"Deadly Proof" by Rachel Dylan

About this book:

  “In the biggest case of her career, attorney Kate Sullivan is tapped as lead counsel to take on Mason Pharmaceutical because of a corporate cover-up related to its newest drug. After a whistleblower dies, Kate knows the stakes are much higher than her other lawsuits.
   Former Army Ranger turned private investigator Landon James is still haunted by mistakes made while serving overseas. Trying to forget the past, he is hired by Kate to look into the whistleblower's allegation and soon suspects that the company may be engaging in a dangerous game for profit. He also soon finds himself falling for this passionate and earnest young lawyer. 
   Determined not to make the same mistakes, he's intent on keeping Kate safe, but as the case deepens, it appears someone is willing to risk everything—even murder—to keep the case from going to trial.”


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


Spiritual Content- A couple Scriptures are mentioned; Prayers & Thanking God; Kate has a faith & witnesses to Landon; Landon feels like God has abandoned him (due to God not answering an important prayer) & and is on his own; *Spoiler* Landon opens his heart back to God about halfway when talking with Kate and then starts to pray for Kate’s safety *End of Spoiler*; It’s said that Nicole doesn’t have a “spiritual connection to any particular religion” but she did, she would pray over a decision; Talks about God, faiths, & praying; 'H's are capital when referring to God; Mentions of God, His will, & faiths; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of churches, church going, & services.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘heck’, a ‘screw up’, a ‘sucks’, two ‘dumb’s, two forms of ‘idiot’, and five ‘stupid’s; Mentions of curses (said, not written, including by Ethan); A bit of eye rolling; Seeing a murder, another person shot, & blood (up to semi-detailed); Being attacked, Being held at gunpoint, Being shot, Being rear-ended, A car chase, Fighting (self-defense), Threatened, Injuries, Pain, Blood/bleeding, & Passing out (up to semi-detailed); Kate has anxiety & depression (it’s mentioned and discussed, but not shown on-page; She handles with anxiety & depression with her faith in God); Ethan has the start of a panic attack (barely-above-not-detailed); Ethan’s morals are tested for representing a big company that will pay well but wants him to hide evidence (he also says some hurtful things to Kate since their positions are on different sides of the lawsuit); All about many mentions of prescription drugs, drug companies, side effects (including brain tumors), injuries, & deaths from the drugs (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of a shooting, murder, & the murderer, & professional hits; Mentions of car accidents & deaths (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of deaths & grief (including Kate for her parents (car accident), a husband (cancer), a mother for her daughter (brain tumor)); Mentions of wars, fighting overseas, violence, terrorists, & guilt over causing a death (Landon, up to semi-detailed); Mentions of crimes & criminals; Mentions of threats & blackmail (including slashed tires); Mentions of kidnappings, attacks, blood/bleeding, & injuries (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of lies & lying; A handful of mentions of prescription drug abuse & addiction; A few mentions of alcohol & DUIs; A few mentions of parties & partying; A couple mentions of an arrest & prison; A couple mentions of robberies; A couple mentions of explosives; A couple mentions of rumors; A couple mentions of hatred; A couple mentions of jealousy; A mention of gang violence; A mention of thugs; A mention of a break-in; A mention of gambling; A mention of divorce; A mention of Landon’s father not being in the picture when he was growing up; A mention of an injured cat (barely-above-not-detailed);
             *Note: Kate wants a spot on a team because of her qualifications & not her gender (Ethan makes a comment that Kate got the spot partially because of being female; Another female attorney tells Kate that she can’t be soft with those under her because as a woman “the last thing you want is to be seen as weak”); Mentions of car brands; A mention of a store (Macy’s); A mention of a brand name (Kool-Aid); A mention of social media (Facebook).
 
 
Sexual Content- An almost (semi-detailed) kiss, a barely-above-not-detailed kiss, a semi-detailed kiss, and a detailed kiss; Wanting to kiss (barely-above-not-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, Warmth, & Butterflies (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to touch & embrace (up to semi-detailed); Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); Landon is called a ‘hunk’ twice (by Kate and her friends); A few mentions of kisses & kissing; A few mentions of dates & dating; A few mentions of cheating & a guy hitting on his friend’s girlfriend (*Spoiler* Landon, which he deeply regrets doing *End of Spoiler*); A mention of jealousy; A mention of a crush; Love, falling in love, & the emotions.
 
-Kate Sullivan, age 38
-Landon James
                                P.O.V. switches between them, Ethan, & Nicole
                                                        320 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

{Add up to a full star for Older Teens interested in the legal field}

I was interested in this book because of the law theme and the case against a Big Pharma company, so that’s why I stuck with it even when the romance made me roll my eyes. Even though I enjoy a good (clean) romance, I think I honestly would have preferred there to be no romance in this book. It felt out of place and shoehorned in at times. But I’ll be honest that that could have been because I was much more interested in the case then the main characters. This was definitely a book where I was reading to the end for the plot, not the characters. 

For being classified as a legal suspense book, it didn’t feel suspenseful at all to me, but maybe that’s because I’m use to books where both of the main characters are in the criminal justice field. The attorney and debate elements were completely interesting, and Kate was very well spoken in those parts so it felt well done. I truly enjoyed those scenes and am glad it was a major part of the books. 

The faith content was good, but I do think this book was unbalanced with the legal parts and main couple having discussions about their struggles—nearly every time they were together, it was about past events or Kate trying to encourage Landon back to his faith. Which, mind you, wasn’t bad, but I never felt a connection—or spark if you will—about them. Their feelings for the other happened very fast and felt forced into the plot. 

I might continue on with the series as I own the rest of the books, but I’ll admit to not anticipating a lot from them.

 

 

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.

"Prank War" by Olivia Jarmusch

About this book:

  “Millie can’t wait to celebrate “Galentine’s Day” with her friends at Chestnut Academy! But when her father asks her to spend the day with her kid brother, Willie, Millie fears that she’ll break the most important club rule: No Boys Allowed!
    Meanwhile, the boys at Craven Hall have a surprise of their own up their sleeves. They challenge the young ladies of Chestnut Academy to go head-to-head in an exciting competition! But the invitation comes with a twist: they must attend the Craven Hall school dance!
    Will Millie and her friends defeat the boys? Or will they be forced to surrender in the middle of their prank war? Ride and laugh along with Millie and the M&M gang in a brand-new adventure!”


Series: Book #2 in the “Chestnut Academy” series. Review of Book #1 Here! (Connected to the author’s other series, “The Tales of Tarsurella”, but does not have to be read first or together.)


Spiritual Content- A Scripture is indirectly mentioned (about turning the other cheek); A mention of God giving someone a sibling to help the other grow in love and patience; A mention of using your time to glorify God; A mention of the good Lord saving someone (in a war-like setting); A mention of things that have no eternal value; A mention of a nunnery; 
             *Note: A mention of Joan of Arc; A mention of Santa Claus.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘buzz off’, a ‘for crying out loud’, a ‘good heavens’, a ‘jeesh’, a ‘oh my peppers’, a ‘oh snap’, a ‘pickles’, a ‘stupid’ and two ‘oh my heavens’s (most are exclaimed); Some eye rolling, sarcasm, & sass; Prank wars (including taunting notes, silly-string, water balloons, trashing a bedroom, destroying & stealing others’ items), Sneaking out (which Millie’s friends know that that’s not allowed but do it anyway), & Trying not to get caught by the adults (Millie and McKayla are all for the pranks and getting back at the boys because they’re confident that their plans will work, but Misti and Mimi are concerned about getting into trouble and the punishments; When something personal is destroyed via a prank, Millie becomes incredibly upset; *Spoiler* Towards the end, when her father finds out, he’s disappointed in her and has her removed from the competition; Millie and her brother make-up at the end *End of Spoiler*); At the beginning, Millie’s father tries to talk to her about spending time with her brother and talks about not being selfish and practicing self-control, but Millie thinks it’s not selfishness, that her friends need her for their party; There’s a snooty girl who makes mean comments & brags about herself (Millie and her friends try to avoid her because it’s hard to hold their tongues when she’s around and it’s a waste of energy; There are some confrontations between them and bickering happens; Millie and one of her friends are more prone to reacting and gets very upset at their taunts); Mentions of mean/snooty mean girls (bullies) & their comments/teasing; A few mentions of wars & a massacre (figuratively); A couple mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of manure; A mention of a burp; 
             *Note: There’s boy-girl arguments and banter between Millie’s friends and her brother’s friends (taunting/mocking, smack-talking, and implying they are better than the other) along with pranks (boys vs girls rivalry); Millie and her friends want to cream the boys in a competition and they sneak out (without permission) to spy on the boys to gather information (this ends in another prank involving silly-string and a vow to get them back); Millie’s headmistresses tells her and her friends that doing things you don’t want to do is a good test to be able to do it with a good attitude and see the best in others; *Spoiler* Millie buys her and her friends expensive items (dresses, accessories, stuffed animals, and a very expensive saddle) with the debit card her father gave her for emergencies and necessities only; Millie feels good about helping her friends, but has a feeling that she should have asked for her father’s permission; This causes a friend to be very mad at Millie, but they later make-up after Millie apologizes; Towards the end, when her father finds out, he’s disappointed in her and has her work at the school to pay off the bill *End of Spoiler*; A few mentions of brand names (Twizzlers); A couple mentions of fictional characters (Narnia).
 
 
Sexual Content- A teacher tells the girls from her school and the boys from the other school that if they are to be respectable citizens, they must have a “proper understanding of interacting with the opposite gender” and makes them dance with each other; Mentions of boys, boy crazy girls, & a boyfriend (Millie’s older sister has a boyfriend and Millie’s friends talk about that being a waste of her “horse-loving potential” and not being girls who are crazy about boys; Millie says “there’s no danger of that ever happening with us” and it’s true that all four girls’ thoughts are only on their horses and pranking the boys); Mentions of there being a “No Boys Allowed Galentine’s Party”; Mentions of a school dance (Millie’s friends aren’t happy about being with boys and say so, but some of the other girls are excited and call them immature); A mention of a girl calling a boy handsome; 
             *Note: A boy comments on his muscles to show off. 
 
-Princess Millie of Tarsurella, age 10
                                P.O.V. of Millie
                                                        133 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

{ Please note the content about the mean girl and the boys vs girls rivalry as that may be a deal breaker for some families. }

After reading the first book in this series a couple of months ago, I was definitely interested in this next book. Millie learned at the end of the first book about telling the truth about her identity was the best way for her to honor her family and also be kind to her new friends—which comes to play in this book for sure, but there’s also new lessons to learn as well. 

Millie really must learn about self-control when there’s a mean girl and her comments plus a prank war happening between her and her friends & her brother and his friends. Things get messy quick! 

Because of this book having a mean girl about the same (if not a touch more) than the first book and there also being a boys vs girls rivalry and pranks, some families may want to read together to discuss different parts and add their own thoughts on Millie’s actions. 

 

 

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.

"An American Immigrant" by Johanna Rojas Vann

About this book:

  “A Colombian American journalist tries to save her career by taking an assignment somewhere she never thought she’d go—Colombia—in this heartwarming debut novel about rediscovering our family stories.
   Twenty-five-year-old Melanie Carvajal, a hardworking but struggling journalist for a Miami newspaper, loves her Colombian mother but regularly ignores her phone calls, frustrated that she never quite takes the time to understand Melanie’s life. When the opportunity arises for a big assignment that might save her flagging career, Melanie follows the story to the land of her mother’s birth. She soon realizes Colombia has the potential to connect her, after all these years, to something she’s long her heritage, the love of her mother, her family, and the richest parts of herself. 
    Colombia offers more than a chance to make a name for herself as a writer. It is a place of untold stories.”


Series: As of now, no. A stand-alone novel.


Spiritual Content- Anita wonders where God is at a low point; Melanie sees the statue of Christ in Colombia (Cristo Rey); Mentions of God (also called the Divine and the Most High); Mentions of prayers & praying; A few mentions of thanking God; A few mentions of churches & church going; A few mentions of being Blessed; A mention of a man possibly being an angel (because he was helpful); A mention of a woman in a head covering & long skirt; A mention of a place not being fully of saints; 
             *Note: The phrase “Only God knows” is used in the author’s note; A couple mentions of a painting that is a spoof on da Vinci’s The Last Supper; A couple mentions of another’s lecture being called a “sermon” (twice); A mention of a notebook being like a shrine to other writers; A mention of the demon inside of someone; A mention of everyone having a demon to fight; A mention of Santa Claus.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘dumb’, a ‘thank God’ (by a side character that used God’s name in vain in Spanish), a stinkin’, a ‘sucks’, two forms of ‘screw up’, two ‘sheesh’s, two ‘shut up’s, two ‘witch’s (calling a woman that), and five ‘stupid’s; Spanish versions: two ‘ay Dios mio’ (Oh my God), and two ‘Dios mio’ (my God), and three ‘por Dios’ (for God’s sake); A few mentions of curses (said, not written, including one by Anita); Eye rolling & Sarcasm; In a flashback/journal entry, Anita tells someone about her father being drunk, (implied) trying to drown his infant son, grabbing her hair, and shooting off a gun to scare them (Anita believes he meant to kill her, up to semi-detailed); Melanie goes to a salsa club (there is a bar there and while she doesn’t drink there are mentions of others drinking); Anita doesn’t drink because of her father & Melanie doesn’t drink anything at a club because of her fear of getting sick (she later thinks that her fear is silly); Melanie has a near panic attack (hyperventilating and anxiety symptoms, borderline barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Melanie lies a couple times and feels guilty about it; Melanie reads her mother’s journals without her permission and eventually confesses her (she feels uneasy about reading them, but gets absorbed into it); Many mentions of cartels/gangs, drugs, drug trafficking, drug smuggling, crimes, violence, & deaths; Mentions of prisons; Mentions of poverty & not feeling safe in a country (Melanie with Colombia; her mother tells her just to avoid the sketchy areas); Mentions of alcohol, drinking, bars, & an abusive drunk; Mentions of divorce (Melanie’s parents divorced when she was young and it didn’t sound like her father stayed in the picture); Mentions of envy (including when Melanie wished she had blond hair and blue eyes when she was in school); A few mentions of deaths of family members; A few mentions of kidnappings & child soldiers; A few mentions of robberies & muggings; A few mentions of money laundering; A few mentions of injuries & a heart attack; A few mentions of lies, lying, & liars; A few mentions of gossip & rumors; A couple mentions of plagiarism; A couple mentions of being teased at school growing up; A mention of assassinations; A mention of terrorism; A mention of graffiti; 
             *Note: The phrase “illegal alien” is never used, instead “undocumented immigrant” and “illegal immigrant” are used; Before going to there, Anita felt disgusted by America, the American government taking her country’s resources for cheap, (her brother tries to talk to her about it and see the other side, but she’s very against America for some time; including her making a comment on Americans stealing their land from indigenous people); Anita (and Melanie) comment on the rest of the world viewing Colombia with hatred and not realizing that the Colombian people are hurting as well; We see Anita traveling through Mexico (including lying about who she is and being subject to a strip search) and then with a coyote through to America (later said that she wasn’t the drug criminal that the governments were looking for, but a woman who “was sneaking into a country that promised a better life”); Anita works in a factory setting for little money with a mean boss when she’s first in America; Anita was concerned about her children not being interested in their Colombia culture or speaking Spanish (she feels as if she’s failing them); At the beginning, Melanie is frustrated with her mom (because she doesn’t understand Melanie, being embarrassed by her growing up, not wanting to eat their cultural food growing up, and often feeling resentful of her mother’s heritage and being unable to fit in) & Melanie deals with guilt over cutting their conversations short; Melanie has the goal to be able to “buy the same things that everyone else has” (referring to the lack of things when she was growing up); Melanie views her mom as a doormat because she doesn’t stand up for herself (even thinking about how she’s supposed to respect her; she learns there’s much more to her mother’s story by reading her journals); *Spoiler* In the middle of the book, Melanie realizes how hard it was for her mother on many things and learns to appreciate her while becoming closer to her *End of Spoiler*; She also thinks about how her family and family in Colombia are doing better than others is because of the few members who decided to move to the States; Melanie thinks that her mother “kicked down the door” (instead of waiting for a door to open) about her not leaving home until she was married and also not having to have a visa to go to America; It’s said that Anita’s story is similar to a lot of other women’s story of how they followed their hearts “despite the roadblocks”; Anita’s mother didn’t force her daughters to help her in the kitchen and so Anita didn’t force Melanie or her sister either (telling them to go play or focus on school); Melanie recalls a guidance counselor at school telling her not to be in creative writing and that journalism to better because “you’ll be respected. People respect journalists”; Mentions of Starbucks (*Spoiler* Melanie gets a job there towards the end of the book *End of Spoiler*); Mentions of FaceTime & social media sites (Twitter, Facebook, & Instagram); Mentions of celebrities (Frida Kahlo, Carlos Vives, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, & Justin Bieber); Mentions of brand names & items (J. Crew Factory, Keurig, Coke, Word document, & iPad); A few mentions of a young woman’s father being upset that she didn’t follow in his footsteps (career); A few mentions of car brands; A couple mentions of someone looking like a zombie; A couple mentions of a book (“Love in the Time of Cholera”); A mention of communist teachings the schools in Colombia were prone to share; A mention of a woman wanting to make sure a man doesn’t get the credit for something a woman did; A mention of a woman being “a boss” for going up against her drunk father; A mention of yoga; A mention of a smell of food calming Melanie’s nerves more than any prescription; A mention of a nose piercing; A mention of winning an Emmy; A mention of Covid.
 
 
Sexual Content- Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); A few Blushes; Dancing & Nearness (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of dating, boys, boyfriends, & breakups; A few mentions of a handsome man & potential predators; A few mentions of staying temporarily with a boyfriend (does not happen); A couple mentions of flirting; A mention of girls gossiping about boys;
             *Note: Anita is subject to a strip search where she has to take off all clothing and underwear and move around to make sure she isn’t hiding anything (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed).
 
-Melanie Carvajal, age 25
-Anita
               P.O.V. switches between them 
                             Melanie in 2018 & 2019, Anita in 1987 & 2009
                                                        352 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

{ Add up to a full star for those who have a connection to Colombia and/or may relate to this story. }

This story feels personal—like the author based many elements on her own life and experiences—which makes this a harder book to rate. 

 

As someone who knows the importance of speaking more than one language, it really hurt my heart to see Melanie be so ashamed of her Colombian heritage and speaking Spanish. That’s why it was really nice to see her character development just in that regard. I was a little shocked by the pacing of this book because major character development and conversations happen at about halfway in. It almost felt like the book was going to end there but I still had 50% to go. I do think it book was about 50 pages too long, but it never felt like it was completely dragging to me.

 

It definitely highlighted the side of Colombia most do not see or even know. I have no connection to Colombia, but have friends who do and are second-generation immigrants, so I thought I would try out this book. I found it interesting, even if a bit uncomfortable at times because of being a Texan and knowing other kinds of stories of those crossing the border illegally. This book definitely highlighted those who mean well and only do it to provide for their families. It’s definitely a touchy topic, though, and something I have to mention.

 

One more thing that didn’t settle the best with me were the phrases "Por Dios", “Dios mio”, and "Ay Dios Mio" being used. Which I've learned in the past mean phrases that take God's name in vain. I’ve checked with a handful of reader book friends (some who Spanish is their first language, another who grew up speaking it at home, and a couple who are nearly fluent in Spanish) and the general thought is that those phrases are used in frustration or desperation and are not praising God’s name—some adding that they’ve been told that as Christians they shouldn’t say those phrases. (Thank you to those that reached out to confirm this for me!) Because of this and a few other comments, my personal rating continued to drop as I did this review. 

 

I do wish there had been more faith content, because it was very light and while apparent that characters have faiths, we don’t see much of it, which was a disappointing. I did appreciate that there really wasn’t any romance in this book—only slightly hinted towards at the very end.

 

Overall, this book gave me a lot to think about. It was also overall clean, so I could see High School Aged Girls reading this one if they have an interest in Colombia and/or are “American Immigrants” themselves.

 

 

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.

"Cloak of Scarlet" by Melanie Dickerson

About this book:

  “She was an orphan of no importance . . .
   Violet Lambton never imagined herself as anything but average. Adopted as a young child, she’s content with her comfortable life in her small medieval town with her faith, her books, and her baking . . . and the vivid red cloak her grandmother gifted her. Her one dream: to find a love that is pure and true. Then, her beloved grandmother is robbed by the villainous Baron Dunham. Outraged, Violet finds herself in the midst of the action and determines to put an end to the evil baron’s mistreatment of the hardworking people.
    He was an ordinary knight serving the baron . . .
    Sir Merek, a knight in the service of Baron Dunham, has pledged his life to fighting injustice and defending the weak. But when he encounters the spirited and beautiful Violet and discovers the depths of the baron’s treachery, he realizes that serving his employer is not serving the kingdom—and so he sets out on a daring journey to go behind the baron’s back to expose his deceitfulness to the king.
    Suddenly the kingdom depends on both of them.
    But before Merek and Violet can act to bring the corruption to light, Violet is captured and brought directly to Dunham—where she shockingly discovers a secret that shakes her entire world . . . and the future she dreams of. Thrown together in the baron’s quarters in a race against time to save the lives of their loved ones and themselves, Violet and Merek must learn to trust each other to expose Dunham’s treachery to the king—all while succumbing to their growing feelings for each other. Can the two find their happily ever after against all odds, or will the wolves amongst them drive them apart?”


Series: Book #5 in “The Dericott Tales”. Review of the Book #1 Here!, Book #2 Here!, Book #3 Here!, and Book #4 Here!


Spiritual Content- Scriptures are directly referenced, mentioned, quoted, & remembered; Many Prayers; Talks about God; 'H's are capital when referring to God; Violet goes to a church to pray and lights a candle and crosses herself when there; God talks to Violet (about holding her in the palm of His hand); Merek strives to have Christlike character in all he does; Many mentions of God, His plans, prayers, praying, thanking God, & faiths; Mentions of God speaking to others (Violet and her grandmother; Violet’s mother says that God only speaks to priests and prophets); Mentions of those & events in the Bible; Mentions of churches/cathedrals, priests, confessing sins to priests, & a crucifix; A few mentions of the Holy Writ/Holy Scriptures; A few mentions of psalms & Psalters; A few mentions of forgiving others so God is able to forgive you; A few mentions of sins; A couple mentions of Heaven; A mention of a blessing over food; A mention of a godly person; A mention of godspeed; A mention of Holy days; A mention of a pilgrimage; A mention of someone being a whitewashed tomb; A mention of the lake of burning fire;
             *Note: Violet’s grandmother shares with her about marrying a man without asking God if she should and it being a rough marriage; Mentions of evil people & evil actions; A mention of some villages being fearful of anyone in authority, even the Church clergy.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: an ‘egads’; A mention of curses (said, not written); Eye rolling & Sarcasm; Fighting, Being grabbed/attacked, Being held at knife-point, Being tied-up, Being beaten, Pain, Injuries, Blood/Bleeding, & Passing out (up to semi-detailed); Seeing a fight & someone bleeding a lot after being stabbed (*Spoiler* the person ends up passing away, which causes Merek to feel some guilt over killing another, but it relieved that it means that evil person can’t hurt others anymore *End of Spoiler*, up to semi-detailed); Almost being attacked by a wild boar & Fighting it (up to semi-detailed); *Spoiler* Violet’s birth father threatens her to submit to his plans or he’ll kill her and her loved ones, and also holds a knife against her throat *End of Spoiler*; Merek has a temper and has to reign it in multiple times to keep himself from going after revenge and physically fighting others (he imagines fighting and besting others, barely-above-not-detailed); Violet & Merek drink wine and ale at dinners/parties; Violet struggles with the injustice happening in her village (her grandmother tells her that “we will never be content, as God intended, if we rage against the things we can to nothing about. It is better to accept them”); A man relieves himself outside in front of Violet & Merek (he tries to shield her from that, border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Many mentions of stealing, thefts, thieves, & being attacked and threatened; Many mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of murders, killing, & wanting to kill or harm another who are doing a crime; Mentions of deaths (including Violet’s birth mother starving to death); Mentions of threats of harm, death, and execution (including towards loved ones to get another to do as they say, up to semi-detailed); Mentions of a murder, crimes, treason, & being locked in a prison (Book #1); Mentions of torture; Mentions of attacks, fighting, beatings, injuries, pain, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of alcohol (including stronger spirits), drinking, social drinking at dinners, drunks, & hangovers; Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of hunting; A few mentions of Violet being “killed, or worse” after standing up to men in powerful positions; A few mentions of a priest being hung after speaking out against an authority figure (barely-above-not-detailed); A few mentions of wars/battles; A few mentions of criminals; A few mentions of drugging someone so they will sleep (main characters towards an evil character); A few mentions of jealousy; A few mentions of hatred; A few mentions of relieving oneself, human excrement, & urine; A couple mentions of someone being thrown from a horse & dying (barely-above-not-detailed); A mention of a man often leaving his family and then coming back and repeating it many times; A mention of killing a hog (semi-detailed);
             *Note: Violet is adopted and it’s brought-up many times, particularly Violet feeling like she always has to do more for her family to show her appreciation at them taking in a “helpless, needy child who could give them nothing in return”, that she’s an orphan of no importance, remembering starving prior to being adopted helping her be humble and grateful to her adoptive parents, being a burden to her family, how she felt helpless to help her birth mother, that her adoptive family will ceases to love her if she’s not a blessing to them, and feeling as if she’s responsible for her birth mother’s death; Violet recalls the time her birth mother said they have no food and Violet remembers the feelings of extreme hunger (her birth mother would soon pass away from not being able to eat, up to semi-detailed on the feelings of hunger); Violet’s mother has anxiety & worries a lot; Violet asks if a man shoots orphans for fun because he’s already violating the Holy Scriptures by another action (she was being sassy); When Violet finds out about her birth mother, she feels as if her adoptive family has lied to her but tells herself that they “only omitted a lot of important information”instead; A few mentions of some men and women abusing their spouse; A mention of a man saying “what good is it for a woman to learn to read?”; A mention of someone asking if Violet is “soft in the head”.
 
 
Sexual Content- Two hand kisses (unwanted), two cheek kisses, a nose kiss, two forehead kisses, three not-detailed kisses, a barely-above-not-detailed kiss, two semi-detailed kisses (one in a dream), and two detailed kisses; Remembering kisses (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to kiss (up to semi-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Dancing, Nearness, & Smelling (including unwanted/forced as well, up to semi-detailed); Blushes; Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); Violet has a dream of kissing Merek & wakes up startled, thinking that she’s being unseemly because she’s unmarried; After kissing Violet, Merek wonders if he’s “died and gone to heaven”; *Big Spoiler* Violet finds out about a third of the way through that her birth mother was an orphaned servant that was taken advantage of by a powerful man who mistreated her; Violet feels sick to learn this information and that the Baron is her biological father; Her grandmother tells her that she is not responsible for anything that happened to her mother or anything that the baron did; Towards the end, Violet realizes it was a blessing that her birth mother took her away from him because she would have had a different life with mistreatment otherwise *End of Big Spoiler*; *Ending Spoiler* In the final chapter of the book, Violet and Merek are married in front of the king and then the epilogue is two months later with talks about them getting married the next day in their own church (not called a wedding, but getting married); She’s with child at this time *End of Spoiler*; A few mentions of Violet being “killed, or worse” after standing up to men in powerful positions; A few mentions of men leering at or looking at Violet or her figure; A few mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of temptations & some men taking advantage of women (Merek says he does not want to be like those men); A mention of the Church not viewing a couple as married until the marriage is consummated; A mention of a man staring at Violet’s mouth; A mention of seducing someone; A mention of a mistress; A mention of a married person preferring illicit company rather than their spouse; A mention of flirting; A mention of some men speaking profanely about women; A mention of a man charming women; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Violet wonders if a man will try anything “unseemly” towards her, but knows “where to hit a man to incapacitate him”; A mention of a young women possibly being casted out from her family when it was revealed she was pregnant; A mention of a mother passing away in childbirth; A mention of a stillborn baby.
 
-Violet Lambton, age 18 (?)
-Sir Merek, age 21
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                            Set in 1386 (Medieval) 
                                                        336 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

{Could be possibly trigger for adoptees and/or those in or were in foster care} 

This series has been making me wondering if I’m too old for YA books anymore—and I know that’s not the case. 

 

Here’s the thing, the writing and the very simple plot line make me think that this book is better for ages 14 or 15, but the romance was so physically attracted based and really the main part of the story, I hesitate to recommend it for younger teenagers. It could definitely push the thoughts of romance/boys too early (especially with two detailed kisses), though, for some girls—depending on the girl and her age. 

 

There was a good amount of faith content and lots of prayers, along with Scriptures referenced in conversations and prayers, which was nice to see. 

 

I never felt connected to Violet or Merek and they were from arguing and fussing at the other to wanting to kiss the other so fast and Violet dreaming of kissing him. It was zero to ninety very fast in that regard because they were very attracted to the other. Their personalities and character were noted by the other, but it almost felt like an afterthought because they were already physically attracted to the other. There is also a mention of consummating a marriage and a scene where a man relieves himself outside that I truly don’t understand why those parts/comments were necessary? 

 

There’s one thing that I’d like to note for parents of the girls who may be interested in this book: *Spoiler* In the final chapter of the book, Violet and Merek are married in front of the king and then the epilogue is two months later and talks about them getting married the next day in their own church. She’s with child at this time. I note this only because, while yes, they were married prior, they refer to the second event as a marriage and not a wedding. This could be slightly confusing for some girls. *End of Spoiler*

 

I can see why some readers may enjoy this one because it was overall clean, but, personally, I don’t think it was anywhere near as good as other books by this author.

 

 

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.