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IEfUHNLlrrNUrcl3THW6Tt_SVsRoRrYMD-DqNe-a8V6zXnDOjeSyNNDUHeHVKVmPj1Y8dHv9gaN4GdkEvZlZE4BzuJb7mb3_Gdc4L87Yr0ql6szTckhiL8VxWu8w2BcA/s1976/Worry%20Less,%20Pray%20More%20by%20JoAnne%20Simmons.jpeg” imageanchor=”1″ style=”margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;”> New Teens-  IHrwhdeOimPXpkSL070fQ0nx42HCiD2bmYPY_W7iGTQ/s200/%7Bstar%205.jpg” imageanchor=”1″ style=”margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;”> Older High School Teens-  IIHA3So32EXh_l2eGE-FaBHDwHkEpCgydldlCgcGtYhyqXo3B19lQ73UoTA5lh-Hqv8CIJ_QQtLNj-9Uj0pQrIZSLLJo0F3wRgYH9bLuB6t5U-Ghzq1EWqMw7JM2-M41fQw/s200/%7Bstar%204.jpg” imageanchor=”1″ style=”font-family: “Times New Roman”, serif; font-size: 16px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;”> This is an encouraging little devotional. It gives ideas for other ways to add to your prayers and was good overall. It was pretty solid and had little-to-none of pop-culture or fluff within it, which I appreciate! There was a lot of good notes that I can’t say I’ve seen in other teen-age devotionals—and we all know I’ve reviewed a bunch of those—like praying for your parents, your extended family members, your country, and such. I will say that I’m not personally a fan of the versions used, but the point of a devotional is to get you in your Bible more, though, so it’s not a deal-breaker for me.  Some of the devotionals felt a bit young (for younger teens), but overall, I think it would work for all ages of teen girls.    {A couple notes: There’s more than ten mentions of school-like settings (& a few devotionals about praying at school), but they aren’t the only examples used, so I think this devotional could work for a homeschooled teen as well, though, some parts might not fit well.  There’s a couple devotionals about praying for your country/state, it’s president/leaders, and politics and a couple that mention about the American flag or being American. The message is still true for those in other countries/states and the prayers would still stay the same.}     See y’all on Friday with a new review!  I-G3vFu8VezXg_hh1dRgrpSfqXzY09vCFswEmQ/s200/Siggy.jpg” imageanchor=”1″ style=”clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;”>

About this book:   “To save her people, a wingless girl must learn to fly.    As a piskey girl born without wings and raised underground, Ivy yearns for flight almost as much as she misses her long-lost mother. But the world outside the Delve is full of danger, and her dreams seem hopeless until she meets a mysterious faery who makes her an enticing offer: If Ivy helps him escape the Delve’s dungeon, he’ll teach her how to fly.    Freeing Richard could cost Ivy her reputation, perhaps even her life. But when her fellow piskeys start to disappear and her beloved little sister goes missing, Ivy has no choice but to take the risk.    Deadly threats and shocking revelations await Ivy as she ventures into a strange new world, uncovers long-buried secrets about her family’s past, and finds that no one—not even herself—is entirely what they seem.” Series: Book #1 in “The Flight and Flame” trilogy.  Spiritual Content- A human girl prays to God for something to work;              *Note: Magic is used for both good and bad (depending on the one using it and their goals); Regarding the magic, it’s said that piskey magic and faery magic are different, that magic is “a matter of instinct rather than learning”, the being in the moonlight makes magical folks’ magic stronger, magic doesn’t last forever, only female piskeys and female faeries have wings, male faeries can change shape (into an animal), & to change into in animal you have to be completely familiar with that animal and it’s life; Ivy and other piskeys cast magic that are also called ‘spells’, ‘glamors’, ‘wards’, ‘charms’, and ‘illusions’ (very frequently, also mentions of evil spells by villainous characters); Piskeys and other magical folks (faeries and spriggans) have magic/powers and some of them can change shape/size, transform into an animal, grow tiny or big, turn themselves invisible, heal others, leaping from one place to another/transporting, put others to sleep, tracking/finding others, protective spells, create fire from their hands, creating spells to harm others, forcing others to tell the truth, erasing others’ memories, keeping others from talking, controlling others, bespelling others, & casting spells on the enemy in wars (Ivy does some of these & *Spoiler* transforms/”changes” into a bird after being taught *End of Spoiler*); Piskeys get close to a special fire that will make their skin glow better than any lamp (which is helpful since they live in an abandoned mine shaft); *Major Spoiler* There is a faery determine to take revenge on piskeys by planning to trap all male piskeys in little statues and sell them to humans as a good luck charm (because of an error, one of the piskeys died); To be freed from the statue, the blood of a family member and the spell caster has to be wiped on the statue; Ivy is trapped in one once and see others being trapped as well (semi-detailed); More detailed in the Negative Content Spoiler *End of Major Spoiler*; When Ivy touches a couple statues, she feels a power or a connection from them (because of how it was made); Mentions of old powers from the earth & not all of those being good ones; Mentions of iron causing faeries pain and to be unable to use their magic; Mentions of healing potions; Mentions of some humans and magical folk that don’t believe magical creatures exists (some humans with piskeys, some piskeys with spriggans, etc.); Mentions of a human girl being able to see faeries due to having some magic in her blood; A few mentions of cursing others (piskeys to faeries and spriggans); A few mentions of a faery godfather; A couple mentions of demons (someone fighting like a demon & another being called a demon); A couple mentions of blessings over a community; A mention of a place looking possibly haunted; A mention of a wicked magical folk; A mention of a curse; A mention of ghosts; A mention of someone coming back to life (after being trapped); A mention of someone’s gaze of admiration “that bordered on worship”.  Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘blast *someone*’, a ‘shut your mouth’, an unfinished ‘what the—’, and nine forms of ‘stupid’; A bit of eye rolling & sarcasm; A mention of a curse (said, not written); Seeing a death (similar to Mother Gothel in Tangled, up to semi-detailed); Being attacked, Being hit and slapped, Passing out, Pain, Injuries, Ivy makes herself bleed, & Blood/Bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Being trapped & wanting to feel pain (because she can’t feel anything where she is trapped, up to semi-detailed); Slapping someone & Helping someone put their shoulder back in joint (barely-above-not-detailed); Ivy has to prepare & kill a snake (for food, up to semi-detailed); Ivy has a bit of a disrespectful tone and thoughts towards her mother, but when she goes missing, Ivy is the only one of her family to believe that their mother didn’t leave them on purpose (there’s quite a lot of discussions on this, their different ways of handling it, Ivy feeling upset at her brother and father’s reactions to it all, & Ivy being disappointed in/bitter towards her mother at times); Ivy struggles with feeling hatred towards her father and brother for their attitude towards her mother’s disappearance and some of their actions/words (more so her brother, but she does get upset at her father for withdrawing from their family and also wonders if her parents even care about her); Ivy understands a woman’s frustration with her husband for not noticing the work that women do (she says that the men only care about their beds being warm and stomachs full, which Ivy understands because her brother never thanks her and has become selfish); *Major Spoiler* There is a faery determine to take revenge on piskeys by planning to trap all male piskeys in little statues and sell them to humans as good luck charms (because of an error, one of the piskeys died, but more used to die when the spell was used as a hostage negotiation plan

About this book:   “USSS Special Agent Zane Thacker has landed his dream assignment protecting the president of the United States. When the president plans a fundraiser at the exclusive estate of a political supporter in Raleigh, Zane is thrilled to be working again with Special Agent Tessa Reed, his best friend–and the woman he desperately wishes could be more.   Though Tessa almost lost everything, she battled her demons and came out on the other side healthy and healed. But when her role as the liaison between the Raleigh office and the president’s protective detail wrenches her past back into the present, her greatest failure threatens to come to light.    Zane refuses to let Tessa go through this alone. But can he stand by the woman he loves and protect the president from a mounting threat at the same time?” Series: Book #3 in the “Defend and Protect” trilogy. Review of Book #1 Here! And Book #2 Here! Mentions characters from the “Dive Team Investigations” series and does give slight spoilers from those books. Also mentions a couple from the novella “Deadly Objective” by this author.  Spiritual Content- A handful of Scriptures are read & quoted; Prayers (including quite long prayers and talking to God), Thanking God, & Blessings over food; Talks about God & forgiveness; ‘H’s are not capital when referring to God; Tessa says she refuses to allow alcohol to steal the life God has for her; As a child, Zane didn’t understand why God gave him his mother when other kids had good mothers; Zane prays that he knows God has the power to fix others, but he doesn’t understand why He doesn’t (this is not brought up again); Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches & church going; A few mentions of forgiveness & a man wondering if Zane would still tell him about God if he knew what he did; A couple mentions of being Blessed & blessings; A couple mentions of sins & a sinner; A mention of wishing someone Godspeed; A mention of people in a town “walk[ing] the talk” when it comes to their faith; A mention of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse; A mention of Mother Teresa; A mention of someone’s “eternal reward”; A mention of someone sounding like they’re calling “down fire from heaven”;              *Note: Mentions of Greek gods & a Roman god (Janus); A few mentions of evil; A few mentions of Tessa’s demons & her fighting them; A few mentions of a protest group having neon-crosses (because the person that was killed last name is Cross); A mention of someone’s smile looking a “little wicked”; A mention of being jinxed; A mention of someone knocking on wood (superstition); A mention of voodoo; A mention of someone saying they saw UFOs.   Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘bah’, a ‘blasted’, a ‘blooming’, a ‘duh’, a ‘screw up’, a ‘shoot’, a ‘shut up’, a ‘suckers’, two ‘crap’s, three ‘dumb’s, five forms of ‘ticked/tick off’, ten forms of ‘stupid’, and twenty forms of ‘idiot’; A couple mentions of curses (including Zane bites back choice words once; others are said, not written); Sarcasm & Eye rolling; Being attacked, Being strangled, Fighting/Self-Defense, Pain, Blood, & Injuries (up to semi-detailed); Seeing a multi-vehicle car wreck (semi-detailed); A hangover (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to shoot someone (a few times, not serious); In the opening chapter, Tessa has a hangover (from drinking, but also someone drugged her drink so she remembers nothing and is freaked out); Tessa has struggled with an alcohol addiction for years (later says her first drink was in middle school and that she’s the type who should never have alcohol because she will always want more), goes to rehab prior to the main of the book, and says she’ll always be an alcoholic but she’s healing and doesn’t want to go back to how she was; Zane had a “nightmare” of a childhood due to his mother being an alcoholic (details of him being terrified, upset, & not able to understand why she was like that; He knows it’s not true that he’s not important enough for someone to sacrifice for, but it’s been imbedded in him because of his childhood; He made a comment once to Tessa about not being able to trust a woman who drinks because he might one day love a woman “who needs alcohol more than she needs [him]”); All about many, many mentions of threats, threats of harming and killing, domestic terrorists, crimes, criminals, arrests, jails, protests, violence, & hits on different people (including towards government officials, barely-above-not-detailed); Many mentions of being shot/shot at, being strangled, injuries, pain, a fire burning down a house, explosions, attacks, & deaths (some of the events in Book #1, up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of hangovers, drinking, bars, getting others drunk, alcohol, alcoholics (Tessa and Zane’s mother), rehab, sobriety, & going to AA meetings (Tessa); Mentions of the death penalty & a criminal being executed on multiple charges (eight murders, sexual assault, & battery); Mentions of murders & murderers; Mentions of death wishes & not having one (it is discussed between Tessa and Zane, & a family member asked if she was depressed or had a death wish because of her career choice); Mentions of someone being shot, blood/bleeding, someone being injected with insulin (deadly for those not diabetic), & a gun being aimed (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of grenades, bombs, explosions/explosives, & threats of blowing people/places up; Mentions of biological weapons & plans to cause harm/ill on others with chemicals; Mentions of a multi-vehicle car wreck, possible wrecks, injuries, & being tailed (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of poison, being poisoned, wondering if something is poisoned, & deaths (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of Tessa being drugged & abducted (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of abusive family members, addicts, & substance abuse; Mentions of drugs, drug addictions, being drugged, & women at bars being drugged; Mentions of a possible stalker; Mentions of a break-in; Mentions of snakes, a death from a snake bite, & Tessa’s extreme fear of snakes; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars;

About this book:   “After being kidnapped as a child, heiress Emma Grace McMurray has seen firsthand the devastation that greed causes in the world, and she wants nothing to do with it–including her father’s offering her hand in a business deal. She sneaks away to be a Harvey Girl at the El Tovar Grand Canyon Hotel, planning to stay hidden even if it means always looking over her shoulder.   Ray Watkins arrives at the hotel wanting to impress his father by finding success on his own. Then maybe he can take on more of the family business and do something good with the profits.   Ray immediately admires Emma Grace, and though a friendship forms, she’s afraid he’s just like every other wealthy man she’s known. Then art and jewels go missing from El Tovar and the nearby Hopi House, a mystery that pulls them in and stirs up their worst fears. When shocking revelations come to light, they’ll have to question all they thought to be true.” Series: Book #1 in the “Secrets of the Canyon” series.  Spiritual Content- James 1:2-4 is referenced in the ‘Dear Reader’ section at the beginning; Many Scriptures are read, quoted, mentioned, remembered, thought over, & feeling peace from them; Many Prayers & Thanking God; Bible reading & reading some sections of a book by C. H. Spurgeon; A hymn & a children’s song are sung (& written out); Witnessing & Being witnessed to; Many Talks & Discussions about God, Jesus, believing in Him, trusting Him, having peace, faith, forgiveness, fear, & His love; Talks about those & events in the Bible; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God (in conversations, but not in Scriptures due to the version(s) used); Emma Grace thinks that God abandoned her because of past events that didn’t go the way she wanted and while doesn’t not believe in God, she thinks that He doesn’t care; Emma Grace grew up in a church that “touted the rath of God” where the reverend yelled from the pulpit (where doing good was the main focus, so Emma Grace is confused when someone tells her differently); Ray says God changed him and gave him a second chance; *Spoiler* Emma Grace is given a Scripture that brings peace to her and repeats it often; Towards the middle, she starts praying that if God is really there, to please hear her; Later, she asks to borrow Ray’s Bible and reads it (some cynical and ugly thoughts come into her head when trying to read at first, but they stop; Towards the end, she says she believes *End of Spoiler*; Ray prays about pursuing Emma Grace; Many mentions of God, His plan, Jesus, sins being covered on the cross, forgiveness, fear, & faith; Many mentions of prayers, praying, thanking God, & blessings over food; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, studying the Bible, books of the Bible, & those and events in the Bible; Mentions of churches, church going, services, hymns, reverends, & Sunday school; Mentions of missions & missionaries; A few mentions of God’s beautiful creations & Him being the Creator; A few mentions of Heaven & being okay to be in their Savior’s arms (if they die soon); A few mentions of blessings & being Blessed; A couple mentions of miracles; A mention of divine intervention;              *Note: Emma Grace’s mother told her that “God made her stubborn for a reason” and at church, Emma Grace was told that the wrath of God was for those who were “willful and stubborn”, which were two words that her mother called her often.  Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘sucker’, two ‘dumb’s, and three ‘stupid’s; A tiny bit of eye rolling; Being kidnapped (x2, including one as a child, *Spoiler* Emma Grace for eighteen days as a child due to her father planning it because of business dealings *End of Spoiler*), Being attacked, Being tied-up, Trying to fight and not pass out, passing out, pain, & throwing up (up to semi-detailed); Slapping someone (barely-above-not-detailed); Nightmares (including ones of being chased, up to semi-detailed); Emma Grace says a couple lies (about not remembering a nightmare when asked so she won’t have to tell about it, which she hates to do, and when she got a job as a Harvey girl, which she has felt guilt for); Ray is ashamed of his past self being a “spoiled rich boy”, but plans to do good with the second chance God gave him; Because of past events, Emma doesn’t trust men or her father, which causes her to think all the wealthy class (especially the men) are hoity-toity (she can come across as prejudice towards men because of past men making promises to her and never keeping them, there’s a few thoughts from her on this, *Spoiler* but realizes by the end, thanks to some of the good men around her, that not all men are liars or hypocrites *End of Spoiler*); Emma Grace wonders why she and her father couldn’t have had a sweet father-daughter relationship; Ray’s father likes to make sure everyone knows who he is & flaunts his money, which disgusts Ray; Many mentions of kidnappings, kidnappers, & ransoms; Mentions of murders (including an accidental murder), murderers, & the possibility of being killed (a concern of Emma Grace’s); Mentions of a child being hit by a car, injuries, parents blaming other parents, & guilt over it (the child lives, barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of fights, injuries, & a death; Mentions of kicking someone, injuries, passing out, & pain (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of criminals, thieves, thefts, robberies, stealing, & stolen items; Mentions of jail & arrests; Mentions of eavesdropping, bribing, blackmail, & guilt from it; Mentions of bars/saloons; Mentions of cigarettes, tobacco, & pipes; Mentions of grief/grieving (mothers, a brother, the happiness of a family, & what-ifs); Mentions of fathers changing (becoming harsher) after the death of their wife; Mentions of nightmares (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of prejudice to the working class/staff (by the wealthy); Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of hatred; Mentions of throwing up & vomit; A few mentions of embezzlement & swindling others; A few mentions of poker & cheating;

About this book: Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘botheration’, a ‘what in tarnation’, & three ‘tarnation!’s; Ethan’s mother passed away before the start of the book and his father works on a boat, so Ethan and three of his younger siblings go to a Children’s Home; Some grief (from Ethan about his mother); A child is kidnapped (not with ill-intent, but the child is scared); A woman wants a child (for the wrong/selfish reasons, to enhance her standing in the town, which she reflects on later); Ethan is threatened by a bully (who never actually apologizes later but tries to make things better); Ethan and a friend try to wiggle out of a future punishment by not listening to instructions; Ethan hits another boy (a young man and it doesn’t hurt him); Ethan keeps the bully’s threats to himself because he’s scare of retaliation (though, he eventually tells an adult); Mentions of a kidnapping & the kidnapper (who has to learn a lesson through this); Mentions of stealing & stolen items; Mentions of a bully & him threatening the younger kids (including Ethan); Mentions of when Ethan’s father would make him get beer for him & being strapped when late; Mentions of one of the kids from the Children’s Home running away (a teenager); A couple mentions of whips/being strapped (they don’t do that at the Children’s Home); A couple mentions of other children in town teasing and taunting the children from the Home; A mention of jail; A mention of a lie;              *Note: Towards the end of the book, an Orphan Train is planned for some of the children from the Children’s Home and in the author’s note, it’s mentioned about those who benefited or suffered under those arrangements.   Sexual Content- N/A.  -Ethan Cooper, ages 8-9                                P.O.V. switches between Ethan & others                                         Set in 1907-1908                                                 184 pages ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Pre Teens-  New Teens-  Early High School Teens-  Older High School Teens-  My personal Rating-  This book has been on my radar for years and I’m glad I finally got around to reading it. Like other good middle-grade stories, there’s a lot of character development for different characters within this 200 pages and some adventures too! There was a good amount of faith content and overall quite clean. It could be triggering for adoptees, though, as Ethan and his eight siblings are split-up and some are in the Children’s Home. They are well taken care of there, but there are a few challenges in the adjustment period. *Spoiler* At the end, one of Ethan’s older siblings give approval for the younger four (including Ethan) to be sent on an orphan train to be adopted as their father will not be coming back. *End of Spoiler*I’m looking forward to continuing with the series and see what happens for this sibling group.      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.

style=”margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;”> New Teens-  Early High School Teens-  style=”margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;”> I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book, the synopsis had me intrigued and the cover gave off a creepy element. It turns out it was a little more intense than I was expecting—particularly the last half of the story!  I think I would say that I preferred the first half of the story because it really highlighted what I love to see in middle-grade books—a close family and that wholesomeness from the parents that care for their children and the children respecting their parents. If you’d not familiar with the middle-grade genre (Christian or secular), there’s not too many that have that element or have it done well, in my opinion.  The second half of the story had a Indian Jones vibe due to the treasure and hunting for it, which some readers may love. Personally it was a bit much for me, but there’s also lessons learned within those parts. Though the brothers talk to their parents often and the parents are very involved in their lives and interests (they also homeschool), the boys do keep some of their adventuring a secret under the guise of not wanting to their hopes up. Some of this adventuring leads into some close-calls and dangerous situations, and once the parents are told, they’re proud of the boys for looking out for each other but will be discussing the fact they went without an adult later. The faith content was solid, and I really liked seeing Caleb having a discussion with someone who doesn’t believe. There was good character development that felt very realistic for a boy Caleb’s age. Overall? Not bad. While I wish a couple things had been different or happened differently, it was a pretty suspenseful read for a middle-grade book and one I can see quite a few middle-grade fans enjoy.     See y’all on Friday with a new review! 

anda%20Cabot.jpeg” imageanchor=”1″ style=”margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;”> {Trigger Warning for those sensitive to suicides and/or grief} When I first started reading this book, I was concerned. Concerned because the first 70 or so pages are heavy with grief. I was honestly a bit worried how it would affect me, but I continued on to hopefully see happiness be restored in these characters’ lives. I’m glad I did.  This is my first book by this author, despite having some of her other books on my TBR for much longer than I’d like to admit. After reading this novel, I definitely plan to continue this series and while waiting for the next book to be released, see about reading some of her other books in the meantime.  I think this cover is perfect for this story. The dark blue and overall ambience of the cover implies a deeper story within the pages. There’s a lot of heartbreak our main characters have gone through and continue to go through just in the first handful of pages. It was really hard to read at first, honestly.  I would definitely put a trigger warning for this book as it deals heavily with suicide and grief. I liked both Emily and Craig, but it was hard to see the damage that has been done to Emily from her late husband’s actions and words. I wanted to give her a hug so bad.  Time passed pretty quick in this book (over half a year in total), which is nice. It actually didn’t make their relationship or feelings for the other feel fast, which was interesting. It worked well and I think I was wanting to see happiness and would take any morsel I could get from these characters. (Side note: It was nice to see a widow man’s perspective and it not having him longing for female nearness/companion like most others I’ve read in a similar situations do. Points to Craig for that!) I absolutely loved how Emily & Craig became Beulah’s advocates. Emily was so passionate and while kind, firm about the matter that Beulah should be treated like any other children as she’s God’s child, just like them.  There’s a bit of a murder mystery, but it’s someone dear to a main character, so it’s more than just a sense of justice, but a determination.  As the book continued, I was easily able to predict early on what would happen and was right on the dot, but that didn’t bother me so much, because I just wanted answers and justice. I will say that the ending wasn’t my favorite murderer/killer reveal I’ve ever read, as it felt similar to many other suspense books I’ve read. I did knock off a .5 star on my personal rating for it.  I wasn’t sure what to expect this is new-to-me author, but I was pleasantly surprised. Despite being about a woman who was abused by her husband, murders/suicides, and a few other topics, it was all kept lightly mentioned on the details that could have bogged the book down more. I appreciate that and that all of those parts were more of a hint, than giving actual details, most of the time.      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.

About this book:   “CIA analyst Brynn Taylor developed a new program to combat terrorism, and she invited members of foreign intelligence agencies to America to foster cooperation between countries. Now one of them, Egyptian spy Remon Riad, is missing.   Jack Hudson has been working for the Strategic Neutralization and Protection Agency (SNAP) for almost nine years and takes the lead in hunting down the missing spy. But he isn’t at all pleased to find out Brynn is involved. It’s hard to trust a woman who’s already betrayed you.   Every lead they follow draws them dangerously deeper into an international plot. Kidnapping, murder, explosions, poisoning–the terrorists will do anything to accomplish their goal of causing a digital blackout that will blind a strategic US military communications center and throw the world into chaos.   Can Brynn surrender control to a man who doesn’t trust her? And can Jack ever get over what she did to him? The fate of the world–and their hearts–hangs in the balance.” Series: Book #1 in “The SNAP Agency” series. Review of the prequel novella Here! Spiritual Content- A Scripture is quoted & remembered; A couple talks about God & trusting Him; Jack’s parents raised him knowing about the Lord, but after trying events, he started to question everything (thinking that it’s “easy to believe God was on his side when thing went the way he wanted”); Brynn makes a comment on why is God doing something to her (regarding to her life seems to be on tract, but then gets derailed); Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of God, trusting Him, & peace; Mentions of having faith; A few mentions of the armor of Christ & a Bible study; A few mentions of a man being Coptic (indigenous Christianity from Egypt) & has a cross tattoo; A mention of a missionary;              *Note: Mentions of Allah; Mentions of Allah blessing someone & Seif wondering why he isn’t blessed as he’s done everything right (memorizing the tenets of the Quran, fasted for Ramadan, and never missed a call to prayer), but is working two jobs to provide for his family; A few mentions of phrases meaning “God willing” and “If God wills” (regarding to Allah); Mentions of Muslim terrorist groups & Islamic extremism; Mentions of mosques, going to one, & an imam; A couple mentions of a prayer to Allah (by Seif); A mention of an American man giving his allegiance to a terrorist group and saying that “Allah’s will won’t be stopped”; A mention of Islam; A mention of someone reading the Quran; A mention of becoming a martyr (as a suicide bomber); A mention of someone believing that religions can coexist peacefully; A mention of making a deal with the devil; A mention of a group of people being like “cybergods”; A mention of a Neanderthal; A mention of aliens.   Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘how in the—‘, a ‘sheesh’, a ‘shut up’, and a ‘stupid’; A few mentions of curses (said, not written); Sarcasm & Eye rolling; Being held at gunpoint, Being held hostage, Being attacked, Being stabbed, & Fighting back (semi-detailed); Explosions/Bombs, A broken bone, Injuries, & Pain (up to semi-detailed); Finding bodies (barely-above-not-detailed); A car crash & Seeing car crashes (up to semi-detailed); Seeing someone pass out (up to semi-detailed); A near panic attack (barely-above-not-detailed); Seif smokes a cigarette; All about many, many mentions of terrorists, terrorism, violent extremists, traitors, plans of attacks, threats to national security, & cyber crimes; Many mentions of suicide bombers, bombs, explosions, victims, & deaths (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of 9/11 (including mentions of Brynn’s father being a firefighter on that day and seeing extreme grief from others); Mentions of wars & war zones; Mentions of deaths, murders, how it happened, & bodies (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of heart attacks, a death, & being poisoned/drugged, & drugs (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of deaths of loved ones & grief (Brynn for her father and mother); Mentions of human trafficking (men and women for work), illegal immigrants, & a sweatshop; Mentions of attacks, fighting, stabbings, being held at gunpoint, being held hostage, gunshots, injuries, pain, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of crimes, violence, & protests; Mentions of extreme hatred; Mentions of car crashes & injuries; Mentions of a missing person; Mentions of children playing in a street almost being run-over; Mentions of cigarettes, tobacco, & smoking; Mentions of tattoos; A few mentions of torture & a picture of someone tied up and beaten; A few mentions of arson; A few mentions of lies & lying; A few mentions of nightmares; A couple mentions of kidnappings & killings; A couple mentions of the smell of burning hair, flesh, and bone; A couple mentions of a man slapping a young girl and her bleeding; A couple mentions of stealing; A couple mentions of throwing up; A mention of mass shootings (at concerts, churches, and schools); A mention of a boating accident & death; A mention of a burglar; A mention of a young woman looking like she spent all night at a club; A mention of substance abuse; A mention of bullies; A mention of rumors; A mention of jealousy; A mention of flesh-eating bugs; A mention of an eyebrow piercing; A mention of urine;              *Note: Mentions of cancer, treatments, & recovery (*Spoiler* Jack was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma before joining SNAP *End of Spoiler*); Mentions of actual terrorist groups (ISIS); Mentions of equality in the workplace & Brynn being subject to old-fashioned opinions on it as she works in a male-dominated environment (including mentions of other women also having to prove themselves in a man’s world); Mentions of car brands; Mentions of a designer brands & brand name (Louis Vuitton, U-Haul, Colgate, Reese’s Pieces, Eddie Bauer, Tupperware &Tylenol); Mention of TV shows, movies, & characters (Gunsmoke, Grey’s Anatomy, The Love Boat, Dateline, The Princess Bride, Harry Potter, A Christmas Story, The Sound of Music, Independence Day, James Bond, Jason Bourne, & Jack Ryan); Mention of actors/public figures (Ryan Reynolds, Jason Momoa, Houdini, Groucho Marx, Jack Kennedy, Anna Wintour, & Will

About this book:   “A massive mess, a leopard on the loose, and the arrival of new life–it’s just another day in the life of the Mulligans. From bestselling author Bill Myers comes a hilarious, warmhearted, and action-packed adventure starring the Mulligan family.   Neither Michael nor Traci Mulligan had intended upon a large family, let alone one of such diversity. But God had other plans. After their second child, Lisa, was born blind, they began to see their gift for reaching out, connecting, and laughing with special children with special needs–all while raising their family among the many creatures living at the animal park that they operate.   Are there trials? You bet. There’s no way to keep the boat from rocking with so many children from such diverse backgrounds and in such an incredible environment. But their faith in Christ, commitment to one another, and ability to laugh at themselves keep them digging in to make it work.” Series: Book #1 in “The Magnificent Mulligans” series. Spiritual Content- Ephesians 4:32 at the beginning; Scriptures are quoted, read, & discussed (including about a dozen in the Thoughts & Questions section at the end of the book); Talks about God, praying, His plans, & forgiveness; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Some of the kids go to a Christian school & there’s a Bible class (some discussions/class parts are written); Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of the Lord’s Prayer & giving forgiveness to others; A handful of mentions of a wealthy man going to take “matters into his own hands” since “he had a few issues with God—don’t ask how many issues God had with him” (but he starts to pray in a dangerous situation that he’ll give his money away if God gets him out of it, though later goes back and forth how much he’ll give (trying to bargain with God)); A mention of Sunday school; A mention of someone wondering if a dangerous situation would be good to “make sure things were good with God”; A mention of a Christian school;              *Note: A mention of Santa; A mention of an alien movie.  Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘birdbrain’ (regarding ostriches as a pun), a very long ‘blah blah blah blah’, four ‘dumbs’, nine ‘stupid’s, and a cut-off insult; Some eye rolling; One of the girls thinks there is a burglar breaking into their home (there is not…of the human variety, that is); Snide comments from a group of mean girls; Some of the siblings bicker, argue, and ignore each other; Nick is known to lie a lot (“if lying was an Olympic event, Nick could win gold, silver, and bronze—all at the same time”); Mentions of the possibility of an animal getting killed, hurt, or attacking someone; Mentions of a team of mean girls (they are rude to Jessica over her shoes and she is very hurt when Janelle doesn’t stand up for her *Spoiler* later, Janelle buys the same shoes so they can match *End of Spoiler*); Mentions of bullying & teasing (Hector, one of the boys, was suspended for making fun of another boy’s teeth); A few mentions of hatred; A couple mentions of rumors; A couple mentions of throwing up; A couple mentions of urine & poop; A couple mentions of a leopard eating someone’s pet parakeet; A mention of jealousy; A mention of a burp;              *Note: When it’s brought up about a giraffe giving birth, Hector says the ultrasound of the calf showed that “the thing is deformed” (his mother tries to correct his attitude, but he isn’t a big fan of animals because they’re “just…well, animals.”; He thought they shouldn’t “bother trying to save him—that they should just get rid of him and try for another”, but after seeing the baby giraffe, Hector encourages him); A mayor tells a female reporter that he “wouldn’t expect [her] little girlie head to understand the complex details of running a man’s business”; A man says that if it comes down to saving “some ignorant animal’s life or saving a human”, he’ll pick the human; A few mentions of when Hector was an orphan living on the streets of Bogota and another boy taught him how to hunt for food in dumpsters, gather cardboard to sleep on, and just stay alive in general; A few mentions of a car brand; A couple mentions of Arnold Schwarzenegger; A mention of an animal’s baby not making it; A mention of a brand name (Jell-O); A mention of the Animal Planet channel; A mention of the NBA.   Sexual Content- A ‘chick’; A few mentions of a popular girl swooning over Nick & having a crush on him (she’s rude to the twins because she didn’t believe they were siblings); A mention of a kiss in a movie;              *Note: Helping a baby giraffe being born (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); A mention of “people on TV always scream when they have kids”; A mention of Nick (a sixteen-year-old boy) being concerned with his looks; Mentions of a man’s skimpy swimsuit (and some people’s horrified reactions to it).  -Winona                               Most in the 1st P.O.V. of Winona ( otherwise told in a story telling format)                                                         140 pages ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Pre Teens-  New Teens-  Early High School Teens-  Older High School Teens-  My personal Rating-  I will say that this book felt a little all over the place, but I’m pretty sure that’s on par for this author based on the couple others book I’ve read by him. That said, I can see some enjoying this first book. I’m unsure of those sensitive towards adoption and disabilities will feel about this story, though, as there are some comments made (& corrected) towards people (and animals) with disabilities. I can see some being fine with it and others being rubbed the wrong way, so I really think this book is going to be a case-by-case situation.      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.

About this book:   “Who Is Spray Painting the Dogs in Brenham, Texas?    Cozy up with your favorite pooch and unwind with a small-town mystery in book 4 of the Gone to the Dogs series.    Strange happenings are afoot in Brenham, Texas, as dogs start showing up at the Lone Star Veterinary Clinic with a Z spray painted on them. The cops blame pranksters, while pet owners are blaming each other. Receptionist Cassidy Carter uses her social media expertise to try to get the culprit caught on camera, but Texas game warden, Justin Cameron, thinks online media attention is the last thing this case needs. When Cassidy’s post goes viral, more dogs are found painted and the clinic gets marked with a big Z too. How could her good intentions have backfired so badly?” Series: Book #4 in the “Gone to the Dogs Mystery” series. Can be read as stand-alones, but would be most enjoyed if read in order. Reviews of Book #1 Here!, Book #2 Here!, and Book #3 Here! Spiritual Content- A Scripture is quoted & read; Prayers & Thanking God; Mentions of God & having a faith; Mentions of prayers, praying, & thanking God; Mentions of churches, church going, & a pastor; A mention of a blessing;              *Note: A couple mentions of aliens.  Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘blasted’, a ‘care one flip [for something]’, a form of ‘darn’, a ‘oh my gosh’, two ‘dumb’s, two ‘ticked off’s, four ‘idiot’s, and seven ‘stupid’s; Some sarcasm & eye rolling; Being threatened; Mentions of crimes, criminals, crime scenes, breaking the law, & arrests; Mentions of jails/prisons & jailtime; Mentions of a man almost getting hit by a car; Mentions of a funeral home & bodies; Mentions of graffiti/vandalism; Mentions of pranks; Mentions of an accident involved a dog & a dog going missing (all dogs are okay); A couple mentions of a drowning; A couple mentions of the possibility of a crook or murderer (Cassidy’s imagination); A couple mentions of being threatened; A couple mentions of hunting; A mention of someone possibly being killed by a taser; A mention of someone not appearing to be a serial killer; A mention of a possible hostage situation; A mention of lies; A mention of bullies (& them rhyming “Cass” with other insulting words); A mention of someone winning the lottery;              *Note: Mentions of TV shows, movies, actors, & fictional characters (Downtown Abbey, Scooby-Doo, Zorro, & Douglas Fairbanks); Mentions of social media sites & technology (Instagram, TikTok, Zoom, FaceTime, & AirTags); Mentions of singers & songs (Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Elvis, & Miranda Lambert); A few mentions of Boy Scouts & Girl Scouts; A couple mentions of two women arguing and one blaming the Democrats for dogs getting painted and the other blaming the Republicans (they conceded it could have been the Independents and then say it could be anymore painting the dogs);A couple mentions of fast food places (McDonald’s & Chick-fil-A); A couple mentions of newspapers.  Sexual Content- Two cheek kisses, a not-detailed kiss, five barely-above-not-detailed kiss, and a border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed kiss; Embraces, Hand holding, & Nearness (barely-above-not-detailed); Noticing & Smelling (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of kisses & kissing; Mentions of dates, dating, boyfriends/girlfriends, break-ups, & exes; Mentions of crushes; Mentions of a cute/handsome/gorgeous/hunky guy; A mention of a wink; Love, falling in love, & the emotions. -Cassidy Carter                                 1st person P.O.V. of Cassidy                                                         258 pages Pre Teens-  Early High School Teens-  My personal Rating-  Here’s a new trope for everyone: “He’s no nonsense, She’s full-of-nonsense (in the best way)”, or I guess we could call it the Grumpy/Sunshine trope, but I feel like my new trope fits better. That said, I wasn’t sure how this couple would work out with his over-the-top protectiveness, but I really appreciate that they had to have an actual conversation about that. It was nice to see quick communication.    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.