"Lost for Words" by Kristin Eckhardt

About this book:

  “One day Mary notices a young woman sitting in her bookshop. As the afternoon passes, the woman remains, pretending to read a book and clearly waiting for someone who never arrives. When Mary approaches her, she tearfully confesses that she doesn't remember anything before that day. The only clue she has to her identity is a note she found in her pocket when she woke up on the beach, which says, "Katie, arrive at Mary's bookshop at 1:12." Mary takes Katie under her wing, and together they scour Ivy Bay for clues to discover who Katie really is. But after learning about a recent mugging in town as well as a man who seems to be following Katie, Mary thinks the more important question might be what - or who - caused Katie to lose her memory in the first place?”

Series: Book #18 (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- Psalm 65:11 at the end in bonus content; Scriptures are mentioned, read, remembered, & quoted; Prayers & Thanking God; Bible reading; Going to church & a prayer group; Talks about God; 'H's are capital when referring to God; Mary recalls when her son was a teenager and questioning his faith, but how Proverbs 22:6 sustained her and proved to be true for her son; Mentions of God & trusting Him; Mentions of prayers, praying, praises, thanking God, & blessings over food; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, & devotionals; Mentions of churches, church going, services, sermons, a pastor, & a prayer group; Mentions of a hymn; Mentions of blessings & being Blessed; A couple mentions of events in the Bible; A mention of Bible studies; A mention of someone calling Mary a “guardian angel”.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: two ‘dumb’s and two ‘stupid’s; A little bit of eye rolling; Many mentions of a mugging, stolen items, crimes, criminals, violence, & who did it (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of missing people; Mentions of pain, injuries, & possible accidents; A few mentions of how putting a millstone around someone’s neck was a method of execution in Biblical times (barely-above-not-detailed); A few mentions of possible & fiction stalkers; A few mentions of drugs, illegal drugs, & alcohol; A couple mentions of car accidents & deaths; A couple mentions of lies & lying; A mention of World War I; A mention of World War II; A mention of a possible child abduction; A mention of a possible scam; A mention of a rumor; 
             *Note: All about many mentions of a woman who amnesia (up to semi-detailed on her injuries and pain); Mentions of car brands; Mentions of books, characters, & authors (‘The Little Engine That Could’, Nero Stout, Hercule Poirot, & Anne Perry); Mentions of brand names (St. John’s Bay, Sears, JCPenney, Maybelline, Revlon, & Almay); A few mentions of Grace Kelly, Frankie Valli, & a song; A couple mentions of Bugs Bunny; A mention of Wall Street Journal. 
 
 
Sexual Content- A couple blushes; Mentions of dating, boyfriends/girlfriends, & break-ups; A couple mentions of teenage crushes; A mention of a teenage heartthrob; A mention of jealousy.
 
-Mary Fischer, age 62 (?)
                                P.O.V. of Mary 
                                                262 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

I don’t think I’ve ever read a Guidepost mystery so fast before. I’m not sure what it is about an amnesia plotline that gets me involved in the story, but do they ever! I would say this is definitely my favorite of the series—I should probably add “so far” at the end of that sentence, but I can’t imagine another book topping this one. It had a super steady pacing, details and hints given for the reader to try to figure out who Katie is, and Mary’s faith was shown a lot throughout the story. I was really pleasantly surprised by this book and how much I enjoyed it! 

 

 

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.

"Holding the Fort" by Regina Jennings

About this book:

  “Louisa Bell never wanted to be a dance-hall singer, but dire circumstances force her hand. With a little help from her brother in the cavalry, she's able to make ends meet, but lately he's run afoul of his commanding officer, so she undertakes a visit to straighten him out. 
   Major Daniel Adams has his hands full at Fort Reno. He can barely control his rowdy troops, much less his two adolescent daughters. If Daniel doesn't find someone respectable to guide his children, his mother-in-law insists she'll take them.
   When Louisa arrives with some reading materials, she's mistaken for the governess who never appeared. Major Adams is skeptical. She bears little resemblance to his idea of a governess--they're not supposed to be so blamed pretty--but he's left without recourse. His mother-in-law must be satisfied, which leaves him turning a blind eye to his unconventional governess's methods. Louisa's never faced so important a performance. Can she keep her act together long enough?”


Series: Book #1 in the “Fort Reno” trilogy. 


Spiritual Content- Prayers; Talks about God & Jesus; 'H's are capital when referring to God; Louisa doesn’t think that God cares about her and thinks that she has to get past the church people to meet God, but they weren’t moving out of her way; Louisa avoids going to church services; Louisa makes the sign of the cross (“or at least something close”) when pretending to pray; Towards the end, Louisa hears that God doesn’t care about what you’ve done & is witnessed to which causes her to truly think about Him; Many mentions of Mennonite missionaries & a mission; Mentions of God, Jesus, & Him being near; Mentions of prayers, praying, thanking God, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches/chapels, church going, & a chaplain; Mentions of sins & sinning; A few mentions of when Louisa was little, she was invited to church but then told her singing was not welcome after she sang a song that wasn’t appropriate; A few mentions of religious books; A couple mentions of King David sending his rival to his death; A couple mentions of hymns; A mention of a Bible; A mention of meeting your Maker; A mention of a seminary; A mention of Louisa thinking that she’s a sinner pretending to be a saint; 
             *Note: A couple mentions of luck; A couple mentions of a siren tempting a man to linger in the underworld (but that thought doesn’t line up with what Daniel knows about eternity); A mention of a godforsaken place; A mention of a piece of clothing be considered as worthy of hellfire (scandalous). 
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘blast it’, a ‘darn right’, a ‘horsefeathers’, a ‘shoot’, two forms of ‘dumb’, three ‘idiot’s, four ‘what in tarnation’s, five ‘Great Saturn’s rings’s, and five forms of ‘stupid’; A mention of uttering oaths; Eye rolling; Fighting, Pain, & Injuries (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of lies, lying, liars, & deception (While Louisa doesn’t technically lie to get the job, she doesn’t correct some of the misunderstandings either; she feels guilty about this as the book continues); Many mentions of a saloon, alcohol, drinks, drinking, & drunks (including Louisa’s abusive mother and Bradley’s thinking that “what was life, if you didn’t drink it to the lees?”); Mentions of an allergic reaction, a near death, pain, & injuries (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of pain, injuries, blood/bleeding, & passing out (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of fights & fighting (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of the possibility of someone being shot; Mentions of stealing/robbing, stolen items, & criminals; Mentions of arrests & prisoners; Mentions of Indian raids, attacks, being under a siege, & threats; Mentions of hunting (barely-above-not-detailed); A few mentions of a war; A few mentions of smoking, cigars, & tobacco; A couple mentions of starvation & children dying; A couple mentions of whippings as a punishment; A couple mentions of eavesdropping; A couple mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of poker & gambling; A mention of a scapling; A mention of a man’s bad burn after a gunpowder explosion; A mention of butchering animals; 
             *Note: A mention of Mennonites being peace-loving people and their consciences not allowing them to fight. 
 
 
Sexual Content- A (semi-detailed) hand kiss; Recalling a kiss (barely-above-not-detailed); Many Touches, Embraces, Nearness, & Warmth (including sitting in someone’s lap, up to semi-detailed); Lots of Noticing, Staring, & Smelling (including Daniel noticing Louisa in her house robe and it having an effect on him, her ankles and shoulders are shown as well and he thinks about them, semi-detailed); Louisa has her standards that includes “no drinking, no carousing, and no fraternizing with the customers”; Louisa and her brother don’t know and/or keep in touch with their biological fathers (it’s implied that they didn’t care enough to stick around); Mentions of some dance hall singers having to do things “upstairs” and Louisa being afraid that she could have to do that and/or being accosted (she says she was propositioned, threatened, and witnessed things she wish she hadn’t, but was lucky); Mentions of flittering eyelashes & flirting; Mentions of jealousy; Mentions of reputations & chaperones; A few mentions of a man’s next ladylove & her sharing his bed; A few mentions of the dangers of a woman being alone & the possibility of a man touching her; A few mentions of kisses & kissing; A few mentions of songs with inappropriate lyrics for children; A few mentions of men being overly interested in Louisa; A couple mentions of lonely men & their temptations; A couple mentions of catcalls & whistles; A mention that most minds think that a woman who performs on the stage is no “different than the one who performed in the bedchamber”; A mention of a boss being interested in Louisa, but she refused his advances; A mention of a coquettish performer; A mention of Louisa calling herself not a prude, because she was raised in a bawdy house; A mention of looking like a soiled dove; A mention of a secret tryst; A mention of what the Cheyenne did to their female captives (not said); Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Louisa is helped out of her dress by a man who is like her father (he does turn red); Mentions of women showing skin, modesty, & inappropriate/too-small and tight clothing; A few mentions of low necklines; A mention of some Indian men wearing only a loincloth; A mention of a Louisa’s biological father that was a “wastrel that sired her”. 
 
-Louisa Bell
-Daniel Adams
                                P.O.V. switches between them & Bradley (a handful of times)
                                         Set in 1885
                                                   345 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it probably many more times: The hidden identity trope is one of my favorites to read. (I think it’s because of all the humorous misunderstandings, maybe?) That’s why I decided to pick up this book. It’s been more than a few years since I last read a book by this author and I thought I would try out one of her books again

There was positives and negatives, personally. 

Positives: I really liked the faith content and Louisa’s development throughout the story—it wasn’t rushed at the very end like most stories I read and I really appreciate that. It was different to see the children in this story be 16 & 10, and not young kiddos. It made it more believable in different regards. 

The parts I didn’t like: Certain comments about Louisa and other women in the same career hinted to sexual content (some just bluntly said), and while it was kept mostly quite clean, I would still say this would be better for older girls. Louisa and Daniel noticed each other a lot. A lot. There were a few moments of sexual tension as well…when those parts weren’t happening, they had their cute moments together, but there was quite a bit of noticing and touches. :/

So, hmm. I liked some elements, but I wasn’t a fan of quite a few others. Because of all the noticing and attraction (plus certain comments), I wouldn’t recommend this one for girls in BFCG’s target ages, personally.  

 

 

 

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.

"Tainted" by Morgan L. Busse

About this book:

  “What Happens When Your Soul Dies?
   Kat Bloodmayne is one of the first women chosen to attend the Tower Academy of Sciences. But she carries a secret: she can twist the natural laws of science. She has no idea where this ability came from, only that every time she loses control and unleashes this power, it kills a part of her soul. If she doesn't find a cure soon, her soul will die and she will become something else entirely.
    After a devastating personal loss, Stephen Grey leaves the World City Police Force to become a bounty hunter. He believes in justice and will stop at nothing to ensure criminals are caught and locked up. However, when Kat Bloodmayne shows up in his office seeking his help, his world is turned upside down.
    Together they search World City and beyond for a doctor who can cure Kat. But what they discover on the way goes beyond science and into the dark sphere of magic.”


Series: Book #1 in the “Soul Chronicles” duology. 


Spiritual Content- Prayers & Thanking God; 'H's are not capital when referring to God; Kat recalls that her father never put stock in religion or anything spiritual (when the housekeeper tried to tell Kat stories about God, her father was very upset about it and Kat hasn’t been told anything else since then); Kat knows very little about God except He “lived in churches or something” and was powerful (she tries praying, saying that if He is real, to please help her); Stephen has a faith in the first couple chapters, but after an upsetting event, it’s said that he walked away from God (but he still believes in God and later prays); Stephen wonders if God will help him and Kat (describing themselves as “a heathen woman scientist and a broken man who had walked away a long time ago”); Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of church going, church bells, & a minister; A few mentions of thanking God; A mention of Bible reading; A mention of a man looking like a vicar; A mention of a man having a grudge at religion & baiting Stephen whenever possible; 
             *Note: During one of the times Kat releases her powers, it’s described as “darkness spread across her eyes, and she heard laughter—high-pitched and eerie. It was her but not her. As if she had split in two and the other Kat was in control.” (Stephen thinks of her a demon or a monster or a witch from an old fairytale (though he says there’s no such there as magic) and that she is dangerous); Kat thinks there’s an evil dwelling inside of her; Stephen thinks that his line of work has taught him that everyone has “a core of darkness inside” of them; A scientist wants to be able to bring the dead back to life; A handful of mentions of souls & a scientist saying there is “no disconnect between the physical and spiritual”; A couple mentions of ghost stories; A mention of imagining a ghost; A mention of hell freezing over (because something happened); A mention of a lie that’s “from the pit of hell”; A mention of a man’s facial hair making him look devilish; A mention of Kat’s powers being described as “witchcraft” by someone who saw it happen; A mention of a scientist using “pagan rituals of old” in his experiments; A mention of a dark and evil place. 
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘how in the—‘, an ‘idiot’, a ‘shut up’, two ‘cogglesfoot’s, three ‘blast it’s, five ‘what the—‘s, eight ‘what the blazes’s, and nine ‘blazes’s; Mentions of curses (said, not written); Some eye rolling & sarcasm; Fires, Pain, Injuries, Blood/Bleeding, Being injected by a needle, & Passing out (up to semi-detailed); Knocking someone out, Kicking someone, Fighting, Being hit/punched, Gunfire/Shootouts, Shooting at others (self-defense and at a runaway criminal), Being Shot, Seeing others shot, Pain, & Blood/Bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Being tied up & tested on (up to semi-detailed); Nightmares & Recalling past events that were like nightmares (in regards to Kat activating her powers and Stephen with something Kat told him about, up to semi-detailed); Stephen aims his gun at someone who has betrayed him, thinking of killing that person (he is talked out of it and knows they aren’t worth the prison time); To forget upsetting events, Kat gets drunk on wine (semi-detailed); Kat has a power that when she gets very emotional, she can cause fires from her hands, attract objects, throw people or objects hard, & freeze time (After it happens, she passes out and is then numb once awakening (she has to calm down a few times & is unsuccessful a couple times; it’s said to releases “another side of her” and that scares both herself and Stephen)); After an upsetting event, Kat thinks it would be best to go to a bridge and end it all (her housekeeper tells her that she won’t lose her and to stop talking about ending her life); Kat thinks she is a monster due to her powers & should have died instead of someone else (she wonders if she’s even human or possibly a lab mistake); Kat longs for her father’s approval & attention; There are comments from men and women that are not happy about the first group of women (which includes Kat) being accepted to a university; All about many, many mentions of ill people disappearing (a scientist says that they were going to die anyway), grave robbers, dead bodies, testing on humans, dissecting humans, the smell of decay, seeing it happen, & scientists trying to bring the dead back to life (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of wars; Mentions of fires, smoke, screams, others in pain, & injuries/burns (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of bounty hunters (including ones that inflict a lot of pain on the people they are capturing), murderers, criminals, crimes, thugs, mob bosses, & gangs; Mentions of weapons (guns, truncheons, tasers), gunfire/shootouts, shooting at others (self-defense), seeing others shot, being shot, being shot at, fighting, fights, & a murder/death (up to semi-detailed): Mentions of injuries, pain, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of riots & someone throwing excrement at Kat; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, drunks, hang overs, & taverns/bars (side characters drink, Kat gets drunk to forget about an event, & Stephen refuses to drink alcohol because he doesn’t want to be addicted); Mentions of smoking & cigars; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of rumors; Mentions of throwing up; A few mentions of memories that are like nightmares (up to semi-detailed); A few mentions of card games (implied betting/gambling based on Kat’s distaste of it); A few mentions of jealousy; A few mentions of tattoos; A couple mentions of jars of human body parts; A couple mentions of animal carcasses; A couple mentions of animal testing; A mention of someone looking like a puppy that was kicked over and over;           

             *Note: Stephen fights a young man who was badly burned & different comments such as the man barely looking human and thinking that he was an experiment are thought (up to semi-detailed on his looks).
 
 
Sexual Content- A fingers-to-lips touch, an almost cheek kiss, and a detailed kiss (in both point of views, happens when Kat is drunk, Stephen feels desire for her and later thinks that he took advantage of her); Recalling a kiss (barely-above-not-detailed); Wanting to kiss & desiring someone; Touches, Dancing, Hand holding, Warmth, Nearness, & Smelling (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Blushes; Noticing (including Kat’s curves and breasts (which Stephen tries not to look at), barely-above-not-detailed); A fiancée is caught in bed with another man (mentions him being shirtless and her pulling the covers up) *Slight Spoiler* Stephen finds her fiancée in bed with his work partner and kissing; This guts him and he vows to never trust a woman again *End of Spoiler*; A young man tries to corner Kat and her friend into giving him a kiss (her friend is very upset, barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of kisses & kissing (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of a misunderstanding of Stephen thinking Kat has a lover & is pregnant (she does not & is not); Mentions of the affair, seeing the couple in bed together, & betrayal; Mentions of a dance hall (with mentions of the sign outside that promises a good time, Kat being horrified to go in there, the women in there selling more than just alcohol, & the women showing skin); Mentions of flirting, flirts, winks, & blushes; A few mentions of a man’s son who is called a cad and a scoundrel & scandals he’s had with maids; A couple mentions of men whistling, winking, & roving their eyes at Kat; A couple mentions of couples embracing; A mention of a conniving woman with a wandering heart; A mention of a guy looking at Kat’s face then his gaze traveling down; A mention of how an unmarried couple shouldn’t be alone together at night without a chaperone; A mention of Kat saying that it’s better to have an education than a husband because “at least you know what you’re getting with an education”; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Kat is stripped down into a thin nightgown that shows her curves and breasts; Mentions of women’s curves; A few mentions of a mother who died giving birth & the husband resenting their child because of it (*Spoiler* Kat’s father *End of Spoiler*); A few mentions of the women in a dancing hall showing a lot of their legs (Kat gasps in shock); A mention of a saloon/dance hall woman taking money into her cleavage; A mention of a woman’s low-cut gown (Stephen notices it).
 
-Kathryn “Kat” Bloodmayne
-Stephen Grey
                                P.O.V. switches between them & Dr. Bloodmayne (x2)
                                                        292 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

{Trigger warning for a couple mentions of Kat wanting to end it all after an upsetting event}

{Ratings are based on content}

Note to self: This author likes ending her books on a cliffhanger with a main character passed out. (Example 1)

I’ve had this book on my TBR for quite a while and it was definitely not what I expected it would be at all. I enjoyed the “Skyworld” duology by this author, but I’m not sure about my feelings for this book. I was very interested in this story at the beginning and the steampunk setting, but as the story continued, I became less and less excited about where the plot was heading. Particularly in the terms of human experiments and the romance. Even before Stephen royally messed up, I thought the romance elements between him and Kat happened very fast and was more physically attracted based. After his big mess up? I definitely don’t like the idea of a relationship between the two of them, personally. 

I’m really bummed about not enjoying this one as much I hoped I would. I think I’ll still read the second book for answers, but I don’t have the highest expectations now. 

 

 

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.

"Never Let Go" by Elizabeth Goddard

About this book:

  “As a forensic genealogist, Willow Anderson is following in her late grandfather's footsteps in her quest for answers about a baby abducted from the hospital more than twenty years ago. The case may be cold, but things are about to heat up when someone makes an attempt on her life to keep her from discovering the truth.
    Ex-FBI agent--and Willow's ex-flame--Austin McKade readily offers his help to protect the woman he never should have let get away. Together they'll follow where the clues lead them, even if it means Austin must face the past he's spent much of his life trying to forget. And even if it puts Willow's tender heart at risk.”


Series: Book #1 in the “Uncommon Justice” trilogy. 


Spiritual Content- A couple Scriptures are remembered; Many Prayers & Thanking God; 'H's are not capital when referring to God; At one point, Willow feels like God is far away from her; Charlie is new to having a faith and prays for God to help her survive (she doesn’t understand why that if God cares about her, why this is all happening, but prays anyway); Katelyn has doubts about continue searching for her baby and thinks that “nothing in Scripture could help her silence the doubts”; Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers, praying, thanking God, & blessings over food; A few mentions of churches & church going; A couple mentions of someone saying another can do miracles; A mention of a Bible; A mention of a man being pushy about his religion, but Charlie was grateful that she listened to him on that point; A mention of being Blessed; A mention of a monk on the way to evening prayers; 
             *Note: A few mentions of battling demons; A mention of evil winning with the death of someone; A mention of someone being lucky; A mention of a Phoenix; A mention of a family curse being that they hide things from each other.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘heck’, a ‘hurts like heck’, a ‘shut up’, a ‘suck it up’, a ‘what the heck’, two ‘idiot’s, two ‘shoot’s, and seven ‘stupid’s; A couple mentions of curses (said, not written); A bit of sarcasm; Recalling seeing a murder of a loved one, being threatened, & being chased by a murderer (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Throwing a knife & killing someone (up to semi-detailed); Being shot, being tased, being held at gunpoint, being attacked, being abducted, being chased, a car wreck, pain, injuries, blood/bleeding, & passing out (up to semi-detailed); A break-in, being threatened with a knife, gunshots, & shooting at someone (self-defense, up to semi-detailed); A fire & being trapped (up to semi-detailed); Jumping into a river (barely-above-not-detailed); Thinking you could be killed & pushed down a ravine (barely-above-not-detailed); Panic attacks & close ones (up to semi-detailed); Nightmares (up to semi-detailed): Lying (for answers that they need and also to not reveal what they’re thinking); A dog runs away (and does not return); The prologue is of a woman stealing a newborn baby from a hospital (an abduction; the biological mother has cancer and wasn’t expected to live long); Grieving (Willow is grieving the sudden death of her grandfather who raised her & Charlie is grieving her mother); All about many mentions of abductions (mostly child abductions), the abductors, & ransom notes (including how Austin used to work in the Child Abduction Rapid Deployment team, a few mentions of someone having to shoot another who was going to kill a child in front of the child, and a couple mentions of a few children dying or almost dying at the hands of their abductors (either directly or indirectly), all up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of murders, murderers, seeing a murder, being threatened & a hit-and-run (which caused a death of someone on a bicycle, all up to semi-detailed); Mentions of car accidents, deaths, & drunk driving (Willow’s parents & Austin’s dad, barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of fires, a death, someone being trapped, arson, & arsonist (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of gunshots, shooting at someone, others being shot, a close call, injuries, pain, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of break-ins, crimes, & criminals; Mentions of stalkers & being stalked; Mentions of a mother leaving her abusive husband & leaving her young children with him (*Spoiler* Austin’s mother and when she came back to try again, there was a house fire and she was killed in it *End of Spoiler*); Mentions of alcohol, drinking, drunk driving, & an alcoholic and abusive father (*Spoiler* Austin’s father and him being brutal towards Austin and his brothers; Austin feels guilt over his father’s death because he let him drive off drunk, though Austin didn’t know he was drunk because he had a high tolerance from drinking for so long, but it’s revealed at the end that his father wasn’t actually drunk *End of Spoiler*); Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of cancer diagnoses & someone being told they have a certain amount of time to live; Mentions of grieving (a grandfather, parents, & a daughter); Mentions of nightmares; Mentions of moose and elk being hit by cars (the cars are totaled and the injured animals disappeared); A few mentions of wars & the Holocaust; A few mentions of an ex-husband beating his ex-wife almost to death; A few mentions of plane crashes & a death; A few mentions of stolen cars; A few mentions of jail/prison; A few mentions of search and rescues for missing people; A few mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of terrorists & them taking children; A couple mentions of bombs/explosions; A couple mentions of a man giving a woman bruises; A couple mentions of gossip; A couple mentions of divorces; A mention of someone’s daughter being involved with drugs; A mention of thugs; A mention of cigarettes; A mention of tattoos; A mention of hunting; A mention of something possibly happening to a runaway dog; A mention of animal droppings; 

             *Note: There is a side character with dementia; Mentions of brand names & items (GoPro, iPad, iPhone, Sirius Satellite Radio, Coach purses, Crocs, Dr. Pepper, Crock-Pot, & Coleman); Mentions of car brands; A few mentions of McDonald’s; A couple mentions of social media sites (Facebook); A mention of a fictional character from Lord of the Rings; A mention of a magazine (Reader’s Digest). 
 
 
Sexual Content- Two detailed kisses; Recalling a kiss (barely-above-not-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Tingles, Warmth, Nearness, & Smelling (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to touch & embrace (mainly Austin to longs for Willow, border-line barely-above-not-detailed to semi-detailed); Noticing (including Austin noticing Willow’s form-fitting jeans, barely-above-not-detailed); Willow and Austin broke-up prior to the story starting due to Austin not being willing to share about his past/secrets or his family; Mentions of affairs, cheating, & secret children; Mentions of kisses; Mentions of boyfriends/girlfriends, exes, & break-ups; A few mentions of flirting & flings; A couple mentions of a woman meeting a man at hotel & her willing to have his baby (unmarried); A couple mentions of jealousy; A mention of a family’s children being taken by terrorists for sex trafficking (the country this happened in is not named); A mention of staring at someone’s lips; A mention of a man’s possessiveness over a woman; A mention of a crush; Love, falling/being in love, & the emotions.
 
-Willow Anderson
-Austin McKade
                        P.O.V. switches between them, Charlie, Katelyn (x1), & Heath (x2)
                                                        363 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

My first book by this author was a hit and I’m thrilled about it. 

I wasn’t sure what to expect about this book; in all honesty the back-cover blurb didn’t sound the most exciting to me (mostly because I’m not a big fan of reading the second-chance romances/old flames reunited trope—more on that in a bit) but the forensic genealogist aspect of the book really intrigued me. This might be an odd thing to note, but if you’re someone who, when at a cemetery, looks at different grave markers and wonder about those people’s lives, this might be a book that would interest you. (Obviously, I’m this kind of person, but I know there has to be others like this, so I refuse to think that it’s weird.)

First things first, I really, really, really liked the writing style found in this novel. It was very much a play-by-play of every important action or event and was what really pulled me into the story. 

As far as our main characters go, both Willow and Austin were good characters. He was very much that “written by a woman” male lead (a man that’s kind, respectful, and just an overall good guy that’s very much in love with the main girl), but I still liked him. He wasn’t afraid to show his emotions even though he’s keeping a lot of secrets from Willow, his ex. Like I’ve said previously, I’m not one for the second-chance romances/old flames reunited trope, but it worked well in this story. It was nice to see both of them having a faith, though the faith content was on the lighter side with only them praying and talking to God often (no discussions or comments, really). A couple kisses were a bit much for my tastes, but I do appreciate that they weren’t focused so much on the other’s physical looks. 

The ending felt a little out-of-left field and a touch rushed, but I suppose that it could happen like that. I wasn’t unsatisfied by the ending, at least.  

I actually paused halfway through reading this book to make sure I owned the second book in the series because it’s Heath’s story—needless to say, I’m very much looking forward to reading that one soon! 

 

 

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.