"A Question of Honor" by Jesseca Wheaton

About this book:

  “A man. A child. A war.
  When German soldiers invade France during World War II, young Joyanna's perfect world is shattered. In the hands of those who hate her, she battles to comprehend why people can be so ruthless and cold toward those whom they have never met.
  David Sullivan, pilot in the Royal Air Force, was certain he would never hate, but a painful loss forces him to either reconsider or do the inconceivable—forgive. He is suddenly challenged by the realization that doing God's will is not easy, but most important. With the lives of freedom-fighters relying on him, he must learn the difficult lesson that he is not in control, but merely one who must surrender his heart of obedience to One greater.
  A sudden turn of events lands Joyanna and David in the same country—but for far different reasons. When their paths cross, David finds he must make a decision that will affect them both for the rest of their lives.
  Will he choose vengeance, or will he let his life be ruled by a higher standard? A standard of Honor.”


Series: Book #1 in the “Questions of War” series.


Spiritual Content- Scriptures are mentioned, quoted, & talked about; Hymns; Prayers; Many talks about God; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; David is mad at God for a time; Many mentions of God, Jesus, His calling, His will, & forgiveness; Many mentions of Jews, Jewish Christians, Christians, rabbis, & faiths; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of Bibles & Bible reading; Mentions of churches, church going, services, hymns, sermons, & a pastor; Mentions of Heaven & angels; Mentions of miracles; A couple mentions of thanking & praising God; A couple mentions of blessings; A couple mentions of sins;

             *Note: A child is called a little devil; Mentions of evil & evil people.

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: two ‘blasted’s, two forms of ‘shut up’, and three ‘stupid’s; A bit of eye rolling & sarcasm; Set during World War II (up to semi-detailed); Shooting other planes, planes being shot, & air attacks (semi-detailed); Joyanna sees her father shot & killed (up to semi-detailed); Being taken away & hit (up to semi-detailed); Being kidnapped (barely-above-not-detailed); Pain, Injuries, Bruises/Burns, Being slapped/hit, Being shot, & Threatened at gunpoint (mostly semi-detailed); Wanting revenge; Smoking cigarettes; Many mentions of wars, fighting, attacks, bombings, shooting, bullets, & removing people from their homes; Many mentions of deaths, bodies, killing, threats of killing, injuries, burns, threatening with guns, shooting, bullets, being shot, blood/bleeding, & fires (mostly semi-detailed); Mentions of killing Jews being easy (from a Nazi’s POV, up to semi-detailed); Mentions of hatred, threats, & enemies; Mentions of wanting revenge; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of smoking & cigarettes; A few mentions of taverns & drunks; A few mentions of nightmares; A couple mentions of animal manure; A mention of betting.

Sexual Content- a hand kiss, a nose kiss, two head/forehead kisses, three barely-above-not-detailed kisses, and a semi-detailed kiss; Touches & Embraces (barely-above-not-detailed); Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); A couple mentions of kisses & kissing; A couple mentions of jealousy; A bit of love, being in love, & the emotions.

-Joyanna Shein, age 7

-David Sullivan
                                P.O.V. switches between them & a couple others

                                           Set in 1940 {Epilogue in 1942}
                                                        324 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 highly interested in WWII}

Maybe it’s because I’m sensitive to children being hurt and the unjustness of World War II, but this book was a difficult one to read.

It starts with a tragedy of seven-year-old Joyanna’s family, then the next chapter switches to a young pilot in love in Kansas. It did feel a bit odd to me to have that one-eighty switch so quick. We do see the POV of a German Nazi, that’s hard to see at times because of his action and thoughts, but his heart does try to soften (not that he allows it, but there’s hope for future books.) The ending was a but predicable, but I did like sweet Joyanna.

Overall, it’s an insanely serious book, that did have a lot of Spiritual Content, which I appreciated. At times, though, the war content—albeit, I know, historically accurate—was too much for my self personally and that affected my personal rating and what ages I think it would be okay for.

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.

"Across the Blue" by Carrie Turansky

About this book:

  “Isabella Grayson, the eldest daughter of a wealthy, English newspaper magnate, longs to become a journalist, but her parents don't approve. They want her to marry well and help them gain a higher standing in society. After she writes an anonymous letter to the editor that impresses her father, her parents reluctantly agree she can write a series of articles about aviation and the race to fly across the English Channel, but only if she promises to accept a marriage proposal within the year.

  When James Drake, an aspiring aviator, crashes his flying machine at the Grayson's new estate, Bella is intrigued. James is determined to be the first to fly across the Channel and win the prize Mr. Grayson's newspaper is offering. He hopes it will help him secure a government contract to build airplanes and redeem a terrible family secret. James wants to win Bella's heart, but his background and lack of social standing make it unlikely her parents would approve. If he fails to achieve his dream, how will he win the love and respect he is seeking? Will Bella's faith and support help him find the strength and courage he needs when unexpected events turn their world upside down?”


Series: As of now, no.


Spiritual Content- A few Scriptures are mentioned and quoted; Many Prayers, Blessings over food, & Thanking God; Church going; Visiting a cathedral & stain glasses of those in the Bible; Many talks about God & having a faith; Majority of ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Bella has a sweet yearning to know the Lord better; Many mentions of God; Many mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of those & events in the Bible; Mentions of churches, cathedrals, church going, services, hymns, sermons, & ministers; Mentions of faiths; Mentions of blessings & being blessed; A few mentions of Godspeed; A few mentions of martyrs; A mention of a miracle; A mention of Christmas & Easter.

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: an ‘idiot’ and two ‘blast’s; A tiny bit of eye rolling; Plane crashes & watching ones happen (up to semi-detailed); Injuries, Blood, & a Fire (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of a death (or murder), a fall (or a push) off a cliff, how it happened, & the body (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of injuries, blood/bleeding, & stitches (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of wars, possible future wars, & enemies; Mentions of murders (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of an almost plane crash (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of lies & lying; A few mentions of wondering if a death was a suicide; A few mentions of other (unnatural) deaths; A few mentions of gossip & rumors; A few mentions of food poisoning; A couple mentions of hunting & shooting; A mention of a fire; A mention of a jail; A mention of cigarettes.

Sexual Content- three hand/finger kisses, three cheek kisses, two forehead kisses, and a border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed kiss; Touches, Embraces, & Nearness (barely-above-not-detailed); Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); Many mentions of James being an illegitimate son & not knowing who his father is (he and Bella try to find out); Mentions of kisses, kissing, & waiting to kiss (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of flirting & teasing; Mentions of reputations & chaperones; A few mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of greeting kisses; A couple mentions of a woman not agreeing to be a man’s mistress; A couple mentions of a girl (not) throwing herself at a man; A mention of men hooting at a couple showing affection; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;

             *Note: A couple mentions of Bella’s figure (not-detailed); A mention of a low-cut neckline of a dress.

-Isabella “Bella” Grayson, age 20

-James Drake, age 24
                                P.O.V. switches between them

                                               Set in 1909 {Epilogue in 1911}
                                                        352 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 interested in aviation or journalism.}

Let’s all just take a deep sigh, shall we?
*aaaaahhhhhh*

Honestly, y’all, I’m at a loss for words right now. Which is saying a lot because y’all how much I like to fangirl over books.

“Across the Blue” is one of my top anticipated reads for 2018 and I’d like to say it completely met my expectations.

After I finish any book by this talented author, I always have to wonder, “How is Miss Carrie Turansky so good?” which is always followed by “How are her books so wonderfully clean?!” with about fifty hearts in my eyes as I read.

Really, though, on that clean factor. Sooooo very clean, it’s so refreshing and lovely. Even while our main hero’s parents weren’t married when he was born, the author keeps the entire story so clean and gives nothing about those details or suggestions. (A big thank you for that!)

Because I read this book so quick, at first I did think that out main couple’s feelings for each other came a bit quick, but it actually was paced out well in according to the rest of the novel. I would like to say that I felt a bit more angst in this story than the author’s previous historical books, so I was a bit on edge at times. ;)

I adored both James and Bella and found them to be so sweet for each other. I loved that they each had their own passions, but that they each had to work separately on something within their own self.

Which brings me to the faith content! Oh, that the faith content! AH! CarrieTuransky’s books always have those amazing faith moments and I always love them. There one was no different. I adored all the faith parts oh-so much.

I’m going to sign off this review with a note to my fellow unmarried females: Girls, settle for nothing less than a Carrie Turansky hero. ;)

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.

*I received this book for free from the author for this honest review.

"Off the Shelf" by Emily Thomas

About this book:

  “When the mayor of Blue Hill visits Anne to talk about a new tax proposal that will soon go before the town council, she's excited about the possibilities. The additional funding could provide more library resources and programs, as well as pay some of Anne's dedicated volunteers. But when popular children's books begin vanishing from the shelves, Anne discovers that it is just the tip of an iceberg of political intrigue involving the proposed levy. Can she find out who is behind the scheme and expose their plans before it's too late?
  Meanwhile, Ben befriends Joey, a new boy at school, who spends an increasing amount of time at the library and begins frequently staying overnight with Ben's family. As Anne observes Joey's unkempt appearance, she soon realizes there is more to his story than meets the eye.”


Series: Book #6 in the “Secrets of the Blue Hill Library” series. Reviews of #1 Here, #2 Here, #3 Here, and #5 Here! (The fourth book has not been reviewed yet.)

Spiritual Content- Scriptures are quoted & talked about; Prayers; Church going & sermons; Talks about God; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Many mentions of God & trusting Him; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, a reverend, sermons, & Sunday school classes; Mentions of Bibles & Bible reading; A few mentions of those in the Bible; A couple mentions of a missionary; A mention of acting like Jesus; A mention of a godsend; A mention of blessing others; A mention of a prayer chain.

Negative Content- Minor cussing including:   A couple mentions of people saying others’ name like a curse; A bit of eye rolling; Many mentions of (possibly) stolen items, stealing, thefts, & thieves; Mentions of WWII, escaping the Nazis, & prejudice; Mentions of car accidents, deaths, & injuries; Mentions of illegal activities; Mentions of threats, being bullied, & bruises; Mentions of falling off a roof & injuries; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of rumors; Mentions of a husband who left his wife & their divorce; A couple mentions of jealousy; A mention of a suicide threat; A mention of throwing up; A mention of spankings;

             *Note: A mention of a car brand.

Sexual Content- A few mentions of a high school sweetheart & a broken heart; A mention of seeing a couple kiss;

             *Note: A mention of being told to butt out.

-Anne Gibson
                                P.O.V. switches between them
                                                        266 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

While this mystery did feel a bit more “adult-ish” than the previous ones only because of the political parts and Anne missing her husband more in this one than in the previous books (which made me want to give her a hug!), it was still a good read. 

I thought it was neat that a new character who is introduced in this book has a sister who lives in China working with orphans.

Overall, it was another good mystery in this series! :)

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.