of Providence; Mentions of Quakers; Mentions of sins; Mentions of Paulette not believing in God or an afterlife, but she later wonders about forgiveness; A few mentions of those in the Bible; A few mentions of thanking God; A few mentions of faiths; A few mentions of Heaven; A mention of the birth of Christ; A mention of Godspeed; A mention of a miracle; A mention of crossing oneself;

             *Note: A couple mentions of ghosts; A mention of being ‘damned’; A mention of a talisman; A mention of a hex.

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: an ‘idiot’, a ‘stupid’, two ‘shut up’s, three ‘hang it all’s, and six forms of ‘blast’; Mentions of curses (said, not written, including one by Liam and one by Paulette); Trying to kill a child four times (semi-detailed, not successful); A fire, smoke, & explosion (semi-detailed); Being shot (x2), hit, blood/bleeding, & passing out (semi-detailed); Being nearly strangled & injuries (up to semi-detailed); Being attacked/thrown glass and manure at (up to semi-detailed); Being pushes in a busy street & nearly ran-over (up to semi-detailed); Injuries, Pain, Blood/Bleeding, & Being Tarred (barely-above-not-detailed); Stitching someone up (up to semi-detailed); Drinking wine at dinner; Smelling hard liquor & watching others drink (up to semi-detailed); A young boy is given alcohol & gets drunk (barely-above-not-detailed); Nightmares (up to semi-detailed); Set during revolutions (semi-detailed); Many, many mentions of murders, beheadings, guillotines, those soon-to-be executed, & those in favor of it (semi-detailed); Many, many mentions of wars, revolutions, rebels, violence, & deaths (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of dead bodies, ligaments from those bodies on pikes, blood/bleeding, & horror (semi-detailed); Many mentions of pain, injuries/wounds, beatings, being shot, blood/bleeding, stitches, scars, & screams (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of alcohol/wine, drinking, drunks, & taverns/bars; Mentions of a murder (semi-detailed); Mentions of a plan to kill a child; Mentions of people being burned alive; Mentions of fighting, hitting/slapping, gunshots/bullets, & massacres; Mentions of hangings & being hung; Mentions of tarring & feathering others (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of crimes; Mentions of illnesses, symptoms, vomit, vomiting, & deaths (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of slavery, deaths, & slaves killing their masters (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of young boys that died (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of threats & abuse (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of arrests, imprisonment, & prisons/jails; Mentions of debts; Mentions of fires & smoke; Mentions of an attempted kidnapping; Mentions of hatred, prejudice, & revenge; Mentions of nightmares; Mentions of cigars, pipes, tobacco, & smoke; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of gossip & rumors; A few mentions of a young girl watching her parents die; A few mentions of thieves & stealing; A few mentions of animal manure; A couple mentions of a bully & getting a black eye; A couple mentions of gambling; A couple mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of frostbitten toes being amputated; A couple mentions of using the bathroom outside (barely-above-not-detailed); A mention of sarcasm.

Sexual Content- a hand kiss, a semi-detailed wrist kiss, a cheek kiss, a head kiss, a not-detailed kiss, a semi-detailed kiss, a forced border-line semi-detailed // detailed kiss, and detailed kisses; Touches, Dancing, Embraces, & Nearness (up to semi-detailed); Unwanted Touches & Suggestions (up to semi-detailed); Noticing & Smelling (barely-above-not-detailed); A man tries to get Vivienne to be his (she assumes) new mistress (she will not); a ‘whore’; Mentions of a fourteen year old maid being impregnated by the master of the house & forced to have an abortion (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of Vivienne being illegitimate child & her mother being a courtesan/mistress, also entertaining her lovers, and being faithful; Mentions of adultery, adulterers, & affairs; Mentions of courtesans & mistresses; Mentions of kisses & kissing (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of chaperones, virtue, & scandals; A few mentions of a young, unmarried woman being pregnant & wanting a rushed wedding; A few mentions of a man wanting to leave his wife for another woman; A couple mentions of unwanted advances; A mention of blushing & longing over the thought of having babies; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;

             *Note: A few mentions of the butt of a gun; A mention of a low-cut neckline; A mention of a woman’s too small shirt; A mention of a man’s muscles (barely-above-not-detailed); A mention of kicking someone’s groin.

-Vivienne “Vienne” Rivard, age 28-29

-William “Liam” Delaney, age 38-39
                                P.O.V. switches between them, Paulette (9x), & Henri (6x)

                                               Set in 1794-1795 (Prologue set in 1792, Epilogue in 1802)
                                                        413 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

I always have a “catch-22 dilemma” when have to read and rate historical book set during or around wars.

I hate the unjustness of those time periods. It honestly makes me dislike history so much and feel sick to my stomach.

But, because I do content reviews, whether historical facts or not, those parts are held up to the Philippians 4:8 standard of this blog.

And to be honest, a lot of history isn’t so lovely.

So, while, yes, historical can be awful, terrible, and horrible, I must be honest and give ratings based on how the author writes the details of those parts and how it’s handled. 

See what I mean about a catch-22?

Unfortunately, “A Refuge Assured” has this case.

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Agree or disagree with what I’ve said or these ratings, Books for Christian Girls has a duty to stand by our values, list out the content in every book, and give whatever ratings we feel are necessary.

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For our actual final thoughts:
Being my first book by this author, the prologue had me wondering what in the world did I just get myself into. The blood, murders, and gore were too much for myself.

For Vivienne, while I sympathized with her situation and I liked her drive to handle things, there was something about her personality that I felt clashed with my own. I can’t really put into words what felt off, but there was something.

Liam, well, Liam. It felt like it was forever until we met him. In actuality, it was only 57 pages. But, that’s still quite a while for a normal length book. This one was just over 400 pages and while the romance section really didn’t happen until the last 100 pages or so, there was quite a bit in that area. The Spiritual Content was a decent amount for a book this long, but I would have preferred more discussions and such. Will I ever try out this author again, though? We’ll have to see.

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Personally, I further confirmed two things while reading this book:

            1.)   One of my least favorite time periods is the 1700s and you couldn’t pay me to live in that time period.

and 2.) I never want to be in politics. Ever.

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 (Bethany House) for this honest review.

"The Story People" by Heather Kaufman

About this book:

  “When Ben Palermo inherited his uncle's bookstore in small-town New Holden, Indiana, it was like stepping back in time. The nostalgia, however, is tainted by a painful past, one that Ben would rather leave behind. Can he stay in this town and run the business that holds so many conflicting memories for him? Or will he finally sell?

  When a group of well-meaning women make it their mission to keep him in town by finding him a wife, his life is about to get more interesting ... and complicated.

  Rosemary is a children's author and illustrator with a painful history of her own. When she meets Ben, she is overwhelmed by his disarming charm . . . and familiarity. But when a series of events casts Ben in a suspicious light and a persistent friend makes claims on her heart, Rosemary must discover the truth in order to finally reconnect with her past.

  The Story People is a celebration of the connection forged when a book is opened, loved, and shared and the vision and purpose found when letting God use you wherever you are.”


Series: As of now, no.


Spiritual Content- Scriptures are mentioned, quoted, remembered, & talked about; Many Prayers & Blessings over food; Praising & Thanking God; Church going & a sermon; Quite a few Talks about God, trusting Him, & gifts; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of Thanking God; Mentions of Bibles; Mentions of those & events in the Bible; Mentions of churches, church going, hymns, services, sermons, studies, & pastors; Mentions of ministries; Mentions of youth group mission trips; Mentions of Heaven; Mentions of blessings & being blessed; A few mentions of Christians & faiths; A few mentions of religious books; A couple mentions of Vacation Bible Schools; A mention of praising God; A mention of a Christian singer;

             *Note: Impersonating a ghost to make people think a place is haunted; Mentions of making a place haunted & impersonating a ghost; A few mentions of people thinking a dog’s name is Jesus Christ & therefore blasphemy (it’s actually named after Julius Caesar); A couple mentions of superstitions; A mention of supernatural beings; A mention of hot beverages being religiously consumed; A mention of religiously avoiding something.

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘confounded’, a form of ‘drat’, a ‘dumb’, a ‘sucker’, two forms of ‘idiot’, and two forms of ‘stupid’; Some eye rolling; A bit of pain & falling (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of a car accident & deaths; Mentions of Rosemary’s parents (verbal) fighting and divorce & her father leaving; Mentions of breaking and entering; Mentions of pain & injuries; Mentions of gossip & rumors; A few mentions of someone hitting a deer & injuries; A few mentions of a drunk’s addictions; A few mentions of (alcoholic) drinks; A couple mentions of drinking wine; A couple mentions of animal waste; A mention of bombs; A mention of a nightclub; A mention of cigarettes; A mention of vomit; A mention of jealousy;

             *Note: A couple mentions of car brands; A couple mentions of Starbucks; A mention of (the dislike of) vampires; A mention of a TV show (Gilmore Girls).

Sexual Content- an almost (semi-detailed) kiss, a jaw kiss, a cheek kiss, two not-detailed kisses, and two border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed kisses; Remembering an almost kiss (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to kiss someone (up to semi-detailed); Flirting; Touches, Hand Holding, Embraces, Warmth, & Nearness (up to semi-detailed); Blushes & Butterflies; Noticing & Smelling (barely-above-not-detailed); Ben is clung to by a touchy girl; Mentions of an almost kiss, kisses, & kissing; Mentions of flirting & flirts; Mentions of a clingy, touchy girl towards Ben; Mentions of someone throwing themselves at others & thinking he’s a ladies’ man/player; Mentions of relationships, dating, asking someone out, dates, & boyfriends; Mentions of crushes & like liking someone; Mentions of blushes; A few mentions of Rosemary’s mom being seventeen when she delivered her; A few mentions of a hand kiss; A few mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of Rosemary’s dad who left their family & moved in with a woman he was seeing; A mention of friends who are boy-crazy; Love, falling in love, & the emotions (2x);

             *Note: A few mentions of inappropriately low-cut tops & dips; A few mentions of butting into someone’s business; A mention of thinking someone was acting like a pedophile (he actually wasn’t); A mention of an effeminate looking man; A mention of a woman’s curvy figure; A mention of being braless; A mention of someone butting into a conversation; A mention of wanting to tell someone to butt out.

-Benjamin “Ben” Palermo, age 29

-Rosemary Berg, age 25
                                P.O.V. switches between them & a handful of others
                                                        364 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

{Add ½ star for those who love bookstores and make-believe.}

What a gem I’ve found on my TBR shelf.

I found out about this book back in 2016 and it sat on my To-Be-Read shelf for over fourteen months before I would finally read it.

(I feel like I should mention that while the cover drew me in to wanting to know more about the plot, it was the actual back-cover that had be searching for this book. Hello, it’s set at a bookstore. Books set in bookstores with bookstore owners as our main characters is a plot avid readers will never tire of.)

The opening chapter completely pulled me into this small town in Indiana, but it was the writing that really hooked me. I am not able to tell y’all how much I was fawning over the writing style of this novel. I honestly adore it so very much. The writing style is almost poetic, but also so sweet and crisp.

I have no idea if that made sense or if it sounds like I just described a York peppermint patty, but let it be known just how much I admire the winsome writing. 

For the cast of characters, I truly respected Rosemary and found Ben to be quite funny. Not so much in a ha-ha-ha funny kind of way, but that he reminded me of a baby giraffe. He’s so awkward. Our three grandmother-type trio [Mrs. Gardner, Mrs. Baumgartner, & Mrs. Frank] were absolutely great as well with their shenanigans. Oh, the misunderstandings are hilarious.

(You know those split POV books where you like everyone, so even while you don’t want to leave this one character, the next one is just as special, and you can’t pick who you like better? That was me with all the characters in this novel.)

Content wise opinion: There was lighter spiritual content until the middle where there’s a good discussion that lasts a few pages and then carries through the rest of the book. It really was refreshing to see both main characters having a faith and go to church often on the pages. The romance was also very light (our grandmother-like trio also does some matchmaking and one of them also falls in love). The last couple of pages did have a few kisses back-to-back and a few touches, but nothing over the top and I think it was still much cleaner than a typical romance book I have reviewed in the past.

My final opinion? This novel was filled with childhood wonders of The Story People, it had that childhood fantasy of make-believing feel to it. I would definitely recommend this one to those who may have grown-up, but still have that longing of past childlike wonders. I’m sure I’ll be re-reading this one day and meanwhile, will be watching the author for what else she’ll write.

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.

"My Name is River" by Wendy Dunham

About this book:

  “It's 1983, and twelve-year-old River Starling's life is anything but normal. She was adopted on a whim and came without a birth certificate. Her adoptive parents gave her up to her grandmother when she was only two, but River is certain her parents will come back.
  River's hopes fall apart when Gram uproots them from their farmhouse and decides to move to Birdsong, West Virginia, the most miserable town River has ever seen. There she makes an unlikely friendship with an unusual boy and learns about acceptance, hard work, forgiveness, and the love of Jesus.
  Discover the unforgettable story of one girl's search for a place to call home.”


Series: Book #1 in the “River” series.


Spiritual Content- Scriptures are quoted, mentioned, read, talked about, & referenced; Prayers; Church going, Hymns, & Sermons; Being witnessed to; River’s Gram mentions “the wind” many times (could be taken as the Holy Spirit); Talks about God, praying, & Heaven; ‘H’s are not capital when referring to God; Mentions of God & Jesus; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, services, sermons, hymns, & a pastor; Mentions of faiths & Heaven; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, & those in the Bible; A couple mentions of a church’s stained glass windows; A couple mentions of miracles; A couple mentions of an angel; A couple mentions of sin & sinners; A mention of a ‘Thank God’;

             *Note: A “God Almighty” is said and River gets embarrassed (thinking it’s a sin to say it like that).

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘darn’, two ‘blasted’s, four ‘stupid’s, and five forms of ‘dumb’; A mention that pastors aren’t allow to swear; *Big Spoiler* River’s new best friend dies from an accident near the very end of the book. His body is found (barely-above-not-detailed), also brings mentions of dying & what would it be like. Another boy later confesses to have pushed him. (barely-above-not-detailed) *End of Big Spoiler*; Mentions of murdered birds (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of a mean boy breaking a window & threatening another; Mentions of a child being taken & a wife leaving her husband after that event happened; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of smoking, smoke, & cigarettes; A few mentions of a man in jail for murder; A few mentions of a break-in & thieves; A couple mentions of a cat that was hit by a car; A couple mentions of tattoos; A mention of a child drowning (he’s saved); A mention of urine; A mention of mouse waste; A mention of a run-over dog; A mention of dead fish;

             *Note: A few mentions of car brands; A couple mentions of a cigarette brand; A couple mentions of aliens.

Sexual Content- River wonders if her biological mother was a teenager who got pregnant;

             *Note: Mentions of a birth injury when a baby came out of his mother.

-River Starling, age 12
                                1st person P.O.V. of River

                                         Set in 1983
                                                        143 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

{ Ratings truly depend on the reader, there is a death that may be triggering for young readers. }

I was expecting this to be a fun, light read of a pre-teen book.

But, oh, it was so much more.

From the opening page, I adored River. She reminded me a bit of April Grace from “Confessions of April Grace” series, and I personally think they would be dear friends—and probably get into some mischief together. River often wonders about both set of her parents, biological and her adoptive parents, which she believes neither loved her. While a few parts could probably be triggering for adoptees, there is a wonderful message of having God be your Father throughout this small book. (It would still probably be best for a parent or trusted adult to read the book before the young adoptee, so content can be cleared as okay and later discussions can happen.)

If y’all have been following this site or any of our social media accounts for any amount of time, you most likely know that I very rarely cry while reading. Due to an expected twist in this story, I actually ended up crying and sniffing. But, I can’t say much due to spoilers! While I liked the very ending (that part I did see coming!), it did leave off in a cliffhanger, so I’m eager to read the next book.

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.